My grandfather-in-law was at Okinawa with the 1st Marine Division. It was his last campaign after surviving Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu. Also the battle of Pavuvu vs. rats , land crabs, and rotten coconuts. He WAS one of those veterans who was with the division all along from pre-war, 1940. By Okinawa he was a sergeant with mortars. Sgt. Ken Malick, 7th Marines, 2nd Battalion, Fox Company. I was very glad to be able to sit down with him and interview him, gathering his stories prior to his passing 17 years ago.
17:00 mark, it may not have been the exact same night or place, but Sgt. Ken Malick told the same kind of story, of guys being killed in their foxholes by Japanese infiltrators. He said they then strung up trip wire with C-ration cans and lids hanging from it to sound the alert against infiltrators. When they heard the cans rattling on the wire, they would throw or roll grenades out to where the sound of rattling was coming from.
*I’ve seen people return from war, but they never truly escape it. They carry the pain, the loss, and the unseen scars, making me realize that peace is something we must cherish every single day.*
Appalachian here. I rode out Helene and the resulting internet and power outages by listening to like 4 days worth of this podcast that I had downloaded. And the Shattered Sword audiobook.
I'm having a really cruddy week so far, so I appreciate getting to escape a little bit with the fantastic storytelling that you guys provide, thank you gentlemen.
Another great show, gentlemen. Like all your fans, I always look forward to Tuesday mornings. This should be necessary viewing for anyone questioning the wisdom of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks. It's one thing to hear a summary about how grisly and gut wrenching the battle was. It is quite another to hear about it blow by blow. Only then can one even get a hint about how debilitating and heart wrenching it must have been and how invading the main islands would have been more of the same or worse.
Amidst this dark and tragic time, this absolute hell on earth, having spent a year of my life on Okinawa, I would like to point out this island is now a beautiful paradise and the people are the best you will ever meet. Time heals, natures heals, Okinawa will always have a special place in this old Marines heart.
A thought for you as you mainly cover the American side of the war . A segment on the 9 Australian division would help round out the allied side of the Pacific war. The 9 was considered one the premier division of all allied armies in world war 2 . The 9 was responsible for pulling Montgomery’s chestnuts out of the fire at the second battle of el lamin . They also saved Mac’s chestnuts out of the fire at the battle of Fincharven . They are also the rats of Tobruk .
You should look at earlier episodes, they actually have done a VERY good job of covering the Australian side of the war in the Pacific from Kokoda & Milne Bay to Molokai & Borneo. (Though I agree not all American Historians do) My Uncle Norm served in the 9th and was a rat at Tobruk who later served in PNG. My Dad was in signal corp in PNG & Molokai My Mum worked in military aircraft construction in Melbourne till she turned 18 in 43 and joined the WAF and served in the Quartermasters office in Brisbane.
(Canadian here.) That's fantastic. Good on 'em! Of course, the majority of "Allied" war "coverage" covers the Brits & Americans, whereas the rest of the former British Empire punched far above their weight class, and were even respected/feared by the Axis more than those two main players. I do have one honest question, because I really don't know how it worked: How was one division in so many disparate locations? Were these events just not simultaneous, and the division just moved around a lot?
@@RB-bd5tz the professional Oz units were withdrawn from the desert to defend their home country. There are some good episodes from these and also Hypothetical History on the battles on New Guinea.
Your uncle norm served with my “Rat” great uncle. In PNG, he may also have run into my uncle who was a coastwatcher - originally near Rabaul, later on the New Britain coast and then on the north coast of PNG, one of those inserted ahead of landings to scout the Japanese positions. Extraordinary generation.
@@mkaustralia7136 The coastwatchers were indeed extraordinary! I am sure you would have seen the old movie "The wackiest ship in the Army" in which Chips Rafferty plays a coast watcher. My Mum served in Brisbane and I have lived here for 26 years
Love all the work from all of you. Looking forward to Jon's new book. It's interesting how things changed so much as a result of that year. In Australia, a lasting legacy was the construction of hundreds of airfields ,and expanding the role of most that already existed. Some of these slipped back into green fields, but many formed the basis of numerous city and town airports still providing air services today. So a big thanks, particularly to the USAAF and the RAAF for creating so many pieces of infrastructure that still 'fly' today. And it virtually all happened in that year, before the centre of attention moved on.
As we crawl closer to the end of this war history narrative, I am feeling some of that fatigue that Sledge wrote about in the first person. I don't know how they did it because there isn't a way to develop a strategy or plan to cope with an unbelievable situation, one that the imagination can't even conceive.
The tour I take down to Guadalcanal tours Brisbane for a couple days, cuz that was MacArthur's HQ during a lot of the war. And it is astonishing how many bases we built just in that one city alone during the war. Holy cow!
Where exactly are these "hundreds of airfields", tacitdionysus3220? You've obviously never been to Australia. The only ones within range of the Japanese in New Guinea were maybe one or two in Darwin in the NT. How these "slipped back into green fields" is a mystery since, although this may be possible in East Anglia, I think you would struggle to find grass almost anywhere at an airfield in Australia. All the city airports existed before WW2. So, basically, I think you are full of crap.
With the Old Breed is a fantastic book, and a “Must Read.” EB Sledge was an amazing observer of hellish combat, and the reactions of ordinary people to extraordinary situations. “The Pacific” captures at least some of the hellscape, but I have a hard time imagining being in such circumstances, much less functioning and surviving. I like how his son Henry says that his father wanted to be identified as a scientist (I’m a biologist and read EB Sledge’s papers on nematodes out of curiosity), maybe that is one way to compartmentalize and survive.
Lived on Okinawa 1960 through 1966. The US Army had a Last Battle Museum at Camp Sukiran . In the museum was a large room with a relief map table of Okinawa. The whole thing was studded with small light bulbs that would light up in sequence to a hour long recorded narrative of the battle. We would watch the presentation and take notes, and then go find the positions on the weekend. We were able to bring many artifacts back to the museum after documenting the finds location. One of the finds were the Cave of 300 that we found basically untouched after the Marines had sealed the cave entrances with about 300 still live Japanese soldiers who mostly committed suicide sometime after the caves entrances were sealed. Our group also found the 150 mm artillery rifle that was in a steel door closed tunnel on Motubu Peninsula. That piece only stopped firing because they ran out of ammo, and was found in operational condition.
I have been waiting for this episode for some time now. I was stationed at Zukeran later Camp Foster in 79-80 in the Marines. We used to explore the caves south of us mainly Cactus and Kakazu knowing the ground we crawled around in and on was earned the hardest way possible. I read Sledge's book and cried. I saw the Shinto parades pass by our barracks and knew why. Thank you so much for this episode and for this entire series. Keep up the good work gentlemen and Semper Fi! One suggestion is to touch on the role China Marines played during WW2. Thanks again... Mike
I read Eugene Sledges book and his descriptions of the horrors of war were gut wrenching. What solders endured in this battle as with so many others was sickening to think about. There is no way as a non combatant even listening to you or reading a book can come close to understanding what these men endured. Hero's all. Thanks again for an excellent podcast.
Thanks to you gentlemen for ensuring that these acts of heroism and sacrifice are not forgotten. I am so looking forward to Jon's "monstrosity" that I'm going to his website now... waiting with bated breath kind Sir!
Despite the harrowing subject of the content, you three are excellent presenters. While I've always considered myself a Pacific War history buff, I usually glanced over Okinawa. I realized its importance, but never delved into the specifics. You've ignited a desire to dive in now! Many thanks! Also, thanks for providing the link to Jon's book site. Just signed up!
My dad B-24 crew chief had several books about WW2 on his book shelf and I read them all several times. When he passed I got them. I’m sure that this will be a great addition to my books.
Thank you guys for another great episode. I read With The Old Breed after watching The Pacific. Definitely my favorite book even though it can be tough to read.
I used to wonder why so many WWII vets refused to talk about their experiences during the war. After listening to this series, I now understand. The vets were protecting us from knowing the absolute horror these brave men experienced. That, and the fact that us of the next couple generations had no basis of understanding of their experiences.
Might the current younger generations be better off if the boomers had really known and passed that onto the current crop? They seem to think you can press reload in real life
As a long-time viewer of the channel, I must commend y'all for another great job. My one issue with this episode was the unbelievable number and frequency of ADs run. It got to the point it was really diistracing. I'm not sure if you have much control over it but I just wanted to make you aware. Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to next week.
Signed up for the email list for Jon's book, I'm really excited for it (and all the MAPS). Thanks again to all of you for the effort and detail you put into this podcast, it illustrates both the big picture and the human experience together in a way that few books manage to achieve.
Although somewhat forgotten now and overshadowed by books like 'With the Old Breed', William Manchester's 'Goodbye Darkness' I found to be a quite terrifying account of the Battle of Okinawa and the 6th Marine Division's struggle for Sugarloaf Hill.
Louis Hauge segment was special. I've driven thru Ada, before, I'll have to stop and see if there any tribute to him. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends". - John 15:13
I find interesting that in 1945 white refined granulated sugar was still such a novelty, that the traditional " sugar loaf" was something everybody could understand. Great content
My late friend Dick Jacobs was in these battles as a marine. Said that it seemed like going up and down the same hill day after day with the number of bodies increasing daily.
Signed up on your website Jon. What an effort capturing the entire war effort on all fronts in 1942--what a massive effort. Looking forward to it! Thx!
Considering Cho's history, it is remarkable that he was trusted to be a truck drive, let alone 2nd in command of the 32ns Army. That is definitely an indication of the political strength of the Japanese Army General Staff.
Thank you Seth , Bill and Jon for efforts which enlighten many and honor those who sacrificed much for us here. This Airdale looking very much forward to next episode
Central Fl here. Milton will be spoken of next. Five generations here in southeastern Hillsborough. Road out at least 7 storms. Milton was the worst. Heart goes out to all.
Unauthorized at bedtime makes for some crazy dreams. We were talking good history the other night and capt bill was doing donuts in the submarine we were on.
50° 27' 0.0036'' N and 30° 31' 23.9988'' E DAY 979 Gents, Well done. Another terrific, informative, and entertaining episode. Collectively, you've got a real knack for bringing history alive. Thank you. V/r - IB
Hearing of Choe (?) and his "leadership from below" caused me to look up my "favorite" equivalent scoundrel. Tsuji Masanobu shows up at Nomonhan (Khalkhin Gol} as a major, on the war planning staff before Pearl Harbor, and Guadualcanal as a colonel and bloody calamity inevitably ensued in each case. After causing about as much havoc as possible, sending many to their deaths, he not only survives the war, but ends up in the Japanese Diet! Have to wonder if justice exists. Loved Bill's word picture of the LVTAs trundling out to sea to meet the barge invaders. Didn't happen, but, my, it would have been legendary!
Tsuji was loathed by many senior Japanese officers as well. He helped plan the Malaya campaign and then went on to organize the massacre of ethnic Chinese in the Singapore area. He is alleged to have eaten the liver of a downed Allied pilot. Historian John Toland likened him to the Moriarty of the Asia-Pacific theater, amplififying the cruelty and brutality wherever he turned up. Tsuji disappeared on a diplomatic trip to Indochina in the early 60's. Some conspiracy minded types have claimed he joined the North Vietnamese Communists and helped plan the Tet Offensive. Others believe he was murdered in retribution for his many crimes by some local group he had victimized during the war. We can only hope he reaped a fraction of the suffering he had sown.
Something Ian Toll’s pacific trilogy talks about that you didn’t mention which adds another element of horror is that fact admit this mud and rain and inability to move you had thousands of men with no sanitary facilities of any kind. So the human waste of those thousands of men was mixed in with all the other filth and horror. It defies description.
Just wanted to add my father was an army physician on Okinawa . He was called off his transport on the 30 th day then on the front for 45 days. He only had two comments during his long life. First one was a young marine walked up to him and said " Doc my guys are finished we got to get them off the line they are done". He immediately ordered it. The second was that the marine airfield never stopped their action. Planes didn't take up wheels but just landed took ordinance and took off and returned. Their objectives were that close they didn't have time to get their wheels up. I suspect they actually did it to control their air speed but it wa like a factory. He survived and was assigned Manila after the atomic bomb to establish a hospital there. He lived until 2018
Yahara's book is well worth the read time, he was quite a smart man, too bad for them, good for us that Usigima was the only one confident in his plans, Cho was a different story
I'm glad that Bill didn't have covid, once you've had it like cancer or leukemia you tend to get sick easier and take longer to recover. My grandparents knew but not well Dr Sledge in Mobile and you are so right about how terrible the conditions there were. That it being part of the consideration for the decision to invade Japan proper or not. While you've said you don't like 'what if's' do you have any recommendations for what the operation Olympic/Coronet would have been like?
Re the attack on Sugarloaf with the other two Japanese mounds shredding the marines with flank fire. In situations where the enemy has mutual support from nearby locations, I've often wondered why the goodies never attacked under smoke cover. Didn't the US make enough smoke rounds? Or some other reason?
I'm not an expert on tactics/strategy or any kind of military operations, but I would GUESS that the reasons could include; Smoke munitions being toxic to pass through Smoke being hard to control where it blows Smoke makes it just as hard to pin down the enemy You don't really need to see the attackers, when you can just hose down the smoke and hope to hit people in it. Smoke also signals to more people "Hey, there's action over here!"
My son served on Okinawa. It would rain so hard breathing was a challenge. My son would have to lower his face and shield his mouth to make a breathing space.
12,000 shells in a half hour? 60 seconds X 30 minutes = 1,800 seconds. 12,000 shells / 1,800 seconds = almost 7 shells per second! I know they said it paled in comparison to other bombardments, but this is such a confined area and such a compressed time. It's incredible.
According to the citation, etc. Bair took an M1919, .30 cal. machine gun - normally tripod-mounted - and draped it over his wounded arm. Not a BAR or Thompson - but a freaking tripod-mounted machine gun. Just ... damn.
its sad to see the down votes for these history lessons, and that is the way I view it. Reguardless of the side who fought this war. It is the responsibility of future generations to "Never Forget". The best quote that I can think of is from George Santayana "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I also want to say rest easy to the hero's of both sides may they rest in peace and I will never forget and have taught my children and have started teaching my grand children the costs of war. Keep up the great work gentlemen we must never forget the lessons these men sacrificed everything for.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Buckner's decision not to launch an end run and land at Minatoga on the southern end of the island was a major mistake. As historian John McManus notes, the prescient Colonel Yahara deeply feared such a move. As for that ship having sailed when the 2nd Marine division returned to Saipan, General Vandergrift promised that the redeployment of that division "could be underway in six hours."
Great job the 3 of you -- many thanks -- please keep up the good work! I guess I must be missing somthing in the discussion, but if the cave system was so intricate and interconnected... why didn't the men fight within the cave system itself? Sure, it would be a terrible fight....but fighting on top didn't seem to be going much better.... If the cave system is the enemy's sanctuary, then at every opportunity -- rather than closing the entrances -- shouldn't we have tried to keep them open, and enter the cave system to open a new front underground -- with pistols and shotguns, if necessary...? Please forgive the pun, but did our men consider fighting underground to be beneath them? By the time Vietnam came around, our men didn't seem to have that reservation...
With respect to Japanese artillery bombardment vs those of the allies in the ETA, how do they compare when the size of the battlefield is taken into consideration? I imagine that would close the gap some, though still a considerable gap would remain.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWarI’ve heard some stories from NOLA after Katrina that would make your skin crawl. You guys got all kinds of craziness running around down there. Then again, I’m in Miami so we know all about it.
My grandfather-in-law was at Okinawa with the 1st Marine Division. It was his last campaign after surviving Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu. Also the battle of Pavuvu vs. rats , land crabs, and rotten coconuts. He WAS one of those veterans who was with the division all along from pre-war, 1940. By Okinawa he was a sergeant with mortars. Sgt. Ken Malick, 7th Marines, 2nd Battalion, Fox Company. I was very glad to be able to sit down with him and interview him, gathering his stories prior to his passing 17 years ago.
😊😊
God bless him and all who have sacrificed to protect freedom. May they never be forgotten or taken for granted!!
@@DB-ug1pr What kind of "freedom" you talking about Yours sorry-ass corrupted to the bone ,ruled by greedy bankers and wicked degenerates democracy ?
17:00 mark, it may not have been the exact same night or place, but Sgt. Ken Malick told the same kind of story, of guys being killed in their foxholes by Japanese infiltrators. He said they then strung up trip wire with C-ration cans and lids hanging from it to sound the alert against infiltrators. When they heard the cans rattling on the wire, they would throw or roll grenades out to where the sound of rattling was coming from.
What am amazing war story. Did you manage to get the interview on video by chance?
John's shirt saved 3 destroyers from hits by kamikazes!
Now that’s funny
2 transports!
...his enemies would go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness...
(Kung Fu Panda reference 🐼)
*I’ve seen people return from war, but they never truly escape it. They carry the pain, the loss, and the unseen scars, making me realize that peace is something we must cherish every single day.*
Peace thru Strength & Wisdom via Historical Education
#22ADAY
Bill Toti's sense of humour persists. Thanks Captain.
Appalachian here. I rode out Helene and the resulting internet and power outages by listening to like 4 days worth of this podcast that I had downloaded. And the Shattered Sword audiobook.
Thank you!
I'm having a really cruddy week so far, so I appreciate getting to escape a little bit with the fantastic storytelling that you guys provide, thank you gentlemen.
Another great show, gentlemen. Like all your fans, I always look forward to Tuesday mornings.
This should be necessary viewing for anyone questioning the wisdom of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks. It's one thing to hear a summary about how grisly and gut wrenching the battle was. It is quite another to hear about it blow by blow. Only then can one even get a hint about how debilitating and heart wrenching it must have been and how invading the main islands would have been more of the same or worse.
Sometimes the parts of war most would prefer to forget are those most in need of remembrance.
Amidst this dark and tragic time, this absolute hell on earth, having spent a year of my life on Okinawa, I would like to point out this island is now a beautiful paradise and the people are the best you will ever meet. Time heals, natures heals, Okinawa will always have a special place in this old Marines heart.
Question: Where was close air support around Sugarloaf Hill?
Thank you for your service
I second your opinion of Okinawa. It was a great duty station, except for the 5 typhoons that hit the island that year.
I second that opinion as well. I love Okinawa, and it has such a great vibe to it. Can't wait to go back in 2025!
@@billswink6711 are you related to typhoon magnet Bill Halsey?🤠
A thought for you as you mainly cover the American side of the war . A segment on the 9 Australian division would help round out the allied side of the Pacific war. The 9 was considered one the premier division of all allied armies in world war 2 . The 9 was responsible for pulling Montgomery’s chestnuts out of the fire at the second battle of el lamin . They also saved Mac’s chestnuts out of the fire at the battle of Fincharven . They are also the rats of Tobruk .
You should look at earlier episodes, they actually have done a VERY good job of covering the Australian side of the war in the Pacific from Kokoda & Milne Bay to Molokai & Borneo.
(Though I agree not all American Historians do)
My Uncle Norm served in the 9th and was a rat at Tobruk who later served in PNG.
My Dad was in signal corp in PNG & Molokai
My Mum worked in military aircraft construction in Melbourne till she turned 18 in 43 and joined the WAF and served in the Quartermasters office in Brisbane.
(Canadian here.) That's fantastic. Good on 'em! Of course, the majority of "Allied" war "coverage" covers the Brits & Americans, whereas the rest of the former British Empire punched far above their weight class, and were even respected/feared by the Axis more than those two main players. I do have one honest question, because I really don't know how it worked: How was one division in so many disparate locations? Were these events just not simultaneous, and the division just moved around a lot?
@@RB-bd5tz the professional Oz units were withdrawn from the desert to defend their home country. There are some good episodes from these and also Hypothetical History on the battles on New Guinea.
Your uncle norm served with my “Rat” great uncle. In PNG, he may also have run into my uncle who was a coastwatcher - originally near Rabaul, later on the New Britain coast and then on the north coast of PNG, one of those inserted ahead of landings to scout the Japanese positions.
Extraordinary generation.
@@mkaustralia7136 The coastwatchers were indeed extraordinary! I am sure you would have seen the old movie "The wackiest ship in the Army" in which Chips Rafferty plays a coast watcher.
My Mum served in Brisbane and I have lived here for 26 years
Thanks Seth, Captain Toti and Jon......looking forward to reading another (Shattered Sword) of Jon's books, 1942 book. You're appreciated.
Thank you!
Gentleman of culture and history.. Here we are again...
Ugh. Don’t bring that shit onto this channel.
Love all the work from all of you.
Looking forward to Jon's new book. It's interesting how things changed so much as a result of that year. In Australia, a lasting legacy was the construction of hundreds of airfields ,and expanding the role of most that already existed. Some of these slipped back into green fields, but many formed the basis of numerous city and town airports still providing air services today.
So a big thanks, particularly to the USAAF and the RAAF for creating so many pieces of infrastructure that still 'fly' today. And it virtually all happened in that year, before the centre of attention moved on.
As we crawl closer to the end of this war history narrative, I am feeling some of that fatigue that Sledge wrote about in the first person. I don't know how they did it because there isn't a way to develop a strategy or plan to cope with an unbelievable situation, one that the imagination can't even conceive.
The tour I take down to Guadalcanal tours Brisbane for a couple days, cuz that was MacArthur's HQ during a lot of the war. And it is astonishing how many bases we built just in that one city alone during the war. Holy cow!
I live in Australia. I do not think this is true at all. Could you please provide examples, tacitdionysus3220?
Where exactly are these "hundreds of airfields", tacitdionysus3220? You've obviously never been to Australia. The only ones within range of the Japanese in New Guinea were maybe one or two in Darwin in the NT. How these "slipped back into green fields" is a mystery since, although this may be possible in East Anglia, I think you would struggle to find grass almost anywhere at an airfield in Australia. All the city airports existed before WW2. So, basically, I think you are full of crap.
Just signed up for Jon's book. Looking forward to reading it
Thank you!
With the Old Breed is a fantastic book, and a “Must Read.” EB Sledge was an amazing observer of hellish combat, and the reactions of ordinary people to extraordinary situations. “The Pacific” captures at least some of the hellscape, but I have a hard time imagining being in such circumstances, much less functioning and surviving. I like how his son Henry says that his father wanted to be identified as a scientist (I’m a biologist and read EB Sledge’s papers on nematodes out of curiosity), maybe that is one way to compartmentalize and survive.
Lived on Okinawa 1960 through 1966. The US Army had a Last Battle Museum at Camp Sukiran . In the museum was a large room with a relief map table of Okinawa. The whole thing was studded with small light bulbs that would light up in sequence to a hour long recorded narrative of the battle. We would watch the presentation and take notes, and then go find the positions on the weekend. We were able to bring many artifacts back to the museum after documenting the finds location. One of the finds were the Cave of 300 that we found basically untouched after the Marines had sealed the cave entrances with about 300 still live Japanese soldiers who mostly committed suicide sometime after the caves entrances were sealed. Our group also found the 150 mm artillery rifle that was in a steel door closed tunnel on Motubu Peninsula. That piece only stopped firing because they ran out of ammo, and was found in operational condition.
It’s admirable how much you care for the Japanese soldiers- your humanity is showing 🫡
All signed up for updates for John's book and I'm plugging this podcast every time someone asks for information about history and WW2 specifically
Awesome, guys, thanks for the whole series. I watched almost every one of them. That's the sustainability of a Marine veteran.
I have been waiting for this episode for some time now. I was stationed at Zukeran later Camp Foster in 79-80 in the Marines. We used to explore the caves south of us mainly Cactus and Kakazu knowing the ground we crawled around in and on was earned the hardest way possible. I read Sledge's book and cried. I saw the Shinto parades pass by our barracks and knew why. Thank you so much for this episode and for this entire series. Keep up the good work gentlemen and Semper Fi! One suggestion is to touch on the role China Marines played during WW2. Thanks again... Mike
My reason for looking forward to Tuesday mornings!
Fantastic episode. For years, I've believed that Japan's resistance on Okinawa unknowingly sealed its fate regarding the atomic bomb.
I read Eugene Sledges book and his descriptions of the horrors of war were gut wrenching. What solders endured in this battle as with so many others was sickening to think about. There is no way as a non combatant even listening to you or reading a book can come close to understanding what these men endured. Hero's all. Thanks again for an excellent podcast.
Thanks to you gentlemen for ensuring that these acts of heroism and sacrifice are not forgotten. I am so looking forward to Jon's "monstrosity" that I'm going to his website now... waiting with bated breath kind Sir!
I just recently found this channel I've always been a history buff and enjoy the very detailed story telling from you guys
Despite the harrowing subject of the content, you three are excellent presenters. While I've always considered myself a Pacific War history buff, I usually glanced over Okinawa. I realized its importance, but never delved into the specifics. You've ignited a desire to dive in now! Many thanks!
Also, thanks for providing the link to Jon's book site. Just signed up!
My dad B-24 crew chief had several books about WW2 on his book shelf and I read them all several times. When he passed I got them. I’m sure that this will be a great addition to my books.
I enjoy you guys with my morning coffee, your like meeting my vet buddies for coffee in the Morning before i moved...
Thank you guys for another great episode. I read With The Old Breed after watching The Pacific. Definitely my favorite book even though it can be tough to read.
Signed up for Jon's book! I am excited to dig in.
Thank you!
I used to wonder why so many WWII vets refused to talk about their experiences during the war. After listening to this series, I now understand. The vets were protecting us from knowing the absolute horror these brave men experienced. That, and the fact that us of the next couple generations had no basis of understanding of their experiences.
Might the current younger generations be better off if the boomers had really known and passed that onto the current crop? They seem to think you can press reload in real life
Thanks guys. Another fantastic episode. You three are a hell of a team.
John, I’ll be preordering your book, if that’s possible.
Not yet, but when that happens, we'll let you know.
That campaign was truly hell on earth.
Conclave in a concave! Classic Toti! Love it!!!!
As a long-time viewer of the channel, I must commend y'all for another great job. My one issue with this episode was the unbelievable number and frequency of ADs run. It got to the point it was really diistracing. I'm not sure if you have much control over it but I just wanted to make you aware. Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to next week.
I reckon it is YT milking the good product for ad revenue - or trying to nag you into the ad free paid version.
Very similar conditions to those on the Gustav line in Italy in the winter of 43/44
Signed up for the email list for Jon's book, I'm really excited for it (and all the MAPS). Thanks again to all of you for the effort and detail you put into this podcast, it illustrates both the big picture and the human experience together in a way that few books manage to achieve.
Thank you!
Keep it up excellent work
Although somewhat forgotten now and overshadowed by books like 'With the Old Breed', William Manchester's 'Goodbye Darkness' I found to be a quite terrifying account of the Battle of Okinawa and the 6th Marine Division's struggle for Sugarloaf Hill.
Probably not "quite" as "terrifying" as being there. Are you are a total moron? Why did you post this comment all?
Louis Hauge segment was special. I've driven thru Ada, before, I'll have to stop and see if there any tribute to him.
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends". - John 15:13
Florida- I got a sister, uncles, aunts, in-laws, cousins…
All living there, scattered all over the state- all I do is worry every hurricane season 😵💫
Another very informative if grim episode. Thank you all involved in the production
You guys are the best
Great show gentlemen.
The really scary part of the rain is it covers up all sounds of the enemy.
Thank you my brothers brutal
Ww2 pacific it is what it is. The war Japan bought for itself
I find interesting that in 1945 white refined granulated sugar was still such a novelty, that the traditional " sugar loaf" was something everybody could understand.
Great content
My late friend Dick Jacobs was in these battles as a marine. Said that it seemed like going up and down the same hill day after day with the number of bodies increasing daily.
Signed up on your website Jon. What an effort capturing the entire war effort on all fronts in 1942--what a massive effort. Looking forward to it! Thx!
Thank again!
Uncommon value is a common virtue of each episode.
I would just like to urge Jon to hurry up and get that book published!
Me want!
Considering Cho's history, it is remarkable that he was trusted to be a truck drive, let alone 2nd in command of the 32ns Army. That is definitely an indication of the political strength of the Japanese Army General Staff.
I subscribed, Brother Jon. Early fan of y'all
Thank you!
Great episode gents. Probably one of my favorites.
Powerful sad, thank you for your knowledge.
Thank you Seth , Bill and Jon for efforts which enlighten many and honor those who sacrificed much for us here. This Airdale looking very much forward to next episode
Great job guys. That was one bad situation after another.
Thanks guys, awesome episode as always
Great episode guys. Okinawa was bloody no doubt. The Japanese were were suicidal and it shows by the way the fought. Thanks for all you do.
You guys are AWESOME. Thank you
Greetings from Honiara, Solomon Islands
Next time skip the foreplay.
Love the podcast ❤
Subscribed to Jon's mailing list of 1942 book!
Thank you!
Central Fl here. Milton will be spoken of next. Five generations here in southeastern Hillsborough. Road out at least 7 storms. Milton was the worst. Heart goes out to all.
Unauthorized at bedtime makes for some crazy dreams. We were talking good history the other night and capt bill was doing donuts in the submarine we were on.
Thanks!
As a kid on Okinawa. The monsoon sucked!
50° 27' 0.0036'' N and 30° 31' 23.9988'' E
DAY 979
Gents,
Well done. Another terrific, informative, and entertaining episode. Collectively, you've got a real knack for bringing history alive.
Thank you.
V/r - IB
Tuesday morning now has substance.
Hearing of Choe (?) and his "leadership from below" caused me to look up my "favorite" equivalent scoundrel. Tsuji Masanobu shows up at Nomonhan (Khalkhin Gol} as a major, on the war planning staff before Pearl Harbor, and Guadualcanal as a colonel and bloody calamity inevitably ensued in each case. After causing about as much havoc as possible, sending many to their deaths, he not only survives the war, but ends up in the Japanese Diet! Have to wonder if justice exists.
Loved Bill's word picture of the LVTAs trundling out to sea to meet the barge invaders. Didn't happen, but, my, it would have been legendary!
Tsuji was loathed by many senior Japanese officers as well.
He helped plan the Malaya campaign and then went on to organize the massacre of ethnic Chinese in the Singapore area. He is alleged to have eaten the liver of a downed Allied pilot.
Historian John Toland likened him to the Moriarty of the Asia-Pacific theater, amplififying the cruelty and brutality wherever he turned up.
Tsuji disappeared on a diplomatic trip to Indochina in the early 60's. Some conspiracy minded types have claimed he joined the North Vietnamese Communists and helped plan the Tet Offensive. Others believe he was murdered in retribution for his many crimes by some local group he had victimized during the war.
We can only hope he reaped a fraction of the suffering he had sown.
@@bufoferrata3205 Interesting. Even worse than I recalled.
Wonderful history lesson. I wonder how would I do there? Glad I don't have to know The greatest generation. YOU BET!!!
Something Ian Toll’s pacific trilogy talks about that you didn’t mention which adds another element of horror is that fact admit this mud and rain and inability to move you had thousands of men with no sanitary facilities of any kind. So the human waste of those thousands of men was mixed in with all the other filth and horror. It defies description.
Thanks!
Just wanted to add my father was an army physician on Okinawa . He was called off his transport on the 30 th day then on the front for 45 days. He only had two comments during his long life. First one was a young marine walked up to him and said " Doc my guys are finished we got to get them off the line they are done". He immediately ordered it.
The second was that the marine airfield never stopped their action. Planes didn't take up wheels but just landed took ordinance and took off and returned. Their objectives were that close they didn't have time to get their wheels up. I suspect they actually did it to control their air speed but it wa like a factory. He survived and was assigned Manila after the atomic bomb to establish a hospital there. He lived until 2018
Good work, thank you 👍😊
Thank you..
Yahara's book is well worth the read time, he was quite a smart man, too bad for them, good for us that Usigima was the only one confident in his plans, Cho was a different story
I'm glad that Bill didn't have covid, once you've had it like cancer or leukemia you tend to get sick easier and take longer to recover. My grandparents knew but not well Dr Sledge in Mobile and you are so right about how terrible the conditions there were. That it being part of the consideration for the decision to invade Japan proper or not. While you've said you don't like 'what if's' do you have any recommendations for what the operation Olympic/Coronet would have been like?
Loved Shattered Sword. Can't wait for the new book. With ETO!
Re the attack on Sugarloaf with the other two Japanese mounds shredding the marines with flank fire. In situations where the enemy has mutual support from nearby locations, I've often wondered why the goodies never attacked under smoke cover. Didn't the US make enough smoke rounds? Or some other reason?
I'm not an expert on tactics/strategy or any kind of military operations, but I would GUESS that the reasons could include;
Smoke munitions being toxic to pass through
Smoke being hard to control where it blows
Smoke makes it just as hard to pin down the enemy
You don't really need to see the attackers, when you can just hose down the smoke and hope to hit people in it.
Smoke also signals to more people "Hey, there's action over here!"
Looking forward to this one. And i've subbed to John's mailing list, hope that goes well!
Good job, as always.
My son served on Okinawa. It would rain so hard breathing was a challenge. My son would have to lower his face and shield his mouth to make a breathing space.
12,000 shells in a half hour? 60 seconds X 30 minutes = 1,800 seconds. 12,000 shells / 1,800 seconds = almost 7 shells per second! I know they said it paled in comparison to other bombardments, but this is such a confined area and such a compressed time. It's incredible.
According to the citation, etc. Bair took an M1919, .30 cal. machine gun - normally tripod-mounted - and draped it over his wounded arm. Not a BAR or Thompson - but a freaking tripod-mounted machine gun. Just ... damn.
Email added, although Jon, The picture is in a nice purple shirt but I was hoping for the Hawaiian shirt with the requisite wallpaper background.
excellent as always gents - all the beste
its sad to see the down votes for these history lessons, and that is the way I view it. Reguardless of the side who fought this war. It is the responsibility of future generations to "Never Forget". The best quote that I can think of is from George Santayana "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I also want to say rest easy to the hero's of both sides may they rest in peace and I will never forget and have taught my children and have started teaching my grand children the costs of war. Keep up the great work gentlemen we must never forget the lessons these men sacrificed everything for.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Buckner's decision not to launch an end run and land at Minatoga on the southern end of the island was a major mistake. As historian John McManus notes, the prescient Colonel Yahara deeply feared such a move. As for that ship having sailed when the 2nd Marine division returned to Saipan, General Vandergrift promised that the redeployment of that division "could be underway in six hours."
Great job the 3 of you -- many thanks -- please keep up the good work!
I guess I must be missing somthing in the discussion, but if the cave system was so intricate and interconnected... why didn't the men fight within the cave system itself? Sure, it would be a terrible fight....but fighting on top didn't seem to be going much better....
If the cave system is the enemy's sanctuary, then at every opportunity -- rather than closing the entrances -- shouldn't we have tried to keep them open, and enter the cave system to open a new front underground -- with pistols and shotguns, if necessary...?
Please forgive the pun, but did our men consider fighting underground to be beneath them?
By the time Vietnam came around, our men didn't seem to have that reservation...
Awesome as always guys. Went online for “1942” book, hope it’s as good as SHATTERED SWORD .
Good morning from SC!
Adding onto that, didn't Cho's plan play into the Army, Marines and, by extension, the Navy's strength of overwhelming firepower?
Champions
With respect to Japanese artillery bombardment vs those of the allies in the ETA, how do they compare when the size of the battlefield is taken into consideration? I imagine that would close the gap some, though still a considerable gap would remain.
I do wonder if Ushijima kept quiet in the hopes that Cho would get himself killed.
I suspect one big reason why Ushijima didn't overrule Chō is that he knew he'd be murdered by the next morning if he did.
The whole thing evolved into the Passchendale times 10 with the suffering of the individual troops incalculable...
3:57 I was at Camp Shelby for Katrina, living in the barracks near the PX.
It was not a fun time.
I was in NOLA during Katrina. Not a fun time down there either. It was a nightmare everywhere.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWarI’ve heard some stories from NOLA after Katrina that would make your skin crawl. You guys got all kinds of craziness running around down there. Then again, I’m in Miami so we know all about it.
What are you going to do after this, it feels like it has come so quickly!