ABSTRACT
This chapter examines broadly how the British and Japanese fought each other, focusing on the main reasons for the turn-round in fortunes of the two protagonists. It shows how Britain’s failure to resource its Far East defence commitments properly before World War II led to early defeat against a well prepared and determined enemy. It explores the efforts required to bring British forces up to a standard at which they were eventually able to overcome the Japanese and the effects of these improvements on the outcome of battle as the war progressed. It also demonstrates the important influence that the United States (US) had on British war aims and strategy. It looks briefly at the particular difficulties of the environment and the savagery that accompanied the fighting, but it does not examine the latter of these issues in depth, as that is done in other chapters. Although concentrating on the military, rather than the political, level, these considerations help to provide a foundation for an understanding of the development of reconciliation and relationships after the war.
