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I wonder how the German and Japanese soldiers felt and lived after the end of WW2. Mostly, I wonder about those who willingly committed horrible acts of murder, torture, rape, and mass execution of civilians. Did they rationalize their actions as "just following orders"? Did they keep secret from their friends and family the things they willingly did, sometimes even joyously? Did the Germans continue to look upon the Jews as less than human? Did the Japanese continue to look down upon the Pacific Islanders and mainland Asians as less than human? How did the Japanese who participated in the raping of Nan King feel looking back on raping and killing women down to infants? How did their families, who may have known about the crimes of their soldier relative, feel about their relative?
While the modern Germany acknowledges the crimes of Nazi Germany, modern Japan doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the things their military and government did before and during the war.
What really boggles my mind is even with all the historical evidence (documentation, photos, and videos), some of the young people of today don't believe it really happened or don't believe it was as bad as was made out to be.
Self-reflection is a difficult thing, and, regardless, humans have a good ability to compartmentalize as a defense mechanism, or to rationalize. Not all soldiers, Japanese or German, of course, committed acts of murder, torture, etc. But they all were indeed part of that system. Civilians included.
For Germany after the way - any admission on being a war criminal could get you prosecuted, so the typical German soldier tells his family that he was a good soldier that faught with honor, maybe saw some horrible acts, but did not himself approve or participate (weather he did or not). For Japan - it's more cultural and akin to brain-washing - it's just not discussed. For as you say - Germany, the nation and people, acknowledges it's guilt. Japan, for the most part, has not.
Still, for Germany, it's amazing the amount of soldiers and citizens who claimed to have known nothing of Nazi atrocities that were happening sometimes just under their nose. I see it in these forums from time to time from German posters "yeah my grandfather was alive during WW2, but he was a good German...never approved of the Nazis". Yeah right, I'm sure your grandfather told you that. Funny how the entire population of Germany became anti-Nazi overnight.
Deniability would be much more difficult for the Germans, as a large portion of their atrocities were literally committed in their own back yard. The general population had to have been more aware of what was going on than they admitted, due to the shear scope of the killing. The Germans really had no choice but to admit their guilt to themselves, and later generations. There was simply too much evidence available to deny it.
The Japanese didn't have that problem. Most of their war crimes weren't committed on the home islands, but rather in some far off location, so perhaps it was easier for individual soldiers, and civilians to distance their selves from any atrocities.
From what I understand, suicides went off the chart in the immediate post-war period. Some of it may be due to sadness that their side lost, but I would guess that a lot of it was due to shame at what they had done, coupled with the knowledge that the victors would soon hold them to account.
There was another thread somewhere in which an American who lived in Japan some time ago (1960's, maybe?) knew a Japanese shop keeper, and every time he would go into the store, the man would apologize to him for how his countrymen had treated Americans during the war.
From what I understand, suicides went off the chart in the immediate post-war period. Some of it may be due to sadness that their side lost, but I would guess that a lot of it was due to shame at what they had done, coupled with the knowledge that the victors would soon hold them to account.
There was another thread somewhere in which an American who lived in Japan some time ago (1960's, maybe?) knew a Japanese shop keeper, and every time he would go into the store, the man would apologize to him for how his countrymen had treated Americans during the war.
Might have had more to do with their culture/mindset that losing the war & surrendering was dishonorable and a tremendous loss of face. Guilt may have played a part, but I tend to think that the honorable death versus the dishonorable surrender had more to do with their suicide rate.
There were mass suicides at the end of the war because they knew what the Russians would do to them. I don't think it had much to do with guilt. Many women killed their children before committing suicide.
Ask any German that remembers post war if anyone ever admitted being a Nazi. They will tell you no.
Wouldn't most soldiers have been involved or witness questionable things. You might be fighting for the right side (the right side is questionable always) but you are still following orders and killing people. Those people who you have been told to be "bad people" but an average solider wouldn't know.
Lot of the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental issue dealing with death they saw. regardless of which side a soldier is, I am sure the process is the same.
Wouldn't most soldiers have been involved or witness questionable things. You might be fighting for the right side (the right side is questionable always) but you are still following orders and killing people. Those people who you have been told to be "bad people" but an average solider wouldn't know.
Lot of the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental issue dealing with death they saw. regardless of which side a soldier is, I am sure the process is the same.
No no no. Let's leave US soldiers returning from recent conflicts off the topic list for this thread. The depth and breadth is no where near the same, not to mention that 75% of the soldiers returning from Iraq got no closer to combat then the Green Zone pizza hut (and yes, I still honor their service). Plus then you get the "America is the Evil one" nuts from the P&C forum come in.
There were mass suicides at the end of the war because they knew what the Russians would do to them. I don't think it had much to do with guilt. Many women killed their children before committing suicide.
Ask any German that remembers post war if anyone ever admitted being a Nazi. They will tell you no.
Well, given that the Soviets (it was more than just the Russians) lost what, about 20 million people, half of them civilians ? it's pretty understandable that they were coming to Germany being extremely pissed off. In one of the areas under German occupation (Belorussia AFAIK) 1/4 of population was killed off.
Ages ago, I was talking to a Russian immigrant lady who was a girl during the war and lived in one of the areas that at various points were occupied by Romanians and then Germans. I want to say it was Odessa but I am not sure. She said that Romanians were "understandable" - there was some looting, some rapes, thriving black market, lots of debauchery, but all in all they were predictable and not very threatening. Yet the Germans scared the living **** out of them - she kept saying they behaved like "wild beasts" and could just kill anyone on the spot at a whim for no apparent reason. I wonder where all these Germans ended up after the war ?
I guess discussions like this all revolve around who was the victor and who was the defeated. What if the Japanese had defeated the United States. Years later would the Japanese for instance wonder if General Lemay and the other American airman who flew in the Pacific felt remorse for the mass execution of civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
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