[central_va]

The Japs are really weird; they seem to fight like suicidal maniacs on one hand, on the other hand they are lazy and slow to incorporate technology. It isn't like the Japs didn't know about radar. They actually had access to sonar and radar from the Germans early on and just don't give a damn. Much to our benefit.

[colorado tanker]

The death of Col. Thomas ("Jock") Clifford was reported today, in combat near Davao City. He was a star football player at West Point.

We followed his exploits last November when he commanded the 1/34th Infantry in the Battle of Leyte.

On very short notice Clifford's Battalion was landed behind Japanese lines and ordered to take and hold at all costs Kilay Ridge, high ground dominating the Ormoc Valley, down which we were advancing. This was after three weeks of continuous combat. Often cut off and short on supplies Clifford's Battalion for three more weeks defeated every Japanese counterattack thrown at them.

Having read the details in the U.S. Army "Green Book" history of the Leyte Campaign, I think he was one of the finest small unit leaders in the Army in either Theater.

After Leyte, Clifford was promoted to Colonel and given command of the 19th Infantry. He died while characteristically leading the charge into Davao.

Here is a bio. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=131656965

[henkster]

The Japanese would have been happy to incorporate radar into ships and early air warning. They lacked a sophisticated electronics industry to actually make the equipment. So too did the Germans; they could not have duplicated the proximity fuze in quantity even if they wanted to.

The Japanese existing industrial plant was stretched beyond its limits by the strain of war. They had no excess capacity to develop an electronics industry on the run.