You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar) [Hardcover]

Allison B. Gilmore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998 | Series: Studies in War, Society, and the Militar

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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 )

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

"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 )

"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 )

About the Author

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803221673
• ISBN-13: 978-0803221673
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,800,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Guide into Psychological Operations, January 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar) (Hardcover)

As a former US Psychological Operations (PSYOP) specialist, I found Allison Gilmore's study of the US PSYWAR efforts against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War not only historically interesting but also invaluable. Psychological Operations is often misunderstood as "mind-control" and evoke a dark image of disseminating lies through Tokyo Rose and Bagdad Betty. Although such kinds of "grey" or "black" PSYOP is practiced, it represents a small aspect of PSYOP. Especially in the US PSYOP, truth is held to be the most important weapon in persuading and convincing enemies to give-up resistence. A prime example is the Gulf War, in which the US PSYOP campaign was credited with contributing to the massive surrender of the Iraqi troops: US PSYOPers provided essential news and battle situations information to convince the Iraqi's of their inevitable defeat. Gilmore describes the evolution of Allied PSYOP efforts from the beginning to the end. Contrary to the widely-held view during the war in the US that the Japanese soldiers were impervious to any kind of persuation to give-up their fight because of their dedication to their Emporer, superiors, and their nation, Gilmore delineates, step-by-step, how the Allied PSYOPers analysed impact of battle conditions on the average Japanese soldiers, sorted-out psychological "weaknesses," and formulated proper messages to exploit those weaknesses and evetually defeat the Japanese "psychologically." In a sense, this book provides "how-to" knowledge and dispels myths surrounding PSYOP. As the saying goes, "honesty is the best policy," in PSYOP, verifiable truths, rather than lies, will win-over your enemies. Anyone interested in learning more about PSYOP or Pacific War, "You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets" should be an essential part of their reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on psychological warfare., February 14, 2003

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar) (Paperback)

The book follows the development of psychological warfare, at first with a little history and then getting into details about its use against the Japanese. The author points out that the use of propaganda was not very effective till the Japanese started to lose and till the Allies learned what did and did not work. Getting to know the enemy and finding his weak points is as important as selecting the right words to use and finding out if it's working. Truth is VERY important as you want the reader to trust you as a source of REAL information, information he/she can see as observable facts or can be checked on later.
The author breaks down the basics of GOOD psywar operations with a number of general conclusions near the end. A must for anybody interested in military history or the Pacific Theater during World War Two.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, June 7, 2009

By 

Ben Kuhn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar) (Paperback)

Overall a great book, very short and to the point. The only complaint I had was that the countless abreviations used by the author make the book nearly impossible to follow. Other than that the book offers great insight into the psychological war fought against Japan.