Comments by "Arthur Mosel" (@arthurmosel808) on "Why History Overlooks How Much the Japanese Actually Feared the Americans in WW2" video.

  1. You omitted Carson's Marine Raiders operztion. It was the first attack on a Japanese Island. They landed from a submarine on rubber boats and attacked a remote radio station on one atoll. The raid went well and the station was captured, part of the detachment there were captured and bound. These men at some point were killed (still bound), and the Japanese dead were than mutilated and a portion of their anatomy removed (that sack made tobacco pouches for some of the raiders). Unlike the landings and raid they exfiltration went badly and several men were left behind and captured. These men were executed as war criminal by the Japanese garrison, which considering the murder of prisoners and the mutilation of the dead actually was probably a legitimate decision. After the war the Japanese officer responsible was tried as a war criminal and convicted; however his defense attorney was not allowed to mention the Raiders violation of the rules of war. Carlson and his men received awards and acclaim for their action. There was a great deal more on both sides from War Without Mercy that would have shown neither side in good light.
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  2. Rommend that you read "War Without Mercy" which deals with this subject. One incident mentioned was the Makin Island Raid where the Marine Raiders murdered bound prisoners and then took a particular portion of the anatomy to make tobacco pouches. This was unfortunate because raiders were left behind in the botched withdrawal of the Raiders. These men were executed as war criminal due to what had been done. After the war, the Japanese involved in the execution were tried as war criminals and executed. No side was innocent. By the way Japan had been an ally of Britain, and the Japanese industrialized rapidly to supply goods to the Far Eastern areas (including European colonies) that were not available from Europe due to World War I. After that war, the Japanese were denied access to these markets putting the Japanese into a depression; while at the same time immigration from Japan was limited. This was a factor in the Japanese expansion into Manchuria and Northern China.
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  3. One of worst examples in "War Without Mercy" occurred during Carson's Raid. The Raiders killed tied and captured Japanese prisoners and mutilated the using a portion of the male anatomy as tobacco pouches. This happened early in 1942, in plenty of time to be told to Japanese troops. When the Japanese reinforcements arrived, they found several marine raiders left behind in the poorly executed and rushed withdrawal. They were executed immediately for war crimes, which they may or may not have done. After the war, the Japanese officer was tried for that act. The marine misconduct wasn't allowed in as evidence. How many lives on both sides were lost due to racist propaganda and atrocities can only be guessed at; however the suicides of Japanese civilians on Saipan and Okinawa show that fear of mistreatment was very real.
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