Authors: Japanese Reaping the Whirlwind: Personal Accounts of the German,Italian Experiences of WW II
The enemy suffered as badly as we did – not for food or equipment but there was the fact that they fought in the dark jungle.
Both sides also suffered from the same diseases, but being better supplied with food and medicines the Australians were better able to survive them. The chief medical officer of the 18th Army on New Guinea, Major-General Yoshio Niroce, found Japanese troops suffered from beri-beri, caused by malnutrition, as well as malaria. ‘Since we did not have the necessary food for the treatment, the majority of malnutrition patients died,’ he said.
As for contagious diseases, we did not find any cholera and typhoid cases, but there were quite a number of amoebic dysentery cases (caused by stagnant water) and a few cases of bacterial dysentery. Many of the Japanese in New Guinea suffered from skin diseases such as scabies, tines, tropical ulcers, etc. Despite common medical conception that only the natives are susceptible to framboesia, there was one case of this among our troops. The reason why we had many cases of skin disease was, I believe, that before the Japanese went to New Guinea, they had been accustomed to taking baths daily, but during the New Guinea campaign they could not take baths often enough to keep their bodies clean. It would have been difficult to make hot baths without being discovered by enemy planes and the Japanese were forced to take baths in the rivers. We did not find any cases of venereal diseases in New Guinea. This, I think, can be attributed to the fact that there were no women in New Guinea … The Japanese soldiers who were seriously wounded in battle had to be left to die due to inadequate facilities for their evacuation. Many men who could have been saved by proper treatment had to be left at the battle front because no adequate medical treatment could be given. The majority of the patients in the Line of Communications hospital were sick ones rather than those wounded in battle, by an approximate ratio of 166 to one.
It was clear that the Japanese had overstretched themselves. The navy had already been defeated at the Battle of Midway in June. As the US went on the offensive in the Pacific, its first objective was the airfield the Japanese were building on Guadalcanal. A captured diary described the terrible fate of the Japanese soldiers left to defend it:
24 December 1942: Since the 14th two officers of the 2nd Company have gone insane. They probably had become pessimistic about the war situation. There is no other change in conditions. We passed the day as usual.
25 December: Today is Christmas day. Therefore we had many presents from the enemy such as intense bombardment by artillery and naval guns. On the other hand, not one of our planes came from the new airfield which was completed on the 15th. Even the soldiers in the front lines have become very disgusted and do not even talk about our planes any more. The 1st and 3rd Battalion (strength 90 men), commanded by the Usui unit commander are looking forward to New Year’s Day in the hope of getting supplies.
26 December: There are lice here and whenever we have time these days to hunt for these. My strength is exhausted and my ordinary pulse [at rest] is around 99, which surprises me very much.
A normal pulse rate is between 50 and 85.
28 December: My body is so exhausted that one go of rice is all that I can eat, and walking is very difficult. No relief comes for this unit. The army doctor will not even send us to the rear. At present we are very sick men. Even if we were relieved, not one of us may recover, in fact, we are left to die from exhaustion and malnutrition rather than from bullets.
31 December: Since the 28th not a single grain of rice has been distributed, and during this time three pieces of hard tack were issued. Today there were three cigarettes and only a bite of nutrition ration …
1 January 1943: During these days of the New Year on Guadalcanal Island, we have lived on one piece of hard tack, and this morning got one go of rice. In the evening, one compressed ration was divided between two. Now we are eating rice gruel twice a day, and sleeping in trenches as we are not able to walk.
2 January: The enemy has finally become very active and the front lines are dangerous. I wonder if that relief will come about the middle of the month. It seems that friendly planes will be coming over after the 15th. Sergeant Sato Kame died of illness.
3–4 January: The enemy is getting extremely active and the front lines are dangerous. I wonder if that relief will come …
10 January: Enemy bombardment becomes increasingly intense. We can hold out for one more week. My body is in such a condition that I can barely walk. Food is five shaku (half a go) of rice and some compressed rations. This makes one month that we have been eating just rice gruel.
13 January: At 5.30 this morning we received artillery fire. First Lieutenant Oyara. Superior Private Abe and Lance Corporal Senori were killed. Lance Corporal Watave was wounded. Kato and I were the only ones left from the 1st MG. Won’t relief for the unit come soon?
Apparently not, as the Japanese had already taken the decision to withdraw from Guadalcanal. The diary of First Lieutenant Okajima, who arrived on Guadalcanal on 15 November 1942, was also captured.
24 December: Wakuda Noboru died of illness. That may be because he was unreasonably overworked.
25 December: Sawada and Uchida died of illness. In the end, those of us of weak will will die. He was always most eager to drink water.
26 December: Asabo Kasuo also died of illness. Malaria fever affected his mind and he acted peculiarly. After his meal he died suddenly. This death increased the large number of those killed in action and from disease to 18 men. This makes approximately the total of losses we received in the occupation of Hong Kong and Java. Even in the face of the enemy, the men’s minds were entirely occupied with the thought of eating. We are waiting for the spring sprouts to come out, and we dream of the joy of reducing Guadalcanal. Moreover, the airfield is finished and friendly planes will come over in large numbers.
27 December: Oba Fumio died of illness. It was not that he lacked energy, but he was drenched by rains which come regularly every afternoon in this life in the jungle.
28 December: Yamamoto Kyoicki died from a wound, such soldiers with weak wills are not good, for they die from slight wounds. His wound was trifling with hardly any bleeding. Now the casualties are 25 men.
29 December: First Lieutenant Tammy died of the wound he got the day before. Without seeing the fall of Guadalcanal, his spirit slipped eternally into the jungle. My tears overflow.
30 December: By the 15th of next month transportation of supplies and troops will be carried out, and we shall again have air superiority. After the 16th, units from the rear will pass us, and after preparatory bombardments by planes and artillery will carry out a general attack. In two months all Guadalcanal will return to our hands. Then the enemy will not be able to hold Tulagai. Then our combined fleet will concentrate in the Tulagai area. I believe that the decisive battle between the US and Japan will end in a complete victory for Japanese in the bright spring of 1943 and will be an everlasting light in military history.
1 January: Two officers of the company have died. One is ill and one is at the front. There is no one to be my rival as company commander. I went to see the company sergeant major and senior sergeant and had a long talk. I learned many things which I would not ordinarily have learned, such as the deficiency of ordinary training in recruits, deficiency of training in interior guard duties and lack of education. As company commander there is much of this that I can put to good use.
2 January: I am waiting for the battalion commander, Major Nojiri, and I am anxious to see what kind of person he is.
3 January: Rensio was ill, I stayed at battalion headquarters. The total of those who have died is 31.
4 January: Supplies are gradually improving and we only have to endure this for ten days.
5 January: In the evening the main force of the battalion arrived: although it is called the main force, it consists of only 59 men. The battalion must have taken a very serious beating.
7 January: Thirty-six more men departed for a battalion of Oke unit.
9 January: Hearing of conditions in each company from the NCO, it seems supplies are not coming in. Characteristics are revealed which are not known under ordinary conditions, such as the true nature of human beings. In a certain company it is said that the NCOs ate twice as much and the officers three times as much as the men. A certain battalion commander received 100 cigarettes to divide among his men but only gave one or two to his company commander and he lost almost all of his usual prestige. Thanks to my actions of equality like an ordinary soldier the NCOs of the company thanked me, as the supplies were starting to come in smoothly they brought me various extra things. There was good feeling all around.
10 January: Major Nishizura again drew men from the reserve unit this afternoon, although I am commander of the main force of the company there are only 19 men in all. It is terrible to see the electric lights go on at an enemy airfield …
11 January: By artillery fire three were killed and four wounded. It is too much to receive naval bombardment also. In four days the 3rd is expected to land. The number of men is now 12.
16 January: I heard one of the enemy talking busily in Japanese over a loudspeaker. He was probably telling us to come out. What fools the enemy are. The Japanese army will stick it out to the end. This position must be defended with our lives. There was no artillery shelling because of the broadcast. The enemy is broadcasting something vigorously at a distance. It will probably have no effect at all.
17 January: According to the enemy broadcast, today they are to attack our positions. However, we have no fear. I went to battalion headquarters and saw the enemy propaganda sheets which were found in First Lieutenant Kasahara’s area. The writing was poor. The enemy artillery shelling became fiercer and fiercer and the company’s area is riddled with craters – like a bee’s nest. The artillery stopped at 1500, and then we suffered from the rain leaking into the foxhole.
18 January: About seven o’clock a messenger from the Hachi company came and said that there would be a meeting of unit commanders. I should like to make a suggestion but the battalion commander would probably not make use of it. Sergeant Major Muri gave his opinion on some communication matters. I became angry and told him to just do his own duties. In the evening the battalion commander came to inspect the company, so I expressed the opinions of all of us to him at that time. He told us not to worry because everything would be all right.
19 January: Ants’ nests are good to eat when one is starving … I received some meat from Battalion Headquarters. My orderly is sick and I had to cook it myself. Artillery began to fire about 1100 and there was an enemy with light machine-gun, I believe they got a surprise. I felt dazed and semi-conscious because of my empty stomach. At 1330 I prepared my equipment to put in my haversack so that it can be packed at a moment’s notice. It will be so heavy that I don’t think I’ll be able to carry it because of my run-down condition. Only my spirit will keep me going. A messenger from headquarters reported that part of the 8th Company’s position was occupied by the enemy and told us to be on the alert.
20 January: I heard that the 5th company commander died yesterday. The 8th machine-gun company has withdrawn a little and in the evening I prepared my equipment to be carried.
21 January: I’m sad at having to leave this foxhole in which I have lived so long.
And there the diary ends.
Things were just as bad for the Japanese all over the Pacific. According to a 1946 interrogation report:
The average Japanese soldier eats about 700 grams a day … The allowance of rice per man per day was approximately 200 grams.
However, in places where there was no fighting it was possible to live off the land. According to Colonel Kazuyoshi Obata on Hollandia (now Jayapura):
We used flour from coconut trees and herbs from the mountains and fields. We dried salt at the shore and either detonated grenades ourselves off-shore or waited until after Allied bombings to gather up dynamited fish.
But few places had it so good. Out in the jungle, Mitsuo Ragino of the 29th Field Hospital wrote:
28 December: … Enemy planes have been flying over frequently. Heard about Tabe receiving sweets and my stomach yearned for some. Received about eight shaku of rice. Due to lack of rain, the well dried up. Went to get water from the stream. On the way the jungles were full of dead, killed by shrapnel. There is something awful about the smell of the dead. The planes that fly overhead are enemy planes and the guns that roar day and night continuously are also those of the enemy. When considering these conditions, we must have hope for the future. Even though I know we are members of the Imperial Army, there are times when things look very black. I definitely have that feeling, but it is useless to think of these things. I must do my best to the last with the noble spirit of dying for the Emperor. Was a little late and could not treat Hagino and take care of him. I cannot leave him behind. I have decided to stay. I do not think for a minute that this is the wrong thing to do.
At the present time, all officers, even though there is such a scarcity of food, eat relatively well. The condition is one in which the majority are starving. This is indeed a deplorable state of affairs for the Imperial Army. I took out the picture of my parents and looked at it. Ah, I wonder how things are at home. Artillery shelling commenced again towards evening.
29 December: Last night’s gun-fire was fierce but at dawn we were still unharmed. As it grew light, enemy planes came. The sound of rifle-fire seemed very close. What a discouraging and miserable state of affairs – especially with the New Year just ahead … What is going to happen to us? I pray to the morning sun that our situation of battle will be reversed. All of the patrol unit has fled and, at the present time, there are only four of us – the platoon leader, Makano, Hagino and myself. There isn’t a single person who will come to help. I am in difficulty since I took over Hagino who is a stretcher case. I pray only for divine aid. I pray with the charm of the clan deity in my hand.