Japanese Troops on the Great Wall of China

WingRight.org ^ | October 1, 2011 | Beverly Nuckols, MD (hocndoc)

[hocndoc]

My husband and I visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, this week. I couldn't help but relate the events of December, 7, 1941 to those of September 11, 2001. Listening to the stories of the people who were suddenly under fire from an enemy from the sky, who saw friends and family shot and bombed, was almost too much to bear. The sight of the Arizona underwater, where all those men died without warning when bombed and their ammunition supplies blew up, reminds us that there are men who will kill, without warning, for power.

The museum at the Park has a series of videos telling the story of Pearl Harbor and World War II, and a movie that everyone watches on the way to the shuttle boats that take you to the Memorial. Since there's been so much talk lately about building a wall along the Texas-Mexico border, one particular image caught my eye: movie footage from the early 1930's, showing Japanese troops marching on the Great Wall of China. I thought it was propaganda from the war department, but no, it really happened.

"Chinese and Japanese representatives met in the Tanggu district of Tianjin starting on 22 May 1933 in an attempt to end the undeclared war between China and Japan. Japan demanded that a demilitarized zone be established 100 kilometers south of the Great Wall, and Japan was to be given possession of the Great Wall itself. Also, Japan demanded that Japanese units were to be allowed to patrol the demilitarized zone. The Chinese government agreed to all Japanese demands and signed the document on 31 May 1933."

See more about the First Battle of Hebei or Operation Nekka, here.

I had just read that some wanted to build a similar wall all along our Rio Grande, and had even read one candidate, Herman Cain, wanted to build our own version of "The Great Wall of China."

It wasn't for lack of a wall that China lost much of her land to Japan. It was the lack of men and materials to defend the wall.

We already have Mr. Cain's "moat," although without the alligators. It's called the Rio Grande. Our farmers and ranchers along the Rio have water rights that allow them to make a living and grow food for Texas and the United States. The fence makes it harder and more expensive for them to do their jobs and does nothing to stop illegal aliens and drug runners from coming into the US, because our Border Patrol agents are too few and far between to respond and apprehend criminals, even when alerted.

The next time you hear someone say that we need a fence along the Rio Grande, I hope you remember the Great Wall of China. We need men and materials to defend our border, not a wall between Texas and the Rio Grande. Read more about the border, here.

[hocndoc]

"The fence makes it harder and more expensive for them to do their jobs and does nothing to stop illegal aliens and drug runners from coming into the US, because our Border Patrol agents are too few and far between to respond and apprehend criminals, even when alerted."

[doc1019]

Rare photo indeed. Now in my archives.

[MadJack]

That’s the first photo I’ve ever seen of Japanese troops wearing a Brody-type helmet.

[hocndoc]

This doesn’t mention Governor Perry directly, but I do talk about the election.

I’m little bit proud of the fact that I can now post pictures, even if it’s because of a built in WordPress feature.

I’ve added some lines to the post that I had written here on FR:

“The fence only works where there are frequent patrols and response from near by. It does not work if there’s no one to respond to breaches.

“A fence is straight, the river curves back and forth. So, they build it inside the border, not on the border, giving up land that is US soil.

“In the meantime, they cut off homes from the rest of the State, they deprive Texas farmers and ranchers their rightful access to their own property and to their water rights. This not only leaves wide swaths of the United States outside of normal defense, it makes it more expensive to run the farms, the ranches, and even regular households.”

[doc1019]

Great point, didn’t notice ... something to add to my description of the photo.

[BobL]

“I had just read that some wanted to build a similar wall all along our Rio Grande, and had even read one candidate, Herman Cain, wanted to build our own version of “The Great Wall of China.”

It wasn’t for lack of a wall that China lost much of her land to Japan. It was the lack of men and materials to defend the wall.”

I think that if we were facing hundreds of Mexican TANKS Mr. Cain would not be calling for a “Great Wall” as our prime defense.

As to why China lost - that was OBVIOUS, they were BACKWARDS, back then. Walls stopped being effective for defense one the rifled barrel (for cannon) was developed...in the 1800s, I believe. Trying to use WW2 and China’s wall to make fun of Cain is a pretty disgusting.

How about trying to use Israel’s wall? Oh wait, that one WORKS GREAT.

[hocndoc]

Here’s another.
http://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=7743
is that the same helmet?

Here’s the source (and I’m adding it to the WingRight post)
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/wood/mot/html/japan.htm

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[MadJack]

I did some looking since it was a new one on me. Check out this link. Apparently they used that type of helmet for a while in the 1920s.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=86026

[The Mayor]

Wow....never knew this.

[cripplecreek]

All that wasted writing for a thinly disguised open border thread. LOL

[GATOR NAVY]

That was my first thought too-those don’t look like Japanese helmets. The other thing I noticed is that the rifles you can see look much smaller than the usual Japanese infantry weapons.

[Allegra]

Very cool - thank you for posting.

[hocndoc]

The Israeli wall works because it’s manned and patrolled.

[MadJack]

I think that’s a Type 32 in your photo. Standard WW2 issue.

[GATOR NAVY]

Should have gone down to end before I posted. That is the same kind of helmet in the wall photo. And the rifles are smaller too, or maybe it’s that they don’t have the bayonets mounted.

[Oceander]

Israel’s wall doesn’t work particularly well.

[BobL]

“Israel’s wall doesn’t work particularly well.”

Maybe you didn’t follow the news a decade ago when suicide bombings were happening every couple of weeks, killing dozens of people each time, which was why they built the wall.

Do you hear about these suicide bombings now in Israel? Once that wall was built, the problem was gone.

[BobL]

“The Israeli wall works because it’s manned and patrolled.”

No problem with that.

[BobL]

“All that wasted writing for a thinly disguised open border thread. LOL”

No kidding, and a crappy one at that.