While I can’t contribute much to this topic (about which there is almost no information available in Germany), I’m very interested in the history of the war in the Pacific area and individual accounts, since my fiancee comes from the Philippines.
Jan
I am mostly interested in Japan’s actions before Dec 7/41 and their Air and Tank forces and equipment during all conflicts of the 1930’s and 40’s.
Always on the hunt for info on their Tank’s which is not a heavily covered subject in my experience.
I expect you know this already, but the Malayan campaign provides some good examples of their use of tanks, against forces with no tanks but at times well used anti-tank guns.
Tanks? I call 'em “heavey armoured bathtubs on tracks” 重装甲バスタブor JB tank :mrgreen::mrgreen:
The Allied infantry who faced them didn’t dismiss them so lightly.
Good for anti-infantry but was never good for anti-tank roles (acording to a Japanese site www.Luzende.com I think the 56mm AT gun was worse than the german 20mm AT gun used on the Panzer II).
You think a few relatively brief if furious naval engagements were substantially more spectacular than, to pick just a few, naval supported USMC and US Army landings in the Pacific; Kursk; D Day and subsequent advances in Normandy; Stalingrad; the Russian pulverisation of Berlin; the Allied bombing of Dresden, Cologne and Hamburg; the Battle of Britain; the German airborne invasion of Crete; German wolf packs ranging across the Atlantic; German commerce raiders ranging across the globe; and the Japanese conquests of Malaya, Burma, the Philippines and the NEI?
As for the ‘Japan united fleet’, a good many of the major ships of Japan’s Combined Fleet spent much of the war safely anchored in Hashirajima or Truk or wasting precious fuel steaming between the two or other places where the most spectacular thing they did was look good.
Rising Sun, thanks for outlining some very interesting points. I have a personal interest in both the Japanese army and naval air forces of WWII.
i consider the 6 month battle for guadalcanal aka starvation island to be one of the most interesting campaigns.Also interesting are the coastwatchers who immensely helped the early battles.Lots of sea battles.
All I can say, is that when RS wak3es up tomorrow, he ain’t gonna be too happy reading about the Coral sea AGAIN!!..uh oh!
here is a nice little description of a japanese tank action on peleliuhttp://home.sprymet.com/~kier/peleliu.htm
Though it may be a little late in the post, the Japanese Army interests me very much. I don’t know why but I am fascinated with their armor though it seems pretty inferior to western Armor. I think I am interested becasue I know so little about it.
I am also interested in Japan during the war…I don’t know alot about it but what I do know makes me want to learn more about their role in the war…Since I read about my Grandfather’s duty in the Philipines during WWII…I have really gotten interested in it…
Regards,
Robbielynne
If you can, read the Rising Sun by John Toland…it’s a big book but a Great book about Japan in the War. I read it when I was in school and still remember it as if it were yesterday. There is also another Great person on this forum named Rising Sun but this is not to be confused with the book. The RS I am thinking about probably taught John Toland about the war to write his book!
Thanks for the info…John Toland didn’t he also write a book on Hitler? part 1 and part 2? I have read alot of Rising Sun’s threads and posts…they are very educational and well written…thanks again:D
Regards,
Robbielynne
Japanese is not one of my favorites topic of mine,but this might interest the members that love the Japanese ww2 war efforts,which this thread is all about.
http://natgeotv.com.au/Programmes/the-war-in-colour/photos/pacific-hell
I’m interested. I almost hate to say this, but the Japanese had a fondness for surprise attacks against much weaker enemies. It’s hardly surprising that they won early on. Evenly matched, they nearly always lost. Heck, the Nazis were highly successful against Polish horse cavalry - no surprise there, and against an initially sclerotic and emasculated Red army. Once they met an enemy who could trade space for time - the Russian steppe and English channel come to mind - they began to lose. The Japanese lost the war the minute they attacked Pearl Harbor because, frankly, they were stupid and narcissistic.
I’m new on this forum, but I’m fascinated by the enigma of WW II Japan. I don’t think anyone, here or in Japan, can really explain why Japan pursued such a rigid and unyielding course to war in the 1920’s and 1930’s, or the incredible lack of study of the implications of modern global warfare. How could a country manage to both start, and lose, a war in one morning? Why were the Japanese so astonishingly successful for five months, and so miserably inept for the next six months?
Why did the Japanese not recognize the seriousness of the American plan for total war? How could they enter a war with no plan for ending it? Was there any realistic strategy the Japanese could have followed to get what they wanted? Why did they so profoundly misjudge the determination of the Western countries? Finally, why have they failed to at least take an introspective look at their failure in WW II?
These are some of the questions I have, and would like to explore on this forum.
My father and all his friends wer WW2 Vets.
My uncle was a Seabee and my dad was 506 PIR.
My buddies fathers were all WW2 vets.
They were about evenly matched as to where they served.
Guys who failed to serve were regarded as somewhat lesser beings.
I collected lots of stories and souveniers as a youngster.
There was a “Jap Rifle” or sword behind about every kitchen door in the county.
They still turn up.
I did lots of reading on it as a kid.
Just re read Toland’s stuff this year.
It is interesting to hear the 1st hand stories of families on the home front and how they were affected.
We did not experience bombing or occupation, but the war effort was quite a huge deal on how folks lived.
Most families had ties to the European old country.
Nobody was related to the Japanese and they were quite villified.