Admiral Fluckey autographed my copy with a paragraph about how important Cold War sailors were not just a signature. This was before 911 and after Vietnam so we never got much appreciation .
My Father spent time on the Barb, WWII. He called her "The Bloody Barb." So many of the stories in the book my Father over my youth told me, almost word for word before the book came out. He is and was my real life hero. He respected his Captain a great deal.
Thanks for your Dad's service!! My son was in Gold crew on the John Calhoun SSBN630 and Blue crew on the Ben Franlin SSBN640. Won his dolphins in the 1st 90day tour on the Calhoun 1987!. Nuke Reactor OP. I give your Dad a HAND SALUTE!
USS Barb, SS220, such a sad end for this famous submarine. Loaned to the Italian Navy in late 54, sold for scrap in 72, she should have lived out her retirement as a museum for her heroic war time exploits.
Yeah, but if every vessel that has a story was kept as a museum where would we put them all? The legend lives without the physical thing - a weapon of war is a mere object that has little meaning without the remembrance of those who served, and while the Barb doesn't exist, her story will never die. That said, I'm still peeved that despite efforts to preserve her, CV6 was scrapped. Last of the Yorktowns which held the line in the Pacific after December 7, 20 battle stars and the only US warship to be granted a Royal Navy pennant for her service. That was a travesty. But her name lives on. No one will forget the name Enterprise.
Shows like this are what I grew up on, they were the best and it’s fun watching them again and seeing all those actors I remember too. The heavy set actor played a role on a very popular episode of Star Trek. “The trouble with Tribbles,” AND the actor doing the part of a sailor talking about dancing was none other than Leonard Nimoy or Mr. Spock. Thanks for letting us enjoy this again.
I'm almost completely through Admiral Fluckeys book. Absolutely incredible! When I'd joined the Navy 1982, I was heading to sub service but bombed out due to bad ears. It is so inspiring to read the story of the Barb in the Admirals own words. Thanks for posting these videos!
Joe Danko He must've been the coolest Skipper to serve under. OMG the stories about the cakes! Good stuff Joe. Thanks for keeping the thread going. I just finished rereading Admirals; King, Leahy, Nimitz and Halsey. Truly incredible men. One more for ya Joe: Six Frigates about the beginning of our Navy.
where is the footage that gets mentioned in the book off their last patrol?? Also the footage of when the skipper has to berth the tub at high speed for the president i'd love to see. splice the mainbrace!
Am proud to claim my service on the nuclear USS Barb SSN-596. I was ANav and Leading Quartermaster. Our exploits do not match the Gato Class USS Barb SS-220 !! Thanks for the video.
I think that might be the USS Squalus, which sank during a training exercise before the war, her surviving crew was rescued and the boat was later salvaged by pumping her full of air, causing such a dramatic surfacing.
Laim Sullivan who played Bill Walker (2nd in command here) was also in the original Star Trek, playing Parmen in Plato's Stepchildren. Stanley Adams was Cyrano Jones in Trouble With Tribbles, and the credits say Leonard Nimoy was a "sailor" in this one. He's at 15:20 with the turkey trot line.
Thank you for sharing! I grew up in the 50s and remember this series, My brother was in the Navy in 1957 thru 1961 and station on the submarine USS Tench 417 in 1959 and 1960 There is a TH-cam video here. Just search USS Tench 417 and watch a home made video made by one of the crew. Again Thanks for sharing. I joined the Army and wanted to stay on land....:) Also my other brother was on the Destroyer USS Walker in 1968!
"You've gotta hang back and to lifeguard duty" "ytho, there's a bunch of other, worse, crews who can do that?" "they're in more modern boats now" "Okokokook...crazy idea, but gimmie rockets and I'll mess up some shore installations!" "Are you-" "And 15 ships." "Y'know what....fuck it."
The submarine began its rapid ascent toward the surface. At 13:43:15, the rapidly ascending Greeneville surfaced directly under Ehime Maru ( 21°05.5′N 157°49.1′W), and the submarine's rudder sliced Ehime Maru's hull from starboard to port.  en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision
There have been 3 Barbs in US service, SS220 (the WWII subject of this) SS596 in service in the Cold War years, and SS804 a Nuclear boat now in planning. You must have looked at the boat in planning stages.
The Barb's last run demonstrated several techniques and technologies that would become standard on modern subs. The rockets that were mounted would evolve into the VLS tubes for SLBMs and cruise missiles, while the commando raid of the Barb's volunteer party would anticipate the capability of modern subs to deliver and exfiltrate special forces in hostile waters.
Then you should visit the highest ranking submarine to survive into preservation, USS Silversides in Muskegon, Michigan (3rd highest in shipping sunk).
I love these movies, being based on actual historical facts and the real people !!!! Of course, it was military propaganda that time of the WW II, but necessary to boost the morale of the whole fighting American nation !!!! >> AMEN.
With the exception of the Captain and the XO's names, the crew names were changed. For instance, "Potter" was Electrician's Mate Billy Hatfield. He came up with the idea of using a pressure switch. In other words, this is another case of "Based On A True Story" that tells enough of the truth to not get the crew in trouble.
daver8521 Comic relief, but I agree, playing it straight would have been better. I'd imagine it's legally safer to rename and fictionalize Hatfield if the producers didn't have a written release from him. The episode differs from Fluckey's book in a number of places.
If he was unable to or Family had to be asked to use YOUR name ! My Dad was a Cook on a Navy Supply Ship !- He felt bad ? He wanted to be a Gunner ,Pilot,etc. ! Everyone knew he was a GREAT Cook !!!- He became a Bodyman in Houston,TeXaS !!!!- Earned a GREAT amount of $$$$ He was a selfless man who made all around him happy !- He n His 4 Brothers took care of their Parents ! Till their deaths ! Before another TeXaN wrote a book called “The Greatest Generation” -I called them that !!-Since 69” !! I know today’s young ones are labeled names today ! I am sure we could rally a couple million of them for a call of Duty !- Oh wait they have millions playing it already !!😂😂🇨🇱🎶🎶👍🏼🙏❤️🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖
Last year I was At A Junk Yard Helping A friend look for parts and in the very back of the yard sits and old minesweeper and an rotten old pt Boat and part of and old WW2 sub I was like WTF!!! Turns out the guys Grandfather is A WW2 submariner and the part of the sub he had was the same part he had lived in back in WW2 on the Barb I don't think it was part of the Barb he got it at A scrap sale in Pittsburgh and tugged it down the OHIO to Kentucky don't ask me how he got it 25 to 30 miles in land but to walk in and see how they are made and the crew space Man A Tuna Can has more room in it lol Wish I could have talked to the OLD Man But he past away in 2006 they said the are going to fix up the minesweeper and put in the OHIO If those old boats could talk
USS Barb was the only sub that had rockets in WW II. Much of what is normal now in submarine warfare was invented by one Eugene B. Fluckey on Barb's 11th and 12th war patrols.
Another old tv show featuring the Barb. However, the attack on shipping on the Chinese coast was told a bit different and is the featured part. Check it out: th-cam.com/video/hwvPNtp3bJY/w-d-xo.html
WOW....that had to be done by the military(Hollywood asked and cut by the military). That was worse than John Wayne's WWII movies. I highly doubt Japanese trains on military duty would blow a whistle at ANY time, much less at some lowly short bridge ON THE COAST. I can't stand it when supposedly "historic" movies are show nothing about how it really happened. But that's Hollywood, I guess.
Well its literal propaganda. People were tired after the war and cold one was already going with out people knowing, so this kind of propaganda peaces were made to keep peoples support of military and leading them to support the cold one. While some of these records are true, i still would be skeptical about the claims. Its not unheard of military creating heroes and falsifying records to fit the narrative. Everyone did it, even against the individuals wishes.
@@Hellsong89 Oh...I understand it was propaganda....it's just that at that time...it really wasn't needed. The TRUE story would have done an even BETTER job of what they wanted.
The train would still blow the whistle, just as US trains did. And run with warning lights. The Whistles and lights were important safety signals. Train accidents were the greater risk. The bombers could not hear the whistles. and certainly nobody was expecting a sub to sink a train. Remember there had been no ground war in Japan.This somewhat cheesy film depicts the only Allied Military forces to set foot on Japan during the war.
It would have been a tragedy for any of those guys to die from that train mission. Wasn't it August 1945 ? It wasn't a necessary mission. It was the captain just wanting more action.
No one knew when Japan would surrender and almost no one (except Stalin and the KGB) knew about the A Bomb. As far as everyone knew the US was planning for the invasion of Japan (and the potential for 500000 to 1000000 Americans killed or wounded). Blowing up that train was very necessary.
Admiral Fluckey autographed my copy with a paragraph about how important Cold War sailors were not just a signature. This was before 911 and after Vietnam so we never got much appreciation .
My Father spent time on the Barb, WWII. He called her "The Bloody Barb." So many of the stories in the book my Father over my youth told me, almost word for word before the book came out. He is and was my real life hero. He respected his Captain a great deal.
my father was on the first Italian crew when the barb was loaned to Italy before WW. Admire the Barb crew and his finets captain
Thanks for your Dad's service!! My son was in Gold crew on the John Calhoun SSBN630 and Blue crew on the Ben Franlin SSBN640. Won his dolphins in the 1st 90day tour on the Calhoun 1987!. Nuke Reactor OP.
I give your Dad a HAND SALUTE!
There is an excellent bio on Wikipedia for Captain Eugene Fluckey .
USS Barb, SS220, such a sad end for this famous submarine. Loaned to the Italian Navy in late 54, sold for scrap in 72, she should have lived out her retirement as a museum for her heroic war time exploits.
Yeah, but if every vessel that has a story was kept as a museum where would we put them all? The legend lives without the physical thing - a weapon of war is a mere object that has little meaning without the remembrance of those who served, and while the Barb doesn't exist, her story will never die. That said, I'm still peeved that despite efforts to preserve her, CV6 was scrapped. Last of the Yorktowns which held the line in the Pacific after December 7, 20 battle stars and the only US warship to be granted a Royal Navy pennant for her service. That was a travesty. But her name lives on. No one will forget the name Enterprise.
Admiral Fluckey said had his crew known this would happen, they’d have found a way to buy it.
The
Yeah this should be at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago instead of a Nazi U-Boat U-505
Too many are scrapped or sunk as reefs. The old WW2 boat's deserved better. I was lucky to be on decommissioning crew of USS CLAMAGORE, SS343. DBF
Rear Admiral “Luckey” Fluckey wrote a great book about the USS Barb’s exploits. Title of the book is: Thunder Below.
reading it right now. got it for Christmas this year.
I have that book. Very impressive.
Listening to it now
Just read it. Recommended by Destin of Smarter Every Day.
I have a copy. Love it already
Having read Eugenes book it is just so cool to finally hear his voice
I used to watch this show when I was a kid in the 1950's.
I am grateful you have preserved these serials
.....and the stars that played in these episodes is unbelievable.
my mother (eve Corbin) [1923-2014] passed away 6 june 2014 She & Dad (both born 1923) were DEEPLY involved in WW2
Dad served signal Corps in Europe & Korea. (Silver Star- Bronze Star & eight purple hearts)
He left some BIG boots to fill
Chief of the Boat - Cyrano Jones, "The Trouble With Tribbles," Exec - Parmen, "Plato's Stepchildren," and, of course, Spock!
LQ Jones as Electrician's Mate Jack Potter
Shows like this are what I grew up on, they were the best and it’s fun watching them again and seeing all those actors I remember too. The heavy set actor played a role on a very popular episode of Star Trek. “The trouble with Tribbles,” AND the actor doing the part of a sailor talking about dancing was none other than Leonard Nimoy or Mr. Spock. Thanks for letting us enjoy this again.
Sorry but the electricians mate jack potter was L.Q.Jones not Spock
@@lindaorr1805 But Nimoy was there, too.
I'm almost completely through Admiral Fluckeys book. Absolutely incredible! When I'd joined the Navy 1982, I was heading to sub service but bombed out due to bad ears. It is so inspiring to read the story of the Barb in the Admirals own words. Thanks for posting these videos!
xxRenaissanceManxx I just finished THUNDER DOWN BELOW. Barb captain Flukey's favorite command: "put four cases of beer in the cooler".
Joe Danko He must've been the coolest Skipper to serve under. OMG the stories about the cakes! Good stuff Joe. Thanks for keeping the thread going. I just finished rereading Admirals; King, Leahy, Nimitz and Halsey. Truly incredible men. One more for ya Joe: Six Frigates about the beginning of our Navy.
Thunder Below is a book I've read 3-4 times and listen to the audiobook while driving for the last few years. Never gets old.
where is the footage that gets mentioned in the book off their last patrol?? Also the footage of when the skipper has to berth the tub at high speed for the president i'd love to see. splice the mainbrace!
Gene Fluckey was awarded the Medal of Honor for the harbor attack depicted in the opening scene. Which was part of the 11th war patrol.
"The History Guy" on TH-cam has a detailed description of the Barb's exploits.
Yes, this popped up right after his!
Mio Hai
Bravo to The Silent Service 🇺🇸 and to The History Guy !
That's nice.
And the fat electrician. As a veteran electrician, he enjoyed the fact the electrician was the main character 🤣🇺🇲
I remember the story.. A very unique raid - and the only time where US military personnel landed on the Japanese mainland during WW2.
RIP LEONARD NIMOY "SINK THEM ALL " THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE USS BARB
The only sub that sunk a train.
remember when Cary Grant sank a truck?
Notice that the Captain credits the spirit of the crew. And what inspires such spirit? Leadership. One supports the other.
With actors Stanley Adams and Leonard Nimoy, who would be reunited during the Star Trek episode, "The Trouble With Tribbles".
Am proud to claim my service on the nuclear USS Barb SSN-596. I was ANav and Leading Quartermaster.
Our exploits do not match the Gato Class USS Barb SS-220 !!
Thanks for the video.
Right on. I was a QM2 on the Coral Sea.
@@amajikonemy fixed F-4s on the Coral Sea in Vietnam.
There's going to be a new Barb, and she's a Virginia-class.
What a privilege it was to see the great Eugene B. Fluckey interviewed.
That sub broaching at the very beginning, that crew must have been standing on the bulkheads.
I think that might be the USS Squalus, which sank during a training exercise before the war, her surviving crew was rescued and the boat was later salvaged by pumping her full of air, causing such a dramatic surfacing.
L Q Jones. One of the best character actors from this era.
0:52 "Insert Commercial here." I don't know why I find that so funny, but I do.
I was on nuc subs for years. Never saw a mop, it was greenies on the knees.
Laim Sullivan who played Bill Walker (2nd in command here) was also in the original Star Trek, playing Parmen in Plato's Stepchildren. Stanley Adams was Cyrano Jones in Trouble With Tribbles, and the credits say Leonard Nimoy was a "sailor" in this one. He's at 15:20 with the turkey trot line.
i have watched this show a few times and it is always entertaining
Thank you for sharing! I grew up in the 50s and remember this series, My
brother was in the Navy in 1957 thru 1961 and station on the submarine
USS Tench 417 in 1959 and 1960 There is a TH-cam video here. Just
search USS Tench 417 and watch a home made video made by one of the
crew. Again Thanks for sharing. I joined the Army and wanted to stay on
land....:) Also my other brother was on the Destroyer USS Walker in
1968!
The audiobook THUNDER BELOW is available on the Hone and Comb TH-cam channel.
It's awesome to see this relic of a byegone era. We need more stuff like this today!
"You've gotta hang back and to lifeguard duty"
"ytho, there's a bunch of other, worse, crews who can do that?"
"they're in more modern boats now"
"Okokokook...crazy idea, but gimmie rockets and I'll mess up some shore installations!"
"Are you-"
"And 15 ships."
"Y'know what....fuck it."
Cheesy film, but the Barb and her crew were astonishing, deserving all respect!
I thought so... LLAP
The USS Barb was given to the Italian Navy in 1953. It was sold for scrap for a mere $100,000 in 1973.
A fucking tragedy.
Admiral Fluckey mentioned in his book that had he and crew knew about it, they could have done something about it.
Holy S*!$ I had no idea that submarines could surface so aggressively! That must've been an emergency surfacing...
that was wild man lol
That made us kids run to the tv
That was the USS Pickerel SS-524 surfacing off of Hawaii in 1952 during tests. 48 degree up angle
The submarine began its rapid ascent toward the surface. At 13:43:15, the rapidly ascending Greeneville surfaced directly under Ehime Maru ( 21°05.5′N 157°49.1′W), and the submarine's rudder sliced Ehime Maru's hull from starboard to port.

en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki
Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision
I toured the Barb this winter. She has an amazing story. Oh, and the emergency blow at the header looked like a wild ride.
There have been 3 Barbs in US service, SS220 (the WWII subject of this) SS596 in service in the Cold War years, and SS804 a Nuclear boat now in planning. You must have looked at the boat in planning stages.
A strange punishment.
"No you can't be part of this dangerous mission!!"
The actors were well-known at the time.
There's no way an enlisted man would open up orders like that.
He glanced at them.
Leonard Nimoy @ 15:16
That's a cool find!
Fascinating!
...It's not logical to 'Turkey Trot'.......
LQ Jones at 2:12.
But don't forget Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams) as the Chief.
I love war! (But only on TV and in the movies.)
The Barb's last run demonstrated several techniques and technologies that would become standard on modern subs. The rockets that were mounted would evolve into the VLS tubes for SLBMs and cruise missiles, while the commando raid of the Barb's volunteer party would anticipate the capability of modern subs to deliver and exfiltrate special forces in hostile waters.
Leonard Nemoy at the 1801 mark.
It's sad that the Barb didn't become a museum ship with the record she had, I've been on one sub, that is the Batfish in Muskogee OK
Pampeo.. San Francisco CA
Then you should visit the highest ranking submarine to survive into preservation, USS Silversides in Muskegon, Michigan (3rd highest in shipping sunk).
I love these movies, being based on actual historical facts and the real people !!!! Of course, it was military propaganda that time of the WW II, but necessary to boost the morale of the whole fighting American nation !!!! >> AMEN.
This was copyright 1957. 12 years after the war. Cold war was going strong though.
With the exception of the Captain and the XO's names, the crew names were changed. For instance, "Potter" was Electrician's Mate Billy Hatfield. He came up with the idea of using a pressure switch. In other words, this is another case of "Based On A True Story" that tells enough of the truth to not get the crew in trouble.
What an amazing Captain and crew
Why am I seeing actors? They had a photographer on their last patrol.
Movie cameras were HUGE.
Hell yeah this was awesome production!
-4:55 that was the head guy for the Highway man police 👮♀️ story.
Too bad they couldn’t show civilians that beer the skipper cooled for after each successful mission. The Barb was one smooth boat.
I think I saw Leonard Nimoy among the crew.
And Justus McQueen whose stage name was L.Q.Jones. He's still alive and 93yo.
Wikipedia lists the landing party as including Ships Cook Lawrence Newland, not "Seaman Potter"
Поезд взорвали на Сахалине, я по этой дороге ездил на север Сахалина)
До сих пор чинят ?
L. Q. Jones as "Jackie Boy", the sailor caught skylarking on the bridge.
There was no Potter on the raid that destroyed the train; the man was EM3 Billy R. Hatfield. I wonder why they changed his name in the story?
daver8521 Comic relief, but I agree, playing it straight would have been better. I'd imagine it's legally safer to rename and fictionalize Hatfield if the producers didn't have a written release from him. The episode differs from Fluckey's book in a number of places.
daver8521 Ju jut just juju j uju j u ujuujjjnnnujjjnjnjnjnuuju ju jnjumj
If he was unable to or Family had to be asked to use YOUR name !
My Dad was a Cook on a Navy Supply Ship !- He felt bad ? He wanted to be a Gunner ,Pilot,etc. !
Everyone knew he was a GREAT Cook !!!- He became a Bodyman in Houston,TeXaS !!!!- Earned a GREAT amount of $$$$ He was a selfless man who made all around him happy !- He n His 4 Brothers took care of their Parents ! Till their deaths !
Before another TeXaN wrote a book called “The Greatest Generation” -I called them that !!-Since 69” !!
I know today’s young ones are labeled names today ! I am sure we could rally a couple million of them for a call of Duty !- Oh wait they have millions playing it already !!😂😂🇨🇱🎶🎶👍🏼🙏❤️🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖
Terry Herrera
m
m
I remember dancing with my swab too.
I still do; but,she hates it when I call her that! ;-)
I had to watch again, Thank you.
19:30 leonard nimoy (spock) of star trek fame!!!
japan; "the home islands are sacred and inviolate!"
lucky flucky; "we sank your train!"
Last year I was At A Junk Yard Helping A friend look for parts and in the very back of the yard sits and old minesweeper and an rotten old pt Boat and part of and old WW2 sub I was like WTF!!! Turns out the guys Grandfather is A WW2 submariner and the part of the sub he had was the same part he had lived in back in WW2 on the Barb I don't think it was part of the Barb he got it at A scrap sale in Pittsburgh and tugged it down the OHIO to Kentucky don't ask me how he got it 25 to 30 miles in land but to walk in and see how they are made and the crew space Man A Tuna Can has more room in it lol Wish I could have talked to the OLD Man But he past away in 2006 they said the are going to fix up the minesweeper and put in the OHIO If those old boats could talk
August 1945. War would be over in that month. Would those guys have done that land mission if they knew that?
Yes. The Japanese went on killing AFTER the surrender.
Probably. Not being able to get trains to the docks to supply warships would make the fight that much harder for Japan.
Old school hell yeah!!!
Flucky was a badass
The shorter hefty guy co-starred with Buster Keaton in a Twilight Zone episode.
This was a Great One 👍 😊
it's Cyrano Jones!
But nobody died during that raid. Not sure why they added that. It was still quite an exploit!
not only did nobody die during that raid, nobody died or were seriously injured at any point during fluckey's command of the sub.
good thing he had a ' L ' in his last name , otherwise it would be a most unfortunate last name
Awesome
I rarely consider the formidable surface to surface weapons these units had.
Always torpedoes. Highly under-reported.
USS Barb was the only sub that had rockets in WW II. Much of what is normal now in submarine warfare was invented by one Eugene B. Fluckey on Barb's 11th and 12th war patrols.
Transferred to Italy on 13 December 1954
at 15:20, i think that's a very young leonard nimoy ['turkey trot']
Sometimes a misfit finds a way to fit in. Then saves the day.
L Q Jones at about 2:30 on the mop..
Bless our Vets 🇺🇸
The day the US Navy invaded Japan during WWII
Credits include Dick Cheney wardrobe.
Another old tv show featuring the Barb. However, the attack on shipping on the Chinese coast was told a bit different and is the featured part. Check it out: th-cam.com/video/hwvPNtp3bJY/w-d-xo.html
Just referenced August 2nd. 1945.
VJ day will be on August 14th
Mate! Brilliant!
I wonder if they could have known that they changed submarine warfare
Maybe not at the time, but in later years, they did.
lots of familiar faces...
❤ Submarine a cupsule as a live grave under water too risky & Critical job they live together die together. PAKISTAN
The only thing wrong is that shore party would of been armed to the teeth!
'The History Guy' has a nice piece on this at th-cam.com/video/PKklyvxw8QU/w-d-xo.html
And also, #Yarnhub also did a video about this.
They did 4 and 4 in the harbor, not 6 and 4. And reality was much more dramatic than this Hollywood BS.
The book is great. The movie, as one has already put it, was quite cheesy. White life vests for night work!
WOW....that had to be done by the military(Hollywood asked and cut by the military). That was worse than John Wayne's WWII movies.
I highly doubt Japanese trains on military duty would blow a whistle at ANY time, much less at some lowly short bridge ON THE COAST. I can't stand it when supposedly "historic" movies are show nothing about how it really happened. But that's Hollywood, I guess.
Well its literal propaganda. People were tired after the war and cold one was already going with out people knowing, so this kind of propaganda peaces were made to keep peoples support of military and leading them to support the cold one.
While some of these records are true, i still would be skeptical about the claims. Its not unheard of military creating heroes and falsifying records to fit the narrative. Everyone did it, even against the individuals wishes.
@@Hellsong89 Oh...I understand it was propaganda....it's just that at that time...it really wasn't needed. The TRUE story would have done an even BETTER job of what they wanted.
The train would still blow the whistle, just as US trains did. And run with warning lights. The Whistles and lights were important safety signals. Train accidents were the greater risk. The bombers could not hear the whistles. and certainly nobody was expecting a sub to sink a train. Remember there had been no ground war in Japan.This somewhat cheesy film depicts the only Allied Military forces to set foot on Japan during the war.
Really awful video resolution.
It would have been a tragedy for any of those guys to die from that train mission. Wasn't it August 1945 ? It wasn't a necessary mission. It was the captain just wanting more action.
No one knew when Japan would surrender and almost no one (except Stalin and the KGB) knew about the A Bomb. As far as everyone knew the US was planning for the invasion of Japan (and the potential for 500000 to 1000000 Americans killed or wounded). Blowing up that train was very necessary.