One last comment, my friends:
The Japanese had stockpiled one and two-man Suicide Boats laden with high explosives on Kerama Retto Island.. Hundreds of them. They were going to use these to ram American landing craft and transports. They would be crewed with troops, Rikusentai (Special Naval Landing Forces), and civilians.
Had Operations Olympic and Coronet taken place on Kyushu in October 45 as scheduled, the slaughter would have made Okinawa pale in comparison.
Defiant to the end, indeed. There is only way to defeat an enemy determined to die. You help him.
My old man was in Germany with the occupation forces for two years, part of the groups looking for the fabled Bavarian Redoubt that the SS had said was setup for the “Werewolves” to continue guerrilla operations against the Allies. That proved not to be the case, but again, the threat was there and plausible enough to send people to put to an end to it.
There’s no reasoning with fanaticism.
You just kill it so it’s not longer a threat.
Yes but I don't think our soldiers today risk their lives trying to capture alive suicide bombers in action when they come across them, nor are they told to, I bet the standing orders are already to kill them on the spot.
Hell, look at all the unarmed Americans police kill here and get cleared for.
Good points Hale. Those suicide boats were a very big threat.