I read somewhere that during this battle the Marine tankers at first thought the Japanese tanks were quite tough as their armor piercing shells weren’t appearing to have much effect on them. They realized that the shells were just punching right through the thinly armored tanks without hitting anything vital on the way through. So they switched to high explosive shells and just obliterated them.
Americans would consider tank "destroyed" only when it's visibly destroyed. So they often kept pumping shells into tank until they saw flames or smoke. Basically "better be safe than sorry" approach. Those hits hurt Japanese tanks just fine, but didn't cause visible damage, because explosive filler in APC rounds would not innitiate, greatly reducing chance to cause fire. So tankers, after stopping tank with AP, would sign their work with HE which would eventually cause either riveting or mounting of turret, to fail.
read somewhere that in Europe standard Shermans shot HE at panthers etc if it was disabled but the crew didn't come out by spamming HE the Germans inside until they gave up
@@kireta21 The German tankers had the same policy. They would continue to fire on a tank “until it changed shape”. This usually meant brewing it up or making it explode. That way they were sure it both wasn’t a threat anymore and it was much less likely to be recoverable and used against them again.
Yeah for once the Sherman's felt like the big dogs cuz against the Germans even the Panzer 4 and Panthers were heavier armed and armored than any Sherman LoL well maybe the M4E8 aka easy 8 was a lil better than the Panzer 4 which I don't really get how they held up so well in Korea Against t34 85 tanks cuz the Sherman's totally killed the hell outta them t34 tanks in that war which the Koreans wasn't very good tank people I've heard all my life
Also of note during this battle was the distinguished service of Dr. Ben Salomon, DDS, who was acting as a surgeon due to injuries to the medical officer. Salomon's field hospital was set up immediately behind the front lines and after a Japanese assault was overrun by Japanese infantry. Salomon ordered the wounded to be evacuated and manned a machine gun to provide cover for the retreating medical staff and patients. When the Army retook the position a few days later they found Salomon dead, with dozens of bullet holes and bayonet wounds. They also found 98 dead Japanese soldiers in the proximity of Salomon's machine gun. Salomon was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
His actions probably saved the lives of all those wounded GIs because the Japanese would have gleefully killed the wounded without batting an eye. Same as the Viet Cong later.
@@redwatch1100 It's an eastern asian thing. Survivors and wounded got the bayonet. Things like Geneva Convention are just western concepts we sign for more diplomatic cred. Our way of war views the destruction of the enemy to be the prime objective.
My grandfather was a truck driver for the US Army on Saipan, 1944-45. He would tell us stories of finding Japanese hiding in the showers, or stealing food, all the way until the war ended.
My grandfather was a trained US Navy air-traffic controller on Saipan (he was also an incredible carpenter and ended up spending more of his time on the island building furniture for officers than directing flights, I believe.) He too had tales of Japanese soldiers trying to sneak food from the bases (and seeing a couple get spotted and shot by sentries) , and also of some fellow Navy personnel he knew encountering them inside some caves while looking for souvenirs. I think it ended badly for one of them, although I can't remember now if the fellow died or was merely wounded. Grandpa said 'we had orders not to go up there.. some had asked me if I wanted to go, but I wasn't stupid' He may have had only a 7th grade education, but he sure wasn't an idiot.
When I was a kid these guys would pop up on some island regularly, the last holdout surrendered in 1974. News reports say others were spotted into the 80's.
@@JW-xj1yf The Navy library on Guam had a display about the guy. It included his uniforms. He wove new ones out of coconut fiber after his original set rotted. The tightwad Japanese government didn't give the guy back pay when he returned. All he got was $500.00.
"This humble home was the site of an astonishing dinner, attended and enjoyed by Mark Felton. The host struggled mightily to prepare his meal before the guests arrived and succeeded beyond all measure earning their gratitude."
Add upvoting as soon as the intro music starts playing to that. I generally find that mindset a bit weird, but frankly? Not a single one of Mark Felton's uploads, be it audio or audio+video has disappointed, beyond maybe length on some older ones. The current videos feel like they're as long as they should be for proper telling and showing of the subject.
@Vlah Vlah some betrayed their country, mostly some germans as they didn't want to be a pow and be in a camp, and it's better to survive instead of dieing
What for? Its stupid, knowing the Japanese are smaller in -posture- stature. This does not reflect their heart to fight, which obviously has to be massive as their courage is. To insane level in fact. Thats how dedicated to the task were Japan warriors through the ages.
In the 1940s the size difference between Japanese, being around 4'-9" on average, and Americans, being around 5'-9" on average, was not insignificant - particularly in the case of getting in and manning a tank.
Cause it's not a particularly weird statement or stereotype. Most East-Asian nations at the time had a far lower average height than most of their contemporaries on other continents, and it's a recurring factor in most of their tanks, planes and other equipment. I mean, they weren't exactly subtle in their cartoons, movies and posters about the Japanese in many other ways, but in this instance they were just stating a fact.
No discussion of the Saipan invasion should go without the story of Sgt. Thomas A. Baker. During the invasion, he distinguished himself after freeing his pinned down squad from a MG bunker by running within 100 yards of it and blasting it with a bazooka. Some days later, he was involved in that massive banzai charge, getting seriously wounded in the first wave of it, standing his ground and using any and all weapons he could till he ended up out of ammo and used his bare hands after his weapon had been shattered by enemy fire. Mortally wounded, they were forced to retreat but Baker insisted they leave him behind, only armed with a M1911A1 as he was sat up against a tree and stayed behind. When US forces retook the old positions, they found Baker's body with the empty pistol in hand, accompanied by 8 dead Japanese soldiers scattered in front of him. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
as much as these types of people were brave, and as much as I believe banzai attacks were cruel I don't think it's right to give someone an award for killing people.
@@CloroxBleach0 Don't start trouble here. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his comrades and must have involved risk of life. 60% of them earned posthumously so don't dare say anything about soldiers that died for their fellow soldiers' lives and wellbeing. Banzai attacks were cruel but the Japanese weren't much on mercy, look up the Rape of Nanjing and other such things before you shame our soldiers for doing what soldiers do: protect their home and defeat their enemy. War isn't pretty, it's disgusting and harsh and has lasting effects on the men that fight in them, including my own great-grandfather that fought and lost friends in front of him that haunted him till his dying days. Please be respectful of that or don't say anything.
My wifes Grandfather fought in the British Navy onboard a destroyer during world war two. He told me a story about how they once depth charged and destroyed a Japanese Sub with oil and debris floating to the surface. He said as the crew looked overboard to the see the wreckage there was no cheering or shouting, just mutterings of "poor buggers!".
one of my grandma's friends from her church was on the atlantic convoys. they left one of the british docks (I forget which one) with a few new crew to replace losses and as they were passing norway in the middle of the night, there was an ungodly screeching noise that passed underneath the destroyer (HMS Ashanti) that woke the new crew. apparently it was a german torpedo that passed underneath them and scrapped across the keel as it passed, the german uboats often set their torps at cruiser depth for shooting at merchant ships and they didnt sit quite low enough in the water to trigger the fuze.
@@AnikaJarlsdottr some had faults that caused them to run too deep. If they set it too shallow it would easily be seen by the target and they'd have time to take evasion manoeuvres. In heavy seas the target would be moving up and down quite a bit too.
By any Chance was his Ship the HMS Jupiter? I've done quite a bit of Research on Japanese Submarines in WW2 and Very Very few where sunk by the Royal Navy. Im curious as to which one it was.
My uncle operated a bulldozer on Saipan near the airport they were improving. He told me they actually had a plan in case the Japanese tanks broke through their lines. The idea was they would ram the tanks and flip them over because the tanks were lighter and the bulldozer blade was thicker then the tank's armor. Thankfully the tank attacks never got as far as the airfield! My uncle had helped knock out a pillbox on Iwo Jima with infantry following behind him. With the blade raised the Japanese defenders couldn't shoot them and once they got close they used a flame thrower to make the defenders duck then threw grenades inside to knock out the pillbox. My uncle received a commendation and a box of cookies from the infantry!
A bulldozer being a better tank then what Japan had... Imagen being the driver of the tank that is defeated by a bulldozer strike XD Like a bulldozer is a unarmored tank with no guns! XD Box of cookies? They better have made sure no one flanked and shot him.. Since he would be right in the open and the prime target to shoot..
@@TheDiner50 I wasn't there so I don't know the exact lay of the land. What I was told was that the Japanese were tenacious fighters and refused to give up, choosing suicide rather then surrender. Every island taken by the Americans was a tough fight because the Japanese turned every island into a series of fortified positions.
@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle Yes, but what is generally ignored is that the US Army was also involved in the island hopping campaign. They already had construction battalions and combat engineers, in addition to infantry and they fought along side the Marines on every island.
@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle I know, the one with a young John Wayne, filmed on a back lot before anyone knew exactly what the war in the Pacific would look like. (I have it saved on my hard drive) It was almost funny, except it dealt with the fact that a lot of people had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support the war effort.
My grandfather was in a Pioneer (engineer) Battalion in the SW Pacific. They were landed on beaches in the dark before the dawn Army landings with the task of neutralising the beach defences so the Army could land safely.
Mark is the famous Moff Felton, one of the greatest tacticians of the Empire, second only to Thrawn. The stormtroopers in the opening are his personal guards. Respect him!
@@markneedham3088 The Russians were the main users of those, not the US. And given that 50 cals could potentially disable a Japanese tank from the side, well, I don't think an anti-tank rifle needs that precise of a shot ;) They were most likely talking about regular rifles.
I am always so surprised by how genuinely respectful a lot of them seem towards the enemy. They dont tend to play any stereotypes about inferiority or treat them as bad soldiers though my selection of viewing is quite limited compared to the vast amount that exist. The enemy in some cases might be arrogant or unlikeable, if they choose to personify them at all, but they're never not a threat. The idea of them being bumbling, stupid, helpless or anything else is for propaganda posters, and stops once you actually join up. It seems that training is a lot like higher education, they know that what you learn here will be partially outdated by the time you arrive, so you are being taught how to properly learn. And they get two great things correct: 1. Instilling it early to not underestimate your enemy or believe your inherent superiority 2. Teaching confidence to the soldier in that being more attentive, studying/knowing your enemy, mastering the care and use of your equipment and being more methodical is how you actually CAN become a better soldier than the enemy. I heard this saying somewhere, so it might not be from WWII or the military at all but still interesting. Though this is paraphrased and through telephone: "If you go to cut a corner, think about cutting a straight line across your body with a saw and how that might work out for you. "
@@booradley6832 Well said. There wasn't any talk of "our army was better than theirs" while the war was still being fought... It was a war and many many people died conducting it. Only one side can win and it's only over when one side gives up.
Never knew of this. Always knew armored warfare was limited in the Pacific for obvious reasons but this was enlightening. Loved the retro tank demonstration footage alongside the surviving restored examples.
10:42 "A platoon of M4A2 Shermans arrived." It is interesting to hear this since there is not a lot of discussion about the A2 version. The vast majority of M4 Shermans were gas powered versions, whereas the M4A2 was powered by two GM diesels. Only the USMC used these versions in U.S. service. The A2 version was also exported under the Lend Lease program. Thanks again for yet another great program.
The US Army didn't want the A2 Shermans in Europe for logistical reasons, they didn't want to complicate the fuel supply problems with a diesel powered tank. Not fielding the sheer amount of vehicles the Army did the Marines weren't worried about that problem.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 You are absolutely correct. I experienced this in the Army with our gas powered jeep (M151A1 and A2) whereas most of the other equipment was diesel powered. Not surprisingly, there was always one person who wasn't paying attention who put the wrong fuel into something! Oops!! It didn't happen a lot, but it did happen.
Most people don't understand how small a lot of these islands are and how many troops per meter they had. Seriously some of the craziest fighting this world has ever seen.
Type 95 in 1934: I am a leviathan of the Pacific, bringer of death and destruction to every Asian nation we set foot in. Type 95 in 1941: Pls nerf the British AT guns....dear god, what’s that large American tank in the distance?
Type 95's power level in 1934: Typical magical school girl protagonist. Type 95's power level in 1941: Same school girl, but now surrounded by tentacle monsters and a concerning amount of censorship blur...
@@Moonhermit- that is probably more accurate to what was going to happen to Japanese "armour" (it feels bad to even call their tanks like that) at the moment they saw anything heavier than panzer I.
This battle was also called, “The Pacific D-Day,” bc the invasion fleet left Pearl Harbor the day before the Normandy invasion. The US had cut off all means of resupply for the Japanese soldiers bc of the disastrous outcome for Japan of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and Lt. General Saito (who eventually committed hara-kiri) ordered his soldiers to fight to the last man. _This is why the Marine and Army soldiers were forced to kill more than 29,000 soldiers before the battle was over, bc the Japanese refused to surrender._ My dad, a Marine, was in charge of directing one of the 300 amphibious landing vehicles up on the beach at Saipan. He had just turned 21 at the time, having fought in campaigns on some of the Solomon, Gilbert, Marshall, Gilbert, Mariana Islands (Saipan and also Titian), and would go on to Iwo Jima. He just couldn’t talk about his war experiences, only to say at the end of his life that he had refused VA services all through his life bc, “It’s for men who were wounded,” if you can believe it....miraculously, he never received a physical wound, and his survivor’s guilt was palpable. The other story he told me is that, when he told the driver where to put the empty landing vehicle on the beach of Iwo Jima, he jumped out one side, and his driver jumped out the other, right onto a land mine. Both of his legs were blown off, and my dad said he “never forgot how white his bones were.” That was it. Any attempt by any of his 7 kids to ask questions would either be met with stony silence, or he would look at me with tears in his eye, silently begging me to drop it. So I did. My brother asked once if dad saw the suicides of Japanese residents jumping off the cliffs to their deaths, and he said, “Yes, and babies, children thrown off.” No more. I cannot imagine what he (a 19 year old boy!!) And his buddies went through, first with the 2-day bombardment onboard ships-how could they ever sleep??-then with the 24-day hell on a 12 mile by 5.5 mile island, with no escape from the savage Japanese resistance. The Pacific War ruined my father’s mental health, as he suffered badly from PTSD, striking out in a rage with no reason, diving under the bed on stormy nights for 2 decades, drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol (I never saw him sober until I was 16, and didn’t know it), and carousing with his war buddies and women until my mother kicked him out after 20 years of marriage (I was 4). Even at that age, I was relieved he wasn’t living with us any more. After several suicide attempts, he was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which ran in his family....the trauma he suffered in the war activated his mental illness genes, and he was self medicating that and PTSD with alcohol. I really wish there had been help or treatment for the thousands upon thousands of men who suffered with that hellish condition, but more than that, I wish none of them had had to experience hell on earth in the first place! And I’ve studied WWII for 40 years, especially the social history in Britain and Europe between the world wars, solely bc of my need to understand an absent, traumatized, but ultimately heroic, father.
Voracious reader, thank you for this comment. Our fathers undoubtedly crossed paths. My dad was awarded a medal and letter of commendation for his actions that helped make the D Day landing successful. I found the medal and commendation letter in an envelope a few years before he died. He had never showed it to anyone. And yes he had survives guilt. When I asked him about this he refused to speak of it. He said I only did what I was trained to do. And I got home, most of my buddies did not. Finally after a few months he said he did not talk about the war because he wanted to forget and no one would believe how bad it was. He also refused care at the VA. Nor would he go to the VFW or American Legion or 2nd Division reunions. My dad did not drink but was a nervous wreck for most of his life. The ringing of the telephone made him jump. He told me how scared he was at night. Awaiting a banzai attack. We never left our apartment in the evening without leaving a light on. Now I understand why
I'm sure you've read "With the Old Breed" by Sledge. That pretty much sums up the whole Pacific campaign. I would not doubt but that your father knew him. I wonder how ANYBODY exposed to that level of horror could ever escape having ptsd. Now I know...one simply could not. Though I do not know you, yet I am sorry for the conditions under which you grew up. I pray for peace for you and your departed father.
@@david9783 my dad was a wonderful guy. I was very fortunate. He was a hard working guy who never uttered a word of complaint. After what he had been through nothing much bothered him. I was his care taker the last years of his life. It was an honor to take care of him
must of be horrible for those civilians too, and tragic to be that afraid they jumped off the cliffs when there was a good chance they might of lived :( .
@stevie no. Charges were used back in the Napoleonic wars and even before them however they weren't take all or die trying charges which is the point of a banzai charge. You could argue a charge is suicidal but without looking at the history of them, alot of them were very successful such as the 20th Maine in Gettysburg lead by none other then Joshua Chamberlain. That charge pushed off already beaten down Confederates and secured the fish hook that was compromised by Dan sickels. Cheers my history loving friend.
At Submarine School in New London, CT they had a Japanese two man submarine outside the base museum...I spent lots of time there but always thought to myself, as I passed by each time...TWO MEN? No way!!!
The type 95 used a Mitsubishi 6 cylinder air cooled diesel, which apparently was very reliable , but looking at one in the Tank museum, well it looked like a browning .30 or .50 Cals would wreak havoc on them ... apparently so Dr Felton San !
I do not add comments very often, but I must say that Mark is one of my heroes on the net. I love his stuff, and the chance to see a different view on events. God Bless!
I just replied to James, my uncle Alex Peña also fought those same battles, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian, He was in the 3rd battalion 6th marine regiment 2nd marine division, He gave the ultimate sacrifice on Tinian July 30,1944, his war would have ended August 1st, he fought and survived some of the most bloodiest battles in American history only to get killed one day before the island was declared secure, I've read a good book about the battle of tinian and the author goes into detail about the mortar barrage that killed my uncle and a group of marines, A close encounter, the marine landing on Tinian by Richard Harwood..God Bless America!!
I played World Of Tanks a few years ago. Light Tanks has to fight close against Medium tanks. So they can use their speed and maneuverability. Shoot their tracks and disable them then shoot them from the back. But at long distance light Tanks are toasted. It’s fun playing them though and running circles against big tanks. The Tiger though is one of the best in the Game. Hitler didn’t know how to used them thank god lol
Many mock the IJA tanks, but for the places and opponents they fought, and the logistics issues they faced, they were proper and appropriate. Not the best designs, but fit for purpose. Until they were met by armor that was designed to fight in Europe.
That's it, if all you gotta do is squash some chinese villages, then those are perfect. As soon as something shows up that even just a panzer III outclasses, look out
@@1buszybudy13 never doubt hat the IJA could fight. They fought with extreme courage, even when hopelessly overmatched. The problem wasn't their spine, or their dedication. It was their doctrine and their logistical hurdles that fucked them. The entire empire was running on a shoestring all along; their ambition exceeded their resources.
The move, "Hell to Eternity" is about a US solder Guy Gabaldon who captured/saved over 1,000 Japanese on Saipan. It includes a exciting scene of the huge Japanese Banzai attack Fenton mentions. Worth watching.
I have read that Mr. Gabaldon was possibly a bit of a 'self-promoter', if you will. He undoubtedly did capture/save some Japanese but his claims are a bit much to believe, IMO. Nevertheless, that wasn't your main point and I'll have to check that scene out.
Most people don't know that Mr. Gabaldon was from Los Angeles and an orphan. A Japanese American family took him in and raised him. When Pearl Harbor was hit he went to the Marines to join up and they asked him what skill could he bring to the Marines. His answer floored them when they found out it was true. He is Hispanic and he answered, "I speak and understand Japanese.
Sherman tanks in the Pacific: “Why am I fighting WW1 tanks?” Sherman tanks in the European theater: “ Please get me outta here!” (Paraphrasing another commenter)
You know the Sherman was actually way better than what most people credit it for, including it's armor. The Chieftain has a great video explaining the myth that the Sherman was an awful tank in the European theatre.
The M4 did just fine in europe. If you combine the panther and tigers you end up with less than 8000 heavies. Most of what the germans had in armor including the latest Pz4 could be defeated by the M4 with its general purpose 75mm, let alone the newer 76mm specialized anti tank gun.
Awesome video Mark. My Great Uncle, my Grandfathers brother, served on Saipan as an engineer. He never talked about this time in his life but, strangely, he was always interested in hearing about my military career.....RIP Sir.
Three of my maternal cousins fought in the Pacific as Infantrymen (one U.S. Army, the second a Marine, while the third was "drafted" by the Marines from the U.S. Navy ((his actual rating/job was as a gunner on a dual 40mm AA gun)) as a result of his Dead Eye Dick marksmanship with the M1903A3 rifle for sniper/counter sniper purposes). All three men fought on Saipan, though unaware their kin were on the island at the time, and faced the Banzai attack that included tanks. All three, and independent of one another , years later, told of hitting both models of tanks with AP rounds "borrowed" from the Navy and knocking them out with fire from a .30-06 M1903A3 and two BARs. According to them the best way for an infantryman, on his own to stop a Japanese tank on Saipan, was with a rifle grenade and an M-1 loaded with ball ammo. P.S.: I should have also mention that .50 caliber (ball) simply riddled the Japanese tanks encountered on Saipan and elsewhere.
Very interesting keep up the good work mark my Grandas fought in ww2 and I find how you explain history is very inspirational to people who want to learn
I've noticed lemming trains work better in WOT Blitz. Though it also depends on the map. Mines being a good example of when a lemming train doesn't always work.
My father was born on Saipan in 1934, he was a child when WWII came to this island. My grandparents and 6 of 11 children died in the war. My Grand Uncle sent my father to Hawaii, he grew up in a boys home and met my mother, 6 kids later he brought us to Saipan to show us his home in 1971. He showed us Banzai Cliff and told the story how Japanese families walked off Banzai Cliff rather than be taken captive by US Soldiers. He showed us areas where locals hid in caves and so many other interesting points of interest. My Mom was a child when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I found Mom's family signatures voting against the annexation of Hawaii to the US. And many stories of our Hawaiian ancestors too. With so much history on both Dad and Mom's side, I think sharing the stories shared with me is very informative for others and the desire to learn all I can about both cultures.
Love your videos, keep it up. Always containing information that's new or obscure, which is rare. I've seen and read a massive amount about WW2, but I always learn something new here. Thank you
I had a cousin, much older than me, who was on Okinawa. He said that in under 50 yards, an M1 rifle (.30-06 Springfield) would go through the side armor of a Japanese tank by the driver.
Sounds like some bootleg battle in HOI4 where a Japanese light tank division is defeated by American tanks while attempting to defend against an US naval invasion after Franco joined the Co-Prosperity Sphere
Hi dr Felton can I just say you keep amazing me with your attention to detail...the information you provide us in these vlogs is outstanding...I thought I knew a little regarding ww2 but you sir take things to a whole different level altogether...so all I can say is thank you sir..you have gave me many hours of great viewing
the place where they shot the tank in india is at kolkata, my hometown and the exact location where the Brits tested it is at maidan, which is overlooked by the victoria memorial (in the background). its now an open ground where families go for picnic in the winter. Never thought the brits were testing tanks there
@@juanibarra8114 Read a story about Lee Marvin after he made it big. He used to sit on a chair strapped to a roof of car driven by a friend. He would have been drunk beyond oblivion, yelling and screaming while being driven through the streets of Los Angeles. This was his way to fight his demons that he got in combat during WW2.
You probably have the best history videos on youtube. Always well researched and thorough. They might not be the flashiest, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Its like the old history channel I miss. Keep up the good work my man.
WW2 tourism is big on Saipan, with supervised jungle walks of different levels of difficulty (easy to get lost), the Banzai cliff, some old Mitsubishi tanks, and a couple of wrecks off shore. You can also fly over to Tinian, a short hop, and see the airfields from which the B29s were launched to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the bombs were so big, a pit had to be dug under the plane to allow the bombs to be loaded, plants still do not grow in it!
🇺🇸🏴☠️🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇸🏴☠️🇺🇸 @Jaden, 613 - Think the London bridge ended up in Arizona. Recall reading in newspapers trying to bring it to USA. Legal hassles, money, regulations; somebody finally got it done + reconstructed it as a tourism site. Went on a months-long motorcycle ride after I got off of active duty. Made a small side trip off the hiway, camped at a riverside park not too far from it. Remembered the stories, wondering why someone would do such a thing. So I decided to swing over and see it, when I realized I wasn’t too far from it. Made more sense after seeing it - not nearly as massive real life as it was in my imagination. Glad someone saved that piece of history. Better than chopping it to bits and using it for driveway pavers at random suburb mcMansions all over America …that mighta been part of the deal - the UK retained some legal rights, so some crass Yank couldn’t just buy their Bridge and turn it into a TV sales-infomercial money making scheme. 😎💰😁 …hope I’m remembering right. Dang. now I’m gonna have to go look it up!
I've just finished reading your book The Sea Devils. I seldom get the time to read for any length of time. Due to the holidays I finished it in two days. A fantastic book.
I was on Saipan a few years ago, for a week, all work and little play, I would of loved to have had time to explore, I drove past the wrecks on tank beach daily but did not have the time to stop. I traveled all over the island inspecting water supply infrastructure. There is still debris from the combat lying on the ground today.
@@javidmurvatovYT They weren't stupid, they knew they were outclassed, but they had to work with what they had. A tank, even a terribly outclassed one, is a lot more usefull when being used then it ever could be just sitting in a storage dump somewhere. Even if it doesn't kill any enemy tanks, it can still fireat soft targets or infantry, while drawing fire away from their own infantry.
My father in law was captured at the fall of Singapore, he said he literally walked off the ship into captivity, he spent the rest of the war in the infamous Changi P.O.W camp and was forced to work 12 hour shifts in a carbide factory. He told me a story about being part of a detail sent to unload a supply train, part of which was a load of carboys full of saki. They found one was cracked and leaking, fearful of being beaten they never the less had to inform the guard. Much to their surprise, the guard told them hide it in some straw packaging, and nip in one at a time and have a quick slurp!...even the guard helped himself! Needless to say by the time came to march back to camp, we were all legless...even the guard! Luckily the guards mate was on duty at the camp gate, and just let us in, god knows what would've happened to us had he raised the alarm,...and our guard, he would have been shot. He survived the war, being liberated by the Russians which surprised me, as I didn't know they were fighting in that theatre. finally sailing home on the Queen Mary. My father-in-laws name was James (Jimmy) Wilcox Born and bred in Leigh Lancashire He served with the Loyal Regiment He died a few years ago, after suffering with dementia We arranged for the British Legion to perform the 'We will remember them' and the lowering of the flag ceremony at his funeral. God bless Jimmy.
the first tigers saw action in late 42, from there on they were mainly some kind of fire fightes, I have no idea about what kind of "feelings" you are talking about...
@@allangibson2408 German tribe give Japan tribe big tiger rock to ward off America tribe. Bad for Japan tribe, America tribe send sky fire to Japan cave.
I read somewhere that during this battle the Marine tankers at first thought the Japanese tanks were quite tough as their armor piercing shells weren’t appearing to have much effect on them. They realized that the shells were just punching right through the thinly armored tanks without hitting anything vital on the way through. So they switched to high explosive shells and just obliterated them.
Americans would consider tank "destroyed" only when it's visibly destroyed. So they often kept pumping shells into tank until they saw flames or smoke. Basically "better be safe than sorry" approach. Those hits hurt Japanese tanks just fine, but didn't cause visible damage, because explosive filler in APC rounds would not innitiate, greatly reducing chance to cause fire. So tankers, after stopping tank with AP, would sign their work with HE which would eventually cause either riveting or mounting of turret, to fail.
read somewhere that in Europe standard Shermans shot HE at panthers etc if it was disabled but the crew didn't come out by spamming HE the Germans inside until they gave up
@@kireta21 The German tankers had the same policy. They would continue to fire on a tank “until it changed shape”. This usually meant brewing it up or making it explode. That way they were sure it both wasn’t a threat anymore and it was much less likely to be recoverable and used against them again.
@@PitFriend1 Makes sense. Just because you might know a tank is disabled others might not know that, especially if the tank isnt visibly dead
The policy of "There's a difference between mostly dead and all dead" was quite effective.
Sherman: "So this is what it feels like to be a tiger"
Haha!
Yeah for once the Sherman's felt like the big dogs cuz against the Germans even the Panzer 4 and Panthers were heavier armed and armored than any Sherman LoL well maybe the M4E8 aka easy 8 was a lil better than the Panzer 4 which I don't really get how they held up so well in Korea Against t34 85 tanks cuz the Sherman's totally killed the hell outta them t34 tanks in that war which the Koreans wasn't very good tank people I've heard all my life
@@jberry1982 dont you mean the M4A3(76)W HVSS?
@@izzyzyx
war thunder doesnt tell you there are more Sherman variants than those ingame eh?
@@wakangaroo7722 ..What? There's plenty.
Also of note during this battle was the distinguished service of Dr. Ben Salomon, DDS, who was acting as a surgeon due to injuries to the medical officer. Salomon's field hospital was set up immediately behind the front lines and after a Japanese assault was overrun by Japanese infantry. Salomon ordered the wounded to be evacuated and manned a machine gun to provide cover for the retreating medical staff and patients. When the Army retook the position a few days later they found Salomon dead, with dozens of bullet holes and bayonet wounds. They also found 98 dead Japanese soldiers in the proximity of Salomon's machine gun. Salomon was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Simple History did a good video on this!
His actions probably saved the lives of all those wounded GIs because the Japanese would have gleefully killed the wounded without batting an eye. Same as the Viet Cong later.
@@jmtproductions3650 i saw the video to.......may he rest in peace
@@qtig9490 Must be a southeast Asia thing.
@@redwatch1100 It's an eastern asian thing. Survivors and wounded got the bayonet. Things like Geneva Convention are just western concepts we sign for more diplomatic cred. Our way of war views the destruction of the enemy to be the prime objective.
My grandfather was a truck driver for the US Army on Saipan, 1944-45. He would tell us stories of finding Japanese hiding in the showers, or stealing food, all the way until the war ended.
My grandfather was a trained US Navy air-traffic controller on Saipan (he was also an incredible carpenter and ended up spending more of his time on the island building furniture for officers than directing flights, I believe.)
He too had tales of Japanese soldiers trying to sneak food from the bases (and seeing a couple get spotted and shot by sentries) , and also of some fellow Navy personnel he knew encountering them inside some caves while looking for souvenirs. I think it ended badly for one of them, although I can't remember now if the fellow died or was merely wounded. Grandpa said 'we had orders not to go up there.. some had asked me if I wanted to go, but I wasn't stupid'
He may have had only a 7th grade education, but he sure wasn't an idiot.
When I was a kid these guys would pop up on some island regularly, the last holdout surrendered in 1974. News reports say others were spotted into the 80's.
@@openmind2546 "I'm not gay, but I have showered with Samuel Colt." 🤣
@@JW-xj1yf The Navy library on Guam had a display about the guy. It included his uniforms. He wove new ones out of coconut fiber after his original set rotted. The tightwad Japanese government didn't give the guy back pay when he returned. All he got was $500.00.
@@vanceb1 What's this have to do with the tank attack on Saipan?
If Mark Felton was in town, I would invite him to dinner and I would do all the listening
😂 It would be dumb to open our dumb mouths
@@cameron9680 👍👍👍 absolute fact!
"This humble home was the site of an astonishing dinner, attended and enjoyed by Mark Felton. The host struggled mightily to prepare his meal before the guests arrived and succeeded beyond all measure earning their gratitude."
And I would bring the beer 🍺 😆
00p
It's basically a rule at this point. The second you see a Mark Felton video you click on it. No questions asked
Add upvoting as soon as the intro music starts playing to that. I generally find that mindset a bit weird, but frankly? Not a single one of Mark Felton's uploads, be it audio or audio+video has disappointed, beyond maybe length on some older ones. The current videos feel like they're as long as they should be for proper telling and showing of the subject.
@@Alighierian but did you coom?
True Dat!
This is basically true. What a great historian!!
It's a duty, that applies to historical aficionados, regardless if we are British subjects or not!
"Fix bayonets!"
"But-"
"Onto the tanks!"
Drive me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!
@@Juntasification So.. the Polish Hussar charge was actually a viable counter?
*Fixes gigantic bayonet to tank gun*
@@Taistelukalkkuna *also buff engine*
I wouldn’t put it past the Japanese.
My father was with the 27th infantry division on Saipan. Bless the men who fought in WWII!
My grandfather was a nazi, even braver men fight in berlin. We fought and lost.
@Vlah Vlah some betrayed their country, mostly some germans as they didn't want to be a pow and be in a camp, and it's better to survive instead of dieing
No don't bless them.
@Vlah Vlah we were invaded by the soviets, we fought until berlin fell.
Bless them.
I’m from Saipan and I can tell you those tanks are usually found rusting in the jungle but there are a few abandoned ones near our airport 🤟🏼🇲🇵🇲🇵
You should share some pictures of them, we would all enjoy that.😃
“This tank holds 3 men, Japanese size”. No “filter” there 😂
What for? Its stupid, knowing the Japanese are smaller in -posture- stature. This does not reflect their heart to fight, which obviously has to be massive as their courage is. To insane level in fact. Thats how dedicated to the task were Japan warriors through the ages.
In the 1940s the size difference between Japanese, being around 4'-9" on average, and Americans, being around 5'-9" on average, was not insignificant - particularly in the case of getting in and manning a tank.
Cause it's not a particularly weird statement or stereotype. Most East-Asian nations at the time had a far lower average height than most of their contemporaries on other continents, and it's a recurring factor in most of their tanks, planes and other equipment.
I mean, they weren't exactly subtle in their cartoons, movies and posters about the Japanese in many other ways, but in this instance they were just stating a fact.
Bloody funny though
Watch The Chieftain squirming around in a Japanese tank. Hilarious.
No discussion of the Saipan invasion should go without the story of Sgt. Thomas A. Baker. During the invasion, he distinguished himself after freeing his pinned down squad from a MG bunker by running within 100 yards of it and blasting it with a bazooka. Some days later, he was involved in that massive banzai charge, getting seriously wounded in the first wave of it, standing his ground and using any and all weapons he could till he ended up out of ammo and used his bare hands after his weapon had been shattered by enemy fire. Mortally wounded, they were forced to retreat but Baker insisted they leave him behind, only armed with a M1911A1 as he was sat up against a tree and stayed behind. When US forces retook the old positions, they found Baker's body with the empty pistol in hand, accompanied by 8 dead Japanese soldiers scattered in front of him. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
@@madisntit6547 OH *BLEEP!* XD
They were Men, in those days. ..
as much as these types of people were brave, and as much as I believe banzai attacks were cruel I don't think it's right to give someone an award for killing people.
@@CloroxBleach0 Don't start trouble here. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his comrades and must have involved risk of life. 60% of them earned posthumously so don't dare say anything about soldiers that died for their fellow soldiers' lives and wellbeing. Banzai attacks were cruel but the Japanese weren't much on mercy, look up the Rape of Nanjing and other such things before you shame our soldiers for doing what soldiers do: protect their home and defeat their enemy. War isn't pretty, it's disgusting and harsh and has lasting effects on the men that fight in them, including my own great-grandfather that fought and lost friends in front of him that haunted him till his dying days. Please be respectful of that or don't say anything.
@@CloroxBleach0 The award for for being honorable, not for killing people.
It's amazing how many stories from the war. That people haven't heard of. Thanks for these videos.
Tanks for the video?! 😅😅
it was such a big war, its imposible to know em all
My wifes Grandfather fought in the British Navy onboard a destroyer during world war two. He told me a story about how they once depth charged and destroyed a Japanese Sub with oil and debris floating to the surface. He said as the crew looked overboard to the see the wreckage there was no cheering or shouting, just mutterings of "poor buggers!".
That's the type of tales of humanity I enjoy hearing about. Especially concerning such a gruesome event as WWII
How I would HATE to be a submariner. Being stuck in a cramped metal box underwater and be lobbed explosives at you to drown you. Yeah no thanks.
one of my grandma's friends from her church was on the atlantic convoys. they left one of the british docks (I forget which one) with a few new crew to replace losses and as they were passing norway in the middle of the night, there was an ungodly screeching noise that passed underneath the destroyer (HMS Ashanti) that woke the new crew. apparently it was a german torpedo that passed underneath them and scrapped across the keel as it passed, the german uboats often set their torps at cruiser depth for shooting at merchant ships and they didnt sit quite low enough in the water to trigger the fuze.
@@AnikaJarlsdottr some had faults that caused them to run too deep. If they set it too shallow it would easily be seen by the target and they'd have time to take evasion manoeuvres. In heavy seas the target would be moving up and down quite a bit too.
By any Chance was his Ship the HMS Jupiter? I've done quite a bit of Research on Japanese Submarines in WW2 and Very Very few where sunk by the Royal Navy. Im curious as to which one it was.
My uncle operated a bulldozer on Saipan near the airport they were improving. He told me they actually had a plan in case the Japanese tanks broke through their lines. The idea was they would ram the tanks and flip them over because the tanks were lighter and the bulldozer blade was thicker then the tank's armor. Thankfully the tank attacks never got as far as the airfield! My uncle had helped knock out a pillbox on Iwo Jima with infantry following behind him. With the blade raised the Japanese defenders couldn't shoot them and once they got close they used a flame thrower to make the defenders duck then threw grenades inside to knock out the pillbox. My uncle received a commendation and a box of cookies from the infantry!
A bulldozer being a better tank then what Japan had... Imagen being the driver of the tank that is defeated by a bulldozer strike XD Like a bulldozer is a unarmored tank with no guns! XD
Box of cookies? They better have made sure no one flanked and shot him.. Since he would be right in the open and the prime target to shoot..
@@TheDiner50 I wasn't there so I don't know the exact lay of the land. What I was told was that the Japanese were tenacious fighters and refused to give up, choosing suicide rather then surrender. Every island taken by the Americans was a tough fight because the Japanese turned every island into a series of fortified positions.
@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle Yes, but what is generally ignored is that the US Army was also involved in the island hopping campaign. They already had construction battalions and combat engineers, in addition to infantry and they fought along side the Marines on every island.
@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle I know, the one with a young John Wayne, filmed on a back lot before anyone knew exactly what the war in the Pacific would look like. (I have it saved on my hard drive) It was almost funny, except it dealt with the fact that a lot of people had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support the war effort.
My grandfather was in a Pioneer (engineer) Battalion in the SW Pacific. They were landed on beaches in the dark before the dawn Army landings with the task of neutralising the beach defences so the Army could land safely.
Mark is the famous Moff Felton, one of the greatest tacticians of the Empire, second only to Thrawn. The stormtroopers in the opening are his personal guards. Respect him!
Yes, quite!
That's Grand Moff Felton to you!
@@irvingnerdbaum7256 Pardon my disrespect.
@@747boy8 We will let it pass this time, but be very careful. You see how many followers Grand Moff Felton has don't you.
Hail Felton! True Heir to the Empire!
My father fought in the Solomon Islands. I appreciate the high quality of Mark's well-researched docs, and his respectful tone.
Wonder if anyone ever actually managed to knock out that wheel bracket with a rifle bullet.
Hahaha. I sorta wondered that myself. Or stick a canteen under the turret to keep it from turning.
@@halibut1249 Medal of Honor moment. (-:
Yeah, I have high doubts, hitting that.
Rifle as in "Anti Tank Rifle". It's all in the language of the times.
@@markneedham3088 The Russians were the main users of those, not the US. And given that 50 cals could potentially disable a Japanese tank from the side, well, I don't think an anti-tank rifle needs that precise of a shot ;) They were most likely talking about regular rifles.
Sir: you are a wellspring. So glad your channels have taken off.
I just love those old US Army instruction videos. The annunciation, the music behind it, the clear instruction, the well placed yet appropriate jokes
I am always so surprised by how genuinely respectful a lot of them seem towards the enemy. They dont tend to play any stereotypes about inferiority or treat them as bad soldiers though my selection of viewing is quite limited compared to the vast amount that exist. The enemy in some cases might be arrogant or unlikeable, if they choose to personify them at all, but they're never not a threat. The idea of them being bumbling, stupid, helpless or anything else is for propaganda posters, and stops once you actually join up.
It seems that training is a lot like higher education, they know that what you learn here will be partially outdated by the time you arrive, so you are being taught how to properly learn. And they get two great things correct:
1. Instilling it early to not underestimate your enemy or believe your inherent superiority
2. Teaching confidence to the soldier in that being more attentive, studying/knowing your enemy, mastering the care and use of your equipment and being more methodical is how you actually CAN become a better soldier than the enemy.
I heard this saying somewhere, so it might not be from WWII or the military at all but still interesting. Though this is paraphrased and through telephone: "If you go to cut a corner, think about cutting a straight line across your body with a saw and how that might work out for you. "
@@booradley6832 Well said. There wasn't any talk of "our army was better than theirs" while the war was still being fought... It was a war and many many people died conducting it. Only one side can win and it's only over when one side gives up.
Except that one time a video stated that the MG42's "bark" was worse than it's "bite". 😂
Ahh, time for my lunch date with Mark Felton.
Never knew of this. Always knew armored warfare was limited in the Pacific for obvious reasons but this was enlightening. Loved the retro tank demonstration footage alongside the surviving restored examples.
i love those old videos, idk why, i think its the style and shitty camera
10:42 "A platoon of M4A2 Shermans arrived." It is interesting to hear this since there is not a lot of discussion about the A2 version. The vast majority of M4 Shermans were gas powered versions, whereas the M4A2 was powered by two GM diesels. Only the USMC used these versions in U.S. service. The A2 version was also exported under the Lend Lease program. Thanks again for yet another great program.
The US Army didn't want the A2 Shermans in Europe for logistical reasons, they didn't want to complicate the fuel supply problems with a diesel powered tank. Not fielding the sheer amount of vehicles the Army did the Marines weren't worried about that problem.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 You are absolutely correct. I experienced this in the Army with our gas powered jeep (M151A1 and A2) whereas most of the other equipment was diesel powered. Not surprisingly, there was always one person who wasn't paying attention who put the wrong fuel into something! Oops!! It didn't happen a lot, but it did happen.
I’ll take the diesel please
@@Holy_hand-grenade I like you nom de plume. I am sure that Brother Maynard also approves of it!
Most people don't understand how small a lot of these islands are and how many troops per meter they had. Seriously some of the craziest fighting this world has ever seen.
Yet you hardly ever saw them they were so well-entrenched.
"What i don't understand is, how the islands didn't just capsize"
Rep. Hank Thompson, probably
The gold standard for history on TH-cam. Thanks Mark.
Type 95 in 1934: I am a leviathan of the Pacific, bringer of death and destruction to every Asian nation we set foot in.
Type 95 in 1941: Pls nerf the British AT guns....dear god, what’s that large American tank in the distance?
Type 95's power level in 1934: Typical magical school girl protagonist.
Type 95's power level in 1941: Same school girl, but now surrounded by tentacle monsters and a concerning amount of censorship blur...
@@Moonhermit- that is probably more accurate to what was going to happen to Japanese "armour" (it feels bad to even call their tanks like that) at the moment they saw anything heavier than panzer I.
Lol.
@@Moonhermit- Lol.
@@Moonhermit- that description XD
This battle was also called, “The Pacific D-Day,” bc the invasion fleet left Pearl Harbor the day before the Normandy invasion. The US had cut off all means of resupply for the Japanese soldiers bc of the disastrous outcome for Japan of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and Lt. General Saito (who eventually committed hara-kiri) ordered his soldiers to fight to the last man. _This is why the Marine and Army soldiers were forced to kill more than 29,000 soldiers before the battle was over, bc the Japanese refused to surrender._
My dad, a Marine, was in charge of directing one of the 300 amphibious landing vehicles up on the beach at Saipan. He had just turned 21 at the time, having fought in campaigns on some of the Solomon, Gilbert, Marshall, Gilbert, Mariana Islands (Saipan and also Titian), and would go on to Iwo Jima. He just couldn’t talk about his war experiences, only to say at the end of his life that he had refused VA services all through his life bc, “It’s for men who were wounded,” if you can believe it....miraculously, he never received a physical wound, and his survivor’s guilt was palpable. The other story he told me is that, when he told the driver where to put the empty landing vehicle on the beach of Iwo Jima, he jumped out one side, and his driver jumped out the other, right onto a land mine. Both of his legs were blown off, and my dad said he “never forgot how white his bones were.” That was it. Any attempt by any of his 7 kids to ask questions would either be met with stony silence, or he would look at me with tears in his eye, silently begging me to drop it. So I did. My brother asked once if dad saw the suicides of Japanese residents jumping off the cliffs to their deaths, and he said, “Yes, and babies, children thrown off.” No more. I cannot imagine what he (a 19 year old boy!!) And his buddies went through, first with the 2-day bombardment onboard ships-how could they ever sleep??-then with the 24-day hell on a 12 mile by 5.5 mile island, with no escape from the savage Japanese resistance. The Pacific War ruined my father’s mental health, as he suffered badly from PTSD, striking out in a rage with no reason, diving under the bed on stormy nights for 2 decades, drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol (I never saw him sober until I was 16, and didn’t know it), and carousing with his war buddies and women until my mother kicked him out after 20 years of marriage (I was 4). Even at that age, I was relieved he wasn’t living with us any more. After several suicide attempts, he was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which ran in his family....the trauma he suffered in the war activated his mental illness genes, and he was self medicating that and PTSD with alcohol. I really wish there had been help or treatment for the thousands upon thousands of men who suffered with that hellish condition, but more than that, I wish none of them had had to experience hell on earth in the first place! And I’ve studied WWII for 40 years, especially the social history in Britain and Europe between the world wars, solely bc of my need to understand an absent, traumatized, but ultimately heroic, father.
Voracious reader, thank you for this comment. Our fathers undoubtedly crossed paths. My dad was awarded a medal and letter of commendation for his actions that helped make the D Day landing successful. I found the medal and commendation letter in an envelope a few years before he died. He had never showed it to anyone. And yes he had survives guilt. When I asked him about this he refused to speak of it. He said I only did what I was trained to do. And I got home, most of my buddies did not. Finally after a few months he said he did not talk about the war because he wanted to forget and no one would believe how bad it was. He also refused care at the VA. Nor would he go to the VFW or American Legion or 2nd Division reunions. My dad did not drink but was a nervous wreck for most of his life. The ringing of the telephone made him jump. He told me how scared he was at night. Awaiting a banzai attack. We never left our apartment in the evening without leaving a light on. Now I understand why
General Sherman was right--war is hell.
I'm sure you've read "With the Old Breed" by Sledge. That pretty much sums up the whole Pacific campaign. I would not doubt but that your father knew him. I wonder how ANYBODY exposed to that level of horror could ever escape having ptsd. Now I know...one simply could not. Though I do not know you, yet I am sorry for the conditions under which you grew up. I pray for peace for you and your departed father.
@@david9783 my dad was a wonderful guy. I was very fortunate. He was a hard working guy who never uttered a word of complaint. After what he had been through nothing much bothered him. I was his care taker the last years of his life. It was an honor to take care of him
must of be horrible for those civilians too, and tragic to be that afraid they jumped off the cliffs when there was a good chance they might of lived :( .
I see banzai charge: cool
I see Japanese tank: interesting
I see tank banzai charge: wow
tank bayonet
@@tatotaytoman5934 hmm yes bringing a sword to a tank fight
Isn’t every charge in military history a banzai charge?
@@steviejohnson378 i suppose if they yell banzai in every charge in history then they are?
@stevie no. Charges were used back in the Napoleonic wars and even before them however they weren't take all or die trying charges which is the point of a banzai charge. You could argue a charge is suicidal but without looking at the history of them, alot of them were very successful such as the 20th Maine in Gettysburg lead by none other then Joshua Chamberlain. That charge pushed off already beaten down Confederates and secured the fish hook that was compromised by Dan sickels. Cheers my history loving friend.
"If you don't want a crease in your helmet", lol.
2:20 I love how it specifies 'Japanese size' LOL.
Don't get excited. Face the facts.
It's ok honey that's how you were born
if you've been in a tank even a modern one, its not really made for tall or larger people
The average height for Japanese men back then used to be 5’4 if I’m not mistaken.
At Submarine School in New London, CT they had a Japanese two man submarine outside the base museum...I spent lots of time there but always thought to myself, as I passed by each time...TWO MEN? No way!!!
I look forward every week to Mark's videos. never has there been a history buff so well in tune with how to present history on the internet.
The type 95 used a Mitsubishi 6 cylinder air cooled diesel, which apparently was very reliable , but looking at one in the Tank museum, well it looked like a browning .30 or .50 Cals would wreak havoc on them ... apparently so Dr Felton San !
With Felton being the great teacher he is, it would be Dr Felton Sensei 🤙🏼
This will be a good evening lecture. Thank you Mark for your enthusiasm
I do not add comments very often, but I must say that Mark is one of my heroes on the net. I love his stuff, and the chance to see a different view on events. God Bless!
I just replied to James, my uncle Alex Peña also fought those same battles, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian, He was in the 3rd battalion 6th marine regiment 2nd marine division, He gave the ultimate sacrifice on Tinian July 30,1944, his war would have ended August 1st, he fought and survived some of the most bloodiest battles in American history only to get killed one day before the island was declared secure, I've read a good book about the battle of tinian and the author goes into detail about the mortar barrage that killed my uncle and a group of marines, A close encounter, the marine landing on Tinian by Richard Harwood..God Bless America!!
Tank commander, swinging his katana, *DRIVE ME CLOSER! I WANT TO HIT THEM WITH MY SWORD!*
I see you are a man of culture.
I played World Of Tanks a few years ago. Light Tanks has to fight close against Medium tanks. So they can use their speed and maneuverability. Shoot their tracks and disable them then shoot them from the back. But at long distance light Tanks are toasted. It’s fun playing them though and running circles against big tanks. The Tiger though is one of the best in the Game. Hitler didn’t know how to used them thank god lol
@@district_13 If WoT was realistic the Firefly would be on T8, probably.
The Emperor Protects. I wonder if imperial japan is the closest to the imperium of man in 40K? as they do worship the emperor as a god.
@@GUMMRUCHK dark
Born and raised on Saipan, great vid, thanks for creating it and sharing our history of the Battle of Saipan, cheers!
Thanks Mark, history at it's finest.
Wasn’t there a Marine FO who bravely sat in the middle of the battlefield calling in artillery fire? Goodbye, Darkness by W. Manchester.
Goodbye Darkness, one of the best memoirs of the Pacific War.
Many mock the IJA tanks, but for the places and opponents they fought, and the logistics issues they faced, they were proper and appropriate. Not the best designs, but fit for purpose.
Until they were met by armor that was designed to fight in Europe.
That's it, if all you gotta do is squash some chinese villages, then those are perfect. As soon as something shows up that even just a panzer III outclasses, look out
It's a design from the early 30's when it was really top notch. A bit outdated by 1942, that's all.
Small things got wrecked fighting somebody who could fight
@@1buszybudy13 never doubt hat the IJA could fight. They fought with extreme courage, even when hopelessly overmatched. The problem wasn't their spine, or their dedication. It was their doctrine and their logistical hurdles that fucked them. The entire empire was running on a shoestring all along; their ambition exceeded their resources.
There were IJA tanks capable of killing shermans, like the Chi-nu and Chi-to, however these were kept in the home islands for defense against invasion
Mr. Felton, please don't stop making these videos! LOVE them! USMC here
The move, "Hell to Eternity" is about a US solder Guy Gabaldon who captured/saved over 1,000 Japanese on Saipan. It includes a exciting scene of the huge Japanese Banzai attack Fenton mentions. Worth watching.
I have read that Mr. Gabaldon was possibly a bit of a 'self-promoter', if you will. He undoubtedly did capture/save some Japanese but his claims are a bit much to believe, IMO. Nevertheless, that wasn't your main point and I'll have to check that scene out.
Most people don't know that Mr. Gabaldon was from Los Angeles and an orphan. A Japanese American family took him in and raised him. When Pearl Harbor was hit he went to the Marines to join up and they asked him what skill could he bring to the Marines. His answer floored them when they found out it was true. He is Hispanic and he answered, "I speak and understand Japanese.
John Emerson yes because he was also a MARINE, contrary to the poster’s calling him soldier!
My day instantly improved! Thanks for the video, cant wait to watch it.
Thanks Sir Mark you have done it again. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Love this channel. I know some WW2 stuff but as always Mark Felton Productions manage to find new pictures films I haven’t yet seen. Thank you sir
Sherman tanks in the Pacific: “Why am I fighting WW1 tanks?”
Sherman tanks in the European theater: “ Please get me outta here!”
(Paraphrasing another commenter)
Sherman tanks in the European theater: *nervous chuckle* "I'm in danger"
You know the Sherman was actually way better than what most people credit it for, including it's armor.
The Chieftain has a great video explaining the myth that the Sherman was an awful tank in the European theatre.
The Type 95 and Type 97 would be absolute beasts in WW1, though. 'interwar' or '1930s' would be better than ww1.
The M4 did just fine in europe. If you combine the panther and tigers you end up with less than 8000 heavies. Most of what the germans had in armor including the latest Pz4 could be defeated by the M4 with its general purpose 75mm, let alone the newer 76mm specialized anti tank gun.
Awesome video Mark. My Great Uncle, my Grandfathers brother, served on Saipan as an engineer. He never talked about this time in his life but, strangely, he was always interested in hearing about my military career.....RIP Sir.
Three of my maternal cousins fought in the Pacific as Infantrymen (one U.S. Army, the second a Marine, while the third was "drafted" by the Marines from the U.S. Navy ((his actual rating/job was as a gunner on a dual 40mm AA gun)) as a result of his Dead Eye Dick marksmanship with the M1903A3 rifle for sniper/counter sniper purposes). All three men fought on Saipan, though unaware their kin were on the island at the time, and faced the Banzai attack that included tanks. All three, and independent of one another , years later, told of hitting both models of tanks with AP rounds "borrowed" from the Navy and knocking them out with fire from a .30-06 M1903A3 and two BARs. According to them the best way for an infantryman, on his own to stop a Japanese tank on Saipan, was with a rifle grenade and an M-1 loaded with ball ammo. P.S.: I should have also mention that .50 caliber (ball) simply riddled the Japanese tanks encountered on Saipan and elsewhere.
My main man Mark Felton! Always a great video, thank you so much for the quality content and hard work! 👍
Fascinating, better than cable television. Cheers.
Very interesting keep up the good work mark my Grandas fought in ww2 and I find how you explain history is very inspirational to people who want to learn
I love this channel. Cheers Dr. Felton.
Mark Felton is there for me in my darkest hours, during lockdown.
Thank you for the fascinating step back into history.
My father was in the Pacific war and his brother a POW his other brothers fought hard to save the Australian way of life. Many thanks.
A tank drag race, this has to be one of the best videos yet, thanks Mark!
In World of Tanks, this happens often and is called a lemming train.
That sometimes happens in War Thunder too.
Sometimes it comforts me to know history is still repeating itself
Antzy 9 year olds who need that constant rush of action and adrenaline they get from fortnite and CoD.
Lemming trains usually work in random. Just because it is stupid doesn't make it lose.
I've noticed lemming trains work better in WOT Blitz. Though it also depends on the map. Mines being a good example of when a lemming train doesn't always work.
My father was born on Saipan in 1934, he was a child when WWII came to this island. My grandparents and 6 of 11 children died in the war. My Grand Uncle sent my father to Hawaii, he grew up in a boys home and met my mother, 6 kids later he brought us to Saipan to show us his home in 1971. He showed us Banzai Cliff and told the story how Japanese families walked off Banzai Cliff rather than be taken captive by US Soldiers. He showed us areas where locals hid in caves and so many other interesting points of interest. My Mom was a child when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I found Mom's family signatures voting against the annexation of Hawaii to the US. And many stories of our Hawaiian ancestors too. With so much history on both Dad and Mom's side, I think sharing the stories shared with me is very informative for others and the desire to learn all I can about both cultures.
When you're early to a MFP video after binge-ing WW2 and tank history vids:
*LET'S*
*FRICKIN*
*GOOOO!!!*
Love your videos, keep it up. Always containing information that's new or obscure, which is rare. I've seen and read a massive amount about WW2, but I always learn something new here. Thank you
Imagine sitting in one of those Japanese tanks and a 50 cal starts tearing through the armor
Instant SPAM
@ It was indeed designed as an anti-tank machine gun. The idea was that it could "chew through" the armor.
I had a cousin, much older than me, who was on Okinawa. He said that in under 50 yards, an M1 rifle (.30-06 Springfield) would go through the side armor of a Japanese tank by the driver.
@@trime1851 thats cool as hell! Thank you
That had to be terrifying.
Been watching a lot of tank battle videos recently and Mark comes up with this. Crazy
I read the title as “ Spain 1944”...... and was a little surprised! Great video as usual 👍🇬🇧🎸
Now that would be an interesting one.
Sounds like some bootleg battle in HOI4 where a Japanese light tank division is defeated by American tanks while attempting to defend against an US naval invasion after Franco joined the Co-Prosperity Sphere
Ole!
Thanks for all of the videos you share Mark.
Another interesting video 🙏 keep it up mark
I never get tired of listening to this man! That video a few days ago 55 min was amazing.
Americans capture a foreign tank and what do they do? A quarter mile against one of their own. How... American.
As an american. This is totally true. We will race anything.
Well anyone with half brain knows that a "Chevy,Ford",or "Mopar" can leave the "Hondas and Toyotas" of the world "IN THE DUST"..:)
For that matter we went to the Moon - and DROVE! LOL
American muscle vs JDM
@@cleetorishanns5116
Lmao false
Hi dr Felton can I just say you keep amazing me with your attention to detail...the information you provide us in these vlogs is outstanding...I thought I knew a little regarding ww2 but you sir take things to a whole different level altogether...so all I can say is thank you sir..you have gave me many hours of great viewing
Thanks Mark, school day kinda sucks right now.
god bless your random photos at the start of each video
Thank you for giving us such well done videos on so many interesting, often forgotten history facts Mr.Felton, happy new year!
Same to you!
Always excited for a new mark Felton video
the place where they shot the tank in india is at kolkata, my hometown and the exact location where the Brits tested it is at maidan, which is overlooked by the victoria memorial (in the background). its now an open ground where families go for picnic in the winter. Never thought the brits were testing tanks there
Yess yess that place looked very familiar to me
I live in saipan and I love your videos and learning more about the history of my home. Thank you!
The actor Lee Marvin fought there as a Marine He wounded and got a medal for his bravery
And a box of whiskey.
@@juanibarra8114 He had the balls to fight there
@@juanibarra8114
Read a story about Lee Marvin after he made it big. He used to sit on a chair strapped to a roof of car driven by a friend. He would have been drunk beyond oblivion, yelling and screaming while being driven through the streets of Los Angeles. This was his way to fight his demons that he got in combat during WW2.
Wounded by metal...received a medal 🏅
@@flyingsword135 medal i am not from an english speaking country
You probably have the best history videos on youtube. Always well researched and thorough. They might not be the flashiest, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Its like the old history channel I miss. Keep up the good work my man.
I’m from Saipan. Some of these tanks are still lying around to this day.
You guys should sell them. I've heard of wealthy Texans buying crazier things.
I think they bought the London Bridge one time lol.
@@Hashishin13 At the current state they’re in these tanks pretty much aren’t going anywhere
WW2 tourism is big on Saipan, with supervised jungle walks of different levels of difficulty (easy to get lost), the Banzai cliff, some old Mitsubishi tanks, and a couple of wrecks off shore.
You can also fly over to Tinian, a short hop, and see the airfields from which the B29s were launched to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the bombs were so big, a pit had to be dug under the plane to allow the bombs to be loaded, plants still do not grow in it!
🇺🇸🏴☠️🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇸🏴☠️🇺🇸
@Jaden, 613 -
Think the London bridge ended up in Arizona. Recall reading in newspapers trying to bring it to USA. Legal hassles, money, regulations; somebody finally got it done + reconstructed it as a tourism site.
Went on a months-long motorcycle ride after I got off of active duty. Made a small side trip off the hiway, camped at a riverside park not too far from it.
Remembered the stories, wondering why someone would do such a thing. So I decided to swing over and see it, when I realized I wasn’t too far from it. Made more sense after seeing it - not nearly as massive real life as it was in my imagination.
Glad someone saved that piece of history. Better than chopping it to bits and using it for driveway pavers at random suburb mcMansions all over America
…that mighta been part of the deal - the UK retained some legal rights, so some crass Yank couldn’t just buy their Bridge and turn it into a TV sales-infomercial money making scheme.
😎💰😁
…hope I’m remembering right. Dang. now I’m gonna have to go look it up!
Another immaculate history lesson.
Thank you so much.
I've just finished reading your book The Sea Devils. I seldom get the time to read for any length of time. Due to the holidays I finished it in two days. A fantastic book.
Wonderful!
real quality video! thanks for everything you do !
I was on Saipan a few years ago, for a week, all work and little play, I would of loved to have had time to explore, I drove past the wrecks on tank beach daily but did not have the time to stop. I traveled all over the island inspecting water supply infrastructure. There is still debris from the combat lying on the ground today.
Your videos are the best. I got your book 'Ghost Riders' for my mother as a Christmas gift and she is loving it!
The dark lord and his stormtrooper retinue (nice job Mark)
I’m the lad on the left.
That training film is gold. Thank you
I always find the Japanese ww2 fighting mindset so interesting
Are you suicidal?
@@nopenope9725 just because I find it interesting and enjoy reading about it doesn't mean I want to partake in it
@@honzak1744 it was just a joke
@@nopenope9725 hehe I get it, sadly nowadays it can be hard to tell what is and what is not a joke on the internet
@@javidmurvatovYT They weren't stupid, they knew they were outclassed, but they had to work with what they had. A tank, even a terribly outclassed one, is a lot more usefull when being used then it ever could be just sitting in a storage dump somewhere. Even if it doesn't kill any enemy tanks, it can still fireat soft targets or infantry, while drawing fire away from their own infantry.
thanks Mark, this video dovetails quite nicely with my Hoi4 play-through i just started.
My father in law was captured at the fall of Singapore, he said he literally walked off the ship into captivity, he spent the rest of the war in the infamous Changi P.O.W camp and was forced to work 12 hour shifts in a carbide factory.
He told me a story about being part of a detail sent to unload a supply train, part of which was a load of carboys full of saki.
They found one was cracked and leaking, fearful of being beaten they never the less had to inform the guard.
Much to their surprise, the guard told them hide it in some straw packaging, and nip in one at a time and have a quick slurp!...even the guard helped himself!
Needless to say by the time came to march back to camp, we were all legless...even the guard!
Luckily the guards mate was on duty at the camp gate, and just let us in, god knows what would've happened to us had he raised the alarm,...and our guard, he would have been shot.
He survived the war, being liberated by the Russians which surprised me, as I didn't know they were fighting in that theatre.
finally sailing home on the Queen Mary.
My father-in-laws name was James (Jimmy) Wilcox
Born and bred in Leigh Lancashire
He served with the Loyal Regiment
He died a few years ago, after suffering with dementia
We arranged for the British Legion to perform the 'We will remember them'
and the lowering of the flag ceremony at his funeral.
God bless Jimmy.
The Russians/Soviets joined WW2 against Japan on 9th August 1945 (three months after VE Day).
God bless Jimmy indeed! May he rest in peace and there be a well appointed pub down the street where he awaits reunion with his loving family.
The original content you present in your videos is amazing.
Japanese boy: I want to drive a tank!
Japanese Father: are you crazy kid, you’ll put your eye out!
*grabs type 10 hitomaru and starts drifting around street corners*
Yet another perfect documentary video, thank you Mark!
The US tank trails looked like a Top Gear test
today on Tank Gear we race a Type 95 against a Stuart
Jams u idot you ve broken the transmission
who want's to see hideki tojo's lap?
These old WW2 films sound so nice, especially with the background music
I bet those Sherman’s enjoyed the feeling that those tigers had for years.
Courage on both sides!!
the first tigers saw action in late 42, from there on they were mainly some kind of fire fightes, I have no idea about what kind of "feelings" you are talking about...
@@larstragl146 Maybe you should learn how to read?
The weaknesses of the Tiger are well documented. If Tigers were so awesome why did they lose on both fronts so quickly?
Tigers were feared throughout the war. I read somewhere US commanders would expect to lose 5 Sherman (75mm version) for one disabled Tiger.
@@jwhoward182 The combined manufacturing capacity of the USSR and the US far exceeded Germany. The Tiger still owns the Sherman lol.
Once again an impressive film..
Thanks Mark Felton ,you are a very good historian..!
Dan from Paris.
So, it appears that The Chieftain's M1 anti- tank rock is effective after all.
I see you are a man of culture
You mean M1 tiger rock?
The Japanese Sherman going up against the American Tiger!
Actually the Japanese did have one German Tiger ... it was in Cherbourg to be shipped to Japan when D-Day changed the plan.
@@allangibson2408 German tribe give Japan tribe big tiger rock to ward off America tribe. Bad for Japan tribe, America tribe send sky fire to Japan cave.
Thanks, Prof, for teaching us about the amphibious counter-attack.
Always wanted to watch a tank race, thank you lord Mark for making my day 😂
Absolutely insane stories Mark Bravo!
Best cure for depression is a video from Dr. Mark
... said no Japanese tank designer, ever.
Yes! my favorite history channel!
Dr Mark Felton post, i click
Why you a call him Doctor?