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Onwards Towards Our Noble Deaths

This book which is based on fact uses a set group of characters to see what the life of Japanese soldiers was like during World War II. Early on the use of brothels is shown along with the beating and slapping of soldiers by their superiors over the slightest of mistakes or even perceived mistakes.

The soldiers were quite often short of food. As the war went on the lines of supply for the Japanese soldiers were overstretched and eventually began to die out as American forces began sinking the supply ships or bombing them from above. This just worsened the situation for the Japanese troops.

The way American attacks were handled by the Japanese soldiers is shown and a section deals with the "noble death" concept which was the banzai or suicide attacks. These happened when a group of Japanese soldiers, including the wounded, attacked American positions in a frontal assault. The result pretty much was a forgone conclusion with the Japanese troops pretty much totally wiped out. Granted, they overran some American positions but inevitably the American troops would reform their lines and the Japanese troops would end up slaughtered.

The other form of "noble death" were the kamakazi attacks, the Japanese pilots who flew their planes into American ships. Although they sunk many ships and killed many American sailors their effort only slowed the American advance. They were unable to stop it and the American military continued to move on towards the Japanese homeland. The only thing that stopped the actual invasion of Kyushu and the rest of Japan was the dropping of the atomic bombs and the Japanese finally surrendering.

Again, as with the other books in this series, this one is a must-have.



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