"So... rations? What rations?" -

[@WorldWarTwo]

This question comes from basilmcdonnell980, thanks for the question! We've received questions about using Wikipedia as a source. In our video, we were addressing a viewer's question that started with 'according to Wikipedia,' but we do not use Wikipedia as a source. Our source list is available in the description of each weekly episode.

[@rocko7711]

War is all about logistics

[@ssgtmole8610]

This IJA policy appears to partially be a result of the societal structure dating back to feudal Japan. Need food? You're a warrior - take it from the peasants. 🍚🐟😬 This seems to support a reason why "Just in Time" business supply was embraced in Japan after WWII.

[@Emiya_Yuuki]

I have a qustion, how did Rommel died and why? I know it was a suicide but why?

[@wayoutanimation2853]

A short answer is he was implicated in the failed assassination of Hitler in 1944, and the gestapo/SS basically said they could put him on public trial, or he could die at home and save face. He chose to die at home, and the Germans said he was killed by an allied air raid.

[@orbatos]

When this story of things comes up, contribute to the Wikipedia article.

[@muyangcheng3874]

"Procuring food from the local population" was a very generous way of describing pillaging and displacement lmfao.

[@calvinnickel9995]

Hmm… in American history books they call General Sherman’s actions of foraging and pillaging and scorched earth a “march to the sea”.

[@kentuckyfriedfarfetchd7317]

It's war, not summer camp.

[@generalhorse493]

yeah that was how everyone did it up until the invention of canned food and the proliferation of railways. The japanese in ww2 clearly thought sheer willpower was a viable replacement for reality

[@dragonfire7354]

​@@calvinnickel9995What books have you been reading? Thats the name of the event, not its descripton.

[@wolfgod6443]

​@@calvinnickel9995 If your books didn't tell you about Sherman's actions in said march, then you went to a bad school I'm sorry.

[@1RoundInTheChamber]

Logistical problems aside, a fully supplied army being expected to loot to feed itself is some medieval crap.

[@mahmutyordamli4912]

wdym just pick up a tank turret from local tank turret orchard

[@splatter5218]

It's a key point in the 'Art of War'. Why waste your own supplies when the enemy has some right there? Though, clearly, it would work better on a mainland campaign and not a small island lmao.

[@tankpea2]

​@@splatter5218even then , i dont think soldiers can survive really long on perishable , raw crops. Or even meat without ways to cook it

[@ensrceler]

​@@splatter5218 pretty sure that while the art of war advises not to pass up a free lunch if you find one, it also spends way more effort trying to convince the idiot nobles it was written for to never ever rely on forage for either troops or for animal feed (this includes grazing). an army spending time getting its own food is an army not doing things like marching or fighting, they will quickly deplete any easily useable resources, and the first time they dont find food to capture everyone will go hungry and become weak and terrible at fighting. theres also morale issues when nobody is sure where their meals are supposed to come from. any rival power might even be able to turn your army around on you just by guaranteeing them the supplies they need. i think it also tries to explain that you need to send enough food to get somewhere and come back, not just the exact amount it would take to get there.

[@isaiasaguirre342]

​@@splatter5218I'm pretty sure that the art of war was written way before mordern war If it was for the art of war we would have to return to medieval warfare

[@KPW2137]

Japanese logistics in general was a sad joke and one of the indirect reasons why so many civilians died in Japanese occupied territories.

[@monkeyfat61]

that cus Japan was why worse than Hitler. just look at the experiment they did to people POV, civilians, their own soldiers, and people running the experiment. any one can be used not to mention when they when into Chinese to "show thier fellow Asian how to live" or some propaganda shit. the soldiers would go around raped and female from child to grandma, then killing them in the end. the only reason why Japan got off with do such heinous things is cus they destroyed most of their records and research. so it probably even worse, but the main reason they got off was the research they did, and the researchers know how to give just enough so the ally want it. hell, Japan's royal family did not even get a slap on the wrist painting the shogun as some that did not get info and his generals where doing all this heinous stuff without his knowledge when his son sent him letter about the things the soldiers did in China. the only reason why we when hard on Germany was cus Japan was smarter and more clean with there research well Germany scientist where not that clean. don't get me wrong I'm not say Germany was not horrible too. I'm saying both where monsters

[@dean_l33]

Yeah iirc many of the s.e.a nations that it occupied suffered heavy famine

[@khylebaguingan8211]

Thats why in many Japanese occupied territory ,the troops stationed always plant their own food & raise livestock... Not expecting to wait on ship foods from their home land.. or when they raid a village they always go for foods instead of treasures & souvenirs

[@sebc2s]

I wouldn't call it a joke, more like fragile due to the immense number of islands they had to cover on limited oil reserves and US warships attacking thousands of supply ships.

[@KPW2137]

@@khylebaguingan8211 they still let lots of people die of hunger in the process.

[@sheldonwheaton881]

If I remember correctly, there were 14 people behind the lines supporting every one rifleman. In the US Army. For the Japanese it was three.

[@JohnRNewAccountNumber3]

Lol k

[@BrotherAlpha]

Tooth to tail. The US has always been great at doing this. Other countries... not so much.

[@ElJorro]

When the Japanese discovered a Naval Barge dedicated to making Ice Cream, they knew they were going to lose.

[@IMDunn-oy9cd]

I have a great-uncle who was captured in the Philippines, survived the Bataan Death March and spent the remainder of the war as a Japanese POW until his camp was taken by Russian troops in China. He said that the Japanese were as hungry as they were. PFC Albert J Graf

[@oz_jones]

Oh man. Surving Bataan DM and a Japanese POW camp... Glad it wasnt me.

[@CMitchell808]

My respects to him for surviving that. I had family who didn’t.

[@IMDunn-oy9cd]

@@CMitchell808 The Japanese were ruthless.

[@belgianfried]

Great-grandpa (Chinese-Malayan) was buried alive by the Japs. Yippee…

[@Funduk-i9w]

@@IMDunn-oy9cd 5 of my great-grand-uncles were captured by Russians. Evil Russians ate them. without salt.

[@wjstix]

This was a problem for all armies. My father was in the infantry in Europe (30th "Old Hickory" Div.) and he said they often had trouble getting rations to the front. He said veterans who said they hated Spam were the guys stationed in the US - in the front lines, a can of Spam was like gold.

[@desyncer]

When I have the choice to make a sandwich of spam and some regular cold cuts, I will make a salami sandwich every day of the week. If the choice was spam or nothing, I would gladly devour the spam.

[@HellbirdIV]

And that's the US Army, by far the best-supplied of all the warring nations. Even they couldn't supply everyone everywhere all the time. The Germans, Italians, British, French and all their respective allies no doubt fared much worse especially as the war dragged on. And for the Soviets and Japanese, and the Chinese... true starvation was abundant.

[@michaelpettersson4919]

Did they have problems with the soldiers at the front only getting the food that was leftover after others picking over the food on the way there?

[@scurvofpcp]

@@michaelpettersson4919 Much of current day military doctrine for supply logistics comes from the lessons learned in WWII. One major problem they had back then was there was a major black market around food. And the closer you got to the front line the more likely it was to be stolen, sold off, intercepted by forces friendly to the enemy. Or just straight up lost. And all of that was on top of normal scarcity and dangers of transporting supplies through hostile lands.

[@CMitchell808]

I’m from Hawaii. I can’t imagine hating spam.

[@stephenwood6663]

Many isolated garrisons were encouraged to grow cassava - which grows well even in areas with bad soil - in order to make their positions as self-sufficient as possible. Cassava would become a staple in Singapore during the Japanese occupation.

[@GazB85]

Cassava contains carbohydrates but is low in protein, vitamins and minerals. Is it fast growing? They'd obviously have to supplement their diet with a lot more stuff if eating that as a staple.

[@TheGhostGuitars]

Cassava AKA Manioc or yuca, and many other local names. Processed cassava makes tapioca. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava

[@jacobishii6121]

​@@GazB85yes....it's extremely fast growing

[@kylezdancewicz7346]

@@GazB85This plant is grown as basically a last resort, we know where not getting resupply and you think at that point they are worried about a balanced diet

[@LP-tf7cy]

​@@GazB85 trying to win a war means you aren't worried about your macros, just grt enough calories in you aren't shaking and can keep walking.

[@rapipanmanoch6470]

My grandmother got lots of money trading with Japanese when they came to build death railroad in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. There’re a few convenient shops at the time and pretty much all of them were approached by Imperial army to be their suppliers. In fact, she had such a sway over the Japanese that she can ordered them to return my grandfather who got swept away to their work camp alongside the rest of the Chinese in the city first before they signed the deal. They really relied heavily on Thai local suppliers

[@humbertogarcia1491]

To put in the most generalized way, Japanese troops to Okinawans: "Go fight, but before you do. Give us all your food. American troops to Okinawans: "Would you like some chocolate?".

[@Metablex]

Okinawa was part of Japan before world war two even started. It would probably be more directed to the Chinese and Filipinos

[@portalkey5283]

After the flame throwers

[@kalash5694]

Me when I make things up.

[@h2knad]

@@portalkey5283and raping… lol

[@toryquinton2677]

​@@Metablexokinowans were an independant culture for centuries before Japan claimed them in the lste 19th century. And even though today they consider themselves Japanese, the Okinawan culture is still very unique.

[@blondyelowflash]

This is one characteristic that made the Roman Empire so dominant in its day. The logistics of supplying the army was a monumental task for that time.

[@SiiriCressey]

How'd they do it?

[@WlatPziupp]

@@SiiriCressey roads I'm guessing

[@SiiriCressey]

@@WlatPziupp Definitely part of it. But there're still the questions of volume + preventing decomposition.

[@softhands3394]

@@SiiriCressey well they ate alot of dates, figs as well as dry-wheat based food which doesnt decompose easily in those environments and are mostly a slow-digesting food packed with nutrients and easy to store/compact in size and doesnt require any kind of heat/prep to consume safely.

[@brandonp7503]

​@@SiiriCressey There's a reason all roads led to (and from) Rome.

[@TheHobohobbit]

"procuring food from the local population" is a very nice way of wording what happened in reality

[@MONKEY_BEAM]

let me guess, the food used to be the local population?

[@NekomiyaTH]

Katsuo body kinda look delicious today....👀💦

[@NadeemAhmed-nv2br]

​@@MONKEY_BEAMsomething along those lines, though much worse

[@MONKEY_BEAM]

@@NadeemAhmed-nv2br i'm sorry, worse than eating people? what absolute horrors did these mad men get up to?

[@asdfghjkl92213]

@@MONKEY_BEAMoh wait I forgot, they rape them before eating them

[@SabreWolferos]

Meanwhile The US military - “ you want some ice cream with your rations?😊”

[@scottydog1313]

And washed down with a Coke. The US went to great lengths to supply Coca-Cola to the troops as well. It was considered so important to morale, the Coca-Cola company was exempted from sugar rationing. They set up over 60 bottling plants overseas, often right behind the lines in newly captured territory. Over 5 billion bottles of Coke were consumed by US servicemen and women. and that's not counting the untold hundreds of millions served by mobile soda dispensers. Over 1100 were made, some small enough to fit in a jeep, that could dispense ice cold Coke right up to the front lines.

[@madkoala2130]

More like: "This carrier is not leaving the dock without functional ice cream machine!" - some Admiral in US navy.

[@metaparalysis3441]

@@scottydog1313 Wow! Same for Fanta! What a coincidence!

[@WalterOtterly]

@@madkoala2130 The ice cream helps sailors poop and makes it easier on the waste management system.

[@D3R3bel]

​​@@metaparalysis3441 I think instead of Fanta factories following the progress of the front lines, it was more like the front lines were going closer to the Fanta factories

[@jthablaidd]

“An army cannot march on an empty stomach” Hirohito: nah I’d win

[@RKNGL]

The lesser known US submarine Campaigns against Japan's supplylines were also absolutely devastating. Japan had little means to reply, to this threat and never managed even close to the countermeasure Canada, the US, and UK did against the German equivalent. Combined with Japan's broken Naval codes, their already mediocre logistics were in shambles.

[@evilemperorzurg9615]

Japan has always had issues feeding itself. Only 10% of the country is arable land so contrary to popular belief samurai were mostly fighting each other over rice patties. One of the biggest motivations for the expansion of the Japanese empire was acquiring natural resources. Oil and metals were the big ones but farmland was just as important.

[@richardlincoln8438]

​@@jonathanwells223 Google search.

[@OreGIOOreGIO]

@@jonathanwells223completely wrong

[@Hungabrigoo]

​@@jonathanwells223 Wrong, they didn't even have decent iron, hence their convoluted way to make swords. It is actually amazing that so many people could live on those islands so devoid of resources.

[@SepticFuddy]

@@Hungabrigoo The way they sourced iron wasn't the problem. Their forging technique didn't get hot enough to burn off the impurities, which would have eliminated the need for all the folding

[@ThePhilosogamer]

@@SepticFuddy I read that it was both issues, actually. Their iron was mockingly referred to as "pig-iron" because of how many impurities it had, but also their forges couldn't get hot enough to burn off all the impurities of said "pig-iron." So, their repeated folding technique was a panacea for both problems. Unfortunately, it also led to foundational issues with their trademark sword design, but that's another topic.

[@davidbeattie4294]

"Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics" Omar Bradley.

[@lotgc]

You know, this is really what RTS games are like. A lot of newer players will ask, for example, "what's a good strategy for x race to defeat/stop y", but experienced players know the real question is "how do I make more stuff more faster?" There's really not much strategy involved.

[@oscarscott4629]

The French had good logistics in france at the start of ww2 strategy was meh tho

[@yunusbilece8690]

It must be HOI4' motto.

[@Jagiellonian]

"Genius talk strategy and Logistics"

[@3baxcb]

He was a general that you can count on to follow objectives without pushing his luck too far which is why he replaced McArthur in the Korean War.

[@danielgibbons4858]

Over and over you see massively over restricted/inflexible planning and short shortsightedness ruining everything for them.

[@gregorturner4753]

lol true, i heard that when they were planning midway one japanese officer thought outside the box and did what the americans ended up dong and ruined their plans. he was told off for 'not sticking to the plan' his battle sense was actually what occured and the japanse lost at midway because the japanese 'planned' for the american CV's to be somewhere else. this because of an inflexible chain of command.

[@lzh4950]

I can imagine Asian societies also thinking that morale is important to only mentally weak people

[@musewolfman]

Apparently no one ever informed them of the old maxim "a plan never survives first contact with the enemy."

[@Immortal..]

The main problem was getting supplies to the troops. All these islands could only be supplied by ship. It proved to be an issue even as early as Guadalcanal but after Midway the naval situation worsened dramatically. Not to mention that the IJN had basically no answer to the USN submarines convoy raiding vital shipping routes on a large scale from 1943 on

[@gregorturner4753]

@@Immortal.. i saw an old propaganda video from the USN basically saying that the submarines sank everything down to rowboats as well as rescuing downed airmen. quite interesting getting a glimpse into the us submarine fleets operations in the pacific.

[@spartan92296]

I would say it has something to do with their entire merchant marine becoming artificial reefs by mid 1944.

[@cameronlamb1869]

Nicely constructed sentence brother

[@SuLokify]

I don't usually like shorts, especially for educational content, but I've made it my mission to support any channel making factual WWII content that I come across by commenting and liking. Thank you for doing this work despite draconian demonization policy

[@WorldWarTwo]

We also have longer episodes. Thanks for watching! -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@josephglatz25]

Everybody Gansta until Imperial Japanese Army high command tells you to adopt "self-sufficiency".

[@Hungabrigoo]

That's nothing, imagine them telling you that you "no longer have to worry" about it...

[@sighsgkj]

or "Rely on honor"

[@petergray2712]

Another problem is that Japan's limited industrial base distorted logistical priorities. Large industrial concerns and factories concentrated on the manufacture of munitions, aircraft, and ships. That left production of food rations, uniforms, and personal kit to mom-and-pop cottage industries that normally catered to civilian customers. For example most of the hardtack (Kanpan) made for Japanese military ration kits were mixed and baked in municipal bakeries in Tokyo and Osaka that normally supplied schools and prisons, and these these often subcontracted to smaller private bakeries to fill their contracts. By the end of the war, most Japanese military rations were being made, packaged, and assembled by volunteers working in small workshops, many of them Japanese high school students. The obvious downside of this system is how easily disrupted it is due to its low priority for resources and vulnerability to attack. These small producers weren't necessarily well compensated for their patriotic efforts, creating strings of bankruptcies among small businesses. Moreover, quality and consistency were not enforced, leading to the final product that wasted vital materials, was prone to spoilage, or failed to comply with military requirements. This system of small suppliers created other vagaries, including the assignment of the Japanese civilian police force (under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior) to de facto control over Japanese military production quotas and assignments, since local police officers had the best access to these small establishments. USAAF firebimbing raids were partially set up to destroy these suppliers, as they were too small and scattered to be destroyed with high explosive precision bombing.

[@azaph_yt]

Good writeup, tho "precision bombing" during WWII basically meant "can hit the city"

[@Jamesbrown-xi5ih]

​@@azaph_yt It meant a lot more accuracy than that. 8th Air Force aircraft sometimes were required to hit specific buildings between sensitive non-combatant areas and they succeeded. But I suppose you already know, without having to Google it, or look it up in a book. The differences between Area Bombing, Precision Bombing and Pattern Bombing, as well as when to use them and why. If you don't... Then speak once you know what you're talking about.

[@redjoker365]

@@azaph_yt No, they could be fairly accurate when they wanted to be when targeting things like buildings. It wasn't as accurate as nowadays where you could feasibly drop a bomb and hit a moving motorcycle, but bomber crews had specialists to calculate the trajectory for precision bombs

[@wolliveryoutube]

@@Jamesbrown-xi5ihWeather permitting, that is. And late in the war the issue of the jet stream comes up. The B-29s had the problem of choosing to fly low enough that they were vulnerable to anti-aircraft guns, or high enough that the jet stream would blow their bombs off course. Fortunately, anti-aircraft guns were never Japan’s strong suit.

[@elbolainas4174]

​@@wolliveryoutube you're painfully right. The first time I looked at the Yamato I was shocked to see how many AA guns it had. "Nothing that flies could ever get close to it" I thought. Greater was my shock when I found out she was sunk in an air raid. EVEN GREATER was my shock (and disappointment) when I learnt that she only managed to shoot down a handful of planes.

[@konstantinriumin2657]

Meanwhile Japanese troops in Rabaul: it's farmin' time (and they farmed all over the island)

[@benlex5672]

They farmed so much that they could feed not only the Australian garrison there to accept their surrender they were able to get enough food to prevent starvation on the home islands. Quite ridiculous really.

[@konstantinriumin2657]

@@benlex5672 General Imamura was certainly unusual. He considered his war crime sentence too light, and after serving his time (8 years) he built a replica of his prison cell and lived there for the rest of his life (14 more years)

[@vondantalingting]

​@@konstantinriumin2657 At least the man had a working conscience and knew how to feel bad about his actions compared to his peers. It made him more honorable to know that he views his punishment as too light, and human for knowing he did some screwed up shit.

[@-WMD-Edutainment]

​@@vondantalingting As a fellow human, most people wouldn't do thatthey'd just live with the guilt and try to forget. If they even felt guilt instead of justifying it for themselves. That man was something different.

[@Hungabrigoo]

​@@konstantinriumin2657 He also served in Manchukuo and China. Probably had more on his conscience that he could ever live with.

[@awildfilingcabinet6239]

There was also the fact that the IJA and IJN just completely worked independently? Like, the army wouldn't even tell the navy that they spotted American naval bombers, or the Navy refused to protect army supply convoys.

[@therideneverends1697]

well thats, counterintuitive

[@writerconsidered]

Well that's a winning strategy. You would never know that Japan and modern day Japan were the same Japan.

[@F.B.I]

​@@writerconsidered The only issue is... That they never teach that at school, half or even more of the Japanese never actually know about nanking "event' or even the warcrimes or mistakes they did, only the old grandpas know about it - so history is deemed to be repeated, if you dont remember it.

[@Mr-Trox]

​@@F.B.I Luckily for everyone, Japan is still beholden to the terms they agreed to at the end of WW2, denying them anything beyond the JSDF. They also don't have any conveniently weak countries nearby to attack if they *did* go that way once more.

[@corditesniffer8020]

They did not see the need to feed their POWs either.

[@writerconsidered]

Did not.

[@corditesniffer8020]

@@writerconsidered Ah typo Yeah I meant to say did not They were awful to their POWs Absolute savages to us

[@kv4648]

I mean if you can't even guarantee food it's hard to expect to feed the people you see as the enemy

[@corditesniffer8020]

@@kv4648 even if this is true they still treated all their POWs with utter contempt and disrespect Even withholding Red Cross parcels and working them to death I will never forgive the Japanese for what they did to those poor people

[@bificommander7472]

IJA: "Our soldiers' food has run out, we need to ship more immediately or they'll starve and the army will be greatly weakened." IJN: "Oh no. Anyway..."

[@jontheno3213]

They'd just point the hungry sailors and marines to the nearest civillian population if they ran out of food.

[@patricklemire9278]

I heard that in Clarkson

[@krle7970]

Boooo you stink

[@-WMD-Edutainment]

​@@jontheno3213 Yummy long pork

[@SEAZNDragon]

I remember when King & Generals had their Pacific War series they mentioned during Guadalcanal IJA resupply came in the form of barrels dumped overboard by ships with the hopes the currents would carry them to IJA positions. Needless to say not every barrel made it.

[@rogerd777]

The US Army was supplying ice cream to its troops in or near the front lines in both theaters while fighting an enemy that was starving in their own country. KZbinr TheFatElectrician did a video about ice cream in the Navy and Army. in WWII.

[@isaacselvaraj9573]

Easier to supply frontlines that aren't in your country than to try to grow food in a country at war. The Germans should have stopped at France and signed some kind of treaty, and should have killed Hitler that dude was only good at speaking and warcrimes not leading.

[@cattysplat]

Pacific US troops were also rotated out of combat zones for R&R, often to Australia. Whilst the Japanese troops were pretty much stuck at their posts for months told to hold the line, until absolute degradation or death.

[@sighsgkj]

@@cattysplat Isn't that regular practice for Axis and Allies in general? Axis soldiers tend to "fly til they die" while Allies veterans are rotated back to teach at barracks.

[@Mr-Trox]

Chubby Electron Guy mentioned! It's funny that ice cream as a tradition in the USN started as an appeasement/replacement for the rum ration just to balloon into every ship bigger than a destroyer having an ice cream maker. And carriers offering ice cream bounties for destroyers and submarines that rescued their pilots.

[@BastiatC]

It is wild that so much of Sun Tsu is devoted to not relying on the land to feed your army and leaders still try it.

[@Idazmi7]

Almost as if military officers are arrogant and incompetent.

[@vassalofthenight9945]

Guess bozos were illiterate lol

[@all_thegood_stuff7789]

It's an "easier" way initially to deal with it. By not dealing with it.

[@liamjm9278]

Caesar and Napoleon lived off the land.

[@aceflaviuskaizokuaugustusc8427]

@@liamjm9278 True but they also had to protect their supply lines. Caesar understood that he had to keep his supply lines secure to win battles campaigns. But as there are no invincible tactics living off the land can be countered. Napoleon was famously defeated by scorch earth tactics while Caesar had a few close calls where his supply lines were cut off and he couldn’t sustain his army.

[@MirlitronOne]

An elderly friend of mine (RIP) was interned in a Japanese PoW camp and said that the rank-and-file soldiers (not the officers) often suffered from malnutrition and deficiency diseases, often as much as the prisoners.

[@54blewis]

The logistical problems have always plagued armies since time immemorial,modern warfare only made it even more crucial,a large part of the defeat of the German army in Russia was due to the lack of sufficient supplies and logistical support…the lack of winter clothing,proper food,sufficient ammunition and medical equipment (including medicine,shortages of staff)….currently the Russian federation army is also a victim of its logistical shortcomings, which has crippled its ability to sustain itself and operations in Ukraine….

[@cattysplat]

Operation Barbarossa was meant for a quick victory using similar blitzkrieg tactics used in France. It didn't work because Russian scorched earth retreat, Russian partisan civilians attacking German troops (leading to civilian massacres), the failure of the Africa campaign to secure oil reserves and the Russian governments just don't surrender no matter how much suffering their people go through.

[@snowmiaow]

Because they are so huge and have immense resources, they can afford to keep wasting them.

[@whysosyria1]

The Wake Island rail was a flightless bird that was hunted to extinction by the Japanese troops stuck on Wake Island

[@snowmiaow]

So sad and wasteful.

[@kittymervine6115]

there is the famous scene in a historically accurate movie about WWII. A German officer is showing a CAKE that was mailed to a US soldier they had captured.

[@unfortunate76]

This dude should do audiobooks. His voice is just crispy

[@satorukuroshiro]

Not to mention the whole reason they pulled the US into the war was due to us deciding to stop selling them oil, which meant they had less fuel for their ships and planes, the two things that moved said rations.

[@divinewind6313]

I heard a story of a IJA detachment on an island who eventually ran out of rations and resorted to farming and fishing that they became self sufficient with each group given a specific task. After months they forgot what their original mission was.Allies decided that that detachment have no military value and decided to leave them alone.

[@sl600rt]

An japanese service member drew 4 pounds of supplies a day. That's food, ammo, medical, etc. The American drew 40 pounds a day.

[@sage5296]

40lbs a day is wild, I assume most of that is in artillery shells and the thousand+ pound bombs being used averaged out across the servicemen?

[@CatgirlExplise6039]

@@sage5296 no, probably just propaganda so that Americans feel more attached to their countries and dont stop their shitty government or something, who knows; Were all already fucked in lock and chain, so I guess yea, American troops were the best and their enemies were awful disgusting people who commited well more attrocities than them.

[@-WMD-Edutainment]

Source?

[@-WMD-Edutainment]

​@@sage5296 Artillery shells are alone heavier than 40 pounds. 40 pounds is like lightweight equipment, some food, some water etc. The avarage Hugarian Home Defense Soldier carries 60 pounds of equipment throughout training.

[@jakej2680]

​@@-WMD-Edutainment It's not the weight of their packs, it's the weight of the supplies they consume on a daily basis averaged over the whole force.

[@eedwardgrey2]

The Taste of War World War Two and the Battle for Food by Lizzie Conningham mentions the the Japanese army assumed that their troops could survive on "Japanese spirit"...their troops' bodies begged to differ....

[@wolliveryoutube]

I doubt any officer was saying that in 1937, but it definitely sounds like something you tell a grunt stranded thousands of miles away across submarine-infested waters, who you are in no position to feed.

[@oatmealman1586]

​@@wolliveryoutube japan would definitely say something like that. They were ridiculously crazy and would do things like drown their children so that they could qualify to be a kamikaze pilot (there is a recorded case of this happening). It wouldn't surprise me if they were THAT crazy

[@SEAZNDragon]

@@oatmealman1586I think the point still stands about when such a comment would have been made. That’s definitely a 1944/45 comment.

[@killerzillavolt2655]

During ww2, some German troops were able to capture a US supply truck. While going through the rations, they saw that it came with cake. In that moment, their commander said, "We are not going to win" realizing that the US logistics were so good that they can afford to give cake to their troops.

[@gaoxiaen1]

The cake was in "care packages" from home. His issue with the cake was that it only took a week or so to ship it by mail from the USA to the front lines.

[@CGJ7755]

@@gaoxiaen1 It came from a bakery in NYC, and yet it got there with plenty of time without spoiling. The japanese would have said that same thing if they knew the US navy produced something like 5,000 gallons of ice cream every day.

[@markdorn8873]

​@@gaoxiaen1The Imperial German army ran the country out of food during WW1, including conquered areas. The Germans didn't learn their lesson then and had to repeat it during WW2.

[@dotesondots]

I'm so proud of our military, troops, and veterans.

[@snowmiaow]

I think "moving things" is a great strength of our military. They did not mobilize it fast enough during the recent supply chain issue.

[@matchrocket1702]

I read in a book that for every one US soldier in combat, 10 others we needed for support. In contrast the Japanese only had 3 support personnel for every 1 in combat.

[@exodus1383]

And the fact that the troops chose starvation over surrender

[@redemptionpeak9438]

Well to be fair they chose death to banzai over starvation as well.

[@khasidailyfact6371]

Ikr! That's so Japanese way lol

[@richard1493]

Imagine being the only country to have ever been hit by atomic weapons not once, but twice, and yet ⅔s of your deaths were still from starvation.

[@bonehed1]

tbf the nuclear bombs didn't kill anywhere near as many people as you would assume. The vast majority of their casualties would have still been from conventional warfare even without the starvation aspect

[@shadowbonbon3]

@@bonehed1this is military deaths, not civilian most of the military at the time where off the mainland or getting of/ heading back from combat

[@bonehed1]

@@shadowbonbon3 still, you're looking at 2.5 million military casualties in the war vs 100k to 225k casualties of both atomic bombings combined

[@prezentoappr1171]

That is the psychological warfare my guy

[@cameronschyuder9034]

@@bonehed1 Are you including the casualties in years after the bombings due to radiation poisoning?

[@dr.strangelove6118]

An army marches on its stomach

[@Deridus]

But persists because of payroll.

[@comrade_commissar3794]

@@DeridusYou think Japanese soldiers fought for the pay? That’s why they did all those banzai charges and kamikaze attacks?

[@Deridus]

@@comrade_commissar3794 Don't confuse the army for the soldier nor the soldier for the army. Outliers like the Japanese army do exist, but not everyone was a "BANZAI!" screaming fanatic.

[@comrade_commissar3794]

@@Deridus So it’s just a coincidence that a ratio of 100% of the entire Imperial Japanese Army force stationed on Saipan all pooled together for one massive banzai charge? That this one island was 100% full of these supposed “outlier” fanatics and that most of the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army was just people doing it for the money?

[@Deridus]

@comrade_commissar3794 You're reading too much into my comment in the first place. Yes, they were a fanatical enemy by and large, but when I said payroll, I was refering to the ENTIRE payroll. That means buying the 4B's, the provisions and the provisioners both, to say nothing of the merchants making the means by which to wage war in the first place. If you can't fund your army, it won't fight no matter HOW fanatical it is. Reduce things enough and it's no longer an army, it's a mob. Arguably more dangerous in the short term.

[@SwirlingDragonMist]

Don’t forget the Japanese Navy and the Japanese Army had animosity towards each other, a feud going way back to feudal Samurai clans. The navy was tasked with the logistics of supplying the army, and they often would throw supplies into shallow water for retrieval rather than take the time to make landfall. Much like any delivery logistics, coordinating the people receiving with the people delivering, is hard, and on a tight schedule supplies were dumped whether anyone was there to receive them or not. Just because someone is on an island doesn’t mean they are on the beach or able to even see that a delivery has been made. The subtle difference of tighter coordination of US armed services under command of the US Navy compared to the estranged Japanese Army and Navy made all the difference in being a singular machine vs a disparate one. The Japanese Army and Navy disagreed on the strategic direction of the war, one favoring a continental push and the other an island push. Which led to favoritism, resentment, and special treatment as each chose to support their own agenda with limited resources. Aid was often a reluctant gesture. Rampant alcoholism among senior staff also a significant factor.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

You a overating animosity and mischaracterizing the landing of supplies. You skip over the lack of longshoremen, docks and cranes. You also gloss over the fact that naval forces had to evacuate quickly. Destroyers and barges had to enter the area under the cover of darkness. And withdrawal before American Air power would decimate them in the daytime.

[@hdsamte]

My grandpa would recollect many instances where they would ask for pigfood,when they pass through their village.pigfood that time =cooked left over food from meals+wild vegetables (mostly inedible for people) + rice husk

[@julienceaser4018]

meanwhile the us marines: what do you mean youre out of penut banana icecream? you telling me i have to settle for chcolate?

[@JawsFan27]

You must have us confused for the Air Force

[@sunshineskystar]

thats the army. the marines meanwhile are thankful the army let them have the leftover spam.

[@jonathantan2469]

Pretty sure the ice cream are actually crayons...

[@julienceaser4018]

@@sunshineskystar (he doesn't know about the icecream barges) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream_barge

[@NotReallyHere198]

@@JawsFan27 Is it true that USMC boys can last several combat days only with a single box of Crayons?

[@dritzzdarkwood4727]

"We shall only supply the 3 battalions with 14 days of rations because 14 days is what we planned this campaign will last!" But what about unforeseen situations and occurrences?" "Reality is no match for our arrogance, dismissed!"

[@novitrix9671]

Reality is easy when successive generations may wave the hindsight wand to magic extra resources out of thin air. They just didn't think or try hard enough to pick up the obvious plentiful food lying around to take with them, uh? The disrespect oozes from your comment in an intolerable way.

[@ronj9448]

Maybe they thought it was a strong motivator

[@novitrix9671]

my reply got 1984'ed, nice of susan to protect you 🫂

[@roadent217]

@@novitrix9671 Yeah, I posted a different reply in an another thread, and it got hidden as well. Sucks. :(

[@furioussherman7265]

"Reality will not bring glory to the Emperor, so we shall ignore it!"

[@andrewgause6971]

So... they only issued enough rations for the length of the operation... with no regard for "what happens when the enemy fights back? They get a vote in how this all shakes out too..."

[@fishingthelist4017]

Like at Imphal and Kohima in 1944. Because the British and Commonwealth troops didn't retreat in disarray, the Japanese got sucked into a battle of attrition, made worse by the failure to capture British supply dumps. Starvation and disease played a big part in the Japanese defeat.

[@furioussherman7265]

The enemy fighting back wouldn't bring glory to the Emperor, so they didn't account for it.

[@lithen00]

so it was a logistical problem.

[@gregorturner4753]

yes, the american navy especially the submarines sank just about anything afloat larger than a rowboat. for example the battle of guadalcanal the only way they could get supplies and relief soldiers in was to do a risky high speed run at night known as the tokyo express as during the day the american CV's would decimate any ships they came across.

[@SallinKari]

Logistics emphasized by inadequate doctrine. If they had a month supply instead of a week supply, that could be the difference between starving to death, because of a late logistics ship, or not.

[@lazaruscain3424]

Ah yes, "Living Off the Land" a wonderful modern euphamism for "Pillage and Plunder."

[@Ramelousy]

Y'all are very keen on calling it that while multiple times other nations like the US, Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, India showed that they do it too.

[@wazza33racer]

their logistics collapsed across the pacific. Very often the IJN used its valuable submarines to get supplies to garrisons, but they were not able to move much cargo.

[@KR-fy3ls]

"procured food from the local population" That's a nice way to put it

[@leongaskell1533]

In about 1990 a Japanese scholar published how the Japanese soldiers in the Pacific would cannibalise the natives and enemy soldiers, the commanding officers threatened beheading to anyone eating Japanese but allowed the eating of locals and enemy, which were referred to as white pig and dark pig or pork.

[@Mr-Trox]

While there were a *lot* of war crimes committed by the IJA, they did also acquire provisions fron locals legally as well. Also, going into actual detail would probably get them smacked by KZbin.

[@thenecessaryevil2634]

And this led to a japanese outpost being massacred by crocodiles. The soldiers had hunted all the deer on the island to extinction and the crocs went into hibernation. Unfortunatly when the marines arrived to take the island the Japanese soldiers fled through the swamp the crocodiles were sleeping in. Hungry crocodiles are not terribly discerning about what lunch is and 2000 soldiers became 2000 lunches.

[@loreman7267]

I believe that was on the island behind Singapore. Their only retreat once the allies came to re-take it was back through the swamps they'd used to surprise the British forces. It went really horribly, they could hear the screams in the jungle at night... 💀

[@junibug6790]

While a captivating story, it's most likely an urban legend. Allied soldiers never said the Japanese were eaten by crocodiles, just that "the Japanese fled into the swamp; we patrolled the waters by motor-launch, using loudspeakers to entice them to surrender. All we saw were crocodiles; not a single soldier came out". In fact, the "crocodile massacre" story didn't appear until 1962, nearly 20 years after the supposed events occured.

[@pe.bo.5038]

BS-Myth!

[@snowmiaow]

Terrible about the deer. Crocodiles are good to eat. Wonder why they didn't eat them too.

[@Aredel]

@@snowmiaowprobably couldn’t spare the ammunition to hunt them

[@Yamsthenills]

I would imagine that this was a big contributing factor to the psychology of banzai charges towards the end of the war. Not all of them were brainwashed diehards, but if you're starving to death in the field anyway it becomes a lot easier to go with it.

[@ocudagledam]

Or you could just surrender and have the Yankee feed you?! Although a starved brain is a foggy one.

[@Crowniecrown]

Or maybe people just really loved their country? Its an almost impossible concept to imagine today, I know.

[@Yamsthenills]

@@Crowniecrown How are the two concepts incompatible? What if I told you an army was made up of many individuals and wasn't a hivemind?

[@Crowniecrown]

@@Yamsthenills What if I told you that Japan has historically been a nation that values the other than the self and that "brainwashing" had nothing to do with a banzai charge. Your thinking is purely modern even by historical western standards.

[@Yamsthenills]

@@Crowniecrown @Crowniecrown What if I told you that you should read more about Japanese wartime history, the manufactured nature of wartime and modern "Bushido," the doggedness of the generals, and of rank and file thinking within the empire and the military? Just because Japan valued the other doesn't mean they weren't thinkers, didn't fear death, didn't have the tendencies you speak of used against them to force them into a meat grinder.

[@DataToTheZero]

I think the never surrender mindset also contributed to the number of starvation deaths. A german or allied soldier that was emaciated and saw little to no hope of rescue or resupply, would likely surrender to the enemy. For the Japanese soldier this was unthinkable.

[@aidanatkinson7717]

The real fact is the Imperial Japanese navy and army didn’t get along so badly that the army had its own navy for logistics. Like bruh, give the dudes with all the boats and boat knowledge the responsibility to transport stuff via boat. Merchant marines exist for a reason.

[@GeneGear]

The army had to have its own supply ships because otherwise the navy would have stolen the supplies. The biggest problem was simply that the Japanese did not have the food supplies to maintain its armies, which is why everyone was so stingy with food. The result was violent animosity across the board, which was further exasperated by the politics of clan and nobility infighting.

[@redemptionpeak9438]

The American submarine fleet: HAD a merchant marine fleet.

[@AchilleBelanger]

Corruption was another problem, that and the ARMY vs. the NAVY. 😊

[@Mr-Trox]

Corruption is a nice way to put it. Lower officers assassinating their superiors for their positions was also rather common in both the IJA and IJN.

[@jekabsojarsulskis9740]

Don't forget the fierce rivalry of the IJA and IJN. Those two would not piss on the other if it meant putting out the fire when one was set ablaze. They were willing to sabotage each other.

[@casbot71]

In PNG some Japanese soldiers resorted to cannibalism. Dead Australian soldiers were discovered with cuts of meat missing from them, which enraged the Australians when discovered and made the Australians much more viscous in response in the later part of the campaign.

[@furioussherman7265]

They also cannibalized Indian POWs, according to Mark Felton.

[@TheRob81282]

They did the same to american pows on one of the islands I can't remember the name though

[@JKRowl]

LMAO was Australia even in the war 🤣😂? I never knew, it was a pretty useless country…. and still useless….

[@ARealItalian]

The axis powers lost because all their engines went into tanks instead of their trucks.

[@annroousivakumar2819]

And the soviets used tanks to move people so their trucks can be fitted fully with rations

[@ARealItalian]

@@annroousivakumar2819 yeah lol

[@SoylentHolger]

I loved exchanging rations with soldiers from other nations during exercises. They also enjoyed the game of "who got the worst field rations"

[@RustyKnightGaming]

Meanwhile the allies; CORNNNNNNEEEEEEEED BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFSSS

[@snookums01]

It was widely reported that the Japanese in the New Guinea campaign had resorted to cannabilism as their rations weren't making it over the mountains.

[@tgapete01]

It happened in other islands as well, prisoners being the source.

[@YourWifesBoyfriend]

That was based on orders from the emperor.

[@anselmocavalcanteguimaraes9032]

Excelente vídeo! Obrigado pelas informações!

[@patrickb1303]

More a supply issue than an intentional choice. Remember the whole island thing. Kinda is hard to supply by ship after your navy is destroyed.

[@WhoKnowsMang]

They did this before their navy was destroyed.

[@A_Name_]

The IJA also had a problem with scurvy or something similar I remember reading. They had to change up their rations at one point because so many troops were getting sick.

[@abcdedfg8340]

The navy had to solve the same problem too. I heard it was because white rice was regarded as a luxury and many army conscripts actually preferred it to brown rice which had proper nutrition, but it lacked vitamin B1 which caused damage to the immune system. Look up beri beri disease.

[@happyjohn354]

Ya its the white rice was missing some sort of amino acid or something leading to illness.

[@Arutima]

55% of all Japanese Navey and Merchant navy loses was from the US submarines corps . No wonder why the Japanese had difficulties having supplies.

[@Valdagast]

That "procures" in "procuring food" hides a lot of crimes against humanity and individuals.

[@dagoobertron]

Blah blah blah

[@robertross45]

@@dagoobertron No sympathy from you, clearly.

[@dagoobertron]

@@robertross45 armies from the beginning of time looted for food, the Japanese used this feudal form of acquisition because it was all too familiar. The armies of Europe did the same and called it "booty".

[@lorenzmaut3708]

it's implied that procuring food means taking that food, from anyone, including civilians, and taking food means they don't pay anything or they pay minimum money against the will of the locals. the channel is not talking about the things Japanese soldiers did, they are talking about the things the Higher ups ordered the soldiers to do.

[@patthonsirilim5739]

not to be a dickhead but before modern wars pillaging was the norm instead of the exception.

[@walterwhite4693]

So Japan hoped that all their soldiers were like Rambo 😂

[@Aredel]

Without teaching them to be Rambo

[@hurricanelaurie]

I'm really enjoying your channel! Thanks!

[@8bitgamer85]

I read about this before from WW2 History magazine. The Japanese Military command’s logic is that their troops can get their food supply from the local civilian population. "An Army moves on its stomach." Napoleon

[@Commanderziff]

It is kind of amazing that Imperial Japan managed to get as far as it did.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

What horrible planning

[@KainEvans]

They didnt just have rice and rations, they also had american soldiers with rice. They would sometimes keep them alive while they take chunks, just so the meats freash.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

A NHK documentary on the survivors of the war interviewed one veteran who claimed that anyone who survived New Guinea and claimed that they survived without resorting to cannibalism is a liar.

[@DarkMatterX1]

The Japanese starved while Americans ate iced cream. Never underestimate the importance of morale.

[@doubl3tap51]

The crocodiles certainly didn’t starve

[@jeffwang6460]

"Procure" is certainly a euphemism for how they got food from locals.

[@peterfan8650]

Also procured some of the locals & POWs

[@donodono2287]

I heard about this from quite a few Japanese seniors when we lived there way back when.

[@ThZuao]

"An army marches on it's stomach"- Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history's greatest strategists. "Hmm. Nah." - Empire of Japan, over 100 years laters. "Love for the Emperor will feed them", they continued.

[@JazzJackrabbit]

Pros of small ration: light pack, can move quickly Cons of small ration:

[@cparker7992]

"The Imperial Japanese Military did not subsist solely on rice" Of course not! We have just SO many records of cannibalism :D

[@Disappointed739]

The ghost stories I heard growing up in Japan after the war were the outcome of the madness of surviving soldiers that actually made it home. Real nasty stuff in those "ghost" stories; certifiable stuff that you would call the cops on me if I told you their contents. As in you can't best me for ugly stories--later in the US I looked saw the American definition of "horror' and "evil" and just shrugged. Such childish stuff.

[@jkgzjhp1705]

Hard to feed troops overseas when you dont have a navy

[@Disappointed739]

Or a merchant marine. 98% ended up on the bottom of the sea, the majority via allied submarine warfare. Glub blub.

[@briannehawks613]

I love history and i have to say i love your glorious mustache. I live in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Here we have a wealth of history that is overseen by the curator of our local museum. We call him "The Beard of Knowledge". Because the guy has a glorious old timey beard. Its so weird cuz when i was younger, i was only interested in the ancient history. But now, i enjoy hearing history from every period and so I'm totally here for this! 😊

[@quiet92]

If the allies had only known this, they could’ve tried a unique strategy. They could have posted large signs, promising regular nutritious (not to be confused with super-delicious and varied meals, but still worth it .) meals and humane treatment if the Japanese fighters would simply lay down their arms.

[@redemptionpeak9438]

They did (kinda) what they got was banzai charges.

[@lc1138]

Thank you ! Take care of your voice Spartacus ! ❤

[@andreikovacs3476]

This is not a good interpretation at all Japan is a barren island and its agriculture was already insufficient to feed its own population BEFORE THE WAR AND AMERICAN EMBARGO (Families would sell their daughters into marriage literally for rice, it was THAT bad) The war with China(as opposed to the idiotic hypothetical invasion of Siberia) was primarily to secure food supplies that were in bad deficit already by that point Japanese civilians ate rationed food in such low quantities that starvation was barely staved off. The military not having rations was not always due to bad food or even bad logistics but because Japan was actively starving Living off the land was the next best course of action I need to mention this because food sufficiency is so recent yet we've taken it as a given; it was not like that in WW2. Numerous nations(Romania, Japan, China, South Asia, Iran, etc) had to deal with significant famines And because it's not as memetic as the bengal famine, nobody knows about the japanese famine

[@lizardman1582]

Millions of Japanese citizens died of starvation because of famine in WW2?

[@rednax6955]

US Military: Ice cream for everyone! Japanese Military: Week 1: Rice bowl Week 2: Ice soup

[@snapcountersteer]

week 3: dirt stew (ran out of ice)

[@rustyjones7908]

Not actually rice. Just the bowl

[@Mr-Trox]

​@@snapcountersteerWeek 4: dirt (ran out of water)

[@Aredel]

@@Mr-Troxweek 5: sand (ran out of moist earth)

[@Hemimike426]

Meanwhile the Americans and Commonwealth troops having entire ships dedicated to making ice cream or beer.

[@CountArtha]

Unrestricted submarine warfare working as intended.

[@balancedactguy]

The Japanese started and lost the war with the US on Dec 7t.1941.

[@lennierofthethirdfaneofchu7286]

“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

[@balancedactguy]

@@lennierofthethirdfaneofchu7286 It's pretty much been agreed that Yamamoto never really said that...(except in Tora, Tora, Tora) but he may very well have known that was what they did .

[@Jamesbrown-xi5ih]

​@@balancedactguy He made statements similar to that sentiment prior to the attack, and until the actual commencement of the assault hoped that his aircraft would be recalled. It is known that he said any officer who would not obey the order to return to base should peace be found must resign immediately.

[@masonray9881]

So that’s why guillemen is the best primarch at war: logistics

[@ronanchristiana.belleza9270]

40k brother

[@bertbaker7067]

It doesn't excuse their torture and mistreatment of pows and captured civilians, but it does explain why so many of them starved to death too

[@stephenmontague6930]

Maybe not an excuse, but the human ability to feel compassion and empathy is strongly connected to your food-supplied energy level. Notice how easy it is to be "Hangry" (hungry-angry) driving home through traffic after work without a snack.... now imagine it's war, you've been stuck for years, you're starving... not a good situation, right? Don't know if you heard this already, but I heard on a podcast there was a study done that showed hungry judges are far more likely to pass harder sentences on defendants... food is really important.

[@bertbaker7067]

@@stephenmontague6930 Good points, well said. Again, it doesn't excuse stuff like putting people in ovens or "comfort women" but it's not irrelevant either, I think. I don't know for certain if this type of info is left out on purpose when history is taught, but it certainly doesn't inspire confidence when I finally learn about it later. The judge thing sounds familiar, but idk for sure. Thanks for the info, very interesting stuff.

[@lizardman1582]

@@bertbaker7067sleep deprivation too, not to mention this was exacerbated by giving the soldiers methamphetamine (it was invented in Japan) to cope with hunger and the fatigue of battle while allowing the soldiers to defend a position or maintain an offensive for several days straight without sleep.

[@Hungabrigoo]

Generally people regard other people to be less important than themselves, so once you stop caring about your own wellbeing (which was definitely encouraged in WW2 Japan) your compassion for others will also start converging to zero.

[@bertbaker7067]

@@Hungabrigoo the Imperial Japanese Army was definitely dehumanizing towards others, but in general, I don't think most people regard others as less important.

[@jgw9990]

Sometimes the local population WAS the food. Cannibalism by Japanese troops was scarily common.

[@JapaneseEmpire-2]

We don't talk about that

[@tigertank06]

Are any of those Japanese rations still around today? I know people collect WW2 rations so it would be interesting to see what they look like.

[@torg2126]

There might be meth in it, a common problem with ration collection

[@oatmealman1586]

No. The rations were usually made by commercial shops who didn't follow most requirements which meant they would spoil easier, and the ones that didn't were likely eaten later during food shortages during the whole rebuilding period in japan.

[@tigertank06]

@@oatmealman1586 Damn. Crazy how the Japanese didn’t have standards for rations compared to other warring nations at the time. Those other nation’s rations still exist to this day.

[@shadowbonbon3]

@@tigertank06the civilians were starving even before the war, regulations is just making it more difficult to ship the food you barely even have

[@therideneverends1697]

@@torg2126 Is it really though? i doubt most countrys are worried about an incredibly small amount of 80+ year old likely expired pharmaceutical

[@thomphin3261]

Just to be clear, did 2/3 of Japanese soldiers really die of starvation?

[@WorldWarTwo]

We don’t know… the records on cause of death are very spotty. The highest estimate that the person asking the question quotes is indeed 2/3, but that’s the highest estimate, most estimates are significantly lower.

[@cattysplat]

@@WorldWarTwo I would imagine much of the "banzai" suicide charges were a result of starvation and extreme exhaustion. Not to mention the culture of shame in Japanese culture, would rather death over dishonour.

[@TheGhostGuitars]

The Imperial Japanese Army literally operated like Locust Swarms, they arrived and quickly stripped the area clean of all food resources. So as collateral damage, the local populations starved to death and the local ecosystems irreparably damaged by the occupation forces.

[@avenuex3731]

While living in Japan as a kid, this conversation came up a few times. Letters retrieved written by loved ones serving telling about not being able to find and more crabs or snails to eat. And so forth. The IJA was ruthless. But apparently practiced equal opportunity with this policy.

[@toddberkely6791]

blows my mind. imagine if in 1937 you told the average japanese soldier that 2/3 of them would die of starvation. they would laugh at you and yet it happened anyway.