Warfare in the Pacific
The Battle of Saipan in 1944 was an example of how difficult the fighting against the Japanese armed forces and removing them forcibly from the many islands in the Pacific. The US force had seven new and eight old battleships, fifteen large aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and 71 000 troops. Against them stood up to 32 000 Japanese soldiers, which was 20 000 more than expected. The battle opened with a huge artillery barrage from the navy, aimed to break the defensive fortifications on the approaching beaches. However, this was not as effective as planned. Consequently, when the US forces reached the beaches, some units suffered thirty percent casualties. They proved very difficult to cross too as there was little protection or cover on the beaches.
The Japanese forces had been fed endless stories of how their enemy would rape, torture and kill anybody taken prisoner (it is important to note that all sides were fed propaganda during the war). So they fought to the death, ninety-seven percent of the Japanese dying defending Saipan.
How much this kind of battle influenced the decision to drop the Atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 continues to be a discussion today.
Did the US drop the bomb because of race?
- Early 1920s legislation.