Allied Success in World War II and America - Research Paper Example

Unit Running Head: Topic:  What effect did the 442nd Battalion have on the Allied success in World War II and America? Abstract The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 resulted to a lot prejudices among the Japanese-Americans. They were viewed as a threat to the American security hence a number of measures were taken to isolate them. Since the Japanese had an Imperial Army for decades at war to expand the interest and a strong military culture, America was in fear of Japanese American traitors. They went through injustices whereby their business and homes were taken away from them and bank accounts frozen forcing them into an economic and financial crisis. In addition, most Japanese-American religious and political leaders were illegally arrested and wrongfully detained while their whereabouts were kept secret. In 1942 during the Second World War American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a directive that required most of the Japanese-Americans to be confined in isolated camps where they guarded and denied their rights and freedoms until after the war. However despite the injustices and prejudices that the Japanese-American citizens went through, they are credited for the major role they played in the Second World War. This paper therefore explores the impact the Japanese-American soldiers especially the 442nd Battalion had on the Allied success in the Second World War and America. Introduction The 442nd Battalion was a United States Army that was mainly composed of the Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe especially in Italy, Germany and France during the Second World War. These soldiers who were referred to as “Nisei,” overcame the racial prejudices and uncertainties they faced in America during the period of the Second World War to become some of the most decorated soldiers in the United States following the amazing achievements they made at the war leading to the defeat of American enemies including Imperial Japan. Following the success of the 442nd Battalion they were honored throughout United States and were awarded Medal Honors. Despite the excellent fight 442nd Battalion put in the Second World War it is very sad that majority of their families were rounded up and subjected to confinement where they had their rights and freedoms violated by the U.S authorities (Shirey, 1990). Pearl Harbor Attack The Japanese bombing of the U.S Army base at Pearl Harbor that brought America into the War. Even though the attack was viewed as a stunning tactical victory to Japan, the attack resulted in an eventual victory for United States after the Second World War. The attack was a remarkable military success, brightly executed by the Japanese that caused eight American war ships to capsize. The Japanese attack on the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor changed everything. A county that was originally diverse with tensions became unified with the aim to wage war against its global especially on Japan that had planned the bombing attack at Pearl Harbor. The nature of the attack followed by revelation of the injustices committed to the Americans of Japanese descent aggravated the situation. Internment of Japanese-Americans Soon after the Japanese bombing on the United States Army base at the Pearl Harbor all Japanese-American citizens were viewed as a threat to the security of United States. In February 1942, as a way of trying to revenge on the attack and beef up security following the bombing, the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the War Department to set up military bases in the western region of the country where all American citizens of Japanese descent especially men were rounded up and confined so as to be monitored of any suspicious acts. Following the directive from the president, more than 110,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans living in the United States were detained in isolated camps where they were restricted from leaving and their rights and freedoms violated. In the camps the detainees were subjected to injustices that included harsh conditions that included overcrowding, water shortages, poor quality houses and exposure to severe weather conditions. These people were forced to abandon their businesses, their homes and, in many cases, their families as some individuals were taken elsewhere and held, again without trial, for years. The Army therefore forbade any more voluntary evacuation. Instead, it forcibly collected at race tracks, fairgrounds, and other makeshift assembly points all persons of Japanese ancestry residing not only within the original restricted zone but anywhere within California, Washington, Oregon, southern Arizona, and Alaska. Those being relocated were only allowed to carry clothing, bedding and utensils. Therefore most of the detainees were compelled to sell their property because they were not guaranteed of their safety. In approximate, the Japanese-Americans suffered an estimated loss of $350 million worth of property. In addition the Japanese-Americans suffered severe economic losses, personal humiliation and, in some cases, death, due to this relocation. Even children adopted by Caucasian parents were forced out of their adopted families and moved to other areas. Sadly, most of those relocated were American citizens by birth In Hawaii where there were about 1/3rd of the Japanese-Americans they were subjected to similar injustices as other Japanese-Americans in the mainland. Even though few in Hawaii were moved to other places, their rights were as well violated and their freedom was highly restricted. The unfortunate thing about the whole process of confinement was that they were detained even though they had not been tried and found guilty of any crimes that guaranteed their detention. . In addition military advisors articulated their concerns over the allegiance of the Japanese- American soldiers. Their concerns resulted in the elimination of all Japanese-American soldiers who had served in the army before the bombing at Pearl Harbor. As if that was not enough members of the Hawaii National Guard had their guns confiscated for awhile and local ROTC students and cadets were discharged from service. Precisely the Japanese Americans in the military were reclassified 4c meaning enemy aliens. However these injustices done to the Japanese-American soldiers motivated former soldiers who had been dismissed to prove to the Americans that they were loyal to their country. They united together and formed a civilian aide group that they called ‘Varsity Victory Volunteers’ or VVV to offer their support to the United States Army in building a U.S. military base in the Pacific. Their activities pleased the War department and in return of their assistance the department set up an all-Nisei combat unit, the 100th Infantry Battalion. The unit underwent extensive training in the mainland U.S before being sent to the North Africa where they were required to guard supply trains in North Africa. The battalion was later attached to the U.S. 34th Infantry Division on 8 September 1943 in order to replace the 2nd Battalion of the 133rd Infantry Regiment which had been put in charge of protecting the Allied Force Headquarters in Algiers (Collins, 1985). However even after showing their determination to serve and protect their country, they were still viewed as a threat to security. For instance while training at Shelby camp the army in charge of their training searched their personal items such as mails and diaries and closely monitored their activities regularly. In August 1943, the Nisei combat unit was restructured to establish another Japanese-American unit called 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) under which they served until the end of the war. In June 1944, they were deployed to Europe, where they fought in eight major fights in France, Italy and Germany. The same year in October they played a key role in the fierce liberation of the “Lost Battalion,” an Allied unit that had been trapped and surrounded by Axis forces in the Vosges forest in France. In April 1945, the men of the 442nd were collaborated with the Allied troops to rescue Jewish detainees at Dachau camp in Germany. As military unit they did an exemplary job in North Africa and Europe. After almost two years of fighting the unit emerged from the war the most highly decorated unit in the U.S military history. They fought in seven major campaigns in Europe, made two beachhead assaults and captured a submarine. In France they liberated and rescued the lost Battalion which comprised of 275 Texas infantry-men who had been trapped inside Germany territory for almost a week. To the U.S. Army, the rescue of the Lost Battalion became one of the top 10 battles in its history. In 1945, members of the 442nd Battalion rescued prisoners from Dachau. A few days later they rescued more than 5000 Jewish prisoners from the Dachau camps who had been compelled to march to towards the Bavarian Alps. Despite their achievements the 442nd Battalion unit suffered the highest casualty rate in the U.S Army history (Pierre, 2007). After 2nd World War After the successfully leading other American soldiers to defeat their enemies in the 2nd World War, the 442nd became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. In order to show their appreciation for their achievements the unit was awarded more than 18,000 awards, including 9,486 Purple Hearts, 4,000 Bronze Stars and 21 Medals of Honor. The United States President Harry Truman in particular applauded them for their achievements and their brave fight to protect their country. Moreover in remembrance of their efforts a film by the name “Go for Broke”; was dedicated to them. Many members of the 442nd went on to distinguished careers in science, academia and government, including nine-term U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye from Hawaii, who lost an arm due to World War II combat injuries. Also honored were the more than 6,000 Japanese Americans who served in the Military Intelligence Service, or MIS, during the war. These members, many of whom were recruited directly from internment camps, provided translation and interrogation assistance to the war effort (Robert, 2007). Conclusion In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act that sort to offer compensation to all Japanese-Americans who had suffered in any way from the directive given by the former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The following year President Bush gave a formal apology to all the Japanese-American victims of the injustices they had been subjected to. Even as the apologies and compensations were given to the victims, there are still many questions that linger in the minds of many Americans and the international community in large. What was the real reason behind the confinement and injustices done to the Japanese-Americans? Was it because of their ethnic affiliations? Or was it because they had been found guilty of committing crimes especially in connection with the bombing of the U.S Army base at the Pearl Harbor? One thing for sure is that the 442nd Battalion unit that mainly comprised of Japanese-American soldiers were very loyal to their country despite the prejudices and discrimination they and their families faced. They fought tirelessly to protect their own country that had viewed them as traitors and threat to security. This questions the existence of the rights and freedoms upon which the country was founded. The country failed to protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens irrespective of their ethnic affiliation! References Collins, D. E. (1985). Native American Aliens: Disloyalty and the Renunciation of Citizenship by Japanese Americans During World War II. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Pierre, M. (2007). Dachau, Holocaust and U.S Samurais-Nisei Soldiers first in Dachau. NY: AuthorHouse Publishing house. Robert, A. (2007). Just Americans: The Story of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II. New York: Gotham Books. Shirey, S. (1990). Americans: The Story of the 442d Combat Team (3 Ed.). Washington: Lanham, Md.: Madison Books, Infantry Journal Press. Read More