Japanese Diary on Kolombangara
In New Georgia on the Soloman Islands a Japanese private soldier found himself thrown into a campaign that had already been lost. He and his companions from the 23rd Infantry Regiment were landed on Baanga Island, where the troops in occupation were already in retreat. U.S. forces were already well established on nearby islands and the seas around were patrolled by PT boats and destroyers, making it increasingly difficult for the Japanese to land reinforcements or supplies.
Little is known about Tadashi Higa apart from what was found in his diary which was found by the Americans and translated for intelligence purposes. On the 3rd August 1943 he made the following entry
We walked along either starving or chewing hard tack. The men in the forces that were withdrawing had pale faces; and there was one casualty in torn clothing who went along using a sword as a cane.
Being just one battalion, we are helpless. We withdrew further. We must withdraw tonight, for our number will be up when day breaks. To advance would have meant death. The situation is indescribable.
The day broke. Enemy planes came roaring toward us, and if we had been detected, it would have meant our end.
The force has spent three days and four nights hiding in the brush without eating, and soaking wet. We were unable to advance a step. We were awaiting the order for an immediate withdrawal to Kolombanga.
Everybody picked coconuts. The enemy was hurriedly constructing an airfield opposite us. We could see them so clearly that it seemed we could have touched them. It only meant that more air attacks were in store for us. Our lives were worthless, for there was no order for withdrawal after all. I have come to hate the men who cause wars. The withdrawal order didn’t come through tonight either.
Our rations have run out. I felt as though I had Malaria, and I took quinine tablets and Hinomarin to keep alive. I was merely awaiting my fate and yet I wanted to die fighting.
It isn’t merely that Japan is being defeated. I felt like crying. Being wet, and in a jungle full of mosquitoes, I thought of home. Ah! The letters from home last month. Ten letters and fourteen or fifteen postcards after a year without any word. There were also letters from my parents.
News from HARUKO, I cherish deeply. But the new was that my beloved younger sister has died, has become a cold, black corpse. Oh! When I thought of her fate, the tears came. I really cried. I felt bitter toward Providence. When I realized that fate determines our lives, my mind became calm. Although death comes sooner or later, I felt sorry for my sister who had to die so young. I prayed for the repose of her soul.
Our parents must be bereaved. Furthermore my mother, who is always thinking about me, must be going through an ordeal worse than death. War is sad.
Nature remains unaffected by such things, though. The morning sun shone, the wind blew softly, yet rain fell plentifully. The hard tack was wet and gave out a foul odor; nobody ate it. We did nothing except gnaw on coconuts.
Two large landing barges were attacked by torpedo boats while they were transporting material to this island. One squad of our CO was on them. I wonder what happened to them.
We talked about home, and we criticized war conditions. We ate no food; our life was just this and nothing else. There was talk that, even today, dead bodies floated up on the north shore. When we thought of their deaths, we were overcome with sorrow.
There was talk that the men of the Southeast Div have not yet arrived. We could not expect them, because our forces, driven hither and thither, must have been roaming about these lonely islands. I wondered what would become of them! I wondered, too, what fate had in store for us!
Despite his sadness and his despair on 13th August Tadashi made his last entry in his diary:
We are determined to resist to the last soldier, and with that intention I lay down my pen.
It was the same situation as on Attu in the northern Pacific, despite knowing that they fought without hope of victory, or even of surviving, the ordinary Japanese soldier saw no alternative but to fight on.
His diary was eventually found on 20th August, what became of Tadashi Higa is not known. The diary was translated by the Combat Intelligence Center, South Pacific Force, and is now retained by the U.S. Naval Historical Center.
From WWIIToday.com?
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
John Arnold – Durham, NC; US Army, Korea
William Dellraria – Chelsea, MA & FL; Merchant Marine, WWII
Joseph Gathercoal – Chicago, IL; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT
Donald Johnson – Howard Beach, NY; US Army, Korea era
Percy Jarrell – Hillsboro, OH; US Merchant Marine, WWII
Davis Meyer – Spokane, WA; USMC, WWII, PTO
Charles Rollins – Calendonia, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
George Sakato – Colton, CA; US Army, WWII, ETO, Nisei 442nd RCT, Medal of Honor
Edward Tutty – Hawks Bay, NZ; RNZ Army # 45053, WWII, 29th Battery
James Wylie – TX & NC; USMC; WWII, Korea, Col. (Ret.), pilot
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Posted on December 15, 2015, in First-hand Accounts, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, combat, History, Japan, Military, nostalgia, Pacific, USA, veterans, war letters, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 88 Comments.
I think of my uncle possibly suffering under similar conditions and your dad fighting as well to stay alive.
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I’m certain you uncle did, but the US soldier ate better (whether he’d like to admit it or not), so he stayed healthier and dad was very adaptable.
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If you do not mind, I would like to use your farewells on my Weebly site? As always cool blog. I will never forget these.
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I don’t mind at all. I only wish I could put them all there for remembrance. As it is, they are representatives – so we do not forget!
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We are all human and suffer the same. War only gives comfort to those in power positions.
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Yup, the ones laughing all the way to the bank. Very sad situation.
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I love your cartoon, despite the biological and geographical problems which might spoil it for some people!
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Ya gotta laugh!!!
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Truly sad. Thank you for such a poignant post.
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It shows the human side to the entire war. Thanks for coming by, Gary.
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Reblogged this on Crazy Pasta Child.
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This is very much appreciated, Penny!
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Your website continues to be an important one. Goodness, but this could have been any solider anywhere who wrote these words. You genuinely demonstrate that soldiers, no matter what ‘side’ they are on are human beings put into just horrid situations.
Thank you for an excellent contribution.
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You are very welcome, JoHanna. We all need to see the human side of the story.
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Schön das du ein Tagebuch schreibst man muss es schreiben war eine schlimme Zeit Wünsche einen schönen Mittwoch lieber Gruß Gislinde
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Danke, Gislinde. The centerpiece is beautiful.
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Such a sad story and it could have been written by any soldier from any army.
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Isn’t that the truth, Hilary?!! That’s why I add stories from both sides, to show the human element.
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Another wonderful post that inspires us to seek peaceful solutions within our local and global communities. I have just read your post to others who have joined me for morning coffee. They send their thanks along with mine.💛❤️💛
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And I send a Thank You right back to you!! It was so thoughtful to read this to your friends. Please give them my good wishes.
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Wonderful post, CP. And I love the Paratrooper’s Agenda.
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I look forward to your visits, Don, you have a great outlook on life and people!
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What moving words. It just goes to show the Japanese were human too, something we tend to forget.
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It has been wonderful to see the reactions of everyone to this post. I’m so glad I did it.
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It’s always good to share the more human side to war. Thank you!
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Just spouting the statistics doesn’t tell the whole story – I think that’s why so many people rely on the Hollywood versions in movies to get their history. In school I only remember being tested on names and dates.
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It’s the personal stores that bring it alive and give it meaning. Statistics are ok but often very dry.
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Agreed!!
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I agree that the poor souls in combat were human but I can’t say the same for many of the top level officers or the powers back in Japan.
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I agree, they were the ones who destroyed the dream of so many with their power-hungry desires.
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No your right. The brutality was obscene and much came from above.
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Another fine post presented with a compassionate eye on the plight of war for the common soldier on both sides. Merry Christmas to you and your family, GP!
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Thank you very much, Peter. I wish you and yours the same!!
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War zones throughout human history are filled with such ghosts. They are all in my thoughts and prayers.
I remember a commercial on TV that ran for a while when I was young. It showed two world leaders duking it out on a hill top instead of troops fighting it out. Perhaps someday any future wars will be fought this way. Maybe someday they will be no wsrs at all.
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Do you think human beings will ever get quite that smart?
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During the Cold War, a great movie came out that I always remember – “The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming” – you laughed while it still made a serious point.
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Never say never, but I think the species as a whole has a long way to go. The prognosis is poor, as the doctor would say, but recovery is not impossible.
On a lighter note, I will have to see if Netflix has that movie. 🙂
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I remember esp the scene with the towns people rushing to the dock with such silly things as weapons and the Russian saved the kid on the roof. It was a movie of hope for humanity.
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Wasn’t it great!? When the Air Force gets there, the submarine is surrounded by US fishing boats! Had to laugh tho at Ben Blue, thru the entire movie, chasing the horse so he could be Paul Revere and warn everyone that the Russians were coming!
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A great journal entry – which shows how troops on both sides of a battle can be used as human fodder…
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Well – you don’t see the politicians in there, eh?
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You did a good job showing it from all sides. Excellent!!
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Thank you, Kathy. I appreciate that.
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I know it was their culture, but to see the fact that he knew they had no chance and yet was determined to fight on…he was right about one thing, “War is sad”
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Many of the Japanese felt when they left home that they were required to die for their country and to return would be shameful. You fight till the end. Yes, war is VERY sad.
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What a tragic document. A hopeless situation. Significant is the way he stated how much he hated war – but not the enemy as one might have expected.
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We tend to generalize the enemy, no matter who they are and that leads to the usual handling of the situation. Thanks for dropping in.
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How sad. People will love and serve their country. Right or wrong. Life and people are so precious. That is why war should always be a last resort. Thank you for sharing this. I hope you don’t mind if I Facebook this.
Marcey
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A very good comment for this post, MK, thank you. And no, I don’t mind if you facebook it.
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Incredible story of war, this journal entry. The harrowing truth. Great post GP.
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You always have a way of saying things so accurately and to the point!
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Your stories put us right beside you! Always great writing which make me never want to see another war!
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Thank you, Kim. I appreciate the support!
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Your stories are always riveting, bringing us back from the past to where we hope we’ll never have to go in the future.
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That is a perfect way to put things, thanks!! Being as I am not a professional writer (Gee – can you tell? 🙄 ) I have have trouble expressing exactly what I want to say. I appreciate the help!
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Not a writer? You could have fooled me!
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Now, that IS quite a compliment! Thanks.
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So true. Your blog is rich in writings. 🙂
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That is great encouragement – thanks!
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Heartbreaking.
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Very true. We know what happened when the pen was dropped.
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“I have come to hate the men that cause wars.” Everyone in war has said or thought that at one time or another.
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Well, the ones that start the wars are never in there fighting them – are they?!!
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It’s that old political expediency thing that never goes away.
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You got it!
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That was a great, though heartbreaking, account. I’m glad it was preserved.
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And that is why I am always telling people that ALL history needs to be preserved! We can’t erase it, mistake or not.
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Exactly! You’re doing a great job!
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Thanks!
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We are lucky that this diary was retained for the benefit of later generations. It shows the human side to an enemy generally considered not to have one.
Best wishes, Pete.
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That is the point, Pete. I appreciate you understanding that that is quite true!!
Give Ollie an extra scratch behind the ear for me!
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Another pawn in the deadly game played by powerful masters.
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Exactly.
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The penguin and polar bear one is funny but it still intrigues me the way people are ignorant of the fact that one live only in the southern hemisphere and the other only in the northern.
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I know, but it makes for a cute cartoon.
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As an aside—Spouse and I entered a deserted showroom in Scotland awaiting a staffer so we could pay our garage bill. To fill some time I asked her:
“In all history there’s no record ever of a polar bear taking a penguin in the wild. Penguins have a natural defence, it seems … any theories?”
But before she could answer a disembodied voice from under the counter said “Because they canna get the wrappers off?”
—which froze me in my tracks and cracked her completely.
She had to remind me that one of the more popular choccie-coated biscuit bars in the UK is the ubiquitous ‘Penguin’ … (I was going to clobber her with “Twelve thousand miles of open sea” but it suddenly seemed superfluous); we paid up and left …
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A heart-wrenching story and like so many others in the war.
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Yes, I need to show the story from all sides of the huge spectrum that is the Pacific War. Thank you for reading today!
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I loved it, it made me cry. It is important to present the stories from all angles. Thank you.
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Thank you. I’m glad you understand why I do this.
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It needs to be told! Glad you shared this one.
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You are very welcome, there will be more along the way. My father, Smitty, always made sure I listened to all sides of any argument.
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He taught you well.
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Yes, I believe he did – thank you.
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Thank you for finding this worthwhile reading for your followers.
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Thank you for helping to keep their memories alive, Angel.
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