Mission to Rabaul - Nonstop action in the South West Pacific 1943
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- This is one of the all time classic documentaries from World War 2 -- an action packed epic! Rabaul, a large natural harbor on the eastern end of the huge Island of New Britain was an essential strategic linchpin for the Japanese from which they could project their forces throughout the region. They poured tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of airplanes, and thousands of tons of supplies and material into this base to make it a mighty fortress. The Allies' brilliant solution to the Rabaul conundrum was to isolate it, slowly starve it, and bypass it -- rather than assault it directly.
This dramatic, high impact documentary film shows some of the most memorable, exciting, and extensive footage of 5th Air Force B-25G bombers conducting tree top level attacks with machine guns and delayed action bombs to come out of World War 2 .The first step in the reduction of Rabaul was the seizure of a string of Japanese bases along the Northeast coast of New Guinea.
The film focuses on the decisive and revolutionary impact of the air component in the strategy, including high & low level attacks, parachute drops, and resupply, accompanied by a magnificent musical score drawn from Holst's "The Planets." You're literally sitting in the cockpit or in the tail gunners seat watching amazing low level attack runs. You'll also see P-38s, A-20s, B-25s and B-24 cooperating with US Australian and New Zealand Forces securing forward air bases to strike against Rabaul and for the invasion of New Britain. "Mission to Rabaul" shows how each piece of this classic strategy culminated inevitably in the first escorted, massed bomber strike on Rabaul on 12th October, 1943 an essential goal in the reduction of Japanese defenses.
I digitally restored the audio & video.
Zeno, Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In zenoswarbirdvid... See this film and more full screen on our "Rabaul Campaign" DVD bitly.com/WjYE40 Visit our aviation DVD store at www.zenosflight... for the World's largest selection of World War 2 & vintage jet aircraft aviation videos.
We have 100s of films in our library. We have licensed footage to major TV networks and cable channels. For more info see / zenoswarbirds
Zeno
Greatly appreciate the opportunity to see these old documentaries. Many thanks to whoever. England, September, 2024.
Thanks for making this old Documentary available on the web. For a number of reasons.This classic historical film will assist my kids and I to know about what the Pacific War was like for their Aussie grandfather, (my Dad). I flew over some of this area in a commercial jet a year or so ago, also lived on one of the islands for a few days, I can identify - in a small way- with the ruggedness of PNG. Some of WW2's bloodiest battles for future freedom were fought in the Pacific. "Lest We Forget"
As a retired Army Infantryman I weep at what our nation has become. Had these great men and women that fought in WWII known this is what would be done with their sacrifice, they would have stayed home and lived their lives knowing they were the last free Americans.
How are you not free?
My dad was with the 317th troop transport. He earned a bronze star flying into Wau, New Guinea. The 317th was in action from Port Moresby through to Japan. Dad made it home, went to college and taught high school. He died in 1997...RIP...
My Dad crewed both A-20's and B-25's in the New Guinea campaigns; many missions many medals to include DFC as well as metal without ribbons. Several aircraft shot out from underneath them. Went on to make a career out of the Air Force and was medically retired after 28years. These men were rugged and operated their equipment at the very edge of safety and at great personal risks. Very few aircrew were taken prisoner if shot down by the Japanese; it was a campaign without quarter for the most part. My Father would only speak about this campaign when directly asked and only to tell of humorous events. The Greatest Generation is an appt moniker for these real heroes. I am very proud to have know a soldier who lived and fought this great struggle.
I've been out to Rabaul a couple times on SCUBA trips. Great history there. Some of the Japanese equipment and guns are still there. There is an underground hospital complex that is just vast. I went in Yamato's underground headquarters. Japanese supply barges in hidden tunnels and the like. I love it out there. Such rich WW-2 history. There is also a great WW-2 museum over by Kokapo. Lots of cool things on display there.
Are you Australian?
@@olentangy74 No. I’m in the USA. BUT, When Rabaul fell to the Japanese, it was garrisoned by Australian troops. Read Darkest Hour, the epic story of Lark Force, the forgotten garrison January 1942. Super good read on the Japanese conquest of Rabaul, and New Britain Island after Pearl Harbor.
The reason why I asked if you were Australian is because Rabaul is so remote from the USA, and relatively close to Australia.
I too am a scuba diver, and an avid WW2 history buff. Rabaul has long been a place I would like to visit, but getting there is another thing. Did you go with a tour group?
@@olentangy74 no. I went there to catch a Peter Hughes dive boat. I have done 2 10 day dive trips with them. So, I flew to Honolulu, then to Melbourne, to Port Morsby overnight at Airways Hotel and on to Rabaul. I’ve also visited New Ireland. My 1st trip was from Kimbe to Rabaul. My second trip was from Rabaul around the South side of New Britain to roughly Gasmata and back. At the Japanese airfield at Gasmata there was the remains of a G3M “Nell”, a Dinah and a Zeke. And at the far end, a G4M Betty. Not sure if they are still there or if they were disposed of, moved or what ever. Charter flights still land there out of Rabaul on the original Japanese strip. There is a small pillbox on the beach.
It should be just a hop for you compared to me since you are already in Australia. The diving was very good. But be sure to go stay on Peleliu in Palau. Really good diving and relic hunting on the battlefield. Read; With the old breed at Peleliu and Okinawa by Dr Eugene Sledge before you go there. It’s the best WW2 Pacific Battlefield I’ve seen and that is easily accessible. You would fly into Koror and then take a skiff ride out to Peleliu. Godwin Sato used to run a really nice shore based dive and lodging operation off of the island. Not sure if he still does. Palau is wonderful.
@@olentangy74 I guess I should also say, my father fought out there. He was a young Captain and company commander of an Army Combat Engineer company. He fought through the New Guinea campaigns, Lae, Finchoffen, Hollandia. Then made the landings at Leyte and Luzon. Then went in to Japan as part of the occupation forces. He loved Australia and talked highly of the ruff and tough Australian soldiers he fought along with. He said the Australian troops were Great War fighters and tough as nails. All the Australians I’ve met in my pacific travels were the greatest most fun of all. Hard drinking and hard playing. I’m sure my father had it right. Anyway, I’m glad you asked. Great talking to you. Greetings from the USA!
My father was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. His ship was the U.S.S. Solace and the only hospital ship in the Pacific until 1944. He mentioned this attack. He died this year at 94. The war in the Pacific was brutal with no holds bared. Rest in Peace Dad I miss you.
My dad was in Pearl Harbor also . Ran out to man a small 30 cal machine gun only to get blasted out in the harbor and he said if it wasn't for another sailor who saw him fly off the dock into the bay I et would not be here watching TH-cam ! Here come the Chinese .
@@estebahnrandolph8724 God Bless your father and all of *The Greatest Generation!* My father also fought in WWII, he was well decorated for combat in N. Africa, then it was up to the Italian boot to fight the Wehrmacht and Italian Fascists who were still loyal to Mussolini. While his unit was fighting up in the mountains, in conjunction with an elite Italian Bersaglieri unit, an Italian Brixia 45-mm mortar shell exploded prematurely in the tube and he was wounded then sent back to the States for an operation. (BTW., My father said: "Anyone who thinks that Italian soldiers are cowardly or that they are not good or brave soldiers haven't fought with or against them!" Further, he stated: "One evening, as dusk was setting in and his unit along with the other U.S. units were calling it a night, I overheard the Bersaglieri unit commander with which we were fighting (against an entrenched German position) giving orders to his men to circumvent the German position and give it one last try." (they had been attacking the position for most of the day without much success) My father just let the Italians go about their business and hit the sack. He continued: "Within thirty minutes or so all hell broke out and German troops were flying out of their position, literally on fire! The Bersaglieri unit had jury-rigged an old CV flamethrower and snuck around their position. Then, as darkness fell they opened the valve and furiously burned the German unit out!" Pop said: "Much to the amusement of the Italian troops, most of the American troops were vomiting from the smell of burning German flesh!" (I guess that smell didn't bother the Italians?!) After he recovered, it was off to the Pacific Theater to fight in 'The Island Hopping Campaign' where he was decorated again, and again... I still have his medals in a case above my fireplace. (along with several other decorations, he also earned several Purple Heart awards; actually, it was several in one with the addition of oak leaf clusters to indicate the additional Purple Hearts which he had earned) He just passed away in 2015 at 97, Pop had just bought his last car. Pop just hated 'foreign jobs', especially "Jap cars" as he called them. But, living in Florida, there was no shortage of good ole MASSIVE ALL-American 'Luxo-Boats' and he found a beautiful '78 Lincoln Town Car with 43-K on the OD! Too bad he never really got to enjoy it. God Bless you, Pop. (BTW., what does "Here come the Chinese" mean?).
My father was USMC in the pacific 1942 - 46
@@georgiobenelli4854 God Bless!
@@MrMenefrego1 out of curiosity, just what outfits were your Pop's in while he was fighting in Italy and in the Pacific during the island hopping campaign. He really was quite the hero.
I want to thank you for digitally restoring and posting this video - my Grandfather served with the 49th Fighter Group, 8th squadron from 1942-45, and took part in these air campaigns - Wewak, in particular. He took a lot of pictures while he served in the SW Pacific, and a lot of the restored footage in this documentary looks like it could have been from some of the air fields he served on during the war.
Thanks again for posting this!
"I fear we. have we have awakenened. . a sleeping giant '". (Admiral Yamamoto, after the attack on Pearl Harbor )
I can't help thinking that my Dad might have been in one of those B-25's. I wish I could verify with him, but he passed in April of 1983. His birthday was October 13th, the day after this mission to Rabaul took place. I remember him telling me he spent his 19th birthday, (1943) in the plane strafe-bombing in New Guinea. He was a waist gunner. He flew both in the 5th, and later the 13th Army Air Force. He was wounded twice, once when his "flak curtain" failed and he got hit in the chest with Japanese metal, and the second time when they were coming in for a landing and the landing gear folded up, and he was knocked unconscious with a skull fracture. Watching these films of the 25's doing that low-level flying is harrowing to view. So were my Dad's many stories. There was a lot of "unspoken PTSD" back then, but I know he, (as well as millions of others,) suffered from it, but they sucked it up and fought for and saved our liberty. Many today would do well by remembering that!! RIP, Dad, I'm so proud of you and all your fellow fighters!!!
Did he continue flying after his skull fracture, or was he discharged?
@@davidhoffman6980 Nope, he spent some time in the "hospital" (field,) and after they patched him up, he returned to service. At the time of the war when it happened, they needed all able "hands on deck," so both for his flak wounds and the landing gear mishap/injury, he returned to service. -- (Not so) fun fact -- he, along with a great number of his fellow Air Force group, were kept in that area for almost a year and a half AFTER the war with Japan ended. He didn't return home until sometime in later 1946.
You can get his service records. You'll need at minimum his SS# and his full name. Knowing his military ID # would help but is not strictly necessary.
@@secretsquirrel6308 What site would that be to get the records from? I have his social, and I think I have his military I.D./ "dogtag #"
Yeah that low level bombing had me thinking they were crash landing. But it makes you proud and grateful knowing you have family that fought for our freedom in ww2. My great grandfather enlisted when the US joined the war, and ended up being shot by a german sniper after VE day, i believe he was 19 (thankfully he knocked up great grams before being shipped off. She's now 96) And his father fought and lived through both world wars.
Our Heroic Airforce at their work during WW2, God Bless all those aircrews for their courage and their sacrifice..
as an artist and veteran, the love and effort you put into the restoration of this film shows. people of tomorrow will be able to see that it takes to keep balance ken the world we live in.
Glad you lived to tell us about it!
and don't forget the guys who kept stuff flying. old stuff, not much in spares, these personnel were incredibly important. working under brutal conditions and sometimes under fire, they turned in a lot of hours.
there are some endearing (and amusing) accounts of one of the Mechanics of the 312 Bomb Group in Joseph Rutter's "Wreaking Havoc: A Year in an A-20". He'd nearly botched one of his first landing approaches in the Squadron, and the Mechanics looked after those planes like their babies.... : )
I believe it. I watch youtube re-runs of Twelve O'Clock High about B17s
base in England during WWII. Everyday the Colonel asks how many made it back...we need ( ) for
tomorrow and the aircraft mechanics worked all night repairing to have as many planes go up each day. Horrific statistics on so many not making it back from Germany. Those kids went
straight to heaven.
To the boy's who fought and died in unwanted wars.
Unwanted wars, certainly. But the reluctance to fight such wars is the mark of a democracy. Sadly, that reluctance is often seen by tyrants as weakness and therefore opportunity.
Si vis pacem parabellum. If you wish for peace, prepare for war.
Zeno, once again, thanks for restoring and putting up these videos. A great group of men is represented here, and I hope their history is taught better in schools than it has been for at least a decade and probably more. Your work fills the gaps. Is there an equivalent site for our ground troops? Thanks again.
kids today have no idea unless they look in to it or had some ole vet teach them. school today teach's the truth only in part....
My uncle who I am named with my middle name for flu as a radio gunner in a Mitchell on the reball raids themselves. Unbelievable to work with just fly in and build an air strip. He's definitely were the days before the smart bomb a lot of jungle got rearranged with 93 tons of explosives coming down. God bless the memory of all those who served.
Thank you for posting such a detailed and informative Documentary. So much went into the different aspects of planning and implementing these bombings Raids. May our brave courageous men and women of WWII always be remembered! ❤️🙏🇺🇸
My uncle who later died in top-dressing accident in 1959 flew a DC3 transport in the Pacific, all my Grandmother ever said was, "he said it was hot work with a lot of waiting around".
I think that the allied supply chain was key to winning control of the area.
Supply chain had to be at the top but another item was medical. I have not read much about how far the Allies had to transport either moderately to severely wounded or personnel with severe dysentery or one of the "fever" diseases that plague the region. I have read that just about everybody got sick to one degree or another. Keeping people that already had knowledge of the area close to the action and not transporting them many miles for treatment had to pay off. I do wonder what it felt like when you finally realized just how far away from "the world" and real food, medical, safety you were. I also wonder just how sick you had to get before you were allowed to get on a flight out? I have not read much about how it went on Rabaul (a place that was bombed over and over but never occupied) when word came down that you as a Japanese soldier had to surrender, must have been pretty tense for all involved.
O
There are some real horror stories about the medical service. During World War II at the Battle of the Bulge men with 'shell shock' were drugged so they could be sent back to fight. John Masters, in The Road Past Mandalay tells of killing 23 of his own men too wounded to escape. Massive doses of morphine put them to sleep forever. War is a terrible thing but sometimes less bad than the alternative.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a top dressing accident?
@@rocknral spreading fertilizer over farm land was called "top dressing" so I guess it meant flying very low. Too low!!
My uncle flew 66 missions 33 in B25 and 30 in A20 Havoc in New Guinea and I have some photo copies of his flight records showing his attacks at Rabaul, Dobodura. Handwriting is brief but many comments on HITS, villages, barges, "bomb and strafe, got 8 trucks, strafe planes on ground on Sep 04, 1943, "Bob Miller Lost" on Oct 11-Dobo Rapopo Karaina island. His first flight in the A20, had to turn back due to turret failure on Oct 30, 1943.
My Great Uncle Eldon was a waist gunner on a B-24 Liberator (heavy) named “Pistol Packin’ Mama” a part of the 90th Bombardment Group 321st Squadron. I just found this video, and it incredibly depicts his whole time in New Guinea. He flew his last mission on October 12, 1943. They were on their way back from Rabaul and were shot down with three engines out, strafed by a Japanese Zero all the way down to the sea as they tried to make a water ditch. That was the eye witness account written by the friend of my great uncle’s plane’s pilot (1st Lt. Hampton Rich) who watched them go down from his Liberator’s cockpit. His crew was was declared MIA and KIA. The crew was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart. Their group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for their efforts over Rabaul.
Thank you for uploading this video. Absolutely incredible. I keep rewatching to see if I can see him or his Liberator’s nose art to show up in it.
I'd recommend to you the book Under the Southern Cross by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver. This incident is specifically mentioned.
RIP , Brave lads. Hey man you should image search "B-24 Pistol packin mama", a lot of images come up. It was a popular warbird name on Bombers, but I feel hopeful some of those images are your Uncle's plane, and hopefully some of the flight crew posings with the planes are of him and his Crew. Peace, Respect.
My grandfather was in jolly rodgers bomb group. Waist gunner. 58 missions. Air medal. Plane named “cookie”.
Wish my dad was alive to see this, he'd be telling some untold stories...sunsetters B-25 squadron
Fantastic documentary - thanks!
My father was a nose gunner on the B-17, later he became a United pilot and retired as captain on the DC-8. IN GOD WE TRUST
Mine was a belly gunner. My mother to be was a child in Bergen Norway while her husband to be dropped bombs on Europe. A wonder I am here.
@@uradragon7823 that's an amazing set of circumstances. I'm glad they both survived. Must have been bloody awful for both of them.i truly respect all that have served but wish theydidnt have to
My great uncle was a spitfire pilot and the first to shoot down Japanese aircraft in the war. (your god let them down).
Stu --
I think you and your kids will also enjoy "The Stilwell Road & the China-Burma-India Campaign" which is also posted on my TH-cam Channel, ZenosWarbirds. I cant post the url here in a reply, but you'll find it if you search my channel.
Zeno
I stayed in Salamoa for a couple weeks. Beautiful place! Still had a rusty old anti-aircraft gun pointed at the sky.
I wish the history channel still only had history shows like this. They are now full of crap, just like MTV.
History is now racist!
there was during 2000 but it was no longer aired as of these generation coz we want peace and forget past
Ironically, MTV does not even play music videos any more.
@@Oscifer11 amen sir...amen.....History channel is run by a bunch of bitches, who the fuck wants to see hours of ancient Aliens!!? HTF is that history
Behave, History was cak!
I am Maureen Dapal from Rabaul on New Britain Island PNG. My father lived during the war - he was actually 3 years old when the war arrived. He stayed in a dug out hole in the ground and survived only on coconuts. He told me that eventhough a large amount of bombs was dropped on the island not plenty people were killed - and few received injuries minor and serious injuries.
If not for the native population fighting alongside the allied forces, the war would have been longer.
@Craig Wooldridge You're right Craig....as usual. I'm sure they had granola bars and gummy bears and Red Bull to fortify them just like you do.
Panuel Manuke nice!
@Craig Wooldridge Audrey Hepburn lived on raw turnips for awhile during the German occupation of Belgium.
Hey I’ve been to Rabaul, the old Rabaul before the volcano erupted. Great place. I loved the lifestyle and the friendliness of the people I met.
My father is in this video.....his plane "The Jaded Saint"....
Saw it.
God bless you for your father's service
That's awesome!
@@johnp9402 My father flew on B-25 as well. Unfortunately for his military's records were destroyed in 1970 in St. Louis. From the photos, i believe he was in 345 bombardment.
@@jimbo2900 your father was a great man
B-25 and A-20 can bomb where B-17 and B-24 cannot. Good twin engine tactical ground attack aircraft for such remote terrain as this. Shows how the cutting of supply lines wins battles. Good old film. Thanks for posting.
Can you imagine what 125 Lightnings looked like attacking? Must have been incredible...
Oolool
David Ross my great great uncle was in the 5th air force squadron and he flew a P38 Lightning!
Their nose cannons and or 50cal must have been awful to be at their business end. The concentrated firepower of its nose guns/cannons made the lightening from an engineering perspective incredibly destructive and accurate
Who made the small dozers pictured in the film? Were they air transportable? Thank you.
My Grandfather was a Seabee served in this campaign.miss him alot.
My Dad was a Seabee too. I’ve watched a lot of films just to see if I could get a glimpse of him as he was one that never would talk about what went on over there.
Well done
Father in NZ Air Force flew close support bombing for Australian ground troops trying to take Rabaul from the Japanese (10,000 of them). Flew land-based Corsairs. Based in Green Island 300 miles to the East of Rabaul. Straffed this island repeatedly few months after this in '44.
Many thanks for keeping history alive in this manner...it's one thing to read about these actions, but to actually see them is so interesting and such a treat...plus it is sobering to see the conditions our men lived, worked and fought under...also, you are doing a service to all of us who are into military flight and aircraft, especially families who have had relatives serving in this theater, who have been able to spot them, or at the very least find solace in watching; knowing they were there...Thanks again!
🙏 Thanks! Zeno
@@ZenosWarbirds you are most welcome!
The Air Force did some things.
Thank you , Army Air Corps, C-47’s.
Aussies did some things too in the twin engine Beufighter.
If I couldn't have been a fighter pilot, I'd have love to have flown one of those B-25 attack aircraft in the South Pacific.
The modification of B-25's to forward mounted .50 cal gun ships was the brain child of Paul I. "Pappy" Gunn. The para-frag bombs came from General George Kenney.
@@caitlinmachon4030 I loved George Kenney in Cool Hand Luke when he played Peter Gunn on his guitar! Great memories, thanks!😊
My dad was stationed on Shemya island west of Dutch Harbor 800 miles . At first He was assigned to infantry but his bad eyesight had him transferred him to Artillery for his great math skills . But but still , he had bad eyesight.
Then transferred to supply . Found out he could type 60 words a minute so assigned to quarter-master . Spent 2 years on that island. Spent two years tracking supplies . He is my hero !
That's a great story .
I faked it being 70% deaf in the navy, I was found out in a individual hearing test. In the group test just raise left or right hand along with everyone else🤣my 3 years was less than memorial, but the Pacific 🥰
My father flew with the Marines out of Bouganville. I was hoping for some video from there. He flew F4Us from the same field (Torokino) as "Pappy" Boyington, and flew against Rabaul. Guess I'll keep looking.
@Ralpho The Great Thank you for the information Ralpho. My dad was in the Aleutian Islands, in Alaska throughout the war but I'm going to run a search for these documentaries for my own interest.
Our mission is to preserve these historic films for future generations. Your DVD purchases at our store make this channel possible. www.zenosflightshop.com We need your support! Get this film and more full screen on our "Rabaul Campaign" DVD bitly.com/WjYE40
We have 100s of films in our library. We have licensed footage to major TV networks and cable channels. For more info see th-cam.com/users/ZenosWarbirdsabout
Zeno
I lived in PNG in the mid 60's and from 1970 thru to 1981 in Lae, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Madang Wewak, and have seen most of the smaller areas mentioned in the ops. I have the utmost admiration for all armed services who endured the enemy, malaria,and every other disease that were thrown at them, I am proud to have known many older civilian Australians who served as Coast Watchers, and to have enjoyed the warmth & friendship of the native population who had so many atrocities done to them by the Japanese. It's a pity the country today seems more of a hell hole than what it was during WW 2.
We were there in the '60s & '70s. Awesome back then. I wouldn't go to PNG now if you paid me. They hate white people.
Shame on you for saying a hell hole.
Yes
Rioting, corrupt leaders, thousands of people living without good schools, medical facilities & the list goes on. And now a Chinese port being built under the guise of a fishing port which will be large enough to be used for military use. Thousands of Americans, Australians, & New Zealanders are buried in this wonderful country, for what?
So that greedy leaders can invite another enemy into the country only this time with a check book, not bullets.
My Dad was there, a navigator/bombadier on B-25s - 345th BG, 500th BS. At 49:00 - 50:00 are planes of his outfit, identified by the white stripe around the fuselage just behind the wing. Maybe he was in one of those shown. After New Guinea he flew in campaigns in the Philippines and in Indo-China. The final strafer version of the B-25 was probably the heaviest armed US aircraft in WW2, with 18 machine guns. Some also were fitted with cannons. Sort of a spiritual forerunner of the A-10 of today.
french 75 my uncle install them
Actually a lot like a ac130 predecessor
@@flexinclouds not really, AC-130 orbited around targets at a distance, B-25 attacked at low altitudes with full throttles. Most damage done to the enemy was from the multiple fixed guns in the nose firing forward.
One of my favorite aircraft ! Use to climb aboard the B-25 Camera Plane for Battle of Britain Movie back in the 70's when it was parked at Essex County Airport...
Had an uncle in the "Air Apache" squadron called "Rough Raiders," flew in a B-25, and a father's friend in a like unit. The latter said they used to call up the Japanese just before arriving to bomb and tell them "We're gonna kick your ass and there's nothing you can do about it." The Japanese would reply, "Roosevelt eat shit! Roosevelt eat shit!"
Lol that’s hilarious
13:40-14:00 bouncing bombs goinig of extremely close to the aircraft. Lest we forget.
My Dad, John Robinson, was a W/AG on 23 Sqn RAAF Liberators and spent his 20th birthday bombing ships in the harbour at Rabaul. On the way to the target there was usually a Zero just out of .50cal range holding formation on them. Over Rabaul the flak knew their exact altitude, speed, and direction and was ferocious, even at the very end. No shortage of shells or gun barrels. Made him quiet and thoughtful retelling the story.
My dad was in this campaign I've seen him several times on film.
I looked at this with my husband and the man cutting down the tree at 5:05 looks so much like my father, it is uncanny. He was in the South Pacific for the duration of the war. His name was Paul Pokrajac. I can't verify it, as he died in 2001.
I lived at Wewak in the '60s. We used to use the bomb-holes as rubbish dumps. The place looked like the moon although all the craters still there (thousands) were either full of water or undergrowth. The jungle has reclaimed it all. Used to find unexploded munitions all the time. There was a permanent detachment of Army bomb disposal at Wewak back then. Used to hear explosions all the time.
For a good Japanese view on this raid, read ZERO FIGHTER by Saburo Sakai , may be hard to find...
Hans Rudel's book is a real page-turner as well!
@@MrMenefrego1 i read it back in 1964 . Also Adolph Gallands book.
It's amazing that he survived the whole war. Most of the pre-war IJN pilots didn't and you can see why from reading his book. Once they were gone, there was nobody with experience training the later pilots and the quality kept declining.
Every time I see how the Allies fought the Japanese in the Pacific I marvel at the ingenuity of the air services. In particular I am in awe of the B-25 gunships, especially the first generation of these birds of prey, which were hand produced in theater by AAF mechanics and engineers. 13 or more forward firing M2 .50 cal machine guns massed in the nose and sides, even examples with a 75mm howitzer in the nose. Plus up to 8 500 lb or 4 1,000 lb bombs or equivalent loads of parafrags and/or incendiaries. I have heard that the forward .50s alone in one bomber could melt a first line Japanese destroyer in one pass. Frightening.
And they are just plain beautiful as well. I read that later on the A-20's, and presumably some B-25's were shipped in pieces, and assembled by our Aussie friends, and then flown over to Port Moresby.
Great upload!, The logistics, manpower and sacrifice during WWII was staggering. Having spent the last 14 years in ME conflicts I often wonder if we could support the same level of effort on multiple fronts as effectively as that generation. Well done.
Of course not, way too many big ego's these days unfortunately. Amazing the things that were accomplished in such a short period of time during WW2. They were also able to adapt to many situations, thinking on their feet instead of asking permission for every little thing.
The truth is that even though we have the best equipped military,
any war would end in total cost of lives the likes of which has yet to be seen.
'NUFF SAID 🇺🇸👍👍😎
John Cooper here on wives computer. My dad, also John Cooper, was the top turret gunner on a B25 nicknamed the Jersey Bounce. He flew 45 missions from June of 1942 to December of 1943. His first kill was at Lae and he was on bombing missions to places like Lae, Wewak and Rabaul. My twin brother and kid sister never had to look for a hero because our Dad was our hero.
Addendum: My Dad, John Cooper, was also at the battle of the Bismarck Sea which really broke the backs of the Japanese.
My Dad was stationed at a secret airbase in Australia during WWII. He started the war in the 10th Light Horse but had his knee cap shattered when another horse kicked the side of the horse he was riding. His medical status went from A1 to A3, and he was no longer eligible for overseas service, so he ended up as an army truck driver and helped with the loading of the bombers. He used to watch Japanese recon aircraft that were looking for the Bomber's air base fly right over the base at high altitudes and not even detect it because of heat distortions coming off the ironstone terrain. They allowed the Japanese planes to fly over unmolested because the Japanese would have spotted any fighters climbing to intercept them and reported the location of the base before escaping. The Japanese knew there was a large air base operating somewhere in the area but they never did discover it's exact location.
battle of corregidor
Would've been either Truscott or Corunna Downs. Both very secret bomber bases in Western Australia during WWII. Neither were ever found by the Japanese and they looked very hard.
My dad during the war volunterd for sneaking around on islands off a sub that later was sunk .
Very interesting
My uncle Lee flew one of those Mitchells, he wrote about it in his memoirs. Thank you for sharing this video🙏👍 my heroes have always been my father and uncles. Happy Father’s Day 🇺🇸🙏 Rest In Peace
My dad flew as an air gunner with RNZAF 43-45 in Sth Pacific . Never talked about it at all. Just said, “it needed doing!“
Most of The Australians and new Zealanders were in engaged in battle with the Germans when the Japanese attacked pearl.its incredible how much these two nations contributed considering that I believe there combined populations were about 20 million.if I had to fight a war I would want the Australians and new Zealanders at my side and don't forget the south Africans contributed also.for that matter Canada contributed way beyond their populations share.
Australians made up about 60% of the ground forces under MacArthur South West Pacific Command by the end of the Pacific war Australia had the world's 4th largest airforce. However perhaps the biggest contribution was war materiel supplied by Australian industry. Douglas MacArthur in his biography Reminiscences claimed the South West Pacific war theater was self sufficient and also supplied war materiel to other theaters.
The biggest battles included Finchhaffen, Rabual, Gona and Guadalcanal. Japan suffered its first land defeat at Milne Bay.
America unity at its' best. Don't mess with the Sleeping Giant.
My uncle Leroy Mosher flew a P51 named Svenska. Flicka in the Pacific. He would strafe Japanese troop trains while they were over bridges inorder to see the troops leap out of the cars and fall.into the rivers below.
Late comer to the comments here.... Amazing looking at the number of ridiculous comment here. Do people not understand that this was a U.S. propaganda type film made in the 40’s and not something Zenos created. My dad flew with the 499th as a navigator and ditched on his first mission bombing a harbor off the coast of China and was picked up by a sub the next day. What they and others did in the Pacific was nothing short of incredible. Disease alone was a major battle to deal with. These B-25’s carried gun cameras and some of the footage is incredible. This was some great footage that mirrors many stories my dad shared with me. Strangely, he seemed to share his stories more so with me as my other seven siblings.. especially before I deployed for OIF.
The action in the Solomons two months earlier was part of the push westward and northward toward Rabaul. Guadalcanal, Henderson Field, PT-109, all were part of the Pacific plan to push the Japanese back to their own islands. It’s amazing in retrospect that they actually thought they could take and declare as their empire everything from Hawaii and all the Pacific islands from Guadalcanal to New Guinea to the continent of Asia including all South Asia, south China, Korea and everything over to India. Talk about delusional overreach. Even after Truman purposely paused for three days after the first bomb to give them a chance to surrender, they refused. The second bomb got the Emperor’s attention, so he then told the generals to stop. Only because they considered him a god did they listen. The winning of the Pacific War was well earned, dearly so.
Thanks. We call ;( 6 or more Mitchell’s “ A mess of Mitchell’s”. From our perspective, Beautiful.
My father and uncles fought this war. It was true total war. Hundreds were killed every single day .
Hundreds a day? 60 million people died in five years. A lot more than hundreds a day.
howdy all, my father flew with the 413th group with the marines, late 43 to wars end. 48 combat missions and and i had to beat him to tell me stories of his missions. He died in 06 as LT. Colonel
Your daddy to ? My dad was in Pearl Harbor and almost was seafood when a bomb landed next to him and went flying onto the deep blue!
In 1943, My Uncle Rex was there in the 400th Bomber Jolly Rogers B25 Mitchells !
I was mistaken, B24 with the black background on the Jolly Roger insignia, he was there for all the missions, and came home but talked little of it. We found the pictures when he passed away that my Grandmother ( His Sister ) had stashed away with all kinds of letters and information about it.
LOVE IT! Smash and grab. Tree-hopping with B-25s is so cool.
For more info on B-25s modified for ground attack, watch another video on my channel: Medium Bombardment & Attack Featuring the B-25" Medium Bombardment & Attack with the B-25 Mitchell 1945
Does this one cover the Battle of the Bismarck sea?
Sounds about right..
ZenosWarbirds
The USA taught the whole world a lesson from 1941 to 1945.
Ahhh no
Before these victories was the battle for Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guines where the Australian army and airforce soundly defeated an invasion force of Japanese air, sea, and land forces. Unfortunately for history buffs the Australians didnt have film crews
Its history that the Japanese army that committed the Rape of Nanking never was tried for their war crimes. Only 200 of them survived their fight against Australia in New Guinea.
The insanity of flying through the flack in a beer can has to be insanity...Yet they did it ...
Our Greatest generation did just that 🙌🇺🇸🇺🇸🙌
Excellent video. Never see this on TV.
Looks like most bombs landed in the sea
Met a lot of your vets from the 3rd BG (13th and 89th BS) 5th AF USAAC. I have a piece of metal from one of the A 20s that crash landed on Low Wooded Island near Cooktown Australia. The veterans that flew it,/worked on it also got pieces of that aircraft. Lest We Forget.
***** I'm a baby boomer Robin and my dad was your dad's generation. My dad was RAAF and I met some of your vets via the internet, and then attended some of 3rd Bomb Group reunions in Austin TX and the last one was in AK in' 09. The 5th AF operated in the South West Pacific. You should communicate with Gerry Kersey who has a site 3rd Attack Group, www.3rdattackgroup.org/ and I'm thinking you would learn a lot from that site and he would love to hear from you. cheers mate..Bruce
Music . . . .
There is a lot more music than that mentioned in the text above.
Most of the music comes from Holst's Planet Suite.
I also heard a part of Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite.
Amazing Film! Those low altitude parachute bombs were ruthless!
Smallest bull dozer I have ever seen
True, but it's easy to airlift on a C-47 along with other essential supplies that are needed and does a faster job than can be done by hand. Neat little things they are.
They weren't ready for surprise, that's what I call karma. 🇺🇸
I wonder what some of those cameramen would think if they were told in 60 years or so every soldier will have a camera in his pocket that's a gazillion times better than the one he's using.
@Steven Mccart
I get you point, but its a lot closer to 80 years than 60. :-)
@@stevenwiederholt7000 I had a camera in 05.
@@stevenmccart5455
Yes?
wonder how many more unexploded bomb there are in those jungles
Great collection of actual footage from the real events.
Wow some of the best strafing and combat footage I've ever seen from a WW2 video...
Some good footage. Interesting to see the parachute assault. Parachute assaults in the Pacific theatre sre rarely mentioned and even more rarely seen.
Did I miss something? Parachutes were attached the dropped bombs so that they would float down, thus giving the bombers time to get out of the way of their own bombs exploding
@@6actual911 read my post again. Did I mention bombs?
Friends Father participated in Parachute drops in the Pacific. Wish he had talked about it...
Thanks for posting. The New Guinea theatre is an important part of WWII in the Pacific which is very much overlooked.
We will never again see men who will carry the burden of freedom like those who fought this war.
+xgi36 I disagree. I see them all the time at the VA. Our Warriors of today are Magnificent.
+TheDustysix Fucking A!!!!
I woulda been there too. Really I would ...only I had bonespurs.
this is my favorite time of the war and area. the southwest pacific was a slugfest. it was combined airpower that helped to get control. army air corp marine air and naval aviation units. my favorite aircraft were the strafing gunship b-25s and the f4u-1a corsair. these were epic battles fought in the backworld part of the planet. brave souls all who fought in this portion of hell.
Cruising in a B-25 Mitchell, 100 feet above the waves (an average school bus is 45 feet long) at a speed of 250 mph. These guys had some serious grit.
A friend of mine who was a squadron commander in the South Pacific said he told the new guys there better be green streaks on the bottom the plane when they came back from Rabaul.
The fun's about to begin he said. lol Gotta love old school narration!!
God Bless America!!
That was the most fun hour Ive spent in a long time ! I wish I could have watched this when I was 11 (in 1958) ; I would have been blabbing about it for weeks ! I love how they leveled those bastards time after time . A great film, professionally shot. Beautiful !
Salute to all who have gone before...Bless you and yours my uncle was their.
so was mine
@@ypopnun1003 They were both "their"? My father was there.
The adaptation of the B-25, usually a high altitude bomber, to low level strafing with 8 to 12 fixed .50 cal machine guns in th nose was one of the most brilliant theater adjustments of WW2.
***** Comparing it with the Mosquito is interesting. The Mosquito was an aircraft the RAF didn't want that turned out to be possibly the best bomber in their inventory. The USAAF never thought to use the B-25 in this way but it was never more successful. What I like about this video is that it shows the configuration created in the field rather than the later versions that were manufactured back in the U.S.
Indubitably. And Kenney knew how to use the limited resources he had to the best advantage. And MacAurthur was smart enough to give the 5th air Force all the support he could.
***** Thanks for saying that. I am regularly stating online that we were lucky to have the Ozzies on our side. It bothers me when I read statements by present day Australians criticizing America, or Americans criticizing Australia. People forget that the Japanese were bombing Darwin, and had invasion plans ready. We stood together, with limited supplies and manpower, and beat a pretty salty Japanese Army/Navy. We still need each other, China has designs on recreating its Pacific Empire. G'Day!
***** Nothing like a hot twin engine plane. the B-26 was good too, if a bit tricky to fly. There is Tigercat in Arizona in excellent flying condition. you can see it on TH-cam. My favorite of all was the De Havilland Hornet/Sea hornet. the Germans had some pretty hot ones toward the end of the war.
MsLilyhorse IMO the A-20 belongs high on any list of WW2 twin engined attack bombers. Unfortunately, its under appreciated and compared to other aircraft, virtually unknown to the general public, especially in the USA.. See my documentary on this channel: th-cam.com/video/wQKaF13tbro/w-d-xo.html
As part of the 475th FG, 431st FS, we reenacted this battle in a series of progressive scenarios throughout October, in iEN's Warbirds 2015. Man what a sight it was to see over 150 people in the air, battling it out old style.
Anyone else recognize Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War" during the first raid on Wewak?
Wrong movie; that was Dr. Strangelove.
And it was played during the launch of John Glenn in The Right Stuff. Later came part of the Jupiter theme. Speaking of Glenn's only Mercury mission (he was a Senator when went into space again), that Atlas booster was incredibly dangerous. It was a quick-and-dirty project to develop an ICBM before the Soviets, and one of the compromises to save weight was to make the structure so light that it was impossible to erect a fully-fueled Atlas--kind of a big problem when a coffin-type launcher bunker (apt name) was chosen instead of a vertical silo to save money and speed construction time. This is why Atlas' days as an ICBM ended so soon; it was really useless as a second strike weapon. Fortunately, the same could be said for the first Soviet ICBM, the R-7--which is still in production and use, and now carries American astronauts to the International Space Station. The Atlas V is still in use as a booster too, but there's one tiny problem looming for the future: It uses Russian engines. Cheaper.
Also Stravinksy (FIrebird?) at the start, a bit of Grofe (Grand Canyon Suite) when we "meet the family" of wrecked Japanese planes. debusey? Another section from Holst the planets, Jupiter, more Stravinsky Firebird (a sectionw which a DC TV station used to introduce its Saturday morning Cowboy movies in the late 50s) yeah, I don't go back to the war, but not that far off.
It's interesting how they were using the Doolittle bombers as gun ships. Now imagine if they were equipped with Gatling guns along with the transport C-47's as Puff The Magic Dragon was during Viet Nam!
Yes, it one of the best!
I love the attack of the B-25's
All decked out with all those M2's. and parachute bombs!
Amazing how the U.S. managed to fight the Japanese and prevail,when
we had to fight the Germans and remember that the European Theater was the predominant effort.
My dad was in the Navy in the Pacific.
My father in law was in the European Theater fighting the Germans.
His family is German.
These clips are rare and awesome! Thanks so much for posting!
What a contrast between these tremendous achievements to stop an evil empire in its tracks and the current moral bankruptcy of the western world! 2021/12/26. Ontario, Canada.
Unfortunately, it's no longer clear which side is the evil empire.
love the Mars soundtrack!
My dad Captain George Francis Blue was in the Air Force from 1942-1945 and was stationed in Africa before being sent to France. He helped planned bombing missions and supply drops.
My dad served in the Marines from 38-46, in the South Pacific but he never talked about it, even when I asked. I joined the Marines in ‘68 and was in Nam from 68-69. But he passed right before my 17th birthday, so he never saw me go in. I’m sure he would have been proud. I miss you dad.