Hiroshima

[donner]

Ok, are you talking about total casualties on both sides? Or are you saying American casualties? Or Japanese casualties? I am talking about American casualties, and no, there would have never been a million American casualties. You consider pikes a legitimate weapon against an M1 rifle, flame throwers, grenades, bombers, attack aircraft, tanks, battleships, artillery, machine guns? You are hilarious!

One thing I read points out that the folks with piles wouldn’t have had uniforms, which at the time would have been out of the norm I believe. It’d have been hard to tell who was the enemy. Plus i bet a culture that values honor and fighting to the death wouldn’t care about a high body count. Taking one GI out would have been enough. Plus, how many civilians do you think there were compared to the allies?

 

[dennishoddy]

Taking one GI out would have been enough. Plus, how many civilians do you think there were compared to the allies?

The German Army did exactly that for awhile. As allied forces advanced after Normandy, German soldiers would fire from hiding, killing one soldier or two, then surrender.
It didn't take long before the forces realized this was a strategy, and summarily shot the German soldiers that instigated the action on the spot.

 

[TerryMiller]

Ok, are you talking about total casualties on both sides? Or are you saying American casualties? Or Japanese casualties? I am talking about American casualties, and no, there would have never been a million American casualties. You consider pikes a legitimate weapon against an M1 rifle, flame throwers, grenades, bombers, attack aircraft, tanks, battleships, artillery, machine guns? You are hilarious!

If I'm "hilarious," then you could be illogical. As Donner pointed out, the civilians wouldn't have been in uniform. Would our soldiers have willingly fired upon such an enemy as women civilians? How many of those civilians would have been at the beaches, waiting for our troops, and with their mentality of dying for the emperor, they could very well have charged into the fray. They could have also been waiting at every house corner and doorway or window to strike out at soldiers as they passed by.

The link below to Wikipedia states that there were 28,000,000 men and women classified as "combat capable." Note also in the article that the "volunteer" status was changed when the government began conscription of both men and women.

Volunteer Fighting Corps

 

[davek]

From his point of view on Okinawa my dad was glad the war was over no matter how it was done.

 

[Dave70968]

If I'm "hilarious," then you could be illogical. As Donner pointed out, the civilians wouldn't have been in uniform. Would our soldiers have willingly fired upon such an enemy as women civilians?

They learned to in Vietnam. Children, too; there's a story about exactly that in Gy. Hathcock's biography.

Mind you, I don't have a problem with it; they lose their "civilian" status when they start participating in the hostilities. I'm just pointing out that our soldiers would have learned quickly what they had to do.

 

[druryj]

Ok, are you talking about total casualties on both sides? Or are you saying American casualties? Or Japanese casualties? I am talking about American casualties, and no, there would have never been a million American casualties. You consider pikes a legitimate weapon against an M1 rifle, flame throwers, grenades, bombers, attack aircraft, tanks, battleships, artillery, machine guns? You are hilarious!

Concerning your comment about pikes as a legitimate weapon. Yes, they certainly can be. Have you not engaged in house to house fighting? You know, where you kick a door open and enter an unfamiliar, often darkened room not knowing what’s waiting for you? An old woman swinging a pike or anything heavy at your head is damn sure dangerous. I didn’t see anything hilarious about the mention of pikes as a weapon at all. No one said it was ideal, or even decent, but when you face a determined enemy, anything they can leverage against you is a legitimate weapon. Oh sure, a pike isn’t exactly a threat to a tank, or a battleship, or an airplane, but I would consider it dangerous against an individual. Why get nasty with the member over this? It’s just a fact; the Japanese weren’t exactly big on surrender you might remember.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Snake]

Ok, are you talking about total casualties on both sides? Or are you saying American casualties? Or Japanese casualties? I am talking about American casualties, and no, there would have never been a million American casualties. You consider pikes a legitimate weapon against an M1 rifle, flame throwers, grenades, bombers, attack aircraft, tanks, battleships, artillery, machine guns? You are hilarious!

You seem to forget the human waves attacks by the Chinese in the Korean war.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Ok, are you talking about total casualties on both sides? Or are you saying American casualties? Or Japanese casualties? I am talking about American casualties, and no, there would have never been a million American casualties. You consider pikes a legitimate weapon against an M1 rifle, flame throwers, grenades, bombers, attack aircraft, tanks, battleships, artillery, machine guns? You are hilarious!

Just to add a little perspective, it wouldn't have been a pike against an M1. It would have been a pike against flesh.

Woody

 

[caojyn]

I knew an old farmer that fought in the pacific. When I was a kid he’d show me a samurai sword he took off some soldier he killed. As he told the story he came around a corner and some little Japanese guy stabbed him in the side (he’d lift his shirt and show the scar for emphasis). He’d finish with saying “you shouldn’t bring a knife to gun fight.”

Small follow up, in the early 2000’s he got a call from someone in the government saying the family of the soldier was trying to track down the sword. The farmer’s son ended up flying to japan and meeting the family and hearing the history of this 300 year old sword.

 

[SlugSlinger]

I knew an old farmer that fought in the pacific. When I was a kid he’d show me a samurai sword he took off some soldier he killed. As he told the story he came around a corner and some little Japanese guy stabbed him in the side (he’d lift his shirt and show the scar for emphasis). He’d finish with saying “you shouldn’t bring a knife to gun fight.”

Small follow up, in the early 2000’s he got a call from someone in the government saying the family of the soldier was trying to track down the sword. The farmer’s son ended up flying to japan and meeting the family and hearing the history of this 300 year old sword.

Interesting. What happened with the sword?