Hello, drgondog.
Your Japanese is correct. No problem.
Incendiary bombs dropping on Osaka. circa 1945
Your Japanese is correct. No problem.
Incendiary bombs dropping on Osaka. circa 1945
Bombing of Toyko
- Thread starter Negative Creep
- Start date
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drgondog
Major
Shinpachi - it is interesting how paths cross.. My father was transferred to Johnson AFB when he took over the 35th FBW in early 1948 and we lived in the city close to the Palace for a couple of years before the Korean War started. I spoke Japanese probably better than english but never learned to write it - and of course have forgotten all after 60 years of no practice. The kanji was extracted as part of a Wiki passage - so no credit to my Japanese?
We came home a couple of months after it started and he followed in late 1950. It was an 'interesting' experience as a 5 year old to watch my father 'go to work' every day and not know for sure whether I would see him again... a common experience for RAF and LW and even IJA pilot familes defending the homeland - but not common for American military families.
What a fantastic encounter with an old American family in Japan!
That is what I wanted here.
I was born in Sendai city in 1953.
There was an American army camp, so-called "Kawauchi Camp". It was a very beautiful place
with American style wooden houses with walls painted in shiny white, windowpane in fesh green but no families because they had moved to another base in 1950 when the Korean War broke out.
I always missed them whom I had never met.
Korekaramo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
How shall I translate... Please be my friend?
Thanks
That is what I wanted here.
I was born in Sendai city in 1953.
There was an American army camp, so-called "Kawauchi Camp". It was a very beautiful place
with American style wooden houses with walls painted in shiny white, windowpane in fesh green but no families because they had moved to another base in 1950 when the Korean War broke out.
I always missed them whom I had never met.
Korekaramo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
How shall I translate... Please be my friend?
Thanks
drgondog
Major
What a fantastic encounter with an old American family in Japan!
That is what I wanted here.
I was born in Sendai city in 1953.
There was an American army camp, so-called "Kawauchi Camp". It was a very beautiful place
with American style wooden houses with walls painted in shiny white, windowpane in fesh green but no families because they had moved to another base in 1950 when the Korean War broke out.
I always missed them whom I had never met.
Korekaramo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
How shall I translate... Please be my friend?
Thanks
It is funny - that which we both remember as 'beautiful'.
While in Tokyo we lived in a beautiful traditional Japanese home with incredible woodwork and all 'hinged' joints instead of nailed beams so the house could move with earthquake tremblors.
We(my two sisters and myself) still have many Japanese furniture and art objects but we returned many treasures such as ancient silk screens and porcelains and one 400 year Samurai sword to the Japanese government in the 1970's.
My 'protector' was Noboru Wakamori, who along with his wonderful wife took me into the streets of Tokyo for nearly three years showing me the city, the markets and the culture - as much as one may see as a Gaijin..
He was a fighter pilot recently assigned to a Kamikaze unit when the war ended. My parents put him through University after we left for US and we received two letters per year every year until he passed away.. one at Christmas and one on the anniversary of the war's end - my birthday.
To this day I have a tremendous respect for Japanese honour and integrity..
Of course I will be your friend...
Thanks for your so friendly post, drgondog, again.
I have never known there was such a great story between an American family and a former Kamikaze pilot.
I guess Mr. Wakamori was about to give up his study at University thinking everything was too late.
Thanks for supporting him as such industrious young people rebuilt Japan from nothing.
Here are two photos - Ginza in 1951 and 2009.
Hoping you enjoy
Shinpachi
I have never known there was such a great story between an American family and a former Kamikaze pilot.
I guess Mr. Wakamori was about to give up his study at University thinking everything was too late.
Thanks for supporting him as such industrious young people rebuilt Japan from nothing.
Here are two photos - Ginza in 1951 and 2009.
Hoping you enjoy
Shinpachi
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Negative Creep
Staff Sergeant
Cheers for all the info, must say I've never heard of the Palace being conspicuously avoided. Wouldn't a strike against it also have taken out many senior generals and politicians? If the Japanese saw Hirohito as a living God then I would have thought his death would have a demoralising effect?
Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
Possibly, even probably
but it would also have left his senior military commanders to conduct the war unchecked by a head of state. Given their views on surrender it would almost certainly have been a bloodier ending to the war in the Far East, either from US Marines invading mainland Japan or from Groves extending his nuclear hit-list.
I think Colin's nailed it. Hirohito was a figurehead and a head of state. He had to be very careful what he did as he could overstep his bounds and end up a prisionerto the military. It has happened before in Japanese history. So his death would probably release the military from any need to worry about him. His successor would definitely be a puppet to the military.
drgondog
Major
Shinpachi - The Japanese (young and old) people rebuilt Japan. Ditto the West Germans.
IIRC Noboru thought it was impossible to study and support his family at that time and my mother said 'no problem - you need to do this'. Rememeber that the Dollar was one $ to ~360 Yen in 1950.
Now Noboru would be putting my grandkids through school on the Yen/$ rate - lol!
The 1950 picture of the Ginza brought back some memories.. IIRC the Tokyo Grill catered to Americans but also had a Sashimi bar.
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syscom3
Pacific Historian
The huge majority of divisions earmarked for operations Olympic and Coronet were Army. Give the marines their due, but dont think they had unlimited manpower.
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drgondog
Major
Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
You win your little point
My bigger point stands, alot of US troops would have been lost taking the mainland.
Would the Army be securing their own beach heads?
drgondog
Major
Colin - in all fairness there were a lot of beach heads were taken by US Army, including PTO.
USMC primarily under Nimitz in Central Pacific while MacArthur had no control over Marines and a lot more US Army troops got feet wet(in all theatres) in the grand scale of things simply because there weren't enough Jarheads to go around.
Aleutians, North Africa, New Hollandia, Phillipines, Sicily, Italy, Operation Dragoon, Normandy, etc come to mind.
syscom3
Pacific Historian
And New Georgia, Kwajelien, Eniwetok, Guam and Okinawa.
As for the projected invasion of Japan, the D-Day invasion OOB for Operation Olympic had seven army divisions as opposed to three marine divs. Coronet OOB had eleven army divs and three marine divs. All of these were the day one invasion forces, not follow on units.
Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
You can orbit around the bigger point as long as you like
with the hard-line senior military commanders now running the show, an invasion of mainland Japan was almost certainly a more realisable option and with it the loss of a considerable number of US troops.
drgondog
Major
I agree..
syscom3
Pacific Historian
I'm just pointing out that many people dont realize the US Army had a huge role in the Pacific, and it wasnt just the marines doing the landings.
Followings are my knowledge and experience.
Japanese Emperor has been a puppet since the 13th century when Samurai took power.
There was no remarkable definition that Emperor was a God till 1889 when ex-Constitution of the Empire of Japan was enacted.
My grandfather(my father's father) was born in 1895.
WW2 ended in 1945 and he quit all job as a construction engineer to begin enjoying his hobby -
making up furnitures. He was not interested in what was going on around him at all in the post war.
I don't know why but he was always cool.
One day, he asked me "Why has the name of Russia changed to Soviet Union when Japan has always been Japan? It is funny."
He was remarkably different from my father who was always enthusiastic about his country.
Japanese Emperor has been a puppet since the 13th century when Samurai took power.
There was no remarkable definition that Emperor was a God till 1889 when ex-Constitution of the Empire of Japan was enacted.
My grandfather(my father's father) was born in 1895.
WW2 ended in 1945 and he quit all job as a construction engineer to begin enjoying his hobby -
making up furnitures. He was not interested in what was going on around him at all in the post war.
I don't know why but he was always cool.
One day, he asked me "Why has the name of Russia changed to Soviet Union when Japan has always been Japan? It is funny."
He was remarkably different from my father who was always enthusiastic about his country.
RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARY VIEWING: "The Fog of War," Robert McNamara's reminicences of his lofty perch in the chain of command from WW2 through Viet Nam. I don't recall if avoidance of the sacred palace was adddressed. But, I'm fairly certain the emporer was spared for what he could provide alive: unquestioned submission.
What DID stick with me was the concern between he and LeMay, that if we did not win the war, they might face trial as "war criminals" for the fire bombings of Japan. That sentiment certainly lends creedence to that old adage, "History is written by the victors."
Although a strictly subjective perspective, it certainly offers a RARE,facsinating and revealing glimpse into the mind of one witnessed and influenced so many military decisions of the period.
What DID stick with me was the concern between he and LeMay, that if we did not win the war, they might face trial as "war criminals" for the fire bombings of Japan. That sentiment certainly lends creedence to that old adage, "History is written by the victors."
Although a strictly subjective perspective, it certainly offers a RARE,facsinating and revealing glimpse into the mind of one witnessed and influenced so many military decisions of the period.
An unexploded incendiary bomb dropped by B-29 during the war was found at the old school ground of Toyama City in last June.
You can check how it explodes - slowly burns for a long time.
This is a rare chance to see.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=836gq0lJStE
You can check how it explodes - slowly burns for a long time.
This is a rare chance to see.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=836gq0lJStE
