I enlisted and swore into the navy yesterday as an FC fire control technician. I ship Off to boot camp in one month and I want to thank you Captain Toti and Seth for Inspiring this decision. I’ve watched this podcast since the channel started and I’ve loved every bit of it
Good luck young man. I did my time in the Navy(1986-89 active duty, 1990-2007 in the Naval Reserve). Here's some quick, sound, and simple advice....do your best on EVERY QUIZ, TEST, AND EXAM!! In boot camp and A-school. It will carry you far into your Navy career. High test scores will speed up your advancement and help you pick almost any duty station(ship or shore) you want to go to. GOOD LUCK✌🏾
I had 4 uncles who served in WW2. One was in submarine service from PearlHarbor to the end. One was a flight engineer on B-29’s bombing Japan. One was a chief petty officer running an ordinance crew on Guam. The 4th was in the OSS and served behind German lines in the ETO. All survived. They are all gone now and I am in my mid 60’s with many memories of these men. Every time I listen to one of your videos it brings back a memory and makes me smile. Thank you for all you do to keep our memories of these men and our history alive.
Same here. My dad fought in the South Pacific during World War II with the US Navy. He was aboard the USS Montpelier which was like Cruiser and saw action from New Guinea all the way up. He didn't talk much about the war so this podcast makes me feel closer to my dad and helps me to understand the things that he went through and the things that he saw.
@@Jakal-pw8yq That's one of the incredible things about this conflict. Almost everyone was involved, and had surviving relatives, the vast majority of which don't or didn't know much because it wasn't talked about.
When I lived in Wyoming, I had a neighbor who told me that he served on the Enterprise at Okinawa.He was on one of the AAA crews that day when the kamikaze struck. He was blown overboard by the concussion. He was picked up by another ship and survived until at least 2011 when I last saw him before I moved away. He was extremely proud of his service on the mighty Big E. What great sailors these men were!
The Big E would have to be the saddest historical failure to preserve of US fighting ships. 😢. I'm not an American however I can certainly appreciate that. Thanks for the work you Gentlemen are doing with this fantastic podcast. Hope the shoulder heals well after your surgery Capt.
There's got to be some kind of administrative cost for this show. You fellows are doing a wonderful job of explaining what I consider to be Highly important specially with what's dangerously going on today.
Thanks gentlemen for your service to our country. My dad was a tad to young to serve in WW2, however, his 4 oldest brothers all served. Just a reminder on how dire that conflict was to draft a 30 year old with 4 girls into the Navy. As a teenager my uncle would take me fishing and told me a chilling story. He served as a helmsam on an escort ship to Admiral Halseys task force. Strapped in at his helmsman post and steering the ship into mountain size waves in the middle of Typhoon Cobra, could not be relieved due to the horrific violence of witnessing bodies being thrown like rag dolls into buldheads, stayed at his post throughout the entirety of the typhoon.
Yes, a chilling story. My father was also too young in the UK. If he had been German he might have been unlucky enough to do so at the end. While it is right to hail many of that generation as heroes for serving, I'll hazard a guess that most would have preferred to stay home and not be required to become a hero. I sometimes wonder if that lesson was learned by those who choose to spend the lives of others.
People who do that are looking for a fight because they have nothing better to do. While we don't try and engage, sometimes its hard not to when faced with fools.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I am not looking for a fight, but I was disappointed you did not mention the history making night radar guided bombing mission by VT-10 on Truk Lagoon while flying off of the Enterprise. Bill Martin had pushed for the night mission and when it finally came, he could not participate due to an injury he had sustained just before the raid. After mentioning the Butch O'Hare's night fighting advocacy, I really had wished you mentioned the night attack. I was at first disappointed during the episode on the Truk raid this was mentioned and had hoped you were saving it for this episode on the Big E. I do enjoy most of your presentations, but really thought you made an error in not mentioning a naval aviation first.
I used to focus entirely on the European theater of the war, but after finding this channel and listening to only a few episodes, I've practically swapped entirely to learning only about the Pacific theater. What you two gentlemen put out on the internet is some genuine quality content that, while not as rare as it used to be, is still greatly appreciated by aspiring amateur historians like myself, keep up the stellar content!
I have been an "Enterprise fan-boy" since reading Stafford's "The Big E" in the early 1960's. You guys did a really fine job in presenting her history It's too bad about her sad end, I understand the reasons behind her not being saved as a museum, but there is NO way the USN looks good in those decisions. On a more personal note, I worked in a technical medical position for 45 years, and for part of that career, I worked with a really fine anesthesia doctor. One day he mentioned that he had served aboard CV6 and I was floored. He was a young sailor in assigned to the steering gear. He spent the battles deep inside the hull. He never said much about his experiences, but did mention "When the bombs hit close, it made the deck plates bounce". Being the resident military buff in our section, I obtained an Enterprise history book to give him on his retirement. I wasn't able to go to his retirement party, but my co-workers said that he got misty-eyed when he saw the book. "That's my ship" was his comment. So, the Enterprise not only produced naval aviators and officers, but the great ship also gave us a young sailor who went on to medical school and spent the rest of his life providing care to patients and training other medical personnel.
Perfusionist. Cardiac surgery. Anesthesiologist. Boston? He would have been in the first Cadre of men to establish anesthesiology as a separate field in surgery. I probably knew of him and maybe met him along the way. I was in the group that came along when men like your man had established the principles of our specialty and done the heavy lifting to get it accepted. We rode on some long coattails.Both of us.
As the presiding commissioner of the club for Balao Class Bilge Pumps Expert Club I do hereby decry your defamatory comments dear sir. The esteemed folks at the BCBPEC take our pumps very seriously. Lol. Sorry Captain, I couldn’t help myself. I do think Balao Class Bilge Pumps Expert Club would make a good Tee shirt though!
Seth and Bill, I've sometimes been an idiot and sometimes been an asshole - sometimes both at once - but never while commenting on your channel (so please don't delete this). As a history teacher for a few years way back, I will admit to ignorance which is a condition that, at least in regards to the Pacific war, you have done much to remedy. Thanks for that. Last Saturday I commemorated another November 11, and remembered in partucular my family members who served from WW1 through WW2, and after. Military service can be capricious - my great granddad slogged through the trenches of WW1 and survived, my grandad served in the interwar years and my dad spent his two years guarding the Suez canal after 1945. My uncle, along with his 4 RAF crewmates, died when their aircraft went down on a search and rescue mission in 1955. No big stories, no glory, just men doing a job that few remember. Thanks for telling the stories of the ordinary people who, in a time of great need, did extraordinary things. Lest we forget.
I just want to say that my Uncle was in the Army Air Corps in 1941 stationed at Hickam Field Hawaii in December. His barracks was destroyed in the bombing. My Uncle and his friends survived because they were in town for his Wedding. As with most WWII veterans he didn't talk about his war time experiences although he served throughout the entire war in the Pacific. I want to thank you because I feel more informed about the experiences of my Uncle in the war.
I originally started watch WW2 history in the pacific because that's where my father fought - a radioman on LST's, but I continue to appreciate it more for what I learn about the human condition. Nothing exposes human strengths and weaknesses like war, showing the literal life a death results of our actions. I find it all very applicable to the every day battle of life, where the decisions we make often have life long consequences. Characteristics like love, patience, kindness, self-control, humility, integrity, loyalty etc. can all have a huge effect on those around us. Thanks for modeling that for us as you share these stories.
Just learning O'Hare International was named after Butch made this episode worth it. I always assumed it was a politician or financier that was honored but great to know it was a WWII, Medal of Honor, Naval Aviator hero. We need to get your episodes on the History Channel. Your stuff is great. Thank you.
I love when Bill asked Seth if he’d heard of any float plane rescue. You can see it on Bills face, he went from amusement to extreme interest then delight. Seth is the man and that interaction is one of the reasons this channel is so worth watching. They really humanize an already dramatic saga.
Thanks for the outstanding presentation about the "Big E." Interestingly, my late father served in the US Navy in the late 1950s-early 1960s as an AMM3c (Jet) in VF 101, who went by the name "Grim Reapers." They took their lineage from VF 10. The picture of the Enterprise's forward elevator being blown into the sky is dramatic, and moved me to tear up as I realized what death and destruction must have been occurring below decks. My favorite exhibit at the Naval Aviation Museum is the large scale model of CV-6. It is a work of art and the detail is amazing.
When I was about 8YO (circa 1968) I got a gift from my uncle Tim who served in WW2 as a Marine. It was "Carrier Warfare in the Pacific". It got me hooked on history and turned me into a big fan of the Big E. Thanks for another great episode guys!❤
In a rational world, your podcasts would be required listening for all high school US History classes. Your efforts are not only informative and inspiring, but they bring the effort and heroism of the warfighters alive. This is essential for the young to experience, especially now that their grandparents and great grandparents have mostly passed. Thank you.
I’m watching this episode the day it dropped, the Tuesday after Veterans Day, 2023. While I do not want to discount Captain Toti’s significant service in uniform, I want to point out and celebrate the service you gentlemen are doing, as civilians, for the veterans of the Pacific war. 07
Fascinating narrative on Butch O'Hare. I spent an entire career as an airline pilot, and I've flown into Chicago O'Hare too many times to count. I thought I knew the story, and thanks to your channel I now understand more of the true story. Thanks for presenting that bit of history here.
I am willing to bet they wouldn't win an argument with Commander Toti about Los Angeles class bilge pumps! Another pricless episode!! Thanks to all who labored here to preserve and maintain our Naval History! :)
My Dad was a Marine at Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester in M-3-5. The most important thing he said about his service was that he said nothing at all about it. However when you find out later the pure hell he endured, you understand the silence.
Firstly, you're providing a invaluable service by talking about the Pacific Theater, getting into depth on the personalities involved, and bringing on folks like Jon Parshall and Richard B. Frank. As the latter points out, there were many millions of Asians that were oppressed and butchered by the Japanese, including my Korean grandparents and my Taiwanese wife's grandparents (one of whom was "relocated" to work on a South Pacific island). Few non Japanese Asian Americans have any knowledge, let alone appreciation, of American efforts and sacrifice that enabled them to exist today. My kids will be using your videos as a resource. Secondly, I'm a Chicagoan by birth and for the first 30 years of my life. I've been through O'Hare Airport more than I can count, and all I ever knew before your videos was that Butch O'Hare was a WWII hero of some sort. I'm not aware of a significant memorial or description of his achievements within the airport. If there isn't one, maybe we should do something to fix that.
I would see combat in a different branch of service and in a different generation. Nevertheless I am deeply moved by what the USS Enterprise's crew accomplished and I have the deepest respect for the quiet competence, vigilance and sustained maximum effort that these men offered up in service to their hard pressed country. The Enterprise story is truly an amazing story. Thanks for telling it, Seth and Bill. It is a story that present and future generations need to know.
Enjoy your videos. My Father served on Guam in 1945 as a radar technician. There were still Japanese hiding on the island that would steal their laundry. I worked for a company that updated the 21C7 submarine steering and diving trainers with new computers and displays. I also worked for Grumman on the F-14 and E-8. It is very cool that you knew many of the fighter pilots that I recognized from the Battle 360 videos. Keep up the good work.
I’ve got several great uncles on both sides of the family that had multiple items from pacific service. Japanese insignias etc, wish I’d been more involved with their service when I was younger and they were still here. Thanks to all of you for these episodes.
You two gentlemen are doing a great job bringing WW2 to life for all of us. You touch the memories of many of your listeners. Memories from their fathers and grandfathers who fought in WW2. But weather you know it or not, you are going to teach WW2 history to your future relatives who you will never know personally. But they will get to know you through your great work here.
Please please please do a pod cast on what happened to the islands that got bypassed in the pacific Islands campaign. There was a lot of them: How did they surrender? How did they take it? How many died of starvation? Etc etc Wonderful show thanks for everything your doing
My Dad and three uncles served during WW2. Very rare that they ever spoke of it, and only if I initiated the conversation. Enterprise is one of my favorite ships of WW2. Too bad that she wasn’t preserved as a memorial/museum.
Love all the information I get from your videos. My grandfather served on USS O'Bannon in WW2 he was like most and didn't really talk about it. 10 months before he passed I got to give him a tour of USS Gravely at that time the ship I served on as we walked around I noticed he was tearing up he said "being on this modern warship brings back so many memories from Lucky O." I was wondering if a video of her and as Halsey says her gallant little sisters will come? All he ever told me is there was a ton of service stars and no purple hearts. Thanks for all the info gentlemen.
On the subject of family comments, while my great uncle died off the coast of Italy in a B-17 in August, 1943, my wife just found that her grandfather had been a marine, presumably with the 4th Marine Division, at Kwajalein.
Great podcast as always. Putting names to the faces of those who fought in WW2 adds a personal dimension to this conflict as well as past wars. Very timely as Rememberence Day was on November 11th.
Guys, thanks for keeping history alive. It seems that history is no longer taught dooming us to repeat it. As long as there are dedicated men like you, the flame continues to flicker.
Although my dad fought with the 101st and 17th in the ETO your comments about the WWII warriors not wanting to talk about it rings true. My dad was a Lt., combat engineer, qualified pathfinder and sapper. He made a glider landing at Normandy, was in the divisional assault at Carentan, jumped (first star on parachute wing) in Operation Market Garden. From there he did a tail gate jump into Bastogne. Afterwards he was reassigned to the 17th for his second star for a jump into Germany in operation Varsity. While he was a Taccoa veteran, he was very proud to have made the assault with the 17th. His name Bancroft Ellwood A. 139th combat engineers appears in the Division Roster of Honor in the book Thunder From Heaven, Story of the 17th Airborne Division. God bless you gentlemen for the most in-depth recount of a critical point of our military history the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Hey, I was born and raised in Chicago. And yes, we do know why Orchard Field was renamed O'Hare Airport. And we also know why Midway Airport is named Midway. BTW - The Great Lakes Naval Station was the largest naval base in the World during WW2, based upon the number of personnel stationed there.
The Enterprise is one of, if not the, greatest ship of WWII but we also must remember that 'She' was only a hunk of metal and that it was the MEN who manned 'Her' that made her great.
Bill ,Seth This helps understand all theaters of WW2. 40 years after my fathers death i ask the family where he was during the war. Seen pictures that i never seen before that put him in Italy. So i hire a researcher and found out he was d day for husky operation to end of war in Italy. I have mourning reports and AAA monthly reports to the end of war. Thank you for your work.
You guys do a great job. Every episode isn’t a big hit in my book BUT keep up the GREAT work. Always look forward to each Tuesday morning for a new episode 👍👍👍
You guys do a terrific job with this channel, and it has gotten better with each season - this episode is no exception. You bring in terrific guests! What you say about many of the vets - "They never talked about it" - was certainly true of my grandpa, with one enigmatic (and ominous) exception. And relaying the testimonies *you* got from the veterans you worked with really does make the war come to life.
Thank you to the both of you gentlemen for the second part of the battle history of the " Big E ". I have reference material and scale models of her and the aircraft that flew from her. But I had know idea that some of her pilots were Blue Angels nor a linked to the forming of Top Gun , it just goes to show, you learn a new thing every day. Looking forward to your next presentation, may God bless you both.
Thank you guys for all that you do making these great videos!! Captain Toti I thought about you last night while grocery shopping when I heard people calling a man in front of me Captain. He was in a flight suit and was loved by everyone around him. He seemed very cool and happy. A guy you wanted to be around. We live at the west end of Pensacola NAS. Don’t know how many Captains are at NAS but he was a man you just wanted to be around. Thank you for your service sir! Great job guys! Thank y’all !!!
God Bless the veterans and those currently serving in the Armed Forces of the USA. Though America is bruised and battered these days, I still LOVE America and the beacon of Liberty she represents. And THAT from a washed up former Canadian Signals Officer with the 73 Comm Regt in LFWA. I have been studying WWII since Grade 7 (1978/79) and I have learned so much from this channel. Great detail guys; you rock in an intellectual way!!! Velox Versutus Vigilans
Congratulations Seth and Bill. Another excellent chapter in your excellent podcast. You have provided so much information to people who really don't know about what really went on the the PTO during WW II. I pride myself as being a real aficionado of the war in the PTO going back to my high school days in the late 1950's. It all started with Samuel Eliot Morison's History of US Naval Operations in WW II. But I have never failed to gain more knowledge in watching your podcasts. Between the two of you and your able compadres, like Jon Parshall, John Bruning, John McManus, Tony Tully, Tom Holland, Richard Frank and all the others, you have given all of us a inside look at what war in the Pacific was really like. Don't stop doing what you are doing. And Cdr. William R. "Killer" Kane also had a counterpart in the USAAF, Col. John R. "Killer" Kane, commander of the 98th Bomb Group (B-24's) in the Mediterranean Theater. Col. Kane was awarded the MOH for his role in Operation Tidal Wave, the first attack on the vital Axis oil production center of Ploesti.
One of the things I really enjoy is the way you cover some of the lesser known actions in such great detail. I look for your stuff every week, many times replay them and just thank goodness for such quality work ! I really have learned a lot listening to you both....
I am a mid 50s recently retired history teacher from Oklahoma. I found your channel arournd 9 months ago and have watched every episode. I cant tell you how much I enjoy it and look forward to each new show. I learn something new in each show(my wife says that isnt possable). My grandad was on the cve-106 block island (not the one that sank cve-21) he passed at 95 2 years ago. like most others he never talked about it. I didnt even know he had been in ww2 in the navy until the early 90s when i started teaching history in high school and i thought wait a sec if all my dates are right then grandad should have been in europe or asia. when asked of course he said there is nothing to tell i didnt do anything that everyon didnt do, most did more than me. He said i went, didnt die, didnt get hurt came home and started a family thats how you got here in around 1969. He always has great wit. He said he ran the ships store(s) and helped in the post office. I dont know if he ment the ship store, or if he ment ship stores like a supply clerk. He did tell about what he called "the big storm" they went through, he said even blew away some planes. After it he had to take a party to clean up the cargo rooms, he said the bottom fore most hold is were they kept the officers beer and it was glass bottles and all broke everwhere. beer was 3 or 4 inched deep like to never got it cleaned he said the guys kept sucking it up with straws till he said i hope you dont suck down some of those small broken glass shards in that stuff. He told me where his watch station was and that he usually had night watch. This is the question I thought you might be able to help me with. Like a moron I never asked him where his GQ station was. In both of your experiences would it have been by the gun he said was his watch station. I think it was topside somewhere because he told me they never got bombed or straffed or anything and how lucky that was, but at Okinawa a kamikaze got very close and got shot at the last minute. he said as it zoomed over the deck he could see the pilot silhouetted by flames in the cockpit and he was dead and slumped over. He said that was as close as we every got to getting damage. This makes me think he had to be topside to have observed that. I also asked him about the marines and he said on his ship he never notice any kind of rivalry between them and the marines he said he had a lot friends that were marines and so did the other sailors. he said best i reckalect we all just kinda worked togeather we was all just kids. Sorry for the length of the post i just wanted to provide some context for my question (flaw in my personality i guess) I hope i dont cause a comment length rule to be impossed. lol. also any one else that reads this besided Bill and Seth your answers are also welcome. Gentlemen and fine sirs thank you for doing this show to carry these stories forward and in general thank you for all you do and have done and Bill thank you for your service and keeping my family safe even when I didnt know you were exploring the ocean depths out there all those years, thank you and god bless. sincerely Wade Enyart
Thank you both again. The conversation expands my knowledge and I’m very grateful for that. And … as an aside, my family has roots in Youngstown, OH I hold very fond memories of Idora Park!
Fantastic Torpedo Tuesday. I am fascinated by the evolution of carrier night air operations. I have read a great book that details the evolution of night air ops on the Jeep carrier USS Guadalcanal. Captain Gallery details how they needed to keep scout planes up 24/7 in order to keep the UBoats off the surface at night. Great story. Seth I added the Enterprise book by Tillman to my list. Keep up the great work.
Just wanted to say I appreciate that y'all drop the hammer on the idiots. What you do is fantastic, the content is ace, and any mistakes made are both rare and honest ones to make (and you also correct the ones that need correcting). Keep doing what you do, I deeply enjoy it and look forwards to each new episode.
The account of the Kamikaze reminds me of the last attack from the movie "Eternal Zero" where the experienced, skilful pilot gets through. I never knew they recovered the pilot's body....
I read "The Big E" in 1976 when I was 20 years old. Then, every amazing hero and ship member of CV-6 in that book was two dimensional to me (page height, page length), though most marvelous to me even then. After listening to your two-part podcast, the pair of you turned every Big E member into superb three-dimensional humans of extraordinary strength personality and valor. I reckon I've waited most of my life to "meet" these fine American heroes as you tell of them so earnestly and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. And, yes, no American ship ever deserved to be a memorial ship more than, The Big E!
Thanks guys, the Big E has always been my favorite ship. When my father was doing his reserve training after the war in the Brooklyn Navy yard, he pointed out the Enterprise to my grandmother and said that ship was the reason why we’re not speaking Japanese. Ok he exaggerated but you get my point.
Bill, what is a battleshoop? Could it be a battlesloop with 16" guns? LOL! I love the natural human interaction with you guys. It is just like sitting down with old friends at a neighborhood bar and solving(?) the world's problems, past and present, over a bottle of JAX (right Seth). Thank you guys for what you do, reminding us all of those brave men who saved our country and our way of life when there truly was a gun to all our parents and grandparents' heads. PS: Just got Tillman's book on the "Big E."
I once overheard some vets in a pub here in Australia describing what it was like to land on a carrier at night. “It’s like having a sh*t & an orgasm at the same time “ Love your work fellas. I’m a bit late to the party & as an Aussie I’ve previously only focused on those battles in which we fought. I’ve found your show fascinating & have learnt a hell of a lot about the bigger pacific theatre. Thank you.
Being a Limey, I have no personal kinship with The Big E or any other USN vessel from WW2. That said, I've learned a huge amount from your awesome and immensely detailed podcasts since stumbling across the channel and, for that, I thank you. You're entirely correct that it would have been fitting for CV6 to be in Tokyo Bay alongside the Missouri for the surrender in September 1945. Regardless, later that month, as part of Operation Magic Carpet, she returned 1,141 servicemen from Pearl Harbor before proceeding to New York, from where she would make 3 round trips to Europe and return a further 10,000+ vets.
Speaking of England, Enterprise also made trips to Europe as part of Operation Magic Carpet, including stops at Southampton. During one of those stops, she was presented with a British Admiralty Pennant in recognition for her outstanding service. She’s the only non-Royal Navy ship to ever receive that decoration.
Imho, one of the most important things you guys do is TELL THE TRUTH. Good or bad, the truth needs told. All your hard work, deep dives, digging out the truth, telling it good or bad, should be the gold standard for ALL historians. (Sadly, its not, especially in the ETO.) Its much appreciated by many of us now, but will be even more valuable in the future , if not priceless for future generations. 🇺🇸 Well done gentlemen, well done. 🇺🇸👍
LOL Captain Toti, please don't feel the need to even comment on people who are negative, I think they truly don't have anything better to do because they have no friends, you can easily see why. What you and eth do here is wonderful and very much appreciated by the majority of your listeners. I was appalled that someone in a previous podcast actually chastised you for not mentioning Australia's role in WWII. This is an American podcast made by American's so you are going to get the American point of view! If you want to ensure that Australia gets their just desserts, by all means, make your own videos about that. Pretty simple, really. I am just astonished at the sheer stupidity and audacity of some people. Love your passion and what it produces for the rest of us to appreciate.
Your podcasts are invaluable to those of us hoping to find some insight into what our family members experienced. For those of born in the 1950's, WWII was closer in time to our own lives than 9/11/2001 is to all of us today, so we knew many, many veterans of that war. And no... none of them ever talked about their experiences. My brothers and I were sternly warned by our mother to never, ever ask about it either. They're trying so hard to forget, she would tell us. My grandfather -- her father -- worked as a civilian steamfitter/engineer at Westinghouse designing high-pressure steam valves for the Navy, and he explained to me many, many years later why his brother had come back from the war 'broken.' He'd survived combat on Peleliu. BZ, Gentlemen... your work is most appreciated.
Nobody in my family served in the Pacific (Europe or welders in shipyards), but this program has brought me a much greater understanding and appreciation of what these people went through in the Pacific.
Awesome to hear about the pacific campaign. You both have the amazing ability to make the men and equipment (Enterprise) come alive again and tell their stories. Thank you both very much
thank you guys for giving such a good report of the individual contributions of those ww2 vets who paid the price to allow us the freedom to be able to do this sort of historical review
OUTSTANDING guys! This episode (and the previous one on Enterprise) was absolutely full of great stories. If there was one ship that should have been saved after the war, it was the Big E. Even so, videos like this will always preserve her unmatched legacy.
My father fought the battle of Reno (he would say) with the Army Air Corps band,. He met my mother in Reno, but neither EVER said much about their war experience because that was the nature of that generation. They were Depression kids that went through tough times early. I have no direct family contact with the Pacific War, although an older cousin of my spouse's father was killed at Tassafaronga aboard the Pensacola. I love this history and greatly appreciate what you guys do. Thanks.
Having dove on the wrecks of Truk, I am in awe of the US Naval aviators that did the attacks during Operation Hailstorm. I dove on one ship which had both the bow and stern guns aimed out directly oppoait of the torpedo that sank it. As a side note, on several of the freighter, the gun crews were reloading the shells on the deck while fighting. There are still open containers of Cordite and loose strands laying around on the deck next tot he gun along with the brass cartridges that they were reloading. Many of the deck guns were repurposed, one I saw was produced in 1903 for the british, and captured at Singapore These were all truly Men, and despite the direction of the leadership of Japan, all of our Sailors, Pilots and soldiers were Hero's.
What your podcast provides me is an indepth view of ww2 history I grew up in a Jhon Wayne Era view of ww2 you bring the hard cold facts about the battles people and strategies thanks to you I have a much improved knowledge of what actually happened to end the axis power in the pacific theater
Your work gentlemen is phenomenal. My father in law fought as a glider pilot in the European theater and I know first hand how important it is to remember what that generation did to preserve our freedom.
I just love how you guys speak of individuals. Truly fascinating. Thank you so much for the education. I literally failed US history in the 11th grade. I got an F for the year. But I can't get enough of you guys. 🤷♀️
Seth & Bill, it's not that they didn't talk about the war, they didn't talk to civies, but they did talk amongst themselves, in a casual & relaxing manner. Thanks again for wonderful show. Rickm.
Another great episode Seth and Bill. I love all the anecdotes about the "Big E", and her distinguished service. As the Essex Class carriers were able to handle the loads of the heavier jet aircraft that arrived, they were able to survive and in some cases serving for decades more in the navy. Enterprise being that little bit older wouldn't have been able to handle the jets like her younger sisters, and she went into fleet reserve not long after the war in 1947. Consider her relatively short lifespan from her commissioning in 1938, until she went into Bremerton for the last time in 1945..seven years. All the action she saw, planes she downed, ships she sunk in that seven years is just astounding. Not to mention the men who served aboard, and took their knowledge to other ships, and squadrons. One last cool anecdote about Enterprise. Vincent P. de Poix served aboard her when he was with Air Group 6 during the Solomons Campaign. The first skipper of the nuclear powered Enterprise CV-65, was Captain Vincent P. de Poix in November of 1961. Like Seth, I am obviously an Enterprise fan-boy as well. Love the podcast, and I appreciate the new ones every week.
My dad served on the Enterprise during the latter part of the war, as a gunner's mate. He didn't talk if his experience much, of course. Thank you for this episode; I only wish I had known these things while my dad was around to discuss it with him.
Great episode Seth and Bill. Get well soon Bill. The Big E what a history. Tuesdays are my waiting for your next episode. Thank you for your talking about the brave men who served during WWII. My best friend had an Uncle that was on the USS Franklin. He was a young man that joined up to defeat the Japanese. He was there that day. He died at 52 from all the carnage of smoke and fire. It affected his lungs. I knew him and he would tell Mike and I about that day. A great and good man. He is missed.
I am a World War II pacific theater historian above I love your channel you both do great work and I love all your guest keep up the good work, ignore the idiots and keep pushing on much appreciated gents!
Outstanding episodes!!! I have to put USS Constitution as my favorite ship (any sailing ship still active wins by default), but this is a very close second. It is a crime that this ship was not saved as a museum ship considering all the contributions throughout the war. Very sad ending to a proud vessel. The Big E CV6 will always occupy a special place in US Naval history. Thanks for 2 great episodes!!!
Commenting on the start of this week's session... I am tremendously impressed in what you've done and look forward to each week's presentation. As I've mentioned off-line, I wish I could provide you both with something in return for all of your effort. My dad missed the war by a couple of months, with the Bomb making the Coronet invasion a staff study.
hey You guys have a great pace of presentation. The two of you add personal identities/personnel to the picture as no other historic description Ive ever seen before. Your work will be online for later generations to enjoy. Humanity owes you a Thank You ! You, as a team, have improved every episode. The crazies, 2%, that rant at you for no good reason, deserve to be deleted! dan knoxville TN
I enlisted and swore into the navy yesterday as an FC fire control technician. I ship Off to boot camp in one month and I want to thank you Captain Toti and Seth for Inspiring this decision. I’ve watched this podcast since the channel started and I’ve loved every bit of it
Congrats bro, I’m enlisting soon as well wishing you the best my boy
Good luck young man. I did my time in the Navy(1986-89 active duty, 1990-2007 in the Naval Reserve). Here's some quick, sound, and simple advice....do your best on EVERY QUIZ, TEST, AND EXAM!! In boot camp and A-school. It will carry you far into your Navy career. High test scores will speed up your advancement and help you pick almost any duty station(ship or shore) you want to go to. GOOD LUCK✌🏾
@@elwin38 thank you sir. And thank you for your service
@@dajuanvariste4751 you too brother!
@@constellation64 🙏🏾✊🏾
I had 4 uncles who served in WW2. One was in submarine service from PearlHarbor to the end. One was a flight engineer on B-29’s bombing Japan. One was a chief petty officer running an ordinance crew on Guam. The 4th was in the OSS and served behind German lines in the ETO. All survived. They are all gone now and I am in my mid 60’s with many memories of these men. Every time I listen to one of your videos it brings back a memory and makes me smile. Thank you for all you do to keep our memories of these men and our history alive.
Same here. My dad fought in the South Pacific during World War II with the US Navy. He was aboard the USS Montpelier which was like Cruiser and saw action from New Guinea all the way up. He didn't talk much about the war so this podcast makes me feel closer to my dad and helps me to understand the things that he went through and the things that he saw.
@@Jakal-pw8yq That's one of the incredible things about this conflict. Almost everyone was involved, and had surviving relatives, the vast majority of which don't or didn't know much because it wasn't talked about.
When I lived in Wyoming, I had a neighbor who told me that he served on the Enterprise at Okinawa.He was on one of the AAA crews that day when the kamikaze struck. He was blown overboard by the concussion. He was picked up by another ship and survived until at least 2011 when I last saw him before I moved away. He was extremely proud of his service on the mighty Big E. What great sailors these men were!
The Big E would have to be the saddest historical failure to preserve of US fighting ships. 😢. I'm not an American however I can certainly appreciate that. Thanks for the work you Gentlemen are doing with this fantastic podcast.
Hope the shoulder heals well after your surgery Capt.
I consider Big E and HMS Warspite the two biggest missed warship preservations of the steam and iron era.
There's got to be some kind of administrative cost for this show. You fellows are doing a wonderful job of explaining what I consider to be Highly important specially with what's dangerously going on today.
Thanks gentlemen for your service to our country. My dad was a tad to young to serve in WW2, however, his 4 oldest brothers all served. Just a reminder on how dire that conflict was to draft a 30 year old with 4 girls into the Navy. As a teenager my uncle would take me fishing and told me a chilling story. He served as a helmsam on an escort ship to Admiral Halseys task force. Strapped in at his helmsman post and steering the ship into mountain size waves in the middle of Typhoon Cobra, could not be relieved due to the horrific violence of witnessing bodies being thrown like rag dolls into buldheads, stayed at his post throughout the entirety of the typhoon.
Yes, a chilling story. My father was also too young in the UK. If he had been German he might have been unlucky enough to do so at the end.
While it is right to hail many of that generation as heroes for serving, I'll hazard a guess that most would have preferred to stay home and not be required to become a hero. I sometimes wonder if that lesson was learned by those who choose to spend the lives of others.
Thanks for reliably knocking these episodes out. I look forward to it every week.
I realized the channel has hit 22,000 subscribers and I am glad to see the channel growing! Thank you Seth and Bill for what both of you do!
I don't understand why anyone would make a negative comment about your show. I think your show is the best
People who do that are looking for a fight because they have nothing better to do. While we don't try and engage, sometimes its hard not to when faced with fools.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I am not looking for a fight, but I was disappointed you did not mention the history making night radar guided bombing mission by VT-10 on Truk Lagoon while flying off of the Enterprise. Bill Martin had pushed for the night mission and when it finally came, he could not participate due to an injury he had sustained just before the raid. After mentioning the Butch O'Hare's night fighting advocacy, I really had wished you mentioned the night attack. I was at first disappointed during the episode on the Truk raid this was mentioned and had hoped you were saving it for this episode on the Big E.
I do enjoy most of your presentations, but really thought you made an error in not mentioning a naval aviation first.
I used to focus entirely on the European theater of the war, but after finding this channel and listening to only a few episodes, I've practically swapped entirely to learning only about the Pacific theater. What you two gentlemen put out on the internet is some genuine quality content that, while not as rare as it used to be, is still greatly appreciated by aspiring amateur historians like myself, keep up the stellar content!
I have been an "Enterprise fan-boy" since reading Stafford's "The Big E" in the early 1960's. You guys did a really fine job in presenting her history It's too bad about her sad end, I understand the reasons behind her not being saved as a museum, but there is NO way the USN looks good in those decisions. On a more personal note, I worked in a technical medical position for 45 years, and for part of that career, I worked with a really fine anesthesia doctor. One day he mentioned that he had served aboard CV6 and I was floored. He was a young sailor in assigned to the steering gear. He spent the battles deep inside the hull. He never said much about his experiences, but did mention "When the bombs hit close, it made the deck plates bounce". Being the resident military buff in our section, I obtained an Enterprise history book to give him on his retirement. I wasn't able to go to his retirement party, but my co-workers said that he got misty-eyed when he saw the book. "That's my ship" was his comment. So, the Enterprise not only produced naval aviators and officers, but the great ship also gave us a young sailor who went on to medical school and spent the rest of his life providing care to patients and training other medical personnel.
Perfusionist. Cardiac surgery. Anesthesiologist. Boston? He would have been in the first Cadre of men to establish anesthesiology as a separate field in surgery. I probably knew of him and maybe met him along the way. I was in the group that came along when men like your man had established the principles of our specialty and done the heavy lifting to get it accepted. We rode on some long coattails.Both of us.
Dr. Ralph Paul, MD, in Lincoln, NE@@flparkermdpc
As the presiding commissioner of the club for Balao Class Bilge Pumps Expert Club I do hereby decry your defamatory comments dear sir. The esteemed folks at the BCBPEC take our pumps very seriously. Lol. Sorry Captain, I couldn’t help myself. I do think Balao Class Bilge Pumps Expert Club would make a good Tee shirt though!
Haha
You are both doing not only a great job this should be required listening in schools! Keep up the great work 👍
Navy humor
@@treyzmodels422Concur
Youre a 1%er....😆😆😆
Seth and Bill, I've sometimes been an idiot and sometimes been an asshole - sometimes both at once - but never while commenting on your channel (so please don't delete this). As a history teacher for a few years way back, I will admit to ignorance which is a condition that, at least in regards to the Pacific war, you have done much to remedy. Thanks for that. Last Saturday I commemorated another November 11, and remembered in partucular my family members who served from WW1 through WW2, and after. Military service can be capricious - my great granddad slogged through the trenches of WW1 and survived, my grandad served in the interwar years and my dad spent his two years guarding the Suez canal after 1945. My uncle, along with his 4 RAF crewmates, died when their aircraft went down on a search and rescue mission in 1955. No big stories, no glory, just men doing a job that few remember. Thanks for telling the stories of the ordinary people who, in a time of great need, did extraordinary things. Lest we forget.
I just want to say that my Uncle was in the Army Air Corps in 1941 stationed at Hickam Field Hawaii in December. His barracks was destroyed in the bombing. My Uncle and his friends survived because they were in town for his Wedding. As with most WWII veterans he didn't talk about his war time experiences although he served throughout the entire war in the Pacific.
I want to thank you because I feel more informed about the experiences of my Uncle in the war.
I originally started watch WW2 history in the pacific because that's where my father fought - a radioman on LST's, but I continue to appreciate it more for what I learn about the human condition. Nothing exposes human strengths and weaknesses like war, showing the literal life a death results of our actions. I find it all very applicable to the every day battle of life, where the decisions we make often have life long consequences. Characteristics like love, patience, kindness, self-control, humility, integrity, loyalty etc. can all have a huge effect on those around us. Thanks for modeling that for us as you share these stories.
Just learning O'Hare International was named after Butch made this episode worth it. I always assumed it was a politician or financier that was honored but great to know it was a WWII, Medal of Honor, Naval Aviator hero. We need to get your episodes on the History Channel. Your stuff is great. Thank you.
It may not be news for you, but Midway International was (re)named to recognize the Battle of Midway.
I love when Bill asked Seth if he’d heard of any float plane rescue. You can see it on Bills face, he went from amusement to extreme interest then delight. Seth is the man and that interaction is one of the reasons this channel is so worth watching. They really humanize an already dramatic saga.
Many thanks. I’ve done this for a very long time. You run across stories that you never forget.
Thanks for the outstanding presentation about the "Big E." Interestingly, my late father served in the US Navy in the late 1950s-early 1960s as an AMM3c (Jet) in VF 101, who went by the name "Grim Reapers." They took their lineage from VF 10. The picture of the Enterprise's forward elevator being blown into the sky is dramatic, and moved me to tear up as I realized what death and destruction must have been occurring below decks. My favorite exhibit at the Naval Aviation Museum is the large scale model of CV-6. It is a work of art and the detail is amazing.
When I was about 8YO (circa 1968) I got a gift from my uncle Tim who served in WW2 as a Marine. It was "Carrier Warfare in the Pacific". It got me hooked on history and turned me into a big fan of the Big E. Thanks for another great episode guys!❤
In a rational world, your podcasts would be required listening for all high school US History classes. Your efforts are not only informative and inspiring, but they bring the effort and heroism of the warfighters alive. This is essential for the young to experience, especially now that their grandparents and great grandparents have mostly passed. Thank you.
Absolutely loved learning about John Burns and his Kingfisher at Truk. Well done Seth!
PBY crews were very heroic and unsung. Submariners also rescued many airmen from the sea; to rejoin the fight!
I’m watching this episode the day it dropped, the Tuesday after Veterans Day, 2023. While I do not want to discount Captain Toti’s significant service in uniform, I want to point out and celebrate the service you gentlemen are doing, as civilians, for the veterans of the Pacific war. 07
Fascinating narrative on Butch O'Hare. I spent an entire career as an airline pilot, and I've flown into Chicago O'Hare too many times to count. I thought I knew the story, and thanks to your channel I now understand more of the true story. Thanks for presenting that bit of history here.
I am willing to bet they wouldn't win an argument with Commander Toti about Los Angeles class bilge pumps!
Another pricless episode!!
Thanks to all who labored here to preserve and maintain our Naval History! :)
My Dad was a Marine at Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester in M-3-5.
The most important thing he said about his service was that he said nothing at all about it.
However when you find out later the pure hell he endured, you understand the silence.
Firstly, you're providing a invaluable service by talking about the Pacific Theater, getting into depth on the personalities involved, and bringing on folks like Jon Parshall and Richard B. Frank. As the latter points out, there were many millions of Asians that were oppressed and butchered by the Japanese, including my Korean grandparents and my Taiwanese wife's grandparents (one of whom was "relocated" to work on a South Pacific island). Few non Japanese Asian Americans have any knowledge, let alone appreciation, of American efforts and sacrifice that enabled them to exist today. My kids will be using your videos as a resource.
Secondly, I'm a Chicagoan by birth and for the first 30 years of my life. I've been through O'Hare Airport more than I can count, and all I ever knew before your videos was that Butch O'Hare was a WWII hero of some sort. I'm not aware of a significant memorial or description of his achievements within the airport. If there isn't one, maybe we should do something to fix that.
I would see combat in a different branch of service and in a different generation. Nevertheless I am deeply moved by what the USS Enterprise's crew accomplished and I have the deepest respect for the quiet competence, vigilance and sustained maximum effort that these men offered up in service to their hard pressed country. The Enterprise story is truly an amazing story. Thanks for telling it, Seth and Bill. It is a story that present and future generations need to know.
Enjoy your videos. My Father served on Guam in 1945 as a radar technician. There were still Japanese hiding on the island that would steal their laundry. I worked for a company that updated the 21C7 submarine steering and diving trainers with new computers and displays. I also worked for Grumman on the F-14 and E-8. It is very cool that you knew many of the fighter pilots that I recognized from the Battle 360 videos. Keep up the good work.
I’ve got several great uncles on both sides of the family that had multiple items from pacific service. Japanese insignias etc, wish I’d been more involved with their service when I was younger and they were still here. Thanks to all of you for these episodes.
You two gentlemen are doing a great job bringing WW2 to life for all of us. You touch the memories of many of your listeners. Memories from their fathers and grandfathers who fought in WW2.
But weather you know it or not, you are going to teach WW2 history to your future relatives who you will never know personally. But they will get to know you through your great work here.
Please please please do a pod cast on what happened to the islands that got bypassed in the pacific Islands campaign. There was a lot of them:
How did they surrender?
How did they take it?
How many died of starvation?
Etc etc
Wonderful show thanks for everything your doing
My Dad and three uncles served during WW2. Very rare that they ever spoke of it, and only if I initiated the conversation. Enterprise is one of my favorite ships of WW2. Too bad that she wasn’t preserved as a memorial/museum.
Love all the information I get from your videos. My grandfather served on USS O'Bannon in WW2 he was like most and didn't really talk about it. 10 months before he passed I got to give him a tour of USS Gravely at that time the ship I served on as we walked around I noticed he was tearing up he said "being on this modern warship brings back so many memories from Lucky O." I was wondering if a video of her and as Halsey says her gallant little sisters will come? All he ever told me is there was a ton of service stars and no purple hearts. Thanks for all the info gentlemen.
On the subject of family comments, while my great uncle died off the coast of Italy in a B-17 in August, 1943, my wife just found that her grandfather had been a marine, presumably with the 4th Marine Division, at Kwajalein.
Great podcast as always. Putting names to the faces of those who fought in WW2 adds a personal dimension to this conflict as well as past wars. Very timely as Rememberence Day was on November 11th.
Guys, thanks for keeping history alive. It seems that history is no longer taught dooming us to repeat it. As long as there are dedicated men like you, the flame continues to flicker.
Although my dad fought with the 101st and 17th in the ETO your comments about the WWII warriors not wanting to talk about it rings true. My dad was a Lt., combat engineer, qualified pathfinder and sapper. He made a glider landing at Normandy, was in the divisional assault at Carentan, jumped (first star on parachute wing) in Operation Market Garden. From there he did a tail gate jump into Bastogne. Afterwards he was reassigned to the 17th for his second star for a jump into Germany in operation Varsity. While he was a Taccoa veteran, he was very proud to have made the assault with the 17th. His name Bancroft Ellwood A. 139th combat engineers appears in the Division Roster of Honor in the book Thunder From Heaven, Story of the 17th Airborne Division. God bless you gentlemen for the most in-depth recount of a critical point of our military history the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Hey, I was born and raised in Chicago. And yes, we do know why Orchard Field was renamed O'Hare Airport. And we also know why Midway Airport is named Midway. BTW - The Great Lakes Naval Station was the largest naval base in the World during WW2, based upon the number of personnel stationed there.
I love the extra reading and books that help me learn more on the history of this part of the war. I appreciate much more information.
The Enterprise is one of, if not the, greatest ship of WWII but we also must remember that 'She' was only a hunk of metal and that it was the MEN who manned 'Her' that made her great.
It was both. A great ship crewed by great men.
Bill ,Seth This helps understand all theaters of WW2. 40 years after my fathers death i ask the family where he was during the war. Seen pictures that i never seen before that put him in Italy. So i hire a researcher and found out he was d day for husky operation to end of war in Italy. I have mourning reports and AAA monthly reports to the end of war. Thank you for your work.
You guys do a great job. Every episode isn’t a big hit in my book BUT keep up the GREAT work. Always look forward to each Tuesday morning for a new episode 👍👍👍
You guys do a terrific job with this channel, and it has gotten better with each season - this episode is no exception. You bring in terrific guests! What you say about many of the vets - "They never talked about it" - was certainly true of my grandpa, with one enigmatic (and ominous) exception. And relaying the testimonies *you* got from the veterans you worked with really does make the war come to life.
Thank you to the both of you gentlemen for the second part of the battle history of the " Big E ". I have reference material and scale models of her and the aircraft that flew from her. But I had know idea that some of her pilots were Blue Angels nor a linked to the forming of Top Gun , it just goes to show, you learn a new thing every day. Looking forward to your next presentation, may God bless you both.
Thank you guys for all that you do making these great videos!! Captain Toti I thought about you last night while grocery shopping when I heard people calling a man in front of me Captain. He was in a flight suit and was loved by everyone around him. He seemed very cool and happy. A guy you wanted to be around. We live at the west end of Pensacola NAS. Don’t know how many Captains are at NAS but he was a man you just wanted to be around. Thank you for your service sir! Great job guys! Thank y’all !!!
You guys do such great work. Thank you for this effort.
God Bless the veterans and those currently serving in the Armed Forces of the USA. Though America is bruised and battered these days, I still LOVE America and the beacon of Liberty she represents. And THAT from a washed up former Canadian Signals Officer with the 73 Comm Regt in LFWA. I have been studying WWII since Grade 7 (1978/79) and I have learned so much from this channel. Great detail guys; you rock in an intellectual way!!!
Velox Versutus Vigilans
I'm currently reading Stafford's The Big E, which I ordered after part one of your series on the USS Enterprise. Fascinating!
Congratulations Seth and Bill. Another excellent chapter in your excellent podcast. You have provided so much information to people who really don't know about what really went on the the PTO during WW II. I pride myself as being a real aficionado of the war in the PTO going back to my high school days in the late 1950's. It all started with Samuel Eliot Morison's History of US Naval Operations in WW II. But I have never failed to gain more knowledge in watching your podcasts. Between the two of you and your able compadres, like Jon Parshall, John Bruning, John McManus, Tony Tully, Tom Holland, Richard Frank and all the others, you have given all of us a inside look at what war in the Pacific was really like. Don't stop doing what you are doing.
And Cdr. William R. "Killer" Kane also had a counterpart in the USAAF, Col. John R. "Killer" Kane, commander of the 98th Bomb Group (B-24's) in the Mediterranean Theater. Col. Kane was awarded the MOH for his role in Operation Tidal Wave, the first attack on the vital Axis oil production center of Ploesti.
One of the things I really enjoy is the way you cover some of the lesser known actions in such great detail. I look for your stuff every week, many times replay them and just thank goodness for such quality work ! I really have learned a lot listening to you both....
I am a mid 50s recently retired history teacher from Oklahoma. I found your channel arournd 9 months ago and have watched every episode. I cant tell you how much I enjoy it and look forward to each new show. I learn something new in each show(my wife says that isnt possable). My grandad was on the cve-106 block island (not the one that sank cve-21) he passed at 95 2 years ago. like most others he never talked about it. I didnt even know he had been in ww2 in the navy until the early 90s when i started teaching history in high school and i thought wait a sec if all my dates are right then grandad should have been in europe or asia. when asked of course he said there is nothing to tell i didnt do anything that everyon didnt do, most did more than me. He said i went, didnt die, didnt get hurt came home and started a family thats how you got here in around 1969. He always has great wit. He said he ran the ships store(s) and helped in the post office. I dont know if he ment the ship store, or if he ment ship stores like a supply clerk. He did tell about what he called "the big storm" they went through, he said even blew away some planes. After it he had to take a party to clean up the cargo rooms, he said the bottom fore most hold is were they kept the officers beer and it was glass bottles and all broke everwhere. beer was 3 or 4 inched deep like to never got it cleaned he said the guys kept sucking it up with straws till he said i hope you dont suck down some of those small broken glass shards in that stuff. He told me where his watch station was and that he usually had night watch. This is the question I thought you might be able to help me with. Like a moron I never asked him where his GQ station was. In both of your experiences would it have been by the gun he said was his watch station. I think it was topside somewhere because he told me they never got bombed or straffed or anything and how lucky that was, but at Okinawa a kamikaze got very close and got shot at the last minute. he said as it zoomed over the deck he could see the pilot silhouetted by flames in the cockpit and he was dead and slumped over. He said that was as close as we every got to getting damage. This makes me think he had to be topside to have observed that. I also asked him about the marines and he said on his ship he never notice any kind of rivalry between them and the marines he said he had a lot friends that were marines and so did the other sailors. he said best i reckalect we all just kinda worked togeather we was all just kids. Sorry for the length of the post i just wanted to provide some context for my question (flaw in my personality i guess) I hope i dont cause a comment length rule to be impossed. lol. also any one else that reads this besided Bill and Seth your answers are also welcome. Gentlemen and fine sirs thank you for doing this show to carry these stories forward and in general thank you for all you do and have done and Bill thank you for your service and keeping my family safe even when I didnt know you were exploring the ocean depths out there all those years, thank you and god bless. sincerely Wade Enyart
Thank you both again. The conversation expands my knowledge and I’m very grateful for that. And … as an aside, my family has roots in Youngstown, OH
I hold very fond memories of Idora Park!
Bill responding: used to go to Idora Park every year as an altar boy
Fantastic Torpedo Tuesday. I am fascinated by the evolution of carrier night air operations. I have read a great book that details the evolution of night air ops on the Jeep carrier USS Guadalcanal. Captain Gallery details how they needed to keep scout planes up 24/7 in order to keep the UBoats off the surface at night. Great story. Seth I added the Enterprise book by Tillman to my list. Keep up the great work.
Just wanted to say I appreciate that y'all drop the hammer on the idiots. What you do is fantastic, the content is ace, and any mistakes made are both rare and honest ones to make (and you also correct the ones that need correcting).
Keep doing what you do, I deeply enjoy it and look forwards to each new episode.
Knocked it out of the park as usual. Thank you for sharing your passion. I look forward to this every Tuesday..
I really appreciate the hard work and years of knowledge that you guys put into every episode. I've seen and enjoyed every one.
My 5th deep dive into your podcast of Big E. It's still the best.
Great job guys. I look forward to seeing the new episodes on Tuesday morning.
The account of the Kamikaze reminds me of the last attack from the movie "Eternal Zero" where the experienced, skilful pilot gets through. I never knew they recovered the pilot's body....
You think he's onto something sir!? Naw just dog f'n lucky!
I read "The Big E" in 1976 when I was 20 years old. Then, every amazing hero and ship member of CV-6 in that book was two dimensional to me (page height, page length), though most marvelous to me even then. After listening to your two-part podcast, the pair of you turned every Big E member into superb three-dimensional humans of extraordinary strength personality and valor. I reckon I've waited most of my life to "meet" these fine American heroes as you tell of them so earnestly and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. And, yes, no American ship ever deserved to be a memorial ship more than, The Big E!
This channel is very underrated!
Thanks guys, the Big E has always been my favorite ship. When my father was doing his reserve training after the war in the Brooklyn Navy yard, he pointed out the Enterprise to my grandmother and said that ship was the reason why we’re not speaking Japanese. Ok he exaggerated but you get my point.
Bill, what is a battleshoop? Could it be a battlesloop with 16" guns? LOL!
I love the natural human interaction with you guys. It is just like sitting down with old friends at a neighborhood bar and solving(?) the world's problems, past and present, over a bottle of JAX (right Seth).
Thank you guys for what you do, reminding us all of those brave men who saved our country and our way of life when there truly was a gun to all our parents and grandparents' heads.
PS: Just got Tillman's book on the "Big E."
I haven’t even started it yet and I know it’s going to ridiculously good…. keep it up boys!
I once overheard some vets in a pub here in Australia describing what it was like to land on a carrier at night. “It’s like having a sh*t & an orgasm at the same time “
Love your work fellas. I’m a bit late to the party & as an Aussie I’ve previously only focused on those battles in which we fought. I’ve found your show fascinating & have learnt a hell of a lot about the bigger pacific theatre. Thank you.
Being a Limey, I have no personal kinship with The Big E or any other USN vessel from WW2. That said, I've learned a huge amount from your awesome and immensely detailed podcasts since stumbling across the channel and, for that, I thank you.
You're entirely correct that it would have been fitting for CV6 to be in Tokyo Bay alongside the Missouri for the surrender in September 1945. Regardless, later that month, as part of Operation Magic Carpet, she returned 1,141 servicemen from Pearl Harbor before proceeding to New York, from where she would make 3 round trips to Europe and return a further 10,000+ vets.
Speaking of England, Enterprise also made trips to Europe as part of Operation Magic Carpet, including stops at Southampton. During one of those stops, she was presented with a British Admiralty Pennant in recognition for her outstanding service. She’s the only non-Royal Navy ship to ever receive that decoration.
Imho, one of the most important things you guys do is TELL THE TRUTH. Good or bad, the truth needs told.
All your hard work, deep dives, digging out the truth, telling it good or bad, should be the gold standard for ALL historians. (Sadly, its not, especially in the ETO.)
Its much appreciated by many of us now, but will be even more valuable in the future , if not priceless for future generations.
🇺🇸 Well done gentlemen, well done. 🇺🇸👍
LOL Captain Toti, please don't feel the need to even comment on people who are negative, I think they truly don't have anything better to do because they have no friends, you can easily see why. What you and eth do here is wonderful and very much appreciated by the majority of your listeners. I was appalled that someone in a previous podcast actually chastised you for not mentioning Australia's role in WWII. This is an American podcast made by American's so you are going to get the American point of view! If you want to ensure that Australia gets their just desserts, by all means, make your own videos about that. Pretty simple, really. I am just astonished at the sheer stupidity and audacity of some people. Love your passion and what it produces for the rest of us to appreciate.
Enterprise part 2. Thanks guys.
Thanks! Much appreciated the time and effort you put into these episodes.
Thank you
Bill-spot on! The podcast makes the war personal, in all its glory and in all its tragedy
I love USS enterprise like you, thank you for doing these two shows!
Excellent work. Thank you.
Fantastic stuff, guys. I always love hearing the stories of my favorite ship of all time, even if I've heard them a dozen times already. Thank you!
Your podcasts are invaluable to those of us hoping to find some insight into what our family members experienced. For those of born in the 1950's, WWII was closer in time to our own lives than 9/11/2001 is to all of us today, so we knew many, many veterans of that war. And no... none of them ever talked about their experiences. My brothers and I were sternly warned by our mother to never, ever ask about it either. They're trying so hard to forget, she would tell us. My grandfather -- her father -- worked as a civilian steamfitter/engineer at Westinghouse designing high-pressure steam valves for the Navy, and he explained to me many, many years later why his brother had come back from the war 'broken.' He'd survived combat on Peleliu.
BZ, Gentlemen... your work is most appreciated.
Nobody in my family served in the Pacific (Europe or welders in shipyards), but this program has brought me a much greater understanding and appreciation of what these people went through in the Pacific.
Thank you Bill and Seth.
Awesome to hear about the pacific campaign. You both have the amazing ability to make the men and equipment (Enterprise) come alive again and tell their stories. Thank you both very much
Thank YOU Capt Coti and Mr Andrews. The work you do is vital.
Although you got their names wrong, I agree wholeheartedly with your comment. Their work really IS vital and they do a great job!
Who?
thank you guys for giving such a good report of the individual contributions of those ww2 vets who paid the price to allow us the freedom to be able to do this sort of historical review
OUTSTANDING guys! This episode (and the previous one on Enterprise) was absolutely full of great stories. If there was one ship that should have been saved after the war, it was the Big E. Even so, videos like this will always preserve her unmatched legacy.
My father fought the battle of Reno (he would say) with the Army Air Corps band,. He met my mother in Reno, but neither EVER said much about their war experience because that was the nature of that generation. They were Depression kids that went through tough times early.
I have no direct family contact with the Pacific War, although an older cousin of my spouse's father was killed at Tassafaronga aboard the Pensacola. I love this history and greatly appreciate what you guys do.
Thanks.
Having dove on the wrecks of Truk, I am in awe of the US Naval aviators that did the attacks during Operation Hailstorm. I dove on one ship which had both the bow and stern guns aimed out directly oppoait of the torpedo that sank it. As a side note, on several of the freighter, the gun crews were reloading the shells on the deck while fighting. There are still open containers of Cordite and loose strands laying around on the deck next tot he gun along with the brass cartridges that they were reloading. Many of the deck guns were repurposed, one I saw was produced in 1903 for the british, and captured at Singapore
These were all truly Men, and despite the direction of the leadership of Japan, all of our Sailors, Pilots and soldiers were Hero's.
Hey Seth, I'm glad you mentioned Bartlett Tillman's book, I had started to re-read it after part one of your Big E videos. It is a great book.
What your podcast provides me is an indepth view of ww2 history I grew up in a Jhon Wayne Era view of ww2 you bring the hard cold facts about the battles people and strategies thanks to you I have a much improved knowledge of what actually happened to end the axis power in the pacific theater
Your work gentlemen is phenomenal. My father in law fought as a glider pilot in the European theater and I know first hand how important it is to remember what that generation did to preserve our freedom.
I just love how you guys speak of individuals. Truly fascinating. Thank you so much for the education.
I literally failed US history in the 11th grade. I got an F for the year. But I can't get enough of you guys. 🤷♀️
Seth & Bill, it's not that they didn't talk about the war, they didn't talk to civies, but they did talk amongst themselves, in a casual & relaxing manner. Thanks again for wonderful show. Rickm.
Another great episode Seth and Bill. I love all the anecdotes about the "Big E", and her distinguished service. As the Essex Class carriers were able to handle the loads of the heavier jet aircraft that arrived, they were able to survive and in some cases serving for decades more in the navy. Enterprise being that little bit older wouldn't have been able to handle the jets like her younger sisters, and she went into fleet reserve not long after the war in 1947. Consider her relatively short lifespan from her commissioning in 1938, until she went into Bremerton for the last time in 1945..seven years. All the action she saw, planes she downed, ships she sunk in that seven years is just astounding. Not to mention the men who served aboard, and took their knowledge to other ships, and squadrons. One last cool anecdote about Enterprise. Vincent P. de Poix served aboard her when he was with Air Group 6 during the Solomons Campaign. The first skipper of the nuclear powered Enterprise CV-65, was Captain Vincent P. de Poix in November of 1961. Like Seth, I am obviously an Enterprise fan-boy as well. Love the podcast, and I appreciate the new ones every week.
i'm really enjoying this series on ENT.
My dad served on the Enterprise during the latter part of the war, as a gunner's mate. He didn't talk if his experience much, of course. Thank you for this episode; I only wish I had known these things while my dad was around to discuss it with him.
Great episode as always.
I'm among that group whose fathers served in the Pacific and didn't talk much about it.
Damn the haters, full speed ahead!
Great episode Seth and Bill. Get well soon Bill. The Big E what a history. Tuesdays are my waiting for your next episode. Thank you for your talking about the brave men who served during WWII. My best friend had an Uncle that was on the USS Franklin. He was a young man that joined up to defeat the Japanese. He was there that day. He died at 52 from all the carnage of smoke and fire. It affected his lungs. I knew him and he would tell Mike and I about that day. A great and good man. He is missed.
I thanks again to both of you for a very good program about the big E.
I am a World War II pacific theater historian above I love your channel you both do great work and I love all your guest keep up the good work, ignore the idiots and keep pushing on much appreciated gents!
Another jewel in your crown. Great information on the big “E”. Enjoyed this immensely.
Outstanding episodes!!! I have to put USS Constitution as my favorite ship (any sailing ship still active wins by default), but this is a very close second. It is a crime that this ship was not saved as a museum ship considering all the contributions throughout the war. Very sad ending to a proud vessel. The Big E CV6 will always occupy a special place in US Naval history. Thanks for 2 great episodes!!!
Commenting on the start of this week's session... I am tremendously impressed in what you've done and look forward to each week's presentation. As I've mentioned off-line, I wish I could provide you both with something in return for all of your effort. My dad missed the war by a couple of months, with the Bomb making the Coronet invasion a staff study.
Excellent again!!! You guys are the reason my 10 year old grandson. Digs into ww2 history.. he watches you guys and the fat electrician on TH-cam.
hey
You guys have a great pace of presentation. The two of you add personal identities/personnel to the picture as no other historic description Ive ever seen before. Your work will be online for later generations to enjoy. Humanity owes you a Thank You !
You, as a team, have improved every episode.
The crazies, 2%, that rant at you for no good reason, deserve to be deleted!
dan knoxville TN
So Proud of you all😊