I haven't posted a whole lot here so I consider myself a junior member, even though I sometimes am quite expressive in my opinions.  However, this is a little different.  Please forgive my assertiveness.

Many years ago, I was discussing the Pacific War with a co-worker.  A mutual friend of ours was listening to the discussion, even though she didn't have much to contribute.  My co-worker was referring to Japanese forces, ships, etc.  as Japs.  Our mutual friend happened to be Japanese.  After a while, she protested to our friend for his usage of the word "Jap".  Now, we all knew our friend didn't have a single ill intent in mind, he just didn't know any better.  But the word's usage was offensive to her.  I understood that, especially considering the usage of that word during the war was a term to Japanese as n*gger is to blacks.

Now, I'm the last person to be PC, in fact I hate political correctness.  But refraining from using the word, Jap seems to me as being just good manners.  The reason why I'm bringing this up is I've seen it's usage here as we discuss the Pacific War.  Upon reading the context of it's usage, I'm confident those using it had no ill-will, just they were describing planes, ships, etc.  Once again, I humbly submit this request to you fellow posters.  Thanks for reading.

Darryl

BTW, If you think I'm being wound up too tightly, I can understand that, and I apologize.

I saw that too!  Who'da thunk it that the Japanese exploded an experimental a-bomb?  But with the way things were after the war and currently today, we may never learn one way or another.  The Russians aren't talking, and certainly North Korea won't permit access to that area.

You are right Dcunning. They where probably worst than us. Lets not forget that the Japanese military killed millions of people during the war by design.

That was then and now we have grown I hope. The only difference is that I hold our self to a higher standards of value since we have incorporated Cristian Judeo values to our our sociaty as our main standard of value.

Thank you

James007

First of if i offend anyone please slap me!

I dont like being PC and think it just softens words for people who cant take being offened.

To me the word Jap is just a cut down version of Japanese, to me its just another word like Yankie for Americans, Jerry for German etc (know any for british go ahead and say it cos i cant think of one). I know people take offence by these sometimes so i try not to use them in front of them.   

Also everyone i have met (mainly young americans in this case, everyone else i now couldn't care less) thinks that the Japanese are savages and not human, what they seem to forget is that they belived strongly and so acted on thier belifes (i'm not explaining this very well am i??) and that they were that of the samuri (spelling??) and that dieing for thier country would be of great benifit to the country. Just because in most cases instead of throwing up thier arms they faught to the death does not mean they are savage, so they used different methods of torture etc its just 2 different worlds meeting. Rember that america had all the mod cons of the age most of Japan was still little huts on a hill somewhere.

If i am wrong with any of the above please correct me but to my knowledge its all true.

I"m Stiz but could not disagree with you more. Japan was not a poor little country pretending to be a world power at the beginning of the war.

Japan was a World power to be recon with. It had a well dicipline Army. One of the world best air force.
It also had the best navy in the world.

Yes the best navy period at the beginning of the war. How can you say this when every one knows the Royal navy was the best in the world in 1941.

Well let me explain it in simple form. In the mid thirties the major powers in the world sign the first of its kind arms control treaties.

The Japanese simply cheated and build the biggest Battleships of that era. They also had the best naval fighter in the world. The famouse Zero. The first capable to fight on equal terms the land fighters.

Excellent Dive Bombers and Torpedos. A more modern naval doctrine base on the aircraft carrier instead of the Battleships.

They where the first to have a more modern concept for military beach landings. 

The first to use leapfrogging landings behind enemy lines.

They practice it quite often during the Chinese Invation in the thirties.

Thats how they won the Battle of Shangai in 1937. They leapfrogg behind the Chinese lines and unhinged their defences.

Their Oriental Blitz of 1941 and early 1942 was a master peice that has been poorly study. Perhaps because it was not executed by a western power or becuase we where embarrass by it. It has not receive the same attention that the German Blitz of Europe has.

The Japanese where tough and a determine enemy. When condition where favorable and they where well fed and lead they where amoun the best troops in the world.

Your mentality have the the same mind set of the British had in 1941. They though that one British soldier was worth ten Japanese.

Well the Britain received it worst defeat in its military history in the Signapore campaign.

Yes they where strange enemy from our point view. They did things different with strage and sometimes hard to understand tatics.

But overall they probably where the toughest enemy the allies ever met in the Battlefield.

So you see our troops and fighting men from all the nations that parcicipated in this Theater of war deserve all our respect and honor for defeating such a enemy.

I recomend for all of us to read more about this and all the other Theaters of war in World war 2.

The more we learn the more we will appreciate what that genertion did for us today.

Never undereastimate anybody or nation or it could End up bitting you.

You now where.

This only a warning! LoL

This just a opinion

James007

That's the one I was thinkin' of... I just couldn't think of it at the time.

I kinda jumped ahead regarding the Halsey comment.  Fuchida said that later on in reference to the carrier raids that Halsey had been conducting.  Spruance was also involved in carrier raids, but Fuchida recognized Halsey's agressiveness, and also Spruance's methodical calculations.  And Fuchida considered what Japan needed was an agressive admiral.  Japan had one in Yamaguchi, but steeped in the Bushido code, Yamaguchi chose to go down with the Hiryu at Midway.

Now, Yamamoto was an agressive admiral, probably too much of a gambler for Japan's own good.  Contrast that with what Nimitz advised Fletcher and Spruance prior to Midway:  Use a doctrine of inflicting maximum damage on the enemy only when it appears risk to your own forces appears at a minimum. (my own words, but that was the point Nimitz made)

Problem was Yamamoto groomed his successor to toe the line, and that's exactly what Koga did.  And that was exactly what Japan DIDN'T need.

Bear thank you for your input. I appreciate it very much.
What the average amature historian and I believe even many professional historian do not realize is that  Japan was a Legitimate world power.

Yes Germany was the most powerful Axis power during the war but Japan was right behind it in power and influence. Unlike Italy, Japan was very much fear and respected in the Far East and in the World.

Even Russia feared the Japanese during the war. Their best arm and train Army was the Red Baron Army station in the far East.

The respect when so far that Stalin did not dare to moved it to the West even dow the German where at door steps of Moscow. He did not moved them until Surgi his master spy in Japan reported that Japan was not going to attack Russia but instead they where planning to attack the Americans.

They say that the Russians crush the Japanese in their incident on Outer Mongolia. The truth is that the Russian did repulse the Japanese from Mongolia in that incident but it was not the easy overwhelming victory they have been portraying to us Westeners for dacades.

They both developed a healthy respest for each other after that encounter. Japan feared the Russians and Russia had a deep respect of Japan that lasted throughout the war.

I would like for you guys to read this information that found on that inccident.

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet-Japanese_Border_War_%281939%29

Now you will see what I mean.

You guys may not know this. But the best Pilots in the US where not sent to European Theater but to the Pacific Theater.

The only reason I"m writting this post is not to glorify Japan but instead to show what kind of enemy our men  in that Theater had to face and to give our men the proper respect they deserve for been up to the test and to valify their sacrifices and what they had to endure .

To show the readers what it took for our fighting men to fight in this theater of war.

I believe that thruogh the years in has become a common demeaner to think that the Japanese where a inferior fanatical fighter that was relative easy to beat. Especialy in the air war.

Nothing in the world is more wrong than this way of thinking.

I one day the truth will come out.

This has been only a opinion

Thank you for reading this post.

I hope to hear from you

James007