THE TERRIBLE STRUGGLE AHEAD
SEELY, Lt. Comdr. C. S.
The Terrible Struggle Ahead By LT. COMDR. C. S. SEELY EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth and last of a series of articles by Commander Seely on the difficulties we face in the Orient. 1BELIEVE...
...I believe we will finally be forced into accepting a modification of this system later on, especially if the war in the Orient moves into one of attrition...
...Japan's Rotation System Japan has some sort of rotation system for her troops, and except for a relatively small number of highly trained leaders (professionals), she seldom keeps men on an active front, or even in uniform, very long...
...It is up to our statesmen and diplomats to see to it that our soldiers and sailors fighting in the Orient get all possible assistance from all the other nations fighting Japan...
...Japan possibly may not now have more than 3,000,000 men in uniform, but if so that is all she feels she needs at the moment...
...We Need More Help Personally I think Admiral Home's statement, in which he mentioned 1949 as a war year in the Orient, an excellent one...
...Beyond reasonable doubt at least 12,000,000 "Commando" trained Japanese will fight before Japan surrenders unconditionally...
...These reports, of course, are true, but they are masterpieces of understatement, and I feel certain the public will be misled by them...
...We have a terrible struggle ahead of us in the Orient, and we need all the help we can get...
...There has been too much wishful thinking and loose talking about the weakness of Japan...
...Later these men are recalled to duty, but they usually spend some time at a quiet front before again going into battle...
...After a tour of duty at a fighting front Japanese troops are returned to industry or on farms where they recuperate...
...1BELIEVE most newspaper readers have seen reports to the effect that "Japan has about 3,000,000 soldiers...
...This system assures complete "Commando" training of the entire nation's manpower...
...There is no sense in hoping that many Japanese will finally surrender...
...Japan can, and certainly must be expected to send this many men into battle before she submits to such a fate as unconditional surrender, and nearly all of these men will have to be killed or badly wounded...
...The opinions and assertions expressed above are the private ones of the writer and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Navy Department or the naval service at large...
...I am not aware of any other nation using the Japanese rotation system, but it undoubtedly has merit, especially in modern war, as the men know that in no case will they have to remain long on the firing line where the nerve strain is great...
Vol. 8 • January 1944 • No. 4
