Phil “Bo” Perabo served in the Navy as a pilot in the Pacific during World War II. Although only 1 percent of American prisoners died in German prison camps during World War II, approximately 40 percent perished in Japanese camps. Allied prisoners of war were routinely executed, tortured, and forced into labor as slaves. The Japanese violated many international laws in combat and in their treatment of captives. Despite being out of combat, hardships and life-or-death struggles would continue for these men. Kamikaze attacks that took place towards the end of the war were regarded as proof of the irrationality of Japanese martial values and mindless loyalty to Emperor Hirohito.ĭuring World War II, approximately 27,000 American soldiers were held in Japanese prison camps. The “Bataan Death March,” during which as many as 650 American and 10,000 Filipino prisoners of war died, intensified anti-Japanese feelings. Admiral William Halsey spoke for many Americans when he urged them to “Kill Japs! Kill Japs! Kill more Japs!” Stories of the dispiriting defeats at Bataan and the Japanese capture of the Philippines at Corregidor in 1942 revealed the Japanese cruelty and mistreatment of Americans. Wartime propaganda portrayed Japanese soldiers as uncivilized and barbaric, sometimes even inhuman, unlike America’s German foes. Both stories of Japanese atrocities bordering on genocide and the shock of the attack on Pearl Harbor intensified racial animosity toward the Japanese. During the 1930s, Americans had caught glimpses of Japanese armies in action and grew increasingly sympathetic toward war-torn China. Discuss some of the significant battles of the Pacific TheaterĪs Americans celebrated V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, they redirected their full attention to the still-raging Pacific War.Describe the strategy employed against the Japanese forces in WWII.
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