"Rampage", The Battle for Manila in the Philippines during W.W. II

Myself ^ | 12-28-2018 | Captain Peter Blood

[BeauBo]

A section of Tokyo, after the firebombing raid of March 9th, 1945

25 April 1945, Benito Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans, publicly hung, and had his body defiled on camera.

30 April, Hitler commits suicide. 2 May, Berlin surrenders. Soviet forces begin rounding up Nazis and German elites for summary execution and Siberian Gulags, and imposing their oppressive Government on the conquered areas.

Toyama, Japan, August 1, 1945, after Japan's main Island had endured months of intensifying daily/nightly firebombing. Formerly a big producer of aluminum, the city was 95 percent demolished that night. 69 other cities were also hit that night. Firestorms destroyed more than the bombs, in their wooden cities (unlike Germany). The majority of the Japanese population were city dwellers.

August 6th, Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

August 7th, President Harry S. Truman called again for Japan's surrender, warning them to "expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth." Diplomatically, Japan was led to believe that atomic bombs were to become part of the routine nightly bombing raids.

August 8th, 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and invaded the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. The Russians had previously overrun Hitler's headquarters in Berlin

August 9th, Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

Nagasaki, August 10, 1945

Japan publicly announced their surrender on 15 August, But the Emperor had made the decision on the 10th. They had virtually no defense industry or Navy remaining, and inadequate remaining capacity to feed the population, or treat their daily mass casualties. It was not in time to avoid serious famine in the aftermath.

[dsc]

“The American defenders of Bataan and then Corregidor called him “dugout Dave.” They felt he was nowhere to be seen.”

His name was Douglas, not “Dave.” His physical courage was demonstrated beyond question in WWI.

It saddens me to see this fake news repeated yet again, and here of all places.

[central_va]

Some of the B-29 crewmen on that raid said the turbulence over Tokyo was out of this world. There was floating derbies at 10,000 ft AGL, stuff like screen doors, junk like that.

[Snickering Hound]

The American defenders of Bataan and then Corregidor called him "dugout Dave." They felt he was nowhere to be seen.

MacArthur had received the Medal of Honor in WWI.

During WWII he would often circle amphibious assault landings in his B-17.

There was no other US theatre commander in the War that would get that close to the front.

[dsc]

“He moaned endlessly that the Navy was not able to resupply and reinforce him.”

Considering that the Navy did in fact refuse to resupply or reinforce him, one might bridle at your description of “endless moaning.” FDR quite simply hung him out to dry, and everyone in the Philippines with him.

[colorado tanker]

The Navy was delusional thinking they could starve Japan into surrender. Food was already short and LeMay had burned down everything there was to burn. Still, no surrender. Civilians were being told to fight with pitchforks and knives. Bunkers had been prepared near Nagano for the Royal Family and high command. (The Japanese were really scared some reporter would find the bunkers during the Olympics and do a story, but none did.) So, what if we take the Tokyo Plain? How many men were we willing to sacrifice to root them out of the mountains?

The math is easy and horrific. Take the Japanese, American and civilian deaths on Okinawa and extrapolate those to the Home Islands population and armies that would have been engaged. It added up to death on a horrific scale on both sides. Still, no surrender.

The ONLY thing that got the Japanese to surrender were the bombs. And even at that the Army darn near rebelled.

[PGR88]

Yes, my mistake. fast typing on an iPad. They called him “Dugout Doug”

Those are comments I have straight from a few Bataan defenders / death march survivors themselves. You can take it as you wish.

[BeauBo]

“Hitler thought the Japs were being cruel to the Chinese. When Hitler thinks you are cruel then that tells you something”

The Japanese unleashed biological weapons of mass destruction against the Chinese in a deliberate genocidal campaign. The Japanese bioweapons program became the basis of both the US and Soviet Governments after the War - it was the most advanced in the world (American POWs were used for testing). The Japanese were planning to spread epidemic disease in the USA, which they failed to achieve.

The routine and gleeful murder of women and infants was widely recorded in film and photos. Throwing babies into the air to be speared on bayonets, in front of their mothers, was a recurring theme, as was mass burial of living civilians, and random/capricious decapitations to terrorize the population, or entertain/encourage the troops.

[elcid1970]

“I’m not sure how many Japanese were hanged after trials...”

Let’s just say that “there’s a little nip in the air this morning” had special meaning.

;^)

[PGR88]

The ONLY thing that got the Japanese to surrender were the bombs.

A Japanese historian I met once told me - the A-bomb's key effect was to provide necessary cover and "face" (such an important concept for Japanese) for surrender among the highest levels. Rational people knew the war was lost. The bombs allowed this faction to counter to the most devoted, "holier-than-thou" militarist - with this surprising new weapon, Japan will be eliminated. it will cease to exist.

[jjotto]

The Allies executed far more Japanese war criminals than Nazi war criminals, at least twice as many.

At least the Soviets had the right idea.

[Rebelbase]

IIRC, The Japanese commander of a portion of occupied China spiked cigarettes manufactured there with opium to create a population of addicts. Much easier to control them and provided revenue for the corrupt commander.

[BeauBo]

“The ONLY thing that got the Japanese to surrender were the bombs.”

The day before the second bomb, Stalin also declared war on Japan, and launched a large scale offensive in Manchuria. Japan had fought a war with Russia in 1911, and had reason to fear from that, but more so from what they knew of Soviet brutality, and how cruel they were as occupation forces, as compared to surrendering to the Americans.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not only shocking and destructive in general, they really destroyed the last concentrations of Japan’s defense industry.

American diplomats also led their Japanese counterparts to report that atomic bombings would build up to be nightly occurrences (even though were had shot our wad for a while with the second one).

[dsc]

“Those are comments I have straight from a few Bataan defenders / death march survivors themselves.”

I certainly don’t want to disrespect Bataan defenders and death march survivors, however:

1. I have heard otherwise from men who were there; and

2. Would anyone really expect the commanding general to abandon his headquarters, take up a rifle, and fight in the front lines?

Interestingly, when he was ordered out of the Philippines by FDR, Mac’s first reaction was to resign his commission, enlist as a private, cross to Bataan, and join the fighting.

He wrote the letter, and delivered it to his second command. Apparently, his wife talked him out of it.

[elcid1970]

“There was floating derbies at 10,000 ft AGL, stuff like screen doors, junk like that.”

Must have looked strange, all those men’s hats suspended in mid air.

;^)

[central_va]

derbies = debris LOL

[Robert357]

My father was involved in two amphibious landings during the invasion of the Philippine Islands. His absolute hatred of both MacArthur and the Japanese army was absolute.

It is hard to fathom how soldiers who were starving, disease ridden could make suicidal charges again and again.

He was on an AA 40mm Bofors gun crew and they leveled the guns to fire at enemy positions. When snipers in trees were encountered they moved the AA guns into position and shot air bursts into the trees.

My father's opinion was that if it had not been for the atomic bomb, he would been involved in an amphibious landing of the Japanese mainland and if lucky would have just been wounded. No qualms about dropping the atomic bombs.

[elcid1970]

My Dad was in the infantry in Europe, D-Day through V-E Day. His division was rearming & preparing to deploy to the Pacific theater when the A-bombs were dropped.

He (we) were stationed in Japan 1956-58. Got along great with local Japanese. No hatred either way.

Lots of talk about Gen. McArthur; in my opinion he worked a miracle with Hirohito to tell his people to cease resistance without shame and that according to their gods nothing happens by accident. Our occupation was the most benevolent the world has ever seen.

But Dad reminded me that if the Japan home islands had been invaded, I wouldn’t be here. Always said one million U.S. dead if we had.

Seems however that the further away in time we get, the closer the past becomes as we are still learning about Jap atrocities, Unit 731, their atomic program, comfort women & more. IT has been a boon for historiography.

[M1903A1]

Even more complicated than that...the naval commander of Manila had been disgraced for losing his command (the battleship Kirishima) in the Solomons/Gilberts area, and his land assignment was a permanent punishment. He chose to hold the city when Yamashita withdrew, and since there was no concept of joint command in the Japanese military (the Army and Navy were more rivals than peers) Yamashita couldn’t order the naval garrison of Manila (who committed the bulk of the atrocities) to do a thing.

And yet, after the war Yamashita was effectively hanged for something over which he had no control.

[fidelis]

I once worked with a Chinese lady who was a survivor of Nanking. One day this huge biker walked into the shop wearing a headband with the Japanese rising sun symbol (the Japanese battle flag) and she just lost it. He was about 6 foot tall and she was under 5, but I thought she was going to rip him to shreds.