A 'stiff one' was referring to a drink of straight liquor. 'Smoking lamp' equates permission to smoke. One match lit has been known to sink ships at night providing the enemy a target.
This one hits close to home for me. My late grandfather fought in Guadalcanal. I never asked him about it because I didn’t want to bring back those awful memories he had. We do have an vhs tape of him talking about his experiences during the war. The one thing that always stood out to me was him saying that he would be laying in the sand and digging, to get himself as low as he could to avoid the gunfire that was cutting the weeds down just above his head. He was the man I respected most in this world. Rest in peace, grandfather.
I wish I could thank him for his service. Those men saved and changed the world. I truely hope that man is resting peacefully somewhere beautiful. Hes earned it.
The Japanese soldier would have killed himself, instead of being taken prisoner. It was japanese policy and it was very rare to have a Japanese pow. So the marines just expediied it.
The war in the Pacific was a MUCH more brutal conflict than the war on the Western Front in Europe. This series also focuses a bit more on the de-humanizing effects of war. It shows how even those on the winning side, who survive, lose so much.
It is a little hard to tell how much time has passed in these episodes. The battle for Guadalcanal lasted from August 7, 1942 to February 9, 1943. During that time, the marines fought until December 1942, and the army took over at that time and finished the fighting after the marines were taken off. Some marines lost 40 pounds in the battle for Guadalcanal because of the heat and disease they endured on the island, and because of the difficulty of supplying the marines with food and equipment. The US Navy lost 2 sea battles early in the campaign for Guadalcanal, and they had to rebuild the supply line to Guadalcanal, defend against Japanese attacks, and try to prevent the Japanese from supplying their own troops all at the same time. More sailors were killed during the Guadalcanal campaign than marines on the island.
The Pacific was written straight out of Eugene Sledge’s book/memoir, ‘With The Old Breed.’ It’s extremely accurate to how Eugene recalls most of these events. Alligator Creek was a real battle where the Japanese refused to stop attacking until almost all of their battalion was killed. This was because the Americans had setup at an excellent location and the Japanese had to wade in the water which made them vulnerable. They then attempted to Flank the Americans by going to the narrow beach and even into the ocean. But the American Marines were in such a good prepared position that the Japanese lost thousands of soldiers. At first light the Marines could finally see the death and destruction. By morning the bodies were already beginning to smell. The Marines were attempting to do Battle Assessments, Clearing bodies, and give aid to surviving soldiers when a Japanese soldier did in fact pull a grenade on two marines and himself. Many of the marines who witnessed that (and other brutal things the Japanese did) thought less of the Japanese, and refused to treat them humanely any longer. The Pacific truly was a gruesome and hellacious campaign
This was also very early into the US vs Japanese encounters and the Japanese put a lot of emphasis on psychological warfare. They wanted the enemy to fear them. They were completely fine with spending lives for fear by using very barbaric (and often ineffective) but extremely terrifying tactics, such as all of these fearless charges. I guarantee even though Alligator Creek was an incredible victory for the Marines, it became one of the earliest cases of terror of the Japanese. As stated in the show "They.. they just kept on comin'" Unfortunately for the Japanese this didn't work in the long run.
It might be interesting to know that in the naval battles off Guadalcanal there was a 12 year old American sailor that manned an anti-aircraft gun on the battleship USS South Dakota. He earned several medals for his courage. His name was Calvin Graham and his story was made into a movie, TOO YOUNG THE HERO.
It was nearly similar to the fighting on the Eastern Front. Not quite, but the third highest Level of Brutality after Chinese-Japanese Fighting and the Eastern Front.
The more I learn of the war in the Pacific, the more surprised I am by how much it's overlooked as a footnote in American history books in favor of the relatively brief European campaign. Many school kids (including highschool) learn about Pearl Harbor, that the US sent some soldiers to keep the Japanese busy, bam the US and allies storm Normandy, overtake the German who are split fighting 2 fronts until Hitler kills himself, and then drop the ABombs on Japan to neatly wrap up the war. If the Pacific is mentioned between Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, it's to use the fighting on Okinawa and Iwo Jima to justify dropping the bombs. If it was weighted to the amount of involvement and importance in defeating the enemy, you'd think it would be switched.
I was hopping so much that you would react to The Pacific which is more impactful IMO because it hits home more because they show the worst parts of WWII in the Pacific battles while showing what happens at home. I can’t wait to see more of your reactions to the next episodes
Your reaction is sweet, innocent. My grandfather was fighting the Japanese in Burma from early 1942 having been stationed to a gun battery in Panama between the wars. As he was a noncom and acclimated to jungle combat and conditions he was chosen as an "advisor" to be sent to China to train their troops eventually being absorbed into the 5307th Composite Unit for the remainder of his time in combat. He rarely spoke of his time in the service until after I cycled back into civilian life after the RGT that he spoke to me about his combat experiences and then only after a lot of whiskey. I'd preface by saying that those men were Marines, not soldiers, which is to say the Marine Corp. is more of a Cult than a branch of service. To say they were wielded mercilessly on the island hopping campaign would be a gross understatement. They faced some of the bloodiest combat seen by any serviceman, in any country, in any war, ever. They endured the misery, callousness of command, loss of brothers while facing an enemy which would fight to the last man, charge their lines screaming again and again until the bodies were stacked like chord wood requiring bulldozers to push the mountains of corpses into mass graves. Even if you set that aside, the way they viewed allied prisoners as well as the way they treated them would make the hardest Nazi Waffen SS member go pale, civilians in occupied territories were treated even worse. I suppose you could say everyone had their reasons but after the heat of battle no one is quite themselves and a defiant, defeated enemy might feel like a good person to make suffer so they feel your anger and pain. Is it right? Probably not, did they care? Again, probably not.
I recommend you to watch these episodes with the introductions narrated by tom hanks, it gives you so much more information about the situations, and it also includes the interviews with the veterans like in BoB :) i don’t know why hbo deleted these parts, they say so many important things in those intros loved the reaction btw
"Play With Historical Background." For some reason, you have to select this version/option. With Band of Brothers it plays automatically. With The Pacific, if you just select "Play" ... you won't see it. You must select "Play With Historical Background."
Never considered how much people learn about history through a directors lens on a conflict. Luckily they did a good job with this and your reaction was great!
This is one of the biggest benefits of the reaction community. Reactors learn about historical series that are highly acclaimed like Band of Brothers, so they watch them and learn about history, which then brings the awareness to their viewers, and then everybody becomes slightly better educated. I credit the reaction community for keeping these stories alive.
I’m not sure if you made the correlation, but by the time the Marines started their island hopping campaign in 1942. Easy Company was still training in England and continued to until 1944. Makes you really think about how fast the Marines got sent in. P.S. This series is the reason I joined the Marine Corps. To be able to say I am apart of the illustrious brotherhood is one of my biggest achievements.
13:40 nah, the Japanese during WWII were savage. They didn't surrender. They would conceal grenades on their person and blow themselves up along with anyone who tried to help them. They didn't quit coming, and did a suicidal Banzai charge at night. If they hadn't killed that man, he WOULD have found a way to kill at least one or two Marines with him, that's what they did. They also specifically targeted Corpsmen (the medics), which wasn't something that happened in the European theater, because it was against the Geneva convention (Japan wasn't part of that treaty, though, so no surprise they didn't follow it). The Marines stopped trying to take prisoners, give aid to enemy wounded, and they took the red crosses off the Corpsmen, because the Japanese soldiers were so zealous in their fighting.
This is one of the best series of all time, it may be short but it’s straight to the point! Hits you where it hurts and shows the reality of combat and the mental health side of war. Very good in my opinion!🙏
I have a heart murmur. it is essentially, an issue with the pump from your heart, when putting a stethoscope up to it, you can hear a sqush or whoosh from the heart pumping blood. I think we are more at risk for heart attacks and failures, meaning if we are in scary situations or running a lot, we could just drop dead. I get it.
10:20 "What is a smoking lamp?" In the very old days, when ships were wooden and had sails, nobody wanted a fire on the ship but sailors (and US Marines long before WWII) wanted to smoke. A smoking lamp was like a small metal pot with a tiny fire in it but and sailors could touch their cigarette to the hot metal to light it. It was hard to tip over or cause the ship to catch on fire so that's what they used. By WWII, ships were metal and not likely to catch on fire. Also, US Marines usually had their own cigarette lighters. So nobody used smoking lamps. But the phrase was part of Marine tradition and even though these Marines did not use the lamps, they still used the phrase. "Smoking lamps are lit" meant it's ok to smoke (they were in a safe place). "Smoking lamps are out" meant it's not ok to smoke (usually because enemies might be nearby and could see you and shoot you).
I had 3 uncles that fought in the Pacific theater. One in the army, he never talked about it, fought alcoholism for decades till he beat it, spent the rest of his time helping others.. One in the Marines, he couldn't talk about it, spent the rest of his life on medication dealing with the ptsd.. One in the navy, what he talked about we couldn't understand, after having two ships torpedoed out from under him and ending up in the Pacific Ocean, he was never right again, spent time in and out of mental hospitals and care facilities, medicated the rest of his days.. Rest well, Uncle Warren, Uncle Preacher, Uncle Norman..
Biss, I love the connection you made to Hacksaw Ridge. Imperial Japan did not sign the Geneva Convention and therefore did not follow the rules of war. In Hacksaw you saw 3 war crimes: 1. Targeting medics. Japanese soldiers were paid a premium for killing medics. 2. Using a white flag to attack your enemy. 3. Killing the wounded. Americans were hesitant to take Japanese prisoners or even treat their wounded because Japanese wounded were often booby trapped.
The machine guns they were using were heavy machine guns designed in WWI. They were meant to be used in fixed positions with sustained fire. The thing around the barrel is a water jacket for the cooling system and it had additional parts to be connected. The mount was also sturdy and heavy. Very effective in that role, but hard to move around and slow to deploy, with some exceptions. It wasn't for a while that they would get lighter machine guns, but ones that still needed a tripod for effective use. And yes, wounds in those conditions can easily fester, and other diseases, including bad skin diseases, were also common.
5:49 A "stiff one" is a stiff (strong) drink. 8:41 "Smoking lamps" are from the days of sail. When the lamp was lit you could smoke. If the lamp was out you had to observe light discipline. This was to keep the enemy form seeing or smelling you. The Marines are naval infantry so they use naval terms. Look up "Tokyo Rose" and "Axis Sally" they were attractive sounding women that had radio shows that broadcast popular music along with propaganda aimed at demoralizing the enemy both soldiers and their families. Soldiers were told to destroy personal letters because if the letters were captured the Japanese could use them to demoralize people back home. Imagine hearing your son's personal letters being read on the radio with condolences from Rose over the senseless loss of you son. "Mother Bisscute Billy wanted you to pet Fluffy and hug his sister Maddie...BEFORE HE DIED!" Something like that could demoralize an entire town .
Answers!! In the US saying "I could use a stiff one" means wanting a shot of distilled alcohol, like whiskey, not beer. Americans were called "Yanks" even though many from the South would not identify as Northern Yankees. The British were called "Limeys" and the Germans "Krauts" due to sauerkraut eaters. The Japanese sometimes called white people "round eye" or "Joe".
The officer at the beginning who provided the brief was Lt Col Lewis ‘Chesty’ Puller. He fought and was highly decorated in 5 armed conflicts to include Korea. He retired a a Lt. General. His son decided to join the Marines and go to Vietnam. Chesty opposed this decision because he was concerned about poor leadership. His son, Lewis, was a platoon leader and he stepped on a mine. He lost both of his legs, one arm, and part of his hand on another arm. Lewis said the hardest part of his recovery was seeing how broken his father was at what happened to him.
They say that the battle of midway was the turning point in the Pacific War, but it was Guadalcanal, more Japanese soldiers died, and it suck in more soldiers and resources and also gave the Americans a foothold in the Pacific which to expand from.
The pacific theater of operation was very different than Europe. In Europe, any prisoners taken by the Germans were treated very well (as long as you weren't viewed as subhuman by them like jews, communists etc.) By contrast the Japanese were very different. They saw surrender as weak so they almost always fought to the last man and very rarely surrendered. Surrender was shameful so any Americans that were taken prisoner were treated terribly. There's also the climate to take into account. In the pacific you're dealing with tropical climates. High temperatures and constant moisture took their toll on troops from both sides. There's also all the diseases and conditions that come with being there and always being wet. War is hell no matter what but I feel like the marines went through a lot more difficult trials in the pacific. My grandfather fought at gaudalcanal and two jima. I've actually got a vial of the volcanic ash that made up the island of two jima. He told me that it was like running through deep snow. Any of you that grew up in a place that has snow like I did will tell you, running through deep snow kicks your ass very quickly. I can only imagine having to do that under heavy machine gun and artillery fire!
My Grandpa was shot down over Rabaul and spent 18 months in a Japanese POW camp before being liberated. Went into the camp at 180 pounds and came out at 100 pounds. I shouldn't be alive. This series really hits home and was wonderfully done.
I had Family on almost all sides of the war. I was adopted so I have 2 sets of grandparents. On my Irish and Germen side one was a piolet of B-17s flying out of England from 43 to 45. On my Germen side My grandfather was an Enginering Officer abord KM Bismarck and spent nearly the entire war in a POW camp in Northern Ireland. On my Native Alaskan and Yugoslavian side My grandfather builds Fishing boats and was himself a commercial fisherman from a small village in SE Alaska. He used his boat and knowledge of the waters to ferry men and materials and even did some mine sweeping while the Japanese where invading Alaska. My other grandfather fought for the resistance in Yugoslavia and moved to America as soon as the war ended because he knew the Russians were going to annex all they could just as Hitler had before. I never got to meet any of my grandfathers They all died before I was born, but I've read diaries and there are the Family stories passed down. What I got from them was a respect for all who willingly put on a uniform for honorable reasons and then go where others will not. It does not matter the flag they fought under as much as what was in their hearts when they served. Those who fought honorably are all heroes, worthy of respect for the sacrifice of time blood sweat and the horrors they had to endure for others.
9:30 I don't know about the Japanese but Chinese called Europeans "Ghostmen", "Red Devils"(red hair), and "Eastern Barbarians"(Europeans arrived in China by sea from the east).
Marines got 6 months training, Airborne got 2 years training. US surprised the Japanese at first, but the Japanese fought back for 6 months just to keep this important island. The US fleet was nearly destroyed at the start.
This series is a much tougher watch than Band of Brothers (except for Episode 9 of BoB) but very worth it. Probably my favorite Miniseries of all time. But bring the tissues. It gets rougher from here.
You need to find the version of this series that has the Tom Hanks narrating at the start of every episode. It helps explain things a lot better, and it also has the interviews with the veterans, like BoB. Enjoy the ride, this show is on a whole other level of brutal.
My grandfather was the first American shot down on iwa.. was a scout he survived. He got medals. The pacific gave me some kinda idea what he went through. This is a good series atleast for me
I've seen a lot of people pointing out that the Pacific theater was more brutal and that's very true. The Japanese had a very different mindset than Europe. Japan was telling it's citizens that Americans would absolutely ravage men, women, and children, I think I remember even that we would eat them, but that might be wrong. They thought that emperor was divine and that there was no way that they could lose. I mean, just the idea of kamikazes was something that was shocking to the soldiers. Women would throw themselves and their children off of cliffs to avoid being "taken". It was just something that is hard to imagine.
Last time I cried was watching this series......one of the later episodes when the marines are in Okinawa. The crying baby and dying grandmother.......brutal is the word.
You got to do Generation Kill next. In my mind the HBO trifecta of war shows is Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Generation Kill. I saw a comment online once about all three shows. Band of Brothers is about the brotherhood of war. The Pacific is about the horrors of war. Generation Kill is about the futility of war.
8:22 the show doesn’t give proper context for the dead bodies there, but those are the bodies of Marine POWs that the Japanese had murdered. The POWs were tied to the trees, tortured (to put it mildly), and then left to die of their wounds. The Japanese were cruel to all prisoners of war. They likely did this to intimidate the enemy, but it lead to the Marines very rarely taking prisoners.
This is a very good series and it will be hard for you to watch due to the brutality of war. I hope you do some research to find out more about this wartime setting. Several of my uncles served at Guadalcanal most came home after, one was MIA, one a code talker and all were Marines! Semper Fi!🇺🇲
Nice, that you’re doing this series. Smoking lamp, means when you can smoke or not, it was on naval ships, if it was lit, you could smoke, if it was out, then no smoking. So for the Marines the saying was used on shore too, as smoking will govern your position, mainly at night.
The war in the Pacific was so much more brutal than that in Europe if that is possible, the Japanese did not surrender, their warrior code of Bushido taught them that surrender was worse than death. They also did not typically take prisoners for the same reason. The US Marines quickly learned this and also did not typically take prisoners. There was a hate between them that was like that between the Soviets and Germans on the eastern front but in many ways it was worse.
The battles all across the pacific were more brutal than the western campaign, the hatred towards Japan was significantly more compared to the Germans. The 1st Marine division had a skull of a Japanese soldier they killed on Guadalcanal that’s painted red, and with their insignia painted on as a war trophy. The war trophies in the pacific included boiling skulls/bones and sending them back to loved ones home as well with guns.
I have friends and family who have combat experience from Iraq and Afghanistan, and I don't know how to explain it but you can tell there's a difference when it comes to anything morbid. I've been hunting with them countless times and you can tell they've mentally processed the act of killing. I don't know how to explain it. Some seem so natural and come across as callous, and then some talk about their experiences in cryptic ways and drink too much. One of my friends used the classic "my friend is having issues", when in reality, he was talking about himself the entire time. As a civilian, I have no idea what these guys really go through, but I have to imagine they lose part of their humanity in the process and that's sad. I've had 4 childhood friends die from drugs or suicide in the span of one year and I've never been the same since. A lot more cold and less cheerful, so I assume something worse like combat would do similar to a person.
The 1903 Springfields were also WW1 era. Episode 2 Spoiler below..... In episode 2, Sidney Phillips opens a crate of the Army's new M1 Garands, he said "Army gets the new stuff and we fight with shit my grandfather used." That was a reference to the Marines still using the bolt action, 1903 Springfield.
Marines never had it better than the other services. Many times they got stuck with outdated hand me down weps and supplies. This petty much was the same for Korea & Vietnam. They did their jobs well with the weps and supplies they were allocated. The Naval battle that the Marines witnessed at night was the worst US Naval defeat of the war known as the First Battle of Savo Island. At that time the Japanese navy had superior night fighting tactics, much better torpedos & were battle hardened. The US Navy were more confused and had a few friendly fire incidents. The Marines were pretty much left without any Naval support.
Something to keep in mind; do not refer to a Marine as a soldier. Esecially to their face. Though i suspect they may be a bit more polite to you a Marine will explain to you in no uncertain and rather colorful terms that a Marine is not a Soldier even though the orgional meaning of Marine is a sea-going soldier. My father had a friend who was in the Corp and participate in the invasion of Iwo Jima. I was a teen and teasing him by calling him a soldier. He pulled me aside and explained why I was mistaken. I'm now in my early 60's and I can tell you that since that day I have never once referred to a Marine as a soldier. Another thing to keep in mind is that at least to a US Marine once they have earned the title of Marine they will always be a Marine. My dad's friend till the day he passed away at 92 considered himself a Marine. Semper Fi Bill
Almost all of the Pacific series is accurate. At the time it was the most expensive TV servies ever made, so it is very accurate, some shots cost millions for a few seconds to get it accurate.
Both the Japanese and the Americans were taught that their enemy was less than human. This drives and support of the profound hate each side had for the other.
Films directed by Clint Eastwood クリント・イーストウッド監督作品 I would recommend a "letter from Iwo Jima" from the Japanese point of view. 日本側からの視点の「硫黄島からの手紙」をお勧めします
At the time America was basically fighting 2 wars simultaneously and separately. Against Germany in France to Belgium and the Pacific Ocean against Japan.
Yeah, he was fighting for his country, but his country was a bunch of monsters. Even in the 1900s, Japanese civilians would hold protests that they weren’t being brutal enough to the Chinese during their colonial conquests. They even lobbied for war against Russia bc the civilian population felt slighted by them. Yes, these people are fellow human beings and it’s a tragedy all-around, but you have to have some prior knowledge about the Japanese Empire to put things into context. The Japanese were notorious for killing civilians and surrendering soldiers and it was common for both to be tortured (often for no reason other than instill terror or because of boredom) before they were inevitably executed. Prior to Guadalcanal, surrendering American troops in the Philippines were brutalized during the Bataan Death March and American soldiers elsewhere, like on Wake Island, were beheaded. The scene where the marines marched past the posed dead American soldiers was a common sight, but the show didn’t depict the gory details. In addition to propping up dead enemy soldiers like scarecrows, the Japanese would cut off the soldier’s genitals and shove them into the dead soldier’s mouths. After seeing such sights and hearing news about what happens if you surrender to the Japanese, it’s understandable why the Americans were bereft of empathy for the Japanese. Just before the scene of them toying with the Japanese soldier, another Japanese soldier pretended he needed help and then detonated a grenade. This wasn’t made up for the show - this stuff regularly happened. The scene of them toying with Japanese soldier is heart-wrenching to anything with a soul, but it’s important to understand the historical context of the scene, otherwise the brutality can seem like it was one-sided.
I think the thing that made the war in the Pacific so much more brutal than Europe. Was that if wasn't just a war of political ideals but cultures. The Japanese soldiers would much rather die, even by suicide than surrender. They treated allied soldiers that surrendered very badly. The scene with the wounded Japanese solider using a grenade to kill himself and the Marines trying to help him. Happened enough that US forces became very reluctant to try and take live Japanese prisoners. You can read comments by US solders that say when things like that happened to them that they never took a live Japanese solider prisoner the rest of the war.
BISS, as others have mentioned here in the comments, the WAR in the PACIFIC was much more brutal on the soldiers than the war in Europe!!! Taking nothing away from the men of Band of Brothers and the 101st airborne AND ALL the soldiers that fought in Europe, and to give you some perspective, the battle in THIS episode of the Pacific took place on Guadalcanal in 1942!! As these MARINES were FIGHTING in the jungles of Guadalcanal and in the Pacific, EASY company was still TRAINING in Toccoa, Ga. and North Carolina!! And besides the ENEMY (and the Japanese were a brutal enemy who did not surrender) the Marines in the Pacific had to deal with HORRIBLE tropical conditions and lack of proper supplies EVEN sometimes drinking water!!!😮 So again, when you SEE what these men went through to preserve FREEDOM in the world 🌎, we can definitely understand why they are called the GREATEST GENERATION!!!❤❤
It is a magnificent series Miss Bisscute and a great reaction. Personally, I prefer and like Band of Brothers better. Miss Bisscute, to complete your experience and knowledge of the Second World War in the Pacific, I suggest you react to the films directed by Clint Eastwood: Flags of our Fathers (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) as well as the film starring Nicholas Cage. Windtalkers (2002). I think you will like them.😊
It's hard to conceptualize how debilitating the island campaigns in the Pacific were. My dad and uncle were in the Army Air Force (my uncle was shot down over the Philippines and was lost) and their war held other terrors. But every single island where the Marines and Army fought the Japanese became a living hell. For one thing, the Japanese war ethos was shrouded by their belief in bushido and death was embraced as honorable, surrender unthinkable. They targeted medics as preferred kills, never accepting them as non-combatants. Allied POW's were worked to death, tortured and starved into human skeletons. Surrender for both sides became impossible, and the Marines learned to kill without hesitation. And yes, the jungles heat, animals, diseases and infections brought down many men.
The Japanese were disciplined ferocious fighters who did not surrender and had no problem dying in a fight - it was their code of honor. We have to remember that the time of the Samurai, feudal Japan, was not long before the war. The Japanese culture was one of war and honor, and after hundreds of years of civil war and wars with Korea and China during the age of the Samurai , the Japanese were very good at war. By the time the US was actually at a point to invade Japan, the projection of the human loses were so high that we decided to nuke their cities. It is not an exaggeration that the US would have lost 1-million men or more to invade Japan - on top of the losses we had already sustained in Europe and the rest of the pacific. If Germany had not attacked Russia there is a very good chance Germany would control all of mainland Europe, the Caucus regions and the Mediterranean areas to this day. If Japan had not attacked the US when it did Japan would still control most of Asia, including most of China, and the Asian-pacific. Germany and Japan tried to fight most of the world and lost, if they had only attacked countries in their regions and consolidated their gains, they will still control those areas now.
The group of people that benefited most from the nuclear bombs being dropped instead of an invasion is the Japanese civilians. Far and away. Yes it saved a million Americans at least as well. Which is a good enough reason to drop them by itself in my opinion.
In Band of Brothers, by the time D-Day happened, Italy’s and Germany’s Navy (with the exception of the submarines) was non existent. In the Pacific, the sea battles between the two sides were just as intense as the ones on land. Also, to understand the Japanese military at the time, you should read about the Batan Death March, and the Rape of Nanking. There was a some mutual respect between armies in Europe, however in Asia, there was no such luxury.
watched all your BAND OF BROTHERS yesterday. today watch all your Pacific. lets roll This is much like the Band Of Brothers, but my opinion the Marines had it harder, the heat , really no down time to rest
'Stiff one' in drinking parlance it means a strong drink. In euphemism: erection. I think he meant drink in this case. The object you notice around 7 40 is the tripod for an older water cooled machine gun, which Marines started off with a lot of surplus gear from WW1. Those are HEAVY to carry. Heart murmer is usually a leaky heart valve. Some are really small leaks and don't cause any issues, others are larger and cause health issues. I've got one, but it is small, barley can be heard and doesn't affect me at all, I was in all sorts of sports including track with it without problem. I think the only thing that bothered me about it was any time I was examined by a doctor they'd all want to listen to try to hear it even though I wasn't there for that. There are some great films associated with the pacific war. Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) are too really good ones. 'The Thin Red Line' (1998), Midway (1976) and (2019) films, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) is considered the definitive Pearl Harbor film. The gun
The Japanese would not surrender, which made the Pacific war seem more brutal, especially when you add in the weather and other conditions. Yes, the European theater was brutal as well, but at least you had the possibility that the enemy might like to live. BTW, I like your honest, intelligent reactions!
You can search for the battle of the Teneru (Alligator Creek). You will see from the actual war photos that the bodies on the beach were not exaggerated. It is sweet that you think BoB prepared you for TP. You saw that BoB was about leadership and unit cohesion. TP is about men going into hell over and over and how they might lose their souls.
Hopefully you can watch the intros from this series, because for some reason they arent showing them and its very important to see them as it shows and explains how hard the marines had it
This series only gives a glimpse at the horrific nature of the Imperial Japanese. That guy wanted to die, but he was upset because he wasn't dying gloriously in battle, as is the samurai/bushido code that the imperials worshipped. That is why the Americans will slowly become more and more calloused- the monstrous behavior they witnessed will make them see the enemy as less and less human. Its sucks, but that's what happens. Nanking, Unit 731, the aftermath of the Doolittle Raid, the beheading competition, just a few excerpts of the barbarity.
I liked this series more than BOB.. this part of the war was brutal. My maternal grandfather was stationed in the Philippines and had PTSD.. never talked about it
U have to give it to the US Marine Corps (USMC). They have 1/10th the membership the US Army (USA) has (then and now) and to have the success’s they had in the Pacific theatre of war was remarkably brilliant and brave. There r many heroes in the Corps.
Not discrediting the accomplishments and heroism of the USMC during the war, but it’s important to remember that the US Army had a significant presence in the PTO as well. In fact, the Army had far more soldiers in the PTO than their USMC counterparts. Media has created a misconception that the Marines single-handedly won the war in the Pacific when it was in fact a team effort of all the branches.
These Marines saw the torture and killing of the Japanese POW's, and they refused to take prisoners. The Japanese preferred to die rather than surrender, and that is why those few Japanese attacked the Marines and got "toyed" with. The Japanese would kill their own wounded when they would leave an area. That would be heart breaking for the wounded.
You're going to find The Pacific more graphic and disturbing than Band Of Brothers. The brutal truth of the Pacific war is that the Japanese rarely surrendered...and many that surrendered only did so as a feint to kill more Americans. Many Americans took no prisoners in consequence of this.
Both sides regarded each other as subhuman cannibalistic barbarians, therefore very few rules of war, if any, were followed. That's what made the Pacific fighting far more brutal and gruesome than almost anything that happened in Western Europe. Few, if any, German units would fight to the death against American units. Fighting to the death was routine for the Japanese forces.
The Japanese took no prisoners in that war. They even did, but they respected absolutely nothing in relation to the Geneva Convention. So Americans adopted reciprocity.
There's a mini series along the lines of this and BoB but this time it focuses on the American Airforce and their bomber crews fighting against Germany. It's due out this year and is called Masters of the Air. It's based on the book by Donald L. Miller. It's been years in the making but sadly not by HBO this time. They got cold feet after the relative poorer sales of Pacific as home entertainment compared to BoB. Shame as HBO tend to be brilliant but I'm sure it'll turn out to be quite good. Time will tell.
A 'stiff one' was referring to a drink of straight liquor. 'Smoking lamp' equates permission to smoke. One match lit has been known to sink ships at night providing the enemy a target.
hence the term three on a match , first get you noticed, second set the sights and third cigarette you are dead
yep, plus burning through matches is a waste of a resource that can be quite valuable in a pinch.
This one hits close to home for me. My late grandfather fought in Guadalcanal. I never asked him about it because I didn’t want to bring back those awful memories he had. We do have an vhs tape of him talking about his experiences during the war. The one thing that always stood out to me was him saying that he would be laying in the sand and digging, to get himself as low as he could to avoid the gunfire that was cutting the weeds down just above his head. He was the man I respected most in this world.
Rest in peace, grandfather.
I wish I could thank him for his service. Those men saved and changed the world. I truely hope that man is resting peacefully somewhere beautiful. Hes earned it.
@@hottomek7423 Thank you very much.
May he rest in peace ❤️
@@BissFlix Thank you, Miss Bisscute. ❤️
The Japanese soldier would have killed himself, instead of being taken prisoner. It was japanese policy and it was very rare to have a Japanese pow. So the marines just expediied it.
The war in the Pacific was a MUCH more brutal conflict than the war on the Western Front in Europe. This series also focuses a bit more on the de-humanizing effects of war. It shows how even those on the winning side, who survive, lose so much.
A "stiff one" = a strong drink of alcohol.
Got it, thanks ❤️
It is a little hard to tell how much time has passed in these episodes. The battle for Guadalcanal lasted from August 7, 1942 to February 9, 1943. During that time, the marines fought until December 1942, and the army took over at that time and finished the fighting after the marines were taken off. Some marines lost 40 pounds in the battle for Guadalcanal because of the heat and disease they endured on the island, and because of the difficulty of supplying the marines with food and equipment. The US Navy lost 2 sea battles early in the campaign for Guadalcanal, and they had to rebuild the supply line to Guadalcanal, defend against Japanese attacks, and try to prevent the Japanese from supplying their own troops all at the same time. More sailors were killed during the Guadalcanal campaign than marines on the island.
The Pacific was written straight out of Eugene Sledge’s book/memoir, ‘With The Old Breed.’ It’s extremely accurate to how Eugene recalls most of these events.
Alligator Creek was a real battle where the Japanese refused to stop attacking until almost all of their battalion was killed. This was because the Americans had setup at an excellent location and the Japanese had to wade in the water which made them vulnerable. They then attempted to Flank the Americans by going to the narrow beach and even into the ocean. But the American Marines were in such a good prepared position that the Japanese lost thousands of soldiers.
At first light the Marines could finally see the death and destruction. By morning the bodies were already beginning to smell. The Marines were attempting to do Battle Assessments, Clearing bodies, and give aid to surviving soldiers when a Japanese soldier did in fact pull a grenade on two marines and himself. Many of the marines who witnessed that (and other brutal things the Japanese did) thought less of the Japanese, and refused to treat them humanely any longer.
The Pacific truly was a gruesome and hellacious campaign
Thanks for the info ❤️
This was also very early into the US vs Japanese encounters and the Japanese put a lot of emphasis on psychological warfare. They wanted the enemy to fear them.
They were completely fine with spending lives for fear by using very barbaric (and often ineffective) but extremely terrifying tactics, such as all of these fearless charges. I guarantee even though Alligator Creek was an incredible victory for the Marines, it became one of the earliest cases of terror of the Japanese. As stated in the show "They.. they just kept on comin'"
Unfortunately for the Japanese this didn't work in the long run.
It might be interesting to know that in the naval battles off Guadalcanal there was a 12 year old American sailor that manned an anti-aircraft gun on the battleship USS South Dakota. He earned several medals for his courage. His name was Calvin Graham and his story was made into a movie, TOO YOUNG THE HERO.
Oh? ❤️
Yes, the war in the Pacific was more brutal and less civilized than it was with the Western allies vs. Germany and Italy.
It was nearly similar to the fighting on the Eastern Front.
Not quite, but the third highest Level of Brutality after Chinese-Japanese Fighting and the Eastern Front.
Yup. And the Chinese on Chinese brutality during their civil war. @@Jargolf86
The more I learn of the war in the Pacific, the more surprised I am by how much it's overlooked as a footnote in American history books in favor of the relatively brief European campaign. Many school kids (including highschool) learn about Pearl Harbor, that the US sent some soldiers to keep the Japanese busy, bam the US and allies storm Normandy, overtake the German who are split fighting 2 fronts until Hitler kills himself, and then drop the ABombs on Japan to neatly wrap up the war. If the Pacific is mentioned between Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, it's to use the fighting on Okinawa and Iwo Jima to justify dropping the bombs. If it was weighted to the amount of involvement and importance in defeating the enemy, you'd think it would be switched.
Indeed, thanks for watching ❤️
@@richardthelen8236
Because it was considered secondary to the European theater.
I was hopping so much that you would react to The Pacific which is more impactful IMO because it hits home more because they show the worst parts of WWII in the Pacific battles while showing what happens at home. I can’t wait to see more of your reactions to the next episodes
Glad you liked this and hopefully the rest will be following here soon ❤️
Your reaction is sweet, innocent. My grandfather was fighting the Japanese in Burma from early 1942 having been stationed to a gun battery in Panama between the wars. As he was a noncom and acclimated to jungle combat and conditions he was chosen as an "advisor" to be sent to China to train their troops eventually being absorbed into the 5307th Composite Unit for the remainder of his time in combat. He rarely spoke of his time in the service until after I cycled back into civilian life after the RGT that he spoke to me about his combat experiences and then only after a lot of whiskey. I'd preface by saying that those men were Marines, not soldiers, which is to say the Marine Corp. is more of a Cult than a branch of service. To say they were wielded mercilessly on the island hopping campaign would be a gross understatement. They faced some of the bloodiest combat seen by any serviceman, in any country, in any war, ever. They endured the misery, callousness of command, loss of brothers while facing an enemy which would fight to the last man, charge their lines screaming again and again until the bodies were stacked like chord wood requiring bulldozers to push the mountains of corpses into mass graves. Even if you set that aside, the way they viewed allied prisoners as well as the way they treated them would make the hardest Nazi Waffen SS member go pale, civilians in occupied territories were treated even worse. I suppose you could say everyone had their reasons but after the heat of battle no one is quite themselves and a defiant, defeated enemy might feel like a good person to make suffer so they feel your anger and pain. Is it right? Probably not, did they care? Again, probably not.
Basically, no mercy was asked for. None was given.
Thank you, glad you liked the reaction ❤️
I recommend you to watch these episodes with the introductions narrated by tom hanks, it gives you so much more information about the situations, and it also includes the interviews with the veterans like in BoB :) i don’t know why hbo deleted these parts, they say so many important things in those intros
loved the reaction btw
"Play With Historical Background." For some reason, you have to select this version/option. With Band of Brothers it plays automatically. With The Pacific, if you just select "Play" ... you won't see it. You must select "Play With Historical Background."
I was going to mention that. The episodes do make a lot more sense with that, especially if someone doesn't know much about the Pacfic Theater.
Didn’t know about that, Thanks for watching ❤️
Never considered how much people learn about history through a directors lens on a conflict. Luckily they did a good job with this and your reaction was great!
Thank you so much ❤️
This is one of the biggest benefits of the reaction community. Reactors learn about historical series that are highly acclaimed like Band of Brothers, so they watch them and learn about history, which then brings the awareness to their viewers, and then everybody becomes slightly better educated.
I credit the reaction community for keeping these stories alive.
Love it, maybe i'll stick around
I’m not sure if you made the correlation, but by the time the Marines started their island hopping campaign in 1942. Easy Company was still training in England and continued to until 1944. Makes you really think about how fast the Marines got sent in.
P.S. This series is the reason I joined the Marine Corps. To be able to say I am apart of the illustrious brotherhood is one of my biggest achievements.
Dont think i have, thank you for that ❤
13:40 nah, the Japanese during WWII were savage. They didn't surrender. They would conceal grenades on their person and blow themselves up along with anyone who tried to help them. They didn't quit coming, and did a suicidal Banzai charge at night. If they hadn't killed that man, he WOULD have found a way to kill at least one or two Marines with him, that's what they did. They also specifically targeted Corpsmen (the medics), which wasn't something that happened in the European theater, because it was against the Geneva convention (Japan wasn't part of that treaty, though, so no surprise they didn't follow it). The Marines stopped trying to take prisoners, give aid to enemy wounded, and they took the red crosses off the Corpsmen, because the Japanese soldiers were so zealous in their fighting.
This is one of the best series of all time, it may be short but it’s straight to the point! Hits you where it hurts and shows the reality of combat and the mental health side of war. Very good in my opinion!🙏
"Smoking Lamp is out" means No Smoking (attracts Enemy Weapons Fire)
Ahh ok, Thanks for watching ❤️
I have a heart murmur. it is essentially, an issue with the pump from your heart, when putting a stethoscope up to it, you can hear a sqush or whoosh from the heart pumping blood. I think we are more at risk for heart attacks and failures, meaning if we are in scary situations or running a lot, we could just drop dead. I get it.
I see, thanks for the info ❤️
No problem! Love the reactions. 😊@@BissFlix
10:20 "What is a smoking lamp?"
In the very old days, when ships were wooden and had sails, nobody wanted a fire on the ship but sailors (and US Marines long before WWII) wanted to smoke.
A smoking lamp was like a small metal pot with a tiny fire in it but and sailors could touch their cigarette to the hot metal to light it.
It was hard to tip over or cause the ship to catch on fire so that's what they used.
By WWII, ships were metal and not likely to catch on fire.
Also, US Marines usually had their own cigarette lighters.
So nobody used smoking lamps.
But the phrase was part of Marine tradition and even though these Marines did not use the lamps, they still used the phrase.
"Smoking lamps are lit" meant it's ok to smoke (they were in a safe place).
"Smoking lamps are out" meant it's not ok to smoke (usually because enemies might be nearby and could see you and shoot you).
Thanks for the info ❤️
I had 3 uncles that fought in the Pacific theater. One in the army, he never talked about it, fought alcoholism for decades till he beat it, spent the rest of his time helping others.. One in the Marines, he couldn't talk about it, spent the rest of his life on medication dealing with the ptsd.. One in the navy, what he talked about we couldn't understand, after having two ships torpedoed out from under him and ending up in the Pacific Ocean, he was never right again, spent time in and out of mental hospitals and care facilities, medicated the rest of his days.. Rest well, Uncle Warren, Uncle Preacher, Uncle Norman..
Biss, I love the connection you made to Hacksaw Ridge. Imperial Japan did not sign the Geneva Convention and therefore did not follow the rules of war. In Hacksaw you saw 3 war crimes: 1. Targeting medics. Japanese soldiers were paid a premium for killing medics. 2. Using a white flag to attack your enemy. 3. Killing the wounded. Americans were hesitant to take Japanese prisoners or even treat their wounded because Japanese wounded were often booby trapped.
Thanks, glad you liked that ❤️
The machine guns they were using were heavy machine guns designed in WWI. They were meant to be used in fixed positions with sustained fire. The thing around the barrel is a water jacket for the cooling system and it had additional parts to be connected. The mount was also sturdy and heavy. Very effective in that role, but hard to move around and slow to deploy, with some exceptions.
It wasn't for a while that they would get lighter machine guns, but ones that still needed a tripod for effective use.
And yes, wounds in those conditions can easily fester, and other diseases, including bad skin diseases, were also common.
5:49 A "stiff one" is a stiff (strong) drink.
8:41 "Smoking lamps" are from the days of sail. When the lamp was lit you could smoke. If the lamp was out you had to observe light discipline. This was to keep the enemy form seeing or smelling you. The Marines are naval infantry so they use naval terms.
Look up "Tokyo Rose" and "Axis Sally" they were attractive sounding women that had radio shows that broadcast popular music along with propaganda aimed at demoralizing the enemy both soldiers and their families.
Soldiers were told to destroy personal letters because if the letters were captured the Japanese could use them to demoralize people back home.
Imagine hearing your son's personal letters being read on the radio with condolences from Rose over the senseless loss of you son. "Mother Bisscute Billy wanted you to pet Fluffy and hug his sister Maddie...BEFORE HE DIED!"
Something like that could demoralize an entire town .
Thanks for the info❤️
Smoking Lamp is a Navy ship term for when you can smoke and when you can't. It's to prevent the enemy from seeing the lights.
Answers!! In the US saying "I could use a stiff one" means wanting a shot of distilled alcohol, like whiskey, not beer. Americans were called "Yanks" even though many from the South would not identify as Northern Yankees. The British were called "Limeys" and the Germans "Krauts" due to sauerkraut eaters. The Japanese sometimes called white people "round eye" or "Joe".
Thank you for the answers❤️
If you didnt know it 4:28, eugene sledges actor was little timmy in jurassic park!
The officer at the beginning who provided the brief was Lt Col Lewis ‘Chesty’ Puller. He fought and was highly decorated in 5 armed conflicts to include Korea. He retired a a Lt. General. His son decided to join the Marines and go to Vietnam. Chesty opposed this decision because he was concerned about poor leadership. His son, Lewis, was a platoon leader and he stepped on a mine. He lost both of his legs, one arm, and part of his hand on another arm. Lewis said the hardest part of his recovery was seeing how broken his father was at what happened to him.
They say that the battle of midway was the turning point in the Pacific War, but it was Guadalcanal, more Japanese soldiers died, and it suck in more soldiers and resources and also gave the Americans a foothold in the Pacific which to expand from.
Thanks for watching ❤️
@BissFlix thankbyou for watching it. The series is more brutal the band of brothers.
Geeee Wizzz i was waiting for your Reaction to this
Wait no more haha, hope you enjoy them ❤️
The pacific theater of operation was very different than Europe. In Europe, any prisoners taken by the Germans were treated very well (as long as you weren't viewed as subhuman by them like jews, communists etc.) By contrast the Japanese were very different. They saw surrender as weak so they almost always fought to the last man and very rarely surrendered. Surrender was shameful so any Americans that were taken prisoner were treated terribly.
There's also the climate to take into account. In the pacific you're dealing with tropical climates. High temperatures and constant moisture took their toll on troops from both sides. There's also all the diseases and conditions that come with being there and always being wet. War is hell no matter what but I feel like the marines went through a lot more difficult trials in the pacific.
My grandfather fought at gaudalcanal and two jima. I've actually got a vial of the volcanic ash that made up the island of two jima. He told me that it was like running through deep snow. Any of you that grew up in a place that has snow like I did will tell you, running through deep snow kicks your ass very quickly. I can only imagine having to do that under heavy machine gun and artillery fire!
My Grandpa was shot down over Rabaul and spent 18 months in a Japanese POW camp before being liberated. Went into the camp at 180 pounds and came out at 100 pounds. I shouldn't be alive. This series really hits home and was wonderfully done.
Please stop interrupting
I had Family on almost all sides of the war. I was adopted so I have 2 sets of grandparents. On my Irish and Germen side one was a piolet of B-17s flying out of England from 43 to 45. On my Germen side My grandfather was an Enginering Officer abord KM Bismarck and spent nearly the entire war in a POW camp in Northern Ireland. On my Native Alaskan and Yugoslavian side My grandfather builds Fishing boats and was himself a commercial fisherman from a small village in SE Alaska. He used his boat and knowledge of the waters to ferry men and materials and even did some mine sweeping while the Japanese where invading Alaska. My other grandfather fought for the resistance in Yugoslavia and moved to America as soon as the war ended because he knew the Russians were going to annex all they could just as Hitler had before. I never got to meet any of my grandfathers They all died before I was born, but I've read diaries and there are the Family stories passed down. What I got from them was a respect for all who willingly put on a uniform for honorable reasons and then go where others will not. It does not matter the flag they fought under as much as what was in their hearts when they served. Those who fought honorably are all heroes, worthy of respect for the sacrifice of time blood sweat and the horrors they had to endure for others.
9:30
I don't know about the Japanese but Chinese called Europeans "Ghostmen", "Red Devils"(red hair), and "Eastern Barbarians"(Europeans arrived in China by sea from the east).
Marines got 6 months training, Airborne got 2 years training. US surprised the Japanese at first, but the Japanese fought back for 6 months just to keep this important island. The US fleet was nearly destroyed at the start.
Oh I see, didn’t know that, Thanks for watching ❤️
Great reaction, going to be a long and tough one
Thank you so much ❤️
Finally! Thanks for reacting to this!🙏
My pleasure❤️
This series is a much tougher watch than Band of Brothers (except for Episode 9 of BoB) but very worth it. Probably my favorite Miniseries of all time. But bring the tissues. It gets rougher from here.
Glad you liked this, thanks for watching, tissues are prepared ❤️
You need to find the version of this series that has the Tom Hanks narrating at the start of every episode. It helps explain things a lot better, and it also has the interviews with the veterans, like BoB.
Enjoy the ride, this show is on a whole other level of brutal.
Thanks, hope you enjoy the reactions as well ❤️
I love his dedication to our country
My grandfather was the first American shot down on iwa.. was a scout he survived. He got medals. The pacific gave me some kinda idea what he went through. This is a good series atleast for me
Thanks for watching ❤️
I've seen a lot of people pointing out that the Pacific theater was more brutal and that's very true. The Japanese had a very different mindset than Europe. Japan was telling it's citizens that Americans would absolutely ravage men, women, and children, I think I remember even that we would eat them, but that might be wrong. They thought that emperor was divine and that there was no way that they could lose. I mean, just the idea of kamikazes was something that was shocking to the soldiers. Women would throw themselves and their children off of cliffs to avoid being "taken". It was just something that is hard to imagine.
Thanks for watching ❤️
Last time I cried was watching this series......one of the later episodes when the marines are in Okinawa. The crying baby and dying grandmother.......brutal is the word.
Brutal watch indeed ❤️
9:30
*"I wonder what they called Americans and Europeans?"*
In wild West novels, the Indians called white people "White Eye" a lot.
Great Job Biss !! Keep it Up
Thank you! Will do❤️
You got to do Generation Kill next. In my mind the HBO trifecta of war shows is Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Generation Kill. I saw a comment online once about all three shows. Band of Brothers is about the brotherhood of war. The Pacific is about the horrors of war. Generation Kill is about the futility of war.
8:22 the show doesn’t give proper context for the dead bodies there, but those are the bodies of Marine POWs that the Japanese had murdered. The POWs were tied to the trees, tortured (to put it mildly), and then left to die of their wounds. The Japanese were cruel to all prisoners of war. They likely did this to intimidate the enemy, but it lead to the Marines very rarely taking prisoners.
This is a very good series and it will be hard for you to watch due to the brutality of war. I hope you do some research to find out more about this wartime setting. Several of my uncles served at Guadalcanal most came home after, one was MIA, one a code talker and all were Marines! Semper Fi!🇺🇲
Thanks, hope you enjoyed the reaction ❤️
Hits home as well, great grandfather was a machine gunner on Okinawa.
One of my favorite series. Cheers!
Nice, that you’re doing this series. Smoking lamp, means when you can smoke or not, it was on naval ships, if it was lit, you could smoke, if it was out, then no smoking. So for the Marines the saying was used on shore too, as smoking will govern your position, mainly at night.
Thanks, hope you enjoy the reaction ❤️
A stiff one refers to a good hard drink. What the British would call liquid courage.
I see, thanks ❤️
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the extra support ❤️
The war in the Pacific was so much more brutal than that in Europe if that is possible, the Japanese did not surrender, their warrior code of Bushido taught them that surrender was worse than death. They also did not typically take prisoners for the same reason. The US Marines quickly learned this and also did not typically take prisoners. There was a hate between them that was like that between the Soviets and Germans on the eastern front but in many ways it was worse.
I see ❤️
Band of Brothers touch your heart but The Pacific crush it.
This, haha ❤️
Bis You are a very empathetic and caring person!
Aww thank you ❤️
The battles all across the pacific were more brutal than the western campaign, the hatred towards Japan was significantly more compared to the Germans.
The 1st Marine division had a skull of a Japanese soldier they killed on Guadalcanal that’s painted red, and with their insignia painted on as a war trophy.
The war trophies in the pacific included boiling skulls/bones and sending them back to loved ones home as well with guns.
Thanks for watching ❤️
“A Stiff One.” Referring to a stiff drink, or a strong alcoholic drink
Ahh thanks ❤️
I have friends and family who have combat experience from Iraq and Afghanistan, and I don't know how to explain it but you can tell there's a difference when it comes to anything morbid. I've been hunting with them countless times and you can tell they've mentally processed the act of killing. I don't know how to explain it. Some seem so natural and come across as callous, and then some talk about their experiences in cryptic ways and drink too much. One of my friends used the classic "my friend is having issues", when in reality, he was talking about himself the entire time. As a civilian, I have no idea what these guys really go through, but I have to imagine they lose part of their humanity in the process and that's sad. I've had 4 childhood friends die from drugs or suicide in the span of one year and I've never been the same since. A lot more cold and less cheerful, so I assume something worse like combat would do similar to a person.
One point of interest is the marines were forced to use water-cooled machineguns seen in this episode are left-over from WWI.
The 1903 Springfields were also WW1 era. Episode 2 Spoiler below.....
In episode 2, Sidney Phillips opens a crate of the Army's new M1 Garands, he said "Army gets the new stuff and we fight with shit my grandfather used." That was a reference to the Marines still using the bolt action, 1903 Springfield.
Oh? ❤️
Marines never had it better than the other services. Many times they got stuck with outdated hand me down weps and supplies. This petty much was the same for Korea & Vietnam. They did their jobs well with the weps and supplies they were allocated. The Naval battle that the Marines witnessed at night was the worst US Naval defeat of the war known as the First Battle of Savo Island. At that time the Japanese navy had superior night fighting tactics, much better torpedos & were battle hardened. The US Navy were more confused and had a few friendly fire incidents. The Marines were pretty much left without any Naval support.
I see, thanks for watching ❤️
Something to keep in mind; do not refer to a Marine as a soldier. Esecially to their face. Though i suspect they may be a bit more polite to you a Marine will explain to you in no uncertain and rather colorful terms that a Marine is not a Soldier even though the orgional meaning of Marine is a sea-going soldier. My father had a friend who was in the Corp and participate in the invasion of Iwo Jima. I was a teen and teasing him by calling him a soldier. He pulled me aside and explained why I was mistaken. I'm now in my early 60's and I can tell you that since that day I have never once referred to a Marine as a soldier. Another thing to keep in mind is that at least to a US Marine once they have earned the title of Marine they will always be a Marine. My dad's friend till the day he passed away at 92 considered himself a Marine. Semper Fi Bill
Got it, Thanks for watching ❤️
Almost all of the Pacific series is accurate. At the time it was the most expensive TV servies ever made, so it is very accurate, some shots cost millions for a few seconds to get it accurate.
Oh wow, thanks for watching ❤️
stiff one is a shot of whisky no ice😂
Oh ❤️
Both the Japanese and the Americans were taught that their enemy was less than human. This drives and support of the profound hate each side had for the other.
Yeah I could see that happening, thanks for watching ❤️
Films directed by Clint Eastwood
クリント・イーストウッド監督作品
I would recommend a "letter from Iwo Jima" from the Japanese point of view.
日本側からの視点の「硫黄島からの手紙」をお勧めします
Clint directed "Flags of our Fathers", from the American pov and like you said the Japanese pov with "Letters from Iwo Jima." Both are great.
Thanks for the recommendations ❤️
thanks for reaction
At the time America was basically fighting 2 wars simultaneously and separately. Against Germany in France to Belgium and the Pacific Ocean against Japan.
Yeah, he was fighting for his country, but his country was a bunch of monsters. Even in the 1900s, Japanese civilians would hold protests that they weren’t being brutal enough to the Chinese during their colonial conquests. They even lobbied for war against Russia bc the civilian population felt slighted by them. Yes, these people are fellow human beings and it’s a tragedy all-around, but you have to have some prior knowledge about the Japanese Empire to put things into context. The Japanese were notorious for killing civilians and surrendering soldiers and it was common for both to be tortured (often for no reason other than instill terror or because of boredom) before they were inevitably executed. Prior to Guadalcanal, surrendering American troops in the Philippines were brutalized during the Bataan Death March and American soldiers elsewhere, like on Wake Island, were beheaded. The scene where the marines marched past the posed dead American soldiers was a common sight, but the show didn’t depict the gory details. In addition to propping up dead enemy soldiers like scarecrows, the Japanese would cut off the soldier’s genitals and shove them into the dead soldier’s mouths. After seeing such sights and hearing news about what happens if you surrender to the Japanese, it’s understandable why the Americans were bereft of empathy for the Japanese. Just before the scene of them toying with the Japanese soldier, another Japanese soldier pretended he needed help and then detonated a grenade. This wasn’t made up for the show - this stuff regularly happened. The scene of them toying with Japanese soldier is heart-wrenching to anything with a soul, but it’s important to understand the historical context of the scene, otherwise the brutality can seem like it was one-sided.
I think the thing that made the war in the Pacific so much more brutal than Europe. Was that if wasn't just a war of political ideals but cultures. The Japanese soldiers would much rather die, even by suicide than surrender. They treated allied soldiers that surrendered very badly. The scene with the wounded Japanese solider using a grenade to kill himself and the Marines trying to help him. Happened enough that US forces became very reluctant to try and take live Japanese prisoners. You can read comments by US solders that say when things like that happened to them that they never took a live Japanese solider prisoner the rest of the war.
I could see that, thanks for watching ❤️
BISS, as others have mentioned here in the comments, the WAR in the PACIFIC was much more brutal on the soldiers than the war in Europe!!!
Taking nothing away from the men of Band of Brothers and the 101st airborne AND ALL the soldiers that fought in Europe, and to give you some perspective, the battle in THIS episode of the Pacific took place on Guadalcanal in 1942!! As these MARINES were FIGHTING in the jungles of Guadalcanal and in the Pacific, EASY company was still TRAINING in Toccoa, Ga. and North Carolina!!
And besides the ENEMY (and the Japanese were a brutal enemy who did not surrender) the Marines in the Pacific had to deal with HORRIBLE tropical conditions and lack of proper supplies EVEN sometimes drinking water!!!😮
So again, when you SEE what these men went through to preserve FREEDOM in the world 🌎, we can definitely understand why they are called the GREATEST GENERATION!!!❤❤
Yeah I saw the difference ❤️
It is a magnificent series Miss Bisscute and a great reaction. Personally, I prefer and like Band of Brothers better. Miss Bisscute, to complete your experience and knowledge of the Second World War in the Pacific, I suggest you react to the films directed by Clint Eastwood: Flags of our Fathers (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) as well as the film starring Nicholas Cage. Windtalkers (2002). I think you will like them.😊
Looking forward to your reactions as you were so empathetic when watching BoB. ❤
Thank you, glad you are liking them ❤️
It's hard to conceptualize how debilitating the island campaigns in the Pacific were. My dad and uncle were in the Army Air Force (my uncle was shot down over the Philippines and was lost) and their war held other terrors. But every single island where the Marines and Army fought the Japanese became a living hell. For one thing, the Japanese war ethos was shrouded by their belief in bushido and death was embraced as honorable, surrender unthinkable. They targeted medics as preferred kills, never accepting them as non-combatants. Allied POW's were worked to death, tortured and starved into human skeletons. Surrender for both sides became impossible, and the Marines learned to kill without hesitation. And yes, the jungles heat, animals, diseases and infections brought down many men.
The Japanese were disciplined ferocious fighters who did not surrender and had no problem dying in a fight - it was their code of honor. We have to remember that the time of the Samurai, feudal Japan, was not long before the war. The Japanese culture was one of war and honor, and after hundreds of years of civil war and wars with Korea and China during the age of the Samurai , the Japanese were very good at war. By the time the US was actually at a point to invade Japan, the projection of the human loses were so high that we decided to nuke their cities. It is not an exaggeration that the US would have lost 1-million men or more to invade Japan - on top of the losses we had already sustained in Europe and the rest of the pacific. If Germany had not attacked Russia there is a very good chance Germany would control all of mainland Europe, the Caucus regions and the Mediterranean areas to this day. If Japan had not attacked the US when it did Japan would still control most of Asia, including most of China, and the Asian-pacific. Germany and Japan tried to fight most of the world and lost, if they had only attacked countries in their regions and consolidated their gains, they will still control those areas now.
The group of people that benefited most from the nuclear bombs being dropped instead of an invasion is the Japanese civilians. Far and away. Yes it saved a million Americans at least as well. Which is a good enough reason to drop them by itself in my opinion.
I see, thanks for watching ❤️
Welcome to the Jungle.
You know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby. You're gonna die
Thanks, we are in for a ride ❤️
The U.S. military calls getting shot at by your own forces, "Friendly Fire."
In Band of Brothers, by the time D-Day happened, Italy’s and Germany’s Navy (with the exception of the submarines) was non existent. In the Pacific, the sea battles between the two sides were just as intense as the ones on land. Also, to understand the Japanese military at the time, you should read about the Batan Death March, and the Rape of Nanking. There was a some mutual respect between armies in Europe, however in Asia, there was no such luxury.
Oh I see, thanks ❤️
It was a very brutal campaign.
I believe that ❤️
watched all your BAND OF BROTHERS yesterday. today watch all your Pacific. lets roll This is much like the Band Of Brothers, but my opinion the Marines had it harder, the heat , really no down time to rest
Hopefully you’re watching the version with the narration at the beginning. It gives a lot of context
Recommend: Papillon (1973 film)😊😊
Thanks for the recommendation ❤️
'Stiff one' in drinking parlance it means a strong drink. In euphemism: erection. I think he meant drink in this case. The object you notice around 7 40 is the tripod for an older water cooled machine gun, which Marines started off with a lot of surplus gear from WW1. Those are HEAVY to carry. Heart murmer is usually a leaky heart valve. Some are really small leaks and don't cause any issues, others are larger and cause health issues. I've got one, but it is small, barley can be heard and doesn't affect me at all, I was in all sorts of sports including track with it without problem. I think the only thing that bothered me about it was any time I was examined by a doctor they'd all want to listen to try to hear it even though I wasn't there for that.
There are some great films associated with the pacific war. Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) are too really good ones. 'The Thin Red Line' (1998), Midway (1976) and (2019) films, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) is considered the definitive Pearl Harbor film.
The gun
Thanks for the info ❤️
The Japanese would not surrender, which made the Pacific war seem more brutal, especially when you add in the weather and other conditions. Yes, the European theater was brutal as well, but at least you had the possibility that the enemy might like to live. BTW, I like your honest, intelligent reactions!
You can search for the battle of the Teneru (Alligator Creek). You will see from the actual war photos that the bodies on the beach were not exaggerated.
It is sweet that you think BoB prepared you for TP. You saw that BoB was about leadership and unit cohesion. TP is about men going into hell over and over and how they might lose their souls.
I thought it prepared me haha ❤️
Hopefully you can watch the intros from this series, because for some reason they arent showing them and its very important to see them as it shows and explains how hard the marines had it
This series only gives a glimpse at the horrific nature of the Imperial Japanese. That guy wanted to die, but he was upset because he wasn't dying gloriously in battle, as is the samurai/bushido code that the imperials worshipped. That is why the Americans will slowly become more and more calloused- the monstrous behavior they witnessed will make them see the enemy as less and less human. Its sucks, but that's what happens. Nanking, Unit 731, the aftermath of the Doolittle Raid, the beheading competition, just a few excerpts of the barbarity.
Thanks for watching ❤️
I liked this series more than BOB.. this part of the war was brutal. My maternal grandfather was stationed in the Philippines and had PTSD.. never talked about it
Hope you liked the reaction, and are looking forward to the next episodes ❤️
@@BissFlix watching you get so emotional made me emotional as well-
U have to give it to the US Marine Corps (USMC). They have 1/10th the membership the US Army (USA) has (then and now) and to have the success’s they had in the Pacific theatre of war was remarkably brilliant and brave. There r many heroes in the Corps.
They are very brave, thanks for watching ❤️
Not discrediting the accomplishments and heroism of the USMC during the war, but it’s important to remember that the US Army had a significant presence in the PTO as well. In fact, the Army had far more soldiers in the PTO than their USMC counterparts. Media has created a misconception that the Marines single-handedly won the war in the Pacific when it was in fact a team effort of all the branches.
5:40 "What is a stiff one?"
Sooo many meanings.
1. An erection.
2. A corpse.
But the one he means is:
3. A strong drink.
Trust me, you’re not ready.
Yeah , this show is more brutal than BoB :) but i think you will like it . :) great cinematography .
Thanks, I think I will ❤️
These Marines saw the torture and killing of the Japanese POW's, and they refused to take prisoners. The Japanese preferred to die rather than surrender, and that is why those few Japanese attacked the Marines and got "toyed" with. The Japanese would kill their own wounded when they would leave an area. That would be heart breaking for the wounded.
You're going to find The Pacific more graphic and disturbing than Band Of Brothers.
The brutal truth of the Pacific war is that the Japanese rarely surrendered...and many that surrendered only did so as a feint to kill more Americans. Many Americans took no prisoners in consequence of this.
You say you are ready but I don't think you are ready. Let's get on this journey then.
Let’s gooo ❤️
The war in the Pacific was much more brutal than it was in Europe war is about losing ones humanity
Both sides regarded each other as subhuman cannibalistic barbarians, therefore very few rules of war, if any, were followed. That's what made the Pacific fighting far more brutal and gruesome than almost anything that happened in Western Europe. Few, if any, German units would fight to the death against American units. Fighting to the death was routine for the Japanese forces.
I could see that ❤️
The Japanese took no prisoners in that war. They even did, but they respected absolutely nothing in relation to the Geneva Convention. So Americans adopted reciprocity.
There's a mini series along the lines of this and BoB but this time it focuses on the American Airforce and their bomber crews fighting against Germany. It's due out this year and is called Masters of the Air. It's based on the book by Donald L. Miller. It's been years in the making but sadly not by HBO this time. They got cold feet after the relative poorer sales of Pacific as home entertainment compared to BoB. Shame as HBO tend to be brilliant but I'm sure it'll turn out to be quite good. Time will tell.
Oh yes, it’s on my list of series to react to when it comes out ❤️
My father was a combat marine in the pacific, raiding and terrorizing Japanese soldiers in the dead of night. Assyrians aren't joking around.
Guess not, thanks for watching ❤️
Biss said she was mentally prepared for this. Is anyone ever really prepared?
Haha ❤️
9:30 Americans are called "Yanks" or probably the Japanese called us "Round-Eyes"
My Tio fought on Guam & Okinawa