WWII E165 - Demilitarizing a Defeated Empire
Mon Jan 12 2026
On 22 September 1945, the 5th Marine Division entered Sasebo Harbor under Japanese pilotage. Marines cleaned and stabilized a burned, silent city, secured depots and key sites, and watched a wary civilian population slowly reappear.
From Sasebo, the division spreads across northern Kyushu, locking down airfields, rail junctions, coastal guns, and ammunition dumps, while also helping run repatriation and displaced-person processing. This episode tracks the shift from assault warfare to tense, day-to-day control: demilitarization, sanitation and disease prevention, restrictions on liberty, black markets, and the pressure of demobilization.
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Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media
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On 22 September 1945, the 5th Marine Division entered Sasebo Harbor under Japanese pilotage. Marines cleaned and stabilized a burned, silent city, secured depots and key sites, and watched a wary civilian population slowly reappear. From Sasebo, the division spreads across northern Kyushu, locking down airfields, rail junctions, coastal guns, and ammunition dumps, while also helping run repatriation and displaced-person processing. This episode tracks the shift from assault warfare to tense, day-to-day control: demilitarization, sanitation and disease prevention, restrictions on liberty, black markets, and the pressure of demobilization. Support the Show Listen ad-free and a week early on historyofthemarinecorps.supercast.com Donate directly at historyofthemarinecorps.com Try a free 30-day Audible trial at audibletrial.com/marinehistory Social Media Instagram - @historyofthemarines Facebook - @marinehistory Twitter - @marinehistory