1942 Q & A show with Jon Parshall

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  • Опубликовано: 13 дек 2024

Комментарии • 152

  • @stevej8005
    @stevej8005 2 дня назад +6

    Fantastic 'Big Picture' discussion about 1942 from Jon Parshall. One of the best historians to listen to, insightful, well-informed and enthusiastic.
    Thank you Woody for getting him on again!!👍

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  2 дня назад

      Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @timbrown1481
    @timbrown1481 3 дня назад +21

    Jon, I never get tired of listening to talk about the entire war theater, both Allied and Axis. So many moving parts. Amazing repertoire of knowledge you draw from.

    • @theodoresmith5272
      @theodoresmith5272 3 дня назад

      Hey woody, remember me? I brought up a lot of stuff John does about the British in the comment about Montgomery on the question last week. Any comment?

  • @steveperry3486
    @steveperry3486 3 дня назад +10

    Jon is simply the best! His presentations are so consistently outstanding! He brings great understanding as well as energy and humor to his discussions.

  • @buonafortuna8928
    @buonafortuna8928 3 дня назад +20

    Brilliant, could have been a Christmas special. Jon always delivers but you did a fantastic job keeping an eye on the side bar, marshaling the questions, steering the conversation, asking your own questions , not to blow too much smoke ... Great job

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  3 дня назад +5

      It was especially hard at the rate the questions came in. Plus I tried to connect themes and thoughts

    • @buonafortuna8928
      @buonafortuna8928 3 дня назад +3

      @@WW2TV I can only imagine and the questions were so varied: Coastguard, Spitfires to Malta, Torch, Guadacanal failing. Great job

  • @pablovonyaletown5997
    @pablovonyaletown5997 2 дня назад +3

    Brilliant show
    Looking forward to his book

  • @michael_nelson
    @michael_nelson 2 дня назад +3

    Easily one of the best. Thanks Jon & Woody! We need a second show.

  • @morganhale3434
    @morganhale3434 3 дня назад +11

    An excellent show and Jon, his shirt, any wallpaper didn’t let us down. Please more shows like this one in the future if at all possible.

    • @TheBurr75
      @TheBurr75 3 дня назад +1

      It was very good...

  • @robertoneill2502
    @robertoneill2502 2 дня назад +3

    Really looked forward to this, Woody. You did a great job managing a wide-ranging discussion. And Jon's ease jumping between these wide-ranging questions is beyond brilliant.

  • @highdesertarizona
    @highdesertarizona 2 дня назад +4

    Spambled eggs: Cut Spam into 1/4’’ cubes and lightly fry with some diced onions. Then scramble them in with well aireted eggs. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on near the end of cooking and enjoy.🍴

  • @Canopus44
    @Canopus44 3 дня назад +5

    Another great show. Always love it when Jon is on. Interesting fact: 2 of the Treasury Class Coast Guard cutters that Jon mentioned are still afloat and museums. USCGC Taney is in Baltimore (last ship afloat that was in Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941), and USCGC Ingham is in Key West, Florida. Been on the Taney, definitely worth a visit.

  • @garyaugust1953
    @garyaugust1953 3 дня назад +9

    Wow, what a fantastic evening we just had. Jon is so knowledgeable, his delivery frank and refreshing. The total consequence of all events in this turmultuors year, with hindsight, will always be open to discussion and debate. I don't believe there are many out there that can rise to that expectation than Jon.

  • @jimaltergott9326
    @jimaltergott9326 3 дня назад +14

    A great day in the history of "WW2TV"! Thoroughly enjoyed this! Jon Parshall is the E. F. Hutton of historians: when he speaks I listen! Totally look forward to his book and a return appearance for this subject on "WW2TV". Be seeing you

  • @davidlavigne207
    @davidlavigne207 3 дня назад +5

    As I have read "Shattered Sword" I am eager to read "1942 Crux of War" especially after this tremendous discussion. Thank you both Jon and Woody for the graciousness in handling the many questions put forth, as well as the numerous comments that must have ben a distraction at times from the sidebar. This has been a singularly successful episode of WW2TV. Thank you both once again from all of us, if I may humbly speak for many.

  • @dommy1971ify
    @dommy1971ify 3 дня назад +3

    I can listen to Jon talk all day. Great show! Thanks.

  • @gw2058
    @gw2058 2 дня назад +2

    Great show, you were both excellent.

  • @PalleRasmussen
    @PalleRasmussen 22 часа назад

    Jon Parshall makes every show he guests better. Great historian, great storyteller, but also really- really great guy.

  • @TheHistoryUnderground
    @TheHistoryUnderground 3 дня назад +3

    Outstanding episode. 👊🏻

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  3 дня назад +2

      Cheers JD

    • @Nyllsor
      @Nyllsor 3 дня назад +1

      Thx for the tip JD :)

  • @bradleynorton3365
    @bradleynorton3365 18 часов назад

    Very interesting program. Mr. Parshall is always full of interesting info and viewpoints.

  • @jaydee3993
    @jaydee3993 2 дня назад +1

    A very informative and entertaining two hours. Thanks guys!!

  • @jefsantamonica641
    @jefsantamonica641 3 дня назад +3

    Jon is just so good. Aarrrghhhh... I didn't know this was on with him at all. I wanted to ask about Station Hypo and the Redmond Bros.
    Thanks for this Paul!

  • @theflaver
    @theflaver 3 дня назад +3

    Excellent programs! Thank you!

  • @TomMullen-hn7wc
    @TomMullen-hn7wc День назад

    Great show! I really like listening to Jon.

  • @KMN-bg3yu
    @KMN-bg3yu 2 дня назад

    I've always looked upon Jon as one of the foremost historians of the Pacific campaign but the man can speak on about any front and all aspects of the war. Astonishing

  • @patricknix5975
    @patricknix5975 2 дня назад

    Paul and Jon, great stuff. I have done something that I rarely do and that is to go back and re-listen to parts that are so interesting to me. Love it!

  • @cameronsimpson-ld8nk
    @cameronsimpson-ld8nk 3 дня назад +2

    Brilliant Woody and Jon. What a marathon presentation that was packed with great detail. So much to think about

  • @michaellovell2356
    @michaellovell2356 3 дня назад +2

    Just purchased shattered sword. Looking forward to an interesting read. When 1942 comes out I'm anticipating that also

  • @linnharamis1496
    @linnharamis1496 День назад

    Great discussion!👍 Thanks.

  • @gordonbutler5142
    @gordonbutler5142 2 дня назад

    Great stuff! Jon is a phenomenal guest on any show!

  • @abrahamoyevaar2226
    @abrahamoyevaar2226 3 дня назад +2

    As Salaam Jon and Woody. No joke this one was special, I feel like Elmer Fudd hunting rabbits; so many topics covered it makes one want to check out your past presentations Woody. Thanks again to Jon regarding this amazing presentation and kind words, and thank you so much for providing a platform of cerebral massage. Peace and blessings to you both and all members and subscribers .

  • @tonyvart7068
    @tonyvart7068 3 дня назад

    Probably one of the best shows ever on WW2TV......and that's saying something. Thanks to you both!!

  • @73Trident
    @73Trident 3 дня назад +2

    Great episode Paul and Jon. You two made two hours of history seem very short and incredibly long at the very same moment. That is hard to do. I always learn something I didn't know and that's what makes this so great. Thanks guys.

  • @dave3156
    @dave3156 3 дня назад +3

    Any program with Jon on is a must see!!! Missed you today on UHPW by the way. Need to find out how you made the change from IT to history sometime, since IT was my thing also. Great show!! Thanks Jon glad you had the correct shirt on today. Thanks Woody--outstanding!

  • @linnharamis1496
    @linnharamis1496 День назад

    Thanks!

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  День назад

      Thanks very much

  • @LeonardCooperman
    @LeonardCooperman 2 дня назад

    Love this, thanks Paul!!

  • @astraltraveler2725
    @astraltraveler2725 3 дня назад +2

    Jon Parshall is awesome!!

  • @jeffreybaker4399
    @jeffreybaker4399 3 дня назад +1

    Great conversation between two very knowledgeable men who speak the common language of the British and American people...Monty Python. Thank you.

  • @NetTopsey
    @NetTopsey 3 дня назад +1

    Great listening to you and Jon Parshall chat and answer questions. I had to watch the last 20 minutes as a recording. As I'm sure Jon knows, shovelling snowy driveways wait for no one!

  • @patrickwilliams6567
    @patrickwilliams6567 3 дня назад +1

    Wonderful time to be a retired history buff. Great host, great guest and great questions from the faithful. Looking forward to Jon’s book.

  • @damianzaninovich4900
    @damianzaninovich4900 День назад

    This was thrilling. Very well done and informational.

  • @maxcaravan7584
    @maxcaravan7584 3 дня назад

    There is much in this presentation - I have to watch it again. Such knowledge!

  • @billwang4181
    @billwang4181 3 дня назад +2

    On morale cracking. I once asked my mother if people she knew every thought we could lose. Her answer was, "No." She worked for a newspaper, so was as well or better informed than most people. Whether this was American overconfidence or being sheltered from the worst news, I don't know.

  • @jacksprat9172
    @jacksprat9172 3 дня назад

    A very rapid two hours, excellent as always. Thank you both and a lot of great questions.

  • @patrickschellen737
    @patrickschellen737 3 дня назад +1

    Thanks Jon & Woody, this was absolutely brilliant!

  • @rwspop
    @rwspop 3 дня назад

    Absolutely brilliant! Thoroughly enjoyed it.

  • @iant2215
    @iant2215 3 дня назад

    Great show, well worth watching, quality WW2 discussion.

  • @stevemolina8801
    @stevemolina8801 2 дня назад

    Listening to Jon is like have a discussion with a friend over a Scotch. I cant wait to read 1942!

  • @timbrown1481
    @timbrown1481 3 дня назад +1

    Love the shirt Jon. You should develop a line of them. Enjoying your talks as always. Shattered Sword is a great book. I read it years ago. Rock on!

  • @livingadreamlife1428
    @livingadreamlife1428 3 дня назад +1

    Enjoyed the discussion!

  • @philmcraig
    @philmcraig 3 дня назад

    The Anglo-French war of 41-42 (and of course July 1940 in North Africa) is on my long list of books to write. Excellent episode chaps! 😊🇬🇧🇺🇸

  • @KrisV385
    @KrisV385 3 дня назад +1

    Woody thanks for this Jon is so good and you always nail the Q&A!

  • @pjogorman4682
    @pjogorman4682 11 часов назад

    Great presentation

  • @matthewnewton8812
    @matthewnewton8812 3 дня назад +1

    As the great Richard Feynman used to say, the Manhattan project was really an engineering challenge, more than a physics challenge. The physics had already been mostly worked out before the project began, and Einstein could go to FDR and plausibly tell him that a bomb was indeed possible, and we’d better get to work on it. That being said, I don’t think you can argue that the ostracizing and exile of German Jewish physicists by the Nazis during the War wasn’t a huge detriment to all their science- nuclear and otherwise.

  • @larrytestmi5976
    @larrytestmi5976 3 дня назад

    Woody and Jon, I am enjoying this beyond measure, Thank you. and Merry Christmas.

  • @scottjohnson136
    @scottjohnson136 2 дня назад

    Well done!

  • @Italian_Military_Archives
    @Italian_Military_Archives День назад

    I really enjoyed this and can't wait for John's book. I am very curious to see what he writes about the whole Mediterranean campaign in 42. One thing that I would like to add regarding one of the last point you did about deploying the 5th panzer Army in Tunisia, is that deploying and supplying new additional forces in Tunisia was easier than Libya/Egypt. Sea lanes are shorter (although with heavy allied opposition especially from december 42) and the distance from the ports to the frontline is shorter too. The huge and solution-less problem of the Axis advance towards Egypt was that the frontline gets almost 600 Kilometers away from the first supply base, which is the tiny port of Tobruk, that alone cannot sustain the influx of supplies, then you have Benghazi which is further away...

  • @crobert79
    @crobert79 3 дня назад +1

    Great show!

  • @IRatherbeTrashthanADemocrat
    @IRatherbeTrashthanADemocrat 3 дня назад +2

    Remember Wake Island! Today (Dec 11 1941) was the first attempt by the Japanese to take Wake Island, but were fought off by the US Marines.

  • @blankcanvas7187
    @blankcanvas7187 3 дня назад +3

    MacArthur recognized his Medal of Honor for what it was. He never wore the medal or the ribbon.

  • @johnlucas8479
    @johnlucas8479 3 дня назад

    A very interesting Q&A discussion, well done Jon and Woody

  • @sparkey6746
    @sparkey6746 3 дня назад

    Great presentation, thank you.

  • @MsZeeZed
    @MsZeeZed 3 дня назад +3

    It’s often glossed over, but in moving their steel production back to the Urals in a hurry, the Soviets wrecked or lost much of their high temperature gauges. The first steel they started casting for the reassembled factories to work with was made by guessing and was not great at all. Given the tank losses the Soviet’s suffered in 1941 its no surprise they needed to patch in their T-34 fleet with Lend-Lease Valentines and Matildas, as the numerous T-26 were sitting ducks to German guns if they weren’t moving, while the British tanks were good enough to survive within the fortifications built-up around Moscow.

  • @PaulScott_
    @PaulScott_ 3 дня назад +1

    Missed a few minutes of it but thoroughly enjoyable and very very informative! Glad you "broke your duck" lol with this one Paul and plan it again with other guests!

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  3 дня назад +1

      Ha ha

  • @johanneduardschnorr3733
    @johanneduardschnorr3733 3 дня назад +1

    Excretatious!! Love it!!!!

  • @Dunshaggin
    @Dunshaggin 3 дня назад +2

    I'm quite partial to John Parshall

  • @ethanstewart2327
    @ethanstewart2327 3 дня назад

    Great episode

  • @randallreed9048
    @randallreed9048 День назад +1

    1:16:53 - It is worth noting that Homma did not do much better at defending 45 miles of usable beach in the Lingayen Gulf area and he had 300,000 battle-tested troops at hand. And aside from the Philippine Scouts, the ill-equipped and poorly trained Filipino soldiers were as bereft of the tools of war as any US CONUS troops circa 1935. That was well beyond Mac's control.

  • @MaroNavy
    @MaroNavy 3 дня назад

    Great episode!!

  • @robertcushing635
    @robertcushing635 3 дня назад

    Jon wears the same wallpaper on this podcast too! Outstanding!!

  • @frederickwiddowson
    @frederickwiddowson 2 дня назад +1

    I'm just amazed. I've learned so much I had no idea of in this presentation. You guys are great!

  • @exharkhun5605
    @exharkhun5605 3 дня назад +1

    This was unbelievably fantastic, thank you both so much! ❤
    I know you get tons of questions about inviting guests, but seeing how Jon reacted to seeing Sal Mercogliano in the chat... Jon and Sal together would be kinda nice wouldn't you think? 😁

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  3 дня назад +1

      They would indeed be good together

  • @colinellis5243
    @colinellis5243 3 дня назад

    Jon P and Woody on 1942........brilliant simply brilliant!

  • @kennethdeanmiller7324
    @kennethdeanmiller7324 3 дня назад

    Yeah, I like & appreciate what was said about the war in Africa. Cuz I had never really thought very highly of Monty's role in the war.

  • @philmcraig
    @philmcraig 3 дня назад +1

    Our old friend Col Bonner Fellers deserves a (dishonourable?) mention in a 42 show!?

    • @nickdanger3802
      @nickdanger3802 2 дня назад

      British Security Failures
      The Venlo incident A covert operation carried out by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) on 9 November 1939, which resulted in the capture of two British Secret Intelligence Service agents five metres (16 ft) from the German border, on the outskirts of the Dutch city of Venlo.
      B-Dienst When war came in 1939, B-Dienst specialists had broken enough British naval codes that the Germans knew the positions of all British warships. In 1940 fleet carrier HMS Glorious was sunk by battleship despite warnings from Bletchley Park. B-Dienst could regularly read the Broadcast to Allied Merchant Ships (BAMS) code, which proved valuable for U-boat warfare in the early phases of the Battle of the Atlantic. In February 1942, B-Dienst broke the code used for communication with many of the Atlantic convoys.
      SS Automedon German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis captured and scuttled Automedon in 1940 in the Indian Ocean. She was carrying 16 bags of top-secret documents addressed to the British Far East Command which were given to Japan.
      HMS Graph A German Type VIIC U-boat the Royal Navy captured in August 1941. Her capture was reported by the British press. In February 1942 the Kreigsmarine changed to the four-rotor enigma blinding Britain to most traffic for the rest of the year. Inability to read German traffic contributed to the disaster of convoy PQ17.
      Elyesa Bazna In 1943, Bazna was hired as a valet by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, the British ambassador in Ankara, Turkey. He photographed British documents in Knatchbull-Hugessen's possession, and sold them to the Germans through their attaché Ludwig Carl Moyzisch in what became known as the Cicero affair.
      Englandspiel (England Game) A successful counterintelligence operation of the Abwehr from 1942 to 1944. German forces captured resistance agents operating in the Netherlands and used the agents to dupe the Special Operations Executive (SOE), into continuing to infiltrate agents, weapons and funds into the Netherlands despite the captured agents leaving security checks out of every message they sent.
      William Forbes-Sempill, 19th Lord Sempill It was not until the release of intelligence records by the Public Record Office in 1998 and 2002 that Sempill's activities as a spy for Japan became common knowledge.

  • @martinjohnson5498
    @martinjohnson5498 3 дня назад +1

    35:25 Cannot cite a source but I have read that some years after the war, Khrushchev said that the USSR would have gone down in late 1942 or early 1943, but for Lend Lease Spam.

    • @nickdanger3802
      @nickdanger3802 2 дня назад

      Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev wrote in his autobiography, “Without Spam, we wouldn’t have been able to feed our army.”

  • @randallreed9048
    @randallreed9048 День назад +1

    53:27- But the fact remains that Adm. King was dead set against convoys on the US east coast (and did not even press for coastal blackouts!) for coastal cities even as coastal shipping was being hammered! Was this King's anti-British bias slipping in?

  • @tonypegler9080
    @tonypegler9080 11 часов назад

    "Lets do some questions baby" Oh Jon , I didn't know you were so hip.

  • @cragnamorra
    @cragnamorra 17 часов назад

    It's not just that Fletcher fought and won three battles, sinking 6 and losing 2 (carriers), which is impressive enough in itself. But it's also the FIRST three carrier battles in history. Both navies of course had thought about carrier warfare and prepared for over a decade with doctrine & tactics, exercises, wargames, etc...but no one *really* knew what was going to happen and were feeling their way through this period for the first time in a combat context. And in a situation of material parity as seldom occurs in military/naval history...each of these 1942 carrier battles really could have gone either way (unlike later battles like Philippine Sea or Leyte Gulf). I'd agree that Fletcher's reputation has been enjoying a well-deserved rehabilitation, largely due to John Lundstrom, as Jon mentions. But I think the name "Frank Jack Fletcher" OUGHT to be...and ought to have been since the war itself...right up there with names like John Paul Jones, David Farragut, Stephen Decatur, etc. The fact that it was not is pretty much due to three people: Ernest King, Kelly Turner, and S.E. Morison.

  • @michaelmoorrees3585
    @michaelmoorrees3585 3 часа назад

    John Parshall, the social butterfly, of WW2 RUclips channels. He's everywhere !

  • @JohnGrist-ec1zv
    @JohnGrist-ec1zv 3 дня назад +1

    I’m glad that Admiral Fletcher is beginning to get some respect. And Jocko Clark was a big time self promoter who tended to ignore the strategic view and narrowly focus on the tactical aspects of carrier warfare.

  • @timbrown1481
    @timbrown1481 3 дня назад +1

    @ 43:48 “Tracks of Land”😂😂😂. Subtle words to Monty Python fans!!

  • @TheBurr75
    @TheBurr75 3 дня назад +1

    2hrs of Jon and woody yes please...

  • @FaithfulObjectivist
    @FaithfulObjectivist День назад

    Anything Parshall gets my attention these days.

  • @garygiumarra7751
    @garygiumarra7751 День назад

    What a nice surprise to hear my name mentioned by one of the most preeminent WWII historians of our day (which I realize did not represent an endorsement of my analysis). Though he justifiably steered clear of going down the rabbit hole of the substance of what I have had to say about Operation Sledgehammer* he did mention that the "British" were never going to be convinced to go forward with it. I agree that the top British leadership (I'm thinking primarily of Churchill and Brooke) were never going to be persuaded, but then again they were hardly in favor of scheduling Overlord for the spring of 1944 either, until forced into agreement at the Tehran Conference (earlier in the year Brooke was arguing that they may not be ready for such an undertaking until 1946!). There was, on the other hand, widespread public support in Britain in 1942 for an early cross-Channel invasion, and, I believe, there must have been some similar sentiment in the full War Cabinet because Brooke and Portal proceeded to tell them multiple untruths about Sledgehammer in order to justify their opposition to it. I do know that there was real support for it in the various levels of British military planners - it was their plan after all.
    As an aside: it's interesting how the arguments of so many historians shift when it comes to validating the decisions of Allied leaders. Because FDR believed that something was necessary for domestic political purposes (and the story that is seldom told is that his Democratic Party suffered historic losses in the 1942 congressional elections, which hardly speaks well of his political moves that year) does that put his related judgments beyond subsequent critical scrutiny?
    The biggest missed opportunity of the presentation IMO was that it failed to accurately address the worldwide logistical situation. First off, there was never any realistic danger of Japan "cutting off" Australia. The US Army alone had already pre-shipped some 1.1 million measurement tons to the SW Pacific by the end of July 1942 (before they had a single combat-ready division there!) and, in any event, even if the Japanese had airfields at New Caledonia, which was almost 1000 miles south of Guadalcanal (and already protected by a division's worth of army personnel overflowing with supplies) it would only have made the handful of cargo ships headed to Australia from the US each month to sail further south (we have that on the authority of Adm. King himself, but really all that is required is to get out a map).
    What we do see actually taking place is substantial cargo capacity wasted by sending more merchant ships to the South Pacific and to the Persian Gulf than local port capacity could handle causing gigantic pileups in both areas, a situation that lasted for months. In the case of Noumea harbor, the base that supported Guadalcanal, the waste surely far exceeded what would have been involved in sending cargo ships further south in the almost unimaginable situation in which the Japanese captured New Caledonia. The primary reason set forth at the time for invading the southern Solomons was it would be the first step in re-taking Rabaul, which everyone was quite eager to do until it later became obvious it could just be bypassed, which IMO was the case for the entire South Pacific theater. The USN lost its 2 newest fast carriers there in 1942 (the IJN 0) which undoubtedly retarded the far more important drive through the Central Pacific beginning the following year.
    The far bigger problems when it came to Allied worldwide logistics developed on the other side of the world, however. The first being the German U-Boat campaign off the east coast of the US that everyone knows about. I want to point out, however, that just because some of the criticism aimed at King regarding Paukenschlag is unfounded (which I agree with Parshall on that), it doesn't mean he still didn't bear considerable responsibility for other reasons for the huge shipping losses the Allies suffered.
    What was much worse for the Allies, however, was the massive drop-off in domestic imports into the UK brought about by Torch. It went far beyond what German subs had achieved during either Happy Time and lasted for months. Before November was over the British were begging FDR to bail them out to the tune of 7 million tons (!) of shipping, something he agreed to do but then failed to inform the JCS about. The information was leaked to them just prior to Casablanca, but only on condition that they not reveal to the President that they knew about it. It seems reasonable that this affected their deliberations at the conference, but it's not going to show up in the record because it would expose their knowledge. The cruel irony was that due to the local underdeveloped transportation infrastructure the Allies still were only able to get a trickle of supplies through to Tunisia where the actual fighting was thus severely hamstring operations there.
    The "lessons learned" narrative echoed during the presentation again misses the logistical dimension that was the principal cause of Allied setbacks in late 42 - early 43, which make up one leg of that narrative (the other being that the Americans demonstrated major improvements in the early days of Overlord, a contention I believe unsupported by the facts which rather show they had generally the same strengths and weaknesses in fighting skill as earlier in the war and truly progressed only after D-Day). Presumably Parshall is referring to the Kasserine Pass "disaster". Putting aside the fact that the Anglo-Americans together defeated Rommel in February 1943, it misses that the temporary and militarily inconsequential setbacks they did suffer were a direct consequence of the deficient logistical situation they operated under. When and where the Anglo-Americans were able to employ the level of firepower their doctrine determined they would be equipped and trained for, as at Sbiba (the same 2 days as Kasserine, but involving more German troops - a full Panzer division - and constituting their initial Schwerpunkt, a fact almost totally written out of the history books because it does not fit the incompetence narrative that Parshall repeats; if you look at all the factors, Sbiba - not Kasserine - was the true test of what an Anglo-American ground force could accomplish vs the Germans early in the war and they passed with flying colors), Thala and el Hamara the result was always the same: quick German defeat (if you don't believe me consult what Rommel himself wrote about it shortly afterwards and what Robert Citino has had to say about it more recently).
    To my knowledge there is no adequate thoroughgoing treatment of Allied worldwide logistics, either published or online, especially as it relates to 1942. The true story of colossal waste incurred in 1942 as the Allies dispersed their resources on one unnecessary or even counterproductive but time-consuming sideshow after another has yet to be told. What unfolded was exactly what Eisenhower and others at the War Department predicted and feared at least as far back as January. My take is that the numerous advantages the Allies enjoyed in 1942 (and I have only alluded to some of them) were frittered away by the ill-considered decisions of the top western leadership.
    One dimension I wish had come up in the discussion was the larger political objectives of the western allies and an assessment of how well the decisions made in 1942 furthered those objectives, or at least attempted to. I guess this "comment" is already obscenely long, so I will leave it there, except to say that despite my disagreements here I found the presentation overall quite interesting and that I do agree with many things Parshall said (for example, his evaluations regarding Madagascar, MacArthur, Stilwell and Nimitz, who, I would like to point out, advocated for an operational pause after Midway).
    * There was some counterfactual discussion as to what happens with Wintergewitter if Manstein has extra Panzer divisions from North Africa, but what if he instead was deprived of 6th Pz - only just arrived from France and his only good Panzer division - due to Sledgehammer? The 2nd Guards Army that Parshall referred to then probably remains as the exploitation echelon of Op Saturn, and passes through an already shattered 8th Italian Army in December on a drive to Rostov. Manstein was clear in his memoirs that the Red Army closing the door at Rostov would have been an unrecoverable defeat for the Germans. Of course we will never know if 2nd Guards would have accomplished that, but it would be wrong to say it wasn't a realistic possibility.

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  День назад +1

      Wow, what a magnificently detailed response. As you surmised, we could have carried on for 2 more hours and still not covered half of the events of 1942

  • @PMMagro
    @PMMagro 3 дня назад

    Interesting!

  • @kemarisite
    @kemarisite 3 дня назад

    41:36 "Fermi and his crew", and Chicago Pile-1. As a health physicist, I immediately recognized when Jon was getting into. However, it was fission rather than fusion (which still hasnt been sustained).

    • @jonparshall
      @jonparshall 3 дня назад +2

      I totally mouth-punted that, lol. Yeah, I noticed that afterwards and was like, "Hurpty Durp!"

    • @kemarisite
      @kemarisite 3 дня назад +1

      @jonparshall still, it's great to listen to you in just about any context. Looking forward to the 1942 book. I've been enthralled with that year in the Pacific just because it's still on a small enough and close enough scale to be grasped.

  • @MegaBloggs1
    @MegaBloggs1 3 дня назад +1

    Auckinleck had already started much of the changes in the 8th army

  • @TheBrad574
    @TheBrad574 3 дня назад

    40:37 The exception is US 30th ID. After Normandy, they didn't want more medium and heavy bomber close support in their area.

  • @billyshakespeare17
    @billyshakespeare17 2 дня назад +1

    Outstanding show. Was it feasible to invade Northern Europe in 42 as Marshall desired? Seems foolhardy.

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  2 дня назад

      In a word - NO. Certainly I don't believe it was possible. Now, maybe 1943 was possible

    • @billyshakespeare17
      @billyshakespeare17 2 дня назад

      @@WW2TV We are on the same page. I realize historians are not fond of "What Ifs'. BUT, what if Marshall had tried to invade in 42? I suggest it would have been Dieppe 2.0, times 1000.

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  2 дня назад

      Agreed

  • @MegaBloggs1
    @MegaBloggs1 3 дня назад +1

    I agree Macarthur was useless in 42 luzon(more hard fighting in Malaya(a much distorted in terms of understanding campaign)) and in 42 in new guinea

  • @markcharlebois7129
    @markcharlebois7129 2 дня назад +1

    When did the Soviets try to reach out for a seperate peace in 1943?

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  2 дня назад

      Not sure, will have to look that up

  • @timbrown1481
    @timbrown1481 2 дня назад

    “Buzz Killington”😂

  • @robertstack2144
    @robertstack2144 День назад

    Boiled cabbage and two cans of spam plus a couple of häm Hock makes for a banquet meal to me.

  • @logicsconscience
    @logicsconscience 2 дня назад +2

    MacArthur was incompetent in ww2.
    Failing to protect the planes on the Philippines after being instructed was unconscionable.
    His deriding the Australians on Papua New Guinea was also a disgrace.
    Australians won the first land battle in the Pacific at Milne Bay.
    The Australians also won the third land battle on the Kokoda Track (Trail).
    MacArthur rubbished the troops for looking dirty.
    He had no concept of what they had been through.

  • @therectorkid9708
    @therectorkid9708 3 дня назад

    The M-3's on Luzon had no HE shells

  • @lisakurkowski9131
    @lisakurkowski9131 3 дня назад

  • @MsZeeZed
    @MsZeeZed 3 дня назад

    Coastal Command didn’t help themselves much by pulling their contribution to Operation Millennium (May 1942), leaving Harris to scrabble around for half-trained crews to make his 1,000 headline. In reality Bomber Command would have got by with 700 bombers for really big raids as they did later on, but he needed that memorable headline, as he’d been brought in to fix a disaster and only just worked up the Lancaster, with his specific requirements, into service. You’re right to say he was looking for a headline to win a debate, but Millennium scared the hell out Joseph Goebbels as well and his diaries tell you exactly how concerned Nazi command was that the Ruhr campaign might break Germany industry.
    What Coastal Command got in return for their ‘help’ was the 1942 USAAF B-17 raids on the French Ports with German Submarine Pens that have rightly been described as bloody useless. These Pens were too well fortified and it took Barnes-Wallis’ Tall Boys bombs much later in the war to penetrate them.

  • @axz1001
    @axz1001 2 дня назад

    What was the effect of Balao class bilge pumps on 1942?

  • @Michaelcaba
    @Michaelcaba 2 дня назад

    Different day, same shirt!

  • @cragnamorra
    @cragnamorra 16 часов назад

    Re Coral Sea: Enterprise & Hornet, as often mentioned, did not participate due to Doolittle, and are often portrayed as "too late" for that battle. They were still days away on May 7-8. Lundstrom has shown, however, that's not really the way to look at it. First, it obviously wasn't clear beforehand that Coral Sea would necessarily be a US victory (which operationally/strategically it certainly was). Second, it wasn't at all clear that the Japanese naval/amphibious South Pacific offensive wouldn't continue, even if initially rebuffed. ENT/HOR were heading down there for possible - at that point, even "probable", to Nimitz' thinking - follow-on battles to continue fighting for places like Noumea, the New Hebrides, Samoa, etc. Well-known now, but was not perceived at the time that IJN support of the South Pacific fight was rather begrudging and half-hearted. Nimitz had every reason to suspect that the other four IJN fleet carriers would soon show up where Shokaku/Zuikaku did in fact appear; THAT's for what Enterprise & Hornet were steaming south.
    There's a certain irony here. The basic reason for the Midway operation in the first place was to find a way to provoke supposedly-reticent USN carrier forces into battle so that they could be destroyed. As far as I've ever read, Yamamoto does not seem to have perceived a real significance of Coral Sea: that he already HAD that desired condition of "USN CV's willing to engage IJN CV's" in the South Pacific. In this sense, the Midway operation was essentially unnecessary.

  • @mikebanaszak8635
    @mikebanaszak8635 2 дня назад

    Brilliant! Why not focus Pacific efforts on supplying China? With a 4M man Chinese army, what if they had shermans / trucks / artillery / food. The threat of being occupied by Chinese would have been a visceral fear in Japan. In 1942 we were limited but in a position to do whatever we wanted on small islands leading to China.