WW2 Chapter 2 - Historical Background

Before beginning this story, some historical background information may be helpful:

You may recall that the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941 after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. During that time, the Nazis were taking over Europe while the Japanese were taking over Asia. By June 1942, the Japanese had invaded much of the southern Pacific, including Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, much of China, and several other nations, while launching attacks against Australia and India.

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After losing several battles, the U.S. finally beat the Japanese navy in June 1942 during the Battle of Midway, which became a turning point in the war. The U.S. and its allies then went on the offensive, taking back territories one at a time in fierce battles, including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Leyte, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, among others. Although each of these battles resulted in thousands of casualties, each time the Allies were able to take back an island, they were able to use it as a strategic launching pad for taking back other territories and cutting off the shipment of oil and other supplies critical to the Japanese military.

Although most of the world's attention has nearly always been more on Nazi Germany and the European campaign, the Japanese military was known to be especially ruthless during the war. They considered anyone who was not Japanese to be sub-human, committing numerous atrocities and killing over 25 million civilians. Further, because the Japanese did not follow the Geneva Convention, an Allied prisoner was reported to be 7 times more likely to die in a Japanese prisoner of war camp than in a Nazi one. Countless other prisoners (both soldiers and civilians) were simply tortured and killed upon being captured.

During combat, the American soldiers quickly learned to "kill or be killed." Because the Japanese considered it dishonorable to be captured, they would fight to the death rather than surrender, making them extremely dangerous adversaries.

Although victory in Europe was achieved in May 1945, the Japanese did not surrender until September 1945, after the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on mainland Japan. When the war was finally over, most of the men just wanted to get back home to a normal life.