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Japanese woodcut print depicting an infantry charge in the Russo-Japanese War. Banzai charge or Banzai attack (Japanese: バンザイ突撃 or 万歳突撃, romanized: banzai totsugeki) is the term that was used by the Allied forces of World War II to refer to Japanese human wave attacks and swarming staged by infantry units.
Attu is the only land battle in which Japanese and American forces fought in snowy conditions, in contrast with the tropical climate in the rest of the Pacific. The battle ended when most of the Japanese defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat after a final banzai charge broke through American lines.
Allied forces under General John L. DeWitt took control of the island on 30 May after the remaining Japanese troops conducted a massive banzai charge. American forces lost 549 killed and 1,148 wounded, with another 2,100 evacuated because of weather-related injuries. During the battle all but 29 men of the Japanese garrison were killed.
A battle to reclaim Attu was launched on 11 May 1943 and completed after a final Japanese banzai charge on 29 May. On 15 August 1943 an invasion force landed on Kiska in the wake of a sustained three-week barrage, only to discover that the Japanese had withdrawn from the island on 29 July.
In the days after the landings, the Marines expected the usual Japanese banzai charge during the night. This had been the standard Japanese defense strategy in previous island battles against enemy ground forces in the Pacific, such as during the Battle of Saipan in June 1944. In those attacks, for which the Marines had usually been at least ...
By 7 July, the Japanese had nowhere to retreat. [3] Over Nagumo's objections, Saito made plans for a final suicidal banzai charge. On the fate of the remaining civilians on the island, Saitō said, "There is no longer any distinction between civilians and troops. It would be better for them to join in the attack with bamboo spears than be ...
Two hours later, the Japanese forces launched an all-out banzai charge in great numbers in an attempt to wipe out the Malay troops ahead through sheer numbers and overarching strength. The attack, conducted again with artillery shelling and tank support, overwhelmed the Malay Regiment and the defence line eventually broke.
A large banzai charge was made at 03:00 and met with some success, killing 45 Americans and wounding 128. [33] With support from the destroyers Schroeder and Sigsbee, the Marines killed 325 Japanese attackers. [33] At 04:00 the Japanese attacked Major Jones' 1st Battalion, 6th Marines in force.