[i]I highly agree with you.With the invention of new destructive weapons(atomic bombs,V2 rocket)and the Hollocaust,this makes WW11 one of the bloodiest and worst wars to date.By the way the 65th anerversery of the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima was yesterday(August 6).
that's when so many more machines of war were invented to kill more people and that's before the Geneva convention so there really were no rules so all sides used different types of chemicals when fightiing
WW2.. more people were killed but that was because it was fought on 2 theaters. But WW1, being only fought in Europe, would have been deadlier because of the chemical weapons they used and that their tactics were dumb and useless when they knew that marching into machine gun fire would get them killed.
While we're still on the subject of bayonet, no one mentioned the stealth factor?
Since my following question is regarding battles within the worst war, I think I'm safe in posing it here? Any objections and I'll ask MrWalker directly on his profile. MrWalker, After reading your post on "bushido" and the Japanese psychological conditioning of their soldiers prior to bombing Pearl Harbor, which of the Pacific battles would you say was the worst?
I was on page 59, when a storm knocked out the power. Yes, I actually read what others say before I post. I realize now that the conversation I was referring to happen on 8/4 and now it's 8/12/10.
After reading your post on "bushido" and the Japanese psychological conditioning of their soldiers prior to bombing Pearl Harbor, which of the Pacific battles would you say was the worst?
Well to go strictly by losses, then it is obvious that the battle for Okinawa inflicted the largest casualties of any battle in that theater of operations. On top of combat losses, nearly 1/4 of the civilian population was either killed or committed suicide as a result of this conflict as well.
That being said, I would have to go with the campaign for Iwo Jima as the worst of that particular theater. The Japanese were heavily fortified and well defended and they were fully dedicated to defend their island to the last man. They exemplified the warrior ethos which the Japanese were famous for. Fighting was slow going and very close quarters for much of the battle and the brutality was just devastating.
An interesting factoid about Iwo Jima, it was the only battle in the pacific campaign in which American casualties exceeded Japanese. This is a testament to the dedication, training, and preparation of the Japanese troops defending their position, and this particular battle has been immortalized many times over with iconic photography, film, and song as a result of the ferocity of the fighting.
I think the worst battle of WWII was fought in the Philippines. Starting with MacArthur's 12 years worth of a sorry excuse of a regiment of 130,000 men that weren't "battle ready" by 12/8/41-5/8/42. Wainwright and 100,000 Americans and Filipinos were surrounded by Homma on Bataan and Corrigedor and they were able to hold out until 5/7/42. Wainwright and King surrendered and their forces were marched to Camp O'Donnell, thus the Bataan Death March where thousands died en route and thousands more would die before liberation began in October, 1944. While MacArthur "returned" to the Philippines on 10/20/44, the Navy was experiencing the first of the Kamikazes and the battle of Leyte Gulf was underway from 10/23-26/44. Meanwhile, Halsey took off for the decoy envoy, that he knew was a decoy since the Navy was still breaking the Japanese codes, leaving Kinkaid to fend for themselves. That is until Nimitz, in Hawaii, sent Halsey the question, "Where is the Third Fleet?" to which Halsey's radioman, still using the code to confound the Japanese responded, "the world wonders". Halsey, embarrassed, turned the fleet around and tore towards Leyte.
This might not be the "worst" but it's exciting stuff, none the less.
WW2.. more people were killed but that was because it was fought on 2 theaters. But WW1, being only fought in Europe, would have been deadlier because of the chemical weapons they used and that their tactics were dumb and useless when they knew that marching into machine gun fire would get them killed.
The pacific theater was a theater that was very small. Not many died there. It was a side theater, not an important one. WW1 started the use of the tank, the poison gas and the machine gun. It destroyed a lot of monarchies and empires. WW2 was about the development of fascism/Nazism and the nuclear bomb.
