Japanese holdouts fought for decades after WWII, read transcript. watch video report..

Ummm,

A retaliatory strike by the Japanese was expected, and we knew that the Nationalist Chinese Army was not going to be able hold the line.

We attacked anyway...For a "morale" victory, not a military one.

What does that say about us and how we valued the lives of these Chinese civilians?

 

Well your are very right about that. I also read that Chiang Kai-shek was adamantly opposed to the raid once he found out about it due to that fact you pointed out, but reluctantly went along with it. It's not clear to me whether Chiang was in on the initial plans, and I also don't think that anyone in Washington expected the IJA's subsequent Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign (May-Sept 1942) in response to the raid to be that massively bloody. In fact, two days before the Doolittle Raid commenced, the Japanese Imperial Staff made operational plans to clear the very area that the Doolittle raiders parachuted into after the mission, fearing possible air attacks against Japan from there. Of course the Japanese had a royal case of the ass after the raid, and took their business up with the Chinese with extreme prejudice to say the least.The IJA burned towns and villages to the ground, devastating the area and butchering civilians that stood in the way after rolling up Nationalist Army units. Japanese forces also conducted biological warfare too, spreading cholera, typhoid, the plague and dysentery pathogens as well.

The point I was making was the savage behavior of Japanese troops during the war. Dastardly business all around. But you are correct in your statements.

 

It's difficult for me to comprehend how an ideology can be so indifferent towards another. There is certainly a similarity to the behavior of the IJA, in China during WW2, and the current state of affairs in Iraqistan.

How can one group hold the value of another group's lives in such low esteem; were they that fearful of their government or did they just feel that their cause was so righteous that is was above reproach?

Something was systematically flawed in Japan.

 

I feel that in both cases, similar mentalities were at work. They both felt that they were superior to all they opposed. You can throw the Nazis in there too. I figure that they also felt that they couldn't lose either, so who was going to be able to hold them accountable afterwards.

 

I think your last statement is very telling. The superiority in their minds coupled with government definitely went hand in hand.

 

the doctrine of superiority --in whatever aspect, is there in all armed forces. the US in WW2 was no exception. remember that pocket-sized basic training summary for the US army? at the end it says, "at the end you come out: the world's best soldier!"

my grand uncle, when he landed at lingayen gulf (a filipino imigrant and US army volunteer), he passed by his hometown and expected to be treated like a conquering hero. but the mini-stores in his street refused to accept his dollars. "but this is the best currency in the world!"