Thank you Vic, I am just now seeing this video. My dad was a US marine and fought in this war and on this island. He didn’t talk about the war much but I am so glad I got to see where he was. He was in this war for 6 years and 23 days, he went in at seventeen and came out at twenty three. He came home, married my mom and had 3 children, they were married 70 years. I buried him last year at the age of 96, he was a great man and my hero.
Thank you for your comments my friend... What a great hero... It was such a special experience for me visiting all these historic paces in Kiribati where you father fought the Japanese so many years ago..
Did your dad fought on Vella La Vella, zmunda and on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands WWII 1943 to 1945? Am from SEV, Vella La Vella on westen Province area of Solomon Islands
bloody marvellous set of videos, thanks not only for the days you spent filming and editing, but also for the no doubt hard work spent researching all relevant material... I really enjoyed it, can't say much more !! 🙂
Hi, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!! You are absolutely right, it took days getting there, filming these sights, editing the videos, etc.. Not to mention the research and the learning that one needs to go through in order to create a historic video such as this one.. Thank you again!!
I have never used the phrase "bloody marvelous" before. But I do now! I completely agree. I have a deep attachment to the extensive history around WWII. The lessons from that tragedy are timeless. Vic's videos are extremely great. I'm now getting old enough that I'm not going to get to any of these places myself, so seeing them like this is very, very meaningful.
Great presentation Vic. You obviously spent much time in research, and it is evident. It is utterly detestable how the locals have trashed what are such historic and hallowed grounds. I was actually wincing at some parts. Tremendous work, Vic. Thank you!
This is great work. This video gives a first hand perspective of a very important point in history most will never get to experience themselves. Vic, I feel you did a wonderful job, in both videos, showing the layout of the area as well as describing what occurred on Tarawa. There is not much film documentation, historic or modern, that captures or projects the events of those significant days on Tarawa in WW2. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and share.
Thank You for all your hard work on videos of all these historic sites.....dear to families whose sons took part in the liberation of this island......Kevin Rich
Well done! You are a blessed man to be able to travel to all these places of great historical importance. Thank you for your efforts to share these experiences.
great video, it gives me a kind of peaceful feeling knowing that at some point this beautiful island was a raging battlefield but now its calm and quiet and you're able to just walk around old installations.
Thank you much for all the time and effort you have done for all these videos. Have only watched a few but, they are all good in very informative. So nice of you to share with everyone.
Great and very informative video...thanks for putting in the effort to do that Vic....Shame the memorial park is not looked after or respected as it should be.
Absolutely incredible!! Vic and what sight. As you show its so evident that huge battle took place there with a lot damage guns and fortification building bunkers especially the one with the large concrete building with huge bombarded holes in the wall and completely riddled bullet scaring as well.. Looks like that particular building got shot up the other day and that the Japanese and Americans were fighting tooth and nail to have that island and what hammering they did so with so many losses. Really shocking nowadays to see the amount of rubbish that is left around the island. Like you say in the other sister video needing to where footwhere in the bay because of unsurprising sharp objects in the sea floor. It's beggar's belief in place to chill relax that a beautiful location has previously seen a war over 70 years ago and now the island is facing up to another issue.. Thank you for sharing this brilliant video vic very interesting 👍 😊 👍
Hi Vic, thanks for the reply. Tarawa was fought by the 2nd Marine Division. The brave Navy seamen brought them in. It's the most infamous battle of the 2nd Marine Division. Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tinian etc were fought with some US Army but Tarawa was the 2nd Marine Division. And of course the Marines are a branch of the US Naval service. Thanks for making this video. Wish my dad was still here to see it. regards, Jim Crue
+James Crue Thank you for clarifying all this, I have learned something new. By the way, I visited Guadalcanal and Saipan as well, such historic places!!
Once again , thanks for the very informative video . We sit at home with a glass of wine watching your travel adventures while you do all the hard footwork , you put us to shame . One question , are there any maintained war graves on Tarawa ?
This battle was the first of the island hopping campaign and like you pointed out in the video the military adapted quickly so fewer lives would be lost. I have always been fascinated with this battle, maybe b/c of the battle footage I have seen. A lot of it was used in a John Wayne WW2 movie, I think the Iwo Jima one. Amazing to see what it looks like so many years later and seeing a house built against a concrete bunker. There was a famous quote from the Japanese general in charge of defending the island ( I forgot his name now) who said "A million men would not take this island in 100 years". The irony is it took 3 days and maybe 30,000 men.
Great job you accomplished Appreaciate your time effort has these areas been cleared of mines and are the ships in the back ground partially sunk enjoyed the video very much thank you Marc c
I remember watching a video a few years ago of a marine veteran who returned to the island and he was in tears with sadness and bitter with anger over all the trash everywhere...
I know what you mean... It got me furious too.. I will be going back soon, I heard that as a result of this video, they have now cleaned up the place..
Nice vid Vic. There were no better defenses encountered anywhere, Pacific or Europe. Also, there was information passed on to Navy planners about the possibility of a low tide that would prevent the larger landing craft from going over the reef, seen in the background in some of the shots. Consequently, many Marines had to wade ashore from distances of 700 yards in some places. Imagine the guts and determination it took to do that with mortar rounds and bullets flying all around you. It was boasted by the Japanese Commander that it would take a million men one hundred years to take Betio. It only took the Marines 3 days. God bless the Marines.
Thank you for the video. I've read a number of books about the battle. You know what would be helpful, should you ever go back and capture more video? Perhaps take a map, and point out where you are on the map and then show the structures. Thanks again!
Actually Vic is right. They were bought by the Japanese from the British prior to the Russo Japanese war ie prior to WWI. When the ships they were mounted on were scrapped they were used for coastal defence and these ones ended up in Tarawa. The Singapore story apparently started with some misreporting in the US media during the war, including the otherwise brilliant documentary “With the Marines at Tarawa”. Great videos Vic.
Thankyou for this interesting documentary!, -- my parents took part in WW2 in a totally different part of the world, between Finland and Russia, they were both at the front in Carelia/Finland, where i am from - regards ,Levi
... It is sad what has happened to Betio, Japan placed Iwo Jima under restricted access and is closed to the General Public. So a lot of the fortifications are still intact and Japanese remains lay undisturbed. Why the US didn't do the same is unfathomable, nearly half of the US Marines buried there were left and remain MIA.
13:25 not just cramped, but insanely loud. The poor field of view would make it a death trap. It looks hot and humid there, great video, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing Vic the old war relics in Tarawa, for a small island it was one of the most brutal battles in the Pacific and I myself is most interested in WWII History. If you would like to see more of this old war relics, you should visit Corregidor Island and there is definitely a lot of WWII history remnants there both American and Japanese. You will find it most interesting.
600joe Hi.. I passed Palau a few months back and unfortunately, I did not make it to Peleliu, I spent 5 days in Koror (the capital) and then continued my trip towards the Solomon Islands..
A friend of mine fought here ,Guadalcanal and Okinawa and Saipan. Later Korea. Then Vietnam. He was in 2nd Marines division. He survived all 3 conflicts although minimal time in Nam. He carried bits of shrapnel and lead the rest of his life
Excelent video. Part of history, I worked at a Vickers plant in England before I came to USA where Spitfires were made during WWII . thanks for this video.
Love your videos Vic. Just came across this gem. Garbage was sad. Its global too..... Basically means it'll never get fixed until it threatens the human species. :( I'm obsessed with the Pacific Theater as of late and videos like yours are like Opium to me lol Peace man. I'm wondering now...... in the U.S our Coastlines are cleaned up by everyone really. Property owners, resorts, Community Services, Government agencies and Citizens and on and on. Are those beaches there like that because nobody cares to clean or is it like a Pacific Current/Enviro thing? I'm sure our beaches would look like that if nobody cleaned up for a period of time..... maybe worse. Just wondering? Thanks
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 👍👍👍 Unfortunately, there are thousands of beautiful beaches in the Pacific Ocean that are completely neglected and full of garbage..
It is so cool to see all this stuff that is still here close to 75 years later. One wonders what other things were there ( more valuable ) that have been taken. One also wonders why/how this all has remained. Is it protected from scrappers? or?
Thank you for this wonderful informative documentary.. I had tears in my eyes when I saw all the garbage in the US memorial park.. These people should get to work and clean up their Island. A historical place. RIP all those brave Marines and sailors. Thank you.
please keep producing these videos there amazing, such an educated guy just a heads up Vickers is pronounced like the name vicky but with the ers on the end, my whole front room is a mini ww1/ww2 museum you name it I've got it from Lee Enfield rifles to a German stick grenade, next time in UK your more than welcome round, i live next to Shoreham Airfield Britain's oldest Airfield, theres loads of artifacts around here best wishes and thankyou for your vids.
It does sound better the way you said it though gives it a somewhat more rugged sound, I've got some amazing photos to show you, will try and pm them to you on fb later. can't explain why but I've always been fascinated by this conflict, and based my school history course work on the battle of Tarawa, was the only B I ever got lol, have got photos of that tank in your video just after it was disabled in conflict.
my dad was in the 18th combat engineers, flame throws and demolition. He landed with Lt. Alan G Leslie and Deane Hawkins scouts and snipers. They landed on the long pier before the main assault. Hard to believe anyone survived. Dad had already been to Guadalcanal then to Saipan and tinning after Tarawa. I wish the fellow on this video referred to the Americans as Marines and not soldiers.
+James Crue You raise a good point here regarding me referring to the Americans as 'soldiers' instead of 'Marines'. I did that because there was more than one part of the armed forces that participated in this assault and not just the Marines... If you think that this is incorrect in any form, please do let me know...
+Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures There were two land battles in the pacific fought exclusively by the United States Marine Corps: Tarawa and Iwo Jima. Of course, the United States Navy participated in all of the invasions of the Pacific War, and the Medical Corpsmen for the Marines were provided by the Navy. In all of the other campaigns of the Pacific, the United States Army participated with the Marines or fought alone. Of particular note, the Army mopped up on Guadalcanal and Okinawa was a joint operation from the beginning. The Philippines was an Army operation as was New Guinea. The Marianas were divided between the Army and the Marines.
Thank you for all this information,.. my information came from wikipedia which mentions that both, the Marines and the Army participated in the assault, here is the exact text: ' On board the transports was the 2nd Marine Division and a part of the Army's 27th Infantry Division, for a total of about 35,000 troops.'
That cannon at 22:00 looks like a high explosive was set off inside the barrel. It could have possibly been an accidental squib load (a bad shell fails to fire the projectile out of the barrel, the next shell is loaded into a blocked barrel) or, it was destroyed by putting an explosive inside the barrel. I would bet the Marines took that area and destroyed it by stuffing a charge down the muzzle end. It's hard to tell exactly without a close examination but that barrel has all the signs of an over pressure failure. Anyways, not nitpicking, this is a great tour of the area.
The last guns you described are not 14CM weapons but are in fact 75mm dual purpose guns. Four of them were along Red Beach One. Since the battle they have been moved for various reasons.
Some recent information here... The remains for 22 American servicemen had been recovered from the island earlier this July (with 429 still unaccounted for). Just makes you wonder how many Japanese are also still lying buried somewhere here. Speaking of which, have you ever come across any of the mass graves that the Americans had dug for the enemy? Even if it had been the enemy, it's still hard to imagine they would've been left unmarked.
The tides shift the sand and any debri on it. I've seen very heavy metal debri 'walk' along a beach over time. Even concrete bunkers can wander down the sand for a paddle given enough time.
I lived on Tarawa (in Bikenibeu)as a teenager with my family in the early 1980s and remember all the rusting ordnance lying around, and hearing the stories of the brutal Japanese occupation and the subsequent battle. You would come across shell casings from time to time as you paddled in the lagoon at low tide. There were people you could talk to who had been there in 1942 when it all happened. Litter has got a lot worse since then, and as bad as it is, it reflects the social problems facing the islanders. Incidentally Kiribati is pronounced "Keeribass" It's the way their alphabet spells "Gilberts", the island previously being part of the Gilbert Islands. Ironically, the Gilbertese alphabet doesn't contain the letters "G", "L" or "S" ("G" is written as "ki", L is written as "ri" and "s" being written as "ti")
I believe the garbage situation on the beach was the result of Cyclone Pam. The same storm that put that ship up on the beach. That side of Batio was devastated.
SUPER MAN Tiger tanks were German.. I did, however, find a Sherman tank buried in the sand and that video is coming up in the future.. Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!! If you have not done so by now, please subscribe to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world, here is the link: www.youtube.com//user/vstefanu?sub_confirmation=1
My guess is that /this still could have been bypassed. My Dad was my hero too. Lucky for him the war ended some where out to sea from Hawaii for him. My Daddy drove an LCVP.
Hi Steve, thank you for your comments. A lot of historians have claimed that bypassing these far away, Japanese occupied areas, would have saved thousands of American lives..
Cool you've got time to respond. I'd like to see some of these places/well/guess I got my wish. Daddy passed in November 2003. I've asked him before about returning/ he said/It wouldn't look the same. Just like a kid still/I would ask him about that time/even when he was in the hospital/ not knowing that it was gunna be good bye for a time. But/I asked if he could still see the things he say /he answered yes. I ask if it was important that he put in where he was supposed to. His answer was/YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT./ HA! June 1926 to November 2013
@@stevepope5484 Hi Steve, thank you for your comments. You daddy was right, these places in Tarawa do not look the same as during the time he was there.. Maybe you could visit one day too, to see when your father has been and what he experienced..
...VIC....remember you first name, VIC...then simply add ..KERS... and you come up with VICKERS, the maker of the cannons.........just a help, I hope.....
The Gilbertese or Kiribati alphabet has 5 vowels and 8 consonants. The combination of "ti" makes an s sound. "tu" sometimes makes "sue" So Kiribati is pronounced, Kiribas or Gilbert's in their native tongue. I was a missionary there for 2 years and I spoke the language fluently. It's been so long ago and with no one to speak to, I lost some of it.
What a story these places have to tell! So telling,though,that for the poor individuals who actually have to survive there now,day to day,that all that matters is their next meal,fresh water and where to discard the never-ending garbage and human waste. The fleeting battles that once were and the men who died in these places,(men of both sides),must count for less than nothing in the eyes of the present population.Their battle looks like a never ending one.I feel sadness for the sacrifice and loss,-what has been,what occurred here in the WW2 and pity for the people who live here still.Nothing "nice" about this place. Thank you for your posting and the effort it must have taken.
+cappnzak Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. You are absolutely right, it is difficult living and surviving there, I spent a lot of time in Kiribati and I experienced life...
The 'technique" the Marines had for detecting these bunkers was to draw their fire. It's guaranteed to work but you pay a heavy price in blood and for those who survive they're never quite the same. There is a very steep learning curve.
Thank you for doing this video. I'm quite interested in WW2 history and the locations today. This would be a wonderful place for a resort. It is indeed a shame the locals don't appreciate the area and try to keep it cleaned up. Nothing like making the place you live a s***hole. If they were living as their ancestors there wouldn't be trash, as their lifestyle didn't produce trash.
Kiribati is a country. There are 33 islands or atolls in Kiribati. There are 3 group of islands that make up Kiribati. The Line Group, the Phoenix Group and the Gilbert Group. There are 16 atolls or islands in the Gilbert group. Tarawa is one of the atolls in the Gilbert Group and Betio was one many village islets on Tarawa atoll and is now called a town. Hope it helps to know the difference between Kiribati, Gilbert, Tarawa and Betio. They are not one and the same as the video implies. An educational video though.
Did you happen to cross a steel bridge connecting 2 of the main islands of Tarawa? I was with the Seabees and we removed and replaced the old bridge that was there back in 2009.
That's what I was saying. We replaced the whole bridge back in 2009. So I was wondering what the current condition is. It doesn't help that people always jump off and splash salt water on the bridge.
If I could put photo here, you could see the holes through the decking. The big issue is the humidity, up to 80-90% every day with sea water running under it, and the ocean only a few hundred metres away. Average daily temperature is about 28 degrees during the wet season, and around 31 degrees during the dry. Day AND night. It is cold if it gets to 25 degrees. The water top metre is also around 28 degrees ALL year round.
Quite a number of factual errors, but nonetheless, very interesting. All your directions (I think without exception!) are out by 90 degrees. so when you talk about the south-west corner, it is actually the south-east and so on. What you call Red Beach 3 (about 39.5 mins) is actually Red 2, with Red 1 beyond. You get a bit confused with some of your gun calibers, but correct the last one! The soccer pitch isn't actually on the old runway. I mention these for historical accuracy only, I enjoyed the video and will watch more. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this documentary, Awesome finds... So sad that such historic place is been treated like a landfill..: you can watch History Hunter WW2 great guy, he do documentary about Finding places and Relics from the WW2 period in Europe...
Thanks for your hard work and information! But, Tarawa was not nearly one of the "deadliest battles" of the War. Compared to the real deadly battles, Tarawa was little more than a skirmish --- the Battle of the Bulge alone caused 20X more U.S. dead, and by Eastern Front standards even the Bulge was a skirmish. Large battles can involve a million men; Betio was fought over by a few thousand Nips and Americans. The remarkable thing about Betio Island is it's extremely small size, and the shock that something so small could cause so much death. Most people fail to understand how tiny the island is; you can damn near throw a baseball from one beach to another. About the size of a really big back yard.
Hi and thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos. The battle of Tarawa has been named as one of the deadliest not because of the number of the dead, but, for the number of dead marines (and Japanese soldiers) per hour of battle, fo the first 2 days...
Thank you Vic, I am just now seeing this video. My dad was a US marine and fought in this war and on this island. He didn’t talk about the war much but I am so glad I got to see where he was. He was in this war for 6 years and 23 days, he went in at seventeen and came out at twenty three. He came home, married my mom and had 3 children, they were married 70 years. I buried him last year at the age of 96, he was a great man and my hero.
Thank you for your comments my friend... What a great hero... It was such a special experience for me visiting all these historic paces in Kiribati where you father fought the Japanese so many years ago..
Did your dad fought on Vella La Vella, zmunda and on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands WWII 1943 to 1945? Am from SEV, Vella La Vella on westen Province area of Solomon Islands
Sorry for your lost ,Great memories also to my country WW2 Battle of Tarawa
bloody marvellous set of videos, thanks not only for the days you spent filming and editing, but also for the no doubt hard work spent researching all relevant material... I really enjoyed it, can't say much more !! 🙂
Hi, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!! You are absolutely right, it took days getting there, filming these sights, editing the videos, etc.. Not to mention the research and the learning that one needs to go through in order to create a historic video such as this one.. Thank you again!!
I have never used the phrase "bloody marvelous" before. But I do now! I completely agree. I have a deep attachment to the extensive history around WWII. The lessons from that tragedy are timeless. Vic's videos are extremely great. I'm now getting old enough that I'm not going to get to any of these places myself, so seeing them like this is very, very meaningful.
@@guitlover71 I'm 'chuffed' to hear that, it's definitely one of the most expressive terms in UK English, cheers :-)
Thanks for the tour, Vic. A fascinating look at a place I'll probably never be lucky enough to visit.
+liljgoneman Thank you for viewing my videos!!
Thank you for this video Vic, you did a great job and I really like your passion for the subject.
Hi, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
Fantastic video Vic. Very informative and very interesting indeed.Greatbvideos you did in Solomons as well. Thank you again
Many thanks!
Great presentation Vic. You obviously spent much time in research, and it is evident. It is utterly detestable how the locals have trashed what are such historic and hallowed grounds. I was actually wincing at some parts. Tremendous work, Vic. Thank you!
Hello, thank you for your comments!! 👍👍👍
My grandfather was there in that horrid battle. Thank you for sharing what he saw in much much milder conditions.
Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!!
This is great work. This video gives a first hand perspective of a very important point in history most will never get to experience themselves. Vic, I feel you did a wonderful job, in both videos, showing the layout of the area as well as describing what occurred on Tarawa. There is not much film documentation, historic or modern, that captures or projects the events of those significant days on Tarawa in WW2. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and share.
Hi Jeremy, thank you for your wonderful comments! I wish I could go back there again!!
Thank You for all your hard work on videos of all these historic sites.....dear to families whose sons took part in the liberation of this island......Kevin Rich
Hi Kevin, thank you for your wonderful comments!
Well done! You are a blessed man to be able to travel to all these places of great historical importance. Thank you for your efforts to share these experiences.
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 👍👍👍
great video, it gives me a kind of peaceful feeling knowing that at some point this beautiful island was a raging battlefield but now its calm and quiet and you're able to just walk around old installations.
It’s a great historic place to visit, thank you for watching!! 👍👍👍
Great Docu Vic. I really enjoyed as I am very interested in WWII. Thank you so much from Holland!
Hi Jorn, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
Thank you so much Vic, your videos are brilliant. keep it up.
Thank you!!
Vic, you are an absolutely fascinating speaker, I'd like to thank you sharing this priceless knowledge and video.
Excellent videos.Thanks for all your hard work Vic.
Hi, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
You are an Excellent teacher & Historion! Please make more vidieos like this!
Thank you my friend, there are many videos like this one on my channel..
I must admit I had NO idea so much "stuff" is still there...THANK YOU so much...tempts me to visit !
Thank you Vic for posting all your excellent videos on youtube as I have learned a lot from you on WW2.
Hello my friend, thank you for these wonderful comments! 👍👍👍
@@VicStefanu Keep up your great work!
@@JackFlemingFan1 👍👍👍
Absolutely fascinating and thank you for your marvelous hard work.
Thank you for viewing my videos!
Thank you much for all the time and effort you have done for all these videos. Have only watched a few but, they are all good in very informative. So nice of you to share with everyone.
Thank you for your comments!
Great and very informative video...thanks for putting in the effort to do that Vic....Shame the memorial park is not looked after or respected as it should be.
Hi Tony, thank you for your comments!!
VERY INTERESTING VIC THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTERESTING JOB
Glad you enjoyed it!!
Absolutely incredible!! Vic and what sight. As you show its so evident that huge battle took place there with a lot damage guns and fortification building bunkers especially the one with the large concrete building with huge bombarded holes in the wall and completely riddled bullet scaring as well.. Looks like that particular building got shot up the other day and that the Japanese and Americans were fighting tooth and nail to have that island and what hammering they did so with so many losses. Really shocking nowadays to see the amount of rubbish that is left around the island. Like you say in the other sister video needing to where footwhere in the bay because of unsurprising sharp objects in the sea floor. It's beggar's belief in place to chill relax that a beautiful location has previously seen a war over 70 years ago and now the island is facing up to another issue.. Thank you for sharing this brilliant video vic very interesting 👍 😊 👍
Hello my friend, thank you for these wonderful comments! 👍👍👍
Hi Vic, thanks for the reply. Tarawa was fought by the 2nd Marine Division. The brave Navy seamen brought them in. It's the most infamous battle of the 2nd Marine Division. Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tinian etc were fought with some US Army but Tarawa was the 2nd Marine Division. And of course the Marines are a branch of the US Naval service.
Thanks for making this video. Wish my dad was still here to see it.
regards,
Jim Crue
+James Crue Thank you for clarifying all this, I have learned something new. By the way, I visited Guadalcanal and Saipan as well, such historic places!!
Very nice video. Thank you very much for sharing it.
Thank you for viewing my channel!!
Thank you for making this doco..I would love to visit one Day, and see that History before it's gone.
Once again , thanks for the very informative video . We sit at home with a glass of wine watching your travel adventures while you do all the hard footwork , you put us to shame . One question , are there any maintained war graves on Tarawa ?
Only a memorial (shown in a different video), all the American dead soldiers (marines, etc) were taken back to the States..
You took me to Betio island through your video...Great share
Awesome! Thank you!
I love your videos! keep up your excellent work!!!!
Thank you!!
Fascinating video documentary. Great incite into the history of the place. Thanks
Hi, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
Thanks for posting. what a beautiful gem of an Island. Hard to believe such a bloody battle was fought there.
+SLYGARR Thank you for viewing my videos!!
+SLYGARR
Unfortunately, the locals don't seem to care about keeping their beaches clean, the place looks like a dump.
+John S True, you can see the environmental disaster at about 35:10..
I thank you so much for your wonderful reporting .You explain everything so great, my heart was racing like I was their. Thank you so much....
+swope conn Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!! Please do not forget to subscribe to my channel!!
This battle was the first of the island hopping campaign and like you pointed out in the video the military adapted quickly so fewer lives would be lost. I have always been fascinated with this battle, maybe b/c of the battle footage I have seen. A lot of it was used in a John Wayne WW2 movie, I think the Iwo Jima one. Amazing to see what it looks like so many years later and seeing a house built against a concrete bunker. There was a famous quote from the Japanese general in charge of defending the island ( I forgot his name now) who said "A million men would not take this island in 100 years". The irony is it took 3 days and maybe 30,000 men.
It was an incredible experience being there... thank you for your comments!!
Great job you accomplished Appreaciate your time effort has these areas been cleared of mines and are the ships in the back ground partially sunk enjoyed the video very much thank you Marc c
You are most welcome!
Thanks you did such a Fantastic job of telling that story of the war.
Hi Ronniw, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
Thank you for your great work!
+stubo666 Thank you for viewing my videos!!
Amazing quality videos!
Thank you!! 👍👍👍
Poor vic..I'm getting sunburned just looking at you..GREAT VIDEO
Hello, thank you for your comments!! 👍👍👍
thank you it was a wonderful video and i enjoyed all the valuable information you gave. I know you did alot of research and am very thankful. Jake.
Hi Jake, thank you for your wonderful comments!!
Excellent history lesson, thankyou!
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 👍👍👍
Amazing vid Vic
Many thanks!! 👍👍👍
I would love to go to these islands and do a tour of the battlefields
They are amazing places and I can't wait to go back there soon!
Good hard work . like it .
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 👍👍👍
Thank you for uploading this documentary. I really enjoyed every story mentioned.
Hello and thank you for viewing my videos!!
I remember watching a video a few years ago of a marine veteran who returned to the island and he was in tears with sadness and bitter with anger over all the trash everywhere...
I know what you mean... It got me furious too.. I will be going back soon, I heard that as a result of this video, they have now cleaned up the place..
Nice vid Vic. There were no better defenses encountered anywhere, Pacific or Europe. Also, there was information passed on to Navy planners about the possibility of a low tide that would prevent the larger landing craft from going over the reef, seen in the background in some of the shots. Consequently, many Marines had to wade ashore from distances of 700 yards in some places. Imagine the guts and determination it took to do that with mortar rounds and bullets flying all around you. It was boasted by the Japanese Commander that it would take a million men one hundred years to take Betio. It only took the Marines 3 days. God bless the Marines.
Hi John, thank you for your comments. I am going back in 2020 and hopefully I can videotape all these sites providing more detailed views..
Thank you for all the hard work
Hi Norman, thank you for viewing my videos!
Thank you for the video. I've read a number of books about the battle. You know what would be helpful, should you ever go back and capture more video? Perhaps take a map, and point out where you are on the map and then show the structures. Thanks again!
Great idea, thank you!!
Awesome commentary!!!!
Many thanks!! 😊😊😊
Thank you for the Excellent video! On a side note the 20cm (8") British Vickers naval guns were brought from Singapore after it's capture.
Thank you for this information, very interesting!
Actually Vic is right. They were bought by the Japanese from the British prior to the Russo Japanese war ie prior to WWI. When the ships they were mounted on were scrapped they were used for coastal defence and these ones ended up in Tarawa. The Singapore story apparently started with some misreporting in the US media during the war, including the otherwise brilliant documentary “With the Marines at Tarawa”. Great videos Vic.
Thankyou for this interesting documentary!, -- my parents took part in WW2 in a totally different part of the world, between Finland and Russia, they were both at the front in Carelia/Finland, where i am from - regards ,Levi
Hi, I have been to Carelia... believe it or not, what a beautiful place and country!!!
... It is sad what has happened to Betio, Japan placed Iwo Jima under restricted access and is closed to the General Public. So a lot of the fortifications are still intact and Japanese remains lay undisturbed. Why the US didn't do the same is unfathomable, nearly half of the US Marines buried there were left and remain MIA.
I know what you mean, thank you for your comments!
Many Mariners were killed in the water.Many blown to pieces.Many decomposed in the water.
Eddie Albert from Green Acres.
Was an Officer on an LCVP during this battle.
13:25 not just cramped, but insanely loud. The poor field of view would make it a death trap. It looks hot and humid there, great video, thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos!!
Thanks for sharing Vic the old war relics in Tarawa, for a small island it was one of the most brutal battles in the Pacific and I myself is most interested in WWII History. If you would like to see more of this old war relics, you should visit Corregidor Island and there is definitely a lot of WWII history remnants there both American and Japanese. You will find it most interesting.
Hello, thank you for your comments and for the suggestions!! 👍👍👍
Thanks Vic. Amazing. Can you get us to Peleliu? Beliliou
600joe Hi.. I passed Palau a few months back and unfortunately, I did not make it to Peleliu, I spent 5 days in Koror (the capital) and then continued my trip towards the Solomon Islands..
A friend of mine fought here ,Guadalcanal and Okinawa and Saipan. Later Korea. Then Vietnam. He was in 2nd Marines division. He survived all 3 conflicts although minimal time in Nam. He carried bits of shrapnel and lead the rest of his life
Hello, thank you for these interesting comments!! 👍👍👍
Excelent video. Part of history, I worked at a Vickers plant in England before I came to USA where Spitfires were made during WWII . thanks for this video.
Thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
My pleasure,My father was killed at the battle of Kohima fighting the Japanese in 1944.
Love your videos Vic. Just came across this gem. Garbage was sad. Its global too..... Basically means it'll never get fixed until it threatens the human species. :( I'm obsessed with the Pacific Theater as of late and videos like yours are like Opium to me lol Peace man. I'm wondering now...... in the U.S our Coastlines are cleaned up by everyone really. Property owners, resorts, Community Services, Government agencies and Citizens and on and on. Are those beaches there like that because nobody cares to clean or is it like a Pacific Current/Enviro thing? I'm sure our beaches would look like that if nobody cleaned up for a period of time..... maybe worse. Just wondering? Thanks
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 👍👍👍 Unfortunately, there are thousands of beautiful beaches in the Pacific Ocean that are completely neglected and full of garbage..
very good vidio vic thanks
Thank you!
It is so cool to see all this stuff that is still here close to 75 years later. One wonders what other things were there ( more valuable ) that have been taken. One also wonders why/how this all has remained. Is it protected from scrappers? or?
Nothing is protected, everything is exposed out in the open... thank you for viewing my videos!!
Thank you for this wonderful informative documentary.. I had tears in my eyes when I saw all the garbage in the US memorial park.. These people should get to work and clean up their Island. A historical place. RIP all those brave Marines and sailors. Thank you.
Hello, thank you for your thoughtful comments!! 👍👍👍 I agree about all that garbage.. terrible..
please keep producing these videos there amazing, such an educated guy just a heads up Vickers is pronounced like the name vicky but with the ers on the end, my whole front room is a mini ww1/ww2 museum you name it I've got it from Lee Enfield rifles to a German stick grenade, next time in UK your more than welcome round, i live next to Shoreham Airfield Britain's oldest Airfield, theres loads of artifacts around here best wishes and thankyou for your vids.
Thank you for your wonderful comments.. Unfortunately, I found out the correct way of pronouncing Vickers AFTER I finished the videos... :((
It does sound better the way you said it though gives it a somewhat more rugged sound, I've got some amazing photos to show you, will try and pm them to you on fb later.
can't explain why but I've always been fascinated by this conflict, and based my school history course work on the battle of Tarawa, was the only B I ever got lol, have got photos of that tank in your video just after it was disabled in conflict.
my dad was in the 18th combat engineers, flame throws and demolition. He landed with Lt. Alan G Leslie and Deane Hawkins scouts and snipers. They landed on the long pier before the main assault. Hard to believe anyone survived. Dad had already been to Guadalcanal then to Saipan and tinning after Tarawa. I wish the fellow on this video referred to the Americans as Marines and not soldiers.
+James Crue You raise a good point here regarding me referring to the Americans as 'soldiers' instead of 'Marines'. I did that because there was more than one part of the armed forces that participated in this assault and not just the Marines... If you think that this is incorrect in any form, please do let me know...
+Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures There were two land battles in the pacific fought exclusively by the United States Marine Corps: Tarawa and Iwo Jima. Of course, the United States Navy participated in all of the invasions of the Pacific War, and the Medical Corpsmen for the Marines were provided by the Navy. In all of the other campaigns of the Pacific, the United States Army participated with the Marines or fought alone. Of particular note, the Army mopped up on Guadalcanal and Okinawa was a joint operation from the beginning. The Philippines was an Army operation as was New Guinea. The Marianas were divided between the Army and the Marines.
Thank you for all this information,.. my information came from wikipedia which mentions that both, the Marines and the Army participated in the assault, here is the exact text: ' On board the transports was the 2nd Marine Division and a part of the Army's 27th Infantry Division, for a total of about 35,000 troops.'
His name is Vic ,not fellow.
Great vids . Thank you sir .
Glad you like them!
love your videos i appreciate the effort and expense
Hi, thank you for viewing my videos and for your wonderful comments!!
Most of the garbage looks modern and cleanup needs to start with the locals....
Unfortunately it is all modern and it gets dumped on the beach because there is no other place..
... It's Trump's fault 😉...
lol
@@828enigma6 DUDE.... he was making a joke
Pack it in........pack it out!
That cannon at 22:00 looks like a high explosive was set off inside the barrel. It could have possibly been an accidental squib load (a bad shell fails to fire the projectile out of the barrel, the next shell is loaded into a blocked barrel) or, it was destroyed by putting an explosive inside the barrel.
I would bet the Marines took that area and destroyed it by stuffing a charge down the muzzle end. It's hard to tell exactly without a close examination but that barrel has all the signs of an over pressure failure.
Anyways, not nitpicking, this is a great tour of the area.
Hello, thank you for your comments!! 👍👍👍 I heard that the marines blew this one on purpose, as you suggested..
Thank you for your appreciation for military history! Tarawa was a terrible lesson to learn for the the then War Department and the US Marines!
Thank you for your comments!!
Nice coverage of Shibsaki's Command Post and the Vickers rifles. The locals are pigs though! Great job Vic.
Hello, thank you for your comments!!
The last guns you described are not 14CM weapons but are in fact 75mm dual purpose guns. Four of them were along Red Beach One. Since the battle they have been moved for various reasons.
Hi George, you are right, the guns shown at 39:00 are too small to be 14cm guns.. they are 75mm indeed (7.5cm), thank you for the correction!
Some recent information here... The remains for 22 American servicemen had been recovered from the island earlier this July (with 429 still unaccounted for). Just makes you wonder how many Japanese are also still lying buried somewhere here. Speaking of which, have you ever come across any of the mass graves that the Americans had dug for the enemy? Even if it had been the enemy, it's still hard to imagine they would've been left unmarked.
Yes, I visited the Japanese mass grave in Guadalcanal, dug by the Americans, on Tetere beach, I have a video from that site..
great vid,I learned alot,thanks
Thank you for viewing my videos!!
The tides shift the sand and any debri on it. I've seen very heavy metal debri 'walk' along a beach over time. Even concrete bunkers can wander down the sand for a paddle given enough time.
Thank you for your comments!
The large block house facing the invasion beaches was the Command bunker.
Hello, thank you for the clarification! 👍👍👍
I lived on Tarawa (in Bikenibeu)as a teenager with my family in the early 1980s and remember all the rusting ordnance lying around, and hearing the stories of the brutal Japanese occupation and the subsequent battle. You would come across shell casings from time to time as you paddled in the lagoon at low tide. There were people you could talk to who had been there in 1942 when it all happened. Litter has got a lot worse since then, and as bad as it is, it reflects the social problems facing the islanders. Incidentally Kiribati is pronounced "Keeribass" It's the way their alphabet spells "Gilberts", the island previously being part of the Gilbert Islands. Ironically, the Gilbertese alphabet doesn't contain the letters "G", "L" or "S" ("G" is written as "ki", L is written as "ri" and "s" being written as "ti")
Hi, thank you for this information and for viewing my videos!!
@@VicStefanu Thank YOU for this wonderful video!
@@tomsdottir Thank you!
The view is so beautiful. It's so sad that tens of thousands perished in such picturesque settings in the most inhuman conflict in history.
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The destroyed 20cm/8" gun was taken out by one of the opening salvos from USS Tennessee.
I doubt, it doesnt show explosive damage, it was probably just disassemled and left there
Very Interesting
Thank you!!
Great video Vic, its a crying sham about the rubbish how can they live that way ? I think most pig pens are cleaner mate.
I was very deeply disappointed with the garbage situation there.. thank you for viewing my videos!!
I believe the garbage situation on the beach was the result of Cyclone Pam. The same storm that put that ship up on the beach. That side of Batio was devastated.
A non educated population.
@@Billy2Tubes Pam is a poor painter...
Nice work there did you find any old rect Tiger Tanks ?
SUPER MAN Tiger tanks were German.. I did, however, find a Sherman tank buried in the sand and that video is coming up in the future.. Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!! If you have not done so by now, please subscribe to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world, here is the link:
www.youtube.com//user/vstefanu?sub_confirmation=1
You found a Sherman tank that's amazing was it a firefly what was it ? I like your videos so I will sub to your Chanel .
SUPER MAN I am not sure what type it was, the video will be uploaded very soon. When you see it, if you recognize the type, let me know please..
Ok no problem I will watch it and thanks for taking the time to post your video .
Again, thank you for being so appreciative! It is sad that lives were sacrificed but only to be venerated by a trash dump!!
Thank you for your comments!!
SHAME...SHAME...SHAME on the evidence of pollution !! ....and to think this was a US Memorial...damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn !!!
My guess is that /this still could have been bypassed.
My Dad was my hero too.
Lucky for him the war ended some where out to sea from Hawaii for him.
My Daddy drove an LCVP.
Hi Steve, thank you for your comments. A lot of historians have claimed that bypassing these far away, Japanese occupied areas, would have saved thousands of American lives..
Cool you've got time to respond.
I'd like to see some of these places/well/guess I got my wish.
Daddy passed in November 2003.
I've asked him before about returning/ he said/It wouldn't look the same.
Just like a kid still/I would ask him about that time/even when he was in the hospital/ not knowing that it was gunna be good bye for a time.
But/I asked if he could still see the things he say /he answered yes.
I ask if it was important that he put in where he was supposed to.
His answer was/YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT./
HA!
June 1926 to November 2013
@@stevepope5484 Hi Steve, thank you for your comments. You daddy was right, these places in Tarawa do not look the same as during the time he was there.. Maybe you could visit one day too, to see when your father has been and what he experienced..
...VIC....remember you first name, VIC...then simply add ..KERS... and you come up with VICKERS, the maker of the cannons.........just a help, I hope.....
The Gilbertese or Kiribati alphabet has 5 vowels and 8 consonants. The combination of "ti" makes an s sound. "tu" sometimes makes "sue" So Kiribati is pronounced, Kiribas or Gilbert's in their native tongue. I was a missionary there for 2 years and I spoke the language fluently. It's been so long ago and with no one to speak to, I lost some of it.
Thank you for your comments!!
What a story these places have to tell! So telling,though,that for the poor individuals who actually have to survive there now,day to day,that all that matters is their next meal,fresh water and where to discard the never-ending garbage and human waste.
The fleeting battles that once were and the men who died in these places,(men of both sides),must count for less than nothing in the eyes of the present population.Their battle looks like a never ending one.I feel sadness for the sacrifice and loss,-what has been,what occurred here in the WW2 and pity for the people who live here still.Nothing "nice" about this place.
Thank you for your posting and the effort it must have taken.
+cappnzak Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. You are absolutely right, it is difficult living and surviving there, I spent a lot of time in Kiribati and I experienced life...
The 'technique" the Marines had for detecting these bunkers was to draw their fire. It's guaranteed to work but you pay a heavy price in blood and for those who survive they're never quite the same. There is a very steep learning curve.
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Thank you for doing this video. I'm quite interested in WW2 history and the locations today. This would be a wonderful place for a resort. It is indeed a shame the locals don't appreciate the area and try to keep it cleaned up. Nothing like making the place you live a s***hole. If they were living as their ancestors there wouldn't be trash, as their lifestyle didn't produce trash.
Hello, thank you for your comments!! 👍👍👍
Wow ,did anyone else notice the bronze greeke statue ? On the white tropical beach ,it was in perfect condition.
Kiribati is a country. There are 33 islands or atolls in Kiribati. There are 3 group of islands that make up Kiribati. The Line Group, the Phoenix Group and the Gilbert Group. There are 16 atolls or islands in the Gilbert group. Tarawa is one of the atolls in the Gilbert Group and Betio was one many village islets on Tarawa atoll and is now called a town. Hope it helps to know the difference between Kiribati, Gilbert, Tarawa and Betio. They are not one and the same as the video implies. An educational video though.
+Taakei Taoaba Thank you for all the info and for viewing my videos...
Did you happen to cross a steel bridge connecting 2 of the main islands of Tarawa? I was with the Seabees and we removed and replaced the old bridge that was there back in 2009.
+B Mart. Yes, I did, you can find the video here: ruclips.net/video/pSGdP9GHc44/видео.html
The bridge fix was only temporary. It needs total replacement. The decking has holes through it big enough to lose your foot
I know, I crossed that bridge and I remember every detail...
That's what I was saying. We replaced the whole bridge back in 2009. So I was wondering what the current condition is. It doesn't help that people always jump off and splash salt water on the bridge.
If I could put photo here, you could see the holes through the decking. The big issue is the humidity, up to 80-90% every day with sea water running under it, and the ocean only a few hundred metres away. Average daily temperature is about 28 degrees during the wet season, and around 31 degrees during the dry. Day AND night. It is cold if it gets to 25 degrees. The water top metre is also around 28 degrees ALL year round.
Quite a number of factual errors, but nonetheless, very interesting. All your directions (I think without exception!) are out by 90 degrees. so when you talk about the south-west corner, it is actually the south-east and so on. What you call Red Beach 3 (about 39.5 mins) is actually Red 2, with Red 1 beyond. You get a bit confused with some of your gun calibers, but correct the last one! The soccer pitch isn't actually on the old runway. I mention these for historical accuracy only, I enjoyed the video and will watch more. Thanks!
Hi and thank you for all the corrections! Much appreciated!!
Thank you so much for this documentary, Awesome finds... So sad that such historic place is been treated like a landfill..: you can watch History Hunter WW2 great guy, he do documentary about Finding places and Relics from the WW2 period in Europe...
Hi and thank you for viewing my videos. I know if his channel and I follow him..
was concrete available locally or was it imported by the japanese
It was all imported
Thanks
The island is so small that you can't help but think that someone could have been killed anywhere you step.
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The Japanese defenders of Tarawa were the "Tokubetsu Rikusentai" The special naval landing force. Japanese Marines.
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Most of the weapons and ammo were dumped over the other side of the reef when the G.I.s left after the war. I'm sure those things are still visible .
Hi, thank you for this information and for viewing my videos!! I walked all over but I did not see the dumped ammunition boxes..
Thanks for your hard work and information! But, Tarawa was not nearly one of the "deadliest battles" of the War. Compared to the real deadly battles, Tarawa was little more than a skirmish --- the Battle of the Bulge alone caused 20X more U.S. dead, and by Eastern Front standards even the Bulge was a skirmish. Large battles can involve a million men; Betio was fought over by a few thousand Nips and Americans. The remarkable thing about Betio Island is it's extremely small size, and the shock that something so small could cause so much death. Most people fail to understand how tiny the island is; you can damn near throw a baseball from one beach to another. About the size of a really big back yard.
Hi and thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos. The battle of Tarawa has been named as one of the deadliest not because of the number of the dead, but, for the number of dead marines (and Japanese soldiers) per hour of battle, fo the first 2 days...
muy bueno ¡¡