World War II: History, Memory & Identity

World War II: The Pacific War: History, Memory & Identity World War
II: The Atomic
Bomb The Partition of India
The Pacific War
The Japanese naval aircraft attack on the American port of Pearl Harbor on
December
7, 1941, launched World War II. The Japanese want dominance of eastern Asia
and the western
Pacific. The Japanese felt that once they had control of the regions, together
with allies and
America, they would indeed be able to ask for peace. But Japan didn't realise it
was making Americans angry, and the Allied alliance hoped its way all across
Pacific again until bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki stopped the war
(Editors, 2009). Pearl Harbor was confidently attacked in 1941. They effectively
bombarded the island, but they did not damage any American aircraft carriers in
the harbour or destroy America's important oil supplies. The strike enabled the
American people and military to collaborate in ways they could not have
imagined (War Times Journal, 2013). The Japanese completed the
implementation of their war strategy in early 1942. Imperial soldiers launched
the second phase of invasion by landing in the Dutch East Indies' northern
territories. During the War of the Java Sea and its aftermath, the local allied
fleet was practically wiped out. As the sea lanes were freed of allied naval
threats, repeated landings occurred throughout the vital southern islands of

Sumatra and Java, finishing Japan's push to the Indian Ocean's edge. (War
Times Journal, 2013)
Finally, there is no replacement for understanding the history and culture of a
possible foe. Mutual cultural misunderstanding was a crucial element in the
onset of war in 1941. With the exception of Ambassador Grew, American
foreign leaders understood little little about Japan or the Japanese. Also on
Japanese side, there were individuals who understood the US well and revered
American might and nationalism, such as Admiral Yamamoto, but most
Japanese commanders, especially top IJA officers, knew little about America
and Americans.
Racial prejudices existed on both sides, with Americans, who had a long history
of oppression against minority communities, including Japanese, believing the
Japanese were a small yellow people incapable of fighting war successfully
against a contemporary Western power like the United States. The Japanese
were completely unaware of the galvanising impact their attack on Pearl Harbor
would have on American public sentiment.
City of Corpses
The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were annihilated by the first atomic
bombs used in combat on August 6 and 9, 1945. The first atomic bomb ever
used in a military action was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Another 60,000 people would die because of bombrelated causes during the
next five years. The explosion murdered men, women, and children without
regard for gender or age. It resulted in the deaths of both military troops and
civilians. Even though the city manufactured military equipment and housed
troops, it was not designated as a "purely military target," as President Truman
had pledged. In Hiroshima, there were six people for every soldier (The
National WWII Museum, 2021).
Though the bombing of Hiroshima was a horrific calamity, it did surely bring
the Japanese society together. The horror was palpable, but in the midst of the
carnage, people sacrificed themselves to save others. Even though several of the
key characters in John Hersey's novel Hiroshima are hurt, they pause to aid
others. Recognizing others' pain and suffering and developing empathy and
compassion for them, having the strength to give up your desires for a time, and
having respect for yourself and others are human attributes that urge someone to
assist others even when there is nothing to gain.
The Partition of India
On 1947, British India was partitioned into two different states, India and
Pakistan. It was the example process via which the British were able to get
consensus on how independence would be achieved. Few individuals knew what
Partition entailed or what the consequences would be at the time (Keen, 2017).
Even before the 1940s, it had long advocated for a unitary state with a source of