I once met an old gentlemen who struck up a conversation about my uniform. He said he'd been in the Australian Army but only for 12 months. I asked if he had seen any action and he said 'Shaggy Ridge, Buna and Gona'. That's the toughest 12 months in the Army I could ever imagine.
My dad fought at Buna and beyond with the US 127th regiment of the 32nd Division. He was in one of the companies surrounded by the enemy on Christmas 1942. To the end of his days, Dad cursed MacArthur but had nothing but praise and admiration for the Diggers he fought alongside. Thank you so much for this well researched and professionally produced documentary.
My Grandad was in the 39th Battalion, who fought nearby in Gona. He did talk about how the "Yanks" of the 32nd got a hot reception in the first attack and that the Diggers felt they had been thrown in without proper planning, and based on this video they should have waited until the armour was available. I have been to Buna and seen the memorial to the 32nd division there, very moving.
@@paulmcgregor7708 Thanks so much for your remarks. I've long wanted to contact Australian participants in the battle or their descendants. Is there a veterans organization or such in Australia that might have collected memoirs or interviews of the vets do you know?
@@wtdean check out the Australian war memorial. They've got archives of all Australia's efforts. Most of it is also available online through their website.
My Grandfather's handwritten Diary of that Xmas... Dec 25, 1942 (127th/ 32nd Division, Buna) " We were alerted at 4:00am this morning to be ready to reach airport by 6:00am. We had very little time considering the work to be done but we were on the planes (Hudson Bombers) by seven and in Buna at 7:45am. This airport is a lively place because of Zeros strafing and snipers sniping. With full battle array we started the march of hell to the front - twelve miles of mud, high humidity, blistering sun, and men passing out because of heat and load. At six pm we finally reached (cannot read the name of village) Village where we left our non-essentials and then off again for three more miles of darkness, mud, jungle and griping men. We finally reached where we thought was our destination but we had to push one more mile to sleep in the swamps to prepare for battle at six the next morning. No sleep because of the battle noise but some were so doggeded tired that Times Square couldn’t keep them awake. This is one Christmas Day that the 127 Inf will never forget. The moral is still high and the boys seem like veterans already. Some of the boys I see now will be killed, tortured, maimed for life but they have confidence of their ability, so God Bless them."
Despite being longer than many feature films, this meticulously researched and highly detailed narration held my attention throughout. It is the kind of work that truly mitigates the internet...
I was riveted to this program. I have to say that in other days this would be an Oscar deserving of work. As for the Japanese, Aussie and American forces they ALL have to be held in the highest regard. I cannot imagine standing chest deep in water after slogging through it all day. My God what a durable gang of men, they were all outstanding. I pity the poor Lieutenant as he was mostly likely at a complete loss as what to do so he did the only thing he knew and that was to save his men
@CreedOfHeresy I don't see how it exemplifies or mitigates. Like the internet needs exemplifying or mitigation. This Buna-Gona story is just an absorbing military account. A documentary. Shown here, and elsewhere.
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Of all the stupid comments and recommendations I’ve read here on TH-cam yours is definitely NOT one of them! This is top shelf content and should be linked on the War Memorial website if it isn’t already. Edit: Australia has always been on my bucket list. When I do make it there the War Memorial will be top on the list and I plan on being a permanent resident in the records room for a few days.
My father fought at Buna and Gona with the 32nd. He spent three years with the 32nd. Something people need to know is that The 32nd had trained to fight in Europe. They were in Boston preparing to board ships for England when their orders changed. Traveled by train to San Francisco and left for Australia. Once they got to Australia, they had to build their own camp (Camp Adelaide). Not long after building that camp, they were moved once again and had to build this camp as well, which was Camp Tamborine just south of Brisbane. Instead of training in jungle warfare etc, all their time was spent building camps. To add to it all, their Khakis uniforms had been sent out to a dry cleaner to be dyed OD Green. The dye had made the uniforms unable to breath. McArthur sent these untrained kids out to be slaughtered with no artillery or tank support. I’ve heard over the years that Aussies hated McArthur but I promise you no one hated MacArthur more than my father and he told me everyone Red Arrow man hated him too.
The first defence of the Kokoda track after the Japanese invasion was left to militia battalions with an average age of 19. They had had rudimentary training in Australia before being sent to Port Moresby where instead of being further trained for tropical heat and jungle they were employed as labourers on the docks and earthworks for months until word came that the japs had landed. So they struggled north over the Track , up and slithering down 1000m peaks and valleys up and down over the range along the track which was three men wide at most with unbridged river and creek crossings in their kit which was bright almost white khaki shorts and shirts, carrying their ammunition,food and water . No operations in New Guinea were possible without the aid and valour of the local men and women who carried massive amounts of supplies one way and then returned carrying the wounded back for days on end to any sort of medical attention. However the militia boys acquitted themselves as heroes despite being forced into a staged retreat . Their payoff after several desperate months in the field and many casualties was to be accused by MacArthur and his Australian puppet of running like rabbits! He was lucky that he wasn’t shot. Men were being forced to their deaths because MacArthur had no idea of the jungle terrain ,indeed he had never been to New Guinea!
Good stuff and thx for sharing from an American who grew up in Boston and even I despised MacArthur. That pompous ass. When I heard his "old soldiers just fade away" speech to Congress I wanted to puke
*"sees picture of one of the best Tanks ever made in Human History and bitches about being the prototypical worthless Aussie shit for brain."* Go back to massacring Kangaroos fuck tard! The only breathing item you can "man up" against going on *FOREVER* now.
This is a first rate docunentary, worthy of the highest praise. You are committed to the even-handed and thoroughly respectful treatment of both the allied and Japanese combatants in this gruelling campaign. It reinforces the conviction in me that war is to be avoided at all cost.
Brilliant documentary. My dad was in the 32nd and the New Guinea campaign. Before they deployed, he was a training NCO (artillery) and they were kitted out and trained for the European theater. Last minute, they were on trains to the West Coast. They got some jungle basics plus acclimatizing in Australia but it was a shitshow. Their uniforms rotted and caused infections because they tried to dye them camo. Their quinine melted in their pockets and most of the men were fighting while ill with malaria and dysentary. They went days without food, clean water, ammo or sleep. I cannot fathom the hell they went thru before the horrors of actual combat. MacArthur was an egomaniac that threw men and commanders under the bus in stead of taking responsibility for his ineptitude. It was absolutely revolting the way he treated the Australians.
I agree with your take on McArthur. And as an Australian thank you to your father for enduring hell itself to save my homeland. I sincerely hope he has had a long and happy life afterwards
I'm going to pile on about MacArthur as well. My father-in-law was with the US Army in the 141st division in an artillery unit. He fought from New Guinea all the way up through Peleliu. And what you said about the deplorable conditions these soldiers went through is spot on. He said resupply was a nightmare and they went sometimes days without food and ammunition. And also the thing about the uniforms was exactly what he experienced. He said to a man everybody hated MacArthur because he had no regard for the troops and spent their lives like they were penny candy. He met his future wife, my mother-in-law, while on leave in Australia. He got down to Melbourne and met her at a dance. She was from a little village outside of Melbourne called Bunyip. While I respect what my father-in-law did, I did not like him as a person but my mother-in-law was an angel! We have many relatives from the Gold Coast down to Melbourne and Bunyip of course. I learned the term Fair Dinkum but I have no idea what the hell that means! Anyway, the Australians from the Diggers to the Commandos were a hell of a fighting force and I'm proud of your heritage and that my country fought alongside yours even though the leaders, particularly the Americans were arrogant and uncooperative. Best wishes! 😊
Of all the research material and documentaries I have read or watched on the New Guinea campaign, this is by far the best. Congratulations on a great documentary.
Thank you for all the work that went into this. My father was there. 2/9th Batallion as a mortar Sargent. He told us that the landing itself at Buna was uneventful and over the years spoke of a couple of things about Buna and Sanananda. One was about grenades. Australian grenades are 5 secs. His words ...To get them in a bunker they had to hang onto them for 3 secs. and then .. "I got pretty good at it after a while". The second was this.. I asked him once where he was most frightened.. he said Buna. A mountain gun had them stuck and they couldn't dislodge it, No doubt one of the bunkers so well described here. Their mortars were bouncing off the top. The Japanese were working down the officers each time they rolled it out. After a time some American artillery guys turned up and silenced the mountain gun. He was wounded at Sanananda, recovered, returned to fight at Shaggy Ridge, and by some miracle survived 6 years of war. He lived to 96, two kids (me and a brother, 3 grandkids and two great-grandchildren) great bloke, very humble. Now.., he and the family have never forgotten the unknown to us, the American artillery crew. Whoever you are, thanks guys!!
@@peterhansen2347 I served in the Australian Army Reserve and I found that the people who I came across while building wardrobes and other built in furniture, would open up to me and tell me things that they had never told their families.
As an American whose father and uncles fought in Europe, and neighborhood families who fought in the Pacific, wonderful to hear detailed, reasoned, account of Bona-Gona, with an Aussie accent, which makes it believable. My generation never heard much (except sinking transports!) Many thanks
agreed, this was informative and for me, new info. Thanks for a great job. We're all very lucky the people that fought and won this war came before us. Things would be very different today, all over the world, if not for them.
I'm a 52 year old history teacher (secondary/ATAR) living in Perth (I did 4 years infantry reserves back in the day) and this, as well as all of his phenomenally researched videos, is just - AWESOME! My passion is military history (especially Australian) and you should see my bookcases. Kudos to you cobber! I LOVE your work.
Audible groans from bookcases - but that’s a good thing 😁! I hear mine almost every time the mail runs, lol. Well, there are vices, and then there are vices. I’ll take my groaning bookcases - double stacked. Yikes!
I am growing more and more contemptuous of Macarthur the more I listen to these videos. It is becoming more and more clear that most of his talent was in PR, rather than warfighting. A plan is only as good as the understanding of every element of that plan, and multiple times he not only failed to appreciate the truly horrendous terrain in which the troops were fighting, but never made any attempt to discover for himself the brutal conditions he was forcing troops to fight in, and implicating them as cowardswhen for some strange reason they could not advance as fast as forces could in say... the Desert.... where fire and armoured support was far more readily available. The fact that he never once visited those battlefields to look at the terrain for himself disgusts me, for all his many very real flaws, Montgomery, or even Patton, would never have done that....
I’m pretty hard on him. But it’s mainly because there is so much MacArthur mythology. Just the other day I saw a TH-cam post on how MacArthur’s genius won the Admaralty Islands. I’ve studied military history all my life and I can tell you MacArthur was no genius. He was a good strategist, and later on in the campaign he would really confine himself to grand strategy more, but he was a poor battlefield commander.
MacArthur is victim to the officers legend. He was a reformer, recognizing the flaws in the officer training system. He was a good strategist, but not adept at understanding the true gravity of every situation. His strategic designs and PR moves are EXACTLY what an officer strives for. You want the public and your troops to admire you even if youre plan turns out bad. The reason MacArthur is so mythologized is because officers (who may or may not recognize all of his failings) see someone who captivated the average person, and appears to be a "good general". The best general isn't always the one who makes all the right decisions, but the one who demonstrates absolute confidence. And so MacArthur is often elevated to a status above his practical self because his self-fueling mythical self puts him there. As horrible as that is... theres an unfortunate logic to it. The average person would struggle to lead so many willingly to their death, and sometimes the few who can do it go way to far. I hope I don't come across as a MacArthur apologist, I'm just trying to explain how I view him. Decent strategy, great pr, lacking humanity at many points... but that PR redeems him as an officer/general, even if it doesn't redeem him as a human being.
@Daniel Large reactionary shortselling. Its a common technique to try and undo undeserved praise, but if yours becomes the common sentiment, in time it will eventually be those who are like you who praise MacArthur. Its far healthier to just reduce the legendarh status he and others created of his time, and not try to erase it completely for it wasnt all myth. MacArthur certainly thought highly of himself, but he was hardly an incompetent fool. Even for a general he wasn't inadequate. Refer to my other comment where I said there's two aspects of being an officer, and having command of others. One is the strategic, and the other is the formal. MacArthur was average on the strategic point, yet superb on the formal. Not always attuned to details, and not handling things not coming to plan with grace, yet convincing most beneath him that his plan had been right the whole time. Many of your attestations such as building a mausoleum or using nukes are fairly explainable... especially considering the nukes apparently was Bradley and Boltens idea first, and after communications failures and delays, appears to have been supported by MacArthur after North Korean forces entered Chinese territory, and were no longer allowed to be engaged by the United States, or UN forces. And so the nukes would be used to prevent their return. As politically stupid as we understand this now, and rightfully so, militarily the nuke was not easy for generals to adapt. Or even politicians for that matter. Truman (whos largely seen as the one who 'put a stop to MacArthurs crazy scheme') advised using nukes as a show-of-arms, especially to China who was moving toward involvement in Korea and Taiwan. I think its hard to accurately judge a general or politician on their sensibilities when they were trained for one age and suddenly ended up in an entirely different epoch. At the time nuclear usage was heavily debated, and "area denial" against an enemy which had been been defeated and retreated beyond the area of engagement was hardly the strangest. There were plans to turn Germany into a wall of nuclear artillery cannons and recoiless launchers, plans to collaborate with the soviet union and nuke the moon, plans to dig out canals with them, plans (and actually carried out) flying active nukes over countries such as the soviet union with the purpose of scarring them into not attacking. When in reality it likely just made them resentful and paranoid.
Once again great job, love your work. My Grandfather was in B Coy, 39th Battalion and was at both at both Isurava and Gona. He didn't talk much about his experiences but did say that Gona was the worst part of the whole war for him.
As an American who's spent a lot of time around many Kiwi and Aussie friends, my ears are somewhat attuned to the language and accents but I still need CC to understand most of the dialogue on these videos. Thanks for reminding us Yanks that we weren't the only fighters in SWPOA during WWII as we've been indoctrinated to believe by our history books and movies! Keep up your good works "mate"!
Thank you! My paternal grandfather fought in this grueling battle. He was dealt a blow to the head and malaria. Recovered in Australia, made his way back to the states and was awarded a purple heart. I never had the chance to meet him in person, but his - and all other's- bravery is something I hold close.
Thank you. I have also viewed your video on the battle of Milne Bay and have a greater appreciation of the conditions my father endured in both battles. Private Joe Coombe SX67 2/10 Battalion Coy B earned every cent of the post war support he received from the government until his death at age 93. He fought alongside Tim Hughes and maintained that he should have qualified for two VCs for his tremendous bravery. He never spoke much about his experiences but harboured little love of the Japanese for many years. My most interesting observation of my father was that he did not let his experiences during the war define his life, instead living a simple existence for his family with honesty and integrity throughout.
Fascinating, so many epic and desperate events, and so many that can never be known. At least we have records like this for the stories that can be told. I really appreciate this level of detail and knowledge, exceptional research.
back in the `70''s, the very first book I ever read about WWII was Bloody Buna. that started a hobby that has lasted almost 50 yrs. came back from 'Nam in `68 and this conflict makes that one pale in comparison. a big hat's off to all, for a mostly forgotten (here in the States) of that campaign and big kudo's for posting this just to remind us all of the sacrifices and hardships endured. well done hypohystericalhistory.
You're channel reminds me so much of how Mark Felton does his video's about World War 2. But also how he narrates the video topics he does, from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you for making these videos. I could never find a channel or documentary that went this deep into this Area of the Pacific campaign during World War 2. You do an amazing job at your videos and I hope to see more of them in the coming future.
My father fought at Buna with the 32nd. Though he seldom spoke of his experiences, he did mention how incompetent the officers were and how supplies were always a problem. In his wallet after his death, I found small newspaper clipping about the 32nd. It read it 185 days on the line and suffered 156% casualties. He use one of the originals.
@@jhtsurvival I think it comes from situations like person being hurt sufficiently to be counted as a “casualty” then later on being hurt again or even killed, thus that one person counts for two casualties.
@@jhtsurvival Raleigh is partially correct, however, it comes mainly from men becoming casualties, then their replacements becoming casualties as well. For example, start with 100 men. 50 of them are wounded. You now have 50% casualties. Those 50 casualties are replaced with 50 fresh men. If 50 of the new 100 are wounded or killed, 50% of those casualties. Repeat the process one more time. You are now at 150% casualties because 150 of an ORIGINAL 100 men have become casualties. Not all of the original member had to be killed or wounded for the unit to be statistically at 156% casualties.
Your dad fought at Buna and mentioned the incompetence. Good stuff and I image there was incompetence all over the place from Kokoda to Buna. That was the 1st major engagement of the war for Austrailia and also the 1st battle experience for many Aussies, including officers and many Americans too, including logistics so I bet there was incompetence but I don't need to imagine how FUBAR War is. All I can do is hope mankind finds a better way
Brilliant content once again! I'm a new subscriber and your station along with the "Unauthorized History of the South Pacific" are my two go to channels for my daily history lessons! Regarding Macarthur, my father-in-law fought with the US Army in the 141st in an artillery unit. He fought in some of these battles that you have depicted here and fought all the way up the chain to Peleliu. He said pretty much to a man MacArthur was despised. They felt like they were nothing but cannon fodder to that arrogant imbecile. If MacArthur had any strengths I wouldn't know what they were. But he seemed to have little to no regard for anybody serving under him. Asking his one officer named Bob to get it done or don't come back alive speaks volumes. But I am proud that my country fought alongside you Australians in some of the toughest battles of the entire war in the South Pacific. And I thank you wholeheartedly for bringing some of these little-known battles to the forefront and educating us in such an engaging way. The Australians from the Diggers to the Commandos were a frightening force to be reckoned with and things would have been very different had they not been there. Fair Dinkum mate! ( whatever that means!) 😊 🇺🇲🇦🇺 I hope I got your flag right!
Gen. MacArthur had an ego and aloofness unmatched by any commander of his day. His narcissism cost countless brave lives, and he deserves nothing but scorn for being anywhere near the South Pacific theater in WWII. He was an unfit general.
The author's video makes clear. The Australians had an advantage in intelligence, manpower, firepower, logistics, resupply, and control of the air. They could not close and destroy their enemy and only advance when the Japanese retreated. It is also clear the Australian commander was too busy "micromanaging" ground battles to understand his job was to win the war by destroying his enemy (not by pretending each battle was the last). The Australian commander was promoted beyond his ability to lead. That is why he was relieved of command by his commanding officer. This is something the author refused to accept. The job simply needed to go to a better field commander. Which the Australians got once the room was made.
@@jhtsurvival Bullshit. He had absolutely no concept of the difficulties that the Australian Forces were facing up on the Kokoda Trail and barely visited anywhere near the front via jeep with that toad Blamey sucking up to him.
As documentaries go, this presentation is nothing less than superb. Rather than the details dragging the narration into boredom they provide the key to understanding the struggle and renders honor to the brave men who fought there. The narrator never misses a beat, his inflections are well chosen and effective, and his material makes a complicated campaign easily understood. I can't recall a better presentation (though the US Army presentations on Stalingrad come close). Well done!
I wrote a piece on Quora about the Kokoda trail and got corrected by an Aussie, he said it was called the Kokoda Track. My understanding of this campaign is. The Aussies were better than the yanks in jungle warfare. The yanks learned fast and went to the Philippines and won. MacArthur was overrated and to prove his point, he nearly started WW3 six years later.
@@fastyaveit MacArthur was correct about what to do in Korea. The problem was with the politicians who know nothing about war sticking their nose where it does not belong, like they are doing today. Especially the maoscumunist and his rules of engagement. Politicians destroy everything they put their hands on.
@@geezee1579 Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I'm not with you in thinking MacArthur was right on Korea. There's no telling what would have happened if someone started throwing Nukes around. We managed to kill plenty of our own people during nuclear testing around that time, because no one understood radiation poisoning properly. Churchill didn't want to stop at Berlin, he wanted to continue & liberate Eastern Europe. With hindsight, maybe that would have saved drama. But, on the other hand, when you look at the amount of Russian/Soviet bodies Stalin was prepared to sacrifice against Germany, it could have been an horrific decision.
Can you tell me if it is true that the Americans have taken credit for what Australia did in ww2 as my grandpa told me about rip grandpa is this true and is it also true that Australia and America had a fight in Australia at finders street station in Australia Melbourne
@@davidhead4917 Yes, and the same is true about the re-taking of the Philippines. Filipinos bore the brunt of the liberation, but American historians have refused to admit it. (I am American.)
Congratulations on a great doco. As a PNG WW2 tragic, and with my Fathers service in the 42nd Battalion, I have had the opportunity and honour to walk the "Battle of The Ridges" campaign on the southern approach to Salamaua. I hope one day you get time to explore those battles. Keep up the sensational work you are doing.
Even Truman finally got sick of McArthur's grandstanding when the General demanded the U.S. use nuclear weapons in Korea Harry sacked him. This video was very well done, and the photos and films were amazing. These men fought their best under the most grueling conditions ever. I don't know how they withstood it...and came out victorious. Top notch presentation.
The United Nations defeated the forces of Communist North Korea; there's no telling if that would have ended in a lasting peace. But the Communists in China, egged on by our "friends" in Russia, crossed the border in mass and drove the U.N. forces back. McArthur wanted to counter-attack, with rules of engagement allowing action against China proper. The idea that this meant that he planned on using atom bombs is a stretch. In 1964, the Left claimed that Barry Goldwater wanted to use nukes in Vietnam: this is the same (and effective) tactic used in this case: demonize your opponent.
My father who was in the 2/31 was shot in the knee at Gona on the 22nd November 1942. He would never talk about it so thanks for this video which explains what he went through.
This is a very well presented program. I'm afraid your assessment of MacArthur is spot on. Even my old First Sergeant in high school ROTC held contempt for "Dugout Doug" (his words, not mine), whom he served under as an Army infantryman during both WWII and Korea. And don't think that Mac's incessant PR attempts to downplay Australian contributions to the Southwest Pacific campaign had any lasting effect on US military thinking about our OZ and Kiwi allies. If you ever get a chance to tour the Pentagon in Washington, DC, you will find a corridor dedicated to ANZAC forces during WWI and WWII, such is the esteem with which with hold your nation's warriors. With regard to the US 41st Infantry Division (nicknamed "The Jungleers") I have a certain bias because it was composed mostly of American boys from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The 163rd Infantry Regiment, was a Montana National Guard unit. Along with the Canadian-American First Special Service Force (The Devil's Brigade) and the Camp Rimini war dog training program, their history of fighting in WWII is well documented at the Montana Military Museum in Helena, MT. About ten or twelve years ago I had the privilege of meeting one of the last surviving veterans of the 163rd's New Guinea campaign. He and a former company commander in the First Special Service Force served as board members and volunteers at the Museum. Now they are all gone. We only have the memories of their heroic deeds. If this video is any measure of it, I'd say that Australians still honor the actions of their soldier's heroic sacrifices in past conflicts. I'd like to add that the few Aussies I had the chance to serve with were a riotous lot who tried desperately to live up to the humorous misconception of many Americans that everyone down under is a budding Crocodile Dundee. Not a bad accolade when you think about it.
In many ways the sacrifice & success of our WW's I & II fighting forces, are the primary enduring sense of what it is to be Australian. One is to be in Australia, two is to realise it cost us a lot to keep war somewhere else. The majority of us are grateful for it, & ANZAC day is the most sacred Aussie day of the year. To this day hundreds of thousands of Australians get up before dawn, go to their local war memorial, & have a dawn ceremony to remember our fallen & returned soldiers. "Lest we forget." We have built into our national culture, the fact that if we don't remember what it takes to keep the peace, it'll be on us.
Dad never spoke much about the war but after his death my sisters did some research and found he was in the 2/12 and fought at Buna and Balikpapan (plus others) and went on to the occupation of Japan for a couple of years after the war. Your video has opened my eyes to what he and his mates went through. He did get bitter at times whenever he thought us kids expected a bit too much of life.
Wow - your videos are impressively thorough and informative and educational. I had an uncle (sadly no longer with us) who fought in this theatre and I am only just learning now about this often overlooked and under-appreciated part of Australian military history thanks to your brilliant videos. Please keep up the fantastic work - your contribution to our national awareness of these battles and their importance are priceless. You do the exploits of my uncle and all the other diggers, Marines, airman and sailors who served a fantastic service in documenting and explaining their role in the bigger picture of the war in the Pacific.I am sure there are countless other family members of servicemen/women who are very grateful as well. Thank you so much for the incredible effort that it must take to put these together.
Very thorough, and very well done. Thank you for telling this story in such detail. Generations of descendants of veterans and the fallen, deserve to have this story told so that they can more fully understand what their relatives and loved ones went through. I will never think of my great uncles as a younger men, without thinking about how they went through this, and that this is why they became the people they were, later in life. What you do better than almost anyone I have seen so far, is describe the Japanese fairly, dispassionately, and accurately as some of the hardest fighting men the world had seen, and how professional and competent they truly were. It is only when you understand this, that you can start to appreciate just how hard won WW2 in the Pacific really was. Then it starts to dawn how incredibly fortunate we were to prevail - as it sure wasn't remotely a foregone conclusion. If this kind of story was told as part of Aussie history in high schools, maybe we wouldn't have kids taking this part of our past for granted. After all, a lot of the blokes who fought were not that much older than high school kids or Uni students, particularly in the militia /CMF units.
I worked with a man who's uncle had been at Bataan, and swore if he had ever met MacArthur again, only one would survive the encounter. He said when MacArthur left Bataan, he left all the nurses in spite of there being room for them. And they were treated worse than the soldiers captured. The general was an arrogant cuss. Even in Korea before being relieved by the president.
Leaving nurses behind! That is not the behaviour of an Officer and a Gentleman but rather a cad. He could have shared some space on his PT boats to at least get some nurses out, but no he spent his time being sea sick. Maybe he was really battling with his conscience at having abandoned the nurses. I hope that he is rotting in Hell. He needs to have his work reviewed by historians. Pompous cad. Mark from Melbourne Australia
yeah the death march at Bataan is not widely covered as it should be. The humiliating retreat left so many behind at a enemy who took no quarter...I don't want to think that happened to the nurses... Those bases would have thousands of civilians- dear God. Not everyone was evacuated as you said.
@@stephenodell9688 no british sensibilities of women and children and other friendly locals aboard ships....before the infantry left. No wake island here. If it makes you feel any better the British surrender in Singapore humiliation never ceases to amaze me. IM sure there were more than PT boats there. AIrfields... and other ways out.. The Japanese took to the Phillipinos for brutality but they formed their own resistance movement. the Japanese advance was too quick intelligence was poor in this region. This was no Dunkirk that chaotic retreat but things could have been handled better in hindsight.
Watched this, this morning before it was deleted. I love the historical stories of the Aussies in Papua and New Guinea. Hopefully the next video is the defence of Wau and then onto Lau? Great work mate!
Australia was very lucky the Japanese didn't get there. mbed Darwin miniature submarines torpedoed Sydney Harbour Newcastle! The Emporer said they may have lost the war but would come in the back way. Ignorant researcher stated they weren't going to invade Australia.
@@barbaraclayton2171 The struggle was between the Japanese Army and Navy about invasion, just as there had been over going north or south in 1941. The decision not to invade was made largely on logistical grounds: Australia was a long way away from Japanese supply sources, and our country is huge. American subs would have had a field day along the supply routes, and the Japanese knew it. Even today,, any significant place in Australia is almost impervious to substantial invasion.
Yet another outstanding contribution. Your level of detail, combined with good graphics and professional narration provide a very clear and well-informed picture of the events of these terrible campaigns. Please keep it up, I'm looking forward to your future presentations.
I have never fired a shot in anger but served 6 years in the Royal Australian Regiment as an infantry soldier. So I understand much of the descriptions detailed here. This is an outstanding effort Sir, I salute you. Duty First.
I said something cheeky and undeserved when I started watching this. I take it back. The depth and thoroughness of this presentation, and the way you don't just report but EVALUATE and take a stand on the performance of the various units and commanders stands out as some fine historical work. The combination of personal antecedents and overall operational/strategic storytelling has only been equaled in my experience by the Time-Life World War 2 book series. I hope you do more.
My dad was a combat infantryman who served in the Pacific throughout WW 2. He said that MacArthur was a supreme egoist. The troops called him dugout Doug. No one could stand to be around the man. Rumor had it that MacArthur refused to take nurses with him when he and his family were evacuated from the Philippines on PT boats. But he did take his refrigerator....the nurses faced serial rape at the hands of the Japanese. Douglas MacArthur, American hero.
There was a standing joke at the time that went like this. Soldier 1 " Do you know dug-out Doug?" Soldier 2 " Are you kidding?! I'm one of the guys who dug the dug-out for Dug-out Doug!!"
Ive put off watching this until I had some free time. You’ve proven your content is worthy of my FULL attention. Thank you for the new upload. Now it’s time to sit back and push the play button…
Well done, sir! Excellent presentation and analysis. My uncle served on McArthur's staff in the Dai Ichi building in Tokyo following the war. I can assure you his analysis of McArthur is very similar to yours. McA was a severely egotistical, petulant, yet brilliant man who did not suffer fools well, but neither did he accept criticism or opposition to his ideas/plans. While he was great at vision when it came to large scale issues, his command of detail was severely lacking. His officer staff was made up of "yes" men, commonly known as the "Bataan Gang," whom he had brought out from the Philippines when he made his escape. Intellectually brilliant and extremely brave, his character, moulded by his mother's coddling, left him quick to accept praise, but any failure was the fault of another.
I am sorry , MacArthur was about as brilliant as Ted, my pet snail. He was never in control, not even in Korea and was finally fired when this became obvious.
Just found your channel and this series. I'm liking it. Please say you're doing more about WW2. I love hearing about battles, campaigns and skirmishes that I've never heard before. Really have been wanting to hear more about the day to day stories of the air war amongst other stuff so if you know any plz share with us! Awesome job!
I'm glad to hear someone to express criticism on McArthur and his inadequate attention to details necessary for military engagemens. So many of my fellow Americans think he is a God. Thank for your detailed presentation.
Lots of people expressed criticism of MacA. FYI theater chiefs cannot micromanage. FYI Mac A sabotaged his own career as Chief of Staff by deliberately and to his face Criticizing FDR for Going along with the gutting of our military material during the 1930's. That is why he was not appointed to a second term as Chief of staff. He was dumped to the Philippines as a retired officer to keep him out of the way and shut him up. His requests for men and material to build up the Philippines were ignored and he was given only a small fraction of what was needed. Roosevelt was a manipulative overrated mediocrity who who allowed the Japanese to gain a huge Naval superiority in the Pacific. FDR compounded that move by putting all the battleships line up in Pearl Harbor with no where enough of either land or sea based Air support. That move was so suicidally stupid that some conspiracy theorists argue that it was a deliberate enticement. Learn about things military including the basic rule that you always have to plan your deterrent based upon the enemy's military capabilities not use a crystal ball to try to figure what his intentions will be. The japs had been allowed to build up a significant superiority in Carriers , escorts, and munitions not tyo mention a huge Army. which is why they took the gamble.
@@johnb66yWell I don't know if Roosevelt made the decision to keep the battleships on in harbor. He would have to been micromanaging the Army and Navy in Hawaii, the Philippines, Wake Island, Midway and Guam. I'll read your reply again Incase I misunderstood you
I don't believe it's your place to tell me to learn more about military leadership. I'm quite aware how we were not prepared for the Japanese. With Congress being Isolationists and the demilitarization of out armed forces after WWI we didn't have but a tiny Army and too small of a Navy. Even the Pentagon had their thumbs up their rear
@@johnb66y you need to talk to much older filopinos about maca.... i have in rhe last seven years that i have lived in mindinao.... he was a prima donna with delusion of granduar as an empiror of the phills... btw i am a vietnam war vet... dont need ur advise on military matters...
That was an excellent lecture - I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. And this campaign often appears to be over shadowed by the better known Guadalcanal one - so well done again on that front.
Sorry man this one was like 3 weeks work, every day. The research, 21 thousand word script, 4 days editing the video. I just tried to get it done as quickly as I could. I’ll do a post when I’m half way through the next one.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 Well worth the wait. Better a long time coming (but not too long) than a rushed job with gaps in the account and shoddy research.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 Your sorry is unacceptable as you do not need to say that. It is an over used word that is losing its' meaning. Thanks for all your work.
Thank God for these young kids as that's all they were. Their lives were never the same again. Hate to think how the young bucks would cope these days if faced with those conditions.
Congratulations on yet another fantastic documentary! Thank you for shining light on the great contribution and sacrifice of Australia's " Greatest Generation ". As a side note, if ever that PHD gig thingy doesn't work out for you, I think you might have a future in narration. Your presentation, especially the cadence and tone, is simply world class.
@@barbaraclayton2171 maybe you should do a quick google search and see why that term is used across Western civilisation before jumping down someone's throat unnecessarily yeah.
The best campaign descriptions I've come across on YT. An excellent combination of operational context, tactical detail, and logistics. Very good use of maps. Balanced assessment of the troops involved. Imagery neither under nor over used. I particularly liked the Milne Bay video.
Thank you for this excellent documentary. Just like we Brits feel Kohima is hardly mentioned, so too is this story of bitter fighting by Aussies and US soldiers in PNG. I have so much respect for the toughness shown by these Aussie heroes in the face of fanatical and determined fighting by the Japanese. And what an environment to fight in.
My great uncle died trying to take the Airfield at Buna, he was killed during an attack on a pillbox, he was 17. The letter we received assures us he died instantly, I can only hope this is true.
FAIRBAIRN, James Duncan Service numbers QX31081 , Private, 2nd/10th Infantry Battalion, Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Born 11 Oct 1922, Died 26 Dec 1942, Killed in action @1:22:30
My grand uncle was killed at Buna. Well, shot through the lungs and died on a stretcher..19, shanghaied illegally into the 55/53rd in Sydney and bung into action with no real training. I'm named after him and I think about all those poor blokes up in there. Pretty awful stuff those boys suffered & endured.. And shabbily treated & betrayed by Blamey and Macarthur during the Owen Stanley campaign.
While I was aware of the Buna Gona campaign, this work greatly clarified my understanding of it. This campaign was a preview of what came to be the standard Japanese tactic of bloody minded defense to the death of prepared positions intended to inflict maximum casualties on the attackers. So it was on Peleliu, the old city part of Manilla, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and would have been had the mainland been invaded. It is not clear that the 41st division would have performed noticeably better than the 32nd given the state of training and preparation. Resources were pretty scanty for the Americans in Australia at the time. Some personal knowledge I have of the situation--my father enlisted in the USAAF in December 1941. He was identified through testing as being mechanically talented, and as a result was on his way to Australia thirty days after he enlisted. He and his unit, an airfield operating squadron didn't even receive basic rifle training until after they arrived.
One of my best images of the Aussie attitudes about “Proper uniforms” was written In The section called “Humor in Uniform,” in the publication *Reader’s Digest* which was always hilarious. This was about a British officer confronting an Aussie enlisted man, who was riding a horse down towards the river. The Aussie was wearing only shorts and the officer asked what he was doing going around out of uniform. The Aussie replied that he was going to the river to take a bath. The Officer remarked “See here, you can’t go around just wearing shorts!” The Aussie slid down from the horse and replied “Very well sir.” Then the Aussie took off his shorts, remounted his horse, and proceeded to the river stark naked! Gotta love the Aussies!
Such a good job. Didn't realize 2 hrs had gone buy! Ive read so much about Guadalcanal, but really knew nothing of this part of the war or the Australian bravery and professionalism. Thank you!
It has always been said that McArthur should never have had any form of command due to his many noted failures even as a junior staff officer. He had an ego that only satisfied himself regardless of what others around him suffered.
Bob, might try William Manchester’s AMERICAN CEASAR. McArthur, though an egotistical pill, was not as bad as this vid relates. He learned from Buna campaign and never repeated a head-on clash. Per Manchester, he took more territory with the lowest casualties of any American General. Ironically he is greatly revered in post war Japan for a complete revision of their government and setting them in a good direction. That said, Vinegar Joe Stilwell arguably had the toughest post for an American in WW2. WW2 was logistics and McArthur and Stilwell were at the bottom of the food chain...respectively. Cheers
MacArthur have been a controversial and enigmatic figure. When asked about MacArthur, Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey once said, "The best and the worst things you hear about him are both true."
@@barbaraclayton2171 what soldier would not visit a brother? It says a lot about McArthur that Eisenhower, the consumate diplomat who could work even with Montgomery, *hated* McArthur's guts.
Love the quality and pace of you narration. Great detail and use of graphics. As an American I might perhaps take issue with the characterization of MacArthur, but my own reading, and a grand-uncle, (who served in the USAAF in NG, and didn't think very highly of him,) make me inclined to agree with what you've said.
I’m not saying this because I’m Australian; I think that’s the whole problem with history. There are MANY American generals whom I greatly admire. People let their own National pride get in the way of a rational evaluation. Obviously there’s a lot to be proud of, but MacArthur has been turned into a god by the history channel and American historians; but a fair evaluation of the evidence shows just how many flaws the man had.
Brilliantly edited and both the narrative and analysis is excellent. Really enjoyed it. I did the Kokoda trail 3 years ago and this documentary really brought back memories of just how tough the terrain and conditions are. Really enjoyed every minute.
An excellent presentation! A good mix of big picture strategy with small unit operations. We owe so much to these poor bastards who had to slog through swamps and overcome a tenacious enemy with little substantive help.
Thank you for this. Its the best account of this battle I have found and gave me such a good understanding of what my Great Uncle went through in this battle. He was in the AIF 2/10 and died on the 26th Dec 42. To see the layout and see how the battle was fought really helped me understand what he and the others went through. Initially the length of the film put me off, but I watched the whole 2 plus hours and was engaged throughout. That in itself is impressive. 👏👏👏
My father whom is Japanese/American was assigned to the 32nd Division for Buna/Gona. campaign, dad didn't talk about the war but found some documents where he was promoted after Buna Gona and reasigned to the 41st Division.
I am grateful for this well considered and detailed presentation. I learned so much, I had underappreciated this theater. Far too often, documentaries of this stage of the war gloss over these battles as just a tough learning experience and growing pains for inexperienced allied troops, an 'also ran' sideshow to Guadalcanal. These battles were however an essential part of turning the Pacific war around. Thank you.
The excellent narration is very easy to listen to. So much detail, that I often pause and go and look at maps or do some side reading. So much detail information and photos, presented in a way that it makes it possible to start to understand the events that occurred years ago. This video is excellent. Thank you for presenting it.
It wartime, and MacArthur sends in a barely trained unit with almost no artillery or armor against a known fanatical enemy - ASSUMING it's going to be a frigging cakewalk for them. When his fantasy battle fails to happen as imagined he blames the unit's commander/officers. Pathetic.
I very much enjoyed your recent in-depth accounts of critical battles in Papua New Guinea during World War II. The depth and thoughtful of these videos sets them apart from most of the "history" videos I see on TH-cam. I hope you provide other in-depth histories of other battles. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to research, record, and post these very enjoyable films.
The 32nd was in Massachusetts, awaiting transport to England when they were ordered to Australia. They took trains to San Francisco. My father joined the 32nd there, direct from basic training. He was in Co K, 3rd Battalion, 128th Inf. He didn’t talk much about what he did. He had high praise for the Aussie brigades, especially 2/7 and 2/9. He had a high regard for the tenacity of the enemy. The 32nd saw 657 days of actual combat, more than any other US Army division in WWII. This is, by far, the best presentation I have seen, or read, about Buna-Gona. Most American shows about the war in the Pacific are about the US Marines or about MacArthur.
The training they received in Australia was minimal from what I’ve been able to find. They spent a fair bit of time in Victoria, then they moved to South Australia, then moved to Queensland to do jungle training, and each one of these moves took weeks. Australia is a big place and then each state has its own rail system, so you had to change trains three times during each one of these moves. So they literally spent a third of their time in transit. Then to be thrown against Buna with no tanks and just 2 75mm artillery pieces? Absolute criminal negligence.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 It was criminal to start the battle before the division was fully concentrated. A U.S. Army division is supposed to have three battalions of artillery, a battalion of tanks, and a antitank gun battalion as well.
This is excellently done. Please continue the New Guinea campaign! This American’s father commanded a LST in the campaign. He loved telling stories of the Aussies he carried. One group stole an number of cases of beer onshore, and when the Belgian shop-owner marched onto the ship in anger, my father was resting on some crates coved with a blanket on the deck. After dismissing the angry civilian, he turned to the Aussie Sergeant and asked “Ok, where is all that beer?” They reply was “Well, Mate, you are lying on it”. Remembering those Aussies made him laugh for 70 years…
MacArthur was indeed an egotistical hack. His first actions when the war began should have been his last: when Pearl Harbor was attacked, his air commander recommended that his air forces be commanded into the air to avoid being blown to pieces on the ground. MacArthur overruled him with the expected result that his forces were decimated immediately after the Japanese finished at Pearl. Never understood why he was kept in such high regard. BTW I have enjoyed your well researched and displayed videos. Keep up the great work!
It is fantastic to see Australian military history presented in long-form documentary format. While presented on a shoestring, this is a gripping tale well told.
The Japanese stand at Gona, Sanananda and Buna was a small taste of what the Allies were to encounter on their road to Tokyo. And the Allies discovered that the price they had to pay in blood rose steadily as they approached the Japanese home islands.
I hope this lesson is now learnt. Australian forces don't need foreign leadership. Yanks may have done well throwing more men and machinery at a battle till the enemy is overwhelmed by numbers but Australia tends to use intellect and skills to manage the situation. Both systems work well using what the respective countries have plenty of.😱
@@lukemagro6060 Mcarthur was overrated and hes style of leadership would later on result in a lot of US casualties. The Australians also had Blamey whom was also equally problematic and cost many casualties. The allies would have been better off just laying seige Gona and starving the Japanese. Then bring in Tanks to slowly grind down the survivors.
@@lukemagro6060 i once met a artillery sergeant from the Australian army who served in war games with the yanks in the early 90's his platoon hated the loud noises coming from the yanks camp, so they promptly sneaked into the camp and 'borrowed' their back packs
As a Yank I love hearing about the Australians fighting in the jungle, the jungle that becomes the great equalizer ! This is an all new story for me and I soaked it up like a sponge ! I felt there so much that I had to wash the Jungle off of me at the end of the article !
Your videos of the battles in and around New Guinea are the best I've seen anywhere. I've read about the Kokoda Track, Milne Bay, Wau, and Buna-Goma, but every time I watch one of your videos I learn many things I didn't know. The detail you provide allows me to understand step by step exactly how the fighting progressed from start to finish.
Brilliant job. Thanks for the information. American-written histories, from memory, designate the Buna campaign as a mop-up after Kokoda. Clearly, that is not the case.
That was the line McArthur pushed. He'd claimed he'd already won the war in New Guinea, so the Buna/Gona campaign had to be characterised as "mopping up".
That was very good. I have read a lot of the history from Milne to Goa and you are correct and on the ball. You have pulled no punches and have sheeted home the failings with out fear or favor. And we still have not got to Bougainville. I like the style of your presentation.
I have watched all your vids for the New Guinea campaign; milne bay, kokoda, buna-gona, wau. These are absolutely fantastically done, the detail is amazing and so is the historical content. Can't wait for the Salamaua- Lae campaign and Wewak productions. Didn't realise this history on our doorstep growing up in Sydney.
You work has me captivated, so informative and eloquent. I started watching this thinking it would be another five minuet account and was happy to stay for the full two hours. Brilliant thanks
I live near the Florida mangroves/swamps and go fishing there often. I cannot imagine doing ANYTHING in them, much less fighting there. Interesting fact: swamp combat training was held in the mangroves of South Florida during WWII.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
I once met an old gentlemen who struck up a conversation about my uniform. He said he'd been in the Australian Army but only for 12 months. I asked if he had seen any action and he said 'Shaggy Ridge, Buna and Gona'. That's the toughest 12 months in the Army I could ever imagine.
My dad fought at Buna and beyond with the US 127th regiment of the 32nd Division. He was in one of the companies surrounded by the enemy on Christmas 1942. To the end of his days, Dad cursed MacArthur but had nothing but praise and admiration for the Diggers he fought alongside. Thank you so much for this well researched and professionally produced documentary.
My Grandad was in the 39th Battalion, who fought nearby in Gona. He did talk about how the "Yanks" of the 32nd got a hot reception in the first attack and that the Diggers felt they had been thrown in without proper planning, and based on this video they should have waited until the armour was available. I have been to Buna and seen the memorial to the 32nd division there, very moving.
@@paulmcgregor7708 Thanks so much for your remarks. I've long wanted to contact Australian participants in the battle or their descendants. Is there a veterans organization or such in Australia that might have collected memoirs or interviews of the vets do you know?
My father was B Company, 2/33rd, 25th Brigade. He had survived the whole advance of the Kokoda Track.
@@wtdean check out the Australian war memorial.
They've got archives of all Australia's efforts.
Most of it is also available online through their website.
My Grandfather's handwritten Diary of that Xmas... Dec 25, 1942 (127th/ 32nd Division, Buna) "
We were alerted at 4:00am this morning to be ready to reach airport by 6:00am. We had
very little time considering the work to be done but we were on the planes (Hudson
Bombers) by seven and in Buna at 7:45am. This airport is a lively place because of Zeros
strafing and snipers sniping. With full battle array we started the march of hell to the
front - twelve miles of mud, high humidity, blistering sun, and men passing out because
of heat and load. At six pm we finally reached (cannot read the name of village) Village
where we left our non-essentials and then off again for three more miles of darkness,
mud, jungle and griping men. We finally reached where we thought was our destination
but we had to push one more mile to sleep in the swamps to prepare for battle at six the
next morning. No sleep because of the battle noise but some were so doggeded tired that
Times Square couldn’t keep them awake. This is one Christmas Day that the 127 Inf
will never forget. The moral is still high and the boys seem like veterans
already. Some of the boys I see now will be killed, tortured, maimed for life but they
have confidence of their ability, so God Bless them."
Despite being longer than many feature films, this meticulously researched and highly detailed narration held my attention throughout. It is the kind of work that truly mitigates the internet...
I was riveted to this program. I have to say that in other days this would be an Oscar deserving of work. As for the Japanese, Aussie and American forces they ALL have to be held in the highest regard.
I cannot imagine standing chest deep in water after slogging through it all day.
My God what a durable gang of men, they were all outstanding. I pity the poor Lieutenant as he was mostly likely at a complete loss as what to do so he did the only thing he knew and that was to save his men
As se free a
@CreedOfHeresy I don't see how it exemplifies or mitigates.
Like the internet needs exemplifying or mitigation.
This Buna-Gona story is just an absorbing military account. A documentary. Shown here, and elsewhere.
"Battlefield" Series
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The Australian War Memorial should give you a grant to produce content. Your work is commendable.
Only a Grant? How about a Matilda or a Sherman? Just kidding. No, I fully agree with your comment.
A superb piece of work. Knowledgeable, balanced and well delivered, this sets the standard!
Q
Of all the stupid comments and recommendations I’ve read here on TH-cam yours is definitely NOT one of them! This is top shelf content and should be linked on the War Memorial website if it isn’t already. Edit: Australia has always been on my bucket list. When I do make it there the War Memorial will be top on the list and I plan on being a permanent resident in the records room for a few days.
@@markfryer9880 A Grant wouldn't have been able to operate effectively in the Buna-Goma area anyway.
My father fought at Buna and Gona with the 32nd. He spent three years with the 32nd. Something people need to know is that The 32nd had trained to fight in Europe. They were in Boston preparing to board ships for England when their orders changed. Traveled by train to San Francisco and left for Australia. Once they got to Australia, they had to build their own camp (Camp Adelaide). Not long after building that camp, they were moved once again and had to build this camp as well, which was Camp Tamborine just south of Brisbane. Instead of training in jungle warfare etc, all their time was spent building camps. To add to it all, their Khakis uniforms had been sent out to a dry cleaner to be dyed OD Green. The dye had made the uniforms unable to breath. McArthur sent these untrained kids out to be slaughtered with no artillery or tank support. I’ve heard over the years that Aussies hated McArthur but I promise you no one hated MacArthur more than my father and he told me everyone Red Arrow man hated him too.
I dunno, my dad was USMC and he hated MacArthur a LOT.
The first defence of the Kokoda track after the Japanese invasion was left to militia battalions with an average age of 19. They had had rudimentary training in Australia before being sent to Port Moresby where instead of being further trained for tropical heat and jungle they were employed as labourers on the docks and earthworks for months until word came that the japs had landed. So they struggled north over the Track , up and slithering down 1000m peaks and valleys up and down over the range along the track which was three men wide at most with unbridged river and creek crossings in their kit which was bright almost white khaki shorts and shirts, carrying their ammunition,food and water . No operations in New Guinea were possible without the aid and valour of the local men and women who carried massive amounts of supplies one way and then returned carrying the wounded back for days on end to any sort of medical attention. However the militia boys acquitted themselves as heroes despite being forced into a staged retreat . Their payoff after several desperate months in the field and many casualties was to be accused by MacArthur and his Australian puppet of running like rabbits! He was lucky that he wasn’t shot. Men were being forced to their deaths because MacArthur had no idea of the jungle terrain ,indeed he had never been to New Guinea!
@@mongolike513 MacArthur was a bum. My dad was USMC at the end of the war and he would go on and on about what a bum Mac was.
Good stuff and thx for sharing from an American who grew up in Boston and even I despised MacArthur. That pompous ass. When I heard his "old soldiers just fade away" speech to Congress I wanted to puke
*"sees picture of one of the best Tanks ever made in Human History and bitches about being the prototypical worthless Aussie shit for brain."* Go back to massacring Kangaroos fuck tard! The only breathing item you can "man up" against going on *FOREVER* now.
This is a first rate docunentary, worthy of the highest praise. You are committed to the even-handed and thoroughly respectful treatment of both the allied and Japanese combatants in this gruelling campaign. It reinforces the conviction in me that war is to be avoided at all cost.
Avoided at the cost of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
The international banking clans decide when hwy and how war is entered into, and when they want it to stop they just close their line of credit.
Yep. Cheers.
Brilliant documentary. My dad was in the 32nd and the New Guinea campaign. Before they deployed, he was a training NCO (artillery) and they were kitted out and trained for the European theater. Last minute, they were on trains to the West Coast. They got some jungle basics plus acclimatizing in Australia but it was a shitshow. Their uniforms rotted and caused infections because they tried to dye them camo. Their quinine melted in their pockets and most of the men were fighting while ill with malaria and dysentary. They went days without food, clean water, ammo or sleep. I cannot fathom the hell they went thru before the horrors of actual combat. MacArthur was an egomaniac that threw men and commanders under the bus in stead of taking responsibility for his ineptitude. It was absolutely revolting the way he treated the Australians.
I agree with your take on McArthur. And as an Australian thank you to your father for enduring hell itself to save my homeland. I sincerely hope he has had a long and happy life afterwards
I'm going to pile on about MacArthur as well. My father-in-law was with the US Army in the 141st division in an artillery unit. He fought from New Guinea all the way up through Peleliu. And what you said about the deplorable conditions these soldiers went through is spot on. He said resupply was a nightmare and they went sometimes days without food and ammunition. And also the thing about the uniforms was exactly what he experienced. He said to a man everybody hated MacArthur because he had no regard for the troops and spent their lives like they were penny candy. He met his future wife, my mother-in-law, while on leave in Australia. He got down to Melbourne and met her at a dance. She was from a little village outside of Melbourne called Bunyip. While I respect what my father-in-law did, I did not like him as a person but my mother-in-law was an angel! We have many relatives from the Gold Coast down to Melbourne and Bunyip of course. I learned the term Fair Dinkum but I have no idea what the hell that means! Anyway, the Australians from the Diggers to the Commandos were a hell of a fighting force and I'm proud of your heritage and that my country fought alongside yours even though the leaders, particularly the Americans were arrogant and uncooperative. Best wishes! 😊
War Is Not A Fun Time There is a lot of privation and difficulties If Your logistics is great
Of all the research material and documentaries I have read or watched on
the New Guinea campaign, this is by far the best. Congratulations on a
great documentary.
Thank you for all the work that went into this. My father was there. 2/9th Batallion as a mortar Sargent. He told us that the landing itself at Buna was uneventful and over the years spoke of a couple of things about Buna and Sanananda. One was about grenades. Australian grenades are 5 secs. His words ...To get them in a bunker they had to hang onto them for 3 secs. and then .. "I got pretty good at it after a while". The second was this.. I asked him once where he was most frightened.. he said Buna. A mountain gun had them stuck and they couldn't dislodge it, No doubt one of the bunkers so well described here. Their mortars were bouncing off the top. The Japanese were working down the officers each time they rolled it out. After a time some American artillery guys turned up and silenced the mountain gun. He was wounded at Sanananda, recovered, returned to fight at Shaggy Ridge, and by some miracle survived 6 years of war. He lived to 96, two kids (me and a brother, 3 grandkids and two great-grandchildren) great bloke, very humble. Now.., he and the family have never forgotten the unknown to us, the American artillery crew. Whoever you are, thanks guys!!
That is an amazing family heritage. I wish I could have spoken to him; i'd have so many questions.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 Thanks. Getting it out of him was the problem.
Maybe you have listened to this.
If the link disappears. Search for Sergeant Vernon Hansen QX377 on the Australian War Memorial Site,
@@peterhansen2347 I served in the Australian Army Reserve and I found that the people who I came across while building wardrobes and other built in furniture, would open up to me and tell me things that they had never told their families.
As an American whose father and uncles fought in Europe, and neighborhood families who fought in the Pacific, wonderful to hear detailed, reasoned, account of Bona-Gona, with an Aussie accent, which makes it believable. My generation never heard much (except sinking transports!) Many thanks
agreed, this was informative and for me, new info. Thanks for a great job. We're all very lucky the people that fought and won this war came before us. Things would be very different today, all over the world, if not for them.
I'm a 52 year old history teacher (secondary/ATAR) living in Perth (I did 4 years infantry reserves back in the day) and this, as well as all of his phenomenally researched videos, is just - AWESOME! My passion is military history (especially Australian) and you should see my bookcases. Kudos to you cobber! I LOVE your work.
Audible groans from bookcases - but that’s a good thing 😁! I hear mine almost every time the mail runs, lol. Well, there are vices, and then there are vices. I’ll take my groaning bookcases - double stacked. Yikes!
I am growing more and more contemptuous of Macarthur the more I listen to these videos. It is becoming more and more clear that most of his talent was in PR, rather than warfighting.
A plan is only as good as the understanding of every element of that plan, and multiple times he not only failed to appreciate the truly horrendous terrain in which the troops were fighting, but never made any attempt to discover for himself the brutal conditions he was forcing troops to fight in, and implicating them as cowardswhen for some strange reason they could not advance as fast as forces could in say... the Desert.... where fire and armoured support was far more readily available.
The fact that he never once visited those battlefields to look at the terrain for himself disgusts me, for all his many very real flaws, Montgomery, or even Patton, would never have done that....
I’m pretty hard on him. But it’s mainly because there is so much MacArthur mythology. Just the other day I saw a TH-cam post on how MacArthur’s genius won the Admaralty Islands. I’ve studied military history all my life and I can tell you MacArthur was no genius.
He was a good strategist, and later on in the campaign he would really confine himself to grand strategy more, but he was a poor battlefield commander.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 With his ineptitude he belonged in WWI, slaughtering his troops.
and blamley was a wanker
from first hand account he was nearly shot by aussie troops after he abused them
was father in law
MacArthur is victim to the officers legend. He was a reformer, recognizing the flaws in the officer training system. He was a good strategist, but not adept at understanding the true gravity of every situation.
His strategic designs and PR moves are EXACTLY what an officer strives for. You want the public and your troops to admire you even if youre plan turns out bad. The reason MacArthur is so mythologized is because officers (who may or may not recognize all of his failings) see someone who captivated the average person, and appears to be a "good general". The best general isn't always the one who makes all the right decisions, but the one who demonstrates absolute confidence. And so MacArthur is often elevated to a status above his practical self because his self-fueling mythical self puts him there.
As horrible as that is... theres an unfortunate logic to it. The average person would struggle to lead so many willingly to their death, and sometimes the few who can do it go way to far.
I hope I don't come across as a MacArthur apologist, I'm just trying to explain how I view him. Decent strategy, great pr, lacking humanity at many points... but that PR redeems him as an officer/general, even if it doesn't redeem him as a human being.
@Daniel Large reactionary shortselling. Its a common technique to try and undo undeserved praise, but if yours becomes the common sentiment, in time it will eventually be those who are like you who praise MacArthur. Its far healthier to just reduce the legendarh status he and others created of his time, and not try to erase it completely for it wasnt all myth. MacArthur certainly thought highly of himself, but he was hardly an incompetent fool. Even for a general he wasn't inadequate. Refer to my other comment where I said there's two aspects of being an officer, and having command of others. One is the strategic, and the other is the formal. MacArthur was average on the strategic point, yet superb on the formal. Not always attuned to details, and not handling things not coming to plan with grace, yet convincing most beneath him that his plan had been right the whole time.
Many of your attestations such as building a mausoleum or using nukes are fairly explainable... especially considering the nukes apparently was Bradley and Boltens idea first, and after communications failures and delays, appears to have been supported by MacArthur after North Korean forces entered Chinese territory, and were no longer allowed to be engaged by the United States, or UN forces. And so the nukes would be used to prevent their return. As politically stupid as we understand this now, and rightfully so, militarily the nuke was not easy for generals to adapt. Or even politicians for that matter. Truman (whos largely seen as the one who 'put a stop to MacArthurs crazy scheme') advised using nukes as a show-of-arms, especially to China who was moving toward involvement in Korea and Taiwan.
I think its hard to accurately judge a general or politician on their sensibilities when they were trained for one age and suddenly ended up in an entirely different epoch. At the time nuclear usage was heavily debated, and "area denial" against an enemy which had been been defeated and retreated beyond the area of engagement was hardly the strangest. There were plans to turn Germany into a wall of nuclear artillery cannons and recoiless launchers, plans to collaborate with the soviet union and nuke the moon, plans to dig out canals with them, plans (and actually carried out) flying active nukes over countries such as the soviet union with the purpose of scarring them into not attacking. When in reality it likely just made them resentful and paranoid.
Once again great job, love your work. My Grandfather was in B Coy, 39th Battalion and was at both at both Isurava and Gona. He didn't talk much about his experiences but did say that Gona was the worst part of the whole war for him.
That says a lot about Gona as we have seen.
As an American who's spent a lot of time around many Kiwi and Aussie friends, my ears are somewhat attuned to the language and accents but I still need CC to understand most of the dialogue on these videos. Thanks for reminding us Yanks that we weren't the only fighters in SWPOA during WWII as we've been indoctrinated to believe by our history books and movies! Keep up your good works "mate"!
Incredible detail and quality content mate. Your channel is a gem
Thank you! My paternal grandfather fought in this grueling battle. He was dealt a blow to the head and malaria. Recovered in Australia, made his way back to the states and was awarded a purple heart. I never had the chance to meet him in person, but his - and all other's- bravery is something I hold close.
Thank you. I have also viewed your video on the battle of Milne Bay and have a greater appreciation of the conditions my father endured in both battles. Private Joe Coombe SX67 2/10 Battalion Coy B earned every cent of the post war support he received from the government until his death at age 93. He fought alongside Tim Hughes and maintained that he should have qualified for two VCs for his tremendous bravery. He never spoke much about his experiences but harboured little love of the Japanese for many years. My most interesting observation of my father was that he did not let his experiences during the war define his life, instead living a simple existence for his family with honesty and integrity throughout.
Fascinating, so many epic and desperate events, and so many that can never be known. At least we have records like this for the stories that can be told. I really appreciate this level of detail and knowledge, exceptional research.
back in the `70''s, the very first book I ever read about WWII was Bloody Buna. that started a hobby that has lasted almost 50 yrs. came back from 'Nam in `68 and this conflict makes that one pale in comparison. a big hat's off to all, for a mostly forgotten (here in the States) of that campaign and big kudo's for posting this just to remind us all of the sacrifices and hardships endured. well done hypohystericalhistory.
You're channel reminds me so much of how Mark Felton does his video's about World War 2. But also how he narrates the video topics he does, from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you for making these videos. I could never find a channel or documentary that went this deep into this Area of the Pacific campaign during World War 2. You do an amazing job at your videos and I hope to see more of them in the coming future.
I was thinking something similar!
Well said. The detail of the video is incredible.
Yes, very well said. I think the comparison with Mark Felton is appropriate.
@@tekis0 I love
He punches above and beyond. Say no more!
Possibly the best piece of war documentary I've ever seen. Two hrrs well spent for me. I dips me lid to ya.
Assuming I properly understand what "dips me lid" means then I dips me lid too.
My father fought at Buna with the 32nd. Though he seldom spoke of his experiences, he did mention how incompetent the officers were and how supplies were always a problem. In his wallet after his death, I found small newspaper clipping about the 32nd. It read it 185 days on the line and suffered 156% casualties. He use one of the originals.
Little confused how you have 156% casualties... were they killing people who hadn't even deployed yet?
@@jhtsurvival I think it comes from situations like person being hurt sufficiently to be counted as a “casualty” then later on being hurt again or even killed, thus that one person counts for two casualties.
@@jhtsurvival Raleigh is partially correct, however, it comes mainly from men becoming casualties, then their replacements becoming casualties as well. For example, start with 100 men. 50 of them are wounded. You now have 50% casualties. Those 50 casualties are replaced with 50 fresh men. If 50 of the new 100 are wounded or killed, 50% of those casualties. Repeat the process one more time. You are now at 150% casualties because 150 of an ORIGINAL 100 men have become casualties. Not all of the original member had to be killed or wounded for the unit to be statistically at 156% casualties.
@@jhtsurvival And you're a little asshole for opening your mouth. It's his dad and it's his story. Let him tell it the way he wants
Your dad fought at Buna and mentioned the incompetence. Good stuff and I image there was incompetence all over the place from Kokoda to Buna. That was the 1st major engagement of the war for Austrailia and also the 1st battle experience for many Aussies, including officers and many Americans too, including logistics so I bet there was incompetence but I don't need to imagine how FUBAR War is. All I can do is hope mankind finds a better way
Brilliant content once again! I'm a new subscriber and your station along with the "Unauthorized History of the South Pacific" are my two go to channels for my daily history lessons! Regarding Macarthur, my father-in-law fought with the US Army in the 141st in an artillery unit. He fought in some of these battles that you have depicted here and fought all the way up the chain to Peleliu. He said pretty much to a man MacArthur was despised. They felt like they were nothing but cannon fodder to that arrogant imbecile. If MacArthur had any strengths I wouldn't know what they were. But he seemed to have little to no regard for anybody serving under him. Asking his one officer named Bob to get it done or don't come back alive speaks volumes. But I am proud that my country fought alongside you Australians in some of the toughest battles of the entire war in the South Pacific. And I thank you wholeheartedly for bringing some of these little-known battles to the forefront and educating us in such an engaging way. The Australians from the Diggers to the Commandos were a frightening force to be reckoned with and things would have been very different had they not been there. Fair Dinkum mate! ( whatever that means!) 😊 🇺🇲🇦🇺 I hope I got your flag right!
Gen. MacArthur had an ego and aloofness unmatched by any commander of his day. His narcissism cost countless brave lives, and he deserves nothing but scorn for being anywhere near the South Pacific theater in WWII. He was an unfit general.
I totally 💯 agree lions led by sheep 🐑.
The author's video makes clear. The Australians had an advantage in intelligence, manpower, firepower, logistics, resupply, and control of the air. They could not close and destroy their enemy and only advance when the Japanese retreated. It is also clear the Australian commander was too busy "micromanaging" ground battles to understand his job was to win the war by destroying his enemy (not by pretending each battle was the last). The Australian commander was promoted beyond his ability to lead. That is why he was relieved of command by his commanding officer. This is something the author refused to accept. The job simply needed to go to a better field commander. Which the Australians got once the room was made.
Getting caught with pants down at the start should have seen Mac dismissed
Nonsense... MacArthur was great.
@@jhtsurvival Bullshit. He had absolutely no concept of the difficulties that the Australian Forces were facing up on the Kokoda Trail and barely visited anywhere near the front via jeep with that toad Blamey sucking up to him.
As documentaries go, this presentation is nothing less than superb. Rather than the details dragging the narration into boredom they provide the key to understanding the struggle and renders honor to the brave men who fought there. The narrator never misses a beat, his inflections are well chosen and effective, and his material makes a complicated campaign easily understood. I can't recall a better presentation (though the US Army presentations on Stalingrad come close). Well done!
Thankyou my friend
I went the distance! Well Done. What a superb bit of research and great presentation. The photos were good too.
My grandfather served in the 32nd. He passed away before I was born, but from what I was told the fighting here was brutal. Thanks for this!
This part of the war is mostly missed my every other World War II doco I’ve seen,and I’ve seen a lot.
Yes, you're absolutely correct. I wish there was some more film from this era to bolster the historical video.
there s some around,
but because it as a americiam based campaign they controlled most of the film ,
I wrote a piece on Quora about the Kokoda trail and got corrected by an Aussie, he said it was called the Kokoda Track.
My understanding of this campaign is.
The Aussies were better than the yanks in jungle warfare.
The yanks learned fast and went to the Philippines and won.
MacArthur was overrated and to prove his point, he nearly started WW3 six years later.
@@fastyaveit MacArthur was correct about what to do in Korea. The problem was with the politicians who know nothing about war sticking their nose where it does not belong, like they are doing today. Especially the maoscumunist and his rules of engagement. Politicians destroy everything they put their hands on.
@@geezee1579 Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I'm not with you in thinking MacArthur was right on Korea. There's no telling what would have happened if someone started throwing Nukes around. We managed to kill plenty of our own people during nuclear testing around that time, because no one understood radiation poisoning properly. Churchill didn't want to stop at Berlin, he wanted to continue & liberate Eastern Europe. With hindsight, maybe that would have saved drama. But, on the other hand, when you look at the amount of Russian/Soviet bodies Stalin was prepared to sacrifice against Germany, it could have been an horrific decision.
This video contains an unbelievable amount of detailed information.
I think that’s why these are really fascinating, the work that has gone into them is outstanding!
Can you tell me if it is true that the Americans have taken credit for what Australia did in ww2 as my grandpa told me about rip grandpa is this true and is it also true that Australia and America had a fight in Australia at finders street station in Australia Melbourne
@@davidhead4917 Yes, and the same is true about the re-taking of the Philippines. Filipinos bore the brunt of the liberation, but American historians have refused to admit it. (I am American.)
Congratulations on a great doco.
As a PNG WW2 tragic, and with my Fathers service in the 42nd Battalion, I have had the opportunity and honour to walk the "Battle of The Ridges" campaign on the southern approach to Salamaua.
I hope one day you get time to explore those battles.
Keep up the sensational work you are doing.
Even Truman finally got sick of McArthur's grandstanding when the General demanded the U.S. use nuclear weapons in Korea Harry sacked him. This video was very well done, and the photos and films were amazing. These men fought their best under the most grueling conditions ever. I don't know how they withstood it...and came out victorious. Top notch presentation.
The United Nations defeated the forces of Communist North Korea; there's no telling if that would have ended in a lasting peace. But the Communists in China, egged on by our "friends" in Russia, crossed the border in mass and drove the U.N. forces back. McArthur wanted to counter-attack, with rules of engagement allowing action against China proper. The idea that this meant that he planned on using atom bombs is a stretch. In 1964, the Left claimed that Barry Goldwater wanted to use nukes in Vietnam: this is the same (and effective) tactic used in this case: demonize your opponent.
My father who was in the 2/31 was shot in the knee at Gona on the 22nd November 1942. He would never talk about it so thanks for this video which explains what he went through.
This is a very well presented program. I'm afraid your assessment of MacArthur is spot on. Even my old First Sergeant in high school ROTC held contempt for "Dugout Doug" (his words, not mine), whom he served under as an Army infantryman during both WWII and Korea. And don't think that Mac's incessant PR attempts to downplay Australian contributions to the Southwest Pacific campaign had any lasting effect on US military thinking about our OZ and Kiwi allies. If you ever get a chance to tour the Pentagon in Washington, DC, you will find a corridor dedicated to ANZAC forces during WWI and WWII, such is the esteem with which with hold your nation's warriors.
With regard to the US 41st Infantry Division (nicknamed "The Jungleers") I have a certain bias because it was composed mostly of American boys from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The 163rd Infantry Regiment, was a Montana National Guard unit. Along with the Canadian-American First Special Service Force (The Devil's Brigade) and the Camp Rimini war dog training program, their history of fighting in WWII is well documented at the Montana Military Museum in Helena, MT. About ten or twelve years ago I had the privilege of meeting one of the last surviving veterans of the 163rd's New Guinea campaign. He and a former company commander in the First Special Service Force served as board members and volunteers at the Museum. Now they are all gone. We only have the memories of their heroic deeds. If this video is any measure of it, I'd say that Australians still honor the actions of their soldier's heroic sacrifices in past conflicts. I'd like to add that the few Aussies I had the chance to serve with were a riotous lot who tried desperately to live up to the humorous misconception of many Americans that everyone down under is a budding Crocodile Dundee. Not a bad accolade when you think about it.
In many ways the sacrifice & success of our WW's I & II fighting forces, are the primary enduring sense of what it is to be Australian. One is to be in Australia, two is to realise it cost us a lot to keep war somewhere else. The majority of us are grateful for it, & ANZAC day is the most sacred Aussie day of the year. To this day hundreds of thousands of Australians get up before dawn, go to their local war memorial, & have a dawn ceremony to remember our fallen & returned soldiers. "Lest we forget." We have built into our national culture, the fact that if we don't remember what it takes to keep the peace, it'll be on us.
Dad never spoke much about the war but after his death my sisters did some research and found he was in the 2/12 and fought at Buna and Balikpapan (plus others) and went on to the occupation of Japan for a couple of years after the war.
Your video has opened my eyes to what he and his mates went through. He did get bitter at times whenever he thought us kids expected a bit too much of life.
Wow - your videos are impressively thorough and informative and educational. I had an uncle (sadly no longer with us) who fought in this theatre and I am only just learning now about this often overlooked and under-appreciated part of Australian military history thanks to your brilliant videos. Please keep up the fantastic work - your contribution to our national awareness of these battles and their importance are priceless. You do the exploits of my uncle and all the other diggers, Marines, airman and sailors who served a fantastic service in documenting and explaining their role in the bigger picture of the war in the Pacific.I am sure there are countless other family members of servicemen/women who are very grateful as well. Thank you so much for the incredible effort that it must take to put these together.
Hey Mate, that’s was really well done! Big kudos to you dude.
Check out is other awesome WarHammer40K channel, 'MajorKill'.
Very thorough, and very well done. Thank you for telling this story in such detail. Generations of descendants of veterans and the fallen, deserve to have this story told so that they can more fully understand what their relatives and loved ones went through. I will never think of my great uncles as a younger men, without thinking about how they went through this, and that this is why they became the people they were, later in life. What you do better than almost anyone I have seen so far, is describe the Japanese fairly, dispassionately, and accurately as some of the hardest fighting men the world had seen, and how professional and competent they truly were. It is only when you understand this, that you can start to appreciate just how hard won WW2 in the Pacific really was. Then it starts to dawn how incredibly fortunate we were to prevail - as it sure wasn't remotely a foregone conclusion. If this kind of story was told as part of Aussie history in high schools, maybe we wouldn't have kids taking this part of our past for granted. After all, a lot of the blokes who fought were not that much older than high school kids or Uni students, particularly in the militia /CMF units.
Agree 100% should have the 2 year stint back no dole bludgers in those days or druggies
I worked with a man who's uncle had been at Bataan, and swore if he had ever met MacArthur again, only one would survive the encounter. He said when MacArthur left Bataan, he left all the nurses in spite of there being room for them. And they were treated worse than the soldiers captured. The general was an arrogant cuss. Even in Korea before being relieved by the president.
Leaving nurses behind! That is not the behaviour of an Officer and a Gentleman but rather a cad. He could have shared some space on his PT boats to at least get some nurses out, but no he spent his time being sea sick. Maybe he was really battling with his conscience at having abandoned the nurses. I hope that he is rotting in Hell. He needs to have his work reviewed by historians. Pompous cad.
Mark from Melbourne Australia
yeah the death march at Bataan is not widely covered as it should be. The humiliating retreat left
so many behind at a enemy who took no quarter...I don't want to think that happened to the nurses...
Those bases would have thousands of civilians- dear God. Not everyone was evacuated as you said.
How much room do you think is on a PT boat?
@@stephenodell9688 no british sensibilities of women and children and other friendly locals aboard ships....before the infantry left. No wake island here. If it makes you feel any better the British surrender in Singapore humiliation never ceases to amaze me.
IM sure there were more than PT boats there. AIrfields... and other ways out..
The Japanese took to the Phillipinos for brutality
but they formed their own resistance movement.
the Japanese advance was too quick intelligence was poor in this region.
This was no Dunkirk that chaotic retreat
but things could have been handled better in hindsight.
MacArthur ensured that the nanny who minded his children also went on the PT boat with him.
Watched this, this morning before it was deleted. I love the historical stories of the Aussies in Papua and New Guinea. Hopefully the next video is the defence of Wau and then onto Lau? Great work mate!
Already done Wau, check my page.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 just thought there was another battle at wau from the end of the video. Sorry, my mistake
Australia was very lucky the Japanese didn't get there. mbed Darwin miniature submarines torpedoed Sydney Harbour Newcastle! The Emporer said they may have lost the war but would come in the back way. Ignorant researcher stated they weren't going to invade Australia.
@@barbaraclayton2171 The Japanese have repeatedly stated they had no plans or intentions of invading Australia
@@barbaraclayton2171 The struggle was between the Japanese Army and Navy about invasion, just as there had been over going north or south in 1941. The decision not to invade was made largely on logistical grounds: Australia was a long way away from Japanese supply sources, and our country is huge. American subs would have had a field day along the supply routes, and the Japanese knew it. Even today,, any significant place in Australia is almost impervious to substantial invasion.
A fascinating and accurate documentary from a man who truly knows his history. This Australian should have a TV show!
Yet another outstanding contribution. Your level of detail, combined with good graphics and professional narration provide a very clear and well-informed picture of the events of these terrible campaigns. Please keep it up, I'm looking forward to your future presentations.
I have never fired a shot in anger but served 6 years in the Royal Australian Regiment as an infantry soldier. So I understand much of the descriptions detailed here.
This is an outstanding effort Sir, I salute you. Duty First.
As always, an amazingly well presented overview of a hellish campaign. Great work mate
I said something cheeky and undeserved when I started watching this. I take it back. The depth and thoroughness of this presentation, and the way you don't just report but EVALUATE and take a stand on the performance of the various units and commanders stands out as some fine historical work. The combination of personal antecedents and overall operational/strategic storytelling has only been equaled in my experience by the Time-Life World War 2 book series. I hope you do more.
You have captured the misery of the troops admirably.
My dad was a combat infantryman who served in the Pacific throughout WW 2. He said that MacArthur was a supreme egoist. The troops called him dugout Doug. No one could stand to be around the man. Rumor had it that MacArthur refused to take nurses with him when he and his family were evacuated from the Philippines on PT boats. But he did take his refrigerator....the nurses faced serial rape at the hands of the Japanese. Douglas MacArthur, American hero.
There was a standing joke at the time that went like this.
Soldier 1 " Do you know dug-out Doug?"
Soldier 2 " Are you kidding?! I'm one of the guys who dug the dug-out for Dug-out Doug!!"
MacArthur did one miserable job in his defense of the Philippines.
Ive put off watching this until I had some free time. You’ve proven your content is worthy of my FULL attention. Thank you for the new upload. Now it’s time to sit back and push the play button…
Thank you for the careful examination of these battles. I have to say this is the longest TH-cam video I've ever sat through and it was well worth it.
Well done, sir! Excellent presentation and analysis. My uncle served on McArthur's staff in the Dai Ichi building in Tokyo following the war. I can assure you his analysis of McArthur is very similar to yours. McA was a severely egotistical, petulant, yet brilliant man who did not suffer fools well, but neither did he accept criticism or opposition to his ideas/plans. While he was great at vision when it came to large scale issues, his command of detail was severely lacking. His officer staff was made up of "yes" men, commonly known as the "Bataan Gang," whom he had brought out from the Philippines when he made his escape. Intellectually brilliant and extremely brave, his character, moulded by his mother's coddling, left him quick to accept praise, but any failure was the fault of another.
I am sorry , MacArthur was about as brilliant as Ted, my pet snail. He was never in control, not even in Korea and was finally fired when this became obvious.
Simply outstanding work mate, well done.
Just found your channel and this series. I'm liking it. Please say you're doing more about WW2. I love hearing about battles, campaigns and skirmishes that I've never heard before. Really have been wanting to hear more about the day to day stories of the air war amongst other stuff so if you know any plz share with us! Awesome job!
I'm glad to hear someone to express criticism on McArthur and his inadequate attention to details necessary for military engagemens. So many of my fellow Americans think he is a God. Thank for your detailed presentation.
Lots of people expressed criticism of MacA. FYI theater chiefs cannot micromanage. FYI Mac A sabotaged his own career as Chief of Staff by deliberately and to his face Criticizing FDR for Going along with the gutting of our military material during the 1930's. That is why he was not appointed to a second term as Chief of staff. He was dumped to the Philippines as a retired officer to keep him out of the way and shut him up. His requests for men and material to build up the Philippines were ignored and he was given only a small fraction of what was needed. Roosevelt was a manipulative overrated mediocrity who who allowed the Japanese to gain a huge Naval superiority in the Pacific. FDR compounded that move by putting all the battleships line up in Pearl Harbor with no where enough of either land or sea based Air support. That move was so suicidally stupid that some conspiracy theorists argue that it was a deliberate enticement. Learn about things military including the basic rule that you always have to plan your deterrent based upon the enemy's military capabilities not use a crystal ball to try to figure what his intentions will be. The japs had been allowed to build up a significant superiority in Carriers , escorts, and munitions not tyo mention a huge Army. which is why they took the gamble.
@@johnb66yWell I don't know if Roosevelt made the decision to keep the battleships on in harbor. He would have to been micromanaging the Army and Navy in Hawaii, the Philippines, Wake Island, Midway and Guam. I'll read your reply again Incase I misunderstood you
I don't believe it's your place to tell me to learn more about military leadership. I'm quite aware how we were not prepared for the Japanese. With Congress being Isolationists and the demilitarization of out armed forces after WWI we didn't have but a tiny Army and too small of a Navy. Even the Pentagon had their thumbs up their rear
@@johnb66y you need to talk to much older filopinos about maca.... i have in rhe last seven years that i have lived in mindinao.... he was a prima donna with delusion of granduar as an empiror of the phills... btw i am a vietnam war vet... dont need ur advise on military matters...
same clowns think the same about FDR,,,,
That was an excellent lecture - I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. And this campaign often appears to be over shadowed by the better known Guadalcanal one - so well done again on that front.
Dude your videos are AMAZING, please set up a system to keep us updated on when we can expect your new uploads.
Sorry man this one was like 3 weeks work, every day. The research, 21 thousand word script, 4 days editing the video. I just tried to get it done as quickly as I could. I’ll do a post when I’m half way through the next one.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 I believe it! Tons of detail, and you make it flow and hang together.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 Well worth the wait. Better a long time coming (but not too long) than a rushed job with gaps in the account and shoddy research.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 Your sorry is unacceptable as you do not need to say that. It is an over used word that is losing its' meaning. Thanks for all your work.
Thank God for these young kids as that's all they were. Their lives were never the same again. Hate to think how the young bucks would cope these days if faced with those conditions.
That was really well done. Enjoyed every minute of it. Subscribed and look forward to getting through more of your content.
Congratulations on yet another fantastic documentary! Thank you for shining light on the great contribution and sacrifice of Australia's " Greatest Generation ". As a side note, if ever that PHD gig thingy doesn't work out for you, I think you might have a future in narration. Your presentation, especially the cadence and tone, is simply world class.
Australia's greatest generation. What an insult to previous young Australians who lost their lives in wars
barbara clayton
Now that's a bit harsh.
@@barbaraclayton2171 maybe you should do a quick google search and see why that term is used across Western civilisation before jumping down someone's throat unnecessarily yeah.
Praise be to the YT algorythmn for bringing me to your channel. Your historical content is a joy to watch. Thanks, and please keep 'em coming!
The best campaign descriptions I've come across on YT. An excellent combination of operational context, tactical detail, and logistics. Very good use of maps. Balanced assessment of the troops involved. Imagery neither under nor over used. I particularly liked the Milne Bay video.
Thank you for this excellent documentary. Just like we Brits feel Kohima is hardly mentioned, so too is this story of bitter fighting by Aussies and US soldiers in PNG. I have so much respect for the toughness shown by these Aussie heroes in the face of fanatical and determined fighting by the Japanese. And what an environment to fight in.
My great uncle died trying to take the Airfield at Buna, he was killed during an attack on a pillbox, he was 17. The letter we received assures us he died instantly, I can only hope this is true.
FAIRBAIRN, James Duncan
Service numbers QX31081 , Private, 2nd/10th Infantry Battalion, Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Born 11 Oct 1922, Died 26 Dec 1942, Killed in action @1:22:30
My grand uncle was killed at Buna. Well, shot through the lungs and died on a stretcher..19, shanghaied illegally into the 55/53rd in Sydney and bung into action with no real training.
I'm named after him and I think about all those poor blokes up in there. Pretty awful stuff those boys suffered & endured.. And shabbily treated & betrayed by Blamey and Macarthur during the Owen Stanley campaign.
Once again the hero's of this campaign the 39th, remember it's a civilian defence force, not a professional trained unit..I salute these men
The photos you get are fantastic. Great analysis to hold the story together.
While I was aware of the Buna Gona campaign, this work greatly clarified my understanding of it. This campaign was a preview of what came to be the standard Japanese tactic of bloody minded defense to the death of prepared positions intended to inflict maximum casualties on the attackers. So it was on Peleliu, the old city part of Manilla, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and would have been had the mainland been invaded. It is not clear that the 41st division would have performed noticeably better than the 32nd given the state of training and preparation. Resources were pretty scanty for the Americans in Australia at the time. Some personal knowledge I have of the situation--my father enlisted in the USAAF in December 1941. He was identified through testing as being mechanically talented, and as a result was on his way to Australia thirty days after he enlisted. He and his unit, an airfield operating squadron didn't even receive basic rifle training until after they arrived.
Absolutely brilliant. Exciting blow by blow account. I particularly like your videos as it covers a theatre I had little knowledge of.
Rejoice! He has returned to us
This was like an Audiobook with pictures, this was very well done. Showing MacArther for what he was makes this even better. Thank you for this Hypo!
One of my best images of the Aussie attitudes about “Proper uniforms” was written In The section called “Humor in Uniform,” in the publication *Reader’s Digest* which was always hilarious.
This was about a British officer confronting an Aussie enlisted man, who was riding a horse down towards the river. The Aussie was wearing only shorts and the officer asked what he was doing going around out of uniform. The Aussie replied that he was going to the river to take a bath. The Officer remarked “See here, you can’t go around just wearing shorts!” The Aussie slid down from the horse and replied “Very well sir.” Then the Aussie took off his shorts, remounted his horse, and proceeded to the river stark naked!
Gotta love the Aussies!
I always loved Humor in Uniform. But since the Brits wore shorts in hot weather when they fought I wonder why it wasn’t maybe an American officer.
Such a good job. Didn't realize 2 hrs had gone buy! Ive read so much about Guadalcanal, but really knew nothing of this part of the war or the Australian bravery and professionalism.
Thank you!
It has always been said that McArthur should never have had any form of command due to his many noted failures even as a junior staff officer. He had an ego that only satisfied himself regardless of what others around him suffered.
Bob, might try William Manchester’s AMERICAN CEASAR. McArthur, though an egotistical pill, was not as bad as this vid relates. He learned from Buna campaign and never repeated a head-on clash. Per Manchester, he took more territory with the lowest casualties of any American General. Ironically he is greatly revered in post war Japan for a complete revision of their government and setting them in a good direction.
That said, Vinegar Joe Stilwell arguably had the toughest post for an American in WW2. WW2 was logistics and McArthur and Stilwell were at the bottom of the food chain...respectively. Cheers
MacArthur have been a controversial and enigmatic figure. When asked about MacArthur, Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey once said, "The best and the worst things you hear about him are both true."
@@Jedsa009 Are you talking about the Blamey who was caught in a brothel I think he was police commissioner lost his police badge. Hmmmm, great guy.
@@barbaraclayton2171 what soldier would not visit a brother?
It says a lot about McArthur that Eisenhower, the consumate diplomat who could work even with Montgomery, *hated* McArthur's guts.
Excellent, even handed account and analysis. Top quality.
Love the quality and pace of you narration. Great detail and use of graphics.
As an American I might perhaps take issue with the characterization of MacArthur, but my own reading, and a grand-uncle, (who served in the USAAF in NG, and didn't think very highly of him,) make me inclined to agree with what you've said.
I’m not saying this because I’m Australian; I think that’s the whole problem with history. There are MANY American generals whom I greatly admire. People let their own National pride get in the way of a rational evaluation. Obviously there’s a lot to be proud of, but MacArthur has been turned into a god by the history channel and American historians; but a fair evaluation of the evidence shows just how many flaws the man had.
Very interesting documentary mate. It is good to find such an informative documentary about a little known Aussie engagement.
Great video on a piece of history that most Americans know nothing about. Thank you!
The amount of research that is so obviously required, is incredible. Thank you and your team
Love your videos, I'm hoping you could do one on the Australian army involvement in the North African campaign, perhaps Tobruk?
Yeah I will one day; I’m going to finish this campaign first
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 There is still Lae and Salamua to tackle, I believe, perhaps Borneo, and some of the "mopping up" operations in 1944-1945.
Brilliantly edited and both the narrative and analysis is excellent. Really enjoyed it. I did the Kokoda trail 3 years ago and this documentary really brought back memories of just how tough the terrain and conditions are. Really enjoyed every minute.
An excellent presentation! A good mix of big picture strategy with small unit operations. We owe so much to these poor bastards who had to slog through swamps and overcome a tenacious enemy with little substantive help.
Thank you for this. Its the best account of this battle I have found and gave me such a good understanding of what my Great Uncle went through in this battle. He was in the AIF 2/10 and died on the 26th Dec 42. To see the layout and see how the battle was fought really helped me understand what he and the others went through.
Initially the length of the film put me off, but I watched the whole 2 plus hours and was engaged throughout. That in itself is impressive. 👏👏👏
My father whom is Japanese/American was assigned to the 32nd Division for Buna/Gona. campaign, dad didn't talk about the war but found some documents where he was promoted after Buna Gona and reasigned to the 41st Division.
Mate been watching your videos. Just wanted to say they are brilliant.
I am grateful for this well considered and detailed presentation. I learned so much, I had underappreciated this theater. Far too often, documentaries of this stage of the war gloss over these battles as just a tough learning experience and growing pains for inexperienced allied troops, an 'also ran' sideshow to Guadalcanal. These battles were however an essential part of turning the Pacific war around. Thank you.
The excellent narration is very easy to listen to. So much detail, that I often pause and go and look at maps or do some side reading.
So much detail information and photos, presented in a way that it makes it possible to start to understand the events that occurred years ago. This video is excellent. Thank you for presenting it.
It wartime, and MacArthur sends in a barely trained unit with almost no artillery or armor against a known fanatical enemy - ASSUMING it's going to be a frigging cakewalk for them. When his fantasy battle fails to happen as imagined he blames the unit's commander/officers. Pathetic.
I very much enjoyed your recent in-depth accounts of critical battles in Papua New Guinea during World War II. The depth and thoughtful of these videos sets them apart from most of the "history" videos I see on TH-cam. I hope you provide other in-depth histories of other battles. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to research, record, and post these very enjoyable films.
The 32nd was in Massachusetts, awaiting transport to England when they were ordered to Australia. They took trains to San Francisco.
My father joined the 32nd there, direct from basic training. He was in Co K, 3rd Battalion, 128th Inf. He didn’t talk much about what he did. He had high praise for the Aussie brigades, especially 2/7 and 2/9. He had a high regard for the tenacity of the enemy.
The 32nd saw 657 days of actual combat, more than any other US Army division in WWII.
This is, by far, the best presentation I have seen, or read, about Buna-Gona. Most American shows about the war in the Pacific are about the US Marines or about MacArthur.
The training they received in Australia was minimal from what I’ve been able to find. They spent a fair bit of time in Victoria, then they moved to South Australia, then moved to Queensland to do jungle training, and each one of these moves took weeks. Australia is a big place and then each state has its own rail system, so you had to change trains three times during each one of these moves. So they literally spent a third of their time in transit.
Then to be thrown against Buna with no tanks and just 2 75mm artillery pieces? Absolute criminal negligence.
@@hypohystericalhistory8133 It was criminal to start the battle before the division was fully concentrated. A U.S. Army division is supposed to have three battalions of artillery, a battalion of tanks, and a antitank gun battalion as well.
This is excellently done. Please continue the New Guinea campaign!
This American’s father commanded a LST in the campaign. He loved telling stories of the Aussies he carried.
One group stole an number of cases of beer onshore, and when the Belgian shop-owner marched onto the ship in anger, my father was resting on some crates coved with a blanket on the deck. After dismissing the angry civilian, he turned to the Aussie Sergeant and asked “Ok, where is all that beer?”
They reply was “Well, Mate, you are lying on it”.
Remembering those Aussies made him laugh for 70 years…
MacArthur was indeed an egotistical hack. His first actions when the war began should have been his last: when Pearl Harbor was attacked, his air commander recommended that his air forces be commanded into the air to avoid being blown to pieces on the ground. MacArthur overruled him with the expected result that his forces were decimated immediately after the Japanese finished at Pearl. Never understood why he was kept in such high regard.
BTW I have enjoyed your well researched and displayed videos. Keep up the great work!
It is fantastic to see Australian military history presented in long-form documentary format. While presented on a shoestring, this is a gripping tale well told.
The Japanese stand at Gona, Sanananda and Buna was a small taste of what the Allies were to encounter on their road to Tokyo.
And the Allies discovered that the price they had to pay in blood rose steadily as they approached the Japanese home islands.
@@daddyjigsaw4556 True, but that's war for you.
I hope this lesson is now learnt. Australian forces don't need foreign leadership.
Yanks may have done well throwing more men and machinery at a battle till the enemy is overwhelmed by numbers but Australia tends to use intellect and skills to manage the situation. Both systems work well using what the respective countries have plenty of.😱
@@lukemagro6060 Mcarthur was overrated and hes style of leadership would later on result in a lot of US casualties. The Australians also had Blamey whom was also equally problematic and cost many casualties. The allies would have been better off just laying seige Gona and starving the Japanese. Then bring in Tanks to slowly grind down the survivors.
@@lukemagro6060 i once met a artillery sergeant from the Australian army
who served in war games with the yanks in the early 90's
his platoon hated the loud noises coming from the yanks camp,
so they promptly sneaked into the camp and 'borrowed' their back packs
As a Yank I love hearing about the Australians fighting in the jungle, the jungle that becomes the great equalizer ! This is an all new story for me and I soaked it up like a sponge !
I felt there so much that I had to wash the Jungle off of me at the end of the article !
Your videos of the battles in and around New Guinea are the best I've seen anywhere. I've read about the Kokoda Track, Milne Bay, Wau, and Buna-Goma, but every time I watch one of your videos I learn many things I didn't know. The detail you provide allows me to understand step by step exactly how the fighting progressed from start to finish.
Salamaua-Lae coming up soon I hope?
This is seriously good history. Really good work.
Just subbed. An excellent channel!
Brilliant job. Thanks for the information. American-written histories, from memory, designate the Buna campaign as a mop-up after Kokoda. Clearly, that is not the case.
americian history also forgets that the first firefight the yanks had at buna,
they promptly dropped their weapons and ran away
That was the line McArthur pushed. He'd claimed he'd already won the war in New Guinea, so the Buna/Gona campaign had to be characterised as "mopping up".
@@alt7488Calling bullshit on this one
@@SirCheezersIII military history yankee
don't send boys to do a man's job
Go f yourself. Were you there, tough guy?
That was very good. I have read a lot of the history from Milne to Goa and you are correct and on the ball. You have pulled no punches and have sheeted home the failings with out fear or favor. And we still have not got to Bougainville. I like the style of your presentation.
Great video, again proof of what a fine fighting force the Aussies are. What a PoS their so called supreme commander was. RIP those brave blokes.
I have watched all your vids for the New Guinea campaign; milne bay, kokoda, buna-gona, wau. These are absolutely fantastically done, the detail is amazing and so is the historical content. Can't wait for the Salamaua- Lae campaign and Wewak productions. Didn't realise this history on our doorstep growing up in Sydney.
Outstanding content and presentation. Thank you. Especially important as the Australian contribution is popularly undervalued, Hollywood I suppose.
Speaking of Hollywood The Great Escape was done by Australians not American. They were executed.
You work has me captivated, so informative and eloquent. I started watching this thinking it would be another five minuet account and was happy to stay for the full two hours. Brilliant thanks
I live near the Florida mangroves/swamps and go fishing there often. I cannot imagine doing ANYTHING in them, much less fighting there. Interesting fact: swamp combat training was held in the mangroves of South Florida during WWII.
By far the most thorough and accurate account of a WW2 battle. A bit Ozzy, maybe, but still fabulous. Thanks very much.