Mind the gaps - what's missing?

Discussion in 'The Lounge Bar' started by von Poop, Dec 2, 2019.

  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    A WW2Talk self-abuse thread for noting what subjects are sometimes missing, thin , or, well... we're a bit crap at.

    Triggered by Owen mentioning we're somewhat sparse on Japanese subjects.

    You can't just 'create' good or informative threads - we're steering an oil tanker, not a pedalo - and it goes where it goes, but it might be interesting to consider the gaps.
    (Some of which are deliberate. Nobody mention 'What Ifs', ok? )




    Not that they're absent, far from it, but I do sometimes hope for more small arms sort of stuff.
     
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  2. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Might be sparse on Japanese subjects but, thanks totally - well almost - to this Forum and it's members (you know who you are), I've found out things about my Uncle George that even the family didn't appreciate about the horrendous conditions he experienced on Formosa as a POW 'working' in the Kinkaseki Copper Mine and which, of course, he didn't mention when he got back to the UK.

    Message for the Forum: its quality that counts, not quantity.....although more Posts is still clearly important....
     
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  3. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    Most forums are sparse on Japanese discussion. I think the language may be an issue.

    I have found a flea market that has a large number of books by Japanese authors, discussion the war. All have been great reads.
     
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  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I've read some very good Japanese veterans accounts in regards their war experiences and there are some good papers at the National Archives on the subject of Japanese views on the Allied strategies in the SEAC theatre. I guess that when you are looking into what became the Forgotten Army, expecting to find too much information on their opponents is a little unlikely.
     
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  5. SteveDee

    SteveDee Well-Known Member

    Something that puzzles me about Japan (and was mentioned in Guy Martin's recent program: Our Guy in Japan - On Demand - All 4) is that after the first atomic bomb was dropped, there was no reaction from Japan. So 3 days later, the 2nd was dropped. It took another 3 days before Japan surrendered. Why so long?

    What did the emperor imagine was going to happen after the 1st bomb had killed 100,000 people? They must have realised the war was over.

    I'm equally puzzled by the Germans. I think there was a delay of a week or so after Hitler had committed suicide, before Germany admitted defeat.
     
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  6. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    There were two conflicting camps in the Japanese top echelons, one that wanted to come to terms ASAP (even before the bombs) and another that wanted to fight to the death (everone's death) and regarded the first camp as traitors. They even prepared a coup to take the Emperor prisoner (ostensibly for his own protection) and prevent a surrender. This failed as much by accident as anything else (an air raid warning caused by a flight of US bombers disrupting the actual intrusion to the palace). Until they had secured their position the peace camp could do little.

    I think you fail to understand the total chaos in Berlin in the last days. For example Franco decided to declare war on Germany (to get UN membership) and the Spanish ambassador in Berlin spent days scuttling around Berlin avoiding Soviet fire trying to find a government official he could pass the ultimatum to and failed. Any one left alive was desperately looking to their personal survival.
     
  7. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Reasons:
    Japan
    Poor communications?
    Lack of appreciation of what had happened - it was totally new 'War fighting technology'?
    Need time to get organised in the context of massive 'loss of face'', national humiliation etc?
    Total reluctance to acknowledge the facts? hindsight is a marvellous commodity - pity we can never have it until afterwards - wouldn't prehindsight be something

    Germany
    See above.

    Note: how long would it have taken the US or U.K. to surrender - conditionally or unconditionally - if the boot had been on the other foot. Churchill would have been either dead or still fighting (Note to self: this could be a 'what-if' and we don't do that here so I'll leave it and get back to work).
     
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  8. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Japan - add to the above. The Soviets invaded Japanese occupied Manchuria on 9 August which probably had some bearing on the eventual decision.

    Tim
     
  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I don't think Adam meant for us to discuss Japanese topics on this thread. It was more for us to say what we don't cover too much on the forum.
    If you want to continue the Japanese surrender start a thread in the War against Japan forum.
     
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