My father was at the battle with the 6th Marine Division. One of the few stories he told me was clearing a village that had come under 16 inch naval gunfire. He was deeply affected by the devastation. RIP, Dad.
In the excellent book, "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa", author E.B. Sledge recalls his experiences in the operation on Okinawa. While it wasn't quite as bloody as Peleliu (which sounded like hell on earth), Okinawa was still extremely deadly. And he was in the "easier" Marine campaign that went to the north of the island! Every vet I've ever talked to who fought against the imperial Japanese army in the Pacific said that a boots on the ground attack on Japan would have resulted in a huge U.S. death toll.
I was a Firecontrol tech on the USS Cushing DD-985, 1986 to 1990. My primary NEC was 1129, MK86 GFCS Data and Display. Also I worked on the Harpoon System. Mk 86 was the 5" gun system. I was both WCC and COC operators during NGFS shoots. The concept and process had changed little except as technology improves. The accuracy is amazing. I love being part of it. I served 1984 to 1994.
I spent 5 years on Okinawa in the 70’s and 80’s. I explored a lot of the tunnels and caves there. It was a very hard life for both US and Japanese troops.
@@tonyromano6220 it sure was. We used to go out every weekend with metal detectors and find relics. We found e few bodies of Japanese soldiers and sailors. We reported them so the officials could remove them and lay them to rest. There is still a lot of unexploded ordnance there also.
I was there as a kid for two years in 1952-53. We explored the caves and bunkers despite our parents' prohibitions. Streambeds were littered with human bone fragments, clips, cartridge cases, machinegun links, etc. We were playing on the floor of hell. I sometimes feel bad about it. But we were just thoughtless kids.
@@Axgoodofdunemaul You must be a Navy Brat like me ! I was at Yokuska Japan 1958 to 1960 . We also explored dangerous caves against our parents warnings
After one of these documentaries, I went to Google Earth to look for the Castle. Is any of it still there and if so where? Thanks to you guys who’ve been there.
The old obsolete U.S. battleships leftover from WWI were refitted for WWII but were still slow, drank a lot of fuel and were vulnerable to.air attack. They did prove themselves valuable in the final months of the war as floating artillery platforms utilizing their 12, 14 and 16 inch guns. The newer battlewagons of WWII (like Missouri and Iowa) were faster & had better defenses for at sea use and their effective usage (through refitting) lasted into the final decades of the 20th century.
Imagine being a lowly Japanese soldier stuck in some cave on Okinawa, and seeing the battleships take up station off your mountain. Then wondering with every muzzle blast if that will be the shell which ends you. How absolutely terrifying.
Being subject to non stop heavy artillery barrages will break your mind. It literally drives people insane. The will power of the Japanese soldier is to be commended.
@@mackfisher4487 What really is overlooked today is the fact that the bombs saved Japanese lives as you mentioned. An invasion would have exposed large numbers of civilians to combat conditions and would have been used by the Japanese as improvised combat forces. It would have been extremely costly to both sides.
We learned how different and treatcherous Amphibious landings were because of this experience we were able to have a successful DDay landing . It would have not been successful with our naval bombardment !
The amount of naval gunfire delivered on Okinawa was incredible. When I was there in 1974-75, the Japanese were doing work on constructing a large hotel near Shuri. The construction people found a huge amount of unexploded artillery shells in a relatively close area and they suspected a Japanese artillery ammo dump. When the Japanese EOD people investigated, they discovered the shells were almost all US naval 5-inch shells fired into the Shuri Castle defenses and were just the duds. The US EOD had to respond and clear the area. Think about that. Such a large group of duds in a concentrated area to make people think it was an ammo dump. Makes you wonder how many fired into the area actually exploded.
I was stationed on Oki in 74-76, maybe we crossed paths. I found a land mine walking on a beach up north and unexploded ordinance while snorkling near shore down south. Worked at USArmy Hospital Camp Kue, then hospital given to USNavy. I lived in Futenma. Seems like a dream now...
There are some videos available about the battle from the Japanese side of things; executive’s summary is that they were screwed, in a miserable and impoverished state, and they fully knew it. War is hell, make no mistake.
I did my forward observer training in Okinawa before we deployed to the middle east. Camp Hanson probably doesn't even have a NGFT facility anymore since the big guns have been replaced by guided munitions. Pretty much anyone with a uv laser pointer can mark a target now. The hundred pounds of radio equipment has been replaced by the cell phone, and GPS has removed the need to adjust fire and set up a difficult artillery gun line. Semper fi Earthlings If you only knew the crap we go through.
I was an artillery trained RTO then FO in I Corps. (Americal Div.) Viet Nam in 68-69. Maps wrapped in plastic and the old PRC-77 and a shit load of batteries. What a mess. Spent 4 months in the Army hospital Fort Buckner. We could go up on the roof and watch the B-52's take off from Kadena going to VN.
My dad was there on the battleship USS Idaho, radar operations. I saw the Idaho at the 13:03 mark of the video. Thank you PeriscopeFilm for a memory of my Father.
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As my dad explained it to me, Okinawa and Midway were where the US learned that the Japanese absolutely would not surrender no matter what in a hand-to-hand fight. Invading the Japanese mainland with troops instead of using nuclear bombs was still a possibility until the US reviewed these battles and learned that there was no point trying to get to a surrender via ground combat.
Thank goodness for the A-Bombs: their timing was incredibly fortuitous. Can you imagine the Allies having to do this for 2 more years across the entire Japanese mainland? Hill by hill? Leveling city by city? 120,000 Okinowan civilians died in this maelstrom, from the Japanese army using them as human shields, and suicides. Multiply that by AT LEAST 10 times (probably much more) for the Japanese mainland, because the Okinowans didn't fight like the Japanese civilians would have. Japanese kids were being trained to attack US troops with sticks! Yes, the A-bombs uniquely and literally flipped a switch and turned off the war in a virtual snap of the fingers. Japan surrendered AND withdrew from the cities and countries where they'd enslaved people for nearly a decade, some even longer: Manchuria, China, Korea, Taiwan, and across Asia. Those bombs prevented 2 more years of war which would have left the door open to the risk of Japan developing an A-bomb (or dirty bomb), putting it in a submarine, sailing it into San Francisco harbor, surfacing and killing 1 million American civilians!!! That is why the USA's active military involvement in the war was ONLY 3 years and 8 months (unlike our ridiculous 20-year wars today). Roosevelt & Truman knew that any day they might be woken up with the news that NYC or San Francisco or Miami was destroyed with an A-Bomb from the NAZIS or Japanese Empire. Thus the need to win at all costs and as fast as possible. And the A-bombs did just that. The greatest generation did good! And we enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices to this day.
@@lawrenceallen8096 There is no way the Japanese could have built an atomic bomb. The electricity required alone was far beyond anything they could have every produced. Oak Ridge alone used one-seventh of all the electricity produced in the United States. Making an atomic bomb was far beyond what the Japanese could have done, even before the conventional bombing campaign destroyed their limited industrial capabilities. The US was no longer in any real danger from the Japanese, but without the bomb ending the war by invasion would certainly have cost way too much in lives on both sides.
@@lawrenceallen8096 actually the A-bomb was not as devastating as the fire bombing of Tokyo. Im not sure that it would have been needed if they had kept up the bombing. With how Japanese building were constructed I think a sustained fire bombing campaign had the potential to be far more devastating then the A-bombs.
Served early 60s on Okinawa. This excellent film not available then but would have been valuable addition to local history. An uncle who served in 45 said that not a tree was left standing. Evidence of that fact was still evident when I was there. As mentioned earlier, Okinawans were governed by US military (high commissioner) until reversion. Have learned recently that Okinawans have erected numerous memorials, by town, to their losses and general memorial listing the name of ALL dead, US and Japanese.
Thank goodness for the A-Bombs: their timing was incredibly fortuitous. Can you imagine the Allies having to do this for 2 more years across the entire Japanese mainland? Hill by hill? Leveling city by city? 120,000 Okinowan civilians died in this maelstrom, from the Japanese army using them as human shields, and suicides. Multiply that by AT LEAST 10 times (probably much more) for the Japanese mainland, because the Okinowans didn't fight like the Japanese civilians would have. Japanese kids were being trained to attack US troops with sticks! Yes, the A-bombs uniquely and literally flipped a switch and turned off the war in a virtual snap of the fingers. Japan surrendered AND withdrew from the cities and countries where they'd enslaved people for nearly a decade, some even longer: Manchuria, China, Korea, Taiwan, and across Asia. Those bombs prevented 2 more years of war which would have left the door open to the risk of Japan developing an A-bomb (or dirty bomb), putting it in a submarine, sailing it into San Francisco harbor, surfacing and killing 1 million American civilians!!! That is why the USA's active military involvement in the war was ONLY 3 years and 8 months (unlike our ridiculous 20-year wars today). Roosevelt & Truman knew that any day they might be woken up with the news that NYC or San Francisco or Miami was destroyed with an A-Bomb from the NAZIS or Japanese Empire. Thus the need to win at all costs and as fast as possible. And the A-bombs did just that. The greatest generation did good! And we enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices to this day.
You'd think after we leveled 67 other cities that it wouldn't come to that. People say "we didn't have to...", but yes, that's EXACTLY how far we had to go to prove our resolve.
The logistics of the USA armed forces is incredible and its soldiers fight hard and the Japanese the level of resistance admirable too, incredible battle. In this batlle can saw the hard work of the people in the industrial american complex, give there gains.
I was on Okinawa from June 71 to December 72 , I wish I knew more about the battle then , than I know today.I was stationed at the Southern end of the island at Yoza Dake air station (radar site)
@Dan Beech I didn't say that brutal treatment proved anything. I said it was consistent. It was something I read on this topic. No need to take on into straw men
What was the biggest reason for Pres. Truman to authorize the use of the atomic bomb on two Japanese cities. Certainly the largest factor was the Japanese refusal to surrender as demonstrated on Okinawa American dead:12,000, wounded:37,000, Japanese dead: 109,000. With those figures the projected casualties to invade the Japanese home islands were over 1 million.
Yes, thank goodness for the A-Bombs: their timing was incredibly fortuitous. Can you imagine the Allies having to do this for 2 more years across the entire Japanese mainland? Hill by hill? Leveling city by city? 120,000 Okinowan civilians died in this maelstrom, from the Japanese army using them as human shields, and suicides. Multiply that by AT LEAST 10 times (probably much more) for the Japanese mainland, because the Okinowans didn't fight like the Japanese civilians would have. Japanese kids were being trained to attack US troops with sticks! Yes, the A-bombs uniquely and literally flipped a switch and turned off the war in a virtual snap of the fingers. Japan surrendered AND withdrew from the cities and countries where they'd enslaved people for nearly a decade, some even longer: Manchuria, China, Korea, Taiwan, and across Asia. Those bombs prevented 2 more years of war which would have left the door open to the risk of Japan developing an A-bomb (or dirty bomb), putting it in a submarine, sailing it into San Francisco harbor, surfacing and killing 1 million American civilians!!! That is why the USA's active military involvement in the war was ONLY 3 years and 8 months (unlike our ridiculous 20-year wars today). Roosevelt & Truman knew that any day they might be woken up with the news that NYC or San Francisco or Miami was destroyed with an A-Bomb from the NAZIS or Japanese Empire. Thus the need to win at all costs and as fast as possible. And the A-bombs did just that. The greatest generation did good! And we enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices to this day.
@@lawrenceallen8096 Not only that, can you imagine our men having to mow down women and children that the Japanese were training to fight us? That's exactly what they'd have had to do. Like PTSD wasn't bad enough already.
@@SealofPerfection Yep. That said, that was an ugly, ugly war...for soldiers and civilians. Bombing isn't clean either. Listen to Victor Gregg. th-cam.com/video/suOBgOk1SgY/w-d-xo.html
My father fought on Okinawa. My very first memory of him includes asking about the Japanese Army rifle he kept under his bed. He told me that without the Atomic Bombs I never would have been born, nor an entire generation of Americans.
My dad was a brand new 17 yo Marine at this time-- stayed in til 1971- then worked on the DMZ till retirement in 1998. Retired 2 years and died jan 2000.
I liked this restricted classified episode of the landing at Okinawa during ww2 showing actual footage of how the us fought the Japanese and the US used all the wepons at there disposal to fight a life and death struggle to take the Island
@@MrJohnsmith507 We had shells ready to fire of phosgene and mustard gas. Japan was not a signatory of the Geneva Convention unlike Germany. Phosgene and mustard gas used to sink down and linger in the World War I trenches. Imagine the effect on the Japanese cave systems. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
This video seems like an explanation of basic tactics soon to be used in China. The reds hate the Japanese for what they did to them in WWII. However, they threaten to do the same to the countries surrounding them. There's little doubt they will commit even more atrocities if allowed to do so.
I spent 3 years on Oki, 1970 to’73. At that time there were large artillery impact areas that were marked with signs. I was stationed on Torii Station an Army base with with the U S Navy. The base was part of the invasion beaches. I really liked the Okinawan people. One on one they were great
NGFS was my job. Good times. Visit Shuri Castle today, and you will see that the bottom one foot of wall looks different from the rest of the outer wall. That’s because it’s all that remained of the original wall. The rest was rebuilt many years later.
In the USMC, my 1st duty station was in Okinawa at Camp Kinser in 1997. This is located in Naha. This video interested me for this fact, along with the unit that I was a part of at Camp Pendleton in CA from 1998 to 2000. This unit was 1st ANGLICO (Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company). This is exactly the mission of our unit. We support allied forces by calling supporting fire missions. Our predecessor was Joint Assault Signal Company, or JASCO in WWII. We excel at calling fire missions in small observer teams for every form of supporting fire to aid in defense and offense of the unit we're assigned to in combat.
Towards the end of this video there's mention of the quantity and tonnage of naval ordnance that was expended in this campaign. At my fingertips I have some detailed stats of what the US Naval ships used in the prior battle at Iwo Jima (February 1945), where the following is quoted from the "World at War" magazine issue February/March 2018: Over a 35 day span of Naval bombardment on Iwo Jima: 2.4K of 16 inch rounds 5.7K of 14 inch rounds 1.4K of 12 inch rounds 11.7K of 8 inch rounds The total tonnage of the above rounds came out to approx. 9K tons. Considering that all the above had to be transported across the length of the Pacific Ocean, the numbers are staggering to imagine.
Thank you for very important and historic information, abaut of Second Ward on the Pacific Ocean. Sincerely . Edgar H. Ayala C. Quito Ecuador Sud America
There is a story of a Japanese movement of artillery and troops in the open they failed to report. They kicked them selves in the butt for that mistake.The Navy gun fire was superb! They did this with kamikaze’s raining down on the fleet! They took horrible casualties!
My dad was assigned to Okinawa in the early 50's. His biggest job was battlefield clean up. The larger navy shells where easy to find as they tended to roll down hill if they failed to explode and would all be found in the bottom of the ravines. A lot of material was still left in the fields where they had been damaged or destroyed.
As per 18:30... 33,000 tons of ordnance delivered onto the islands. That's a hell of a lot of steel, whether blown into jagged chunks or still in one piece. Your Dad had a big job, respect to him.
I’m speechless… the pure logistics of this AND the invasion of Germany and the invasion of Italy and the bomber offensive plus the lend lease to Russia. It’s not easy to comprehend.
Today, there is no way the US could mount the manufacturing effort that won WWII. Hell, we use foreign made parts in our aircraft and ships now. We couldn't even provide the uniforms to a massive armed forces if we ever have to mobilize again. We couldn't produce the steel, copper, and aluminum needed to rapidly expand the navy. Our political and business "leaders" have been very short sighted.
I lived there from 1957-1959 at Naha and kadena; found numerous caves and tunnels; it was a history experience i'll never forget also went to the teahouse of the august moon and suicide cliff.
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From April 87 to April 88, I was stationed at Camp Hansen with 7th Comm Bn Okinawa. I was able to go into some of the caves that were still there. I saw a few that had Japanese writing on the walls as well as what I was sure were bullet holes in the walls. Did a lot of sight seeing when off duty. Of the two places, I like being at MCAS Iwakuni (80/81) better.
The naval bombardment didn’t do all that much. The only thing good they did was the star shells. The Japanese withdrew from the Naha line under the noses of the navy, and they didn’t get much damage while withdrawing. This is propaganda and way off reality.
these fellas took the brunt of the punishing war to defeat dai nippon,( aussies, brits and new zealers youse too) most chinese alive today are unaware of what we did let alone their own massacre at tiennaman in 89 apr The committee erased it and a lot more from their school classes and news,
I don't know about assigning ships a fire pattern against enemy aircraft..... if the enemy is within range you shoot period! Or I'm not understanding the narration? 6:50 mark.
There is a good book called "typhoon of steel" written by William Belote and his brother. The book gives a great overview of our naval operations there. I will add that admiral Jack Spruance distinguished himself as the finest naval officer in the Pacific.
I can't tell you about suicide "boats" specifically, but Drachinifel has a video on "Midget Submarines of WWII" which covers the Japanese range of manned torpedo suicide weapons and midget submarines, some of which were also intended to be used in suicide attacks. The Japanese chiefs of staff took full advantage of their men's willingness to die for the Emperor, by air, land and sea (although I guess that a lot of those men were probably not-so-willing "volunteers", particularly in the testing stages of each new variant).
Only a fool in the Japanese command could have thought of letting the Marine Corp establishment of a secure beachhead and withdrawn to the mountains. The Marines and the Navy clearing out the last lines of resistance in eighty days was masterful. The Japanese Imperial forces had a very low opinion of the US fighting men. The USMC taught them they were dead wrong.
Makes me sad to think about all the marines and GI's that were killed by their own ships guns... USN 'friendly' fire killed more allies than I believe enemy.
The United States military attacked itself on 9/11 because they found out in Vietnam that a draft would not let them fight illegal wars WW2 was a colossal waste of skill flesh and finance
The Japanese you met were undoubtedly nice people. And many of the Japanese back in WWII were also nice people. But the Japanese militarists and many in the Japanese military were not very nice people at all. For starters you should read about what they did in Nanjing, China and about the Bataan Death March. The Japanese soldiers were particularly brutal towards prisoners of war and foreign civilians in places that they had conquered and subjugated.
My father was at the battle with the 6th Marine Division. One of the few stories he told me was clearing a village that had come under 16 inch naval gunfire. He was deeply affected by the devastation. RIP, Dad.
Respect to your father, Semper Fi
🇺🇸😞
Until you both meet again brother
2/6?
@@petegregory517 not sure. I believe 29th Marines., 6th Div. He is in "The history of the 6th Marines" Purple Heart section.
I lived there for 4 years in the sixties before the island was returned to Japan. The Okinawans did not consider themselves Japanese.
So true.
i was there mid sixties also but i was a kid
In the excellent book, "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa", author E.B. Sledge recalls his experiences in the operation on Okinawa. While it wasn't quite as bloody as Peleliu (which sounded like hell on earth), Okinawa was still extremely deadly. And he was in the "easier" Marine campaign that went to the north of the island! Every vet I've ever talked to who fought against the imperial Japanese army in the Pacific said that a boots on the ground attack on Japan would have resulted in a huge U.S. death toll.
Great book!
Thanks for the book recommendation
After spending a month in the northern part of Okinawa Sledge and his company where sent down to the south to relieve the army units fighting there.
I was a Firecontrol tech on the USS Cushing DD-985, 1986 to 1990. My primary NEC was 1129, MK86 GFCS Data and Display. Also I worked on the Harpoon System. Mk 86 was the 5" gun system. I was both WCC and COC operators during NGFS shoots. The concept and process had changed little except as technology improves. The accuracy is amazing. I love being part of it. I served 1984 to 1994.
@Chris Carr Thank you for your service.
I spent 5 years on Okinawa in the 70’s and 80’s. I explored a lot of the tunnels and caves there. It was a very hard life for both US and Japanese troops.
Bit harder on the Japanese I thinks.
@@tonyromano6220 it sure was. We used to go out every weekend with metal detectors and find relics. We found e few bodies of Japanese soldiers and sailors. We reported them so the officials could remove them and lay them to rest. There is still a lot of unexploded ordnance there also.
I was there as a kid for two years in 1952-53. We explored the caves and bunkers despite our parents' prohibitions. Streambeds were littered with human bone fragments, clips, cartridge cases, machinegun links, etc. We were playing on the floor of hell. I sometimes feel bad about it. But we were just thoughtless kids.
@@Axgoodofdunemaul
You must be a Navy Brat like me ! I was at Yokuska Japan 1958 to 1960 . We also explored dangerous caves against our parents warnings
After one of these documentaries, I went to Google Earth to look for the Castle. Is any of it still there and if so where? Thanks to you guys who’ve been there.
The old obsolete U.S. battleships leftover from WWI were refitted for WWII but were still slow, drank a lot of fuel and were vulnerable to.air attack. They did prove themselves valuable in the final months of the war as floating artillery platforms utilizing their 12, 14 and 16 inch guns. The newer battlewagons of WWII (like Missouri and Iowa) were faster & had better defenses for at sea use and their effective usage (through refitting) lasted into the final decades of the 20th century.
Imagine being a lowly Japanese soldier stuck in some cave on Okinawa, and seeing the battleships take up station off your mountain. Then wondering with every muzzle blast if that will be the shell which ends you. How absolutely terrifying.
They dug trenches and coconut log bunkers . They did alright
Being subject to non stop heavy artillery barrages will break your mind. It literally drives people insane. The will power of the Japanese soldier is to be commended.
if the shell is going to hit you you won't hear it they move faster than the speed of sound
Don't feel a bit sorry for them they started it at Peral Harbor
A lot like being in WWI under continuous artillery fire in the trenches, I'd imagine.
Can't imagine the casualties the US would have suffered without the naval gunfire support.
Might I add that two atomic bombs dropped regardless of the renders casualties also ended the war and save many lives on both sides.
@@mackfisher4487 What really is overlooked today is the fact that the bombs saved Japanese lives as you mentioned. An invasion would have exposed large numbers of civilians to combat conditions and would have been used by the Japanese as improvised combat forces. It would have been extremely costly to both sides.
@@Whitpusmc My father was fighting in the pacific. I kinda fortunate that he didn’t have to fight on the Japanese mainland
@@Whitpusmc Absolutely, look what happened in Manila:
th-cam.com/video/ZBZjTbotmg0/w-d-xo.html
We learned how different and treatcherous Amphibious landings were because of this experience we were able to have a successful DDay landing . It would have not been successful with our naval bombardment !
The amount of naval gunfire delivered on Okinawa was incredible. When I was there in 1974-75, the Japanese were doing work on constructing a large hotel near Shuri. The construction people found a huge amount of unexploded artillery shells in a relatively close area and they suspected a Japanese artillery ammo dump. When the Japanese EOD people investigated, they discovered the shells were almost all US naval 5-inch shells fired into the Shuri Castle defenses and were just the duds. The US EOD had to respond and clear the area. Think about that. Such a large group of duds in a concentrated area to make people think it was an ammo dump. Makes you wonder how many fired into the area actually exploded.
I was stationed on Oki in 74-76, maybe we crossed paths. I found a land mine walking on a beach up north and unexploded ordinance while snorkling near shore down south. Worked at USArmy Hospital Camp Kue, then hospital given to USNavy. I lived in Futenma.
Seems like a dream now...
There are some videos available about the battle from the Japanese side of things; executive’s summary is that they were screwed, in a miserable and impoverished state, and they fully knew it. War is hell, make no mistake.
I was station on Okinawa for a year between 1956 and 1957 seen a lot places were the fighting took place.
Some of the units on Okinawa suffered over 100% casualties, meaning that replacements were killed or wounded as they came up to those units.
I did my forward observer training in Okinawa before we deployed to the middle east. Camp Hanson probably doesn't even have a NGFT facility anymore since the big guns have been replaced by guided munitions. Pretty much anyone with a uv laser pointer can mark a target now. The hundred pounds of radio equipment has been replaced by the cell phone, and GPS has removed the need to adjust fire and set up a difficult artillery gun line.
Semper fi Earthlings
If you only knew the crap we go through.
I was an artillery trained RTO then FO in I Corps. (Americal Div.) Viet Nam in 68-69. Maps wrapped in plastic and the old PRC-77 and a shit load of batteries. What a mess. Spent 4 months in the Army hospital Fort Buckner. We could go up on the roof and watch the B-52's take off from Kadena going to VN.
Hanson for NGFT in ‘72. Stationed with 2/6 Walking Dead at Schwab.
My dad was there on the battleship USS Idaho, radar operations. I saw the Idaho at the 13:03 mark of the video. Thank you PeriscopeFilm for a memory of my Father.
God bless your father for his service to our nation. And thanks for the comment.
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As my dad explained it to me, Okinawa and Midway were where the US learned that the Japanese absolutely would not surrender no matter what in a hand-to-hand fight. Invading the Japanese mainland with troops instead of using nuclear bombs was still a possibility until the US reviewed these battles and learned that there was no point trying to get to a surrender via ground combat.
Thank goodness for the A-Bombs: their timing was incredibly fortuitous. Can you imagine the Allies having to do this for 2 more years across the entire Japanese mainland? Hill by hill? Leveling city by city? 120,000 Okinowan civilians died in this maelstrom, from the Japanese army using them as human shields, and suicides. Multiply that by AT LEAST 10 times (probably much more) for the Japanese mainland, because the Okinowans didn't fight like the Japanese civilians would have. Japanese kids were being trained to attack US troops with sticks! Yes, the A-bombs uniquely and literally flipped a switch and turned off the war in a virtual snap of the fingers. Japan surrendered AND withdrew from the cities and countries where they'd enslaved people for nearly a decade, some even longer: Manchuria, China, Korea, Taiwan, and across Asia. Those bombs prevented 2 more years of war which would have left the door open to the risk of Japan developing an A-bomb (or dirty bomb), putting it in a submarine, sailing it into San Francisco harbor, surfacing and killing 1 million American civilians!!! That is why the USA's active military involvement in the war was ONLY 3 years and 8 months (unlike our ridiculous 20-year wars today). Roosevelt & Truman knew that any day they might be woken up with the news that NYC or San Francisco or Miami was destroyed with an A-Bomb from the NAZIS or Japanese Empire. Thus the need to win at all costs and as fast as possible. And the A-bombs did just that. The greatest generation did good! And we enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices to this day.
There was no hand-to-hand fighting with the enemy on Midway. Imperial Japan's troops never landed on Midway.
Why Midway? It was a battle between aircraft carriers!!?
@@lawrenceallen8096 There is no way the Japanese could have built an atomic bomb. The electricity required alone was far beyond anything they could have every produced. Oak Ridge alone used one-seventh of all the electricity produced in the United States. Making an atomic bomb was far beyond what the Japanese could have done, even before the conventional bombing campaign destroyed their limited industrial capabilities. The US was no longer in any real danger from the Japanese, but without the bomb ending the war by invasion would certainly have cost way too much in lives on both sides.
@@lawrenceallen8096 actually the A-bomb was not as devastating as the fire bombing of Tokyo. Im not sure that it would have been needed if they had kept up the bombing. With how Japanese building were constructed I think a sustained fire bombing campaign had the potential to be far more devastating then the A-bombs.
"Gunners, that mountain offends me. Remove it."
"Understood sir."
Served early 60s on Okinawa. This excellent film not available then but would have been valuable addition to local history. An uncle who served in 45 said that not a tree was left standing. Evidence of that fact was still evident when I was there. As mentioned earlier, Okinawans were governed by US military (high commissioner) until reversion. Have learned recently that Okinawans have erected numerous memorials, by town, to their losses and general memorial listing the name of ALL dead, US and Japanese.
My opinion - you destroyed the films vlalue to ZERO with your BRANDING ACROSS THE BOTTOM. Not bright at all.
Had the US Army played the first minute of this film's music over and over Japenese troops would have surrendered
My dad was a Marine there, miss you dad!
Thank goodness for the A-Bombs: their timing was incredibly fortuitous. Can you imagine the Allies having to do this for 2 more years across the entire Japanese mainland? Hill by hill? Leveling city by city? 120,000 Okinowan civilians died in this maelstrom, from the Japanese army using them as human shields, and suicides. Multiply that by AT LEAST 10 times (probably much more) for the Japanese mainland, because the Okinowans didn't fight like the Japanese civilians would have. Japanese kids were being trained to attack US troops with sticks! Yes, the A-bombs uniquely and literally flipped a switch and turned off the war in a virtual snap of the fingers. Japan surrendered AND withdrew from the cities and countries where they'd enslaved people for nearly a decade, some even longer: Manchuria, China, Korea, Taiwan, and across Asia. Those bombs prevented 2 more years of war which would have left the door open to the risk of Japan developing an A-bomb (or dirty bomb), putting it in a submarine, sailing it into San Francisco harbor, surfacing and killing 1 million American civilians!!! That is why the USA's active military involvement in the war was ONLY 3 years and 8 months (unlike our ridiculous 20-year wars today). Roosevelt & Truman knew that any day they might be woken up with the news that NYC or San Francisco or Miami was destroyed with an A-Bomb from the NAZIS or Japanese Empire. Thus the need to win at all costs and as fast as possible. And the A-bombs did just that. The greatest generation did good! And we enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices to this day.
You'd think after we leveled 67 other cities that it wouldn't come to that. People say "we didn't have to...", but yes, that's EXACTLY how far we had to go to prove our resolve.
Devastating firepower. When those 16 inch shells come down, be somewhere else!
The logistics of the USA armed forces is incredible and its soldiers fight hard and the Japanese the level of resistance admirable too, incredible battle. In this batlle can saw the hard work of the people in the industrial american complex, give there gains.
I was on Okinawa from June 71 to December 72 , I wish I knew more about the battle then , than I know today.I was stationed at the Southern end of the island at Yoza Dake air station (radar site)
Yea, I remember you, you were on" B" crew I believe
@Dan Greife Yes ,I was on C crew , I remember some good times at that small NCO club there at Yoza Dake ( heavy drinkin goin on !!!! LOL )
The phosphorous grenade followed by a flamethrower blast is brutal. No prisoners
@Dan Beech And the Japanese had little intention of being taken alive.
@Dan Beech It was considered dishonorable to be a POW.This is one reason they brutalized American prisoners - Bataan Deaths March.
@Dan Beech I didn't say that brutal treatment proved anything. I said it was consistent. It was something I read on this topic. No need to take on into straw men
@Dan Beech A straw man is pretending the other guy said something that he didn't, and then attacking him on that.
What was the biggest reason for Pres. Truman to authorize the use of the atomic bomb on two Japanese cities. Certainly the largest factor was the Japanese refusal to surrender as demonstrated on Okinawa American dead:12,000, wounded:37,000, Japanese dead: 109,000. With those figures the projected casualties to invade the Japanese home islands were over 1 million.
Yes, thank goodness for the A-Bombs: their timing was incredibly fortuitous. Can you imagine the Allies having to do this for 2 more years across the entire Japanese mainland? Hill by hill? Leveling city by city? 120,000 Okinowan civilians died in this maelstrom, from the Japanese army using them as human shields, and suicides. Multiply that by AT LEAST 10 times (probably much more) for the Japanese mainland, because the Okinowans didn't fight like the Japanese civilians would have. Japanese kids were being trained to attack US troops with sticks! Yes, the A-bombs uniquely and literally flipped a switch and turned off the war in a virtual snap of the fingers. Japan surrendered AND withdrew from the cities and countries where they'd enslaved people for nearly a decade, some even longer: Manchuria, China, Korea, Taiwan, and across Asia. Those bombs prevented 2 more years of war which would have left the door open to the risk of Japan developing an A-bomb (or dirty bomb), putting it in a submarine, sailing it into San Francisco harbor, surfacing and killing 1 million American civilians!!! That is why the USA's active military involvement in the war was ONLY 3 years and 8 months (unlike our ridiculous 20-year wars today). Roosevelt & Truman knew that any day they might be woken up with the news that NYC or San Francisco or Miami was destroyed with an A-Bomb from the NAZIS or Japanese Empire. Thus the need to win at all costs and as fast as possible. And the A-bombs did just that. The greatest generation did good! And we enjoy the benefits of their sacrifices to this day.
@@lawrenceallen8096 Not only that, can you imagine our men having to mow down women and children that the Japanese were training to fight us? That's exactly what they'd have had to do. Like PTSD wasn't bad enough already.
@@SealofPerfection Yep. That said, that was an ugly, ugly war...for soldiers and civilians. Bombing isn't clean either. Listen to Victor Gregg. th-cam.com/video/suOBgOk1SgY/w-d-xo.html
My father fought on Okinawa. My very first memory of him includes asking about the Japanese Army rifle he kept under his bed. He told me that without the Atomic Bombs I never would have been born, nor an entire generation of Americans.
God bless your father.
My dad was a brand new 17 yo Marine at this time-- stayed in til 1971- then worked on the DMZ till retirement in 1998. Retired 2 years and died jan 2000.
I liked this restricted classified episode of the landing at Okinawa during ww2 showing actual footage of how the us fought the Japanese and the US used all the wepons at there disposal to fight a life and death struggle to take the Island
Poison gas would have helped. The US had huge stock piles of poison gas. It could have saved countless American lives. 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏
Daaaanmm, you are hard slick. Poison gas, Forget the Geneva Suggestions
@@MrJohnsmith507 We had shells ready to fire of phosgene and mustard gas. Japan was not a signatory of the Geneva Convention unlike Germany. Phosgene and mustard gas used to sink down and linger in the World War I trenches. Imagine the effect on the Japanese cave systems. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
This video seems like an explanation of basic tactics soon to be used in China. The reds hate the Japanese for what they did to them in WWII. However, they threaten to do the same to the countries surrounding them. There's little doubt they will commit even more atrocities if allowed to do so.
“Classified” it’s propaganda
I spent 3 years on Oki, 1970 to’73. At that time there were large artillery impact areas that were marked with signs. I was stationed on Torii Station an Army base with with the U S Navy. The base was part of the invasion beaches.
I really liked the Okinawan people. One on one they were great
NGFS was my job. Good times.
Visit Shuri Castle today, and you will see that the bottom one foot of wall looks different from the rest of the outer wall. That’s because it’s all that remained of the original wall. The rest was rebuilt many years later.
Long Live The Navy
Danger Close with fourteen inch shells landing 400 yards away...that will make you a believer in Really Deep Foxholes.
I have always wondered why UN Forces in Korea didn't fall back to Hungnam and shelter under the cover of Naval Gunfire?
It was a plan, but MacArthur didn't want thrm to basically be trapped there and dependent.
In the USMC, my 1st duty station was in Okinawa at Camp Kinser in 1997. This is located in Naha. This video interested me for this fact, along with the unit that I was a part of at Camp Pendleton in CA from 1998 to 2000. This unit was 1st ANGLICO (Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company). This is exactly the mission of our unit. We support allied forces by calling supporting fire missions. Our predecessor was Joint Assault Signal Company, or JASCO in WWII. We excel at calling fire missions in small observer teams for every form of supporting fire to aid in defense and offense of the unit we're assigned to in combat.
USMC: 1994-1999 (2841). I was on Oki, Camp Kinser Mar 96 - Mar 97, ELMACO.
Nice pictures of BB-48 the West Virginia 's Bridge at the end
That is where I grew up/ 66-72. My stepgrandfather was on the Texas during the battle.
Towards the end of this video there's mention of the quantity and tonnage of naval ordnance that was expended in this campaign.
At my fingertips I have some detailed stats of what the US Naval ships used in the prior battle at Iwo Jima (February 1945), where the following is quoted from the "World at War" magazine issue February/March 2018:
Over a 35 day span of Naval bombardment on Iwo Jima:
2.4K of 16 inch rounds
5.7K of 14 inch rounds
1.4K of 12 inch rounds
11.7K of 8 inch rounds
The total tonnage of the above rounds came out to approx. 9K tons.
Considering that all the above had to be transported across the length of the Pacific Ocean, the numbers are staggering to imagine.
Wow that adds up to a small atomic weapon😱 Thanks for adding that up. It's crazy to think about!
The video stated 650,000 rounds of 8" or greater caliber.
18:30 650,000 rounds of 5" or greater.
33,000 tons of ordnance.
An awful lot of exploding steel.
Anyone know the tonnage required to kill one soldier? Tons fired / soldiers killed?
@@Whitpusmc that's a good question!
Thank you for very important and historic information, abaut of Second Ward on the Pacific Ocean. Sincerely . Edgar H. Ayala C. Quito Ecuador Sud America
There is a story of a Japanese movement of artillery and troops in the open they failed to report. They kicked them selves in the butt for that mistake.The Navy gun fire was superb! They did this with kamikaze’s raining down on the fleet! They took horrible casualties!
My Uncle Jerry was a USN EOD Master Chief......he was there clearing that stuff for years......
My dad was assigned to Okinawa in the early 50's. His biggest job was battlefield clean up. The larger navy shells where easy to find as they tended to roll down hill if they failed to explode and would all be found in the bottom of the ravines. A lot of material was still left in the fields where they had been damaged or destroyed.
As per 18:30... 33,000 tons of ordnance delivered onto the islands.
That's a hell of a lot of steel, whether blown into jagged chunks or still in one piece.
Your Dad had a big job, respect to him.
I thought about this. How much of this ammunition is still there? I know in Europe they are still ploughing up shells from WW1.
80 days....
Reminds me of watching reeled films when i was a kid in the 60s in school
12,000 US troops died in Okinawa....the "B" war..
I’m speechless… the pure logistics of this AND the invasion of Germany and the invasion of Italy and the bomber offensive plus the lend lease to Russia. It’s not easy to comprehend.
Today, there is no way the US could mount the manufacturing effort that won WWII. Hell, we use foreign made parts in our aircraft and ships now. We couldn't even provide the uniforms to a massive armed forces if we ever have to mobilize again. We couldn't produce the steel, copper, and aluminum needed to rapidly expand the navy. Our political and business "leaders" have been very short sighted.
11:30 that sherman was not destroyed.
Always great stuff from Periscope films.
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The Japanese got a little taste of the total war they so enjoyed waging on others. Great work, my American neighbours!
I lived there from 1957-1959 at Naha and kadena; found numerous caves and tunnels; it was a history experience i'll never forget also went to the teahouse of the august moon and suicide cliff.
Ships really do make a nice floating platform of artillery support.
Amazing that shortly after the end of the war most of the capital ships that participated in the battle of Okinawa were decommissioned and scrapped.
It was evident that there was at least 60,000 Japanese to be dug out of the caves. 5 and 6 inch guns were not effective. 😐😐😐😐😐😐
HUGE FAN OF #PERISCOPEfilms
Thank you for your hard work!
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Let's go Brandon.
Thanks l am 77 years old today and the war was still going when l was born💥💣💥.....This is an awesome video....!
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From April 87 to April 88, I was stationed at Camp Hansen with 7th Comm Bn Okinawa. I was able to go into some of the caves that were still there. I saw a few that had Japanese writing on the walls as well as what I was sure were bullet holes in the walls. Did a lot of sight seeing when off duty. Of the two places, I like being at MCAS Iwakuni (80/81) better.
I was down at Camp Kinser from Jan. 86 to Dec. 86. I worked up at Hansen alot. Just missed you.
I was at Camp Hansen 2001 7th Comm Batallion Motor T. Besides the banana spiders I remembered watching out for unexploded WW2 ordinance in the jungle
@@carlosg3296 I had the same duty as you did, only in 1975, 76!
i was at MCAS Futenma in 86 I wonder if it is the same base?
i don't remember any other MCAS on the island
650,000 rounds in less than 3 month is greater than 1 (5inch or larger) gun firing every 2 minutes
Without a doubt, this was a splendid, combined arms feat.
Thank God to all those who served and who defeated the enemy that so cowardly attacked us on that Sunday morning, karma's a bitch. 🇺🇲🙏
The naval bombardment didn’t do all that much. The only thing good they did was the star shells. The Japanese withdrew from the Naha line under the noses of the navy, and they didn’t get much damage while withdrawing. This is propaganda and way off reality.
Very interesting. I wonder how powerful and destructive those bullets should be.
these fellas took the brunt of the punishing war to defeat dai nippon,( aussies, brits and new zealers youse too) most chinese alive today are unaware of what we did let alone their own massacre at tiennaman in 89 apr The committee erased it and a lot more from their school classes and news,
Showing the cartoon made it much easier for me to watch. I suppose not too many died that day. Hollywood would never lie to us.
Is this actually as the telecine process rendered the video, or was some kind of "old film look" filter used on the rendered video?
one also has to feel sorry for the wildlife species that are killed, maimed, dislocated and traumatized by war
I don't know about assigning ships a fire pattern against enemy aircraft..... if the enemy is within range you shoot period! Or I'm not understanding the narration? 6:50 mark.
It seams so far back in history 80 years ago, but Damn, these guys were tactician! Hard to believe the strategic smarts they had back then!
I can't imagine being under naval gunfire for 3 months! It would drive you crazy!!!
i can't hear...they fired those guns with no ear protection ....tough damn generation...
Them boys made it realer than realar even if them Boyz where Girls lol.
There is a good book called "typhoon of steel" written by William Belote and his brother. The book gives a great overview of our naval operations there. I will add that admiral Jack Spruance distinguished himself as the finest naval officer in the Pacific.
Did you mean *Raymond* Spruance?
Too bad we don't have this capability now days...
The naval guns made no effect on the Japanese dug in their underground tunnels, like in Vietnam.american boom boom tactics.
Some Butt-Hurt Englishman crying from the loss of it's empire.
Do you have any content from Point Loma Naval Base?
Thank you, Periscope.
Can anyone give us more information about the Japanese suicide boats? I didn't know about them but it makes sense.
I can't tell you about suicide "boats" specifically, but Drachinifel has a video on "Midget Submarines of WWII" which covers the Japanese range of manned torpedo suicide weapons and midget submarines, some of which were also intended to be used in suicide attacks. The Japanese chiefs of staff took full advantage of their men's willingness to die for the Emperor, by air, land and sea (although I guess that a lot of those men were probably not-so-willing "volunteers", particularly in the testing stages of each new variant).
Only a fool in the Japanese command could have thought of letting the Marine Corp establishment of a secure beachhead and withdrawn to the mountains. The Marines and the Navy clearing out the last lines of resistance in eighty days was masterful. The Japanese Imperial forces had a very low opinion of the US fighting men. The USMC taught them they were dead wrong.
Did you forget that the Army had 4 divisions there? Over 100,000 troops.
u.s got lucky
Free Okinawa
Really interesting! Thanks Periscope for posting the video.
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>>----------------------> Shooting the weight of a Honda Civic 17 miles at a future plant of Honda Civics!
Christ what power.
And 100% worthless without Marines on the ground
100% true!
Or the NAVY that delivered them
Jesus Loves You
Them boys
Thanks
"BWERP BWERP BWWWEERP!"
Wow it's on the verge of happening now
What is?
Good One. Thanks
Go Navy!
Very interesting
Excellent video.
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Good stuff. Thank you
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it all comes down to freedom, don't break laws...you can have your sovereign nation...unless we need your energy, then all bets are off.....
Makes me sad to think about all the marines and GI's that were killed by their own ships guns... USN 'friendly' fire killed more allies than I believe enemy.
Was very interested in viewing this presentation. However due to very poor volume quality I have to give thumbs down and watch a different channel.
Oh you poor guy ... buy some hearing aids at Walgreens maybe it will fix this issue?
You do realize this film is from 1946, right? The fact that it is in this shape doesn't surprise me in the least. Old film degrades.
Let us know if you find a better quality version of this video.
I'm glad that Periscope posts this content, even if it is in rough condition.
The United States military attacked itself on 9/11 because they found out in Vietnam that a draft would not let them fight illegal wars WW2 was a colossal waste of skill flesh and finance
The question is not "are you paranoid?", it's "are you paranoid enough?"
Yeah okay, defeating tyrannical murderous govts in ww2 literally hell bent on world domination was a waste. Alright bud.
@@andyharman3022 Paranoid is a blessing to the jerck,don't waste your time bro
Over kill, none of this was nnecessary, evenutally they would have surendered. The Japanese I met were the nicest people I ever met.
Spend some time studying history. It's apparent that you haven't.
Eventually surrendered due to the A-bomb.
The Japanese you met were undoubtedly nice people. And many of the Japanese back in WWII were also nice people. But the Japanese militarists and many in the Japanese military were not very nice people at all. For starters you should read about what they did in Nanjing, China and about the Bataan Death March. The Japanese soldiers were particularly brutal towards prisoners of war and foreign civilians in places that they had conquered and subjugated.
The japs loved the flame throwers cause it gave a new meaning of bringing the barbeque to the enemy!