(January 9, 2012 at 11:01 pm)Minimalist Wrote:Quote:American soldiers targeted the men with the katanas first because their killing power was feared and respected
They killed them first because they were the fucking officers. An M-1 Garand was far superior to a sword.
...and far, far superior to any individual infantry firearm in the Japanese inventory.
A skilled swordsman is something to be feared in close quarters when the ammunition is gone - if they can manage to get that close. Even in that case, the GIs weren't exactly helpless as a Garand with a 10" bayonet makes a pretty fearsome close quarters weapon.
IMHO, what made the Japanese such formidable opponents was their fanatic devotion to duty. I'll note that in the end, even that wasn't enough.
An interesting read on the subject of Japanese swordsmanship and martial artistry: The Book of Five Rings (c. 1645, Miyamoto Musashi). Not as well known as Sun Tzu's "Art of War", but a good read nonetheless.
