Burklund, Richard Combat Effectiveness in the Pacific War

How American and Japanese Forces Fought Their Campaigns in WW2

During World War II, both the Japanese and the Americans believed in the immense power of their respective fighting spirits; yet it was American "tactical culture" that enabled the US Army to triumph over its Japanese adversaries. In the decades following the war, the prevailing view was that American victory had been inevitable due to overwhelming resources and superior firepower, while the Japanese had been doomed from the start, unable to match the industrial might of the United States. Although the Americans did indeed possess superior firepower and logistics, this perspective unfairly overlooks the combat capabilities of the Japanese armed forces. Moreover, it ignores the fact that achieving this victory required more than three and a half years of fierce fighting. Both the Japanese and the Americans demonstrated a will to fight; both sides sought victory. The American will to win was fueled by the conviction that they were fighting for a deeply moral cause, manifesting as a grim determination to complete the mission and return home. In contrast, the Japanese will to win was undermined by a strategic-tactical culture that promoted a willingness to sacrificea concept often fatally misunderstood by Japanese soldiers and their commanders, who believed that dying in battle was the key to victory. Strategic culture was just as decisive to the outcome of the Pacific War as the disparity in power. While effective weapons and equipment are essential for success, they represent only one aspect of combat power. Japanese strategic culture fostered the belief that they were not the only people possessed of willpower and courage; hopes for victory rested on the conviction that spiritual superiority could offset material superiority. There was confidence that the Americans could be defeated through distinctively Japanese virtuesnational will, discipline, and a willingness to make sacrifices. Japans failure in this regard stemmed from a strategy that tacitly accepted the destruction of its tactical forces as an acceptable substitute for victory. As this book demonstrates, the will to win forms the foundation of military success; and while effective weapons and equipment are essential for success, they constitute only a part of combat power. In examining this subject, the author illustrates how the contrasting strategic cultures of the two belligerents in World War II shaped the course and consequences of the conflict.