American Thinker: I was watching a World War II movie in a theater, with an Asian immigrant friend, when I learned a lesson in culture that no university could have taught better. In one battle scene, there is a cease-fire order, and a German soldier approaches the British position, under a white flag of truce. The British commander steps forward, completely vulnerable, but the Germans do not shoot. There is a brief exchange of words, as the Germans demand surrender, and the British commander declines. Both men then return to their positions, and the deadly fighting resumes.
My friend in the theater leaned toward me, and quietly asked, why didn’t they shoot the German?
I was both amused and horrified at the question. It was unthinkable that one would shoot a man under a white flag, so unthinkable that it was literally laughable. I actually did laugh.
My answer was, they can’t shoot him; he’s under a white flag.
My Asian friend was perplexed for a moment, and then got it. So, this is how Western people fight wars.
This incident sticks in my memory all these years later, because it enlightened me to a profound truth. Not all cultures are equal. In that same war, the Japanese, for example, had utterly no regard for our white flags, unless it suited their purposes. Their concept of honor was utterly unlike ours. To them, it was the white flag of surrender that was dishonorable, and anyone who surrendered, friend or enemy, was a pariah. Suicide was preferable.
I will make no pretense of moral equivalency here. The Japanese leaders were evil. They deceived thousands of their own civilians to commit suicide, even causing them to jump from cliffs with their children, because they did not wish their people to see that Americans were merciful and benevolent. Instead, they told their people that the Americans would rape their women and eat their children. So, they jumped. MORE
Well written and a lot of truth in that article.
They wouldn’t even need to put a bounty on antifa, just a bag limit. I’m sure there would be those that would prefer tax stamps and just buy a bunch.
It will happen.
“cease fire order” The military follows orders and if they don’t the penalty is death.
“Americans would rape their women and eat their children.”
Don’t give us any ideas.
Historical and notable reply to a request to surrender: “Nuts”
Actually the Japanese did respect the white flag of surrender, to the extent that they would stop fighting and take you prisoner, especially when they were the ones who had called for your surrender (e.g., Corregidor, Wake Island, Singapore, etc.). This kept them from suffering any further casualties. However, once you had surrendered, they felt that they could treat you any way they wanted, even kill you if they pleased, because then you had no honor, and your life was worthless. Since (as they were quick to point out) they had never signed the Geneva Convention, they didn’t feel constrained by its rules.
I think it’s amusing that the people who weep and wail about our use of the atomic bomb in WW2 do not understand that if the situation had been reversed, the Japanese would have cheerfully used it on us with no discussions of its morality whatsoever.
Quarter was rarely given by both sides in the Pacific campaign.
There were also incidents of Americans troops shooting POWs in Europe. You won’t find it mentioned in any history books on the US Army. It happened more than you may think.
Yes but…
The British lost their empire due to their civilized notions of conflict (see India, passive resistance) and Europe is losing their civilization to Islam because of their civil rules.
China just confiscated the Koran from their Islamic citizens, Asians play by a different set of rules.
Who do you think is going to survive the 21st Century?
Heard that in ancient China, an ambassador seeking surrender was murdered. The entire town was razed and everyone was killed but a few. These men were sent to every neighboring town to testify that killing an ambassador wasn’t a smart move.
@Mortgages for the Masses October 1, 2017 at 12:01 am
As long as there wasn’t any raping to celebrate victory. Especially no organized rape parties. Not like Islam.
The man with the white flag might be bringing an end to fighting.
An offer of peace. Maybe good terms.
It would be stupid to shoot someone possibly bringing peace terms.
The Japanese are still reprehensible people in so many ways.
1. Your genealogy says you’re a toilet cleaner, your family is always toilet cleaners.
2. They have no concept of decent sexual behavior…..at all, around children, or in public areas.
3. They have no concept of decent sexual behavior in private areas.
4. They torment their neighbors (China / Korea) over stupid things, like islands that clearly are not theirs.
5. They hate foreigners. They put up signs keeping out American soldiers, “No Filipinos!” “No G.I. w/o Japanese escort!”
6. Never apologize for worse-than-Nazi war crimes.
7. Play mind games with people, “Please come to my house for dinner.” –means: don’t bother me, and never come to my house for dinner you dummy.
8. Some restaurants torture animals so that the chemicals released make the meat more delicious.
9. Lie about job contracts with foreign teachers. Abuse them, change contracts and job expectations.
10. Are basic liars. They pretend to cooperate internationally, then do whatever is in their best interest.
Having never been to war, I can only suppose that the longer one is involved, the more merciless one becomes. Lenin stated that for the common soldier, war is an extended state of self-defense, and my father (who was in the Armed Forces during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam) agreed with Lenin’s maxim. But there seems to be some difference in the “heat of battle” theory of bestiality and the cold, impersonal bestiality of murdering prisoners and civilians. Were anti-Partisan campaigns necessary? Most experienced soldiers would say “yes” (war is difficult enough without a fifth column in your rear, cutting your lines of communication) but might differ on the methods employed and the vehemence with which they’re applied.
“No Retreat, No Surrender, No Prisoners” eventually becomes the credo.
This is why most sane people try to avoid war. But, when push comes to shove, when Liberty is at risk, when your Freedoms are threatened, when the ballot booth becomes irrelevant, when the enemies of Freedom and Liberty hide amongst the bureaucrats, media, and Academia … ?
“What is to be Done?”
Yes. All cultures perceive it differently. All belligerents perceive themselves as victors. Even the Spartans and their Allies at Thermopylae, who knew their stand was suicide, believed that the long-term result was victory.
Displays of Honor on the battlefield must be difficult, indeed.
izlamo delenda est …
Just finished the book “Unbroken” — an eye-opener on Japanese POW camps and their torture. They had no remorse in what they did, either by the military or by Japanese civilians.
Death rates of POWs in the Jap camps was 37%, whereas death rates in the German POW camps was 3%. (and nowadays we only hear about Nazi brutality).
Surrender was shameful; therefore any POWs earned their tortured treatment.
Japs culled, beheaded and ate ate at least one Allied POW, an Aussie I believe. Probably others we’ll never know about.
“… whereas death rates in the German POW camps was 3% …”
That was among American and English POWs.
Death rates for Soviet POWs approached 80% in some instances, 100% in others. And the Soviets weren’t any better – of the 125,000 German survivors of Stalingrad, fewer than 5,000 returned (4% survived – 96% died).
One should be careful to whom one surrenders.
izlamo delenda est …
The book Unbroken also tells of the POWs witnessing women & children being trained to attack allied forces from ambush with sharpened bamboo sticks. Without the use of two a-bonds the deaths on both sides would have been much greater.
My uncle Carl was part of the d-day landing, survived to the end of the war in Europe and was in Hawaii, going west to invade the Japanese mainland. Without the use of the bomb I may not have ever met him, nor his brother Don who was only in the Pacific.