Combat Effectiveness in the Pacific War: How American and Japanese Forces Fought Their Campaigns in WW2

During the Second World War, both the Japanese and the Americans believed in the ineffable power of their unique fighting spirit, but it was American ‘tactical culture’ that made the U.S.Army victorious over its Japanese opponents. In the decades since the war the prevailing attitude was that the American victory was inevitable, because of their overwhelming resources and superior firepower, and that the Japanese were always doomed to failure because they could never match the industrial might of the United States. While the Americans did eventually enjoy superiority in firepower and logistics, this view unfairly dismisses the fighting abilities of the Japanese forces.It also ignores the fact that over three-and-half years of vicious fighting were required to earn this victory. Both the Japanese and the Americans displayed the will to fight.Both sides wanted to win. The Americans’ will to win was centred in the belief that they were fighting for a profoundly moral cause and was exempli