Some of the Japanese survivors reported that U.S. fighter aircraft machine-gunned Japanese survivors floating in the water.[36][37] Japanese survivors also reported that U.S. aircraft temporarily halted their attacks on the Japanese destroyers during the time that the destroyers were busy picking up survivors from the water.[38]
I hope who ever did that probably is in jail or worse.
You know perfectly well they most likely weren't. Although I imagine even if people had wanted to, it's likely they'd never have been able to pull up enough evidence to confirm who specifically were the ones who did it given how hectic things would be in the middle of things.
Talking about committing war crimes, I read that some people did those horrible stuff because they were "just following orders", in that case will they receive different punishment or the same as others?
Talking about committing war crimes, I read that some people did those horrible stuff because they were "just following orders", in that case will they receive different punishment or the same as others?
Just following orders has never been an acceptable excuse.
You know perfectly well they most likely weren't. Although I imagine even if people had wanted to, it's likely they'd never have been able to pull up enough evidence to confirm who specifically were the ones who did it given how hectic things would be in the middle of things.
True. But eventually the truth shall reveal, just like that Vietnam war.
fthdyrm5g said:
Most IJN aviation whenever they got the chance.
Well committing suicide via crashing your plane to the enemy is something else you know?
Well committing suicide via crashing your plane to the enemy is something else you know?
Was talking about strafing or otherwise killing crewmen of sunken ships. There's only 4 confirmed cases I can think of where significant amounts of allied crewmen were rescued by the IJN, every other time there's been few to no survivors.
The reason Inazuma and Ikazuchi stand out for having rescued allied sailors is because they were pretty much the only ones.
True. But eventually the truth shall reveal, just like that Vietnam war.
Its harder because of issues with documentation, I'd imagine. The Soviet Union, for example, had absolutely atrocious recordkeeping so its hard to figure out the specifics.
laisy said:
Talking about committing war crimes, I read that some people did those horrible stuff because they were "just following orders", in that case will they receive different punishment or the same as others?
Same as the others, even if there was an element of coercion, its a case where you still consciously commit an atrocity even if there wasn't any specific emotional investment. Mind you, I'd consider the firebombing of dresdan to be punishable under the same logic, but it becomes questionable who you would go after in that case. Do you go after every single bomber pilot who was involved in that operation, even sixty years after the fact, or those that were involved in the planning or execution thereof? How about those that were involved in the manufacture and design of munitions, plane parts, or did aerial recon and target marking?
In the whole of WWII, everyone did horrible things to each other, and everyone has a right to be upset or bothered by it. IJN aircrews killed surviving USN crew members? Americans have a right to be upset by it so do today's japanese. USN aircrews killed surviving IJN crew members? Japanese have a right to be upset about it so do today's americans.
Lets not get into who has the right to be upset, we all have that right.
Ignoring the Treaty? Let's see who ignoring that 1st then... 1/ Building the Yamato-class was one of the 1st signs that the Japanese ignoring the Naval treaty. 2/ Operation AL: 1 of the pilot from RJ tried to fly low enough to shoot USN survivor on a sinking ship which resulted in the pilot got shot down by small firearms (yes! Small firearms, not AA guns) and let the US have their hands on Japanese's newest Zero Fighter that still intact after the fall so that they can develop a countermeasure for Zero planes and after that, Japan's air superiority was completely lost to the US. 3/ This is about the IJA though, wounded IJA soldier called for US medic help and when they come, they detonate their grenade to kill off the US medic, or pretended to surrender so that the USMC would lower their guard to kill them unsuspected.
With 3 things above, I'm pretty sure that the term "Treaty" wasn't exist in Japan at that time.
Allied aviation at Bismarck Sea is much more famous for those who cares to look.
It's true, but probably only because IJN aviation didn't have the operation luxury of sticking around to strafe anything for most of the war given the way Japanese tended to treat their prisoners.
Though on the flip side, this operational luxury might also be why the USN made more offers to fish sailors out of the water than the IJN ever did (attempts that were often rejected by said sailors, but whatcha gonna do).
Demundo said:
Can't help it. They were told that the Allies were invading Asia and they are defending it all the same time receiving news about their friends/comrades on supply/or any other type of ships getting killed by a conflict with an Allies' vessel. The same goes for the Allies soldiers. Just that the Allies won so they could talk as if their reason was the righter one.
If you don't want to fight a war, don't start one. Blah blah supreme international crime and so on.
Demundo said: And just to say, they did attack first, but that's partly because America was standing to watch for all parties in the war to be weary then jump in for their share. That repeats throughout history too. And I'm just saying, not criticizing.
It's all China's fault for wearing her skirt that low, poor Nippon couldn't help but invade and kill millions of people, then invade Malaysia and kill millions of people, then invade Vietnam and kill millions of people, then invade Indonesia and kill millions of people, then invade Burma and kill millions of people...
War makes monsters of us all. Sure, Japan was so monstrous it's almost like a tryhard cartoon villain. But Americans really shouldn't think they were entirely in the right - just ask George Takei or anyone about the internment camps for Japanese Americans. Or about how officers in the Pacific turned a blind eye to the trophies their men were making from the J*p dead.
Battle of Leyte Gulf and Surigao Strait. After their kanmusus sunk, they sought refuge on land. Allied shipgirls tried to rescue them but many of the fairies refused rescue. Fairies slaughtered wholesale by vengeful and angry southeast-asian elementals on land.
Japan commited many war crimes in WW2, but let's not pretend the Allies didn't commit any. People do horrible things to eachother throughout history.
The important lesson here is to remember war crimes of not only (former) enemies but also your OWN nation/people, to avoid repeating them again, a prospect all the keyboard warriors here seem so quick to forget.
Japan commited many war crimes in WW2, but let's not pretend the Allies didn't commit any. People do horrible things to eachother throughout history.
The important lesson here is to remember war crimes of not only (former) enemies but also your OWN nation/people, to avoid repeating them again, a prospect all the keyboard warriors here seem so quick to forget.
This is true at face but you still ignore how fabulously hypocritical this is.
Japan commited many war crimes in WW2, but let's not pretend the Allies didn't commit any. People do horrible things to eachother throughout history.
The important lesson here is to remember war crimes of not only (former) enemies but also your OWN nation/people, to avoid repeating them again, a prospect all the keyboard warriors here seem so quick to forget.
Some of us from third-world countries are only on the receiving side. Eternal ukes, really. Brings to a mind of a local proverb, "when two elephants clash, the deer perishes."
(There's also another similar proverb from somewhere in Africa, except they replace deer with grass)
Of course, in this situation, we're more inclined to place most of the blame on the elephant who started it. Especially when said elephant has a kill rate with six extra zeroes compared to the other one.
Still, regardless, the strafing can be considered an awful atrocity of sorts (since, well, they were pretty much helpless and aren't going to reinforce any position anywhere even if they made it to shore, unlike in New Guinea). That said, IIRC, it wasn't a warcrime back then (ain't no rule against that until the 1949 Geneva Conventions), so the author is mistaken in that regard.
fthdyrm5g said:
Just following orders has never been an acceptable excuse.
Google "Laotian Civil War" if you guys want something similarly horrible that the US did from the 50's to the 70's that many of ye might not have heard of.
There are plenty of things to blame. But at the time Japanese people were being both brainwashed and had been raised on the belief that they were superior over all the "lesser" races. There is a reason why so many atrocities were done during their campaign into China, Korea and India. It becomes a lot easier to cause pain if you don't consider those that are being harmed as human beings.
There are plenty of examples of inexcusable atrocities in our history the past 100 years, both direct and indirect. Last century was the bloodiest (without equal) in human history. Thankfully we appear to have learned from those mistakes (enough of us for it to count at least) and the past decade has been one of the most peaceful in our history.