Quote:
Originally Posted by onelifecrisis
Yes, it was in WW1 that at least one football match took place between the trenches in France, but I thought it was a good example of how similar Europeans are (that single example demonstrates same religion and same sport interests, but the similarities go much further than that).
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That much is certainly true. The Japanese philosophy of society, the individual's place in that society, and how war was viewed were very different than it was in western societies. The Germans were dangerous enemies, but understandable in the western sense. A surrounded German would surrender, as any of his other western counterparts. The Japanese, by the same standards, were wholly unpredictable; a surrounded Japanese soldier might surrender, or he might kill himself, or he might blow himself, and everyone in his immediate vicinity to pieces. As you and others have also alluded, a Japanese pilot might strafe you with machine gun fire, drop bombs or torpedos, or fly his plane directly into your ship. I imagine that it is quite unnerving to fight an enemy whose philosophy is so alien to your own.