Dan Carlin put WW2 in the best way. European Theater is like your classic war film, The Eastern Front was like an Apocalypse film, and The Pacific Theater was like a horror film.
What a great way to describe it, I’ve always found the pacific front slightly more interesting then the eastern front (tho of course the eastern is WAY more important)
@@Loke6661666246 By far the best History podcast out there. His 4 part "Supernova in the East" series is unbelievable. HIs WW1 series is only beat by the World War 1 podcast. Defiantly worth the time.
Never really agreed with the European theater take. Anyone who fought through some of those campaigns fought through hell. The fact is, all war is hell, no matter the theater. I will say the Pacific had a unique environment that I've heard soldiers say was horrendous. But then the same could be said of N Africa or the Eastern Front.
Band of Brothers was written by Stephen Ambrose. The Pacific is a combination of two different memoirs so the "plot" isn't as consistent following one group as Band of Brothers was. That being said, its a very high quality production that pulls no punches and is very worthwhile.
The Pacific follows the 1st Marine Division through the four campaigns it fought in during WW2 while relying heavily on the memoirs written by different marines who served in the 1st. It doesn't follow just one company like 'Band of Brothers'. The 1st Marine Division consisted of the 1st, 5th and 7th Marine Regiments in which the three most prominent characters in this series (prominent because their home lives were shown as well as their service) all served in different regiments and those who were in the same regiment may have been in different battalions. Basilone in the 1st, Sledge in the 5th and I'm pretty sure Leckie was in the 7th.
They actually released a book accompanying the series that used Sledge and Leckie's works but also added in memoirs from a Marine aviator who flew a Dauntless (and later on, a Helldiver) as part of the Cactus AF on Guadalcanal. It was put together by Ambrose's son I think (Ambrose had passed by then) and also has perspectives from Sidney Phillips (Sledge's friend from Alabama) as well as another Marine (August Shofner) who was captured during the fall of the Philippines, escaped, fought with Filipino guerrillas, later was redeployed and fought on Peleliu/Okinawa as well. Pretty enjoyable read, less gut wrenching than the series.
Maple just ruined this series of reviews for me, when she said the map of the extent of Japanese conquests was "cool". She tried to take it back a few seconds later, but the damage was done. I watch series like this for intelligent commentary (like Diegesis did wonderfully well with Band of Brothers). Maple's first contribution was completely thoughtless and "cool" struck me as a zero-thought cliche reaction. I don't need any more of this. By the way, I've already watched the entire Pacific series, and the whole history is anything but "cool". Too bad this silly comment wasn't edited out.
This whole series has a very different over-arching theme to "Band of Brothers". It's much more about the dehumanizing effects of the naked brutality of the Pacific War.
Yeah, she said that was cool. The people subjugated by the Japanese didn't think so, nor did those who had to put a stop to the Japanese. She's clueless, and apparently you don't get it either.
My uncle John was at Guadalcanal. He was a Para-marine, fought alongside with Col. Edson on the ridge above the airfield. Later to be known as "Edson's Ridge".
The officer giving the speech to his marines about spending Christmas with their families is Chesty Puller. The most decorated Marine in marine corps history. “It was good for Chesty Puller, and it’s good enough for me!” Him and Sgt. Basilone, along with Smedley Butler, Dan Daly, Carlos Hathcock are giants in the Marine Corps by their actions in combat.
My dad was a Marine at Bougainville, contracted malaria and was given the Lats Rites (of course he survived). That is all he ever told me. Have viewed "The Pacific" many times, brutal! Different enemy, different environment BRUTAL...😞
When I was in nursing school, I had a patient who was injured on Bougainville. He had KP duty, so he had his head in a food locker when a mortar round struck behind the food locker. the locker saved his life.
If you'd be comfortable sharing his name, I can search for his unit in the muster rolls and see if there's anything else related to his wartime service if you'd like
My Grandfather was also at Bougainville with G Co, 2nd Raider Battalion. One of 72 of 230 men in his company to not be a casualty. He served at Midway and Guadalcanal and later was wounded at Iwo Jima. Bougainville in my opinion changed a lot of men. They didn’t call it a Green Hell for nothing.
I don't know if you guys will see this.....The navel battle you seen towards the beginning of the episode kinda falls short of what happened that night. This was a huge battle with the Japanese Navy, the United States Navy lost four heavy cruisers that sunk (average of 900 sailors each) and 2 destroyers were heavily damaged (average of 250-300 sailors each) over 1700 sailors were killed just that night. So glad you two are doing this series!!
1 year ago with last episode of Band of Brothers: Me: "Please start The Pacific soon, can't wait for episode 5->" Diegesis: "We're not watching the Pacific" Me: "Well that's just craptastic then :D" BOOM! That aged well, glad to see you back with big boy stuff 😘
During the battle at sea that they watch overnight, my grandfather's ship, USS Quincy was one of 4 heavy cruisers lost. The battle of Savo Island is worth looking into.
@williambranch4283 I was on CVN-65! The Enterprise will forever hold a brave and powerful name in our Navy. She has always been a fighter, in all of her hull forms.
One of the reasons this series jumps right into it is the fact that the Marines were in heavy combat from Aug 1942 to Aug 1945. Whereas Easy company was in combat from June 6th 1944 to May 7th 1945, and then served as part of the occupation force after the German surrender. To squeeze 3 years of action into a mini series they had to shave off the training.
The battle at the end of the episode is the Battle of the Tenaru River in which a Japanese regiment of 1,000 men attacked the Marines throughout the night. It was an absolute massacre as the Marines killed 900 of the Japanese attackers while suffering only 41 killed themselves. There's a very famous photograph of the aftermath (recreated at 14:04) with hundreds of dead Japanese bodies on the sandbar.
This story is so good because it is so horrifying. What Leckie says about how sobering it is to the soul seeing the terrifying things that humans will do to one another.
my mom dropped me off at the recruiters office to go to boot camp. one of the 5-6 times she's ever hugged me. my dad didnt believe i was serious when leaving until the day of. apparently the guy got so piss drunk he felt up all the girls in the salsa club and into a couple fights, calling my phone like a madman, saying he'd come and pick me up right then and there. seeing that bit with leckies dad always brings me back to that hotel night where i had no idea what was going on or what to expect.
I have watched The Pacific several times, and I'm enjoying watching this with you. Your reactions and emotions are genuine... and contagious. Thank you for sharing.
I appreciate that both ladies are aware coming into this that it's a "retelling" of actual events ..... So many reactions of the "Band of Brothers" started off with the mindset that it's just a movie with "characters" .... By the time reactions watch "The Pacific" they're clued in to the factual truth of reality that HBO took to ensure the events of warfare these Marines endured for our country and our allies. 🏆 ❤ 🇺🇸 🎥 Outstanding reaction video .... Hang tough..... It's going to rapidly get harder and darker.
What made you first watch The Pacific? See episodes early on Patreon where we're several ahead with full length watch alongs. Here: www.patreon.com/diegesischad
Great review ladies, keep up the good work. This is an excellent series, but it is very brutal to watch. So prepare yourself there will be lots of tears but well worth it in the end. Like the men in Band of Brothers these men deserved to be remembered.
Eyyy I think I actually recommended this series a lil while back in the comments on another video a pleasant surprise in my sub feed thank you Maple and Ariana ☺️
The water around Guadalcanal or the slot as it was called it's known as ironbottom sound because there are so many sunken ships there from the seven months of fighting at Guadalcanal
If you are in the San Francisco area go out to Lands End. A short walk from Sutro Baths is a memorial to the USS San Francisco. They made it from the remains of the bridge. It is a sobering sight.
From an old jarhead I am excited that you are reacting to this miniseries. There's an old film called Pride of the Marines about a navy cross recipient from the battle of Guadalcanal. Worth watching.
No spoilers here, but keep those tissues close. There is a couple heart warming episodes, but for the most part it just keeps getting harder and harder. Don't worry though we'll be here to help the whole way through. Great reactions keep up the great content. 👍
The Pacific theater makes the European theater look tame by comparison. Besides battling heat and humidity, they had to fight an enemy who did not follow the rules of war. They would not surrender and did not fear death. Also this was 2 years before D-day and the marines were under funded and had to use older equipment. This is going to get as heavy if not heavier than Band of Brothers.
As a ww2 fanatic (and I mean it's down right nerdy at times) it's really REALLY cool to see the reactions of people that have heard of ww2 of course but might not grasp the full scope and magnitude and terrible impact it had on the world. I guess it's just cool knowing that these men and women who were indeed "our greatest generation" are not being forgotten but still being revered as heroes and heroines; as they damn well deserve. So glad I found these reactions I'm about to binge em all!
So glad you two are reacting to the Pacific!! Just as good and powerful as Band of Brothers but you’ll see ultimately how different these series are because the two theatres of war we equally as different.
At 15:38 they mention “Rivers” he is known today as Indian Rivers due to his heritage and warrior spirit and as one of the finest marines to ever serve. They didn’t show it but he continued firing during that initial charge even when shot multiple times before succumbing to blood loss.
There was no reference to December 7, 1941 in The Pacific. I was stationed at Fird Island during Marine Corps, had no idea it is an Island next to an Island.
Don't know if this was in the film, but the màrines that took Guadalcanal weren't scheduled for battle until 1943. They had been training on New Zealand for only a couple of weeks when orders came back to take the Canal (Guadalcanal was named after a town in Spain in the 1500s.) The Marines that landed on Guadalcanal were green groups who were facing combat hardened Japanese soldiers that had never been defeated. These Marines were also equipped with WW1 surplus weapons (M1A1 bold action Springfield rifles and WW1 machine guns.) After Guadalcanal the Marines were issued M1 Grand rifles. They did have the very effective 37mm anti-tank weapons that also proved highly effective against infantry.
leaving the chinstrap unbuckled was common because if a mortar or grenade went off next to you, the concussion could take your helmet (and your head) off if the strap was buckled.
I am genuinely looking forward to the humor as a coping mechanism during this series. I do that as well and I appreciate good wit. Excellent reaction as always! I don't comment much but I watch a lot.
Thank you for reacting to this show! Your response is correct! We should never forget this history! My Godfather (uncle) lived though this, and one of my biggest regrets is never talking with him about it. My father survived the war in Europe, two of my heroes growing up!
One point of interest: The first part of the Pacific Campaign the marines were forced to use water-cooled machineguns were left-over from WWI. Another is the night battle seen in this episode is the Battle of Savo Island, fought on the night of 9 August 1942. The Japanese inflict a sever defeat on the Allied force, driving them away from Guadalcanal and leaving the just-landed marines in a perilously exposed position.
When the Marines landed on Guadalcanal the Japanese were literally days away from finishing an airstrip on that island but when we came ashore they ran back into the jungle and the first casualty the Marines had on this island was the guy they showed that cut his hand with the machete opening a coconut
The night time battle in this episode is known as the Battle of Alligator Creek. The host of the YT channel Forgotten Weapons recently did an on site breakdown of the battle when he visited Guadalcanal. Believe it or not, this battleground is slated to be developed in the near future. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
A lot of them don't have their helmets buckled because they used to believe that if they had it strapped and an explosion went of near them, that the blast would catch their helmet and pull their head off or snap their neck
So for context leckies dad was distant in his own word due to his brother dying a couple of years earlier. And that naval battle would go on to be the worst naval defeat in USN (United states navy). But contrary to show the supply ships had unloaded their cargo and where left untouched by the Japanese fleet
When y'all are going to watch scenes about specific battles that you'll be watching, Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, maybe check Google on the battles and kind of get familiar with what happened before watching. You will get a better idea of what happened, like the sea battles around Guadalcanal, where the Navy got pounded early in the campaign, which is why they couldn't get supplies. Just a thought.
The mutilation at the 8:45 minute mark was common throughout the Pacific operations and was a form of psychological warfare - it is described in Eugene Sledge's book, "With the Old Breed," and often included other body parts being cut off as well, and it would be left where the American's were sure to see it. It lead to a deep anger and savagery that very different from what soldiers in Europe experienced.
This is from basically two books. Helmet For My Pillow and With the Old Breed. Written by Leckie and Sledge. And by the way…my brother are not “jerks”. Combat is something that can never be explained really. Only those who don’t know will ask about it those who know will never ask.
Found your channel from your Band of Brothers viewing, I haven't left since. I don't like this series quite as much, but I highly recommend the source material. Anything involving Eugene is from "With the old breed" which is the best war memoir ever made in my opinion.
The Tenaru river is where the massed attack was mounted by the Japanese. The image of the imperial Japanese soldiers buried in sand was taken immediately after the fight. Haunting image
A great quote I read once was something like: “There’s two totally different wars taking place in WW2. The one in the ETO and the PTO. The ETO was the evil calculated nazis with these great machines of terror and the PTO was this relentless monstrous enemy, foaming at the mouth raging assaults of annihilation.” The PTO was the WW1 style “price for a mile” where men murdered eachother for islands the folks back home had never heard of sometimes not even a mile wide.
I wish they had included a small segment on Jacob Charles Vouza, a native member of the Island Constabulary. He scouted for the Marines and carried a small US flag with him. He was stopped by Japs and the flag was found on him. He was beaten, tied to a post and used for bayonet practice, but refused to give any information about the Americans. He was left for dead, but managed to free himself, walk 3 miles through the jungle before coming to a Marine on guard duty. He was taken to the aid station but refused assistance until he warned the commanding officer of the impending Japanese attack. It gave the Marines 10 minutes to prepare. Vouza was given a transfusion and recovered from his wounds. He was always proud of the fact that he carried American blood in his veins. He was awarded a metal for his actions and visited the US in the 60s.😊
The Battle they showed "Alligator creek" was a lot more than what they showed. The reason it was called Alligator Alley was it was filled with Salt water Crocidiles. The fight at Alligator creek was over a three day period that started at Alligator creek and involved a counter attack by American forces to push the Imperial Japanese forces further into the jungles. The really gory horror of the event was upon returning to Alligator Creek they found Salt water Crocidiles eating dead Japanese soldiers.
The Operations Room channel did a good run down on this. He's good in general, and his channel is a good one to support. He puts a lot of time into each of those, like tens of hours for each. He has a full time day job so he only has a new video every couple of weeks, but they are worth it.
I really really appreciate the great lengths the historical advisors and costume/prop/set decoration departments took to achieve period accuracy in this show. Older war films especially from the 50s-70s were really bad for just throwing whatever looked close enough on the screen and hoping the audience didnt notice. But there are details in this that wouldnt even matter to 99.5% of the viewing audience and couldve cut the budget down. It shows a dedication to quality and respect by the filmmakers involved. For example; I think this is the 1st time ive seen the early and rare (and correct for Guadalcanal!) Hawley helmet liner worn on a wide scale by the actors and extras. My jaw dropped when I first noticed this. Also the earlier wooden .30 cal ammo boxes which again wouldve been more appropriate than metal for 1942 setting. There are too many examples to list them all. And I mean these are incredibly small details they couldve just not bothered with but they really swung for the fences anyway. I respect the people who made this.
We had an old sailor in our Church congregation. He was on the USS Arizona on Dec 7, 1941. Unlike BoB ... these boys didn't spend 2 years training ... they just had a couple months before seeing the enemy. The Japanese were totally taken by surprise (unlike Germany at Normandy) ... the Japanese corrected that mistake by fighting like hell for 6 months to retake that runway they were building.
A note about the unbuckled helmets that I heard from an old vet I knew that served in Korea. Those helmets when buckled could nearly rip your head off if you were near a mortar strike. Plus they were extremely uncomfortable but Id rather not have my neck broken from my helmet doing it's job
I learned a lot about the war in the pacific during ww2 because my grandpa was a marine corps vet based in Guam. He would sit me down and talk me with about it everyday when I was a kid. All I wanted to do when I grew up was join the marine corps to honor my grandpa. But I found out I couldn't when I was 13 because I found out then that I have severe epilepsy, sadly.
If you want to see a REALLY good movie told from the Japanese POV, I recommend the movie “Letters From Iwo Jima” and the companion movie “Flags of Our Fathers”. Both movies are centered around the battle on the island of Iwo Jima, both directed by Clint Eastwood, both shot at the same time.
There was a prevailing myth during World War II that having your helmet's chinstrap buckled could result in a broken neck or decapitation if you were caught by enemy fire or explosions in the right way. It was so widespread that orders were sometimes issued to *not* buckle your chinstrap if expecting enemy artillery. Eventually the Department of War ran a study on it. It wasn't true, but it took a lot of convincing for troops to start buckling those straps.
My great grandfather a service cross recipient from the battle of belleau woods (battle the Marines earned the nickname Devil Dogs) was a career Marine from 1917 until 1938 when he killed a man in self defense but was kicked out of the Marines during the trial. He was found innocent and joined the Army Air Corps from 38 to 41 and stationed a Pearl Harbor my grandmother only 13 years old at the time hid in a bunker while he fought the first battle of his Second World War after the bombings he found a way back into the infantry in the marines a few days later. He later on the island of Guadalcanal found himself in the command of a young man named Robert O’Toole my grandfather and from the canal to the end of the war they fought together. My grandpa a young BAR gunner who became very good at his job the next 3 years and became close with my great grandpa that when the 1stMARDIV left the pacific was introduced to my now 17 year old grandma and in 1947 they got married having 3 sons one being my dad and a daughter. Despite all the horrors of war without this terrible conflict I wouldn’t be here. To every marine that’s held the line since thank you.
Read "Okinawa " "Helmet for my pillow" "Strong men armed" All by Bob Leckie. He was a gifted writer and a great Marine. "With the old breed" by "Sledgehammer "
Minute 7, on the very beggining, there is an officer talking to a group of sargeants. Big world map behind him. Red dots marking cities. If you take a close look, in the center of Brazil, there is a dot marking Brasília, Brazils capital. By that time Brasília didnt existed. Brazilian capital was Rio de Janeiro in the 40s.
Read Eugene Sledge's book. Later on in the war he talks about when they were having to dig fox holes in the mud and wind up digging into a Japanese body sunk in the mud and the stench stirred up was enough to make most people be on the verge of vomiting.
There is a reason they didn't buckle their helmets. It was said that if an explosion went off near you and the blast wave caught your helmet it would snap your neck if you had the chinstrap on.
YESSSSS I was hoping you’d watch this series after Band of Brothers! Easily one of the best depictions of pacific warfare next to maybe ‘Thin Red Line’; Bonus, Thin Red Line has young Woodie Harrelson and a bunch of other stars in it
7:26 There was actually a widely held rumor among US troops that fastening the chin strap would lead to a broken neck, if the air burst from a shell landing nearby caught your helmet and violently pushed it upwards. This was pretty definitively false, but most were so afraid of the rumors that very few soldiers actually buckled their helmets, at least in comparison to other countries' troops.
I like to add some possible background to 8:55 and what was found. Their was a periodical magazine called WW2 Quarterly in which you could buy that explains this potential incident. Having read the article after the Marines came ashore a Officer I believe a Major with the ONI(Office of Naval Intelligence) wanted to capture and interrogate some Japanese Soldier's. He asked for volunteers and the patrol was somewhere around 20 Men. They were ambushed and put a damn good fight. But were overwhelmed the Japanese mutilated the bodies and tortured the wounded to death. When word got back to HQ they had to get Corpsemen to identify them by dental records and Men who knew them personally. After Word got out practically ZERO Quarter was given to Japanese forces and if they surrendered in extremely rare case they were to be executed on site. The Corps was determined to make them pay for their Henious treachery and Warcrimes. Also of interest. The Empire of Japan didn't sign the Geneva Conventions which meant their troops were afforded no protections under it.
I loved the reaction. If you guys want a GREAT movie about WW2 about the war in the Pacific check out Flags of our Fathers from the American side and Letters from Iwo Jima for the Japanese side. Both films were produced by Clint Eastwood 👍
This is harder than BoB because the Japenese were brutal right from the start. They committed war crimes all through the war, that was why the marines started to be brutal to the Japanese.
Chad, tks for keeping the Dynamic Duo together for this. I liked BAND OF BROTHERS alot but I loved THE PACIFIC. What happend to Leckie in Australia and what Basilone’s wife does in the penultimate episode r what stood out for me. Enjoy girls. U’ll get sad, u’ll get happy and when the series is over, u’ll b glad u watched it.
The night time naval battle that the marines watch from the hilltop was The Battle of Savo Island. It is still the worst defeat in US Naval history. 1,077 American sailors were lost. Of the 6 American heavy cruisers that were present, 4 were sunk, and a 5th heavily damaged. The final lines of this first episode, “How fucked are you now, you’re surely fucked now,” as the marines walk into the dark jungle, sets the tone for the rest the series. Buckle up, it’s a wild ride.
I'm going to be with you guys the whole way. So glad you're doing this series. Loved watching Ariana go through BoB and appreciated her thoughts and deep empathy for the men of Easy Company. The Pacific comes from three different source materials. One is a non-fiction book written by a historian and the others are two memoirs from the war by participants, both marines. I don't know if you read the comments, but like BoB you will be getting a lot of background information.Hopefully people will be careful of spoilers. The Marines are a sub division of the navy, and so they have a lot of Navy jargon as part of their dialog. A combat medic (in the army) is called a corpsman in the marines. Walls are bulkheads and floors are decks. There is a traditional rivalry between the army (Doggoes, Dogfaces or Gireens) and the Marines (Swabies). The Marines get their budget from the Navy department, and so they are chronically underfunded compared to the US Army, which has its own budget appropriations in congress. The Pacific was a very different kind of conflict, consisting of island hopping. Land on an island where the Japanese are enrenched. Dislodge them, and move on to the next island. In his famous fireside chats, president Roosevelt warned the American public that they would be hearing about a lot of strange places the names of which they had never heard. The sale of atlases and world globes went up by a factor of at least ten that week. A very different war than that of Western Europe against a very different adversary. The Japanese people under the Imperial regime had been indoctrinated for many decades in the warrior caode of Bushido followed by the Samurai caste. They believed in the divinity of Emperor Hirohito. They were fighting for God himself reincarnated on Earth. Their fanaticism was beyong understanding for corn farmers from Nebraska and sons of New York can drivers.
6:37 "I'd like to take a moment to point out how good of a fake out scene this was." LOL, nice job on the comedic editing 😂 8:05 i can't stop laughing at Arianna's reaction to her friend's innocence about this being a war series, she knows a little bit of what to expect from watching BoB 😂 Poor friend, bless her sweet heart... 17:45 Maple is really good at remembering names, and likely only heard it like once and already connected it to Eugene
Awwww, girl on the right, thank u for bringing this back. I had just finished ur band of bro’s series with the guy. And im here for the band of beothers😂😊
Dan Carlin put WW2 in the best way. European Theater is like your classic war film, The Eastern Front was like an Apocalypse film, and The Pacific Theater was like a horror film.
I love Hardcore History. That man is a treasure.
What a great way to describe it, I’ve always found the pacific front slightly more interesting then the eastern front (tho of course the eastern is WAY more important)
@@Loke6661666246 By far the best History podcast out there. His 4 part "Supernova in the East" series is unbelievable. HIs WW1 series is only beat by the World War 1 podcast. Defiantly worth the time.
I think in reality it was all like a horror film mate, he was just trying to be verbose
Never really agreed with the European theater take. Anyone who fought through some of those campaigns fought through hell. The fact is, all war is hell, no matter the theater. I will say the Pacific had a unique environment that I've heard soldiers say was horrendous. But then the same could be said of N Africa or the Eastern Front.
Band of Brothers was written by Stephen Ambrose. The Pacific is a combination of two different memoirs so the "plot" isn't as consistent following one group as Band of Brothers was. That being said, its a very high quality production that pulls no punches and is very worthwhile.
Four autobiographies...
Helmet for my Pillow
With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa
Red Blood Black Sand
China Marine
It took me two times watching it before I was able to follow it and feel it.
The Pacific follows the 1st Marine Division through the four campaigns it fought in during WW2 while relying heavily on the memoirs written by different marines who served in the 1st. It doesn't follow just one company like 'Band of Brothers'. The 1st Marine Division consisted of the 1st, 5th and 7th Marine Regiments in which the three most prominent characters in this series (prominent because their home lives were shown as well as their service) all served in different regiments and those who were in the same regiment may have been in different battalions. Basilone in the 1st, Sledge in the 5th and I'm pretty sure Leckie was in the 7th.
They actually released a book accompanying the series that used Sledge and Leckie's works but also added in memoirs from a Marine aviator who flew a Dauntless (and later on, a Helldiver) as part of the Cactus AF on Guadalcanal. It was put together by Ambrose's son I think (Ambrose had passed by then) and also has perspectives from Sidney Phillips (Sledge's friend from Alabama) as well as another Marine (August Shofner) who was captured during the fall of the Philippines, escaped, fought with Filipino guerrillas, later was redeployed and fought on Peleliu/Okinawa as well. Pretty enjoyable read, less gut wrenching than the series.
My father was decorated for valor as a forward mortar scout on Iwo Jima. He never came back the same.
Deepest thanks for your Dad's service.
And then, the Fire Nation attacked...
Maple: "Wow! That's cool!"
lol
But it was cool. Fire fascists forever 👊🏼
@@Cinerary United Kingdom thinks little Pacific-spanning empire is quaint.
As excited as I am for this reaction, this one's gonna get rough. Maple saying she's sensitive just about made me spit out my coffee.
Maple just ruined this series of reviews for me, when she said the map of the extent of Japanese conquests was "cool". She tried to take it back a few seconds later, but the damage was done. I watch series like this for intelligent commentary (like Diegesis did wonderfully well with Band of Brothers). Maple's first contribution was completely thoughtless and "cool" struck me as a zero-thought cliche reaction. I don't need any more of this. By the way, I've already watched the entire Pacific series, and the whole history is anything but "cool". Too bad this silly comment wasn't edited out.
The naval battles off of Guadalcanal were epic. Almost 3 allied sailors died for every one marine on the island.
This whole series has a very different over-arching theme to "Band of Brothers". It's much more about the dehumanizing effects of the naked brutality of the Pacific War.
The European Theater was also very brutal.
@Anon54387 Yes, however, they had liberty at times to decompress. The Marines in the Pacific had no decompression. Just constant brutality and death.
"loving people is cool"
- Maple
"Wow, that's cool"
- also Maple when shown a map showing the amount of territory Japan had taken
Never change.
Yeah, she said that was cool. The people subjugated by the Japanese didn't think so, nor did those who had to put a stop to the Japanese. She's clueless, and apparently you don't get it either.
My uncle John was at Guadalcanal. He was a Para-marine, fought alongside with Col. Edson on the ridge above the airfield. Later to be known as "Edson's Ridge".
Hell of a battle
The officer giving the speech to his marines about spending Christmas with their families is Chesty Puller. The most decorated Marine in marine corps history. “It was good for Chesty Puller, and it’s good enough for me!” Him and Sgt. Basilone, along with Smedley Butler, Dan Daly, Carlos Hathcock are giants in the Marine Corps by their actions in combat.
Fine list of Marines I would add Colonel Boyington.
@@georgesykes394 “Pappy” you’re right
@psauce9837 Also Colonel John Glenn.
My dad was a Marine at Bougainville, contracted malaria and was given the Lats Rites (of course he survived). That is all he ever told me. Have viewed "The Pacific" many times, brutal! Different enemy, different environment BRUTAL...😞
When I was in nursing school, I had a patient who was injured on Bougainville. He had KP duty, so he had his head in a food locker when a mortar round struck behind the food locker. the locker saved his life.
@@kspainh Wow....😌
If you'd be comfortable sharing his name, I can search for his unit in the muster rolls and see if there's anything else related to his wartime service if you'd like
My Grandfather was also at Bougainville with G Co, 2nd Raider Battalion. One of 72 of 230 men in his company to not be a casualty. He served at Midway and Guadalcanal and later was wounded at Iwo Jima. Bougainville in my opinion changed a lot of men. They didn’t call it a Green Hell for nothing.
@@CodytheHun123 Yeah, a Hell on Earth for sure...😞
I don't know if you guys will see this.....The navel battle you seen towards the beginning of the episode kinda falls short of what happened that night. This was a huge battle with the Japanese Navy, the United States Navy lost four heavy cruisers that sunk (average of 900 sailors each) and 2 destroyers were heavily damaged (average of 250-300 sailors each) over 1700 sailors were killed just that night. So glad you two are doing this series!!
Slight correction: US Navy lost 3 cruisers, Australian navy lost 1.
1 year ago with last episode of Band of Brothers:
Me: "Please start The Pacific soon, can't wait for episode 5->"
Diegesis: "We're not watching the Pacific"
Me: "Well that's just craptastic then :D"
BOOM! That aged well, glad to see you back with big boy stuff 😘
During the battle at sea that they watch overnight, my grandfather's ship, USS Quincy was one of 4 heavy cruisers lost. The battle of Savo Island is worth looking into.
Worst defeat ever for the US Navy. After several battles supporting Guadalcanal, the Navy only had one damaged carrier left in the area (Enterprise).
@williambranch4283 I was on CVN-65! The Enterprise will forever hold a brave and powerful name in our Navy. She has always been a fighter, in all of her hull forms.
The Pacific hits the ground running. Prepare to cry a lot throughout this series.
One of the reasons this series jumps right into it is the fact that the Marines were in heavy combat from Aug 1942 to Aug 1945. Whereas Easy company was in combat from June 6th 1944 to May 7th 1945, and then served as part of the occupation force after the German surrender. To squeeze 3 years of action into a mini series they had to shave off the training.
The battle at the end of the episode is the Battle of the Tenaru River in which a Japanese regiment of 1,000 men attacked the Marines throughout the night. It was an absolute massacre as the Marines killed 900 of the Japanese attackers while suffering only 41 killed themselves. There's a very famous photograph of the aftermath (recreated at 14:04) with hundreds of dead Japanese bodies on the sandbar.
This story is so good because it is so horrifying. What Leckie says about how sobering it is to the soul seeing the terrifying things that humans will do to one another.
Glad to see both Maple and Ariana reacting to this-what a treat! Hope you guys both make it through the entire thing!
The Pacific was more brutal than the European theater I believe.
my mom dropped me off at the recruiters office to go to boot camp. one of the 5-6 times she's ever hugged me. my dad didnt believe i was serious when leaving until the day of. apparently the guy got so piss drunk he felt up all the girls in the salsa club and into a couple fights, calling my phone like a madman, saying he'd come and pick me up right then and there.
seeing that bit with leckies dad always brings me back to that hotel night where i had no idea what was going on or what to expect.
I have watched The Pacific several times, and I'm enjoying watching this with you. Your reactions and emotions are genuine... and contagious. Thank you for sharing.
Big grizzled vet worried about the rookie vibes here. Good luck Maple!
I appreciate that both ladies are aware coming into this that it's a "retelling" of actual events ..... So many reactions of the "Band of Brothers" started off with the mindset that it's just a movie with "characters" .... By the time reactions watch "The Pacific" they're clued in to the factual truth of reality that HBO took to ensure the events of warfare these Marines endured for our country and our allies. 🏆 ❤ 🇺🇸 🎥
Outstanding reaction video .... Hang tough..... It's going to rapidly get harder and darker.
So glad yall are doing this series
Finally I found Diegesis’ reaction to the pacific! Felt like was looking for this for a while but only just saw that it had been posted for 5 month!
What made you first watch The Pacific?
See episodes early on Patreon where we're several ahead with full length watch alongs.
Here: www.patreon.com/diegesischad
Band of Brothers and it will lead to Masters of the Air released this spring.
I was a huge fan of Band of Brothers when it first came out, so I was eager for this one.
@@alexv6324 Dude, dont spoil who survives.
As a Marine, I already knew the history, but I felt an urge that I had to watch it and see a bit of that history brought to 'life'.
I was always interested in the history of WWII and had read many books, shows, etc. I loved Band of Brothers and was not going to miss this one.
Great review ladies, keep up the good work. This is an excellent series, but it is very brutal to watch. So prepare yourself there will be lots of tears but well worth it in the end. Like the men in Band of Brothers these men deserved to be remembered.
Eyyy I think I actually recommended this series a lil while back in the comments on another video a pleasant surprise in my sub feed thank you Maple and Ariana ☺️
The water around Guadalcanal or the slot as it was called it's known as ironbottom sound because there are so many sunken ships there from the seven months of fighting at Guadalcanal
If you are in the San Francisco area go out to Lands End. A short walk from Sutro Baths is a memorial to the USS San Francisco. They made it from the remains of the bridge. It is a sobering sight.
From an old jarhead I am excited that you are reacting to this miniseries. There's an old film called Pride of the Marines about a navy cross recipient from the battle of Guadalcanal. Worth watching.
No spoilers here, but keep those tissues close. There is a couple heart warming episodes, but for the most part it just keeps getting harder and harder. Don't worry though we'll be here to help the whole way through. Great reactions keep up the great content. 👍
This battle was over a year long…can’t even imagine. The brutality in this theater of war was insane
You 2 are my favorite reactors of this reaction channel. Such a pure and honest reaction. 🖤🤘
Finally! Can’t believe you guys are finally covering this
The Pacific theater makes the European theater look tame by comparison. Besides battling heat and humidity, they had to fight an enemy who did not follow the rules of war. They would not surrender and did not fear death. Also this was 2 years before D-day and the marines were under funded and had to use older equipment. This is going to get as heavy if not heavier than Band of Brothers.
As a ww2 fanatic (and I mean it's down right nerdy at times) it's really REALLY cool to see the reactions of people that have heard of ww2 of course but might not grasp the full scope and magnitude and terrible impact it had on the world. I guess it's just cool knowing that these men and women who were indeed "our greatest generation" are not being forgotten but still being revered as heroes and heroines; as they damn well deserve. So glad I found these reactions I'm about to binge em all!
If I recall correctly that battle site is slowly being cleared and turned into apartments. Such a shame.
Super underrated WW2 movie that still holds up is "The Sands of Iwo Jima" 1949 with John Wayne
So glad you two are reacting to the Pacific!! Just as good and powerful as Band of Brothers but you’ll see ultimately how different these series are because the two theatres of war we equally as different.
At 15:38 they mention “Rivers” he is known today as Indian Rivers due to his heritage and warrior spirit and as one of the finest marines to ever serve. They didn’t show it but he continued firing during that initial charge even when shot multiple times before succumbing to blood loss.
There was no reference to December 7, 1941 in The Pacific. I was stationed at Fird Island during Marine Corps, had no idea it is an Island next to an Island.
rice exists:
Maple "O, I love rice" 🤣
Don't know if this was in the film, but the màrines that took Guadalcanal weren't scheduled for battle until 1943. They had been training on New Zealand for only a couple of weeks when orders came back to take the Canal (Guadalcanal was named after a town in Spain in the 1500s.) The Marines that landed on Guadalcanal were green groups who were facing combat hardened Japanese soldiers that had never been defeated. These Marines were also equipped with WW1 surplus weapons (M1A1 bold action Springfield rifles and WW1 machine guns.) After Guadalcanal the Marines were issued M1 Grand rifles. They did have the very effective 37mm anti-tank weapons that also proved highly effective against infantry.
Both my uncles were in the 1st Marine division on Guadalcanal
Both came home and suffered PTSD throughout their lives
This series really hits home the terrors of war.
leaving the chinstrap unbuckled was common because if a mortar or grenade went off next to you, the concussion could take your helmet (and your head) off if the strap was buckled.
"Loving people is cool!"
Way too pure. :D
"Dreamworks... wow.... haven't seen that since Shrek..." - IM DEAD 🤣😂
I am genuinely looking forward to the humor as a coping mechanism during this series. I do that as well and I appreciate good wit. Excellent reaction as always! I don't comment much but I watch a lot.
"He took too long."
You know it's a good one when even the crew starts laughing
Thank you for reacting to this show! Your response is correct! We should never forget this history! My Godfather (uncle) lived though this, and one of my biggest regrets is never talking with him about it. My father survived the war in Europe, two of my heroes growing up!
Im just going to say it. Every time. I hear "Diet Jesus"
One point of interest: The first part of the Pacific Campaign the marines were forced to use water-cooled machineguns were left-over from WWI.
Another is the night battle seen in this episode is the Battle of Savo Island, fought on the night of 9 August 1942. The Japanese inflict a sever defeat on the Allied force, driving them away from Guadalcanal and leaving the just-landed marines in a perilously exposed position.
When the Marines landed on Guadalcanal the Japanese were literally days away from finishing an airstrip on that island but when we came ashore they ran back into the jungle and the first casualty the Marines had on this island was the guy they showed that cut his hand with the machete opening a coconut
The night time battle in this episode is known as the Battle of Alligator Creek. The host of the YT channel Forgotten Weapons recently did an on site breakdown of the battle when he visited Guadalcanal. Believe it or not, this battleground is slated to be developed in the near future. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
There's some definite gut punch moments in this series, im glad you're finallly watching!!
In case you are wondering why they had cigarettes stuck up their nose was for the smell
A lot of them don't have their helmets buckled because they used to believe that if they had it strapped and an explosion went of near them, that the blast would catch their helmet and pull their head off or snap their neck
So for context leckies dad was distant in his own word due to his brother dying a couple of years earlier. And that naval battle would go on to be the worst naval defeat in USN (United states navy). But contrary to show the supply ships had unloaded their cargo and where left untouched by the Japanese fleet
When y'all are going to watch scenes about specific battles that you'll be watching, Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, maybe check Google on the battles and kind of get familiar with what happened before watching. You will get a better idea of what happened, like the sea battles around Guadalcanal, where the Navy got pounded early in the campaign, which is why they couldn't get supplies. Just a thought.
The mutilation at the 8:45 minute mark was common throughout the Pacific operations and was a form of psychological warfare - it is described in Eugene Sledge's book, "With the Old Breed," and often included other body parts being cut off as well, and it would be left where the American's were sure to see it. It lead to a deep anger and savagery that very different from what soldiers in Europe experienced.
Great work, I really enjoyed it. Semper Fi
This is from basically two books. Helmet For My Pillow and With the Old Breed. Written by Leckie and Sledge.
And by the way…my brother are not “jerks”. Combat is something that can never be explained really. Only those who don’t know will ask about it those who know will never ask.
Found your channel from your Band of Brothers viewing, I haven't left since. I don't like this series quite as much, but I highly recommend the source material. Anything involving Eugene is from "With the old breed" which is the best war memoir ever made in my opinion.
The Tenaru river is where the massed attack was mounted by the Japanese. The image of the imperial Japanese soldiers buried in sand was taken immediately after the fight. Haunting image
A great quote I read once was something like:
“There’s two totally different wars taking place in WW2. The one in the ETO and the PTO. The ETO was the evil calculated nazis with these great machines of terror and the PTO was this relentless monstrous enemy, foaming at the mouth raging assaults of annihilation.”
The PTO was the WW1 style “price for a mile” where men murdered eachother for islands the folks back home had never heard of sometimes not even a mile wide.
I wish they had included a small segment on Jacob Charles Vouza, a native member of the Island Constabulary. He scouted for the Marines and carried a small US flag with him. He was stopped by Japs and the flag was found on him. He was beaten, tied to a post and used for bayonet practice, but refused to give any information about the Americans. He was left for dead, but managed to free himself, walk 3 miles through the jungle before coming to a Marine on guard duty. He was taken to the aid station but refused assistance until he warned the commanding officer of the impending Japanese attack. It gave the Marines 10 minutes to prepare. Vouza was given a transfusion and recovered from his wounds. He was always proud of the fact that he carried American blood in his veins. He was awarded a metal for his actions and visited the US in the 60s.😊
The Battle they showed "Alligator creek" was a lot more than what they showed. The reason it was called Alligator Alley was it was filled with Salt water Crocidiles. The fight at Alligator creek was over a three day period that started at Alligator creek and involved a counter attack by American forces to push the Imperial Japanese forces further into the jungles. The really gory horror of the event was upon returning to Alligator Creek they found Salt water Crocidiles eating dead Japanese soldiers.
The Operations Room channel did a good run down on this. He's good in general, and his channel is a good one to support. He puts a lot of time into each of those, like tens of hours for each. He has a full time day job so he only has a new video every couple of weeks, but they are worth it.
I really really appreciate the great lengths the historical advisors and costume/prop/set decoration departments took to achieve period accuracy in this show. Older war films especially from the 50s-70s were really bad for just throwing whatever looked close enough on the screen and hoping the audience didnt notice. But there are details in this that wouldnt even matter to 99.5% of the viewing audience and couldve cut the budget down. It shows a dedication to quality and respect by the filmmakers involved.
For example; I think this is the 1st time ive seen the early and rare (and correct for Guadalcanal!) Hawley helmet liner worn on a wide scale by the actors and extras. My jaw dropped when I first noticed this. Also the earlier wooden .30 cal ammo boxes which again wouldve been more appropriate than metal for 1942 setting. There are too many examples to list them all. And I mean these are incredibly small details they couldve just not bothered with but they really swung for the fences anyway. I respect the people who made this.
Especially Arianna! Her reactions are always the best!
When a mortar round goes off near by and blows their helmet off. If the helmet is strapped on their head flies off with the helmet.
We had an old sailor in our Church congregation. He was on the USS Arizona on Dec 7, 1941. Unlike BoB ... these boys didn't spend 2 years training ... they just had a couple months before seeing the enemy. The Japanese were totally taken by surprise (unlike Germany at Normandy) ... the Japanese corrected that mistake by fighting like hell for 6 months to retake that runway they were building.
A note about the unbuckled helmets that I heard from an old vet I knew that served in Korea. Those helmets when buckled could nearly rip your head off if you were near a mortar strike. Plus they were extremely uncomfortable but Id rather not have my neck broken from my helmet doing it's job
I learned a lot about the war in the pacific during ww2 because my grandpa was a marine corps vet based in Guam. He would sit me down and talk me with about it everyday when I was a kid. All I wanted to do when I grew up was join the marine corps to honor my grandpa. But I found out I couldn't when I was 13 because I found out then that I have severe epilepsy, sadly.
If you want to see a REALLY good movie told from the Japanese POV, I recommend the movie “Letters From Iwo Jima” and the companion movie “Flags of Our Fathers”. Both movies are centered around the battle on the island of Iwo Jima, both directed by Clint Eastwood, both shot at the same time.
There was a prevailing myth during World War II that having your helmet's chinstrap buckled could result in a broken neck or decapitation if you were caught by enemy fire or explosions in the right way. It was so widespread that orders were sometimes issued to *not* buckle your chinstrap if expecting enemy artillery. Eventually the Department of War ran a study on it. It wasn't true, but it took a lot of convincing for troops to start buckling those straps.
My great grandfather a service cross recipient from the battle of belleau woods (battle the Marines earned the nickname Devil Dogs) was a career Marine from 1917 until 1938 when he killed a man in self defense but was kicked out of the Marines during the trial. He was found innocent and joined the Army Air Corps from 38 to 41 and stationed a Pearl Harbor my grandmother only 13 years old at the time hid in a bunker while he fought the first battle of his Second World War after the bombings he found a way back into the infantry in the marines a few days later. He later on the island of Guadalcanal found himself in the command of a young man named Robert O’Toole my grandfather and from the canal to the end of the war they fought together. My grandpa a young BAR gunner who became very good at his job the next 3 years and became close with my great grandpa that when the 1stMARDIV left the pacific was introduced to my now 17 year old grandma and in 1947 they got married having 3 sons one being my dad and a daughter. Despite all the horrors of war without this terrible conflict I wouldn’t be here. To every marine that’s held the line since thank you.
“Tracers work both ways cupcake” - American soldier in Vietnam
"One time my neighbor had ptsd, and i was like ill get a flashlight, and i don't know" give me attention
Read "Okinawa "
"Helmet for my pillow"
"Strong men armed"
All by Bob Leckie.
He was a gifted writer and a great Marine.
"With the old breed" by
"Sledgehammer "
Minute 7, on the very beggining, there is an officer talking to a group of sargeants. Big world map behind him. Red dots marking cities. If you take a close look, in the center of Brazil, there is a dot marking Brasília, Brazils capital. By that time Brasília didnt existed. Brazilian capital was Rio de Janeiro in the 40s.
Read Eugene Sledge's book. Later on in the war he talks about when they were having to dig fox holes in the mud and wind up digging into a Japanese body sunk in the mud and the stench stirred up was enough to make most people be on the verge of vomiting.
You said you wouldn’t do it but thank you
There is a reason they didn't buckle their helmets. It was said that if an explosion went off near you and the blast wave caught your helmet it would snap your neck if you had the chinstrap on.
YESSSSS I was hoping you’d watch this series after Band of Brothers! Easily one of the best depictions of pacific warfare next to maybe ‘Thin Red Line’; Bonus, Thin Red Line has young Woodie Harrelson and a bunch of other stars in it
7:26 There was actually a widely held rumor among US troops that fastening the chin strap would lead to a broken neck, if the air burst from a shell landing nearby caught your helmet and violently pushed it upwards. This was pretty definitively false, but most were so afraid of the rumors that very few soldiers actually buckled their helmets, at least in comparison to other countries' troops.
I like to add some possible background to 8:55 and what was found. Their was a periodical magazine called WW2 Quarterly in which you could buy that explains this potential incident. Having read the article after the Marines came ashore a Officer I believe a Major with the ONI(Office of Naval Intelligence) wanted to capture and interrogate some Japanese Soldier's. He asked for volunteers and the patrol was somewhere around 20 Men. They were ambushed and put a damn good fight. But were overwhelmed the Japanese mutilated the bodies and tortured the wounded to death. When word got back to HQ they had to get Corpsemen to identify them by dental records and Men who knew them personally. After Word got out practically ZERO Quarter was given to Japanese forces and if they surrendered in extremely rare case they were to be executed on site. The Corps was determined to make them pay for their Henious treachery and Warcrimes. Also of interest. The Empire of Japan didn't sign the Geneva Conventions which meant their troops were afforded no protections under it.
John Basilone had already served in the Army in the Philippines. He knew that it wasn't going to be a short war.
I loved the reaction. If you guys want a GREAT movie about WW2 about the war in the Pacific check out Flags of our Fathers from the American side and Letters from Iwo Jima for the Japanese side. Both films were produced by Clint Eastwood 👍
This is harder than BoB because the Japenese were brutal right from the start. They committed war crimes all through the war, that was why the marines started to be brutal to the Japanese.
Chad, tks for keeping the Dynamic Duo together for this.
I liked BAND OF BROTHERS alot but I loved THE PACIFIC.
What happend to Leckie in Australia and what Basilone’s wife does in the penultimate episode r what stood out for me.
Enjoy girls. U’ll get sad, u’ll get happy and when the series is over, u’ll b glad u watched it.
The night time naval battle that the marines watch from the hilltop was The Battle of Savo Island. It is still the worst defeat in US Naval history. 1,077 American sailors were lost. Of the 6 American heavy cruisers that were present, 4 were sunk, and a 5th heavily damaged.
The final lines of this first episode, “How fucked are you now, you’re surely fucked now,” as the marines walk into the dark jungle, sets the tone for the rest the series. Buckle up, it’s a wild ride.
I'm going to be with you guys the whole way. So glad you're doing this series. Loved watching Ariana go through BoB and appreciated her thoughts and deep empathy for the men of Easy Company.
The Pacific comes from three different source materials. One is a non-fiction book written by a historian and the others are two memoirs from the war by participants, both marines.
I don't know if you read the comments, but like BoB you will be getting a lot of background information.Hopefully people will be careful of spoilers.
The Marines are a sub division of the navy, and so they have a lot of Navy jargon as part of their dialog. A combat medic (in the army) is called a corpsman in the marines. Walls are bulkheads and floors are decks.
There is a traditional rivalry between the army (Doggoes, Dogfaces or Gireens) and the Marines (Swabies). The Marines get their budget from the Navy department, and so they are chronically underfunded compared to the US Army, which has its own budget appropriations in congress.
The Pacific was a very different kind of conflict, consisting of island hopping. Land on an island where the Japanese are enrenched. Dislodge them, and move on to the next island. In his famous fireside chats, president Roosevelt warned the American public that they would be hearing about a lot of strange places the names of which they had never heard. The sale of atlases and world globes went up by a factor of at least ten that week.
A very different war than that of Western Europe against a very different adversary. The Japanese people under the Imperial regime had been indoctrinated for many decades in the warrior caode of Bushido followed by the Samurai caste. They believed in the divinity of Emperor Hirohito. They were fighting for God himself reincarnated on Earth. Their fanaticism was beyong understanding for corn farmers from Nebraska and sons of New York can drivers.
Dude. A "Gyrene" is a Marine. A "Swabby" is a low-ranking Sailor. What are you talking about?
-brought to you by an Actual Marine.
Eugene's book, With the Old Breed is, hands down the best war story ever written
On Jan 5th 1942, my dad lied about his age, joined the Navy and went to fight the Japanese in the Pacific. He was 16 years old.
6:37 "I'd like to take a moment to point out how good of a fake out scene this was." LOL, nice job on the comedic editing 😂
8:05 i can't stop laughing at Arianna's reaction to her friend's innocence about this being a war series, she knows a little bit of what to expect from watching BoB 😂 Poor friend, bless her sweet heart...
17:45 Maple is really good at remembering names, and likely only heard it like once and already connected it to Eugene
It’ll only get better and more interesting. SEMPER FI!!
Awwww, girl on the right, thank u for bringing this back. I had just finished ur band of bro’s series with the guy. And im here for the band of beothers😂😊
Yall are in for a ride, The pacific shows a side of war most havent seen.