J 170

日本軍將兵諸君

To officers and men of the Japanese forces

昭和十九年一月三十一日、米軍は海陸空三位一体の作戦を以てマーシャル群島を襲撃、僅々三日にして其主要根據地たるクゥジャロンの占領を見、ついで二月十六日同じくマーシャル群島東北部に位するエニウェトク島とカロリン群嶋中のトラックを砲爆撃、而してまた一方カビエン及ラバウルにも艦砲射撃を加へた。

On January 31, 1942, U.S. forces attacked the Marshall Islands with a combined sea, land, and air assault, capturing the key stronghold of Kwajaleon in just three days, followed on February 16 by bombardment of Eniwetok Island, also in the northeast Marshall Islands, and Truk in the Caroline Islands, and then naval fire on Kavieng and Rabaul.

トラックに於ける艦船十八隻航空機百廿の喪失は、しばらく大本営の発表によるも、諸君が既に御承知の通りである。今やエニウェトクもおちた。

The loss of eighteen ships and one hundred and twenty aircraft in Truk was announced by the headquarters previously, as you are already aware. Eniwetok has now fallen as well.

しかして此等作戦が本格的日本側の妨なしに行はれた事は連合軍が中央並びに南太平洋方面において制海制空の両権を握り居る事を示すもので、この優勢なる聯合国海軍に対し日本海軍は日本々土及至は内線が攻撃せらる、まで戦を肯ぜざるは明である。

However, the fact that these operations were conducted without full-scale Japanese interference showed that the United Forces held both sea and air control in the Central and South Pacific, and that the Japanese Navy would not accept battle against the superior United States Navy until it attacked the Japanese homeland or the Japanese inner zone.

俄然二月廿一日に至り參謀総長元帥陸軍大将杉山元、軍令部総長帥海軍大將永野修身は其職を免んぜられた。

Suddenly, on February 21, General Gen Sugiyama, Chief of the General Staff, and Admiral Osami Nagano, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, were relieved of their posts.

軍部も遅蒔乍ら過去一年間に於ける作戦計画の杜撰、百千の將兵をして遠隔の地に放置、補給の道もたえだえに、各所犬死せしめた事をさとった。

The military was also late in coming to grips with the sloppy planning of operations over the past year, which left 10,000 officers and men in remote areas with no way to supply supplies, resulting in futile deaths in various places.

当初よりの作戦計画が正しかったら今更「敵艦隊の近づくを待って一挙に」を云々するの要を見ぬもの、又今回の更迭は必勝の信念を失った者の形相、何らの効果もなく、日露戦争当時「内に山県あり、外に児玉あり」のあの終始一貫水も漏らさぬ陣容にくらべると実に隔世の感がある。

If the original plan of operations had been correct from the beginning, there would have been no need for the "wait for the enemy fleet to approach and then decisively attack" to be discussed.

The removal of the commanders from their posts this time is the expression of a man who has lost faith in certain victory, and has had no effect whatsoever. Compared to the "Yamagata inside, Kodama outside" formation of the time of the Russo-Japanese War, which was consistent from start to finish, this is truly a world apart.

且つ東條首相の參謀總長兼任嶋田海相の軍令部總長兼任はこの日本有史以来未層有の国難に際し、いかに人物が払底しておるかを如実に示すと同時に、この少数者の手中に文武百般の権力を握らねばならぬまでにたち至った事は時局の頗る重大化した事、今後は本土防衛を主に、南方軍の如きは切り捨てである事に日本の腹がきまったことを示すものであろう。

At the same time, Prime Minister Tojo's concurrent appointment as Chief of General Staff and Minister Shimada's concurrent appointment as Chief of the General Staff of the Military Headquarters showed how few men were left at a time of unprecedented national crisis in Japan's history, the fact that the power of civil and military affairs has come to be in the hands of such a small number of people indicates that the situation has become extremely grave and that Japan has decided to focus mainly on the defense of the mainland and to cut off all military forces in the south.