By: Christian Lehman

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 VJ day (Victory over Japan) was on August after the United States bombed the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

At 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.

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

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 plane They were essentially transformed into manned missiles Pilots were willing to give their life for this cause because they did not want to experience the shame of capture or defeat

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 Mitsubishi Ki-2l Sally

Mitsubishi G4M BettyMitsubishi 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

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 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

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

In the period between 1931 and 1938 the Japanese built nearly 1,700 new tanks This made them the 4 th 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

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

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

Arisaka: Saw very heavy use by the Japanese Imperial Army (IJA), one of the most reliable guns in the Japanese arsenal Rifles Attached to the end of a weapon, mainly a rifle, used in close quarter combat for stabbing Bayonets

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 GunHeavy Machine Gun

Attached to the end of a weapon, mainly a rifle, used in close quarter combat for stabbing Bayonets

Type 93: Particularly useful against fortifications, bunkers, and pillboxes, fuel worn on back, ignition system was based on a heated electrical wire Flamethrower

Suicidal 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 up They thought it dishonorable to be captured or defeated by the enemy Most 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

Japanese warfare was somewhat guerrilla Many of the battles in the pacific took place in wooded areas Japanese soldiers would camouflage themselves with grass, leaves, and branches They 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

Kamikaze video: &ei=Kj4jSqLaH4qCqQKDqIGuA g&q=kamikaze&hl=en&emb= &ei=Kj4jSqLaH4qCqQKDqIGuA g&q=kamikaze&hl=en&emb=1 Zero Fighter plane video: