Just finishing Supernova in the Pacific from Hardcore History.
Is the Pacific theater the most brutal fighting of all time? Maybe the Eastern Front, but neither the Russians or Germans were quite as hateful as the Japanese or Americans (or Australians for that matter).
Anyone have thoughts?
The Japanese military culture was brutal in a way that no Western nation was. Even the Soviets.
They considered anyone who surrendered dishonored cretins. And treated them as such. They treated ALL non-Japanese as vermin.
Eastern Front and Balkans only real analogue in Europe.
The difference is the pervasive cruelty of the average Japanese soldier compared to even the Germans or Soviets.
While the "Clean Wehrmacht" myth is utter rubbish, it is also true that the Holocaust was mostly perpetuated by specialized executioners and other sociopaths recruited by the SS at camps or via special action groups; men who were highly disdained by the German military. Most of the mass atrocities committed by the Japanese were committed by the regular army all over the map.
Whereas the Germans behaved with utter barbarity in the East, it is also true that the same German soldier that might gleefully participate in the burning of Russian village, would act much less awful when stationed in France or when fighting the Western Allies.
And the German military also prosecuted tens of thousands of its soldiers for crimes like murder, rape, pillage.
The Japanese were fucking awful to everyone and this sheer cruelty was present across the average soldier.
Might get a lot of flak, so I want to make it clear I am not absolving the Germans. The Army in particular *should* have known better and done better.
