Banzai charge (or banzai attack) is a term related to the Japanese samurai spirit and ideology of not accepting the shame of defeat. Instead, it is considered honourable to do a last desperate charge at the enemy and perish together with them instead of dying in cowardice. Used during World War II against the opposing U.S. ground forces, the term referred generally to the Japanese tactic of attacking with infantry over open ground against entrenched troops while using loud screams and yells to bolster courage and gain a psychological advantage over the enemy. Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... A suicide attack is an attack in which the attacker (attacker being either an individual or a group) intends to kill others and intends to die in the process of doing so (see suicide). ... Combatants Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total...

Gyokusai (玉砕, Gyokusai^?), literally "shattered jewel" is a Japanese term for suicide attack, or suicide (seppuku) in the face of defeat. It is based on a quote of the 7th century Chinese text Book of Northern Qi, 寧大丈夫可玉砕何能瓦全 "a great man should die as a shattered jewel rather than live as an intact tile". It was applied to an honourable death in defeat by Saigō Takamori (1827–1877), and employed as a slogan ichioku gyokusai (一億玉砕, ichioku gyokusai^?) "one hundred million broken jewels" by the Japanese government during the Pacific campaign. hara-kiri redirects here. ... The Book of Northern Qi (Chinese: 北齊書, pinyin BÄ›i Qí ShÅ«), was the official history of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. ... Saigō Takamoris statue in Ueno park Saigō Takamori 23 January 1827/28 — 24 September 1877), one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, lived during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. ...

It is important to note that the terms banzai charge or banzai attack were used by Westerners to describe this type of desperate action. Though banzai is a Japanese term, it was never used this way by the Japanese.^[1]

Banzai (万歳, Banzai^?) is literally translated as "Ten thousand years", but more accurately "Long Live", and was a Japanese battle cry during the war. They honour their emperor by shouting Tennōheika banzai ! (天皇陛下万歳！, Tennōheika banzai !^?), meaning "Long live the emperor!".^[2] Banzai redirects here. ... Banzai redirects here. ... A battle cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same military unit. ...

The banzai charge was used mainly by Japanese infantry, although the Kamikaze strategy used in World War II could be considered an airborne variant of the banzai charge. Early in World War II, Japanese banzai charges had proven effective as an offensive infantry tactic against poorly-trained Chinese soldiers armed mostly with bolt-action rifles and hand-to-hand combat weapons. Against Allied troops armed with semi-automatic rifles and machine guns, the banzai charge proved to be costly, despite having a chance of success, and its use was largely discontinued, except as a final suicidal gesture by surrounded Japanese forces. It has been suggested that Personnel involved in the development of World War II suicide attacks be merged into this article or section. ... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that, each time the trigger is pulled, fires a single bullet without the need to operate a bolt or other firing or loading mechanism other than the trigger, until the firearms supply of cartridges is depleted. ...

A banzai charge was used during the Cowra breakout. Cowra POW Camp, 1 July, 1944. ...

See also

• Bushido
• Imperial Japanese Army
• Battle of Saipan
• Battle of Iwo Jima
• Battle of Okinawa
• Attu Island

Japanese samurai in armor, 1860s. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Richmond K. Turner, Holland Smith Yoshitsugu Saito Strength 71,000 31,000 Casualties 3,426 killed; 13,160 wounded 24,000 KIA and 5,000 suicides; 921 prisoners The battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi â€  Strength 110,000 22,000 Casualties 4,197 killed[1] 19,189 wounded[1] 1,401 died of wounds[1] 494 missing[1] 20,703 killed[1] 216 captured[1] The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought by the... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada New Zealand Australia Empire of Japan Commanders Simon B. Buckner, Jr. ... Attu Island Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. ...

References

Books

• Bergerud, Eric M. (1997). Touched with Fire : The Land War in the South Pacific. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-024696-7. 
• Harries, Meirion; Susie Harries (1994). Soldiers of the Sun : The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-75303-6. 

Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann based in New York City. ...

Web

• Banzai charge in Saipan Gyokusai (Japanese)

Notes