You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific

by Allison B. Gilmore

Overview

A startling omission from the extensive literature on the Pacific events of World War II is an analysis of Allied psychological operations. Allison B. Gilmore makes a strong case for the importance of psychological warfare in this theater, countering the usual view of fanatical resistance by Japanese units. Gilmore marshals evidence that Japanese military indoctrination did not produce soldiers who were invulnerable to demoralization and the survival instinct.

Allison B. Gilmore is an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University at Lima.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803270893
Publisher:	UNP - Bison Books
Publication date:	03/01/2000
Series:	Studies in War, Society, and the Military
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Allison B. Gilmore is an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University at Lima.

Editorial Reviews

"A fresh look at a little known aspect of the Pacific War that will benefit any reader interested in the Japanese army or psychological warfare."—Military History of the West

Military History of the West

"Gilmore unravels the complex structure and missions of the Allied entities involved in psywar operations. . . . Convincing."—Journal of Military History

Journal of Military History

"Ironically, while Hollywood films and popular American stereotypes that persist to the present portray the Japanese soldiers as fanatics who would never surrender, the U.S. military . . . took a more realistic view and engaged in a sustained campaign to undermine the morale of the Japanese army. . . . This book helps fill a historiographic gap by studying how propaganda and psychological warfare were planned, implemented, and evaluated."—Choice

CHOICE

"Allison Gilmore has written the best book to date on psychological operations in the southwest Pacific during World War II. What makes her volume better? It is readable and chock-full of meaningful and well-researched data and interesting stories concerning PSYOP in its infancy."—Special Warfare

Special Warfare