japanese warfare in wwii
DESCRIPTION
Japanese Warfare in WWII. By: Christian Lehman . The Pacific Theater of Operations . The Eastern Front of WWII Fight between the allied powers and the Pacific Islands, mainly Japan Started due to the Japanese bombing of the Military Base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
By: Christian Lehman
Japanese Warfare in WWII
The Eastern Front of WWII Fight between the allied powers and the
Pacific Islands, mainly JapanStarted due to the Japanese bombing of the
Military Base at Pearl Harbor HawaiiVJ day (Victory over Japan) was on August 15
1945 after the United States bombed the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Pacific Theater of Operations
Japanese Aircraft
Japanese AircraftAt the beginning of WWII
Japan had one of, if not the most, advanced Naval Air force in the world
All of the Japanese planes were at least as good as any other plane in the sky, some were much better
The Japanese pilots were very well trained which helped Japan wrap up victory after victory in the Pacific skies.
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero More commonly
known as the Zero When introduced,
the zero was the best carrier- based fighter in the world
It had excellent maneuverability and very long range
Kamikaze Aircraft operations Towards the end of the
war, the Japanese pilots started to use a strategy called Kamikaze
The plane would fly directly into its target, usually an allied Navel vessel, killing the pilot and as many allied troops as possible
The planes were usually filled with explosives or extra fuel tanks
Japan was running out of experienced pilots and had a declining industrial capacity
The Japanese refused to surrender and kamikaze was a last ditch effort cripple the Allied forces
The A6M Zero was a main Kamikaze planeThey were essentially transformed into manned
missilesPilots were willing to give their life for this
cause because they did not want to experience the shame of capture or defeat
Kamikazes
Mitsubishi G4M Betty Long range light
bomber, operated by the Japanese Navy during the entire war, carrying one ton of bombs, or a big 800kg torpedo
Light weight was because of little armor, making plane vulnerable
long range light bomber
carried one ton of bombs
It was poorly protected, but where it was used it usually faced thinner fighter opposition than other bombers
Bomber AircraftMitsubishi Ki-2l Sally
Mitsubishi G4M Betty Bomber Aircraft Mitsubishi Ki-2l
Sally
At the beginning of WWII the Japanese Navy was arguably the most powerful Navy in the World
The Japanese Navy had top notch Aviators, planes, and ships
Its battleships were among the most powerful in the world
In 1941 Japan led the world in operational aircraft carriers
Their submarine fleet was one of the most varied and powerful submarine fleets
Japanese Aquatic Warfare
Japanese Submarines The Japanese submarines
were equipped with the most advanced torpedo in the war, the oxygen fueled type-95
Overall they were used in small numbers and didn’t have a big effect on the war
Most of the times, they were used to transport supplies to islands
Submarine Aircraft Carriers The Japanese came up
with the idea of having an aircraft carrier that was a submarine
They manufactured 47 of these carriers
Most only had room for 1 plane but a select few had enough room for two or even three
Enabled under the Axis Powers’ Tripartite Pact
Provided for an exchange of strategic materials and manufactured goods between Germany, Italy and Japan
Only six submarines attempted this risky mission
Submarines Yanagi Missions
During WWI, the Japanese purchased tanks from foreign
Trials with these purchased vehicles were very successful but and there were plans to create 3 light tank battalions and one heavy tank battalion
Only problem was that Japan did not have tank production capability
More foreign tanks were purchased and more research was done
Japanese tanks
Japan produced several models of amphibious tanks for WWII
Notable models: Type 1 Mi-Sha, Type 3 Ka-Chi, and Type 4 Ka-Tsu
Only 184 amphibious tanks were built only 19 of them were made during the war
These tanks were used later in the war as dug-in Pillboxes on Pacific islands
Amphibious Tanks
In the period between 1931 and 1938 the Japanese built nearly 1,700 new tanks
This made them the 4th largest tank producer in the world at that time
This was a very drastic change, from no tanks after WWI to being a leader in tank production in WWII
This shows the rate at which Japan was improving its technology and tools
Tanks
Japanese Weapons
Type 14 (Nambu): considered standard Japanese side arm, very reliable, but didn’t get much use in the field
Type 94: developed as a compact pistol for pilots, air crews and tank crews
Side Arms
Japanese Weapons
Type 97 Hand Grenade: fragmentation grenade, standard grenade of infantry men, weaker than allied grenades, was unreliable and sometimes dangerous because of its inaccurate fuse
Grenades
Japanese Weapons
Arisaka: Saw very heavy use by the Japanese Imperial Army (IJA), one of the most reliable guns in the Japanese arsenal
RiflesAttached to the end
of a weapon, mainly a rifle, used in close quarter combat for stabbing
Bayonets
Japanese weapons
Type 99: used to provide covering fire for advancing infantry, very versatile weapon
Type 92 (Woodpecker): main heavy machine gun of IJA, very powerful, used extensively for defensive fights
Light Machine Gun Heavy Machine Gun
Japanese Weapons
Attached to the end of a weapon, mainly a rifle, used in close quarter combat for stabbing
Bayonets
Japanese weapons
Type 93: Particularly useful against fortifications, bunkers, and pillboxes, fuel worn on back, ignition system was based on a heated electrical wire
Flamethrower
Banzai ChargeSuicidal attack,
usually to avoid surrender or dishonor
Banzai soldiers usually used rifles with bayonets and made an attempt to stab as many allied soldiers as possible before begin killed
Japanese soldiers refused to give upThey thought it dishonorable to be captured
or defeated by the enemyMost times, the Japanese soldiers would kill
themselves if the battle was about to be lost, that was a more honorable death than to be killed by an enemy
Kamikaze missions and Banzai attacks were carried out because of their fear of shame and dishonor
End of the War
Japanese warfare was somewhat guerrillaMany of the battles in the pacific took place
in wooded areas Japanese soldiers would camouflage
themselves with grass, leaves, and branchesThey would hide in high grass until the allies
came into range, then they would pop out and try to kill as many as possible
They also had snipers hidden in the palm trees making them almost invisible
Guerrilla warfare
Kamikaze video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5327440627774880714&ei=Kj4jSqLaH4qCqQKDqIGuAg&q=kamikaze&hl=en&emb=1
Zero Fighter plane video: http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=10593
Video links