The Punch Below the Belt (1945)

The Punch Below the Belt pamphlet was issued by the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department in 1945 displaying and explaining Japanese ruses, deception tactics and the use of antipersonnel measures like booby traps and mines. The pamphlet is illustrated with comic style cartoons and pictures, making this a very graphic publication that was designed to train soldiers in the waning days of the war in the Pacific. The text focuses on the nature of the tactics employed by the Japanese.

Even though the booklet is an official military training manual it is filled with racist cartoons and the political correctness of the content and language used is very questionable today. It clearly reflects the response to the Pearl Harbor attack and other atrocities the troops encountered while fighting the Japanese forces.

The favorite Jap punch is below the belt. Probably no army in the history of warfare has equaled the Japs in treachery and craftiness. From the sneak raid in Pearl Harbor, through the various Asiatic and Pacific island campaigns, the Japs have used every trick, every deceit to gain advantage...

Content of the Pamphlet

This is your enemy (Chapter 1)

• Phony Surrender
• Playing Possum
• Friendly Enemies
• Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
• Fifth Columnists
• Scrap of Paper
• Grab Bag

Deception Tactics (Chapter 2)

• Shoot Me, Please
• Inflation
• Deflation
• Infiltration
• Wire Tapping
• Cloaked Fire
• Countermeasures

Ambushes (Chapter 3)

• Hit-and-Run Ambushes
• Tactical Ambushes
• Ambush Alaong a Trail
• Ambush at a Paddy Field

Snipers (Chapter 4)

• How
• Where
• Who
• Tools of the Trade
• Postscript

Camouflage and Dummy Installations (Chapter 5)

• Individual Camouflage
• Camouflage of Small Positions
• Camouflaged Fortifications
• Camouflage of Buildings
• Dummy Weapons and Positions

Antipersonnel Mines (Chapter 6)

• Tape-Measure Mine
• None-metallic Mines
• Beach Mines
• Yardstick Mines

Booby Traps (Chapter 7)

• Hand-Grenade Pressure Trapsü
• Pull-Type Grenade Types
• Explosive Groceries
• Souvenir Hunter Beware
• More Pull-Type Traps
• Pressure-Release Traps
• Traps Set with Trip Wires
• Electrical Traps
• Delay Traps
• Incendiary Traps