In august 1945, the war was over for all to see and US land fighting was then minimal Thus any comparison is almost impossible. Yet the sustained run up saw continous land fighting from Guadacanal on. So yes propaganda mattered.
What is reported is that Japanese usually refused to surrender and they certainly executed prioners as often as not. With no quarter expected ,it was hardly given either.
It takes a remarkable level of brainwashing to produce a kamakazi. This is what the Japanese achieved. It was a psychological achievement. It was also the only remaining tactic left.
..
In August 1945, when the Soviets attacked Japan, many Japanese soldiers surrendered or fled the fighting. At the same time, they fought the Americans bitterly to their last breath. Why was that?
·
quora.com
Senior Controller at NATO
In August 1945, when the Soviets attacked Japan, many Japanese soldiers surrendered or fled the fighting. At the same time, they fought the Americans bitterly to their last breath. Why was that?
The main reason was psychological.
The Japanese had fought the Soviets back in 1939 (Battles of Khalkhin Gol) and the Soviets had treated the Japanese prisoner rather well. Although these POWs were usually listed as KIA (this was done to protect the family as surrender was dishonorable), it was a public secret the Soviets were pretty humane towards the Japanese.
The situation with the Americans was different. Japanese propaganda had demonized the Americans and claimed they did not take prisoners and tortured POWs to death. While no Japanese POWs were ever tortured to death, the US did have a policy of not taking prisoners which confirmed the Japanese view that the Americans were barbarians. A vicious circle was created in which both sides loathed the other to the point that no prisoners were taken and the rules of war were tossed away.
This Japanese propaganda reached insane levels by August 1943 when it was claimed, and believed, that fallen Japanese soldiers would continue to fight the Americans as ghosts.
With Japan having a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, the Soviets were never demonized the way the Americans were.
Japanese propaganda went much further than German propaganda, alas little attention has been paid to it in Western literature.
That makes sense and helps explain alot. Too bad that this is the first time I have heard of this. Often what appears to be black-and-white simple, isn't.
ReplyDeleteThe Imperial Japanese were wholly infused with emperor worship. The last Japanese soldiers to surrender at the end of WWII was March 9th, 1974 in the Philippines. Lt Hiroo Onoda had been killing Phillippinos for 29 years after wars end. That is how fanatical Japan of that era was. Japanese of that era were every bit the racist of their German allies.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather served in WWII, on Iwo Jima. American policy was to take prisoners and the prisoners we took were treated well. It was the individual soldiers policy to just kill them because most Japanese fought to the death, and the wounded Japanese soldier you passed by on the advance was likely to pull the pin on a grenade if you didn't finish him off.
In Japan, soldiers that surrendered in battle disgraced the family and were court marshalled if they made it back, much like the Russians.
Now for context on Japanese surrender to Russia. Not every single Japanese person was wholly infected with the idea of Imperial Japan. But every fighting age Male was conscripted to fight for Japan. So what does a good military command do with weak, not so committed troops. You put them in places where you need a military presence, but they aren't meant to fight. Places like Russia.
But in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, Japan was every bit as brutal to the Russians as they were to the Americans 40 years later. Even sneak attacking the Russian navy at Port St Author to open the war.
I wonder why the push to erase Japan's serious war crimes of the early 20th century?