World War
The commitment of the Empire of the Rising Sun
of Christian Martorella
1. Background and considerations of historiography
February 17, 2008. The intervention of Japan in the First World War, Japanese Daiichiji sekai Taisen, is little mentioned in Western history books. This is because politically inconvenient. In fact it is very easy to condemn the Japanese militarism when it sided with the opponents and defeated, while it is difficult to accuse him when he allied with the Western democratic nations and is victorious. In fact, the military power of the Rising Sun was supported and encouraged by the European powers as opposed to rival nations such as Germany and Russia, and instead became a trap when it threatens Western interests in the Far East. This is evident with the First World War, when Japan had sided with Britain and France. In short, it was an instrumental use, without taking any account of the spread of civil rights, and not adequately supported in the Japanese attacked fragile democracy from extremists. Western history books it is said that Japan was an authoritarian country that became democratic only after the defeat of the Second World War (1) in 1945. Curiously, this same country was an ally of Western powers in World War I, which is already in 1914. At the beginning of the twentieth century the Empire of the Rising Sun became a formidable military power with the support of the West between the admiration and praise of many admirers, as well as several material aid (2). In Japan there was nothing corrupt, but it was the mentality of who believe in the strength of armies and colonialism as the spread of civilization. This essay is to meet the meticulous and detailed description of certain events of World War ignored by the press. Each will then draw the appropriate conclusions freely seeking to know the story so complete and incomplete.
2. The political and military involvement
involvement of Japan in World War I was fast enough. Here is the chronology of events. Because of the attack in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28. On 1 August 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. On August 3 Germany declares war on France August 4 Britain declared war on Germany and Austria on August 12. Japan, at the instigation of Britain, declared war on Germany August 23, 1914, just three weeks after the start of hostilities. Japan's intervention was sought by Britain, even if reluctant, fearing the rise to power of Japan. Besides the role of Japan in the Pacific Ocean was crucial. The most powerful fleet in the Pacific Ocean was Japanese. Only the Japanese could block German ships in the vicinity of the settlements and stop the German attack and the threat to India and Indochina. Britain had already signed many treaties of alliance with Japan. The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of 1902 was renewed in 1905, and besides in 1911. Japan guaranteed the security of India, British possession, the expansionist intentions of Germany and Russia. But the agreements between Britain and Japan disturbed American power. The United States wanted to expand their influence in Asia, also had serious internal political problems with the Japanese immigrants. Being an excellent workforce capable of starting up businesses, the Japanese immigrants disturb the local U.S. citizens and their selfish interests. He went so far as to enact local laws aberrant against the Japanese. The Japanese children were excluded from schools under the pretext of lack of classrooms. Webb voted with the Act in the state of California in 1913, prohibited Japanese nationals to own land. These bullying they increased immeasurably the sense of inferiority and the desire to redeem the Japanese determined to confront the same battlefield of the West: the development of military power.
3. The use of the navy
In 1914 the Imperial Japanese Navy (Dainihon Kaigun Teikoku) was the most powerful naval force in this Pacific Ocean, more than even the U.S. and British contingents (3). It was composed of 22 battleships, two battle cruisers, 15 armored cruisers, 19 protected cruisers, 50 destroyers, 40 destroyers and 13 submarines. Units (4) the most important were the battleships Kawachi, Settsu, Fuso, and Yamashiro Ise, the cruiser Kongo, Hiei, Haruna, Kirishima, Kurama, Izumo, Iwate and Ibuki, the light cruisers Chikuma, Hirado, Yahagi and Tone , destroyers Umikaze, Yamakaze, Sakura, Tachibana, Urakaze. During the period 1914-1918 were set and construction of new warships, the most powerful and innovative. They were the battleships Nagato and Mutsu, cruisers Tatsuta, Kuma, Tama and Yubari, the destroyer Kaba, Kaede, Katsura, Kashiwa, Kusunoki, Matsu Sakaki, Sugi and Ume. All these ships were important and valuable, so much so that some of them also participated in the Second World War. The battleship Fuso and Yamashiro, built respectively in the arsenals of Kure and Yokosuka in 1912 and 1913, ships were harmonious lines, with the arms broken down into two groups and the side armor protection with a maximum of 305 mm. Both sank in the Battle of Surigao Strait October 25, 1944. The cruisers Kongo, Haruna, Hiei and Kirishima, built in the period 1911-1915, participated in both world wars. Their entry into service aroused considerable impression it embarked a main armament that was not based on any other similar unit, with 8 guns 356 mm. The protection reached a thickness of 203 mm. The machinery consisted of four turbines directly coupled with an output of 64,000 HP and a speed of 27.5 knots. Kirishima and Hiei sank in November 1942 in the waters of Guadalcanal, the Kongo sank Nov. 21, 1944 in Formosa, and Haruna was destroyed by aerial bombing of July 27, 1945 Kure Arsenal. When it appeared in 1907, the Ibuki and Kuruma were the most powerful armored cruisers built in the world. During the First World War took part in operations around Tsingtao and hunting squadron of Maximilian von Spee. The Ibuki was the first Japanese ship to ship an apparatus turbine engine. Considered outdated, and Kuruma Ibuki were dismantled in 1923. The Imperial Japanese Navy also boasts another record. It was one of the first, along with that of the United States and Great Britain (5), to own ships carrying aircraft. The Wakamiya Maru was a support ship capable of carrying four Farman seaplanes. Launched in 1913, this unit was able to deposit with its crane aircraft in the water for takeoff, and besides retrieval after landing. MF.7 Farman aircraft were used as scouts and as a bomber with about ten small bombs. At the outbreak of the First World War, Wakamiya Maru sailed to the port China's Tsingtao, the German colony. On September 5, 1914, Japanese aircraft dropped two bombs on the Farman coastal battery. On 13 October there was an aerial duel between an aircraft and a German Taube Farman Japanese. This was the first clash between the planes of the First World War. In total, during the siege of Tsingtao, which ended with the German capitulation, the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft performed 50 missions and dropped 200 bombs, sinking even a torpedo.
The events that led Japan into war against Germany was fast enough. As an ally of Britain, Japan sent an ultimatum to Germany August 15, 1914, demanding the surrender of the German base at Tsingtao. Naval forces Germanic under the command of Captain Mayer-Waldeck, were made by the gunboats Jaguar, Tiger, Iltis, and Luchs, from S 90 destroyers and protected from the cruiser Austrian Kaiserin Elisabeth. The squadron was commanded by Vice Admiral Satou Japan, and was composed of the battleships Suwo, Iwami and Tango, the armored cruisers Iwate, Tokiwa and Yakumo, protected from the cruiser Tone, and about a dozen destroyers. The units used in Japan were not the most important modern and which remains in reserve for the defense of Japan. For example, the battleship Suwo was an old Russian ship, the Poltava, captured at Tsushima. The modern ships were saved and taken away for use in strategic battles the future expansion of the Japanese. The ultimatum expired, on 23 August 1914, the Japanese began the war. The first landing occurred 150 km north of Tsingtao. On September 4 Shirotaye the destroyer ran aground on a rock and was lost. On September 28 he began a massive fire on enemy positions in the battleships Suwo, Iwanami and Tango, supported by the artillery of earth. The German destroyer S 90 tried to escape, while browsing collided with the cruiser that sank Japanese Takachiho with three torpedoes. However, the S 90 was forced all'autoaffondamento because he had no where to shelter and basic supplies. On 7 November 1914, the German base finally surrendered. The Japanese forces were overwhelming and controlled large parts of the Pacific Ocean. These conditions were crucial to the movement of Germanic forces from the Pacific Ocean, forced a retreat that cost the loss of many units. The squadron of Vice-Admiral Johannes Maximilian von Spee, which deploys the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, departed from the island of Pagan, reached Tahiti and Easter Island, and passed the Strait of Magellan, he faced the Atlantic Ocean vessels UK. On December 8, 1914, the team of Spee was destroyed in the battle of the Falklands.
The Japanese fleet had reached its goals by eliminating the German ships from the Pacific Ocean. It remained inactive until to 1917, when it was requested its intervention in the Mediterranean. This fact created an unexpected condition. The submarines of the German U-boats had become a terrible threat to maritime traffic. In particular, France was engaged in a struggle for survival, the enemy already penetrated beyond national borders, was not available to stall. The supplies that reached France on the Mediterranean routes were essential. So they asked Britain and France to Japan. He was also given the availability of fleets of great Japanese destroyers, the most modern and versatile built in that period. Then he was made a naval squadron commanded by Vice Admiral Satou, constituted protected from the cruiser Akashi and twelve destroyers, including the internationally Katsura, the Kusunoki and Ume. The squadron entered the Mediterranean in working in a safe and away from enemy submarines key routes. Remarkable was the moral and political impact of this operation. The Japanese team was the first Asian in history that the fleet in European waters penetrated to lead military operations.
The contribution of the war Japan was also represented by important military supplies to the Allies. In 1917 Japan gave to France twelve destroyers type Kaba. They formed the class Algerien and remained in service until 1936, the year of radiation and demolition. These successes pushed the political authorities of Japan to consolidate and strengthen plans for strengthening the military, unfortunately with tragic consequences that we know well.
4. The Air debut
The Japanese were the first to understand the importance of the airplane as a war machine (6). The Empire of the Rising Sun had intensified the growth of which was equal to the major powers. The first plane was to fly a biplane piloted by Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa, on December 19, 1910. As you well know experts in aviation, what is fundamental in establishing an air force is training the pilots. The Japanese pursued this goal reached extraordinary results. Japan's military successes were achieved mainly thanks to the preparation and competence of technical personnel and pilots.
Japanese aviation training began in 1909, when a special committee was formed for the development of aeronautics. It included prominent figures both civilian and military, with strong participation of scientists and academics. The pilots were trained in foreign schools, and officers sent to France and the United States. In this environment grew the master engineer naval engineering Chikuhei Nakajima (7), a talent that congedatosi Air Force in 1917 he founded the Institute of the airplane at the Gunma Prefecture, and besides the company Nakajima Hikoki. In 1910 she flew the first airplane piloted by a Japanese. In 1911 the Imperial Army had three Farman, an Antoinette, a Blériot, and two Wright. At the military airport of Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, was built a factory to build planes on the Japanese original designs. So in 1912 flew the first two planes built in Japan. So when the Japanese attacked the German colony of Tsingtao, made extensive use of aircraft in their possession. They used eight aircraft, including four biplanes flying boats. With these machines were carried out numerous bombings on the fortifications and boats. The planes were equipped with racks for bombs obtained from large artillery shells fitted with directional. So it was a ship sunk by German torpedo Nipponese skilled aviators. In addition, Japanese aircraft clashed in combat with a type of German Taube monoplane.
5. The end of the conflict and international agreements
In 1918 the war ended, and Japan participated as a winning nation at the Versailles peace conference. The Empire of the Rising Sun had received many benefits and few burdens without heavy losses. So the Germans were given the lands of Shantung, the mandate of the Marshall Islands, Caroline and Marianas (except Guam). This irritated U.S. politicians are terribly environments hostile to Japanese expansionism in China and the Pacific. On the other hand the plans of Japanese rearmament was worrisome, and the occupation of China was a serious matter not negligible. During the war, Japan had even sent a diplomatic request, known as the "twenty questions", the President of the Republic of China Yuan Shih-kai. In this document you asked for spheres of influence in the territories of Shantung, Honan and Manchuria. Also asked to include Japanese staff in the public and the police in China. It was actually an attempt to turn China into a protectorate or colony of Japan. Yuan Shih-kai had not the strength to fight and was attacked by the Empire of the Rising Sun. Only the United States rallied in defense of China, and sought by diplomacy to limit the claims in Japan. A compromise was reached with the Washington Treaty signed February 6, 1922. This agreement sets a limitation in naval armament, and therefore a reduction of the expansionary policy of great powers, including the United States and Japan. Admiral Yoshitake Ueda said the agreement stating that Japan was not ready for a war with the United States, but would not stand for a long time the arrogance of those who wanted to crush him. The Japanese were preparing to fight to survive, so they believe. It was widely believed that the era conflicts between nations for the possession of economic resources were inevitable.
The First World War ended without an effective conflict resolution. Germany would soon retraced the path that led to the clash with France and Britain, while Japan had invaded China (8). As can be deduced easily, it was the politics of power and expansion in determining the course of history of the twentieth century. Japan followed the same unfortunate way of Western nations. It is misleading to believe that this path is determined by the institutions of democratic or authoritarian countries in conflict. In truth, as we have seen, on the grounds that nations had to act in the First World War was the will to power, that their colonialist and expansionist policy. This policy belonged to the liberal democracies such as France, Great Britain, United States, the subsequent fascist regimes of Italy, Germany and Japan. It also shows how easily accept the democratic partnerships with authoritarian regimes if useful to pursue their goals of expanding trade and economic. Japan, we must never forget, was an ally of France, Britain and the United States in the First World War. You can not erase this historical fact compromising.
causes that trigger wars have the desire to possess, and the lust for power, the economic interest. Democracies are not immune to these impulses, and the history of European colonialism is its clearest demonstration. The First World War is the culmination of this mentality that finds expression in political power. Japan, though heir to the Eastern tradition, shared the same perspective with tenacity, and became an architect of the project of Western modernity so as to suffer the harmful consequences.
Notes 1. Even Francis Fukuyama, in line with the American version of democracy exported to Japan, shows the same distorted vision poorly documented. Taisho Democracy period (1912-1926), based on a parliamentary system, elected by the people, is completely ignored. See Fukuyama, Francis, The End of History and the Last Man, Rizzoli, Milan, 1996, p.71.
2. The increased assistance were from Britain, France, Germany and even Italy. As regards Italy, we recall that in 1904 Japan had in operation two large armored cruisers built in Italy: the Kasuga and Nishino. The Kasuga weighed 7628 tons, had a power of 14,800 HP engines supplied by Ansaldo, a speed of 20 knots, the bow was the main gun caliber 254 mm, 203 mm caliber and two were at the stern. Kasuga Nishino and were used in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). The Kasuga was instrumental in the bombing of Port Arthur with its powerful cannon, and relevant to the Battle of Tsushima.
3. But U.S. forces were greater in the Atlantic Ocean, to protect the routes to Europe, and British Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, to protect the colonies, and the Atlantic Ocean in defense of the motherland. Japan had stolen some ships to Russia during the war of 1904-1905, which explains the large number of units in its possession. But his industry was not yet able to compete with the United States, despite the good results and excellence in special cases.
4. The transcript of the names of Japanese ships, adopted here, following the convention used by the publications of the General Staff of the Italian Navy. To avoid misunderstandings and misconceptions have kept the old names in the transcript is already known to Italian readers.
5. The first U.S. Navy ship to be adapted for the transportation and takeoff of aircraft was Langley. The Langley was a genuine aircraft carrier with a flight deck full. The British obtained similar results with the Argus and the Furious, the first aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. Japan, however, can claim the distinction of having built the first aircraft carrier designed and built for that purpose: Hosho (1921). Unlike other units, ships that were modified and adapted to become a carrier, the Hosho was a modern purpose built aircraft carrier on a specific project. It participated in the Sino-Japanese War, World in Conflict 1941-1945, and was decommissioned in 1947.
6. The accurate and detailed article published by Pier Francesco Vaccari the magazine "RID" is illustrative of the development of the aircraft fighter in Japan. See Vaccari, Pier Francesco, The origin and development of the Japanese air forces on board, in "RID - Italian Defense Review, No. 12, Year XXV, December 2006. The designers got good results with the Japanese fighter planes and torpedo planes, often more than the western counterparts. For excellent performance in speed, maneuverability and aerodynamic qualities, including seaplanes and reconnaissance aircraft. Instead, because of the shortcomings of the power of the engines, the heavy bombers were always deficient and poorly protected with a cargo of bombs insufficient.
7. See Sgarlato, Nico, The Hunting of Nakajima Koyama and Itokawa, in "Aircraft in History", n. 50, year VIII, October-November 2006.
8. On September 18, 1931 because of the attack at Mukden, the Japanese invaded Manchuria. In 1932 was created Manchukuo, a puppet state under Japanese control. In 1933, occupation of northern China was extended further. On July 7, 1937 with the Marco Polo Bridge incident of the Sino-Japanese war began throughout the country.
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