Operation BACKHANDER-The Invasion of Cape Gloucester-Episode 302
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- This week Seth and Bill take a look at Operation BACKHANDER, better known as the battle for Cape Gloucester that was fought from December 1943 through early 1944. The team examines the short but sharp fight executed by the jungle veterans of the 1st Marine Division as they endured yet another miserable, rain-soaked, hell hole of an island. Tune in and see what the team has to say about this oft-forgotten fight.
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This is the BEST podcast on the Pacific war. Seth and Captain Toti; you gentlemen provide context no one else does. You are unvarnished. There are just too many campaigns and battles for ANY military to do things perfectly with perfect people in perfect conditions. You are MUST SEE!
This is amazing content and so greatly appreciated.
Yes, for the US perspective these two not-comedians have done a stellar job so far!
They often refer to the Australians, I think an excellent source of their perspective can be found @hypohystericalhistory8133
The context is what really matters. The History Channel gives the wave top story and it sounds like propaganda without the context.
My grandparents billeted three lads from the 11th Marines in Ballarat, near Melbourne. Thanks to Bill and Seth for including Cape Gloucester in this series; this episode is topical, as a plaque commemorating the rest and refit in 1943 was dedicated in Ballarat during February this year, the ceremony attended by the Commandant of the 11th, Colonel Pat Eldridge, his wife and son together with Regiment Sergeant Major Jeff Vandentop. I’ve read all I’ve been able to find on Operation Backhander, however this episode has clarified so much. Thank you.
Wonderfully heartfelt comment by Aussie whose family lived through those days of uncertainty.
I am glad you mentioned Ed Bearss, he became one of the preeminent Civil War historians and I was lucky enough to participate in one of his battlefield tours at Gettysburg. This episode inspired me to revisit 'Helmet for My Pillow' by Leckie describing the misery of Cape Gloucester. Another well done episode. Another Civil War throwback, using canister fire from artillery as direct fire against the Japanese.
I never made that connection. Wow! My dad and I visited Gettysburg in May/June of '85 and Mr. Bearss was our guide too. I was a kid and just wanted to get the cassette tape but my dad sprung for the private tour--with said guide driving us around the park in our little Honda. I didn't recognize him in the Ken Burns series as he had been bearded back when we'd met him. Fantastic fellow! RIP.
Ed Bearss was incredible look up some of his civil war lectures on RUclips. He was one of the historians on Ken Burns' Civil War series and was head historian at Vicksburg NHP for like 25 years and I think he was the driving force behind the finding and raising of USS Cairo which was the first ship sunk by a (Confederate) naval mine which is on display at Vickburg
I recognized the name when he was mentioned, but I wasn't sure if it was him or another family member. I remember the Civil War series well.
Thank you gentlemen. Your efforts, energy and time is very much appreciated. If all Americans listened to your shows, I bet there would be a lot more respect for our veterans.
My grandfather was in the pacific theater. He only shed one story his whole life with his kids , my mom and uncle and i . Later i asked my uncle if he had ever heard that story, he said no , he said he would never speak of the war . He even left all his medals and uniform in a attic of a home they lived in for a short time because he didn't want to think about it. I believe that the killing he did effected his life till he passed. He didn't share this one account until he was 85 yrs old.
What was the story about? @3heaven
My dad was a combat infantryman in the Pacific. He too really didn't talk about his experiences in the war. I remember once I went to the grocery store with him. We were talking as we walked through the store. As we passed the stores fish market (It was closed and they were cleaning it) there was a noticeable fishy smell.
My dad who was 88 at the time, stopped mid sentence. I looked at him and he had a strange expression on his face. I asked him what was wrong. He said let's keep going. Later he said the smell triggered a memory of the war. The Japanese troops always had a fishy smell to them. He said that after 60+ years he was right back there in combat.
@davidlafranchise4782 Hopping from island to island. First the naval bombardment then the marines. After that the army rolled in. Establishing a base and airfield. He was not a seabee. But he said they did a lot of the same things. Every night they posted up and guarded their perimeter. The marines never did get every single jap. Some would make it to the mountains and jungle and got away . But after about 2 weeks , them japs were getting very very hungry. So one night my grandfather felt bad and couldn't sleep . There was about 20 soldiers in this big tent sleeping. My grandad opened his eyes and saw the silhouette of a Japanese soldier with his bayonet fixed on his rifle, raised up fixing to start killing. Gramps always slept with his 45 under his pillow and pulled it out and shot him in the head. There really is no way to say how many lives he saved but i know he at least saved 1 guy. Hes my hero. Thank you Jack Bennett for your service . RIP
Also he never did say what island it happened on. I was caught off guard and surprised so i didnt think to ask.
CAPT Toti said "Edwin Bearss" at 44:00 and something clicked, and I thought, "Wait, what?" Like Ed Bearss of Civil War historian fame? Ed Bearss, who Ken Burns interviewed for the Civil War documentary series? Googled him and found out the old guy I saw in those videos was a young Marine who survived Cape Gloucester. No wonder he was so passionate when describing combat.
Never heard of the Cape Gloucester campaign, so thank you for all your research efforts in resurrecting this peice of forgotten WW2 history. All that fighting over two airfields on New Britain which were hardly ever used is a lesson learned. Besides the airfields on Bouganville, there was also an airfield at Finschhaffen, New Guinea in 1943, so the Cape Gloucester battle no sense.
Watch the show The Pacific. Cape Gloucester is shown for an episode or two.
Well not much work for the next hour and eighteen minutes.
There are some good pod cast, then there are the great ones. You two are the best, along with your special guests.
Thank you!
I was so happy to wake up and find a new episode of the Unauthorized History of the War in the Pacific.
My wife’s grandfather, Ken E. Malick, was in the 1st Marine Division, 7th Marine Regiment. He had joined Guadalcanal Campaign while in progress, part way through.
On the one or two occasions he spoke about his war experience, he recalled Cape Gloucester action. The main thing he shared was rain…rain, rain, mud, and more mud.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank both Seth and Bill for their amazing series. I had two trips in August that totaled about 50 hours of driving time. The majority of that time was spent listening to this series from the first episode. Now I listen to the weekly episodes while I walk my dog in the evening (that's my dog George as my avatar). This has been time well spent. I had a history minor in college and this series is better than any college class I ever enrolled in. Well done, gentlemen. I also want to call out the superb work on submarine warfare. It has shed light on a part of the war I've never spent much time studying. Now I very much want to tour a Gato or Balao class sub for additional education. Keep up the great work and please know that it is appreciated!
Edwin Bearss became a historian for the National Park Service and a major Civil War Historian -- and a hell of a guy.
I had the honor of participating in a Gettysburg Day 3 tour led by Dr. Bearss in 2003. He lived to be close to 100.
Another well done episode. I usually watch these by myself, but this time my wife watched with me. The "thousand yard" stare made her cry. Her father needed hospital time when he returned home to the states, likely for PTSD/depression. She says this is why your show is so good. It's not sterile history and tactics, but rather the individual soldier and sailor. I know you say this quite often, but my wife got it immediately
"better suited for submarines than Marines," Good one Skipper!
Felt like I was eavesdropping in on the Marines discussion with McArthur and embedded with the Marines moving inland through the so-called “damp flat”. I can now appreciate the daily operational challenges all faced and the courage and mental toughness req’d to overcome them on Cape Gloucester.
'Better suited for submarines than Marines.'
Haha, great line Bill!
Keep up the great work to both of you. I have learned heaps!
My Dad, Sgt Wills of M/3/5 was one of the squad leaders in the initial fights at Suicide Creek.
The article from Colliers Magazine, talks about walking right up on enemy positions without being able to see them.
Having wounded men call out to him on ehat he called, "the coldest damned water he'd ever been in", I think haunted him for the rest of his life.
Just discovered your podcast finishing season 1 I thought I knew my war history I'm an amateur compared to you guys and your guest dad was a navy signal man on an LST thank you for bringing these true forgotten stories to light our history is too soon forgotten hope you do another theater of the war you guys are awesome
War history always fascinated me since a young man.Started with a great civil war teacher in high school in the eighties. I have watched countless documentary films read a few books over the years but you guys take it to a whole new level of understanding.Just the more personalized version of history is unparalleled. Thank you gentlemen for all you do.This history has never been chronologically so covered as far as i know.Then to put it in this format where it can be listened to anytime just phenomenal.
Incredible bravery and dedication in unbelievable circumstances and hardship - I just marvel at their sacrifice. No wonder they never wanted to talk about it.
greatest history presentation of WWII in the Pacific on the web
Thank y'all Skipper and LA historian and especially for infantry shows
Outstanding work Seth and Bill. Seth your friends memories of the fights they survived, are a priceless gift. Thankyou for your devotion to them and us.
My life’s work has been to preserve their memory. Both the PTO and ETO boys I knew. There is a saying that goes something like, “As long as their memory lives they’re never truly gone.” That’s my goal and has been since my days as a historian at The National WWII Museum.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Thank you again for your service. My grandsons are watching these videos with me.
Outstanding reply Seth. As long as their memory survives they're never really gone. What kind of world would we live in now had these people not made the sacrifices they made in the past?@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWarI'm sure our world now would be even worse without our great vets!!
Once again, another outstanding episode.
You both have mastered the seamless transition of 'speakers' during your presentation and truly offer a top notch effort in enlightening the public of these oft overlooked Pacific battles.
Congratulations and looking forward to future episodes.
Here's a story suggestion. The story of Silas Trepus. He was the father of a boyhood friend of mine and his story deserves telling. He went through many of the battles in the Pacific and was one of a very small number of his original group who survived. He and another soldier were the ones sent by MacArthur on a small boat to determine if Korea had surrendered. If they did not return the plan was to go in with guns blazing. The two soldiers were met at the dock by a married couple who quickly hid them in their home overnight to protect them from soldiers including their own son who would have attacked them. The next morning they returned to the fleet with news Korea had surrendered.
We always wondered why Silas lived away from his family in a small hovel. Turns out he had PTSD.
I can put you in touch with family members of Silas Trepus if you are interested.
One of your top podcasts. Excellent job, gentlemen. What a way to start a season. The ability to use maps is a great addition. I'm a map guy.
This channel deserves a much wider audience.
These guys deserve hundreds of thousands of subscribers. I am pushing like button for everything they produce.
I want to thank you guys. I have been in hospital for 4 days. Thanks to you I haven't had to turn on TV. I have been so interested in your videos. I've re-watched many and they don't lose their flavor. Just good info. No hype or drama. God knows there is enough drama without added. Thanks again.
You guys again- there goes my early morning… gladly 👍
Another awesome episode! Thank you Seth and CAPT Toti! Love this podcast. BZ from Retired Navy O6.
I'm the husband of Malinda. My father was a part of the Cape Gloucester invasion. He was part of the US 6th Army Alamo Force attached to the 1st Marines as their Medium Maintenance Automotive Company. He was "volunteered" (with four or five others) to run ashore with the marines on the far left hand side of the Yellow Beaches, carrying their new M1's. He spoke the first thing they encountered was the typical differences between branches in government contracts; for the marines vehicles were different from the army vehicles. It did not take them long but they had to learn new procedures and what tools to use to repair the marine vehicles. He also spoke of the time he "lost it" and cried cause of the rain. He said it got to the point that he thought (at the time) that he could not breath due to the heavy rain. That all he could do is sit up next to a tree with his hand over his mouth and just cry. In his mind at that moment he felt so confined and isolated out in the open in the monsoon rains.
There were some pictures he had of being on New Britain; one of which was of an area that showed the results of a tsunami. He said that the worse time they had was after surviving the tsunami, it took at least a week to get any kind of supplies. That they lost nearly everything they had and it was "rough!" There are other pictures of them playing basketball, of the native people dancing, a couple of other pictures. But he had to stay there until the following December. Until he left New Britain for Luzon. He ended his war on an island off of Luzon and was lucky enough to come home without doing any occupation duty.
Amazing episode describing a little known operation. Those men of the 1st Marine Division must have wondered "Who dreamed this cluster-screw up? (Being polite here) The details included by Seth and Bill were fantastic.
I don't know, but as much as I enjoy most of your guests, it's good to have just you two. Thanks.
Great episode AGAIN. I never could quite understand why the Glouster campaign. Nice balanced assessment of McArthur. Looking forward to next Tuesday 👍
By these landings (Operation Dexterity) and the Scarlet Beach Landing on 22 Sept 1943 the Vitiaz Straight between Papua New Guinea and New Britain was secured and dominated by the allies. The landing on the Admiralty Islands tightened the noose around New Britain and Rabaul.
Tuesdays are now my favorite day of the week. I love your videos.
Strategically the invasion of Cape Gloucester makes complete sense. The denial of use to the Japanese of the airfields around Gloucester was the main goal. Operationally it didn't make sense because by this time the Allies already had dominance in the air over the Cape Gloucester area.
The generals and admirals made the best decisions they could with the imperfect information they had. We don’t know what info Mac had. The Japanese fleet was far from beaten.
Kenney (whom I admire) was correct on Gloucester, but how many times was he wrong on other targets, and Mac’s judgement correct? We don’t know.
Peleliu was another unneeded blood bath and I think that was on Nimitz.
Such is war. And it still goes on…Afghanistan.
Cheers
Edwin Bearss (pronounced Bars) became the chief historian for the National Park Service and produced some of the best Civil War history available.
Your pronunciation of 'Gloucester' was spot on, Seth. Great show
Great presentation! Love the new opening film montage.
Am in Sydney Australia. It was 37c today or 98f or so . I feel your pain. Only spring here. A long hot bushfire summer ahead...
I can truly Say im really Enjoying this Series, it reminds me of my old Neighbor Vic who lived down stairs from me many Years ago he was a Ground Technician for an RAF Mosquito Sqaudron out in Burma, he tell told me the Stories of the Japanese flying over, and Bombing his Airfield, amongst other Stories.
Better suited to submarines than Marines.’ Great line, well delivered. As always, your work is much appreciated.
Macarthur's boot-lickers (a.k.a. staff) often developed plans without consult with the Divisional and/or Brigade level staff. Bill is right, this beggars belief but both 1Marine Div at Gloucester and Australian 9 Div at Finshaven suffered from Macarthur's protecting his image ahead of the reality of the circumstances. Guys another well researched and detailed analysis!
I wonder how the monsoon effected the air forces and air fields. I always appreciate yours and a few other WW2 channels. Thanks as always
Keep em comin, boys! Thanks for all you do.
A new episode coincides with the launch day of USS Enterprise (CV-6) and Lexington (CV-2). This is a good day.
I’ve been researching about the time my grandfather was in E/2/7th regiment, 1st marine division and this is the first video I’ve found by you guys. Very well done. My question: when you are reading information, what sources does your info come from? I’d love to be able to read the original source material if possible.
Multiple sources.
Bill forgets at @14:16 this episode, that in episode 303 Nimitz took control of the campaign of the Marshall Islands by naming the primary island objective in opposition to his staff. Bill purgered himself. These podcasts are taken and studied seriously and may come to be the most informative discourse on the Pacific War thanks to their guests. Only thing better would be to have Howlin Smith and MacArthur etc as guests.
Thanks Gentlemen, I have read allot of what has been written about this nearly forgotten campaign and it remains a "head scratcher". A couple of things I read that is overlooked are the phantom ridge that the Japanese occupied and used and the paths through the jungle to the Japanese commanders hq. US Intelligence missed the phantom ridge and was literally stumbled upon. The Japanese hq was a hooch on stilts decorated with pink furniture and fully stocked larder and bar. The General eventually escaped to safety. A vast amount of Japanese tried to withdraw along the coastal trail, some crawling others staggering, sick and starving. Only a small percentage made it to Rabal leaving the coastal trail littered with the dead.
Thanks Gentlemen, you're appreciated.
Bill is 100% correct when he see's it as After Action Reports... I served 20 years in the Corps.... every unit does After Action Reports to higher HQ, and it Always includes input from Staff NCO's and Officer's. The main topic on the table is.."What could we have done better" . We did this in training exercises as we as real Combat Operations. Can't stress how important this is to developing good methodology. Bill's not bad for a NAVY guy!! Semper Fi Bill !!!😅
Thank you again for a job well done. "Lest we forget."
Great job again men. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to this.
Finally, something worth watching. My day is saved
These presentation are what I imagine it would be like to attending the War College of any major Western power. I follow this one in particular because my dad was part of Cartwheel, and the airdrome his
20th & 60th Seabees shipmates built on Woodlark and Kiriwini Islands 200+ miles to the south made their contribution with air cover. Thanks for a wonderful presentation.
The debt this country owes to the veterans of WW2 and the families of those killed and maimed can never be repaid. To all those who served and and the families of those who suffered and died, including my Uncle Arthur, thank you, you truly are the greatest generation.
I think it's good to go back and do stuff from before '44 (also, obviously, practical from a "make sure the podcast has content" perspective). The only downside is that it makes it harder to watch the whole of the Pacific war in a row, if someone were inclined to do so. You could probably get around that by just creating a playlist with everything in chronological (rather than episode) order. Then you'd be free to record whatever you want without "messing up" the order (I don't watch in order, but I'm sure some people complain in the comments when the date bounces around). Thanks especially for the info on the Cactus Air Force, really helpful for a defense economics article I'm working on.
That 3rd bulldozer operator was Sgt. Kerry Lane. He was wounded during his time on the dozer, but continued on and finished the job. He received a Silver Star for his feat (personally I think it was a Navy Cross moment).
He wrote a book about his time in the Solomons, "Guadalcanal Marine" by Lt. Col. Kerry Lane. Excellent read!
Thanks for this information! My Dad was injured while running a dozer on Cape Gloucester under strange circumstances.
My late father was in the 1st Marine division 1st Tank battalion and made amphibious landings at Cape Gloucester and Peleliu. He said his tank was the first to make it to the airfield at Gloucester. Goodnight Chesty Puller.
In 1956 local yokels in Mississippi once called Ed Bearss a "Yankee historian." And it pissed him off. He had been asked try find the The War Between the States ironclad, the USS Cairo. He asked the local yokels where it might be. They pointed out where to look. He told them that site was that of a raft the Confederates sank to block Yazoo River traffic. He did find the Cairo. Yes, the local yokels were right. Bearss was a Yankee historian, like the local yokels said.😅
Fantastic! Thanks again Seth and Bill for bringing us these amazing stories. I wonder if the terrain here was harder than anything ever faced in the entire war?
Maybe the Po valley in winter in Italy could have been as rough terrain-wise...
Combat in swamps is terrifying. Soldiers have to carry between 30 and 100 pounds of equipment, depending on what their job is. Artillery shells, mortar rounds, aerial bombs
leave craters in the swamp floor. These cannot be seen. Soldiers carrying full gear and weapon step into these craters, sink right to the bottom and drown, weighted down by their equipment. Their buddies mostly are not fast enough or strong enough to pull them out. Soldiers in Vietnam were going to face the same thing 20 years later. And then, of course, there are animals in swamps you don't want to meet in peace let alone war.
Wow...what a hell hole for the leathernecks. As a Navy man, I have a larger respect for those guys. I dont think no one could match the shit those young men went through. Thank you Seth and Cpt Toti for another eye opening episode of the war in the pacific. It shakes me to think in whether our todays military could handel this kind of action. Even with todays tech. I can't wait for your next episode.
You guys need to get Lance Zedric on for the Alamo Scouts. His depth of knowledge is in territory I consider to be expert level.
The submarine joke made me chuckle too
Strangling Rabual without chewing up whole divisions with a amphib assualt was the SINGLE biggest factor in the success of the overall island hopping campaign.
Thank you once again. 🇺🇸
Another outstanding Podcast. 😊👍
Another outstanding program! Thank you. I look forward to each weely release. I would like to recommend an idea for a future episode for your consideration: the transport and repatriation of Japanese soldiers and naval personnel to Japan after the Emperor's surrender broadcast. I assume that was a delicate and potentially dangerous process.
This move on Cape Gloucester happened at about the same time the Australians were conducting landings across the Strait between Lae and Finchaven on Papua New Guinea. Some eight thousand Japanese troops escaped a pincer movement by the Australians at Lae and escaped through the mountains. Many died en route - most to fight again later
Life with the Old Breed
Talk about a hard luck life.
Great show.
You guys are doing an awesome job.
commenting for the algorithm. love your content. keep it up 👍🏻
Dunno if you re aware, but British historian, Saul David wrote a book following K/3/5 through the war.
Very good on the fighting on Cape Gloucester and the state of Pavuvu they found afterwards.
My father who was in the south pacific during the war said that he never wanted to see another island as long as he lived
Thank you Bill and Seth.
You guys are like the marines, you crushed this episode
The only drawback is you guys don’t do one every day
Fortunately, no WW2 battles were fought in Pierre, SD. The pronunciation wars over "Pierre" would never end.
Excellent. Unicorn Dream Creek was a winner!
Fantastic history gentlemen.........as usual.
The bursting radius of a 105mm is 20m so they could be brought in closer than 50yd in extraordinary circumstances. We had one shoot during my gunnery training at Ft. Sill where we adjusted 75mm fire from a bunker and brought it in real close. Wish it had been 105mm with its bigger booms.
Another great episode.
I aplaud you guys for continuing such great podcasts with the number of subcribers is to me, unbelievable low for the quality of these videos.
Thank you gentlemen again. This was a battle I knew pretty much nothing about but now I do. So the freaking 'Flat Damp" was responsible for 1/4 of the 1st's KIA. That is a horrible statistic. When you start talking about the various campaigns to take airfields I like to try and find them in sat images. Bouganville I can't find any trace of the fields but you can still see one pretty clearly at Cape Glouster. And that one looks very disused but there is a swept wing plane on it.
Great episode!
What about the fact that if Japanese were left to occupy Cape Gloucester throughout the war would the not have been able to pass intel on any shipping going through those straits onward? Those straits were used by allied shipping after this. That plus emergency landing strips I'm sure saved more than 300 lives that were spent to take that Island.
Keep up the great work, much appreciated. This channel has lots of legs. I'm sure you will find other topics to deal with after your done with the Pacific War.
Regarding the Marine's truncated rain shower. Several of our destroyer sailor had the same experience. The OOD tried mightily to catch another shower, but to no avail. Sadly, the soapy sailors were hosed down with salt water applied with a fire hose.😂
Morning and great show! The damp flat must have been a volcanic plum dump on a coastal plain.. stuck in semi buoyant goo.
Must have happened just a few years before.. that was why all the rainforest dead trees.. rotted off at the waterline and ready to fall.
What an awful glue trap to be in. God bless those guys.🙏🙏
To add.. And Bless you guys for telling their story. Thank you and well done for the series!
The volcanos at Rabaul erupted simultaneously in 1937 and buried the Japanese airfield. So your comment makes a lot of sense!
Upon reading to get my date right, I learned that the Rabaul caldera is mighty famous among volcanologists!
Volcanoes erupt and surrounding land sinks. Trees that grew with a certain waterline will rot when the water level rises.
In the footage from Guadalcanal, there is a clip of a Marine advancing just spraying .30cal from the hip. The MG itself looks like a stinger from an SBD or lower rear from a TBF rather than an M 1919... but it had to be a similar look to the fella Seth was talking about...
Great show gentlemen.
Welcome to play the Greatest Naval game Battlestations Pacific
I love this PC game from 2009 - today and forever to play until I die
I understand you're doing a deeper dive into the philosophy and politics of the Pacific War. Is this accurate? If so, YESSS!
Add 5 points to the misery scale whenever Gen Macarthur is involved.
I have been following your podcast almost since the beginning and look forward each week to the new episode that drops. And Capt Toti, as a former submariner (USS Batfish, 91-95), I thoroughly enjoy your insights, especially on the submarine war.
May I ask a favor? You guys very frequently mention great books on the subject matter during the podcast and I have read a few of them, but I am sometimes driving while listening and it is hard to jot these down while in traffic. Is there any way you can publish a list of these books you mention and add to it as you go? It would make it much easier to find than trying to go back through each podcast to find the specifics.
I concur.
Thanks!
Thank you…great video as usual…
Another good episode about a battle I knew only the surface details of.
Thanks Guys
P.S. you sign off calling your channel "The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War" but the name is "Unauthorized History of the Pacific War". It's not a big detail but it can make it harder for people to locate the channel from the podcast.
A good discussion. The 1st Marine Division did get the shaft. I just re-watched the mini-series Pacific. Speaking of questionable operations, Iwo Jima is another one.
I have a book of The Corsair Years 1995 VMF-113 Marine Fighting Squadron One Thirteen author Andrew Jones. Stunning recount of Marine aviators aviators commanded by Doc Everton! Aircraft stenciled with his wife’s name Dolores ! In