As I wrote in the previous entry, there was an apparent difference of mortality between the crew of the Prince of Wales and Yamato. What is this difference attributed to? The answer is simple and easy. It was due to the massacre by the U.S.'s aircraft. After the sinking of Yamato, they continued their relentless assault on the surviving ships and floating sailors on the sea who were evacuated from Yamato until near sunset. They brutally repeated strafing sailors on the sea surface. Sailors who escaped from their vessels were unarmed. Their action was totally a breach of the international law.
Except for certain unlawful navies, the world's navies originally share the same navy spirit. It's what you call their pride as seamen. They should fight with all their strength in military engagements, but once the conflict was over, they should no longer hold grudges. They just fought for their nation not privately. Sailors themselves are innocent. Naval personnel used to be such people, but in the latter half of the war, this spirit seemed to disappear. Not only in the Navy, but in the Air Force and the Army as well, such a fundamental way of thinking vanished into thin air. The U.S. started the massacre in more than 200 cities, killing 330,000 citizens and leaving 430,000 injured across the country. Ultimately they dropped two atomic bombs killing numerous people instantly and leaving pain in the body and soul of the Japanese people. Link to Next
(Vocabulary)
relentless 〈悪天候・重圧などが〉 激しく続く;〈追及・批判などが〉容赦のない, 執拗(しつよう)な
the relentless heat of the sun 厳しく続く熱い日ざし
strafe (低空飛行で) …を機銃掃射する
brutally 残酷に, 残虐に; あけすけに, ずけずけと
breach of the international law 国際法違反
grudge 恨み, 遺恨 [＋grudge against]
She's got a grudge against me. 彼女は私に恨みを抱いている．
hold/bear/harbor/nurse a grudge 恨みを抱く, 根に持つ
vanish into thin air (突然なぞのように) 消えうせる
Battleship Yamato
理由は簡単で、米軍が残存艦隊に対して、日没近くまで攻撃をかけ、さらに大和が沈没後、海上に避難した大和の乗組員たちに対して航空機から機銃掃射を浴びせて殺戮を行ったからだ。海上に救命艇で逃れた兵士というのは、武装していない。非武装の避難兵に対して、暴力をふるったことになり、明らかな国際法違反行為である。
本来、世界の海軍というのは、ごく一部の極悪非道な海軍を除いては、万国共通の「海軍精神」を共有ている。いわゆる「海の男」の誇りと矜持だ。艦隊の力を駆使して戦う。けれど戦い済んだら、兵士たちには罪はない。ところが、日米戦争の後期には、まるで様子が違ってしまった。
Comments