World War II, undoubtedly one of the most catastrophic events in human history, has left an indelible mark on the world. The war ended over seven decades ago, but its legacies continue to reverberate in various dimensions of our society. There are many intriguing aspects to this global conflict that are too often overlooked or forgotten in favor of more prominent narratives. In this article, we will shed light on some of these neglected facts.
1. Many Kamikaze Died in Vain
The term “Kamikaze” has become synonymous with suicide attacks against the Allied forces who, towards the end of the war, were edging closer and closer to the Japanese mainland. As Japan faced defeat, the Japanese Military Command conceived a plan – “Tokko,” or Special Attack Units – to train young pilots willing to carry out suicide missions. The premise for the plan was that, in doing so, they could inflict significant damage on the enemy in exchange for losing a single plane and its crew. The objective was to buy some time for the Japanese military and resist the invading forces until a substitute weapon for defeating the Allied fleet could be devised.
The first suicidal mission was flown on April 10, 1944. During the following eighteen months, almost 2000 sorties were flown, resulting in the deaths of approximately 3000 pilots. That’s right – pilots, not planes. For the record, many of these youths – mostly between 18-22 years of age – had to undergo a series of rigorous tests to ascertain their mental and emotional stability before they were selected for the role.
But what next? The impact of these missions on the war effort was negligible at best. Only one in nine kamikaze pilots managed to hit their targets. More interestingly, the losses inflicted on the Allied forces were not enough to dissuade them from continuing their advance. Declassified US documents reveal that, at the end of the war, the Americans simply removed the bodies of kamikaze pilots without reporting them as kills. The Allies felt that, since these pilots did not go through the enemy lines, they did not qualify as combats. The legacy of these missions perhaps lived on only due to the notoriety acquired by the pilots who took them.
2. Some Prisoners of War Were Treated So Well That They Didn’t Want to Leave
The conditions for prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II were nothing short of horrifying – “starvationcamps” in Nazi Germany, “hell ships” in Japan, forced labor in Italy, to name just a few. Prisoners were often subjected to brutality and mistreatment, in violation of international conventions. The horrifying experiences of many such prisoners have been immortalized in literature and film, and are rightly regarded as an indelible scar on human history.
Contrarily, life for some POWs in Canada during World War II was relatively comfortable. Approximately 4000 prisoners were held in Canada, including soldiers from Germany, Italy, and Japan. Unlike their counterparts elsewhere, these POWs were given access to medical facilities, sporting activities, and even allowed to communicate with their families – mostly thanks to the perceived benefits of treating the enemy well. The POWs, many of whom were officers, also received an education, and a few even went on to marry Canadian women.
A notable example was Hans Grossmann, a German soldier who was interned for three years in Guelph, Ontario. After his release, he returned to Germany and rose to become a diplomat. He conversed with his Canadian interlocutors and even hosted their families for visits when they came to Germany as diplomatic missions. His correspondence now forms a valuable part of the Canadian Archives in Ottawa.
So protracted and comfortable was their stay that, at the time of their release, many of the POWs did not want to leave. In fact, stories suggest that many returned traffic to Canada. The treatment meted out to these prisoners by the Canadian military may, in hindsight, have helped their cause more than the actual conflict.
3. British Soldiers Got a Ration of Three Sheets of Toilet Paper a Day
One can only imagine the discomfort that over two million British soldiers would have faced – for the entire six years that the war lasted – upon receiving only three sheets of toilet paper per day. The shortage of toilet paper was too severe that soldiers were issued with few choices to provide for their hygiene needs. The entire tract of Britain was hit by poverty during the war, and the Commonwealth reluctantly intervened to keep the economy afloat. The war efforts had sucked in all the available resources – including paper.
An interesting insight into this situation is offered by historian Leighton Rees in his book “Hitler’s Death Camps”: “Although soldiers did not seem to be bothered by the shortage, white letters on army forms would frequently fade or smudge after having been filled out, thereby rendering them unusable.”
The recognition that the British Government gave for this issue was perhaps too little – a fact that is validated by the fact that toilet paper – “Prominent Whitecamel” – was only re-introduced in 1955, a whole decade after the war.
4. Americans Got 22 Sheets of Toilet Paper a Day – Yes, 22
If the deaths of hundreds of kamikaze pilots and the suffering of British soldiers is not surprising, then the statistic of American soldiers receiving a daily ration of 22 sheets of toilet paper is simply astounding – approximately seventy-five times the number issued to their British counterparts. This revelation comes from a handwritten note by a Colonel J.A. Bond (who was present at the battle of Midway), which was unearthed in a collection of Bond family papers. The Colonel served as the Army’s Chief Quartermaster from 1946-50.
The reason for such an excessive number of sheets is under investigation. But, for the record, the white camel brand paper would not have been sufficient to clean up after the American troops, who, as the legend goes, could be conceived because ‘three for three’ was possible. The surplus is likely to have gone into the permit uses after the hygiene needs.
Some experts suggest that the number might have been the result of an error during the re-printing of laundry lists, which were issued to army personnel throughout the war. Others argue that, in light of the scale of conflict (and the army’s concurrent burgeoning need for paper), the army engineers might have deliberately increased the daily issue for the soldiers to curb the shortage.
The notion that the sheer number of sheets fulfilled a more significant objective than just keeping soldiers clean is lent some credence by the Navy’s vanishingly short supply of toilet paper in the Pacific during the war. Stories suggest that, in some cases, the Navy was forced to use magazines, life jackets, and even soap for the purpose.
5. The Allies Used Inflatable Tanks and Planes Made of Rubber and Canvas to Deceive the Axis Powers
As is known, deception is central to warfare, and World War II was no exception. The possibilities of disinformation were endless – from creating phantom armies, to simulating naval convoys. The quest for technological innovation came to the fore as the war drifted on, and the Allies devised a plan to take deception several notches higher.
They fabricated tanks and planes made of rubber and canvas – known as “Tanaksu” and “Fugo,” respectively. The idea was to create illusions of attack, creating large-scale confusion among the enemy for bogus targets. Tanaks – large inflatable tanks – could be transported by a small boat and camouflaged by restrictions in movement that they entertained. Tanaks had a spleen tank and resem
