How A Lone WWII Plane Tortured American Soldiers In The Pacific

Washing Machine Charlie and The Psychology Of War

Japanese float planes were used to harass American soldiers (Public domain)

In 1942 the US Marines’ position on the island of Guadalcanal was perilous. Their beachhead was small, their supply lines were stretched, and conditions on the island were slowly deteriorating. Many people in the US military command were quietly planning for a possible pullout and abandonment of the island. There was not enough food to go around, the weather varied between blazing hot to soaking wet, and disease was rampant.

In addition to that, every night, there was an unwanted visitor. After the sun went down a lone float plane or cruiser-bound scout plane would circle the island in the dark. The plane was not there to make a surprise attack, nor was it going to cause a large amount of material damage. But the soldiers hated it with a burning passion.

The plane was called Washing Machine Charlie by irritated marines huddled in their foxholes. Washingmachine Charlie was another item from the Japanese’s impressive psychological warfare toolbox, and it did its job beautifully.

Psychological Warfare

The Imperial Japanese were some of the best in modern history at conducting psychological warfare. Almost everything they did had a dual purpose…