World War 2: Ten Oddest Things about Japan’s Army

 

The oddest things about the Japanese army in World War 2 include:

The Bicycle Blitzkrieg: In the 1941–42 Malayan campaign, Japanese troops confiscated thousands of bicycles from locals and used them for rapid jungle advances, covering up to 50 km per day without fuel, outpacing Allied forces in a surprising "bicycle infantry" success.

Balloon Bombs: Japan launched over 9,000 hydrogen-filled paper balloons carrying incendiaries across the Pacific via jet stream to bomb North America. About 300 reached the U.S./Canada; one killed six civilians in Oregon—the only deaths in the continental U.S. from enemy action.

Unit 731 Atrocities: This secret unit conducted horrific human experiments on thousands of prisoners to develop biological weapons.

Holdout Soldiers: Dozens of Japanese soldiers refused to surrender for years or decades after 1945, living in jungles. Hiroo Onoda held out in the Philippines until 1974—nearly 30 years—still fighting a guerrilla war.

Spain: Legends and Lore

Bermuda: Legends and Lore