My father was at Buna/Gona and spent three years with the 32nd. If my father was any indication, MacArthur was very much disliked by the men of the 32nd; my father despised him for years. My father also thought very highly of the Aussie’s, he loved his time in Australia and had great respect for them as combat fighters. Unfortunately, he could never really escape the war. I think it haunted him all his life. Respect to the Red Arrow Division.
MacArthur and General Blamey were Boo'ed & heckled off a parade ground in Melbourne by Australian soldiers who had just come back from fighting & beating the Japanese at Kokoda, they disliked him also and thought him to be a coward.
Paw made the trek across the Owen Stanley Mts to Buna. He would not speak of combat, but about starvation and disease. He weighed less than 100 lbs when shipped back to Australia with a 104 degree fever, and had recurring malaria attacks for the rest of his life (he died at 87 yrs old in 2005). He did speak of a replacement General sent when they were in Buna. He hated that man to the bones. When the general arrived, he required them to stand in formation in 100 degree heat. Their clothes were rotting off their backs. They were starving and racked with malaria and dysentery. The general dressed them down and said they were a disgrace for their appearance - and demanded that from then on everything would be “spit and polish.” He said “we should have shot the bastard.” In July, 1945 he had accrued enough points to be relieved while on the front in the Philippines, a Staff Sargent). They offered a commission to 2nd Lt to stay. He said I’m going home. He was one of those scooped up in the first peacetime draft in ‘39 (at that time he was a AAA baseball player, member of MI National Gaurd). In his mustering out photo in dress uniform you see 5 bars on his sleeve. Each signify 6 months in a combat zone. He came home and put leadership skills learned under fire to good use. He as an active and aggressive fighter for workers rights, a union man till the day he died. ❤️
I had the great honor of having a veteran of the 32nd as my neighbor here in Australia. He was a big man - truly John Wayne like and was still strong as an ox when I knew him and he would have been in his 70s. His name was Eugene Tuhn and he came from Greene County Iowa and he was a true gentleman. He met his Australian wife when he was stationed in Australia training for the upcoming battles of Buna and Ataipe. However he did not commit to marriage at that time because he seriously thought he would not live through the war. I think he was in D or E company - he was a mortar man. He told me amazing stories about the war. I'm not sure whether it was the landing at Buna or Aitape...but I remember him telling me they could not lower the door of his landing craft because the bodies of his comrades on the beach was so high...another story he told me was how the Americans had sent up a perimeter around the base and the Japanese soldiers had seen how when medics were bringing wounded back to the base they would call out medic and the gates were open and the wounded rushed in...well the Japanese soon started calling out "medic! medic!" and rush the opening gates...that's when (Eugene told me), a buddy stood up with a LMG and said "well here's your pill Japs!" - and opened fire decimating the brave (but doomed) Japanese attackers. He told me many amazing stories of his experience. I will never forget him telling me his commanding officer told the men the night before the landing that tomorrow they would likely all die for their country, so make sure to make the enemy pay dearly for that. He also told me how whenever they would encounter a serious Japanese concrete bunker they would call in some Australian troops to take care of it as it was this particular group of Aussie soldiers specialty. He said the Australian troops that undertook this task looked like pirates -often not wearing shirts and carrying a dozen grenades, pistols on both hips and the nastiest looking swords and daggers imaginable. Many years after the war he and his Australian sweetheart Betty ( a lovely lady) met up and were married. People of Greene County Iowa might be interested in a story he told me when he was a little boy in Greene County. His father was a logger and would often lumber trees that were on an Indian reservation. But before he would go onto Indian land it was customary to visit the chief (who was still living in a teepee at that time 1920s). It was the proper thing to sit with the chief and share a meal before asking permission to cut logs on the land. The boy Eugene knew that the chiefs stew pot would often contain dog meat so when it was the turn of the boy Eugene to dip his ladle in the pot to fill his bowl he deliberately scooped as much liquid and as little meat as possible from the top of the stew. When the chief saw this he giggled and looked at the boy Eugene and said "Dig deep boy! Puppy in bottom!" 🙂 Sorry for the wall of text...Mr Tuhns story deserved to be told and what better place than here. I have many more war stories from him - some funny, some hopelessly tragic, and some amazing things about their training at Tambourine Mountain (Camp Cable) that I think not even the Australian military ever knew about and probably still don't till this day. But I'm keeping that my secret. I am a better man today for knowing Eugene Tuhn...how many people in your life can you say that about? Salute to the Red Arrows 32nd.
My uncle fought in PNG for 990 days, Australian 36th Battalion, Kokoda track, Milne bay, Buna, Gona, Sanananda & new britain, he joined the militia 15yo & still alive today 96, he can't speak highly enough of Eichelberger & the difference his leadership made in the battle(s) for the beaches.
Wow... thanks for that! 990 days OMG! My Dad joined him in Papua and Sanananda Tract...Dad was hit with a Japanese grenade Dec 5, 1942 and carried shrapnel with him the rest of his life till 1997. He transfered out of the 32nd Division after those costly Victories and joined 2nd Engineer Special Brigade Amphibious... Island Hopper all the way to Luzon vis Bismarck Archipelagos, Admiralitys then the Philippines Batangas Battan Corrigador Olongampos Los Negros Subic Bay Manilla Leyte and Luzon. Best Regards always from California USA ✌️
General eichleberger is my great great grandfather I found some of his stuff in my parents house here in Asheville nc some newspaper articles that even talk about his victory in ww2 and how his wife was safe at home at my parents address that they still live at to this day
The men who fought in these all too often forgotten battles deserve to be remembered & to have their story told. #WW2TV, & John do an excellent job in making that happen with fantastic details, great imagery & maps.
Another outstanding show, despite some technical hiccups! The New Guinea campaign is overlooked in the US and the people who fought on that island deserve to be remembered! Thank you Paul for putting this show on WW2TV!!
Thank you so much for this video.Being Australian not many Australians know what the Aussies did in New Guinea.Battles like Milne Bay,Buna,Gona Lae should be remembered a lot better.
That would be most young Australians are sons and daughters of ethnic boomers and and proceeding gens whom arrived in Australia mostly after the 1960s. Australia was completely different country before the 1960s even had White Australia policy compare that to Australia in 2023-24 there is no comparison.
My Foster Dad was in The 9th Division 2/28Bn and was involved in all of these engagements bar Kokoda. Virtually all these episodes of the South West Pacific (New Guinea) is what Dad told me of what he experience up in the Islands, as he always referred to.
I have only recently started studying the Papua campaign with the Australian and American forces at Buna-Gona, and this video is a tremendous find for me. Great information and great discussion about a battle that I think many people miss out on when looking at the Pacific Theater. Another great channel for this is hypohystericalhistory, who has a 7 part series on Papua New Guinea. Definitely suggest checking that out too along with this. Great work!
A great presentation Paul. the arrival of George Wootton and the 18th AIF brigade along side Eichleberger energising the US troops were the key to the Buna campaign.
My uncle too! He was from north Texas and fought in MacArthurs command throughout. I don't know what unit though. He returned home a psychological wreck from all that intense jungle combat and his son (my cousin) hated him so much he kept none of his military stuff. He was a walking, breathing casualty for the rest of his life .
I have the honor that my Father was General Robert' Eichelberger's private secretary and I have heard many wonderful stories about the General that is because he treated Dad like a son and were actually friends and corresponded after the war. General Eichelberger in Akron Ohio where he visited my Dad at his office in Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. It was on the front page of the Akron Beacoon Journal January 19, 1951
My father was in the 41st Inf Div. His company was the only one that was trained in jungle warfare in Georgia for several weeks before transport to Australia. The entire company was from central Oregon, primarily from Bend. In 1939 the 41st had been inducted into the active US Army. Although his company arrived in Australia after the 32nd Inf Div and rest of the 41st Inf Div, his company was considered the only American company prepared to deployment in New Guinea. My father never talked of his military experiences, however two replacement troops published their memoirs and have recorded the combat history of the company. Reportedly the company was sent into Papua before other other US troops for recon. The company became surrounded and isolated. Enemy snipers killed the medics and commissioned officers within the first 2 days of combat. The NCOs led until the company was relieved many days later. Casualties were high. Among lessons learned was the medics removed the red cross from their helmets and packs and commissioned officers removed insignia of rank from their helmets and were encouraged to not point when giving orders. Such pointing indicated to enemy snipers who were the officers. Officers and medics were the prime sniper targets. The company was reconstituted with replacements and served well is later engagements. My father was wounded leading a patrol on Biak, the bloodiest campaign of the 41st Inf Div. He was commissioned while recuperating from his wound and subsequently transferred to the 24 Inf Div and landed on the Leyte beaches and fought throughout the Philippines. Although not recognized, he had PTSD as evidenced by recurrent nightmares where he would wake yelling and "fighting" ghosts and binge alcoholism for many years. My father was Martin Eskil Benson, 1st Lt, USA (retired) (aka Esk). He survived many months of combat, malaria twice, hook worm, tape worm, and years of fungal infections in his feet and ear canals. When Gen MacArthur retired in 1964, my father was critical of MacArthur's habit of declaring a campaign "secured", when the enemy was still very deadly, resulting in more casualties as troops were withdrawn from the combat zone while the enemy was still aggressive.
I always enjoy your programs with John McManus. Another battle that I had little knowledge of--have to read John's book. I was not previously aware of General Eichelberger. Commanding from the front demands utmost respect. The more I learn of MacAurthur the less I find to respect. Another great program--thanks!!!
Superb presentation by two gifted historians. Excellent production values and preparation make these pitches a pleasure to watch and more importantly, significant additions to our understanding of the subjects.
Dad was with the 2/7th and fought at BUNA, GONA and SANANANDA. The bitterness towards BLAMEY and MACARTHUR was entrenched. Both these Generals called Australian soldiers cowards. Macarthur wanted Australians removed from any new campaigns against the Japanese as the US moved on with its war on Japan. Australians were relegated to clean-up operations. As a GLORY and self promotion addict, Macarthur wanted the limelight and to ensure the US was seen as the winner in the war against Japan and ensured, as did many USN Admirals, that Britian and Australia were relegated to minor roles.
Great show about the American view of involvement in New Guinea and how General Eichelberger managed it. Can't wait for the show later in the week by Australian historian Karl James to give the Australian perspective of New Guinea, which I believe Paul talked about at the beginning and end of the show. Internet problems happen, all part of live broadcast didn't bother me.
Thank you John and Paul. I'm thoroughly enjoying expanding my knowledge base about the PTO. Video/audio dropouts are frustrating but part of life for us all these days. Agree with tonetriv about having the presenter mute their video while continuing on audio. Worked well and John soldiered on. Bandwidth limitations and so forth. Sometimes unmuting video again after 1-3 minutes works too. The M3 Stuart: using the right tool for the right job is always a good strategy. Regarding Mr. Towle's heartburn over a presentation he didn't watch and WW2TV in general: I think his use of Jack Torrence from "The Shining" as his avatar is in equal measures appropriate and ironic.
What London and Washington took too long to comprehend was the strategic importance of New Guinea. Luckily for the Allies the Australians had the strategic maturity to see its importance and acted in defiance to stop the Japanese advance.
Thanks for this. So good to hear about the Pacific. It was one shit hole after another. It was a soldiers war rather than a technicians war. So glad to see the real leaders being discussed. I have learned how much MacArthur was over rated. The natives were definitely the unsung heroes too.
Great show. The more I hear about and read about this campaign the more I've come to see MacArthur as one of the most over-rated figures in American history.
Just catching up on old episodes. Hopefully comments still help. New Guinea is such a complicated campaign and it really can’t be viewed in isolation. It’s great to concentrate on specific aspects which allows you to get granular but in the end it’s inseparable from the Battle of the Coral Sea and Guadalcanal. Nice to see an American perspective on this campaign. It’s usually overshadowed by the Australian contribution and by the actions at Guadalcanal.
Great stuff Paul really loving your channel , I was Australian biased against the US's efforts vs their claims in PNG in late 42 and early 43 . These poor sobs where never given a chance to have a proper fighting chance , even a poorly trained Australian militia man would have had a chance to see a palm tree , we've got the same snakes in Australia as PNG so knew about them , had seen long hot summers and had veterans from the AIF leading from squad to battalion level to get you through your first few critical engagements and earn yourself some experience . This would have been way worse .
Excellent show about the New Guinea campaign. It is a great pity that General McArthur was responsible for destroying the careers of so many Officers. I also think he was the wrong General chosen to command the Allied forces in the Korean War. He eventually met his match in President Harry Truman, who fired him.
My Uncle Don Gebers was in the 32nd division. After the war he went into Law Enforcement and was the Sheriff of Ida County, Iowa for 28 years. He had a Thompson Machine Gun hanging on his wall behind his desk the entire time he was Sheriff. He was at Néw Guinea and the Philippines,
The Kapa Kapa trail the American unit followed was actually higher and longer than the Kokoda trail. These were national guardsmen from the mid-west who had no idea what they were getting themselves into particularly as they assumed that they were going to Europe. The "Ghost Mountain Boys" is a good source.
The Kapa Kapa track is longer but there is some differences to the KoKoda Track . The Australians had to fight the Japanese who outnumbered them in both directions while crossing the track . Also the 39 battalion who who fought most of the early battles were the Australian equivalent of the National guardsmen . Their average ages were about 19 .Only latter on in the campaign did Australian regular forces arrive .
I enjoy these discussions and the wealth of knowledge they bring. The New Guinea campaign as its often referred to in Australia has been significant to me since my childhood days 60 years ago. My Uncle being a commando there and my father of the RAAF flying with the USAAF B24's out of the Philippines. It was with some trepidation that I viewed this American perspective, but as usual in your discussion, a great deal of respect was afforded to all troops who fought the campaign. It is with that in mind that as I read many of the comments made by some Australians, about the input of and performance by Australian and American troops. It is disappointing to read those, but sadly there is a strong element of 'Australian pride' whereby there is a resentment of American participation. They tend to confuse the fact that Australia itself focussed more on its British alliance and as such the government afforded less praise and awareness than other theatres of war. I believe it was a time of Australia being for the first time, vulnerable to attack and the government of the day was extremely fearful of the pending outcomes. Never before or since has Australia faced such a dire prospect and so with the government's stand against Churchill to repatriate the 7th and 9th Divs, Australia had a fighting chance. This came along as did the P40 Kittyhawks that were made available to form the first squadron for Moresby. I understand the fear and pride of many Australian descendants when reminded of the campaign. But we should do so respectfully of the Allied troops that assisted, including Dutch.
Poorly trained and equipped, discipline gone, hungry, dirty and ill, the Americans were reluctant to move. Lieutenant-General Eichelberger, sent in by the impatient Supreme Commander, General MacArthur, ordered a major reorganisation, and new attacks were mounted. But the bloody Buna battle again ground to a stalemate. Australia's 18th Brigade and other troops, equipped with long overdue tanks and artillery, joined in whilst other Australian forces pressed on with their task at Gona-Sanananda. Looks to me like the Aussies saved the American 32nd Division but we won't hear that in this video
@@shanemiller667 Sorry, are you literally saying that John McManus has not done the research and has his facts wrong? Again, this was a show about the American involvement by a pre-eminent US Professor of history
@@shanemiller667 Okay, you seem to have a problem understanding the subject of Professor McManus' book and what this show was about. His trilogy of books are about the US Army in the Pacific. USMC histories also exist, as do books on New Guinea, as do books on the Australian role. This show is about the American aspect, other shows cover the Australian role. I just don't understand why you can't take on board the distinction. But again, if you check his book, he does cite Australian sources, but a book about an American unit should primarily use American accounts
We won't hear it because McManus did his research. The 32nd took Buna Village on the 14th of December well before the 18th Brigade even got into the fight, that is beyond dispute.
41:52 as far as I'm aware MacArthur only went to Port Moresby once , would be more accurate to describe his location as Melbourne and then later Brisbane .
I worked with a gentleman for 4 years who i just found out was a Nephew of General Eichelburger, they even look similar! Anyways, even though he was older and just helping part time, he was always jumping in and working the same long hours as us even though he didn't have too just to make sure the job got done right and on time! I believe he has some of the same traits as the General! I am proud to have worked with someone who shares the same lineage as such a great military Comander!
I was wondering if maybe this video could be re-edited in a way where you don't have all the signal failure stuff happening. I only say that because it's a really good episode and I really like your guest but it seemed to cut out at every kind of important time. A for effort anyhow but I'd still like to see it put together in a cleaner format. You probably don't have time for anything like that. Either way I was enjoying it during 90% of it. Thank you.
@@WW2TV I understand that I think it's just something that you could do if you have a lot of technical problems to tighten the video back up. The video was good nonetheless and I'm sure you're pushed on time and probably don't have enough of it to start editing. Like I said I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Thanks for another excellent podcast again focusing on a relatively little known but important battle in a theatre which is often regarded as peripheral. Just a thought, have you ever considered doing a piece on the serious literature which was written by veterans in this theatre? I’m thinking specifically of James Jones and Norman Mailer. Jones was in the 25th Division at Guadalcanal and Mailer was in a cavalry unit in the Philippines I think. Their books although fiction were highly regarded and their popularity when published not long after the war ended suggests that the reading public regarded them as authentic. Certainly they must have been influential (particularly in their cinematic versions) in shaping the public view of the Pacific War. Anyway thanks again.
Great book about the 32nd ID. Ghost Mountain Boys. Covers from being called up for Federal Service to after Buna. The division wound up with 654 days in combat during WWII. More than any other US division. Still engaged in combat operations after the Japanese surrender in August. Towards the end of the book it relates the story of one Sargent recovering from tropical fevers in a ward that also had some Marines who came off of Guadalcanal. When the Sargent is being discharged from hospital the Marines who had been talking about how bad the Canal was finally ask him were he'd been. All he said was Buna. The Marines just stared at him.
If the trail is so incredibly hard to cross on foot how in the name of hell could you get a tank or multiple tanks into battle? It seems like it would be stuck in the mud 800 ft from where it got dropped off.
They didn't come over the Track - some Australian engineers managed to bring them up the coast by barge. Mind you, they were also told it couldn't be done, before doing it!
You briefly touched on an important fact: you said there was the 'Australian half' of New Guinea. It was actually an Australian territory and indeed it still features on our flag - us Aussies were actually defending home soil! (Pronounced Ozzies not Ossies!) Australia was technically invaded. Most people ignore these two facts. P.S. thankyou USA for helping distract them at Guadalcanal - there's no doubt we would have been royally hosed without your support :) These days carriers don't matter so much as a single $10m scramjet drone can destroy a $10b carrier!
My dad was with the 41st division and was with first to arrive in Australia. We know he was in the Papua campaign and in the New Guinea campaign. We know he went to OCS 10/‘43 to 1/‘44 then to the 112th cavalry regiment. We think he went to New Britain then to New Guinea and on to Leyte with them. Any way I don’t seem to hear anything about the 41st and the 112th. We he was with Australian s in combat and the he had something to do with artillery (horses not able to pull it in jungles). Can anyone direct to more info
1:03:56 yeh MacArthur was bad on that it was almost worse to succeed under MacArthur as it was to lose . MacArthur would willingly bury good commanders just so he could take the credit ......... there's a whole list of fine Australian officers who suffered this fate , worse for them General Blamey the top Australian commander was just as bad as MacArthur . I dont have that bad of an opinion of MacArthur either compared to Blamey .
The Japanese first tried to take Port Moresby by sea but were defeated at the Coral Sea by the US and Australian navies. I interviewed veterans of the Australian 2/14 battalion who fought in the Kokoda track and at Gona. The 2/14 arrived in New Guinea dressed in their desert gear - shorts which are less than ideal when confronting insect borne diseases and khaki which is dusty in Hindustani in colour and as one veteran said screamed 'shoot me' to the Japanese.
We needed 'the fog of the internet' to remind us how frustrating, and damned dangerous 'the fog of war' is for both enlisted and officers, who also had to exist within 'the fog of McArthur'.
General Eichelberger came from Urbana, Ohio. The town sign as you drive into Urbana tells you that. Anyway, I see on the map of this battle the "Urbana Front". That can't be a coincidence. Anybody know what that refers to?
Well that's not quite true, maybe most Australians don't like him, but there are some who do - including some historians. Like all of these leaders he divides opinion. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle with a leaning to not liking him
@@WW2TVno he was absolutely loathed by the Australians he was held in very low opinion by the Australian troops in new guinea his biggest fan was the person he saw in.the mirror he was all about himself and his own self promotion. The American forces in new guinea were also not held in high regard either by the Australian frontline troops as they were reluctant to advance and fight and tended to stay back and blindly spray bullets into the back of Australian troops who were actually engaged in fighting the enemy . I heard this personally from several Australian soldiers who.fought in new guinea including my grandfather who fought in new guinea and Bouganville
Simply not true Peter, as I said, sure MOST Australians hated MacArthur, and I'm sure those you met did, but it's not 100%. Especially when MacArthur took some of the Australian units out of the front line in 44/45, that went down very well with some Aussies. Definitive statements like All Australians loathed him are never true @@peterrobbins2862
Look, my history and yours seem to be different, Milne Bay, Buna and Sananda was mostly an Australian show. The US troops that were sent there were unprepared for war, they were dropped in the deep end, as National Guardsman; they were stopped dead by the Japanese, taking losses (and it was a poor planning/training/conditioning thing, NOT the fault of the troops> the Australian military did the same thing with the CMF troops that bore the original brunt of the start of Kokoda fight). McArthur, and his Australian off sider, tried to run a PNG campaign from Australia, without a proper of appreciation of the terrain. The Australians moved around the US troops, to move forward. Your description of PNG, and conditions, is correct.
I don't necessarily agree that our interpretation of history is different, isn't it more about the perspective? This show is about New Guinea from an American point of view by a renowned American historian. The focus in this programme was the American 32nd Division and General Eichelberger. I could do a show with an Australian focus and indeed would like to at some point. As I said in another comment here, I am always on the search for more guest historians and for whatever reason (time difference is a factor) I don't know as many historians in Australia and NZ. But although this show was about the Americans, we were both full of respect for the Australian troops there
@@WW2TV This was the first victory in which Americans were involved . Not an American victory .However the Australian army suffered more battle casualties & KIA . They also made most of the breakthroughs . The American troops were not lacking in courage the were just woefully unprepared .
The American troops on the northern shores of new guinea were held in low regard by Australian troops who felt that they wouldn't advance and fight ,and hid behind cover blindly firing their automatic weapons into the backs of advancing Australian troops
@peterrobbins2862 Which troops? Because from what I've heard, the GIs and Diggers on the front got along well, it was the officers in the rear (REMFs one might call them) that pointed fingers and disparaged the other side.
Almost never mentioned in our history books sadly... My Dad was wounded Dec 5, 1942 Sanananda Tract, he would spend the rest of his life with shrapnel still in him from a Japanese grenade. I have in my possession a list of every soldier of the 126th Combat Regiment that was awarded a Purple Heart for Combat Wounded during Buna Gona Sanananda! You know what else I have... about 6 of those dirty little leaflets the Japanese Propaganda of Service men with wives! Yeah...Dad sent them home to his Mom and Grandma Kept them in a scrapbook! That probably helped fuel " The Battle of Brisbane" LOL... I've heard some funny stories about that!
Milne Bay was earlier victory United States Army Units Platoon, 101st Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) Battalion C Battery, 104th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) Battalion 709th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery Company E, 46th Engineers 43rd Engineers (less Headquarters and E Company) Port Detachment Company A, 394th Quartermaster Battalion Station Hospital
Sorry one last comment. The idea that there could have been a president Douglas MacArthur is a horrible one. We just saw for 4 years what an incredibly bloated ego looks like in the presidency and I think MacArthur was even worse than ex-president Trump. His behavior during the North Korean conflict was even worse than his behavior in world war II. We got lucky when we missed that.
I think you need to consider what a great job McArthur did ruling Japan. He rose to the occasion. Every one gives him high marks for that. We'll never know, but he might have made a better president than a lot of people think today.
Okay, yes in this show, but watch our show about MacArthur's rescue, that offered a positive view th-cam.com/video/0D1pUAc4a9k/w-d-xo.html. Historians have different opinions and my channel reflects that
Was common back in WW2 he wasn't held in any sort of regard by any troops of allied forces in new guinea regardless of country of origin I highly doubt that any of the troops he abandoned in the Philippines wished him well either they called him dug out Doug that certainly isn't a term of endearment
You couldn't have got an Australian war historian to provide any commentary from the Australian side? Here you go not that bloody hard livinghistorytv.com/battle-of-milne-bay-with-karl-james/ "I mean, we as Australians talk about the first time the Japanese were defeated on land"
Did you not hear me state several times in the show that we have Karl James an AUSTRALIAN historian coming on Sunday's show to talk about the Kokoda track? th-cam.com/video/1zsEAFKcR2A/w-d-xo.html. You also stated in another comment that you appear to have deleted that we didn't reference a book by an Australian author. Well the format is that I promote the book of my guest speaker who today was American. When I have an Australian guest such as Adam Lunney or Tom Lewis I feature their books
@@WW2TV not at the beginning and no I am not going sit through 1hr 30mins of poor internet connections with streaming lost connection. I just had to listen to first few mins and there is nothing in your description about any Australian making any appearance let alone any book on Australian perspective SMH you are talking about Buna not Kokoda in this video and your lack of acknowledgement of Australian forces involvement is noted accordingly..
@@johntowle Read the description again John, it literally says "The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces against the Japanese beachheads at Buna" So, you are harshly judging a show you haven't watched - gotcha
As I stated several times in the show Karl James is my guest on Sunday. In the WW2TV format, there is only so much we can cover in one show. Today, John McManus an American historian talked about a battle from an American perspective. On Sunday's show Karl will talk about the fighting on New Guinea from an Australian perspective.
@@WW2TV none of the video mentions Australians in the first 5 minutes that I managed when your connection was lost then silence. I suppose promoting a book on American involvement then any other focus is shifted in their favour..
My father was at Buna/Gona and spent three years with the 32nd. If my father was any indication, MacArthur was very much disliked by the men of the 32nd; my father despised him for years. My father also thought very highly of the Aussie’s, he loved his time in Australia and had great respect for them as combat fighters. Unfortunately, he could never really escape the war. I think it haunted him all his life. Respect to the Red Arrow Division.
MacArthur and General Blamey were Boo'ed & heckled off a parade ground in Melbourne by Australian soldiers who had just come back from fighting & beating the Japanese at Kokoda, they disliked him also and thought him to be a coward.
Paw made the trek across the Owen Stanley Mts to Buna. He would not speak of combat, but about starvation and disease. He weighed less than 100 lbs when shipped back to Australia with a 104 degree fever, and had recurring malaria attacks for the rest of his life (he died at 87 yrs old in 2005). He did speak of a replacement General sent when they were in Buna. He hated that man to the bones. When the general arrived, he required them to stand in formation in 100 degree heat. Their clothes were rotting off their backs. They were starving and racked with malaria and dysentery. The general dressed them down and said they were a disgrace for their appearance - and demanded that from then on everything would be “spit and polish.” He said “we should have shot the bastard.”
In July, 1945 he had accrued enough points to be relieved while on the front in the Philippines, a Staff Sargent). They offered a commission to 2nd Lt to stay. He said I’m going home. He was one of those scooped up in the first peacetime draft in ‘39 (at that time he was a AAA baseball player, member of MI National Gaurd). In his mustering out photo in dress uniform you see 5 bars on his sleeve. Each signify 6 months in a combat zone.
He came home and put leadership skills learned under fire to good use. He as an active and aggressive fighter for workers rights, a union man till the day he died. ❤️
@@robtsologtr Hey! Was your Dad with the 126th? Mine was M Company.
I had the great honor of having a veteran of the 32nd as my neighbor here in Australia. He was a big man - truly John Wayne like and was still strong as an ox when I knew him and he would have been in his 70s. His name was Eugene Tuhn and he came from Greene County Iowa and he was a true gentleman. He met his Australian wife when he was stationed in Australia training for the upcoming battles of Buna and Ataipe. However he did not commit to marriage at that time because he seriously thought he would not live through the war.
I think he was in D or E company - he was a mortar man. He told me amazing stories about the war. I'm not sure whether it was the landing at Buna or Aitape...but I remember him telling me they could not lower the door of his landing craft because the bodies of his comrades on the beach was so high...another story he told me was how the Americans had sent up a perimeter around the base and the Japanese soldiers had seen how when medics were bringing wounded back to the base they would call out medic and the gates were open and the wounded rushed in...well the Japanese soon started calling out "medic! medic!" and rush the opening gates...that's when (Eugene told me), a buddy stood up with a LMG and said "well here's your pill Japs!" - and opened fire decimating the brave (but doomed) Japanese attackers. He told me many amazing stories of his experience. I will never forget him telling me his commanding officer told the men the night before the landing that tomorrow they would likely all die for their country, so make sure to make the enemy pay dearly for that. He also told me how whenever they would encounter a serious Japanese concrete bunker they would call in some Australian troops to take care of it as it was this particular group of Aussie soldiers specialty. He said the Australian troops that undertook this task looked like pirates -often not wearing shirts and carrying a dozen grenades, pistols on both hips and the nastiest looking swords and daggers imaginable. Many years after the war he and his Australian sweetheart Betty ( a lovely lady) met up and were married.
People of Greene County Iowa might be interested in a story he told me when he was a little boy in Greene County. His father was a logger and would often lumber trees that were on an Indian reservation. But before he would go onto Indian land it was customary to visit the chief (who was still living in a teepee at that time 1920s). It was the proper thing to sit with the chief and share a meal before asking permission to cut logs on the land. The boy Eugene knew that the chiefs stew pot would often contain dog meat so when it was the turn of the boy Eugene to dip his ladle in the pot to fill his bowl he deliberately scooped as much liquid and as little meat as possible from the top of the stew. When the chief saw this he giggled and looked at the boy Eugene and said "Dig deep boy! Puppy in bottom!" 🙂
Sorry for the wall of text...Mr Tuhns story deserved to be told and what better place than here. I have many more war stories from him - some funny, some hopelessly tragic, and some amazing things about their training at Tambourine Mountain (Camp Cable) that I think not even the Australian military ever knew about and probably still don't till this day. But I'm keeping that my secret. I am a better man today for knowing Eugene Tuhn...how many people in your life can you say that about? Salute to the Red Arrows 32nd.
My uncle fought in PNG for 990 days, Australian 36th Battalion, Kokoda track, Milne bay, Buna, Gona, Sanananda & new britain, he joined the militia 15yo & still alive today 96, he can't speak highly enough of Eichelberger & the difference his leadership made in the battle(s) for the beaches.
Wow... thanks for that! 990 days OMG! My Dad joined him in Papua and Sanananda Tract...Dad was hit with a Japanese grenade Dec 5, 1942 and carried shrapnel with him the rest of his life till 1997. He transfered out of the 32nd Division after those costly Victories and joined 2nd Engineer Special Brigade Amphibious... Island Hopper all the way to Luzon vis Bismarck Archipelagos, Admiralitys then the Philippines Batangas Battan Corrigador Olongampos Los Negros Subic Bay Manilla Leyte and Luzon.
Best Regards always from California USA ✌️
General eichleberger is my great great grandfather I found some of his stuff in my parents house here in Asheville nc some newspaper articles that even talk about his victory in ww2 and how his wife was safe at home at my parents address that they still live at to this day
Wow, how great that you found this show
Listening to John McManus talk WWII history is one of life's great pleasures!
The men who fought in these all too often forgotten battles deserve to be remembered & to have their story told. #WW2TV, & John do an excellent job in making that happen with fantastic details, great imagery & maps.
Another outstanding show, despite some technical hiccups! The New Guinea campaign is overlooked in the US and the people who fought on that island deserve to be remembered! Thank you Paul for putting this show on WW2TV!!
Thank you so much for this video.Being Australian not many Australians know what the Aussies did in New Guinea.Battles like Milne Bay,Buna,Gona Lae should be remembered a lot better.
That would be most young Australians are sons and daughters of ethnic boomers and and proceeding gens whom arrived in Australia mostly after the 1960s. Australia was completely different country before the 1960s even had White Australia policy compare that to Australia in 2023-24 there is no comparison.
My Foster Dad was in The 9th Division 2/28Bn and was involved in all of these engagements bar Kokoda. Virtually all these episodes of the South West Pacific (New Guinea) is what Dad told me of what he experience up in the Islands, as he always referred to.
Good show Paul and John. My uncle fought in New Guinea. He said there were two battles one against the Japanese and one against the Jungle.
I have only recently started studying the Papua campaign with the Australian and American forces at Buna-Gona, and this video is a tremendous find for me. Great information and great discussion about a battle that I think many people miss out on when looking at the Pacific Theater. Another great channel for this is hypohystericalhistory, who has a 7 part series on Papua New Guinea. Definitely suggest checking that out too along with this. Great work!
Thanks for the suggestion
A great presentation Paul. the arrival of George Wootton and the 18th AIF brigade along side Eichleberger energising the US troops were the key to the Buna campaign.
One of my uncles was in the 32nd Division. He was a Texan who was assigned to the 32nd. He was at Buna and fought on through the Philippines.
My uncle too! He was from north Texas and fought in MacArthurs command throughout. I don't know what unit though. He returned home a psychological wreck from all that intense jungle combat and his son (my cousin) hated him so much he kept none of his military stuff. He was a walking, breathing casualty for the rest of his life .
Every episode with Professor McManus is excellent. Thank you.
I have the honor that my Father was General Robert' Eichelberger's private secretary and I have heard many wonderful stories about the General that is because he treated Dad like a son and were actually friends and corresponded after the war. General Eichelberger in Akron Ohio where he visited my Dad at his office in Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. It was on the front page of the Akron Beacoon Journal January 19, 1951
My father was in the 41st Inf Div. His company was the only one that was trained in jungle warfare in Georgia for several weeks before transport to Australia. The entire company was from central Oregon, primarily from Bend. In 1939 the 41st had been inducted into the active US Army. Although his company arrived in Australia after the 32nd Inf Div and rest of the 41st Inf Div, his company was considered the only American company prepared to deployment in New Guinea. My father never talked of his military experiences, however two replacement troops published their memoirs and have recorded the combat history of the company. Reportedly the company was sent into Papua before other other US troops for recon. The company became surrounded and isolated. Enemy snipers killed the medics and commissioned officers within the first 2 days of combat. The NCOs led until the company was relieved many days later. Casualties were high. Among lessons learned was the medics removed the red cross from their helmets and packs and commissioned officers removed insignia of rank from their helmets and were encouraged to not point when giving orders. Such pointing indicated to enemy snipers who were the officers. Officers and medics were the prime sniper targets. The company was reconstituted with replacements and served well is later engagements. My father was wounded leading a patrol on Biak, the bloodiest campaign of the 41st Inf Div. He was commissioned while recuperating from his wound and subsequently transferred to the 24 Inf Div and landed on the Leyte beaches and fought throughout the Philippines. Although not recognized, he had PTSD as evidenced by recurrent nightmares where he would wake yelling and "fighting" ghosts and binge alcoholism for many years. My father was Martin Eskil Benson, 1st Lt, USA (retired) (aka Esk). He survived many months of combat, malaria twice, hook worm, tape worm, and years of fungal infections in his feet and ear canals. When Gen MacArthur retired in 1964, my father was critical of MacArthur's habit of declaring a campaign "secured", when the enemy was still very deadly, resulting in more casualties as troops were withdrawn from the combat zone while the enemy was still aggressive.
This was another Great show, Paul. I can't wait for the rest of Pacific Week.
This channel is such hidden gem, some of the guests can go in such a depth on what is a very forgotten theater of ww2
Thank you Fernando, please share the word about WW2TV on social media
@@WW2TVAbsolutely Paul except for all that Montgomery praise after El Alleman. He was a dud, then.
@@larrytischler570 Sorry, are you saying Montgomery was a dud at El Alamein?
Great launch of "Pacific Week" series on WW2TV! Excellent show.
Buna was an Australian victory with American support. The 32nd was going nowhere. It was the Australians who broke through .
Which is why we have done a lot more shows about the Australians in the battle than we have this single show about the American involvement
The 32nd seized Buna, both the village and government station, that is an objective fact.
John is a great historian; very knowledgeable and an excellent speaker. This episode is well worth persevering through the audio glitches.
I always enjoy your programs with John McManus. Another battle that I had little knowledge of--have to read John's book. I was not previously aware of General Eichelberger. Commanding from the front demands utmost respect. The more I learn of MacAurthur the less I find to respect. Another great program--thanks!!!
Additional coment, the Australians stopping the invasion at Milne Bay is very important.
Superb presentation by two gifted historians. Excellent production values and preparation make these pitches a pleasure to watch and more importantly, significant additions to our understanding of the subjects.
Many thanks!
Outstanding episode again ( even with the technical glitches ) , am looking forward to the rest of the week .
Another excellent program, thank you both.
The combination of the logistics arranging all these quality speakers and developing themes and gently guiding folk, BRAVO!
Thank you Martin. The guests are the stars, but I put a lot of work in behind the scenes
On other comment, C 47 and the support. It was excellent for the situation.
It is a fantastic book and I can't wait for the next one
Dad was with the 2/7th and fought at BUNA, GONA and SANANANDA. The bitterness towards BLAMEY and MACARTHUR was entrenched. Both these Generals called Australian soldiers cowards. Macarthur wanted Australians removed from any new campaigns against the Japanese as the US moved on with its war on Japan. Australians were relegated to clean-up operations. As a GLORY and self promotion addict, Macarthur wanted the limelight and to ensure the US was seen as the winner in the war against Japan and ensured, as did many USN Admirals, that Britian and Australia were relegated to minor roles.
Eicherberger and Kruger are two most under estimated Generals I think of WWII
Just getting thru this portion in "Fire and Fortitude" then i happen upon this ep. Great job as always
Great show about the American view of involvement in New Guinea and how General Eichelberger managed it. Can't wait for the show later in the week by Australian historian Karl James to give the Australian perspective of New Guinea, which I believe Paul talked about at the beginning and end of the show. Internet problems happen, all part of live broadcast didn't bother me.
Thank you John and Paul. I'm thoroughly enjoying expanding my knowledge base about the PTO. Video/audio dropouts are frustrating but part of life for us all these days. Agree with tonetriv about having the presenter mute their video while continuing on audio. Worked well and John soldiered on. Bandwidth limitations and so forth. Sometimes unmuting video again after 1-3 minutes works too.
The M3 Stuart: using the right tool for the right job is always a good strategy.
Regarding Mr. Towle's heartburn over a presentation he didn't watch and WW2TV in general: I think his use of Jack Torrence from "The Shining" as his avatar is in equal measures appropriate and ironic.
Yep, these things happen. Ironically the next time John was on - same computer, connection and settings it was fine
What London and Washington took too long to comprehend was the strategic importance of New Guinea. Luckily for the Allies the Australians had the strategic maturity to see its importance and acted in defiance to stop the Japanese advance.
Thanks for this. So good to hear about the Pacific. It was one shit hole after another. It was a soldiers war rather than a technicians war. So glad to see the real leaders being discussed. I have learned how much MacArthur was over rated. The natives were definitely the unsung heroes too.
Great interview and a great book! I have the next on preorder. Can’t wait!
Great show. The more I hear about and read about this campaign the more I've come to see MacArthur as one of the most over-rated figures in American history.
Just catching up on old episodes. Hopefully comments still help. New Guinea is such a complicated campaign and it really can’t be viewed in isolation. It’s great to concentrate on specific aspects which allows you to get granular but in the end it’s inseparable from the Battle of the Coral Sea and Guadalcanal. Nice to see an American perspective on this campaign. It’s usually overshadowed by the Australian contribution and by the actions at Guadalcanal.
Great Presenttion
Great stuff Paul really loving your channel , I was Australian biased against the US's efforts vs their claims in PNG in late 42 and early 43 . These poor sobs where never given a chance to have a proper fighting chance , even a poorly trained Australian militia man would have had a chance to see a palm tree , we've got the same snakes in Australia as PNG so knew about them , had seen long hot summers and had veterans from the AIF leading from squad to battalion level to get you through your first few critical engagements and earn yourself some experience . This would have been way worse .
Excellent video, 1 hour & 23 minutes. MacArthur is fleshed out well. Post war, looks great.
Excellent show about the New Guinea campaign. It is a great pity that General McArthur was responsible for destroying the careers of so many Officers. I also think he was the wrong General chosen to command the Allied forces in the Korean War. He eventually met his match in President Harry Truman, who fired him.
My Uncle Don Gebers was in the 32nd division. After the war he went into Law Enforcement and was the Sheriff of Ida County, Iowa for 28 years. He had a Thompson Machine Gun hanging on his wall behind his desk the entire time he was Sheriff. He was at Néw Guinea and the Philippines,
Thanks for sharing
You can actually do a trek along the Kokoda Track, well at leist before cv19. Its still not a walk in the park.
The Kapa Kapa trail the American unit followed was actually higher and longer than the Kokoda trail. These were national guardsmen from the mid-west who had no idea what they were getting themselves into particularly as they assumed that they were going to Europe. The "Ghost Mountain Boys" is a good source.
My uncle walked that track.
The Kapa Kapa track is longer but there is some differences to the KoKoda Track . The Australians had to fight the Japanese who outnumbered them in both directions while crossing the track . Also the 39 battalion who who fought most of the early battles were the Australian equivalent of the National guardsmen . Their average ages were about 19 .Only latter on in the campaign did Australian regular forces arrive .
Even better for Ghost Mountain Boys is the audio edition.
I enjoy these discussions and the wealth of knowledge they bring. The New Guinea campaign as its often referred to in Australia has been significant to me since my childhood days 60 years ago. My Uncle being a commando there and my father of the RAAF flying with the USAAF B24's out of the Philippines. It was with some trepidation that I viewed this American perspective, but as usual in your discussion, a great deal of respect was afforded to all troops who fought the campaign. It is with that in mind that as I read many of the comments made by some Australians, about the input of and performance by Australian and American troops. It is disappointing to read those, but sadly there is a strong element of 'Australian pride' whereby there is a resentment of American participation. They tend to confuse the fact that Australia itself focussed more on its British alliance and as such the government afforded less praise and awareness than other theatres of war. I believe it was a time of Australia being for the first time, vulnerable to attack and the government of the day was extremely fearful of the pending outcomes. Never before or since has Australia faced such a dire prospect and so with the government's stand against Churchill to repatriate the 7th and 9th Divs, Australia had a fighting chance. This came along as did the P40 Kittyhawks that were made available to form the first squadron for Moresby. I understand the fear and pride of many Australian descendants when reminded of the campaign. But we should do so respectfully of the Allied troops that assisted, including Dutch.
That really made my jaw drop when you said mules couldn't carry supplies in the mountains because it was so rugged. Wow. Did they try mountain goats?
Great talk about a for me, unknow subject. Super.
Glad it was helpful!
Poorly trained and equipped, discipline gone, hungry, dirty and ill, the Americans were reluctant to move. Lieutenant-General Eichelberger, sent in by the impatient Supreme Commander, General MacArthur, ordered a major reorganisation, and new attacks were mounted. But the bloody Buna battle again ground to a stalemate. Australia's 18th Brigade and other troops, equipped with long overdue tanks and artillery, joined in whilst other Australian forces pressed on with their task at Gona-Sanananda. Looks to me like the Aussies saved the American 32nd Division but we won't hear that in this video
We have done numerous shows about Australian forces - check our playlist th-cam.com/play/PLDG3XyxGI5lBt8GeHrYoTE4RlKdBg15Tk.html
@@shanemiller667 Sorry, are you literally saying that John McManus has not done the research and has his facts wrong? Again, this was a show about the American involvement by a pre-eminent US Professor of history
@@shanemiller667 Okay, you seem to have a problem understanding the subject of Professor McManus' book and what this show was about. His trilogy of books are about the US Army in the Pacific. USMC histories also exist, as do books on New Guinea, as do books on the Australian role. This show is about the American aspect, other shows cover the Australian role. I just don't understand why you can't take on board the distinction. But again, if you check his book, he does cite Australian sources, but a book about an American unit should primarily use American accounts
We won't hear it because McManus did his research. The 32nd took Buna Village on the 14th of December well before the 18th Brigade even got into the fight, that is beyond dispute.
41:52 as far as I'm aware MacArthur only went to Port Moresby once , would be more accurate to describe his location as Melbourne and then later Brisbane .
It’s always what the Marines did at Guadalcanal, this battle is lost to most because the Marines had better coverage
I worked with a gentleman for 4 years who i just found out was a Nephew of General Eichelburger, they even look similar! Anyways, even though he was older and just helping part time, he was always jumping in and working the same long hours as us even though he didn't have too just to make sure the job got done right and on time! I believe he has some of the same traits as the General! I am proud to have worked with someone who shares the same lineage as such a great military Comander!
I was wondering if maybe this video could be re-edited in a way where you don't have all the signal failure stuff happening. I only say that because it's a really good episode and I really like your guest but it seemed to cut out at every kind of important time. A for effort anyhow but I'd still like to see it put together in a cleaner format. You probably don't have time for anything like that. Either way I was enjoying it during 90% of it. Thank you.
The issue with editing any of my shows is that it leads to the loss of all the sidebar chat. Whuch seems a shame
@@WW2TV I understand that I think it's just something that you could do if you have a lot of technical problems to tighten the video back up. The video was good nonetheless and I'm sure you're pushed on time and probably don't have enough of it to start editing. Like I said I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Thanks for another excellent podcast again focusing on a relatively little known but important battle in a theatre which is often regarded as peripheral. Just a thought, have you ever considered doing a piece on the serious literature which was written by veterans in this theatre? I’m thinking specifically of James Jones and Norman Mailer. Jones was in the 25th Division at Guadalcanal and Mailer was in a cavalry unit in the Philippines I think. Their books although fiction were highly regarded and their popularity when published not long after the war ended suggests that the reading public regarded them as authentic. Certainly they must have been influential (particularly in their cinematic versions) in shaping the public view of the Pacific War. Anyway thanks again.
Good idea John
Cracken read. Yup. This is the bookend to Guadalcanal. Your channel is ideal for the Pacific war.
Great book about the 32nd ID. Ghost Mountain Boys. Covers from being called up for Federal Service to after Buna. The division wound up with 654 days in combat during WWII. More than any other US division. Still engaged in combat operations after the Japanese surrender in August.
Towards the end of the book it relates the story of one Sargent recovering from tropical fevers in a ward that also had some Marines who came off of Guadalcanal. When the Sargent is being discharged from hospital the Marines who had been talking about how bad the Canal was finally ask him were he'd been. All he said was Buna. The Marines just stared at him.
If the trail is so incredibly hard to cross on foot how in the name of hell could you get a tank or multiple tanks into battle? It seems like it would be stuck in the mud 800 ft from where it got dropped off.
They didn't come over the Track - some Australian engineers managed to bring them up the coast by barge. Mind you, they were also told it couldn't be done, before doing it!
You briefly touched on an important fact: you said there was the 'Australian half' of New Guinea. It was actually an Australian territory and indeed it still features on our flag - us Aussies were actually defending home soil! (Pronounced Ozzies not Ossies!) Australia was technically invaded. Most people ignore these two facts.
P.S. thankyou USA for helping distract them at Guadalcanal - there's no doubt we would have been royally hosed without your support :)
These days carriers don't matter so much as a single $10m scramjet drone can destroy a $10b carrier!
Amazing Australia, Ozzem Ozzies!!!
My dad was with the 41st division and was with first to arrive in Australia. We know he was in the Papua campaign and in the New Guinea campaign. We know he went to OCS 10/‘43 to 1/‘44 then to the 112th cavalry regiment. We think he went to New Britain then to New Guinea and on to Leyte with them. Any way I don’t seem to hear anything about the 41st and the 112th. We he was with Australian s in combat and the he had something to do with artillery (horses not able to pull it in jungles). Can anyone direct to more info
1:03:56 yeh MacArthur was bad on that it was almost worse to succeed under MacArthur as it was to lose . MacArthur would willingly bury good commanders just so he could take the credit ......... there's a whole list of fine Australian officers who suffered this fate , worse for them General Blamey the top Australian commander was just as bad as MacArthur . I dont have that bad of an opinion of MacArthur either compared to Blamey .
The Japanese first tried to take Port Moresby by sea but were defeated at the Coral Sea by the US and Australian navies.
I interviewed veterans of the Australian 2/14 battalion who fought in the Kokoda track and at Gona.
The 2/14 arrived in New Guinea dressed in their desert gear - shorts which are less than ideal when confronting insect borne diseases and khaki which is dusty in Hindustani in colour and as one veteran said screamed 'shoot me' to the Japanese.
Surely Tulagi was a ground victory that occurred before Buna?
It was, but I would think it counts as the greater battle of Guadalcanal
We needed 'the fog of the internet' to remind us how frustrating, and damned dangerous 'the fog of war' is for both enlisted and officers, who also had to exist within 'the fog of McArthur'.
General Eichelberger came from Urbana, Ohio. The town sign as you drive into Urbana tells you that. Anyway, I see on the map of this battle the "Urbana Front". That can't be a coincidence. Anybody know what that refers to?
I cannot find a specific source, but i asdune Eichelberger came up with Urbana Force
MacArthur and George A. Custer shared a few personality & character traits
McArthur wasn't held in high esteem by the Australian forces in new guinea he wasn't held in much esteem by his own troops .
Well that's not quite true, maybe most Australians don't like him, but there are some who do - including some historians. Like all of these leaders he divides opinion. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle with a leaning to not liking him
@@WW2TVno he was absolutely loathed by the Australians he was held in very low opinion by the Australian troops in new guinea his biggest fan was the person he saw in.the mirror he was all about himself and his own self promotion. The American forces in new guinea were also not held in high regard either by the Australian frontline troops as they were reluctant to advance and fight and tended to stay back and blindly spray bullets into the back of Australian troops who were actually engaged in fighting the enemy . I heard this personally from several Australian soldiers who.fought in new guinea including my grandfather who fought in new guinea and Bouganville
Simply not true Peter, as I said, sure MOST Australians hated MacArthur, and I'm sure those you met did, but it's not 100%. Especially when MacArthur took some of the Australian units out of the front line in 44/45, that went down very well with some Aussies. Definitive statements like All Australians loathed him are never true @@peterrobbins2862
Look, my history and yours seem to be different, Milne Bay, Buna and Sananda was mostly an Australian show. The US troops that were sent there were unprepared for war, they were dropped in the deep end, as National Guardsman; they were stopped dead by the Japanese, taking losses (and it was a poor planning/training/conditioning thing, NOT the fault of the troops> the Australian military did the same thing with the CMF troops that bore the original brunt of the start of Kokoda fight).
McArthur, and his Australian off sider, tried to run a PNG campaign from Australia, without a proper of appreciation of the terrain. The Australians moved around the US troops, to move forward. Your description of PNG, and conditions, is correct.
I don't necessarily agree that our interpretation of history is different, isn't it more about the perspective? This show is about New Guinea from an American point of view by a renowned American historian. The focus in this programme was the American 32nd Division and General Eichelberger. I could do a show with an Australian focus and indeed would like to at some point. As I said in another comment here, I am always on the search for more guest historians and for whatever reason (time difference is a factor) I don't know as many historians in Australia and NZ. But although this show was about the Americans, we were both full of respect for the Australian troops there
@@WW2TV This was the first victory in which Americans were involved . Not an American victory .However the Australian army suffered more battle casualties & KIA . They also made most of the breakthroughs . The American troops were not lacking in courage the were just woefully unprepared .
The American troops on the northern shores of new guinea were held in low regard by Australian troops who felt that they wouldn't advance and fight ,and hid behind cover blindly firing their automatic weapons into the backs of advancing Australian troops
@peterrobbins2862 Which troops? Because from what I've heard, the GIs and Diggers on the front got along well, it was the officers in the rear (REMFs one might call them) that pointed fingers and disparaged the other side.
Of course the Australian and American forces were taken longer because allied commanders were always conscious of casualness. .
I hope you put Desmond Doss and John McKinney in the triology
Almost never mentioned in our history books sadly...
My Dad was wounded Dec 5, 1942 Sanananda Tract, he would spend the rest of his life with shrapnel still in him from a Japanese grenade.
I have in my possession a list of every soldier of the 126th Combat Regiment that was awarded a Purple Heart for Combat Wounded during Buna Gona Sanananda!
You know what else I have... about 6 of those dirty little leaflets the Japanese Propaganda of Service men with wives! Yeah...Dad sent them home to his Mom and Grandma Kept them in a scrapbook! That probably helped fuel " The Battle of Brisbane" LOL... I've heard some funny stories about that!
Is that LTC Mucci of the Cabantuan Ranger mission on the left?
Don't know - sorry
waldrons left forefinger half missing missing
Milne Bay was earlier victory
United States Army Units
Platoon, 101st Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) Battalion
C Battery, 104th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) Battalion
709th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery
Company E, 46th Engineers
43rd Engineers (less Headquarters and E Company)
Port Detachment
Company A, 394th Quartermaster Battalion
Station Hospital
MacArthur described New Guinea and the New Britain Islands as two giant bear hugs.
1:16:15 that pith helmet is goofy
This place sounds like such a hell hole as Okinawa but in its own way
Two Battles for Buna - Australians MIA God Bless America
Read the Book. Fire and Fortitude
What are the three book trilogy? I have Fire and Fortitude
Fire and Fortitude, Island Infernos and the third is yet to be released
Sorry one last comment. The idea that there could have been a president Douglas MacArthur is a horrible one. We just saw for 4 years what an incredibly bloated ego looks like in the presidency and I think MacArthur was even worse than ex-president Trump. His behavior during the North Korean conflict was even worse than his behavior in world war II. We got lucky when we missed that.
I think you need to consider what a great job McArthur did ruling Japan. He rose to the occasion. Every one gives him high marks for that. We'll never know, but he might have made a better president than a lot of people think today.
@@halking3497
Anyone who even considers running for President needs to have a massive ego. Some are just bigger than others.
Who could have any respect for someone who abandoned his own troops
MacArthur bash fest. Unfortunately common these days
Okay, yes in this show, but watch our show about MacArthur's rescue, that offered a positive view th-cam.com/video/0D1pUAc4a9k/w-d-xo.html. Historians have different opinions and my channel reflects that
Was common back in WW2 he wasn't held in any sort of regard by any troops of allied forces in new guinea regardless of country of origin I highly doubt that any of the troops he abandoned in the Philippines wished him well either they called him dug out Doug that certainly isn't a term of endearment
MscArthur was a joke
The narrator is a pom I am sure he wouldn't agree the Americans won El Alamein, they were British and Commonwealth forces.
Sigh
You couldn't have got an Australian war historian to provide any commentary from the Australian side? Here you go not that bloody hard livinghistorytv.com/battle-of-milne-bay-with-karl-james/
"I mean, we as Australians talk about the first time the Japanese were defeated on land"
Did you not hear me state several times in the show that we have Karl James an AUSTRALIAN historian coming on Sunday's show to talk about the Kokoda track? th-cam.com/video/1zsEAFKcR2A/w-d-xo.html. You also stated in another comment that you appear to have deleted that we didn't reference a book by an Australian author. Well the format is that I promote the book of my guest speaker who today was American. When I have an Australian guest such as Adam Lunney or Tom Lewis I feature their books
@@WW2TV not at the beginning and no I am not going sit through 1hr 30mins of poor internet connections with streaming lost connection. I just had to listen to first few mins and there is nothing in your description about any Australian making any appearance let alone any book on Australian perspective SMH you are talking about Buna not Kokoda in this video and your lack of acknowledgement of Australian forces involvement is noted accordingly..
@@johntowle Read the description again John, it literally says "The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces against the Japanese beachheads at Buna"
So, you are harshly judging a show you haven't watched - gotcha
As I stated several times in the show Karl James is my guest on Sunday. In the WW2TV format, there is only so much we can cover in one show. Today, John McManus an American historian talked about a battle from an American perspective. On Sunday's show Karl will talk about the fighting on New Guinea from an Australian perspective.
@@WW2TV none of the video mentions Australians in the first 5 minutes that I managed when your connection was lost then silence. I suppose promoting a book on American involvement then any other focus is shifted in their favour..