Ah…well then again…7…compared to…well thousands. Obviously shows something big changed in the way they thought about POW’s.
I’m sure many did just as you described, but many simply surrendered. In the Dutch East Indies, in fact, the European captives were very disappointed to learn that the allies had charged the Japanese with maintaining order until they could get there. They couldn’t do that very well by committing suicide.
A friend of my family’s was a prisoner of the Japanese. He worked a mine outside of Nagasaki. They were far enough away from the city to have survived the blast in good order, but he did day the Japanese became quite accommodating and friendly after that. Our family friend lived well into his 80s in Houston, Texas.
I think the Bataan Death March has been voluminously, exhaustively ,documented in nearly every tiny detail. History will not ever forget this event because of the documentation that is out there. Not to worry, Francesca.
Even foot soldiers had the “banzai” charge, like the kamikase for the aircraft. The banzais were when the Japanese grunts just ran, firing their rifles and hoped to run their bayonets through an Allied soldier. Naturally, it was a major risk. The M1 Garand was supposed to have been the perfect weapon to counter this. The banzai soldiers oftentimes charged single file, and the Garand’s rounds had enough stopping power to go right through three of the Japanese. As someone already said, the Japanese would rather get killed than captured.
The banzai soldiers oftentimes charged single file
When?
True. The Japanese not only held tens of thousands of Russians, over 100,000 Japanese also surrendered themselves, and were repatriated with no “shame” on them after hostilities ended.
Clearly, something became increasingly warped and twisted within the mindset of the Imperial Army’s officer corp after WWI. Part of this is the philosophy of the “Third Force,” in which the Japanese realized that for the foreseeable future, they would be at a severe technological and firepower disadvantage when facing Western powers on land. So they attempted to compensate for this by instilling what James Bradley refers to as a “pseudo-Samurai” Code of Bushido into the rank and file. This sort of celebration of the samurai’s suicidal fanaticism was widely misunderstood, and was never meant to apply to ordinary foot soldiers. Only the actual Samurai that served as something of a senior officer corp in feudal Japan. The idea was that through a warrior spirit of fanaticism and brutality, the Japanese could overcome the Allies physical superiority of arms…
Banzai attacks are human wave attacks “in which soldiers attack in successive line formations” (Human Wave Attack wiki article). In the banzai article, it states that the tactic was extremely effective against the Chinese, but again, not against Allies with semi-auto rifles and machine guns.
Ummm… Line and File are NOT the same thing. In line, everyone is facing the enemy and have other soldiers to their left and right. In file, everyone is facing the enemy but with soldiers in front and behind. You described attacking in file, that article describes attacking in line.
It was actually pretty “effective” on Attu. The Japanese did not stop the Americans from retaking their soil, but they inflicted heavy casualties and drove through the infantry lines well into the logistical rear areas. There was a History Channel program with a few compelling stories of soldiers that were having a comfortable nights sleep, because they thought the Japanese were contained and pretty much done for, only to wake and find themselves awash in screaming of the Emperor’s finest, engaging them in brutal and desperate hand-to-hand combat after several of their comrades had been bayoneted in their pup-tents…
Ok, thanks for clearing that up.
You’re mixing up several distinct issues.
Kamikaze pilots were invented late in the war as a desperate measure, not least because the idiots running the Japanese military put too much emphasis on ‘spirit’ to win and too little on sensible manpower planning and protection. ‘Spirit‘ doesn‘t stop pilots being shot. Armoured seats do. Guess who got imbued with ‘spirit’ in training to fly planes in combat that that didn’t have armoured seats?
The ‘banzai’ charge wasn’t a suicidal random rush 'when the Japanese grunts just ran, firing their rifles and hoped to run their bayonets through an Allied soldier.”. It was a calculated and effective tactic, often involving the use of firecrackers, bugles, and sundry other distractions to create the impression of a large attacking and or encircling force. It was very effective, too, combined with the standard Japanese tactics of infiltration and encirclement.
Japanese didn’t just ‘hope’ to run their bayonets through an Allied soldier in a blind charge. The Japanese were the most thoroughly trained soldiers in bayonet combat in WWII. It was part of their training to help them find their ’spirit’. They knew exactly what they were doing with bayonets, and they did it very well. Admittedly, they often did it on prisoners, but you’ve got to get practice on live targets wherever you can find them. Stabbing prisoners with bayonets was part of the field training processes to help Japanese soldiers find their ‘sprit’ for killing the enemy.
The measure of the Japanese obsession with and belief in ‘spirit’ was that Japanese training and manuals extolled the virtues of ‘spirit’ and condemned those who lacked it, such that soldiers who got sick lacked ‘spirit’ and didn’t need medical treatment but more rough handling to help them find their ‘spirit’.
Pilots who got shot through the back or up the arse through a flimsy seat presumably lacked sufficient ‘spirit’ to withstand a .30 round, just like weak foot soldiers who succumbed to malaria and other tropical diseases.
The Japanese military could be stunningly brilliant and stunningly stupid.
BTW did you know Rising Sun that the Red Army aslo has used this tactic.
During the attack the soviet soldiers screamed “Urraaa” befor hand-to hand battels like in Stalingrad.
Never heard of it before. Thanks.
Does “Urraaa” mean something in Russian?
Was it part of a calculated tactic or just something that grew up at Stalingrad?
No the root of this combat’s cry come from the ancient times. Even in the 19-cenntyry the Russian impireal army used this tactic.
During the soviet period this tactic was developed - so the Read Army soldiers shout the “Uraaaaaaaaaa” and goint to the attack. The Naval infantry ( so called sailors who fight in the land) had its OWn combatan cry - “Polundra” ( nobody know what does this this word mean;))
This tactic were videlly used in Stalingrad - if you saw the Enemy at the geits - you should notice it whenthe recruits attacked the Germans positions ( the stoopid unreal scene ) they shouted “Uraaa”.
As i 've read from the memours of soviet veterans- Gemans in stalingrad were not impressed this tactic - usialy they meeted the Red attack enought calmly. However the Germans allies in Stalingrad ( Italians , Hungarians and other except may be 305 Croatian brigade) FEARED this cry very much.
I’ve heard the story of one sailor - one in the desember of 1942 they has attaked the trenche with Hangarian soldier.
After the cry “Polundra” all the hungarians FOR THE MOMENT has cleared the trench- and run away.
I don’t wish to say that the Hungarians were the bad soldiers - however this tactic saved a many lives of the soviet soldiers during the WW2.
I feel sorry for the Italians. They had enough trouble in North Africa coping with soldiers who weren’t yelling fearsomely at them. 
Honestly speaking i feel sory for all Germans allis in Stalingrad- to much terrible sufferings FOR what?FOr nothing.
They forught with Hitler coz he promised them the new lands.
In the end, what war is worth the suffering?
Peace always breaks out, after a lot of misery, suffering and death.
Then we have another war.
Humans aren’t the smartest animal on the planet. 
Do you think that the Japanese where a little desparate when they started kamakazis
i think more damage probably would have been done if these pilots tried to down enemy aircraft or had been folded into the infantry
Kamakazis ?? :shock:…
I think you try to said kamikazes. And there is already a topic about it.
I am moving this.