My Dad's cousin, who was like a brother to him, was killed by a Japanese sniper on the first day of the invasion. He was not quite 5 months past his 17th birthday. RIP, Orville Cook, Jr.
I just looked him up on a WWII USMC casualties database. He was in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. KIA September 15th, 1944. Thanks for sharing his name.
Hav so much respect for him for the fact he enlisted so young, my grandfather did the same he lied and said he was 19 to get into the Navy when he was only 16. There will nvr be another generation like theirs, they helped to literally save the world from evil.
@@michaelsouslin891 "Saved the world" the world has been in straight downhill since the axis lost. Europe is no longer European and USA is slowly collapsing.
I am sending you a Zen-hug from England. To lose a father is hard. A big challenge in Life to overcome! / My father did not die, but we were estranged for over 20 years, until he died. He was a Royal Navy submarine officer in WW2, First Lieutenant on TORBAY with a DSC by 1945. Aged 22. He commanded submarines after the war, including off Korea. He was 16 when the war started, so his transition into a man was a hard one. / So to the extent that I can, Adrian, I share your loss, and wish you well from England. /
Respect to your father. This battle is unique for two terrible reasons: it was unbelievably brutal; it does not get the attention and nor do the soldier get enough credit for their courage.
My late uncle, a new 2nd Lt USMC, invaded there. He survived in part because of a family death. After six weeks ashore his father died. My father a 14 yr Navy Pharmacist serving on the garden spot of Saipan, refused the free ticket home to run the family farm and gave it to his younger brother. RIP all you hero's. Narragansett Bay
That had to hurt so badly being told the island you'd fought and bled so hard to secure was considered 'tactically irrelevant' by the brass looking at lines on a map while eating their ice cream.
To all of the brave young men who wore the uniform, regardless of service, my debt of gratitude is beyond anything that I could ever express or in some way repay. To the families of those who fought, your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.
My good friend Carl Meinelt from Waterbury Connecticut served with L 3/5. He was wounded in the arm by a wooden bullet. They saved his arm. RIP Uncle Carl
Rip Carl from Waterbury resident for 65 years now FL resident Sanibel FL. Sadly many very young really kids died because of power hungry so called leaders or better still nut cases. Never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
14,000 men died in the battle of Peleliu (Japanese + Americans). Nowadays the island has a population of 484 people. I wonder what those people make of the sheer scale of what took place in those two months in 1944.
God bless those poor bastard who had to Endure that absolute undescribable fucking horror God bless them all least we forget least we forget😐 massive respect to our American cousins from Great Britain🇬🇧
I had read that the lci as returned to the transport got their propellers jammed, when the mechanics wanted to know the reason, they found out that the blades got pieces of flesh of Marines that got killed during the landings and went adrift by the currents.
@@StoriesofWWII Concussion and some minor wounds. I believe he ended up in a hospital on New Guinea (which I did not know there was one there) for a while before returning to the States. He had once mentioned Espiritu Santo, but I believe that was after the Canal.
@@StoriesofWWII yes, never talked about the Cape or Peleliu (only about the Canal), he had enough points, got Sgt back in States. Interesting his brother was on a fuel ship off of Peleliu during the invasion and neither knew the other was at Peleliu.
its very acccurate to say that the war for the men in the Pacific was very different that the one in Europe. The Marines fought a hard and brutal war in tiny islands that we couldn't even say where they are, despite the tv shows and books i cant imagine how ferocious it must have been in Pacific.
The Japanese definitely learned that the tactic inflicted maximum casualties. They were losing the war in the Pacific at this point, but potentially could make the US suffer so much as to force better terms for peace. There were a few reasons why the Atomic Bombs were dropped, but the most surface of explanations was to avoid such a massive loss of life invading the Japanese home islands.
Then one day you look at the map and realize the entire Pacific campaign could have been avoided had Roosevelt worked out a deal with Stalin to lease the base at Vladivostok or Bechevinka. 600-mile hop to anywhere in Japan. It's not like Stalin, who was being supplied the planes he needed to defend against Hitler via Alaska, was in a position to say no.
This was a pointless, brutal, bloody campaign ordered by McCarthur to ‘protect his flank’ while he grabbed glory in his return to the Philippines (which he had fled from to save his ass while abandoning thousands of his troops 2 years earlier.) The Pelilu airstrip he was so concerned about had already been rendered useless by repeated bombing. Those poor Marines were simply expendable pawns in his great legacy chess game. Of course, he was anointed with the MOH and went on to almost start WW 3 in Korea.
You’re absolutely wrong Japanese had plans to use this area as it had multiple working airfields on the main island and surrounding islands to launch kamakazi attacks on the Philippines to sink American ships and destroy landing troops! Estimates of 7000-10000 dead
Sept 29th 1944 was D-Day +14? I'm not being facetious, am I missing something? That seems incredibly inaccurate and it's the first thing you say. ::edit:: Ok with a little googling I just learned the Pacific campaign had over 100 D-Days. Apparently the D-Day on Peleliu was Sept. 15th. 1944.
Yes. D-Day has almost become a synonym for the Invasion of Normandy, but it’s just a designation signifying the starting day of a major military operation or landing. Thanks for looking into it.
Tactically irrelevant? Perhaps arguable. A waste? Ask the survivors of USS Indianapolis. Everything else being the same; I-58 sinks Indianapolis, and it vanishes from the face of the earth, until Japanese records are examined after the war. The Ventura patrol plane that found the survivors came from the airfield on Peleliu. If Peleliu isn't taken; the patrol squadron isn't emplaced, and everyone who initially survived the sinking of Indianapolis dies.
Yes. Almost entirely tactically irrelevant in the greater island hopping campaign because of the crushing blow against the Japanese in Battle of the Philippine Sea. US Pacific command decided not to call off the invasion because they thought it would be another hard and fast battle. If Peleliu hadn’t been taken, then yes maybe the survivors of the Indianapolis might not have been found, but more likely they would have been found by patrol aircraft stationed somewhere else covering the same route. Sustaining 10,000 US casualties including over 2,000 dead to secure Peleliu isn’t a great trade off to save those 300+ remaining crew of the Indianapolis. No disrespect. I like talking hypotheticals like this. Thanks for the comment.
In terms of numbers; yes; not a good trade. Any other patrol would have to have come from Leyte or Luzon, or Guam. Indianapolis was lost about as far as it could be from either. There isn't a non-zero chance of a patrol from either, but I might question how diligent patrols to an 'empty patch of ocean' might be. @@StoriesofWWII
Imperial Japanese ideology was deeply rooted in the values of Yamato-Damashii "ancient Japanese spirit", the cultural code stressing absolute loyalty and service to the Emperor and their sacred islands. This nationalistic spirit combined with Shinto and Buddhist beliefs formed the basis of the warrior's creed expressed in modern Bushido - the chivalric code originally applied to the Samurai way of life. Honor is everything. A soldier never surrenders. Death in the service of the Emperor is honor. In defeat, disgraced or mortally wounded (failed to uphold his honor) he could regain his honor by committing ritual suicide by disembowelment - Seppuku. The extremely painful act not only wiped away his transgression, but elevated his reputation in death. Kunio Nakagawa did exactly what was expected of him.
@@StoriesofWWII It's also a huge reason they were so ruthless with prisoners of war. The Japanese felt those prisoners had no honor and they treated them like shit.
@@jlsabinas8578 Yes exactly. And since the Japanese often killed and mutilated the Marines they captured, the Marines usually didn't take any Japanese prisoners.
My Dad's cousin, who was like a brother to him, was killed by a Japanese sniper on the first day of the invasion. He was not quite 5 months past his 17th birthday. RIP, Orville Cook, Jr.
I just looked him up on a WWII
USMC casualties database.
He was in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
KIA September 15th, 1944.
Thanks for sharing his name.
I remember tose in png in tge 80,s
I respect his service, and sacrifice for our nation.
Hav so much respect for him for the fact he enlisted so young, my grandfather did the same he lied and said he was 19 to get into the Navy when he was only 16. There will nvr be another generation like theirs, they helped to literally save the world from evil.
@@michaelsouslin891 "Saved the world" the world has been in straight downhill since the axis lost. Europe is no longer European and USA is slowly collapsing.
My handsome, brave father, Adrain Tex Simpkins died there, may God rest your beautiful soul dear father
I am sending you a Zen-hug from England.
To lose a father is hard.
A big challenge in Life to overcome!
/
My father did not die,
but we were estranged for over 20 years,
until he died.
He was a Royal Navy submarine officer in WW2,
First Lieutenant on TORBAY with a DSC by 1945.
Aged 22.
He commanded submarines after the war,
including off Korea.
He was 16 when the war started,
so his transition into a man
was a hard one.
/
So to the extent that I can, Adrian,
I share your loss,
and wish you well from England.
/
RIP. Adrian
Thank You Friends
Salute to you sir and your father.
Respect to your father. This battle is unique for two terrible reasons: it was unbelievably brutal; it does not get the attention and nor do the soldier get enough credit for their courage.
My late uncle, a new 2nd Lt USMC, invaded there. He survived in part because of a family death. After six weeks ashore his father died. My father a 14 yr Navy Pharmacist serving on the garden spot of Saipan, refused the free ticket home to run the family farm and gave it to his younger brother. RIP all you hero's. Narragansett Bay
That had to hurt so badly being told the island you'd fought and bled so hard to secure was considered 'tactically irrelevant' by the brass looking at lines on a map while eating their ice cream.
To all of the brave young men who wore the uniform, regardless of service, my debt of gratitude is beyond anything that I could ever express or in some way repay. To the families of those who fought, your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.
My good friend Carl Meinelt from Waterbury Connecticut served with L 3/5. He was wounded in the arm by a wooden bullet. They saved his arm. RIP Uncle Carl
Brass balls from the brass city.
Brass City producing brass gonads. Thank you, Patriot. From Watertown.
Rip Carl from Waterbury resident for 65 years now FL resident Sanibel FL. Sadly many very young really kids died because of power hungry so called leaders or better still nut cases. Never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
14,000 men died in the battle of Peleliu (Japanese + Americans). Nowadays the island has a population of 484 people. I wonder what those people make of the sheer scale of what took place in those two months in 1944.
😮
A howitzer on a flat trajectory is called direct fire. It is the last gasp effort to prevent a position from being overrun.
Useless death of the Marines, brave men they were. They fought and died for each other. GOD BLESS ALL OF THEM
With The Old Breed is a fantastic book!!!!!
I just finished it today and I concur!
Yes ... great book by Eugene Sledge!
Yes, an outstanding read 📚
God bless those poor bastard who had to Endure that absolute undescribable fucking horror God bless them all least we forget least we forget😐 massive respect to our American cousins from Great Britain🇬🇧
My wifes step dad fought there, 1st battalion, 1st marines. He joined them just after the canal.
Great job on this video.
I appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed it.
War is Hell.
I had read that the lci as returned to the transport got their propellers jammed, when the mechanics wanted to know the reason, they found out that the blades got pieces of flesh of Marines that got killed during the landings and went adrift by the currents.
My father was in 2nd battalion, 1st Marines woke up on a hospital ship
Do you know how he was wounded?
@@StoriesofWWII Concussion and some minor wounds. I believe he ended up in a hospital on New Guinea (which I did not know there was one there) for a while before returning to the States. He had once mentioned Espiritu Santo, but I believe that was after the Canal.
@@keithkuhn6404 Interesting. Did he fight on Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester before Peleliu?
@@StoriesofWWII yes, never talked about the Cape or Peleliu (only about the Canal), he had enough points, got Sgt back in States. Interesting his brother was on a fuel ship off of Peleliu during the invasion and neither knew the other was at Peleliu.
its very acccurate to say that the war for the men in the Pacific was very different that the one in Europe. The Marines fought a hard and brutal war in tiny islands that we couldn't even say where they are, despite the tv shows and books i cant imagine how ferocious it must have been in Pacific.
I want an hour long documentary on this from you.
@@chrisstrebor I appreciate it! Idk if my computer could handle such an undertaking.
Lest we Forget
Nakagawa made mistakes of using his Tanks in the beginning of the battle
But were lessons learned? It seems the same approach went on at iwo and okanawa
The Japanese definitely learned that the tactic inflicted maximum casualties. They were losing the war in the Pacific at this point, but potentially could make the US suffer so much as to force better terms for peace.
There were a few reasons why the Atomic Bombs were dropped, but the most surface of explanations was to avoid such a massive loss of life invading the Japanese home islands.
Howitzer on flat trajectory.💀
Then one day you look at the map and realize the entire Pacific campaign could have been avoided had Roosevelt worked out a deal with Stalin to lease the base at Vladivostok or Bechevinka. 600-mile hop to anywhere in Japan. It's not like Stalin, who was being supplied the planes he needed to defend against Hitler via Alaska, was in a position to say no.
This was a pointless, brutal, bloody campaign ordered by McCarthur to ‘protect his flank’ while he grabbed glory in his return to the Philippines (which he had fled from to save his ass while abandoning thousands of his troops 2 years earlier.) The Pelilu airstrip he was so concerned about had already been rendered useless by repeated bombing. Those poor Marines were simply expendable pawns in his great legacy chess game. Of course, he was anointed with the MOH and went on to almost start WW 3 in Korea.
No, it was Nimitz who insisted on the Palau Island campaign
But it happened, thanks to the veterans that fought and to the ones that died there.
The whole war was to punish nations that refused usury banking and its progenetors.
To be fair... MacArthur was ordered to evacuate by Roosevelt.
You’re absolutely wrong Japanese had plans to use this area as it had multiple working airfields on the main island and surrounding islands to launch kamakazi attacks on the Philippines to sink American ships and destroy landing troops! Estimates of 7000-10000 dead
Sept 29th 1944 was D-Day +14? I'm not being facetious, am I missing something? That seems incredibly inaccurate and it's the first thing you say.
::edit:: Ok with a little googling I just learned the Pacific campaign had over 100 D-Days. Apparently the D-Day on Peleliu was Sept. 15th. 1944.
Yes. D-Day has almost become a synonym for the Invasion of Normandy, but it’s just a designation signifying the starting day of a major military operation or landing. Thanks for looking into it.
@@StoriesofWWII Your video was awesome. Thanks for educating me.
@@beeer421 Your attitude is commendable. Good job. 👍
The bravest of the brave. Americans are the best soldiers in the world.
Tactically irrelevant? Perhaps arguable.
A waste? Ask the survivors of USS Indianapolis.
Everything else being the same; I-58 sinks Indianapolis, and it vanishes from the face of the earth, until Japanese records are examined after the war.
The Ventura patrol plane that found the survivors came from the airfield on Peleliu.
If Peleliu isn't taken; the patrol squadron isn't emplaced, and everyone who initially survived the sinking of Indianapolis dies.
Yes. Almost entirely tactically irrelevant in the greater island hopping campaign because of the crushing blow against the Japanese in Battle of the Philippine Sea. US Pacific command decided not to call off the invasion because they thought it would be another hard and fast battle.
If Peleliu hadn’t been taken, then yes maybe the survivors of the Indianapolis might not have been found, but more likely they would have been found by patrol aircraft stationed somewhere else covering the same route.
Sustaining 10,000 US casualties including over 2,000 dead to secure Peleliu isn’t a great trade off to save those 300+ remaining crew of the Indianapolis.
No disrespect. I like talking hypotheticals like this. Thanks for the comment.
In terms of numbers; yes; not a good trade.
Any other patrol would have to have come from Leyte or Luzon, or Guam.
Indianapolis was lost about as far as it could be from either.
There isn't a non-zero chance of a patrol from either, but I might question how diligent patrols to an 'empty patch of ocean' might be.
@@StoriesofWWII
Completely unnecessary. Thanks, Doug
The Japanese Commander killed himself rather than die in battle. That’s a poor legacy for a so called warrior
Imperial Japanese ideology was deeply rooted in the values of Yamato-Damashii "ancient Japanese spirit", the cultural code stressing absolute loyalty and service to the Emperor and their sacred islands. This nationalistic spirit combined with Shinto and Buddhist beliefs formed the basis of the warrior's creed expressed in modern Bushido - the chivalric code originally applied to the Samurai way of life. Honor is everything. A soldier never surrenders. Death in the service of the Emperor is honor.
In defeat, disgraced or mortally wounded (failed to uphold his honor)
he could regain his honor by committing ritual suicide by disembowelment - Seppuku.
The extremely painful act not only wiped away his transgression, but elevated his reputation in death.
Kunio Nakagawa did exactly what was expected of him.
@@StoriesofWWII It's also a huge reason they were so ruthless with prisoners of war. The Japanese felt those prisoners had no honor and they treated them like shit.
@@jlsabinas8578 Yes exactly. And since the Japanese often killed and mutilated the Marines they captured, the Marines usually didn't take any Japanese prisoners.
Sacrificed to illuminati gods 😢
What?
@@jackstrayfeald1007 war to me is just a sacrifice by politicians to their demons they worship
@@jackstrayfeald1007 they create these unnecessary situations and force us to fight them 😢