I very much enjoyed the details about this battle because my father was part of it. He was an SBD pilot from the USS Hornet in VS-8 and was credited with hitting the Shokaku with his 1000 lb. bomb. However, there were a few detail he wrote about that weren't included in your video. Gus Widhelm lead a mixed VS-8/VB-8 15-plane attack with a fighter escort of only 4 VFs. The VFs did not launch with them. The SBD pilot's apprehension was off the scale because the VF and VTs were new to the Hornet and they had never coordinated with them - let alone having only 4 fighters with them! Gus Widhelm was the one who figured out where the IJN carriers would be, passing up the chance to attack a formation of possible IJN battleships and cruisers. His group was then jumped by Zeros which attacked Gus's plane first and shot him down. After that they didn't see any of their 4 fighters escorting them and figured they must have been shot down as well. (They weren't - and all got back OK as their squadron leader dove immediately and then bugged out. This was told to my dad by one of the pilots later in the war.) A Zero then flew through the rest of the SBDs firing to breakup their formation. In desperation and not wanting to get pick off, my father push over on the Shokaku. At this point he felt he didn't have a chance to get back to the Hornet because he felt they had exceeded their maximum range and momentarily considered crashing the carrier's deck. Fortunately, his dive went well and he got a hit. He pulled out at 500' looking for cloud cover for his escape. Suddenly a Zero swished by his SDB. He pulled up slightly and fired his .50 calibers. At first he wasn't sure he had hit the Zero until he saw the pilot bailout. Unfortunately, my father's gunner was badly wounded in this exchange from a 20mm exploding shell and its shrapnel from the Zero. When he sighted the Hornet it was dead in the water, listing, and unable to land planes. Fortunately he was able to find the USS Enterprise. After an initial wave off and with almost empty fuel tanks he was able to land catching #2 wire. His rear gunner had lost so much blood that as his plane was being pushed aside, an Enterprise plane handler pointed at his SBD and said "Look that plane is bleeding!" His rear gunner spent 6 months in the hospital but survived and lived until 2007. In addition, I'm not sure Seth is correct about Gus Widhelm's prior combat experience. I believe Gus was on the Hornet from its initial launch until Battle of Santa Cruz. Hornet was not part of the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Donald Kirkpatrick. After the Hornet was sunk he was assigned to the USS Lexington in Bombing 16. Along with his rear gunner, he was one of the pilots rescued by Commander O'Kane and the USS Tang at Truk where he shot down in May of 1944 while bombing ground installations. In the Life Magazine photo you used In your video about O'Kane and the Tang rescue of downed airmen, he is pictured 3rd from the left in the top row and his gunner, Dick Bentley is pictured 2nd from the right in the top row.
Bill doesn't have as much speaking time as Jon or Seth in these videos with Jon but every comment he makes and question he asks is fantastic and adds so much to the conversation, what an excellent episode
I like this Trio for sure but sometimes I feel like John steps on Bill a little bit. Give Bill the respect he has earned and let him speak, I guarantee you he's going to say something profound and relevant.🇺🇲⚓️💯👍☕️🚬
@@Jakal-pw8yq yes Jon does tend to speak over others in the videos/interviews I see him in but I don't think he does it on purpose, I know he's incredibly passionate about this and loves to talk about WWII especially Pacific theater history so he just starts talking and wants to get so much information out there. In later episodes Captain Toti does talk more throughout the episodes.
For a good many years I had a primary source for information in re: USS Washington from Scapa Flow to operation Magic Carpet, my father was eventually an MM1 aboard her. He was a skilled tool and die maker prior to his assignment to the Big W. For the most part he made custom parts for the ship, and once in a while, custom “toys” for Admiral Lee. Yes, admiral Lee received his third star prior to his fatal heart attack in casco bay Maine. Admiral Lee was not only a true “bad-ass” but he got along with the enlisted men almost like the skipper on a tin can, as long as you weren’t trying to blow smoke up his ass. The crew of Washington was extremely upset that they were sent back to the states, rather than to Tokyo Bay. Her little incident with Indiana kept her from being the BB with the most battle stars in WW II. My father has been gone since 94, his old Chief buddy who rode cruisers and was sunk 2x made it until 83…..
My grandmother's brother, Eugene Burns, was there as the AP reporter aboard Enterprise. He wrote up Pinkney's story which is what brought it to the attention of the Navy brass. I was able to visit USS Pinkney DDG-91 when she was in port in San Diego.
You guys have THE BEST non-animated play-by-play walthroughs of WWII battles EVER. The sheer depth of knowledge and detail that can't be found anywhere else is staggering. Great guests, great expertise, and great storytelling make this podcast so good!
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWaryou are succeeding!The elevation of this action, these actions, into the same pantheon of awareness and discussion as Midway, is a real service to the players and to the greater history of the theater. Bravo!
Thanks. My dad was WIA aboard _Enterprise_ in this action. As best as I could tell, he was with her in every battle of '42, up to Santa Cruz. I cannot watch film and photos of those battles without wondering if he was one of the men caught on camera.
My dad was aboard USS South Dakota that day, and again at the engagement with USS Washington at the slot. He never really talked that much about the war, but at the end of his life he would sometimes tear up when thinking of the loss of his best friend at Saipan. I remember my mom telling me my dads ears would bleed even after the war. No doubt from the concussion as he was stationed on a 5” mount. Away, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this and many other episodes, thanks again.
As a Marine never knew that much about Naval history. You guys need to get into some of the military schools and teach. Can't wait to hear about Smith relieves Smith in Saipan when you get there. Been sending your links to a lot of friends and family. They love it.
Great video. If you're going to talk about Ching Lee you need to invite Drachinifel for a chat. He's such a fan of Lee that he probably has a Lee poster hanging between his portraits of Nelson and Jacky Fisher, which says all you need to know about an English maritime historian.
Such a great production, congrats to Seth and Bill, and always a joy to hear Jon speak. I recall hearing that, by the end of the Guadalcanal campaign in 1943, more USN lives are lost than Army+Marine lives in this one area of combat.
Another great episode from the top three go-to guys when it comes to Pacific warfare 1942-1945. So many nuggets of history here, but for me the real standout is the heroism of William Pinckney. Thanks again for digging real deep into this story. “Greater love hath no man…”
Again, very worthwhile commentary as usual. I appreciate whenever you have Jon Parshall as a guest because he has a very broad perspective which adds to the always lively discussion and the Pacific War, Midway and 1942-43 are among the topics he adds a great deal of color to the discussion.
Just discovered your channel, and I have to say the product is fantastic. Jon Parshall is the most knowledgeable and insightful guest ever and seems to turn every appearance into pure analytical gold. Sweet that you’ve had him on several times before; I hope that continues. I predict that this podcast will be blowing up soon.
I can't believe they only have 6k subscribers so far. Glad I can say i was in on the ground floor of huge fans of this podcast/utube channel. I predict a LOT MORE SUBSCRIBERS SOON!! 😀
My father was a Plane Captain as well as an Aviation Machinist Mate (Jet) with VF-101 during his time in the service from 1957-1960. At the time they were aboard the USS Forrestal CV-59, and USS Saratoga CV-60, which were the super carriers of their day. I was born in Key West, Florida when VF-101 was assigned there as a training squadron. This presentation has been fascinating; I always love to hear from John Parshall. Thanks Bill Toti for reminding us of the future history of the "Grim Reapers."
Excellent... The first campaign I ever got engrossed in was Guadalcanal....sparked a need to learn all about the Pacific campaign , 1942 & 43. This was back in the 70s. Read every book I found, appreciated the Veterans, most were my teachers, neighbors ECT. I have learned more in recent past from the excellent books and superb authors. My thanks. PS:. Latest pursuit, the Australian campaigns from Kodak Track, Milne Bay, ECT.
I stumbled upon this by accident and am very impressed! I thought I knew something about Santa Cruz, but listening to this convinces me that I don't know much. I'll be back to learn more!
Interesting anecdote about the destroyer running through the wake of the South Dakota to put out the fire. It's likely that destroyer captains were told to stay out of those wakes for exactly that reason; all the air stirred up in that white foamy water makes the water significantly less dense - the smaller ship crossing the wake will sink down into the foam. Whitewater kayakers know that happens when they go through foamy rapids; the kayak actually sinks for a second.
I finally got around to watching this episode and it was worth the wait. Having Jon along for this one was always going to be a treat. I loved hearing the stories and heroics, both the familiar stories well told and the tragically unheard ones that needed to be told.
John could also say, A Decisive Victory Kobe World News. Japanese Midway Victory 3 Carriers, 4 Battle ships sunk. Nimitz Killed. Quite the morale builder for the Empire.
Excellent! I love all the side cameos of the great event. With great deference Captain Bill, we in the Army have a different description of Hammer and Anvil.
Great video. Jon is always such a pleasure to listen to and a great guest. I think this battle illustrates well that as good and as tough as the Yorktown class was it did have a major Achilles heel. It’s engineering plant. In that the concentration of the boilers over a small length of the ship meant that their ability to take damage in this area and maintain power was compromised. It’s a design failure that I believe was driven by their status as treaty limited designs and it’s one that the Essex class fully corrected. Well done gents.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I went back and looked it up in Friedman’s book on Carriers and confirmed my memory. What’s also interesting is that BuEng when the decision was being taken to build Hornet as a repeat Yorktown tried to get a new machinery layout installed that would have alternated engine and boiler rooms. I think it’s highly likely that had they been successful in this Hornet would not have been lost at Santa Cruz.
Jon Parshall really shines on this presentation. He is so correct about the confusion of accounts previously rendered on the tracks of the ships and the way the battle was fought.
Excellent discussion. I just finished James Hornfischer's book Neptune's Inferno and your discussion filled in many cracks and pieces and supplements nicely. Very pleased.
I feel obliged just say this is probably the third time I have listened through this discussion. Most of your shows I have seen at least twice. Not sure what that says about me having a life 😂 But seriously, there is so much information divulged and so much detail that I have to listen more than once to even begin to understand these historical situations, strategically touching on them, but then getting deep into the tactics of battle, and then even deeper into the personalities of individuals in play on both sides At any rate, fascinating stuff, and I really appreciate Seth and Bill giving of themselves, and I am also grateful to their amazing guests, including John Parshall. Outstanding, all of them.
Jimmy Flatley's son James was also a somewhat famous Naval Aviator who made admiral. He is most noted for being one of the 2 fighter pilots who were tossed the keys to an old Marines C-130, and told they had 2 weeks to figure out how to fly it and land it on a Carrier. I think they were both A-4 pilots. Had never touched a large multi engine plane before. They managed to do 50 touch and gos and landings aboard the USS Forrestal over 2 days. With the cargo load steadily increasing. Up to 80% max load. No tailhook, no catapult capability. They were able to land it so smoothly and gently that it would stop abreast of the island. And they could take off from where it stopped without moving the plane. The Navy elected to file this in the "well we now know we can do it if we ever have to, but we're never goona do this again" file. Because it required completely clearing the deck of aircraft. And the C-130 only had about 15' of air between its Right Wingtip and the Bridge Island. The C-2 Greyhound arrived shortly afterwards which did enough of what they needed that they didn't need to mess with the C-130's again.
I think this is one of the best podcasts that I have seen so far. You were able to take a complex battle and make it understandable. Thank you for all your research and work. I found your podcasts by following John Parshall from his talks with the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, TX.
Great teaching programs! Love all the anecdotal stories that we normally don't hear about. Nice to learn that SoDak does something right - only remember her debacle in the fight with Washington against Kirashima.
The increasing U.S. fleet AAA lethality situation all of you recount at the end of this podcast really does show how prescient Yamamoto was when he said at the beginning of the war: "In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success."
Seth: "...South Dakota's probably kicking close to 30 knots-" Jon: "28." Seth: "...yeah" Hahaha I love these guys. I can't believe it took me this long to find you guys. Can't wait to catch up and be up to date.
Really learned so much more about the brave men who served in the Pacific! Robin Lindsey- what an incredible act of determination and expertise. Thank you!
Thank you so much for making my painting job bearable. Listening to hour after hour of your EXCELLENT videos got me through this painting job. I absolutely hate painting but I absolutely love your fantastic videos. 👍
Another Great Show, Stack them up! I recently read an account of Santa Cruz and they wrote that Carrier Shoikaku had a radar set!!! I had never seen that written before! I did not think Japanese Carriers had effective radar until Phillipine Sea, if Then!!! It was always an amazement to me that Japanese Navy had no radar during these most crucial of Battles in these early days!
Great video. I learned some details about Santa Cruz that I didn't know about. I'd say the battle was a tactical IJN victory, an operational draw - as you mention, nothing really changed on the ground or in the relative supply situations on Guadalcanal - and a strategic American victory, because the Japanese could not win if they could not reverse the operational situation that was steadily tipping in the Americans' favor over time.
I just finished episode 123, loved it! I read all the pacific books I could find in high school, late 1970's so much more information has come to light since then. Jon Parshall is brilliant, he has so much knowledge it's amazing. Subscribed and watching more. Thanks so much Gentlemen!
Great discussion! I really enjoyed the video, many thanks. One correction: Lt. Akira Sakamoto was no longer part of Zuikaku’s squadron at that time and he was not present at the battle. According to my information, Sakamoto died in an aircraft accident in Japan on 15 August 1942, which is naturally before the battle took place. Perhaps he was mistaken for Lt. Kazuko Yoshimoto who was in Seki’s Shokaku squadron during Santa Cruz and who also took part in the Eastern Solomons? Another note: Jon Parshall already made the correction during the video that Seki did not lead the dive bomber attack on Hornet but on Enterprise. I might add that Lt. Sadamu Takahashi of Zuikaku led the dive bomber attack on Hornet but as Takahashi explains in Lt. Tamotsu Ema’s book (excellent book but available only in Japanese) he was damaged by CAP Wildcats during the final approach and had to withdraw without making a dive. In the end, it was Lt. Toshio Tsuda (also of Zuikaku) and his division that scored the three initial hits on Hornet.
This episode brought tears to my eyes. The bravery knocks my socks off. The bravery of the men who took off into the great blue, without really knowing where they were going. It was the hand of God that they found their way home.
1:04:00 At the same time in the Med the Brits were proving they had a working fighter direction system. I hope you cover in some detail the Feb-Jul 1943 Noumea operations of "USS Robin" (HMS Victoriuos) with USS Saratoga, wherein the USN decided to copy RN fighter direction procedures for future use. (And the RN decided to copy USN UNREP procedures).
I remember watching one of the History Channel animated shows where a destroyer was hit by a kamikaze and sailed in the wake of a larger ship to put out the fires.
Just one comment, in the late 1970s I witnessed the Mexican Navy sailing into Pearl Harbor during RIMPAC. I recall seeing one of their WWII-era destroyers sailing past me. I was/and am amazed that it was able to cross the Pacific as it road so very low in the water. Your comments at 1:25:00 triggered my recollection, as irrelevant as it is to your discussion.
Bill responding-- I've taken part of 5 or 6 RIMPACs. Always a joy to work with our allies. And I've also seen World War II destroyers plying the Pacific in the 80s!
I remember seeing Fletcher class cans in use by the Greeks and Turks, as well as what I think may have been a pre-Fletcher flush deck 4 stack can in a Greek shipyard peacefully waiting for the breakers yard Pireas perhaps? 74-75……. Can’t remember which Med Cruise…..
My father was a Navy Corpsman in the Pacific theater. He would be grateful to have known the details & truth about what happened in the operations he participated in. Programs like Victory at Sea really did not tell the story in such detail.
I noticed though that previous to our cancelled invasion of the home Islands that the IJA began thinking of ground support probably by getting hit with it. Aircraft like the Kawasaki Ki 102 started getting play in their requirements for companies to feild competition for. Multi role designs with an option for ground attack as well as anti-shipping Some amazing film @ 1:15:40.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar you do great work on there behalf. I hope Bill is feeling/doing well. Would love for you to do more videos. Both my gramps served in the Pacific. 1 navy 1 marine.
This channel makes me feel like a gambling junkie walking through a casino checking the empty coin trays. 😂 Cant get enough of these guys. The cold hard facts. Just the TRUTH,,,,, ALL THE TIME. What ALL historians should strive to emulate.
Awesome talk. If you get the chance, the RUclips Drachinifel has done an excellent series on the naval battles of Guadalcanal. He would be a great guest to talk about Washington versus Kirishima.
Old Infantry type, here. This is a great series. I had two uncles in the Royal Australian Navy in the last Great Unpleasantness. Both came back alive.. One was on the HMAS Hobart in the Coral Sea battle. The other apparently had a relatively quiet war. Did the Japanese dive bombers have an "automatic" dive recovery system. I recall that the German Ju87 "Stuka" had some sort of "recovery" system, .Apparently it was found that about half of the pilots would black-out during a dive recovery. (G-suits were a few years off, at this time). Very expensive "Lawn Dart" without such a system. The Ju-87 was also designed to dive VERTICALLY, with the pilot hanging in his harness. It also had a "bomb ladder" that swung the bomb outside the propeller arc, for obvious reasons. How such a system would behave in a damaged aircraft after unloading its "cookie" is just another "rabbit hole" . "Deliberate crash" or "passengers" on a final 'wild ride. Any serious aviation buff out there with comparative dive and recovery data?
Th3e "rooster tail" or green-glowing water behind a high-speed cruiser or larger warship is is raised well above the aft deck of the ship making it. It is literally awe-inspiring if on the rear of the ship and looking at it rushing away from you. Also, the rear of the ship is vibrating so hard that I instantly thought of Scotty on the spaceship ENTERPRISE stating "She canna take it any more!!" This is really something great to experience!!! It will most definitely wash the deck of a small destroyer that moves into that rooster tail and put out any external fires.
1:46 There is a military history RUclipsr that does a video on the industrial capacity of Japan vs USA side by side, day by day. It only includes surface warships and submarines. There reaches a point where our industrial capacity goes parabolic while the Japanese industrial capacity goes way down. I got an amazing appreciation for the industrial capacity of the United States during this period, the Japanese didn’t stand a chance
Great series. Most informative and well balanced. Thank you. I just returned from a trip to Perth Australia. In the aviation museum they have a PBY Catelena on display. Beautifully restored in USN scheme. So many of your battles noted owe sightings to Cat crews.
My father was about the USS Hornet (CV8) from shakedown to sinking as an Aviation Machinist Mate (AMM2C) at the time with VF-72. I grew up with stories of Santa Cruz, as well as all the other engagements. During the attack, he was at his fire fighting station on the hanger deck. Although there was not great loss of life on board during the battle, while preforming his duty he came across a number of the burned dead from either the bomb blast or the crashed planes. He said he would never forget the sight or the smell. When the Airdales were ordered off the ship, he was picked up by the USS Russell. (DD-414) via cargo nets hung over the side. He was later transferred to the USS Northampton (CA-26) and ended up on Nouméa until reassigned to other sea duty.
Great historical review of the many individual actions associated with this Battle. Beginning to realize how ignorant I am as to the entirety of the WWII Pacific theater Military battles and Naval engagements. A Big Atta-Boy to you both and to the plethora of guests your capable to invite and assist on the individual episodes the last 3 years ......... keep up the good work. My dad was involved in the ETO with the 644th tank destroyer company C recon,
Another excellent podcast, as usual, from The Three Amigos. As I said before, I have only been watching for a week or two in my first sojourn with the channel, but I have really enjoyed the experience immensely. One of the things discussed today is one of my favorite Naval Aviators, Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa. He was another of the fine SBD pilots that showed that they could handle fighters also, where he became an "ace in a day" at the battle of Santa Cruz. He was prominently mentioned in John Lundstrom's two fine First Team books. What I found interesting is that he is actually NOT Swedish, but is of Finnish descent. It was said he was constantly reminding that fact to other sailors until he just gave up and accepted Swede as his nickname. You also mentioned Jim Flatley, who was one of the finest fighter pilots in the USN. Flatley, along with John Thach were supreme pilots, tacticians and leaders. It was Flatley who coined the phrase "Thach Weave" in describing John Thach's "beam defense maneuver", which helped mitigate some of the qualities of the A6M Zero. Thach also persuaded Flatley to go with a division of four Wildcats in two sections instead of Flatley's six Wildcats in sections of three each. Once again, John Lundstrom's books were highly informative about the USN fighter pilots just prior to the declaration of war.
1:25:15 I'm with the captain; never been in the navy but grew up on the water myself and have a hard time believing any destroyer could intentionally submerge itself in the wake of any ship to an extent that it would come over the deck, no matter how hard it may try.
Another great video. Just a note to: Capt. Toti, I figured you would have come up here to live in "GOD's Country" since you were on the Indianapolis, now it is Spring here in NE Indiana, we still have temperatures in the 30's, heck 60 degrees is swimming weather up here.
I very much enjoyed the details about this battle because my father was part of it. He was an SBD pilot from the USS Hornet in VS-8 and was credited with hitting the Shokaku with his 1000 lb. bomb. However, there were a few detail he wrote about that weren't included in your video. Gus Widhelm lead a mixed VS-8/VB-8 15-plane attack with a fighter escort of only 4 VFs. The VFs did not launch with them. The SBD pilot's apprehension was off the scale because the VF and VTs were new to the Hornet and they had never coordinated with them - let alone having only 4 fighters with them! Gus Widhelm was the one who figured out where the IJN carriers would be, passing up the chance to attack a formation of possible IJN battleships and cruisers. His group was then jumped by Zeros which attacked Gus's plane first and shot him down. After that they didn't see any of their 4 fighters escorting them and figured they must have been shot down as well. (They weren't - and all got back OK as their squadron leader dove immediately and then bugged out. This was told to my dad by one of the pilots later in the war.) A Zero then flew through the rest of the SBDs firing to breakup their formation. In desperation and not wanting to get pick off, my father push over on the Shokaku. At this point he felt he didn't have a chance to get back to the Hornet because he felt they had exceeded their maximum range and momentarily considered crashing the carrier's deck. Fortunately, his dive went well and he got a hit. He pulled out at 500' looking for cloud cover for his escape. Suddenly a Zero swished by his SDB. He pulled up slightly and fired his .50 calibers. At first he wasn't sure he had hit the Zero until he saw the pilot bailout. Unfortunately, my father's gunner was badly wounded in this exchange from a 20mm exploding shell and its shrapnel from the Zero. When he sighted the Hornet it was dead in the water, listing, and unable to land planes. Fortunately he was able to find the USS Enterprise. After an initial wave off and with almost empty fuel tanks he was able to land catching #2 wire. His rear gunner had lost so much blood that as his plane was being pushed aside, an Enterprise plane handler pointed at his SBD and said "Look that plane is bleeding!" His rear gunner spent 6 months in the hospital but survived and lived until 2007. In addition, I'm not sure Seth is correct about Gus Widhelm's prior combat experience. I believe Gus was on the Hornet from its initial launch until Battle of Santa Cruz. Hornet was not part of the Battle of the Coral Sea.
What was your father's name?
Donald Kirkpatrick. After the Hornet was sunk he was assigned to the USS Lexington in Bombing 16. Along with his rear gunner, he was one of the pilots rescued by Commander O'Kane and the USS Tang at Truk where he shot down in May of 1944 while bombing ground installations. In the Life Magazine photo you used In your video about O'Kane and the Tang rescue of downed airmen, he is pictured 3rd from the left in the top row and his gunner, Dick Bentley is pictured 2nd from the right in the top row.
WOW! Truly one of the greatest generation. Men like these who took the initiative are why we kept of freedom!🙏🏻
@@BP-1988 Amazing story thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for posting his story.
Swede Vejtasa, extraordinary, heroic, smart, so grateful to learn of his exploits, thank you
He was my buddy. Miss him daily.
The technique of passing narrative between the personalities of two or more narrators makes these exciting stories absolutely riveting. Great series !
Bill doesn't have as much speaking time as Jon or Seth in these videos with Jon but every comment he makes and question he asks is fantastic and adds so much to the conversation, what an excellent episode
truly just an excellent trio of people
I like this Trio for sure but sometimes I feel like John steps on Bill a little bit. Give Bill the respect he has earned and let him speak, I guarantee you he's going to say something profound and relevant.🇺🇲⚓️💯👍☕️🚬
@@Jakal-pw8yq yes Jon does tend to speak over others in the videos/interviews I see him in but I don't think he does it on purpose, I know he's incredibly passionate about this and loves to talk about WWII especially Pacific theater history so he just starts talking and wants to get so much information out there. In later episodes Captain Toti does talk more throughout the episodes.
Plus he's earned the right to merely "preside" over these discussions (though of course he does much more than that)
@@BlackHawkBallisticthat's a good point. I hadn't considered that. They all are incredibly passionate about this subject
As a Navy Veteran and a Minnesota native I am a big Jon Parshall fan he always adds to any discussion about the war in the Pacific .
Isn't he great?
For a good many years I had a primary source for information in re: USS Washington from Scapa Flow to operation Magic Carpet, my father was eventually an MM1 aboard her. He was a skilled tool and die maker prior to his assignment to the Big W. For the most part he made custom parts for the ship, and once in a while, custom “toys” for Admiral Lee. Yes, admiral Lee received his third star prior to his fatal heart attack in casco bay Maine. Admiral Lee was not only a true “bad-ass” but he got along with the enlisted men almost like the skipper on a tin can, as long as you weren’t trying to blow smoke up his ass. The crew of Washington was extremely upset that they were sent back to the states, rather than to Tokyo Bay. Her little incident with Indiana kept her from being the BB with the most battle stars in WW II. My father has been gone since 94, his old Chief buddy who rode cruisers and was sunk 2x made it until 83…..
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar the names of his cats alone. I had a dog named Ollie. I named after that guy
What a trio these 3 make. Blend so well together. I am a fan, no question.
My grandmother's brother, Eugene Burns, was there as the AP reporter aboard Enterprise. He wrote up Pinkney's story which is what brought it to the attention of the Navy brass. I was able to visit USS Pinkney DDG-91 when she was in port in San Diego.
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You guys have THE BEST non-animated play-by-play walthroughs of WWII battles EVER. The sheer depth of knowledge and detail that can't be found anywhere else is staggering. Great guests, great expertise, and great storytelling make this podcast so good!
Thank you very much. We try.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWaryou are succeeding!The elevation of this action, these actions, into the same pantheon of awareness and discussion as Midway, is a real service to the players and to the greater history of the theater. Bravo!
Thanks. My dad was WIA aboard _Enterprise_ in this action. As best as I could tell, he was with her in every battle of '42, up to Santa Cruz. I cannot watch film and photos of those battles without wondering if he was one of the men caught on camera.
God speed to your father. My dad was 6th Armored Division from Normandy to Prague Czechoslovakia. Got a purple heart eating Spam!
@@JohnRodriguesPhotographer My dad's war did not really end until he died in '94. I hope your father had a good life after the war.
My dad was aboard USS South Dakota that day, and again at the engagement with USS Washington at the slot. He never really talked that much about the war, but at the end of his life he would sometimes tear up when thinking of the loss of his best friend at Saipan. I remember my mom telling me my dads ears would bleed even after the war. No doubt from the concussion as he was stationed on a 5” mount. Away, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this and many other episodes, thanks again.
@@08silvercsmy Dad served on the South Dakota also. Have to visit the Memorial in Sioux Falls in South Dakota. Worth the visit.
I feel like I've been conditioned to click on any video with "Jon Parshall" in the title. Maybe there's a subliminal message in that wallpaper.
I'm the same way.
He's a glorified IJN fanboy! 😂
Hah!
I agree, I love listening to him. He is so informative and a great teller of history
I agree he is awesome, I would like to see him full-time, even replacing Bill.
Maybe the best episode yet!
Certainly had fun doing this one.
-SP
As a Marine never knew that much about Naval history. You guys need to get into some of the military schools and teach. Can't wait to hear about Smith relieves Smith in Saipan when you get there. Been sending your links to a lot of friends and family. They love it.
Haha. Can't wait to light that fuse
Great video. If you're going to talk about Ching Lee you need to invite Drachinifel for a chat. He's such a fan of Lee that he probably has a Lee poster hanging between his portraits of Nelson and Jacky Fisher, which says all you need to know about an English maritime historian.
If I was looking for a guest to talk about Lee I’d be calling Paul Stilwell who authored the biography of Lee.
Lol drach is a fan.
To say it's high praise for a British naval historian to hang a picture of Lee between Nelson and Fisher is an understatement.
Ahhh Drachinefel a familiar character. Love his channel
Drach is a lovely chap. Now getting Paul Stillwell on would be good
Such a great production, congrats to Seth and Bill, and always a joy to hear Jon speak.
I recall hearing that, by the end of the Guadalcanal campaign in 1943, more USN lives are lost than Army+Marine lives in this one area of combat.
Another great episode from the top three go-to guys when it comes to Pacific warfare 1942-1945. So many nuggets of history here, but for me the real standout is the heroism of William Pinckney. Thanks again for digging real deep into this story. “Greater love hath no man…”
Again, very worthwhile commentary as usual. I appreciate whenever you have Jon Parshall as a guest because he has a very broad perspective which adds to the always lively discussion and the Pacific War, Midway and 1942-43 are among the topics he adds a great deal of color to the discussion.
Just discovered your channel, and I have to say the product is fantastic. Jon Parshall is the most knowledgeable and insightful guest ever and seems to turn every appearance into pure analytical gold. Sweet that you’ve had him on several times before; I hope that continues. I predict that this podcast will be blowing up soon.
I can't believe they only have 6k subscribers so far. Glad I can say i was in on the ground floor of huge fans of this podcast/utube channel. I predict a LOT MORE SUBSCRIBERS SOON!! 😀
My father was a Plane Captain as well as an Aviation Machinist Mate (Jet) with VF-101 during his time in the service from 1957-1960. At the time they were aboard the USS Forrestal CV-59, and USS Saratoga CV-60, which were the super carriers of their day. I was born in Key West, Florida when VF-101 was assigned there as a training squadron. This presentation has been fascinating; I always love to hear from John Parshall. Thanks Bill Toti for reminding us of the future history of the "Grim Reapers."
Excellent... The first campaign I ever got engrossed in was Guadalcanal....sparked a need to learn all about the Pacific campaign , 1942 & 43. This was back in the 70s. Read every book I found, appreciated the Veterans, most were my teachers, neighbors ECT. I have learned more in recent past from the excellent books and superb authors. My thanks. PS:. Latest pursuit, the Australian campaigns from Kodak Track, Milne Bay, ECT.
bloody LOVE this podcast... great work guys .
Much appreciated!
I stumbled upon this by accident and am very impressed! I thought I knew something about Santa Cruz, but listening to this convinces me that I don't know much. I'll be back to learn more!
Glad you found us!
Hands down one of the most detailed, historically accurate and entertaining pieces ever done on such an important battle at sea during WW2.
This just keeps getting better and better and great choices for guests as well.
Interesting anecdote about the destroyer running through the wake of the South Dakota to put out the fire. It's likely that destroyer captains were told to stay out of those wakes for exactly that reason; all the air stirred up in that white foamy water makes the water significantly less dense - the smaller ship crossing the wake will sink down into the foam. Whitewater kayakers know that happens when they go through foamy rapids; the kayak actually sinks for a second.
Great point. Ships can sink in foamy water, such as a methane sump leak.
Something I didn't know before...
Very interesting Thanks for sharing.
I am thoroughly enjoying this lecture series. Unfortunately, I’m going backwards. Fabulous job gentlemen. Keep it up….
I finally got around to watching this episode and it was worth the wait. Having Jon along for this one was always going to be a treat. I loved hearing the stories and heroics, both the familiar stories well told and the tragically unheard ones that needed to be told.
John could also say,
A Decisive Victory
Kobe World News.
Japanese Midway Victory
3 Carriers, 4 Battle ships sunk.
Nimitz Killed.
Quite the morale builder for the Empire.
thanks fellas, fascinating telling of the history of that desperate time.
Excellent! I love all the side cameos of the great event. With great deference Captain Bill, we in the Army have a different description of Hammer and Anvil.
I served under Red Carmody when he was skipper of the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) in 1965-66. He was quite a guy.
Yes he was. I remember when I asked about him initially Jig Ramage described him as a "Fire Eater." I told Jig, sounds like my kind of guy.
Superb show folks. Really good stuff there. The balance of educational, personal and long term strategy is excellent.
Great video. Jon is always such a pleasure to listen to and a great guest.
I think this battle illustrates well that as good and as tough as the Yorktown class was it did have a major Achilles heel. It’s engineering plant. In that the concentration of the boilers over a small length of the ship meant that their ability to take damage in this area and maintain power was compromised. It’s a design failure that I believe was driven by their status as treaty limited designs and it’s one that the Essex class fully corrected.
Well done gents.
Of course the treaty affected a lot of ship classes negatively during the war.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I went back and looked it up in Friedman’s book on Carriers and confirmed my memory. What’s also interesting is that BuEng when the decision was being taken to build Hornet as a repeat Yorktown tried to get a new machinery layout installed that would have alternated engine and boiler rooms. I think it’s highly likely that had they been successful in this Hornet would not have been lost at Santa Cruz.
Great show. I always found this battle very fascinating. Just found your channel and looks like I will have hours of interesting content.
1:27:54 Also for the Kates that did survive long enough to make their torpedo drops. Enterprise ends up combing the torpedo spreads.
Jon Parshall really shines on this presentation. He is so correct about the confusion of accounts previously rendered on the tracks of the ships and the way the battle was fought.
Excellent discussion. I just finished James Hornfischer's book Neptune's Inferno and your discussion filled in many cracks and pieces and supplements nicely. Very pleased.
Miss James H deeply.
The most amazing channel on RUclips! I think you should make John a full time host!!!
I just found this channel, and what can I say.. outstanding! Thank you for doing this.
Greetings from Norway.
Glad you enjoy it!
Seth, Bill, and Jon - I admire so much of what you do. Not in the least the deference you display to each other. You are gentlemen and scholars.
Thank you. Not sure about the "scholar" part though (Bill responding)
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Bill, IMO, anyone who survives the academic grind at the USNA is at least a fledgling scholar.
@@sundiver137Agreed. I've known many USNA grads, and all were way above average in all situations.
I feel obliged just say this is probably the third time I have listened through this discussion. Most of your shows I have seen at least twice. Not sure what that says about me having a life 😂
But seriously, there is so much information divulged and so much detail that I have to listen more than once to even begin to understand these historical situations, strategically touching on them, but then getting deep into the tactics of battle, and then even deeper into the personalities of individuals in play on both sides
At any rate, fascinating stuff, and I really appreciate Seth and Bill giving of themselves, and I am also grateful to their amazing guests, including John Parshall. Outstanding, all of them.
I'm not sure when this podcast will gain the status it deserves, but it will.
Jimmy Flatley's son James was also a somewhat famous Naval Aviator who made admiral. He is most noted for being one of the 2 fighter pilots who were tossed the keys to an old Marines C-130, and told they had 2 weeks to figure out how to fly it and land it on a Carrier. I think they were both A-4 pilots. Had never touched a large multi engine plane before. They managed to do 50 touch and gos and landings aboard the USS Forrestal over 2 days. With the cargo load steadily increasing. Up to 80% max load. No tailhook, no catapult capability. They were able to land it so smoothly and gently that it would stop abreast of the island. And they could take off from where it stopped without moving the plane. The Navy elected to file this in the "well we now know we can do it if we ever have to, but we're never goona do this again" file. Because it required completely clearing the deck of aircraft. And the C-130 only had about 15' of air between its Right Wingtip and the Bridge Island. The C-2 Greyhound arrived shortly afterwards which did enough of what they needed that they didn't need to mess with the C-130's again.
I think this is one of the best podcasts that I have seen so far. You were able to take a complex battle and make it understandable. Thank you for all your research and work. I found your podcasts by following John Parshall from his talks with the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, TX.
Great teaching programs! Love all the anecdotal stories that we normally don't hear about. Nice to learn that SoDak does something right - only remember her debacle in the fight with Washington against Kirashima.
The increasing U.S. fleet AAA lethality situation all of you recount at the end of this podcast really does show how prescient Yamamoto was when he said at the beginning of the war: "In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success."
Seth: "...South Dakota's probably kicking close to 30 knots-"
Jon: "28."
Seth: "...yeah"
Hahaha I love these guys. I can't believe it took me this long to find you guys. Can't wait to catch up and be up to date.
Really learned so much more about the brave men who served in the Pacific! Robin Lindsey- what an incredible act of determination and expertise. Thank you!
Thank you so much for making my painting job bearable. Listening to hour after hour of your EXCELLENT videos got me through this painting job. I absolutely hate painting but I absolutely love your fantastic videos. 👍
Excellent video keep it up fellas. Look forward to this each week
Another Great Show, Stack them up! I recently read an account of Santa Cruz and they wrote that Carrier Shoikaku had a radar set!!! I had never seen that written before! I did not think Japanese Carriers had effective radar until Phillipine Sea, if Then!!! It was always an amazement to me that Japanese Navy had no radar during these most crucial of Battles in these early days!
Great video. I learned some details about Santa Cruz that I didn't know about. I'd say the battle was a tactical IJN victory, an operational draw - as you mention, nothing really changed on the ground or in the relative supply situations on Guadalcanal - and a strategic American victory, because the Japanese could not win if they could not reverse the operational situation that was steadily tipping in the Americans' favor over time.
I just finished episode 123, loved it! I read all the pacific books I could find in high school, late 1970's so much more information has come to light since then. Jon Parshall is brilliant, he has so much knowledge it's amazing. Subscribed and watching more. Thanks so much Gentlemen!
Great discussion! I really enjoyed the video, many thanks.
One correction: Lt. Akira Sakamoto was no longer part of Zuikaku’s squadron at that time and he was not present at the battle. According to my information, Sakamoto died in an aircraft accident in Japan on 15 August 1942, which is naturally before the battle took place. Perhaps he was mistaken for Lt. Kazuko Yoshimoto who was in Seki’s Shokaku squadron during Santa Cruz and who also took part in the Eastern Solomons?
Another note: Jon Parshall already made the correction during the video that Seki did not lead the dive bomber attack on Hornet but on Enterprise. I might add that Lt. Sadamu Takahashi of Zuikaku led the dive bomber attack on Hornet but as Takahashi explains in Lt. Tamotsu Ema’s book (excellent book but available only in Japanese) he was damaged by CAP Wildcats during the final approach and had to withdraw without making a dive. In the end, it was Lt. Toshio Tsuda (also of Zuikaku) and his division that scored the three initial hits on Hornet.
Parshall is awesome. Smart, insightful, articulate - 'Shattered Sword' is one of the best histories I've ever read.
Outstanding, keep them coming!
More to come!
This episode brought tears to my eyes. The bravery knocks my socks off. The bravery of the men who took off into the great blue, without really knowing where they were going. It was the hand of God that they found their way home.
Well, there's at least two of us who see Him clearly here. And His action through the humans showing superhuman strength and. courage.
That is an excellent program gentlemen.
Thanks
1:04:00 At the same time in the Med the Brits were proving they had a working fighter direction system. I hope you cover in some detail the Feb-Jul 1943 Noumea operations of "USS Robin" (HMS Victoriuos) with USS Saratoga, wherein the USN decided to copy RN fighter direction procedures for future use. (And the RN decided to copy USN UNREP procedures).
Thank you all for enlighting us on Seamen Pinkney's rescue efforts.
Great video I never thought I could listen to history like this, but you guys did great.
Glad you enjoyed it
I remember watching one of the History Channel animated shows where a destroyer was hit by a kamikaze and sailed in the wake of a larger ship to put out the fires.
Another outstanding show!
Thank you very much guys! This is an awesome telling of Bloody Santa Cruz!
Excellent presentation. My dad was an amateur war historian. He'd have absolutely loved this. Thank you.
Great show gentlemen.
Just one comment, in the late 1970s I witnessed the Mexican Navy sailing into Pearl Harbor during RIMPAC. I recall seeing one of their WWII-era destroyers sailing past me. I was/and am amazed that it was able to cross the Pacific as it road so very low in the water. Your comments at 1:25:00 triggered my recollection, as irrelevant as it is to your discussion.
Bill responding-- I've taken part of 5 or 6 RIMPACs. Always a joy to work with our allies. And I've also seen World War II destroyers plying the Pacific in the 80s!
I remember seeing Fletcher class cans in use by the Greeks and Turks, as well as what I think may have been a pre-Fletcher flush deck 4 stack can in a Greek shipyard peacefully waiting for the breakers yard Pireas perhaps? 74-75……. Can’t remember which Med Cruise…..
Thanks!
My favorite episode so far. Bill et al, funny
Enjoyed this discussion, gentlemen, thank you.
Really enjoy this podcast. Thanks
Another great, detailed show. Have watched this multiple times and grab more tidbits every time.👍
80+ degree days in central florida during the winter are common I love them
60 degrees? "I cry a single tear. Bring it on!" LOL TY, Jon! From Upstate New York
My father was a Navy Corpsman in the Pacific theater. He would be grateful to have known the details & truth about what happened in the operations he participated in. Programs like Victory at Sea really did not tell the story in such detail.
When Victory at Sea was produced the stories were just being written and a lot of material was still classified.
I noticed though that previous to our cancelled invasion of the home Islands that the IJA began thinking of ground support probably by getting hit with it. Aircraft like the Kawasaki Ki 102 started getting play in their requirements for companies to feild competition for. Multi role designs with an option for ground attack as well as anti-shipping Some amazing film @ 1:15:40.
This is so good it’s ridiculous. Our forefathers rest easy cause of you.
Thanks
That means a lot to me. Those boys dominate my thoughts everyday because I knew so many of them for so long.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar you do great work on there behalf. I hope Bill is feeling/doing well. Would love for you to do more videos. Both my gramps served in the Pacific. 1 navy 1 marine.
This channel makes me feel like a gambling junkie walking through a casino checking the empty coin trays. 😂
Cant get enough of these guys.
The cold hard facts.
Just the TRUTH,,,,,
ALL THE TIME.
What ALL historians should strive to emulate.
Really enjoying this series. Thanks!
Awesome talk. If you get the chance, the RUclips Drachinifel has done an excellent series on the naval battles of Guadalcanal. He would be a great guest to talk about Washington versus Kirishima.
Drach would be an excellent guest indeed, especially for the Second Battle of Guadalcanal episode and Admiral Willis Lee.
Old Infantry type, here. This is a great series. I had two uncles in the Royal Australian Navy in the last Great Unpleasantness. Both came back alive.. One was on the HMAS Hobart in the Coral Sea battle. The other apparently had a relatively quiet war.
Did the Japanese dive bombers have an "automatic" dive recovery system.
I recall that the German Ju87 "Stuka" had some sort of "recovery" system, .Apparently it was found that about half of the pilots would black-out during a dive recovery. (G-suits were a few years off, at this time). Very expensive "Lawn Dart" without such a system. The Ju-87 was also designed to dive VERTICALLY, with the pilot hanging in his harness. It also had a "bomb ladder" that swung the bomb outside the propeller arc, for obvious reasons.
How such a system would behave in a damaged aircraft after unloading its "cookie" is just another "rabbit hole" . "Deliberate crash" or "passengers" on a final 'wild ride.
Any serious aviation buff out there with comparative dive and recovery data?
That was really great. Thank you.
Th3e "rooster tail" or green-glowing water behind a high-speed cruiser or larger warship is is raised well above the aft deck of the ship making it. It is literally awe-inspiring if on the rear of the ship and looking at it rushing away from you. Also, the rear of the ship is vibrating so hard that I instantly thought of Scotty on the spaceship ENTERPRISE stating "She canna take it any more!!" This is really something great to experience!!! It will most definitely wash the deck of a small destroyer that moves into that rooster tail and put out any external fires.
Just found this channel great podcast guys love the content.⚓️
Welcome aboard.
1:46 There is a military history RUclipsr that does a video on the industrial capacity of Japan vs USA side by side, day by day. It only includes surface warships and submarines. There reaches a point where our industrial capacity goes parabolic while the Japanese industrial capacity goes way down. I got an amazing appreciation for the industrial capacity of the United States during this period, the Japanese didn’t stand a chance
Great series. Most informative and well balanced. Thank you. I just returned from a trip to Perth Australia. In the aviation museum they have a PBY Catelena on display. Beautifully restored in USN scheme. So many of your battles noted owe sightings to Cat crews.
Excellent review of one of the more confusing carrier battles👍
Ridiculously confusing.
My father was about the USS Hornet (CV8) from shakedown to sinking as an Aviation Machinist Mate (AMM2C) at the time with VF-72. I grew up with stories of Santa Cruz, as well as all the other engagements. During the attack, he was at his fire fighting station on the hanger deck. Although there was not great loss of life on board during the battle, while preforming his duty he came across a number of the burned dead from either the bomb blast or the crashed planes. He said he would never forget the sight or the smell. When the Airdales were ordered off the ship, he was picked up by the USS Russell. (DD-414) via cargo nets hung over the side. He was later transferred to the USS Northampton (CA-26) and ended up on Nouméa until reassigned to other sea duty.
Great historical review of the many individual actions associated with this Battle. Beginning to realize how ignorant I am as to the entirety of the WWII Pacific theater Military battles and Naval engagements. A Big Atta-Boy to you both and to the plethora of guests your capable to invite and assist on the individual episodes the last 3 years ......... keep up the good work. My dad was involved in the ETO with the 644th tank destroyer company C recon,
Once again, best information among distinguished people about history soon to be lost
Another excellent podcast, as usual, from The Three Amigos. As I said before, I have only been watching for a week or two in my first sojourn with the channel, but I have really enjoyed the experience immensely. One of the things discussed today is one of my favorite Naval Aviators, Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa. He was another of the fine SBD pilots that showed that they could handle fighters also, where he became an "ace in a day" at the battle of Santa Cruz. He was prominently mentioned in John Lundstrom's two fine First Team books. What I found interesting is that he is actually NOT Swedish, but is of Finnish descent. It was said he was constantly reminding that fact to other sailors until he just gave up and accepted Swede as his nickname. You also mentioned Jim Flatley, who was one of the finest fighter pilots in the USN. Flatley, along with John Thach were supreme pilots, tacticians and leaders. It was Flatley who coined the phrase "Thach Weave" in describing John Thach's "beam defense maneuver", which helped mitigate some of the qualities of the A6M Zero. Thach also persuaded Flatley to go with a division of four Wildcats in two sections instead of Flatley's six Wildcats in sections of three each. Once again, John Lundstrom's books were highly informative about the USN fighter pilots just prior to the declaration of war.
"The three amigos." LOL
THEIR NAMES ALONG-WITH THE OTHER FAMOUS NAVAL OFFICERS WHICH WHO WOULD BE NAMED FOR A LOT OF OLIVER HAZARD PERRY FFG'S
Doris Miller, a great Texan. Proud to be a fellow Texan.
Again, thank you!
Swede was amazing. He used the slight oil slick of Enterprise to get a few SBD's back on deck after 40 miles.
1:25:15 I'm with the captain; never been in the navy but grew up on the water myself and have a hard time believing any destroyer could intentionally submerge itself in the wake of any ship to an extent that it would come over the deck, no matter how hard it may try.
It happened though.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Yep
Thank you.
Another great video. Just a note to: Capt. Toti, I figured you would have come up here to live in "GOD's Country" since you were on the Indianapolis, now it is Spring here in NE Indiana, we still have temperatures in the 30's, heck 60 degrees is swimming weather up here.
Is there a Battle of the Philippine Sea episode yet?
Not yet. We’re only just now leaving 1942.
I just noticed that Seth has a replica of the Robin Hood mug from the movie, "Twelve O'Clock High", on his top shelf. Nice.
Fantastic
Thank-you
How this doesn’t have 100s of thousands of subscribers is beyond me.
Come on algorithm!!! ❤