A6M2 Zero Vs. ME 109

[book1182]

What if the Japs had Mc-202's instead of Zeros?

From an earlier quote by wmaxt...

"The Japanese attitude of single combat and the plane as a personal wepon froze tactics, even though they had proven ineffective. Worse, the assumption that the aircraft was no more than a sword waiting for its master to weild precluded quick or radical upgrades to their aircraft, ie a sword is a sword."

I think they still would of got smoked....

I agree. The Japanese still didn't use group tactics at the end of the war. They believed in self honor in the fact that dieing in battle was better than winning the battle. Read Flyboys and you will see what I mean. I couldn't believe that they stopped supplying troops after they took over an island!!! They told their soldiers to live off the land. How are you going to live off of the land when it is nothing more than a sandy atoll?!?!?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree. The Japanese still didn't use group tactics at the end of the war. They believed in self honor in the fact that dieing in battle was better than winning the battle.

I dont know if I necessarilly agree with that. I think it was more they would rather win the battle, but if you are going to lose the battle it is more honorable to die in the battle.

I do however agree that there samurai stuff and the attitude of the plane as there personal weapon was a downfall because they did not develop better tactics.

 

[loomaluftwaffe]

they got too carried away with tradition

 

[Twitch]

The Japanese supplied garrisons on islands in several innovative ways from their huge transport submarines. Read-

Orita, Zenji
I-Boat Captain
Major Books, Canoga Park CA, 1976

 

[evangilder]

They called living off the land "local provisions". It was a hoorible situation and on some islands, the soldiers resorted to cannabalism, even of each other.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

To be honest though can you blame the soldiers. Soldiers allways will find ways to survive.

 

[lesofprimus]

Obviously, all these Japanese were HORRIBLE fishermen, being stranded on an island and forced to eat human flesh.....

I mean, seriously, I'd eat whatever I could find in the tidal pools, or eat worms bugs and larve before resorting to cannibalism....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

You and me both.

 

[evangilder]

I totally agree, Dan. The last thing I want to eat is another human being. Geez, it's not kosher!

 

[Twitch]

But still abandoning the troops was NOT planned. They were cut off due to enemy actions. Even then supplying was well planned to the point of constructing supply subs beforehand.

 

[evangilder]

Actually, in some locations, local provisions was the order.

 

[Gnomey]

New Guinea was one, but they found that supplies were not as easy or plentiful as in China and so the troops ended up finding other ways of feeding themselves one of which was cannibalism...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Give them a bag of rice and tell them to catch fish and eat fruit.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Give them a bag of rice and tell them to catch fish and eat fruit.

don't forget the rats! Yummie!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah but some of the rats on those places could probably eat them.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yeah but some of the rats on those places could probably eat them.

 

[wmaxt]

But still abandoning the troops was NOT planned. They were cut off due to enemy actions. Even then supplying was well planned to the point of constructing supply subs beforehand.

Some were cut off, but the contingent on Wake Island were ordered to, and did, execute 600+ Morrison Knudsen construction workers so they wouldn't have to feed them.

Start with the attitude that the Japanese are the ordained race add the code of Bushido which is very unforgiving, together with training practices that included severe beatings of anyone of lessor rank or status, for ANY offense, made harsh treatment the normal situation. Add to that the assumption that many of these Islands were self sufficent before the Japanese came, made such decisions easy. Lastly if Japanese soldiers were there that island couldn't be completely ignored by the Allies. That there were 10 times as many Japanese on the islands than there ever were natives, or that you have to go several miles out to sea to fish effectively were easy to gloss over. Or to put it bluntly if its ok to rape and kill 400,000 in Nanking or 250,00 for the Doolittle raid, whats 100 noncoms? In most cases the officers above Lutenant were taken to other comands.

wmaxt

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Or to put it bluntly if its ok to rape and kill 400,000 in Nanking or 250,00 for the Doolittle raid, whats 100 noncoms? wmaxt

BINGO!!!

 

[schwarzpanzer]

They believed in self honor in the fact that dieing in battle was better than winning the battle

What a great tactic to win a war! erm... Lemmings!

 

[Jabberwocky]

They believed in self honor in the fact that dieing in battle was better than winning the battle

Thats not correct. For the common solider, who had been force fed a nationalised and bastardized version of the samurai Bushido code of honour, it was considered that instead of suffering the disgrace of defeat and capture by your enemies, it was preferable to die in battle.

This however, is HIGHLY simplified. It has often been interpreted that the Japanese would rather commit suicide charges than face defeat on the battlefield and the ignoimity of surrender, withdrawl, or defeat. Generally speaking though, that wasn't the case. It was only in cases of officers and men with an extreemly skewed view of bushido, or absolute fervent nationalism, that suicide charges were carried out. The first 'Banzi' (which is actually a blessing meaning 'ten thousand years' or 'long live') charges weren't until mid 1943, concieved as a last ditch chance for victory after running out of ammunition, and even after this they were a relative rarity, the main charges being at Saipan, Tarawa and Attu.