Japanese Were Traumatized When 55,000 Japanese Soldiers Lost Their Lives Fighting Americans in WW2
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Published 2024-07-26
In 1944, the Japanese Army faced a formidable American army in New Guinea, with 55,000 soldiers left on their own by Imperial General Headquarters. Lt. Gen. Hatazo Adachi, commander of the 18th Army, faced numerous challenges, including malnutrition, illness, and a lack of supplies. Adachi's plan was to launch an attack, aiming to resupply himself with captured materiel. However, the plan relied more on the fighting spirit of the Japanese soldiers than on wise military tactics.
Adachi, born in Tokyo in 1910, was a renowned military officer known for his bravery and physical toughness. He led the South China Area Army and set up headquarters on New Guinea in 1941. However, when Adachi arrived in 1943, he saw the Japanese forces had been vanquished in combat, leaving behind most of their supplies and injured allies. The combined strength of the Japanese combat forces in eastern New Guinea was 60,000 men, but each unit lacked sufficient strength. The Japanese Army and Navy personnel faced numerous challenges, including exposure, starvation, and malaria, which decimated their ranks.
The Lae-Salamaua garrison in New Guinea exposed the challenges of warfare in the region, which was the second-largest island in the world. The island was surrounded by miasmic swamps and tropical rainforests, with heavy rainfall and tropical illnesses. Lt. Gen. Adachi was concerned about an increasing enemy presence and geographical and meteorological difficulties. Japan's Imperial General Headquarters (IGHQ) was compelled to reassess its strategic position in the south due to the shifting tides of war. In March 1944, IGHQ gave command of the 18th Army to Lt. Gen. Korechika Anami's 2nd Area Army. However, the commander of the 18th Army, located thirteen hundred miles east, had a different perspective. Japanese patrols reported signs of an impending Allied invasion of Wewak, and Lt. Gen. Adachi decided to defy orders and protect the Wewak-Hansa Bay area. Army General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, used radio interception to alert American forces to Adachi's plans.
The Japanese commanders in New Guinea, led by Lt. Gen. Adachi and his superior, Anami, planned to defeat Allied positions at Aitape and Hollandia. However, their plan did not align with IGHQ's perspective, leading to a strategic withdrawal and subordination of the 18th Army to the Southern Army Headquarters in Singapore. Adachi presented the plan to capture Aitape, codenamed Operation A, on May 5. Around 35,000 Japanese soldiers departed for Aitape in May and June 1944. However, an Allied sea mine and an enemy air strike severely hampered Adachi's campaign. Lt. Gen. Kane Yoshihara had to maintain supplies for the 18th Army, but the supply was insufficient, and the marching units faced difficulties due to the jungle and the devastating summertime rainfall.
The Japanese forces in New Guinea faced a formidable enemy, led by Lt. Gen. Adachi, who had a severe hernia. The Americans, led by Task Force Persecution, prepared for the onslaught of the 18th Army, while Australian signal intercept teams followed the Japanese troops' march across New Guinea. The 18th Army was supposed to attack on June 15, but many American officers suspected the Japanese had already begun their retreat. By July, American troops had lost contact with Adachi's forces along the Driniumor line. Lt. Gen. Adachi pleaded with his commanders to leave now, as their enemy was vulnerable and overextended along the Driniumor. He planned to launch a direct frontal attack on July 10-11, involving elements of the 41st Division and the 20th Division. The attack would involve crossing the Driniumor River and destroying American artillery positions.
General Adachi faced significant challenges in the Battle of the Driniumor in 1944. The Japanese were unaware of the US Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Charles P. Hall, who decided to destroy the 18th Army instead of allowing Adachi's men to massacre themselves. Hall's patrols missed the 18th Army, reducing its combat strength. The attack was launched five minutes ahead of schedule, with an unexpected barrage of artillery fire. The Japanese were unable to overcome barbed wire entanglements and were eventually overrun by Adachi's men. The Americans then planned a counterattack, with five infantry battalions, two cavalry squadrons, and Allied naval vessels, aircraft, and field artillery providing support. The Americans controlled the mouth of the Driniumor, and the 1/128th Infantry headed south to rendezvous with the 112th Cavalry GIs. Despite the loss of many officers and Allied howitzers, the Americans managed to seize back control of the Driniumor and destroy the 18th Army.
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All Comments (12)
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This terrible dosen't anyone listen to these before they are released ?
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The Ghost Mountain Soldiers is an excellent reference for this battle.
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Japan fought WWII on a shoestring! It had no foods, supplies and ammunition for its troops!
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There was absolutely nothing heroic about the suicidal strategy the Japanese followed. Their eagerness to sacrifice themselves played right into the enemy’s hands.
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I've watched several releases and I found them inaccurate. The narration is also less than desirable.
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The ended up in emotional counseling aboard the Missouri Sept 2 in Tokyo Bay
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What part did Australian & other Commonwealth Forces actually play during the conflict & the campaigns in & around New Guinea & the then Netherlands East Indies between 1942-45 in the Second World War?
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Between AI mispronounced words. Subtitles that don't match what is said. And poor visual content. It just ain't working!! The other day I watched one of your videos, the whole time you talked about war in the Pacific you showed a pic of marching Germans????
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AI voice is pretty awful as is mis-spelling of geographical locations.
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AI at its best with the computer telling of this script..... RIOTOUS......
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The midnight sun in New Guinea.
