The Knights of Bushido

A History of Japanese War Crimes During World War II

The war crimes trials at Nuremberg and Tokyo meted out the Allies' official justice; Lord Russell of Liverpool's sensational bestselling books on the Axis' war crimes decided the public's opinion. The Knights of Bushido, Russell's shocking account of Japanese brutality in the Pacific in World War II, describes how the noble founding principles of the Empire of Japan were perverted by the military into a systematic campaign of torture, murder, starvation, rape, and destruction. Notorious incidents like the Nanking Massacre and the Bataan Death March emerge as merely part of a pattern of human rights abuses. Undoubtedly formidable soldiers, the Japanese were terrible conquerors. Their conduct in the Pacific is a harrowing example of the doctrine of mutual destruction carried to the extreme, and begs the question of what is acceptable—and unacceptable—in total war.©2008 Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

A great book

A great book that has a wonderful source of information on the history of Japan.

Well presented.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I learned quite a lot about the conduct of the Japanese during the war that I had not been aware of.

Very Difficult at Times to Read On...

Would you consider the audio edition of The Knights of Bushido to be better than the print version?

I enjoy audible with a good pair of headphones much more reading a book. Yes it was better for sure.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Really not applicable as there were many. I would have to give the narrator the credit for best performance.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not. I will purchase future books if they are of interest if Mr. Vance is the narrator!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No as I stated at times because of the truth of what really happened in the camps in Japan it was mind boggling how many men were killed and the way they were killed. Truly disgusting is all I can say. I feel more of the persons responsible should have been tried and hung!

Any additional comments?

I would just worn folks this is a very technical account of what really went on in these camps and at times you will get very angry and if you have a lite stomach ill at what you are reading if you think about what transpired. We owe a tremendous amount to the men that sacrificed their lives for out freedom!

The Benighted of Bushido

If you could sum up The Knights of Bushido in three words, what would they be?

Japan's WW2 Crimes

Who was your favorite character and why?

I honor all the more now than before the courage and tenacity of Allied POWs.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Clear, even toned narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Would be too difficult. Too heartbreaking.

Any additional comments?

This is an important, dreadful story. Whenever possible, we need to be reminded of Japan's War Crimes and, more importantly, of their intransigence in owning up to these
crimes against humanity.

Not for the faint of heart

This was a great and terrible book at the same time. My grandma had told me about the hatred for the Japanese during WWII and how two of her high school friends were killed during the Bataan death march, but this book paints the full picture of the depths of depravity and horror that can be conjured up by the human mind.

Countless acts throughout the Sino-Japanese war to WWII are described here and broken into sections that describe how the Japanese dealt with situations (Pilots, Sea Battles, Prison Camps, Civilian Populations, Cannibalism). While it is not chronological, I feel it is a far better way of sorting through the information, as you can begin to see the Japanese mindset towards certain prisoners or situations.

The book does a good job of accurately portraying the horror experienced by the world during this time. The examples are brutal (babies thrown up and "caught" on a bayonet), but it helps show a whole side of World War II that is not talked about much, and gave me a new found admiration of the "Greatest Generation" who overcame such evil.