Agreed! He's so gracious and inclusive of everybody. The information he possesses is just staggering and I like you, could listen to him for hours!🇺🇲⚓️💯👍
My Dad ( 18583 Sgt. JONES V.H.) was with 7Sq Royal Australian Air Force stationed at Aitape (Eye-tah-pee). Although not wounded in battle he contracted several diseases that affected him for the rest of his life. Namely Dengue fever, Malaria and a fungal infection in his ears that drove him mad with the itch and discharge. I'm sure that many of the Americans would have also been so affected in the same way. Although it was a "bastard of a place" some of the stories he told were quite humorous especially about the "Yanks". Then again he could find humour in any situation a wonderful trait I have inherited from him. Thank you for the wonderful, in-depth sèries you present, even if your pronunciation of some of the Pacific place names leave a lot to be desired.
Do you happen to know of a good history of the Australian campaigns against Japan. I know a bit of the early war in Africa and the ships sent to bolster the RN but almost nothing about the country's role in the Pacific. Dugout Doug made sure the efforts of the Australian Army were minimized in Americans eyes.
OUTSTANDING!!! Myself a Marine of July 1, 1964. The story was most informative and about the US Army within the Pacific exceptional. I'm glad I caught your program on TH-cam a couple of months ago and love it, man; I've been a History Buff before I even knew it conceivably. Seth, you are my Point Man, Bill, you are the Radio Man, and we have some Squad leaders as replacements. Great show, Guys. I'm from Jersey City, New Jersey, right across the Hudson River from New York City, New York.
Got a sea story for you. High school buddy told me a story his father told him. Seems he was on New Guinea and they had headhunters with them as scouts. One evening these gentlemen were cooking "chicken" out of a helmet when a Japanese sniper shot the cook pot and knocked it into the fire. After screaming and shouting, they grabbed their spears and ran off into the jungle. He said, after a while, a blood curdling scream came out of the jungle. A little bit later they came back to camp. One of the scouts had a Japanese head on the end of his spear. He stuck the spear into the ground, near the campfire, with the head high up in the air for everyone to see. No more sniper fire for the rest of the operation. And I could have sworn that he told me he was a Marine. True or false, it was a good story.
Thanks boys for mentioning the Australian’s . Great presentation John McManus is such a wonderful historian and an especially a great presenter and communicator
To this American, you cannot have a conversation about the war in the Pacific without mentioning the Australians, the famous Diggers! I'll tell you what, I almost feel sorry for the Japanese when they came up against the Australians. Almost but really not quite... and actually really never! Fair Dinkum mate! My mother-in-law was a World War II war bride from a little village outside Melbourne called Bunyip! So I met a lot of cousins and relatives from Down Under and picked up some of the lingo!🇺🇲⚓️💯💖🇦🇺
Add one more thing. I actually despise MacArthur, particularly for his treatment of your Australian Armed Forces. I mean my God he didn't have a single Aussie on his staff for Christ's sake! What does that say about that paria? Thank God he wasn't an accurate representation of 90% of our generals. Until 1944 we were basically in deep shit with that arrogant narcissistic clown at the helm.
That vignette of the Australian troops finding the codebooks in the swamp is quite reminiscent of the Union soldier stumbling across a copy of Lee's orders prior to Antietam.
The Australian troops were part of the 9th Australian Division . They had been fighting the main Japanese force for a considerable time long before this landing. The 9th division was probably the most experienced division in the whole allied war effort . Before coming to New Guinea they had been the "Rats of Tobruk" . Inflicting the first land defeat on Germany. They then went on to lose the most men on the allied side at the Battle of El Alamein were they were used as shock troops.The other Australian Divisions who were there with the 9th , were the 6th & 7th Australian divisions. They had also been at Tobruk . They had also fought the Germans & Italians in North Africa , Greece & Crete . They had also fought the Vishi French in Syria. All prior to their arrival In New Guinea.These were soldiers who knew their stuff.
@paulobrien3241 damn those Aussies saw a lot of action against the Germans prior to fighting the Japanese. These were indeed very battle-hardened troops and you know they were spoiling for a fight in their own backyard! Fair Dinkum mate!! 🙏🇺🇲⚓️💖😊👍
@@Jakal-pw8yq Most of the Australian commanders were veterans of WW1. One General , General Savage had started his career in 1915 . He landed at Gallipoli as a private . Was a Divisional commanding general by 1943. At the end of WW1 when American troops finally made it to France they saw their first action under Australian command .They were attached to General Monash"s ANZAC corps. This was elements of the 32 US Division . The same one that fought at Buna in ww2.
Another great job guys! Seth I’m sure glad you got through Covid and strep. I can’t imagine how tough having both at the same time would be. I’ve had both but not at the same time. Always look forward to Tuesday morning! Thank y’all so much! Good to see John again!
Yeah I felt pretty crappy. Haven't been that sick in probably a decade. I got sick and it wouldn't go away. We recorded the Enterprise Part 1 episode when I was really sick.
It is very good 1 If you want a very in depth breakdown of the main battle;es in New Guinea check out a podcast called " hyperhistericalhistory" Its an unusual name but excellent content.
On my sidebar as I am watching this episode there is a link to the previous episode on the Big-E. It shows that it has been viewed over 35,000 times in just one week. Wow! Considering that this channel only has 21,100 subscribers it says a lot about the pull of the USS Enterprise. Also, it was one of the best episodes by the UHOTPW.
Speaking of Enterprise and Hollandia. When TF58 launched its strike on the airfields there. William I Martin and another Avenger (both using Radar) as pathfinders. Due to the bad weather.
Their most viewed video is the one on Night 2 of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, which clocks in with 174,000 views. They're clearly drawing a lot of peeps who have yet to subscribe to the channel, for whatever reason.
@@richardmalcolm1457 _They're clearly drawing a lot of peeps who have yet to subscribe to the channel, for whatever reason._ That's often the case for smaller TH-cam channels. Plenty of people will tune in to watch a video that interests them but won't subscribe.
This video, with a much less known topic, so much less likely for youtube to recommend to others, has 28k views in one week. Tells me the subscribers are very loyal viewers (we're like a cult), but it also tells me not nearly enough people make the effort to hit the like button.
@@bughunter1766 My suspicion is that they're drawing an older audience, which isn't enough into YT otherwise to do the stuff that supports channels (subscribing, likes, etc.).
Thank you for the information on these programs. I was born on Dec 7th in 1956, and have read alot about ww2, especially in the pacific. You and your guests have been very educational. Please keep up the great work!!
I felt bad when it was said it was a battle overlooked because "there were no Marines". I gotta admit I kinda grouped all these New Guinea actions without really looking at any of them in any detail. A harrowing tale for certain. Learned alot on this one
@@paulobrien3241that’s precisely why, Americans (understandably so) don’t tend to care too much about what other troops are doing but their own and them being the biggest hitter so to speak the rest of the world kinda just goes with it. Look at Bougainville and a bunch of the surrounding islands and ect ect plenty of little spots like that were serious fights but get woefully overlooked by the wider population because the bulk of the fighting was done by Australia and not America.
Great history lesson as usual. My Tuesday can't wait until I watch it. Thanks Bill and Seth. John McManus is a very special guest. Becoming one of my favorites. He is getting into Jon Parshall and Drach territory in my history world of studies. Fantastic and Thanks again.
For a moment there, I thought I had missed an episode. I was expecting Pt 2 of the Battle History of CV-6, but then I realized you guys didn't promise Part 2 coming consecutively. No worries, I can wait until later in the war to revisit the exploits of Big-E. Meanwhile John McManus is a great guest and the topics of the "latter stages" of the South Pacific campaign are too often neglected, so .... great episode!!
My father was a Sargent in the148rgt of the 37th division. This entire series has fleshed out many of his experiences and many of the places he talked about. Thank you.
My father was in these landings. He called it Ah - tap- ee . The actions he always talked about was the march over the Owen Stanley mountains with the Aussies and the battle of Driniumor river. Dad was in a dugout at the river bank position with an M-2 heavy machine gun. Changed the barrel twice in 48 hours. When the Japanese stormed their lines they were mowed down so that the river was clogged with floating bodies of the Japanese. Dad was at pearl with the 19th inf 25th div. My father thought Kruger and Echelburger were was brilliant, hated dug out Doug. Pop's was in the Alamo force and the Alamo scouts later in the war. The he went to Hollywood and became an actor. My dad's CO is still alive here in Taos. He is now 102 . Great series gentlemen - I never knew about the code book until this little lecture, but no cigars. ( i'm sure you will know the reference).
You have some serious family history. As a kid, I used to plan and fantasize about visiting these wild places. I'm sure I didn't know WHY they are so sparsely inhabited, or I may have been cured of my curiosity much earlier.
Thanks gentlemen, I enjoyed your presentation. Thanks to John, I am reading his excellent trilogy and will read more books authored by Mr McManus. You're appreciated.
Another great episode, I learned a lot as usual. My dad flew C47s in New Guinea, and definitely mentioned Hollandia as a place he came through many times. I’d love to hear you guys do an episode on the Troop Carriers, among many of the logistical aspects of the Pacific War. I know you’ve mentioned them in passing in several episodes but a focus would make this son of a C47 pilot very happy.
Great episode as usual, just like most people this was a series of battles and landings I had not heard of and I'm glad y'all brought it to your viewers attention. Keep up the good work
I love this channel. For many of us WWII history is limited to what we have seen in the movies or, if we are really lucky, the popular history books about the well known battles. The problem is there is a lot more to the war in the Pacific than Midway, Guadlacanal, Saipan and a couple of other John Wayne type marine engagements. I for one am learning a lot more than I ever knew happened. I would like to know more about what happened to the secondary ships in the US Navy. My father, like many others, spent his time as a gunner on a TBM off a jeep carrier. It took a lifetime but I was able to get my father to reveal all sorts of stories to me that sound remarkably like the stories of the fliers who were based on fleet carriers like the Big E. While visiting an air musium in south Texas we looked at a map of the world. I asked where he served. Dad pointed to the Atlantic and then to the Pacific and he said "all of it." "We started hunting German U-Boats in the Atlantic and then went to the South Pacific." Some of those secondary assets had extensive histories. The best line in this episode is McManus saying the battle couldn't be less glamourous. We hear a lot of glamorous stories and we don't hear about people who didn't get the press.
Appreciated the overview and highlights of a campaign that I knew about, but never understood the importance of. I learned about the roles of the U.S. and Australian soldiers who fought there in such an inhospitable place, against such a tenacious foe. The scholarship by John, Seth and Bill made this presentation an excellent primer on the subject. I must get John's books as soon as I can afford them.
Another excellent episode, and another very welcome look at a generally lesser known operation. McManus is a great guest, and you've added his books to my already over-long reading list .... For those interested in the Australian role in the southwest Pacific, there is an excellent TH-cam channel called hypohystericalhistory (a mouthful). Long videos, extensively documented and researched, with great imagery. Have mentioned it before. Several episodes on Australia's great New Guinea engagements such as the Kokoda Track, Milne Bay, Finschafen, etc.
Thank you gentlemen once again for another excellent episode! I think I even look forward to topics covered such as the New Guinea campaign and the often seemingly unappreciated role of the US Army in the Pacific as much or more than the more famous naval and amphibious Marine landings, as it seems there's so much that has been previously unwritten about until recently, the terrific scholarship of John McManus being foremost. As always, can't wait until next Tuesday!
Talking about unappreciated consider the Australian perspective. This " Operation Persecution" was the taking of Hollande , Aitape & Wewak.American forces were about 52,000 USA against 11,000 Japanese at Holland . American losses ,150 killed 1,051 wounded . Aitape & Wewak Some US Army units mostly 13,000 Australian Army , manny of whom were "The Rats of Tobruk " and victors at El Alamein. Australian losses , 587 Killed and 1,141 wounded . These predominantly Australian troops were up against 30-35,000 Japanese! They were still fighting them when the war finished. Yet these men get only a passing mention in this " American " victory .
Mac was aware of talented Commanders, but paranoid about anyone stealing his thunder. As consumed with returning to the Philippines as Captain Ahab was with Moby Dick. His obsession for that, all the Pacific resources and credit, MacArthur releases press clippings as historical rhetoric, as well thought as the campains that his muffled generals performed in 1944. Great stuff, John is awesome, as all your guests.
_'As consumed with returning to the Philippines as Captain Ahab was with Moby Dick.'_ Kind of understandable. 'Lost the Philippines' is a heavy burden. Kimmel only lost part of the fleet and look what happened to him. As it was, the US had two paths north to Japan. Via the Philippines or through Formosa and into China. And going through Formosa whilst somehow cutting off the Japanese on the Philippines seems to be an island hop too extreme. At least with the Philippines the Americans knew the lay of the land and had widespread local support.
Excellent show! The ability to tell these exciting stories with facts & dates and at the same time keep the viewers on the edge of there seats, just fantastic! Thanks. U.S.M.C.
This video podcast is simply put, phenominal. We Will Not Forget Those Who Have Fallen 💝 Thank you all for another wonderful video, Seth, Bill & John. 🍻
My compliments on the thorough coverage and details of the battle of Hollandia and Altape campaigns. It's amazing how you have established a coherent knowledge base to reiterate the supporting details orally so everything is properly understood.
Howdy folks. Very informative and entertaining to listen in on this conversation among the 2 hosts and Dr John who knows all knowledge about the USArmy in WW2. Top 10 podcast ever in the world.
EXCELLENT episode, guys! Love knowing the facts about these Pacific campaigns that everyone has heard of, but don't know much about because they are not spotlighted as they should be! Great job!
My uncle was Kia in Aitape in Aug 1944. And MacArthur’s interference caused a lot of unnecessary casualties. The Japanese 18th army headquartered in Weiwak in New Guinea was cut off by leapfrogging over them and taking Aitape. However, the 18th had 130,000 soldiers and mustered a huge force to attack Aitape a couple hundred Km of Jungle distant. This was anticipated and a defensive line was prepared along a river about 10 miles from the Aitape airfield. As the Japanese forces drew near, MacArthur interfered and demanded the general in charge hurry up and get the confrontation over with. So the local general ordered a large percent of soldiers on the defensive line cross the river and go looking for the Japanese in the jungle. Then when the Japanese attacked the defensive line, the thinned defense could not hold even though they had the advantage of a river in front of them. The weakened defensive line was overrun by the Japanese instead of being stopped while trying to cross the river. If MacArthur had not demanded the general hurry up and get the battle over with, then the defensive line would not have been thinned and it would have held against the larger attacking force because the advantage of the river. Also, as one would expect, moving through the jungle eliminated the advantage of defensive positions and the river and casualties were sustained. MacArthur’s demand was unnecessary meddling because the Japanese were going to have to cross the river and were not in a position to dally. MacArthur wanted the anticipated battle to be completed quickly in order to convince FDR his plan was working and that it should be continued instead of the Navy’s proposed solution. RIP uncle Toivo whose name in Finnish meant Hope. Justice would have been if FDR ordered MacArthur to leave the defensive line, cross the river and walk through the jungle looking for the approaching Japanese 18th Army, just to make an impression on someone.
Visit Valor Brew Pub when you are in Washington DC. Its a veteran themed, owned and operated brew pub located at 8th & I SE. I think you all know the location already. The Marine Corps Commandant is my next door neighbor. We speak about military history everyday.
I enjoyed your conversations on Gen. Kruger and his reluctance to chase the limelight. I can only imagine what a MacArthur and Bernard Montgomery working relationship would be like. Lol
Blamey was over all land commander of all ground troops US and Australian at this time . The commanders on the ground at Finschhafen were General Wooten who commanded 9th Division AIF (Australian Imperial Forces. They were veterans. The Rats Tobruk and suffered the greatest losses at the battle of El Alamein where Rommel was defeated). The other formation as the 20th Infantry Brigade under General Windeyer. These were Militia troops. The AIF were the regular army all were volunteers. The Militia were not volunteers & could only be deployed on Australian territory. Remember New Guinea at this time was Australian soil. The thing to realise is that the Australian Commanders were far more experienced in combat than the Americans. There was the problem of the different command management between the Australians & Americans. MacArthur was a micro manager who tended to panic. American commanders seem to like a more structured step by step battle plan. Australian command was less structured because of their greater experience. Australian commanders would give subordinates a broad outline of what was required & then give them a free hand to move forward as they best saw fit. Particularly at this stage of the war the Australians had been fighting for almost 3 years. They knew how a battle ebbed and flowed. The Australian higher command were all WW1 veterans with years of experience. One Australian, General Savage had started his career as a private in WW1. He had advanced through every rank from private up to General! The Australians knew their stuff! MacArthur & the US officers either had very little WW1 experience or no battlefield experience other than the Philippines. Because Americans are only interested in America, they were ignorant of the Australian Commanders & their history. It has to be said most Americans were arrogant, cocky and condescending towards the Australians. Some American commanders refused to follow Blamey’s orders. Blamey was second in command. Only MacArthur was above him. He Blamey, was a difficult & unpleasant human being but not a bad commander. He was also the land force Commander of all ground troops US & Australian! An interesting observation is to look at the 2 men MacArthur & Blamey standing side by side. There are photos out there. MacArthur is beribboned with many lines of awards on his chest. Blamey has very few decorations. You got respect in the Australian Army through competence. If you see a ribbon on an Australian soldier, you can be shore he has done something really outstanding. There are no equivalates to bronze stars silver stars purple hearts etc. There were accessions where these awards were offered to Australians by grateful Americans. The Australian Army would never allow them to be awarded. Blamey had fought through the whole of WW1 & risen through the ranks by ability. In WW2 He had already fought through the Middle East, Syria, Crete & Greece. Blamey was by far the more accomplished commander & soldier. Yet no Australians were allowed into MacArthur’s inner cycle. They were the so called “Bataan Gang “.
@@paulobrien3241 General Savage was the one I should have remembered. Also you are ABSOLUTELY correct on everything in this post . Especially in regards to MacArthur who to put it bluntly was always an ass which is why he was sent to the Philippines in the first place.
Happy Halloween everyone. I read General Krueger's book "From Down Under to Nippon" and enjoyed it very much and this podcast reminded me of it. There is a book out there called "Stragglers" about the men of the Japanese army that were overrun and left behind. Very gruesome in New Guinea. Also "Lost in Sangri-La" by Mitchell Zuckoff is a great book about a plane crash and rescue when this area became a kind of back water towards the end of the war. Great Torpedo Tuesday.
When TF58 launched its strike. LCDR William I Martin and another Avenger from VT-10 (both using Radar) were used as pathfinders. Due to the bad weather.
That's probably because New Guinea was predominantly an Australian fight.The land Force Commander in New Guinea was an Australian . MacArthur had 2 US Divisions , but 12 Australian Divisions. The Mariners only had 6 Divisions in the whole Pacific .Australian combat losses in this theatre were greater than the American forces losses . When American forces were the main component in an action MacArthur called it an American victory . When Australian forces were the main component ( as they usually were in this theatre ) it was an ALLIED victory . Take the battle of Milne Bay. This was Japan's first land defeat in the Pacific . All the combat troops were Australian or Papuan . The commander on the ground was Australian .There were a contingent of American Engineers there building an air field . I have regularly seen this referred to as asn American victory .Some times an allied victory .
Great show, I had never heard of these actions before, and I really enjoy the school housing. P.S. these new covid viruses are no joke. Stay safe and please carry on.
A story I heard was that things were going badly at Buna Gona and MacArthur told Gen. Eichelberger that if he would go there and win, then MacArthur would let him talk to the press. This was used to illustrate MacArthur's thinking in that being allowed to speak to the press was the biggest prize he could award someone with
The Australians fought under an almost total news blackout. This was government policy. MacArthur and by extension the Americans were seen as braggarts by the Australian troops . The fact that it was the Australians who had been at war for 2 years already who were doing the vast bulk of the fighting & dying in New Guinea ( 12 Australian Divisions to Americas 2 ) .They were almost completely written out of the history is still a sore point in Australia .
Looking over the W'pedia bio of Krueger, he seems pretty impressive. While not a West Pointer, he did attend the Army War College AND the Naval War College. Later he taught at the Naval War College about World War 1. Just before the US entered WW2 he was in command of the 3rd Army. Krueger seemed to be a good balance of aggressive and cautious (more akin to Spruance than Halsey in that respect).
You have great guests. Looking forward to Drac being back on as well. Maybe to share insights on the arrivals of the Essex carriers and Iowa battleships to the Big Blue Fleet? How'd they compare to their older cousins?
Great overview guys. Just fantastic. I was taken by the Governor of Irian Jaya (a top bloke named Freddy Numberi) to a beach in Jayapura (Hollandia) called "Base G Beach". That was the major logistics depot for the Philippines campaign. And you are so right. That country is beautiful but is also 'green hell'.
As a person who feels pretty well versed on WW2 in the Pacific (note I am not a historian), I have never heard of this invasion. Thanks for enlightening me. Good job.
I really enjoy these well thought through & insightful programs . That being said I think that you might find that The battle for Gona was an all Australian victory under all Australian command . No US troops were involved . In New Guinea through out most of the war MacArthur had 2 US army divisions but 13 Australian divisions including 2 armoured divisions ! The Marines has only 6 divisions through out the entire Pacific War ! Australians were also brought in to make the vital breakthrough at Buna because the 32 US Army Division was bogged down and was all but combat ineffective. Not through any lack of American courage but due to poor training and poor leadership . This was mainly due to MacArthurs decision to use untrained US troops . He wanted a US victory . So that's what he called it . He then had to asking the Australians to save the day as it were . The Australians lost as many men in 2 weeks as the US Army did in 2 months at Buna! In a battle they were not supposed to have been in . This after winning at Gona & still fighting at Sanananda. So maybe these could be called allied victories definitely not American victories. There was some ill feelings from the Australians toward the US forces as a result. It was the Australians who were doing the hard yards and suffering the most KIA but almost never getting any recognition. It was Australian policy to have almost a media blackout in regards to reporting Australias wartime activity. Most Australians back in Australia were ignorant of what their men were doing or were they were doing it . Not so the Americans . The reason that the Australian 9th Division found the Japanese cods was because they had been fighting inland against strong Japanese forces for months prior to the American ( unopposed ) landings . There is sometimes a passing comment about the Australians doing the bulk of the fighting in New Guinea ( almost all the battles of attrition )but very little detail . Australians under Australian field command , did the bulk of the fighting in New Guinea . This really does not come across in any detail . Look at the numbers in this operation above , called "Operation Persecution ". At Hollandia 52,000 US Army troops against 11,00 Japanese. American losses 152 killed ( latter in the campaign US Army lost 400 at Lone Tree Hill )1,057 wounded . Australian losses in "Operation Persecution" 587 Killed 1,141 wounded . Australian forces at Aitupe & Wewak were 13,000 Australians against 30-35,000 Japanese! Yet it's called an American victory Another issue is that the Phillipines was MacArthur's goal. The Australian goal was to get the Japanese out of Australian territory . New Guinea at this time was Australian soil ! Viewed from an American perspective the Australians were left in the rear to mop up. General Eichelberger stated the if he could get rid of the term " mopping up" he would do so. He felt that these were not good enough words for men to die for. From the Australian perspective it was getting rid of a foreign occupier on Australian soil . Without being flippant the Phillipines mean little to Australia . Even Nimitz as mentioned in this episode did not see it as a priority. It was MacArthur's ego that needed to take the Phillipines .
Interesting topic, something I'm learning. Was thinking about Bill right now and his shoulder surgery and hope all is well. By the way with our first temps in the 30's I've slept most all day, and my shoulder is telling me it's alive and doing.
Question for Captain Toti: In the sub movie where the Chief tapes a string to the hull and it gets limp during a deep dive. Fact or fiction? Always a well produced podcast here.
It was true. Sub hulls were not especially thick. A six pounder Tsetse Mosquito anti tank shell easily punched through one side and out the other with considerable damage on the way through.
Morning men. Great show as usual, but I have one point of correction. The proper pronunciation of Aitape is (I-tu-pay). Keep on producing interesting and informative videos.
Thanks for getting in first. My grandfather was in the RAAF at Eye-ta-pee in 1944-5... and I've never heard it pronounced any other way 😊 Even so, thanks to Seth, Bill and all their guests for a great series 👍
A trivial point, perhaps, but General Charles Willoughby was actually born in Heidelberg, Germany with the name of Adolph Karl Weidenbach. At the age of 18, he emigrated to the US.
@Coffeguyzz HE WAS A 4TH RATE TALENT. Not very good 4 a german top rank name in the U.S. Kilitary ...such as GRISWOLD, GEIGER, EICHELBERGER, Van Der Grift ..was he a dutch ? Suggest STEVE BIRDSALL : Kenney s Buccaneers 5th AF unoff hist. Is he still alive ? Lots about Willoughby s "willow weep 4 me s..." Also vadm BARBE Y S memoir : Mc A s Amphibious Navy - NIP 68 , an xcellent report by the most landings admiral !!! Welcome to NATO = SEMPER F i N N 🇫🇮
Very aware of the hollandia campaign as my father won a Battlestar there in the merchant marines, speaking of merchant Marine Seth what do you say you do an episode on the merchant Marine in the Pacific theater, talk about unsung heroes man!
Could you spend some time in a future video, discussing and describing the "wither on the vine" concept and how it worked? What assets were required, if any, to keep the cut-off neutralized? What were the differences between wither on the vine with an island vs bypassing a force in New Guinea? Were there circumstances where the cut-off could be completely ignored for the rest of the war? Or did they always require assets to contain? What had to be done to assure that the cut off could not inflict any damage on allied forces? Or was some damage accepted, because it was minimal?
Australian forces had always been doing the bulk of the fighting in New Guinea . From an American point of view New Guinea was only a stepping stone to the Phillipines .The Phillipines meant very little to Australians . New Guinea was Australian territory at this time . Australia was fighting to get a foreign invader off its soil .If the Japanese had invaded Alaska with130,000 troops would America have just left them alone?
I was associated with breweries in Vietnam and Korea. I was instrumental in keeping their stock depleted. The Aussies in Vietnam I cannot toast too many times. They were great troops.
Wonderful discussion and insights, especially the leadership dynamics. A WORD ABOUT TH-cam. Searching on TH-cam without Episode numbers becomes incredibly frustrating, especially for new episodes. Anything you guys can do to make episodes findable, in sequence, would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, a link where links to all episodes would be chronologically listed could be a wonderful alternative. Links to past or next articles within an episode are not to be found. Thank you for all you do. David Ralph an old VN HQ intelligence grunt.
I watch and re-watch the "Battlefield" series and landed on the Midway episode. As I watched, I could see Parshall's stern face as Tim Piggot narrated through several of the proven myths throughout the episode, culminating with the Fuchida myth. I call Jon "The Destroyer"...
Tell me please - the bases set up in northern New Guinea - Hollandia - to aid movement to the Philippines - who organised the supply to ensure the success of such a large base? West coast of USA or Australia?? The background would be great to know. 🙏
My father in law was a private in the sundowner division during the hollandia invasion. Upon reading his separation records for medical reasons just before the jump to the Phillipines we discovered from u.s. Army unit reports he was released at the height of WW2 because of his psychological breakdown and sent home. Apparently he befriended native head hunters and "went rogue" into the bush for several weeks and witnessed headhunters dispatching Japanese up close and personal. His stories over the years never changed or were embellished and photos he had that he later developed confirmed the barbarity he described He was disabled enough that he received a disability pension from the VA from what he witnessed and endured. His records indicated he spent weeks at an army hospital in Utah for his mental breakdown vHe described cannibalism by both the Japanese and Americans that haunted him until his passing in 1994
Hart (his subs) in the Philippines. A) His torpedoes SUCKED. B) Early war sub skippers were to risk adverse. C) I seen to recall the main torpedo storage depot in the Philippines was destroyed day one (or close to it) of the war. Willoughby (MacArthur's intel officer) I get the impression he was a "I know something you don't and I'm not going to tell you" type.
The sheer physical size of the ground forces at Hollandia and Aitape is impressive. About the same size as the initial assault of Operation Torch. I didn't think our ops in the Pacific were that large until the Marianas, Iwo, The Philippines or Okinawa...
How appropriate that we are going to discuss most difficult part of the SW Pacific land campaign, when Seth has slogged thru a swamp of disease in his own body to bring us these episodes with nary A hiccup. Well done, Seth.
Another sidebar, i just reviewed an article out of Arizona announcing the USS Arizona SSN-803 now has a Captain and that USS BARB will be following as SSN-804!
Outstanding content. I learned a lot. And much more efficient use of time than some episodes. I am a subscriber and serious fan of what you are doing, so I hope you will take this comment as intended. You neef to edit better. The sheer length of each episode is a serious barrier to watching for anyone who has any other obligations. Most episodes could be 30% shorter without sacrificing any content. I know brevity is hard work, but if you make the effort to cut down the rambling you will trach a wider audience.
Hello. Posting here about a Dauntless dive bomber question by chance it is seen here. Does anyone have info about the effectiveness of the two small wing bombs? The primary ordinance was under the fuselage but was curious what kind of damage those two smaller bombs may have done.
I may have missed it, but what was the actual code name for the operation to take Hollandia and Aitape? A bit of a sad comment about the battle not getting the notoriety of some of the Marine Corps battles, but some of those are not that well known by the general public either. The Cape Gloucester operation comes to mind. The Army's Philippines campaign is fairly well known, even if there is more than a bit of controversy about whether there should have even been a Philippines campaign. And the Army had as major a role to play on Okinawa as did the Marines. In some ways the Army drew the short straw on Okinawa, having to fight on the southern part of the island, where the Japanese had heavily fortified the Shuri Castle area. But I am sure we will hear more about that. The Army would have also had the lead in terms of numbers of troops had it come to an invasion of the Japanese home islands. I imagine they are glad to have missed out on that.
John McManus is an excellent addition. An absolutely enthralling historian one could listen to for hours!
Agreed! He's so gracious and inclusive of everybody. The information he possesses is just staggering and I like you, could listen to him for hours!🇺🇲⚓️💯👍
What I like about John McManus is that he leaves his ego at the door.
My Dad ( 18583 Sgt. JONES V.H.) was with 7Sq Royal Australian Air Force stationed at Aitape (Eye-tah-pee). Although not wounded in battle he contracted several diseases that affected him for the rest of his life. Namely Dengue fever, Malaria and a fungal infection in his ears that drove him mad with the itch and discharge. I'm sure that many of the Americans would have also been so affected in the same way. Although it was a "bastard of a place" some of the stories he told were quite humorous especially about the "Yanks". Then again he could find humour in any situation a wonderful trait I have inherited from him. Thank you for the wonderful, in-depth sèries you present, even if your pronunciation of some of the Pacific place names leave a lot to be desired.
My father was on Hollandia and contracted Malaria there.
Do you happen to know of a good history of the Australian campaigns against Japan. I know a bit of the early war in Africa and the ships sent to bolster the RN but almost nothing about the country's role in the Pacific. Dugout Doug made sure the efforts of the Australian Army were minimized in Americans eyes.
OUTSTANDING!!! Myself a Marine of July 1, 1964. The story was most informative and about the US Army within the Pacific exceptional. I'm glad I caught your program on TH-cam a couple of months ago and love it, man; I've been a History Buff before I even knew it conceivably. Seth, you are my Point Man, Bill, you are the Radio Man, and we have some Squad leaders as replacements. Great show, Guys. I'm from Jersey City, New Jersey, right across the Hudson River from New York City, New York.
@@kylecarmichael5890
hypohystericalhistory is a great place on YT. Many of the Australian battles in the Pacific covered in great detail.
Enjoy listening to history
Thank you gentlemen
Got a sea story for you. High school buddy told me a story his father told him. Seems he was on New Guinea and they had headhunters with them as scouts. One evening these gentlemen were cooking "chicken" out of a helmet when a Japanese sniper shot the cook pot and knocked it into the fire. After screaming and shouting, they grabbed their spears and ran off into the jungle. He said, after a while, a blood curdling scream came out of the jungle. A little bit later they came back to camp. One of the scouts had a Japanese head on the end of his spear. He stuck the spear into the ground, near the campfire, with the head high up in the air for everyone to see. No more sniper fire for the rest of the operation. And I could have sworn that he told me he was a Marine. True or false, it was a good story.
There were very few actions in New Guinea involving US marines . Only one I can think of was Cape Gloucester.
Thanks boys for mentioning the Australian’s . Great presentation John McManus is such a wonderful historian and an especially a great presenter and communicator
To this American, you cannot have a conversation about the war in the Pacific without mentioning the Australians, the famous Diggers! I'll tell you what, I almost feel sorry for the Japanese when they came up against the Australians. Almost but really not quite... and actually really never! Fair Dinkum mate! My mother-in-law was a World War II war bride from a little village outside Melbourne called Bunyip! So I met a lot of cousins and relatives from Down Under and picked up some of the lingo!🇺🇲⚓️💯💖🇦🇺
Add one more thing. I actually despise MacArthur, particularly for his treatment of your Australian Armed Forces. I mean my God he didn't have a single Aussie on his staff for Christ's sake! What does that say about that paria? Thank God he wasn't an accurate representation of 90% of our generals. Until 1944 we were basically in deep shit with that arrogant narcissistic clown at the helm.
@@Jakal-pw8yq thanks mate for your kind words. Don’t worry the feeling is mutual my brother. I love those funny little towns like Bunyip !
You have enlightened us on another little-known battle of the Asia-Pacific War. Thanks for such a fine presentation.
That vignette of the Australian troops finding the codebooks in the swamp is quite reminiscent of the Union soldier stumbling across a copy of Lee's orders prior to Antietam.
Except they won big whereas McClellan barely hung on despite having the plans handed to him.
The Australian troops were part of the 9th Australian Division . They had been fighting the main Japanese force for a considerable time long before this landing. The 9th division was probably the most experienced division in the whole allied war effort . Before coming to New Guinea they had been the "Rats of Tobruk" . Inflicting the first land defeat on Germany. They then went on to lose the most men on the allied side at the Battle of El Alamein were they were used as shock troops.The other Australian Divisions who were there with the 9th , were the 6th & 7th Australian divisions. They had also been at Tobruk . They had also fought the Germans & Italians in North Africa , Greece & Crete . They had also fought the Vishi French in Syria. All prior to their arrival In New Guinea.These were soldiers who knew their stuff.
@paulobrien3241 damn those Aussies saw a lot of action against the Germans prior to fighting the Japanese. These were indeed very battle-hardened troops and you know they were spoiling for a fight in their own backyard! Fair Dinkum mate!! 🙏🇺🇲⚓️💖😊👍
@@Jakal-pw8yq Most of the Australian commanders were veterans of WW1. One General , General Savage had started his career in 1915 . He landed at Gallipoli as a private . Was a Divisional commanding general by 1943. At the end of WW1 when American troops finally made it to France they saw their first action under Australian command .They were attached to General Monash"s ANZAC corps. This was elements of the 32 US Division . The same one that fought at Buna in ww2.
Another great job guys! Seth I’m sure glad you got through Covid and strep. I can’t imagine how tough having both at the same time would be. I’ve had both but not at the same time. Always look forward to Tuesday morning! Thank y’all so much! Good to see John again!
Yeah I felt pretty crappy. Haven't been that sick in probably a decade. I got sick and it wouldn't go away. We recorded the Enterprise Part 1 episode when I was really sick.
@@sethparidon8654We’re going to have to ask you quarantine yourself for the remainder of the war sir….. we need our episodes! Much obliged! Lol
This is the best podcast going right now. Bravo!
Truth!
It is very good 1 If you want a very in depth breakdown of the main battle;es in New Guinea check out a podcast called " hyperhistericalhistory" Its an unusual name but excellent content.
On my sidebar as I am watching this episode there is a link to the previous episode on the Big-E. It shows that it has been viewed over 35,000 times in just one week. Wow! Considering that this channel only has 21,100 subscribers it says a lot about the pull of the USS Enterprise. Also, it was one of the best episodes by the UHOTPW.
Speaking of Enterprise and Hollandia. When TF58 launched its strike on the airfields there. William I Martin and another Avenger (both using Radar) as pathfinders. Due to the bad weather.
Their most viewed video is the one on Night 2 of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, which clocks in with 174,000 views. They're clearly drawing a lot of peeps who have yet to subscribe to the channel, for whatever reason.
@@richardmalcolm1457 _They're clearly drawing a lot of peeps who have yet to subscribe to the channel, for whatever reason._
That's often the case for smaller TH-cam channels. Plenty of people will tune in to watch a video that interests them but won't subscribe.
This video, with a much less known topic, so much less likely for youtube to recommend to others, has 28k views in one week. Tells me the subscribers are very loyal viewers (we're like a cult), but it also tells me not nearly enough people make the effort to hit the like button.
@@bughunter1766 My suspicion is that they're drawing an older audience, which isn't enough into YT otherwise to do the stuff that supports channels (subscribing, likes, etc.).
Thank you for the information on these programs. I was born on Dec 7th in 1956, and have read alot about ww2, especially in the pacific. You and your guests have been very educational. Please keep up the great work!!
Just finished John McManus's trilogy of the US Army in the Pacific. Excellent all around.
I felt bad when it was said it was a battle overlooked because "there were no Marines". I gotta admit I kinda grouped all these New Guinea actions without really looking at any of them in any detail. A harrowing tale for certain. Learned alot on this one
i think that its overlooked because the bulk of the fighting in N ew Guinea was done by the Australians.
@@paulobrien3241that’s precisely why, Americans (understandably so) don’t tend to care too much about what other troops are doing but their own and them being the biggest hitter so to speak the rest of the world kinda just goes with it. Look at Bougainville and a bunch of the surrounding islands and ect ect plenty of little spots like that were serious fights but get woefully overlooked by the wider population because the bulk of the fighting was done by Australia and not America.
Its amazing the amount of ww2 history you men know collectively.
Great history lesson as usual. My Tuesday can't wait until I watch it. Thanks Bill and Seth. John McManus is a very special guest. Becoming one of my favorites. He is getting into Jon Parshall and Drach territory in my history world of studies. Fantastic and Thanks again.
This has been another wonderful episode. As a recent subscriber to this channel I have found myself going back to every episode .
For a moment there, I thought I had missed an episode. I was expecting Pt 2 of the Battle History of CV-6, but then I realized you guys didn't promise Part 2 coming consecutively. No worries, I can wait until later in the war to revisit the exploits of Big-E. Meanwhile John McManus is a great guest and the topics of the "latter stages" of the South Pacific campaign are too often neglected, so .... great episode!!
My father was a Sargent in the148rgt of the 37th division. This entire series has fleshed out many of his experiences and many of the places he talked about. Thank you.
My father was in these landings. He called it Ah - tap- ee . The actions he always talked about was the march over the Owen Stanley mountains with the Aussies and the battle of Driniumor river. Dad was in a dugout at the river bank position with an M-2 heavy machine gun. Changed the barrel twice in 48 hours. When the Japanese stormed their lines they were mowed down so that the river was clogged with floating bodies of the Japanese. Dad was at pearl with the 19th inf 25th div. My father thought Kruger and Echelburger were was brilliant, hated dug out Doug. Pop's was in the Alamo force and the Alamo scouts later in the war. The he went to Hollywood and became an actor.
My dad's CO is still alive here in Taos. He is now 102 . Great series gentlemen - I never knew about the code book until this little lecture, but no cigars. ( i'm sure you will know the reference).
You have some serious family history. As a kid, I used to plan and fantasize about visiting these wild places. I'm sure I didn't know WHY they are so sparsely inhabited, or I may have been cured of my curiosity much earlier.
Thank you. I was completely unaware these battles had happened.
Thank you Seth Bill and John.
Another great presentation. Always learn a lot, thank you.
Thanks gentlemen, I enjoyed your presentation. Thanks to John, I am reading his excellent trilogy and will read more books authored by Mr McManus. You're appreciated.
Another great episode, I learned a lot as usual. My dad flew C47s in New Guinea, and definitely mentioned Hollandia as a place he came through many times. I’d love to hear you guys do an episode on the Troop Carriers, among many of the logistical aspects of the Pacific War. I know you’ve mentioned them in passing in several episodes but a focus would make this son of a C47 pilot very happy.
Badass as always boys, great work.
Great show gentlemen.
Another great job guys. Loving the series. Cheers!
Great coverage of little exposed but important and vicious campaign on New Guinea. What miserable conditions those men had to endure.
Thanks, boys. Quality content.
Thank you , again, for yet another very informative learning experience on the Pacific/Asian theatre. Hats off to you 3 men.
Bill has the best lighting, you can tell he is an engineer.
Great episode as usual, just like most people this was a series of battles and landings I had not heard of and I'm glad y'all brought it to your viewers attention. Keep up the good work
I love this channel. For many of us WWII history is limited to what we have seen in the movies or, if we are really lucky, the popular history books about the well known battles. The problem is there is a lot more to the war in the Pacific than Midway, Guadlacanal, Saipan and a couple of other John Wayne type marine engagements. I for one am learning a lot more than I ever knew happened. I would like to know more about what happened to the secondary ships in the US Navy. My father, like many others, spent his time as a gunner on a TBM off a jeep carrier. It took a lifetime but I was able to get my father to reveal all sorts of stories to me that sound remarkably like the stories of the fliers who were based on fleet carriers like the Big E. While visiting an air musium in south Texas we looked at a map of the world. I asked where he served. Dad pointed to the Atlantic and then to the Pacific and he said "all of it." "We started hunting German U-Boats in the Atlantic and then went to the South Pacific." Some of those secondary assets had extensive histories. The best line in this episode is McManus saying the battle couldn't be less glamourous. We hear a lot of glamorous stories and we don't hear about people who didn't get the press.
Appreciated the overview and highlights of a campaign that I knew about, but never understood the importance of. I learned about the roles of the U.S. and Australian soldiers who fought there in such an inhospitable place, against such a tenacious foe. The scholarship by John, Seth and Bill made this presentation an excellent primer on the subject. I must get John's books as soon as I can afford them.
Thank you for memorializing these battles. My dad was an assault boat coxswain in actions in New Britain and New Guinea.
Another excellent episode, and another very welcome look at a generally lesser known operation. McManus is a great guest, and you've added his books to my already over-long reading list ....
For those interested in the Australian role in the southwest Pacific, there is an excellent TH-cam channel called hypohystericalhistory (a mouthful). Long videos, extensively documented and researched, with great imagery. Have mentioned it before. Several episodes on Australia's great New Guinea engagements such as the Kokoda Track, Milne Bay, Finschafen, etc.
hypohystericalhistory is excellent. I highly recommend their videos.
Thank you gentlemen once again for another excellent episode!
I think I even look forward to topics covered such as the New Guinea campaign and the often seemingly unappreciated role of the US Army in the Pacific as much or more than the more famous naval and amphibious Marine landings, as it seems there's so much that has been previously unwritten about until recently, the terrific scholarship of John McManus being foremost.
As always, can't wait until next Tuesday!
Talking about unappreciated consider the Australian perspective. This " Operation Persecution" was the taking of Hollande , Aitape & Wewak.American forces were about 52,000 USA against 11,000 Japanese at Holland .
American losses ,150 killed 1,051 wounded .
Aitape & Wewak Some US Army units mostly 13,000 Australian Army , manny of whom were "The Rats of Tobruk " and victors at El Alamein.
Australian losses , 587 Killed and 1,141 wounded .
These predominantly Australian troops were up against 30-35,000 Japanese!
They were still fighting them when the war finished.
Yet these men get only a passing mention in this " American " victory .
Mac was aware of talented Commanders, but paranoid about anyone stealing his thunder.
As consumed with returning to the Philippines as Captain Ahab was with Moby Dick. His obsession for that, all the Pacific resources and credit, MacArthur releases press clippings as historical rhetoric, as well thought as the campains that his muffled generals performed in 1944.
Great stuff, John is awesome, as all your guests.
_'As consumed with returning to the Philippines as Captain Ahab was with Moby Dick.'_
Kind of understandable. 'Lost the Philippines' is a heavy burden. Kimmel only lost part of the fleet and look what happened to him. As it was, the US had two paths north to Japan. Via the Philippines or through Formosa and into China. And going through Formosa whilst somehow cutting off the Japanese on the Philippines seems to be an island hop too extreme. At least with the Philippines the Americans knew the lay of the land and had widespread local support.
Excellent show! The ability to tell these exciting stories with facts & dates and at the same time keep the viewers on the edge of there seats, just fantastic! Thanks. U.S.M.C.
This video podcast is simply put, phenominal. We Will Not Forget Those Who Have Fallen 💝 Thank you all for another wonderful video, Seth, Bill & John. 🍻
Thanks! John McManus is another Hist./Writer I use for reference often because I can trust his research, beside being a good Fella.
My compliments on the thorough coverage and details of the battle of Hollandia and Altape campaigns. It's amazing how you have established a coherent knowledge base to reiterate the supporting details orally so everything is properly understood.
My favorite part of Tuesday!
Howdy folks. Very informative and entertaining to listen in on this conversation among the 2 hosts and Dr John who knows all knowledge about the USArmy in WW2. Top 10 podcast ever in the world.
John McManus is a great guest, and the digressions y'all have are fantastic, well done and thank you.
EXCELLENT episode, guys! Love knowing the facts about these Pacific campaigns that everyone has heard of, but don't know much about because they are not spotlighted as they should be! Great job!
I love your work
Thanks for the great episode. This part of the war is little known outside of a few histories. Happy Halloween and I hope Seth gets to feeling better.
Excellent.
Sorry to hear you had been so ill Seth. Great show as always.
My uncle was Kia in Aitape in Aug 1944. And MacArthur’s interference caused a lot of unnecessary casualties. The Japanese 18th army headquartered in Weiwak in New Guinea was cut off by leapfrogging over them and taking Aitape. However, the 18th had 130,000 soldiers and mustered a huge force to attack Aitape a couple hundred Km of Jungle distant. This was anticipated and a defensive line was prepared along a river about 10 miles from the Aitape airfield.
As the Japanese forces drew near, MacArthur interfered and demanded the general in charge hurry up and get the confrontation over with. So the local general ordered a large percent of soldiers on the defensive line cross the river and go looking for the Japanese in the jungle. Then when the Japanese attacked the defensive line, the thinned defense could not hold even though they had the advantage of a river in front of them. The weakened defensive line was overrun by the Japanese instead of being stopped while trying to cross the river. If MacArthur had not demanded the general hurry up and get the battle over with, then the defensive line would not have been thinned and it would have held against the larger attacking force because the advantage of the river. Also, as one would expect, moving through the jungle eliminated the advantage of defensive positions and the river and casualties were sustained. MacArthur’s demand was unnecessary meddling because the Japanese were going to have to cross the river and were not in a position to dally.
MacArthur wanted the anticipated battle to be completed quickly in order to convince FDR his plan was working and that it should be continued instead of the Navy’s proposed solution. RIP uncle Toivo whose name in Finnish meant Hope. Justice would have been if FDR ordered MacArthur to leave the defensive line, cross the river and walk through the jungle looking for the approaching Japanese 18th Army, just to make an impression on someone.
Thank you. I love listening and learning from all of you!
Loved the rundown on Walter Kreuger
Visit Valor Brew Pub when you are in Washington DC. Its a veteran themed, owned and operated brew pub located at 8th & I SE. I think you all know the location already. The Marine Corps Commandant is my next door neighbor. We speak about military history everyday.
As always, superb content. Very nice to tune in at the same time I’m reading John McManus epic trilogy.
Thank you gentlemen.
Congrats to Capt Tody. Shows Nimitz like patience. Waited 12-1/2 minutes to "Mac Bash"! 😂
I enjoyed your conversations on Gen. Kruger and his reluctance to chase the limelight. I can only imagine what a MacArthur and Bernard Montgomery working relationship would be like. Lol
Can you say Mutually Assured DESTRUCTION ?
There was also an Australian general who commanded troops in New Guinea who rose to the rank of General after staring out as a private in WW1.
@@paulobrien3241 Was that Gen. Blamey or the Brigadier that was in charge at Finschaven?
Blamey was over all land commander of all ground troops US and Australian at this time
.
The commanders on the ground at Finschhafen were General Wooten who commanded 9th Division AIF (Australian Imperial Forces. They were veterans. The Rats Tobruk and suffered the greatest losses at the battle of El Alamein where Rommel was defeated).
The other formation as the 20th Infantry Brigade under General Windeyer.
These were Militia troops.
The AIF were the regular army all were volunteers.
The Militia were not volunteers & could only be deployed on Australian territory.
Remember New Guinea at this time was Australian soil.
The thing to realise is that the Australian Commanders were far more experienced in combat than the Americans.
There was the problem of the different command management between the Australians & Americans.
MacArthur was a micro manager who tended to panic.
American commanders seem to like a more structured step by step battle plan.
Australian command was less structured because of their greater experience.
Australian commanders would give subordinates a broad outline of what was required & then give them a free hand to move forward as they best saw fit.
Particularly at this stage of the war the Australians had been fighting for almost 3 years.
They knew how a battle ebbed and flowed.
The Australian higher command were all WW1 veterans with years of experience.
One Australian, General Savage had started his career as a private in WW1.
He had advanced through every rank from private up to General!
The Australians knew their stuff!
MacArthur & the US officers either had very little WW1 experience or no battlefield experience other than the Philippines.
Because Americans are only interested in America, they were ignorant of the Australian Commanders & their history.
It has to be said most Americans were arrogant, cocky and condescending towards the Australians.
Some American commanders refused to follow Blamey’s orders.
Blamey was second in command.
Only MacArthur was above him.
He Blamey, was a difficult & unpleasant human being but not a bad commander.
He was also the land force Commander of all ground troops US & Australian!
An interesting observation is to look at the 2 men MacArthur & Blamey standing side by side.
There are photos out there.
MacArthur is beribboned with many lines of awards on his chest.
Blamey has very few decorations.
You got respect in the Australian Army through competence.
If you see a ribbon on an Australian soldier, you can be shore he has done something really outstanding.
There are no equivalates to bronze stars silver stars purple hearts etc.
There were accessions where these awards were offered to Australians by grateful Americans.
The Australian Army would never allow them to be awarded.
Blamey had fought through the whole of WW1 & risen through the ranks by ability.
In WW2 He had already fought through the Middle East, Syria, Crete & Greece.
Blamey was by far the more accomplished commander & soldier.
Yet no Australians were allowed into MacArthur’s inner cycle.
They were the so called “Bataan Gang “.
@@paulobrien3241 General Savage was the one I should have remembered. Also you are ABSOLUTELY correct on everything in this post . Especially in regards to MacArthur who to put it bluntly was always an ass which is why he was sent to the Philippines in the first place.
another great one guys. 👌 👍
Happy Halloween everyone. I read General Krueger's book "From Down Under to Nippon" and enjoyed it very much and this podcast reminded me of it. There is a book out there called "Stragglers" about the men of the Japanese army that were overrun and left behind. Very gruesome in New Guinea. Also "Lost in Sangri-La" by Mitchell Zuckoff is a great book about a plane crash and rescue when this area became a kind of back water towards the end of the war. Great Torpedo Tuesday.
Well done, as usual! Thanks for covering the lesser known aspects of the war. If all you did was Midway and Iwo Jima, et al, you would lose me!
When TF58 launched its strike. LCDR William I Martin and another Avenger from VT-10 (both using Radar) were used as pathfinders. Due to the bad weather.
Bonnet fellers is portrayed in the movie “Emporer” with Tommy Lee Jones as MacArthur.
Finally found the Dogout Doug episode! THANK YOU! Wish you'd do a 2 hour look at his complete history
Ah yes the New Guinea front, probably the forgotten part of the war in the South Pacific area.
We are just trying to forget MacArthur. What an ego that guy had.
That's probably because New Guinea was predominantly an Australian fight.The land Force Commander in New Guinea was an Australian . MacArthur had 2 US Divisions , but 12 Australian Divisions. The Mariners only had 6 Divisions in the whole Pacific .Australian combat losses in this theatre were greater than the American forces losses . When American forces were the main component in an action MacArthur called it an American victory . When Australian forces were the main component ( as they usually were in this theatre ) it was an ALLIED victory . Take the battle of Milne Bay. This was Japan's first land defeat in the Pacific . All the combat troops were Australian or Papuan . The commander on the ground was Australian .There were a contingent of American Engineers there building an air field . I have regularly seen this referred to as asn American victory .Some times an allied victory .
Reading "Island Infernos" right now by John McManus. Good book, a lot of personal experiences in it.
It's neat hearing about battles that aren't named Midway or Guadalcanal or Leyte etc. TY!
Great show, I had never heard of these actions before, and I really enjoy the school housing. P.S. these new covid viruses are no joke. Stay safe and please carry on.
A story I heard was that things were going badly at Buna Gona and MacArthur told Gen. Eichelberger that if he would go there and win, then MacArthur would let him talk to the press. This was used to illustrate MacArthur's thinking in that being allowed to speak to the press was the biggest prize he could award someone with
The Australians fought under an almost total news blackout. This was government policy. MacArthur and by extension the Americans were seen as braggarts by the Australian troops . The fact that it was the Australians who had been at war for 2 years already who were doing the vast bulk of the fighting & dying in New Guinea ( 12 Australian Divisions to Americas 2 ) .They were almost completely written out of the history is still a sore point in Australia .
Looking over the W'pedia bio of Krueger, he seems pretty impressive. While not a West Pointer, he did attend the Army War College AND the Naval War College. Later he taught at the Naval War College about World War 1. Just before the US entered WW2 he was in command of the 3rd Army. Krueger seemed to be a good balance of aggressive and cautious (more akin to Spruance than Halsey in that respect).
The found Japanese codes remind me of Lee's Special Order 191 which were found wrapped around cigars prior to the battle of Antietam.
You have great guests. Looking forward to Drac being back on as well. Maybe to share insights on the arrivals of the Essex carriers and Iowa battleships to the Big Blue Fleet? How'd they compare to their older cousins?
Great overview guys. Just fantastic. I was taken by the Governor of Irian Jaya (a top bloke named Freddy Numberi) to a beach in Jayapura (Hollandia) called "Base G Beach". That was the major logistics depot for the Philippines campaign. And you are so right. That country is beautiful but is also 'green hell'.
My dad was there as a airborne aviation engineer. 880th Airborne Aviation Engineer Battalion.
As a person who feels pretty well versed on WW2 in the Pacific (note I am not a historian), I have never heard of this invasion. Thanks for enlightening me. Good job.
I really enjoy these well thought through & insightful programs .
That being said I think that you might find that The battle for Gona was an all Australian victory under all Australian command .
No US troops were involved .
In New Guinea through out most of the war MacArthur had 2 US army divisions but 13 Australian divisions including 2 armoured divisions !
The Marines has only 6 divisions through out the entire Pacific War !
Australians were also brought in to make the vital breakthrough at Buna because the 32 US Army Division was bogged down and was all but combat ineffective.
Not through any lack of American courage but due to poor training and poor leadership .
This was mainly due to MacArthurs decision to use untrained US troops .
He wanted a US victory .
So that's what he called it .
He then had to asking the Australians to save the day as it were .
The Australians lost as many men in 2 weeks as the US Army did in 2 months at Buna!
In a battle they were not supposed to have been in .
This after winning at Gona & still fighting at Sanananda.
So maybe these could be called allied victories definitely not American victories.
There was some ill feelings from the Australians toward the US forces as a result.
It was the Australians who were doing the hard yards and suffering the most KIA but almost never getting any recognition.
It was Australian policy to have almost a media blackout in regards to reporting Australias wartime activity.
Most Australians back in Australia were ignorant of what their men were doing or were they were doing it .
Not so the Americans .
The reason that the Australian 9th Division found the Japanese cods was because they had been fighting inland against strong Japanese forces for months prior to the American ( unopposed ) landings .
There is sometimes a passing comment about the Australians doing the bulk of the fighting in New Guinea ( almost all the battles of attrition )but very little detail .
Australians under Australian field command , did the bulk of the fighting in New Guinea .
This really does not come across in any detail .
Look at the numbers in this operation above , called "Operation Persecution ".
At Hollandia 52,000 US Army troops against 11,00 Japanese.
American losses 152 killed ( latter in the campaign US Army lost 400 at Lone Tree Hill )1,057 wounded .
Australian losses in "Operation Persecution" 587 Killed 1,141 wounded .
Australian forces at Aitupe & Wewak were 13,000 Australians against 30-35,000 Japanese!
Yet it's called an American victory
Another issue is that the Phillipines was MacArthur's goal.
The Australian goal was to get the Japanese out of Australian territory .
New Guinea at this time was Australian soil !
Viewed from an American perspective the Australians were left in the rear to mop up.
General Eichelberger stated the if he could get rid of the term " mopping up" he would do so.
He felt that these were not good enough words for men to die for.
From the Australian perspective it was getting rid of a foreign occupier on Australian soil .
Without being flippant the Phillipines mean little to Australia .
Even Nimitz as mentioned in this episode did not see it as a priority.
It was MacArthur's ego that needed to take the Phillipines .
Interesting topic, something I'm learning. Was thinking about Bill right now and his shoulder surgery and hope all is well. By the way with our first temps in the 30's I've slept most all day, and my shoulder is telling me it's alive and doing.
Question for Captain Toti:
In the sub movie where the Chief tapes a string to the hull and it gets limp during a deep dive. Fact or fiction? Always a well produced podcast here.
It was true. Sub hulls were not especially thick. A six pounder Tsetse Mosquito anti tank shell easily punched through one side and out the other with considerable damage on the way through.
@@Dave5843-d9mespecially in WW2, now probably not so much. But depending on how deep the newer subs are at.
True. Got the tshirt.
That was in the movie “Down Periscope”
Morning men. Great show as usual, but I have one point of correction. The proper pronunciation of Aitape is (I-tu-pay). Keep on producing interesting and informative videos.
Aitape is pronounced eye-tap-ee (born Pt Moresby in 53; dad was an Aust Inf Coy commander in PNG 43-45)
Thanks for getting in first. My grandfather was in the RAAF at Eye-ta-pee in 1944-5... and I've never heard it pronounced any other way 😊
Even so, thanks to Seth, Bill and all their guests for a great series 👍
@@Pusserdoc Couldn't agree more. If slightly mispronouncing Aitape is the worst they do, they're still commendably sound and committed to accuracy.
😊
A trivial point, perhaps, but General Charles Willoughby was actually born in Heidelberg, Germany with the name of Adolph Karl Weidenbach.
At the age of 18, he emigrated to the US.
@Coffeguyzz HE WAS A 4TH RATE TALENT. Not very good 4 a german top rank name in the U.S. Kilitary ...such as GRISWOLD, GEIGER, EICHELBERGER, Van Der Grift ..was he a dutch ? Suggest STEVE BIRDSALL : Kenney s Buccaneers 5th AF unoff hist. Is he still alive ? Lots about Willoughby s "willow weep 4 me s..." Also vadm BARBE Y S memoir : Mc A s Amphibious Navy - NIP 68 , an xcellent report by the most landings admiral !!!
Welcome to NATO = SEMPER F i N N 🇫🇮
Very aware of the hollandia campaign as my father won a Battlestar there in the merchant marines, speaking of merchant Marine Seth what do you say you do an episode on the merchant Marine in the Pacific theater, talk about unsung heroes man!
Thank you…
Could you spend some time in a future video, discussing and describing the "wither on the vine" concept and how it worked? What assets were required, if any, to keep the cut-off neutralized? What were the differences between wither on the vine with an island vs bypassing a force in New Guinea? Were there circumstances where the cut-off could be completely ignored for the rest of the war? Or did they always require assets to contain? What had to be done to assure that the cut off could not inflict any damage on allied forces? Or was some damage accepted, because it was minimal?
Australian forces had always been doing the bulk of the fighting in New Guinea . From an American point of view New Guinea was only a stepping stone to the Phillipines .The Phillipines meant very little to Australians . New Guinea was Australian territory at this time . Australia was fighting to get a foreign invader off its soil .If the Japanese had invaded Alaska with130,000 troops would America have just left them alone?
I was associated with breweries in Vietnam and Korea. I was instrumental in keeping their stock depleted. The Aussies in Vietnam I cannot toast too many times. They were great troops.
Wonderful discussion and insights, especially the leadership dynamics.
A WORD ABOUT TH-cam. Searching on TH-cam without Episode numbers becomes incredibly frustrating, especially for new episodes. Anything you guys can do to make episodes findable, in sequence, would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, a link where links to all episodes would be chronologically listed could be a wonderful alternative. Links to past or next articles within an episode are not to be found.
Thank you for all you do. David Ralph an old VN HQ intelligence grunt.
Thanks Seth, Bill, John and rest. Forgive me for not knowing the name of the other contributors. Thank You Bill for Service. Much Blessings to All. 💪
Thanks!
I watch and re-watch the "Battlefield" series and landed on the Midway episode. As I watched, I could see Parshall's stern face as Tim Piggot narrated through several of the proven myths throughout the episode, culminating with the Fuchida myth. I call Jon "The Destroyer"...
Tell me please - the bases set up in northern New Guinea - Hollandia - to aid movement to the Philippines - who organised the supply to ensure the success of such a large base? West coast of USA or Australia?? The background would be great to know. 🙏
My father in law was a private in the sundowner division during the hollandia invasion. Upon reading his separation records for medical reasons just before the jump to the Phillipines we discovered from u.s. Army unit reports he was released at the height of WW2 because of his psychological breakdown and sent home. Apparently he befriended native head hunters and "went rogue" into the bush for several weeks and witnessed headhunters dispatching Japanese up close and personal. His stories over the years never changed or were embellished and photos he had that he later developed confirmed the barbarity he described He was disabled enough that he received a disability pension from the VA from what he witnessed and endured. His records indicated he spent weeks at an army hospital in Utah for his mental breakdown vHe described cannibalism by both the Japanese and Americans that haunted him until his passing in 1994
Hart (his subs) in the Philippines.
A) His torpedoes SUCKED.
B) Early war sub skippers were to risk adverse.
C) I seen to recall the main torpedo storage depot in the Philippines was destroyed day one (or close to it) of the war.
Willoughby (MacArthur's intel officer) I get the impression he was a "I know something you don't and I'm not going to tell you" type.
The sheer physical size of the ground forces at Hollandia and Aitape is impressive. About the same size as the initial assault of Operation Torch. I didn't think our ops in the Pacific were that large until the Marianas, Iwo, The Philippines or Okinawa...
How appropriate that we are going to discuss most difficult part of the SW Pacific land campaign, when Seth has slogged thru a swamp of disease in his own body to bring us these episodes with nary A hiccup. Well done, Seth.
McArthur had an ego the size of Russia, his ego knew no bounds.
Thanks
Another sidebar, i just reviewed an article out of Arizona announcing the USS Arizona SSN-803 now has a Captain and that USS BARB will be following as SSN-804!
Outstanding content. I learned a lot. And much more efficient use of time than some episodes. I am a subscriber and serious fan of what you are doing, so I hope you will take this comment as intended. You neef to edit better. The sheer length of each episode is a serious barrier to watching for anyone who has any other obligations. Most episodes could be 30% shorter without sacrificing any content. I know brevity is hard work, but if you make the effort to cut down the rambling you will trach a wider audience.
Have you tried play back at 1.5 or 1.25 speed?
Nope. "just the facts, ma'am" would be like watching paint dry.
Hello. Posting here about a Dauntless dive bomber question by chance it is seen here.
Does anyone have info about the effectiveness of the two small wing bombs?
The primary ordinance was under the fuselage but was curious what kind of damage those two smaller bombs may have done.
I may have missed it, but what was the actual code name for the operation to take Hollandia and Aitape? A bit of a sad comment about the battle not getting the notoriety of some of the Marine Corps battles, but some of those are not that well known by the general public either. The Cape Gloucester operation comes to mind. The Army's Philippines campaign is fairly well known, even if there is more than a bit of controversy about whether there should have even been a Philippines campaign. And the Army had as major a role to play on Okinawa as did the Marines. In some ways the Army drew the short straw on Okinawa, having to fight on the southern part of the island, where the Japanese had heavily fortified the Shuri Castle area. But I am sure we will hear more about that. The Army would have also had the lead in terms of numbers of troops had it come to an invasion of the Japanese home islands. I imagine they are glad to have missed out on that.