VJ Day: UK commemorates 75th anniversary

[Still Waters]

The Royal Family is leading the UK's commemorations of the 75th anniversary of VJ Day - the day World War Two ended with Japan's surrender.

The Prince of Wales led a two-minute silence at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, as part of a service of remembrance.

The Duke of Edinburgh is also featuring in commemorations, appearing in a photo montage with other veterans.

And a message from the Queen thanked those "who fought so valiantly".

She said: "Those of us who remember the conclusion of the Far East campaign, whether on active service overseas, or waiting for news at home, will never forget the jubilant scenes and overwhelming sense of relief."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53786610

[Duke Wellington]

On 8/15/2020 at 12:37 PM, seanjo said:

The Japanese were brutal in conquest. An (under) estimated 30 million civilians were murdered out of hand, some used as bayonet practice. There is a reason some old veterans won't forgive them.

Lest We Forget.

In Hong Kong we messed up its defence and then mounted a desperate attempt to hold them off which failed.

There are horrific stories from the civilians and our military personnel who were involved. Our soldiers reported that when they retreated across Victoria Harbour they could hear screams all night long in the city area they had just left. The civilians reported that after the Japanese had conquered it they sent out radio messages telling all Chinese men to report down at the docks. Those stupid enough to go got tortured to death.

There was an American bomber aircrew that got shot down over Tokyo. They bailed out, got captured, then got carted off to one of the hospitals in the city for `medical experimentation`. They removed their lungs, drained their blood, and attempted to keep them alive as long as possible by circulating oxygenated sea water around their arteries and veins.

Many allied POWs and Chinese civilians got sent to Unit 731 in Manchuria for `medical experimentation` and `medical training`. They would be tied to posts outside then shot or blown up with mines, grenades, and artillery shells, before being moved to the operating theatre for operations to try and save them. Thats the medical training part. With the medical experimentation part they were injecting them with germ agents then dissecting them alive and without pain relief to see the progression of the diseases on their internal organs. We dont even treat animals that way.

The real sad thing about Japanese war crimes is most of them got away with it including their emperor. Most crimes where swept under the carpet for a copy of the research findings. Many leading Japanese firms today became major corporations using that research and by employing the doctors who did the experiments. Then there is the rape of Nanking, comfort women, and using POWs to create their death railway.

Thats why many wont forgive them.

[Knob Oddy]

Not to mention the "comfort women" that the Japanese had tied to beds and repeated raped for years.

To call them women might be an exaggeration, from what i head from the Philippines, most were in their early teens when taken by those evil Japanese. 

Estimated figures between 300 -400,000 "comfort women" were imprisoned by the Japanese.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women

 

Now can you imagine any other nations army doing that in WW2? Can you imagine your standard American, British or Anzac solider heading into a room with dozens of women tied to beds to choose one to rape? Because it was common for the average Japanese soldier. Heathens 

[LV-426]

2 hours ago, Hugh Mungus said:

Now can you imagine any other nations army doing that in WW2? Can you imagine your standard American, British or Anzac solider heading into a room with dozens of women tied to beds to choose one to rape? Because it was common for the average Japanese soldier. Heathens 

 

Stalin's troops weren't a whole lot better:

 

The rape of Berlin

"The USSR's role in the defeat of Nazi Germany World War Two 70 years ago is seen as the nation's most glorious moment. But there is another story - of mass rapes by Soviet soldiers of German women in the dying days of the war.

Some readers may find this story disturbing."

 

[Duke Wellington]

8 hours ago, Hugh Mungus said:

Not to mention the "comfort women" that the Japanese had tied to beds and repeated raped for years.

To call them women might be an exaggeration, from what i head from the Philippines, most were in their early teens when taken by those evil Japanese. 

Estimated figures between 300 -400,000 "comfort women" were imprisoned by the Japanese.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women

 

Now can you imagine any other nations army doing that in WW2? Can you imagine your standard American, British or Anzac solider heading into a room with dozens of women tied to beds to choose one to rape? Because it was common for the average Japanese soldier. Heathens 

Well we did and do, but not on orders.

In warfare you always get a few that do war crimes. But with the Japanese it was widespread, they were quite brutal in their treatment of both POWs and foreign civilians under their control