Existing comment:
War Without Mercy:
The Brutality of War in the Pacific:
All war is brutal, but by any standard the Pacific war was an especially desperate and savage struggle. Japan's military had adapted the ancient samurai ethos of Bushido to create a military code of striking harshness. Soldiers were told that surrender brought dishonor; they were to die rather than face capture. Enemy prisoners were viewed by the Japanese with contempt and subjected to atrocious treatment.
In battle, Japanese soldiers fought tenaciously. Their wounded sometimes used grenades to kill themselves as well as approaching Americans. Dead bodies were booby-trapped. When hope was lost, infantry units often staged banzai charges -- desperate, all-out attacks that had more to do with saving honor than achieving any tactical advantage. Banzai charges were terrifying to both Japanese and Americans; Japanese losses in these actions were immense.
Faced with this type of foe, many American servicemen became hardened. Some adopted harsh practices toward prisoners and enemy wounded. Racial prejudices on both sides added to the savagery. The Pacific war became a war of great cruelty and brutality -- a war without mercy. |