My fathers tank was hit by anti tank guns at the second airfield on Iwo Jima. His whole crew was killed and he lost the back part of his left leg. He has a few pages in Bill D. Ross book Iwo Jima. Look him up. William R. Adamson God rest his sole. He died at age 92. I am named after his driver of that tank Kris Kristensen, He was suppose to be awarded the Navy cross for his actions on that day but his commanding officer went crazy and the paper work never went through. I tried two Commandants of the Marine Corp to get that medal. It never happened but I don't think it would have mattered to my father. He was more concerned to learn the name of the Corpsman that carried him to the beach. I miss you pops.
my grandfather was also a pacific war veteran, he served on the USS Salt Lake City. I remember him telling me about one of the night skirmishes which tried to stop the flow of japanese reinforcements in the solomon islands campaign.
My dad was a 19 year old Marine infantryman in WWII. He took part in the Southwest Pacific campaign on Bougainville in 1943. He was wounded by shrapnel and earning a Purple Heart for his trouble. When he he recovered and joined his unit, he would've been part the invasion force of the Japanese home islands. The A-bombs made that campaign a mute point and he instead served as part the Japanese occupation forces. After a brief period out the service, he relisted into Marines in 1948 and served in Korea and Vietnam before retiring. He's now passed on as well. RIP to those veterans of the Greatest Generation for their service and sacrifice, some of who departed back then on the battlefield and to those who have departed more recently. And to those of who are still with us thank you for your service!
@@gordonlandreth9550 My Dad's war experiences in the Marines weren't his only interesting military highlights. After Korea he was bazooka instructor. He served in a Marine detachment with United Nations in post-war 1950s Europe. He then became a DI (I have his DI pic). In 1958 he was deployed to Beirut, Lebanon with the Marines for peacekeeping duties. Before I was born in 1959, Dad had already participated in two foreign wars. By the early sixties he was sent to Puerto Rico (Roosevelt Roads). There was the Cuban Missile Crisis going on in 1962. He was then transferred to Camp Pendleton MCB in California in 1964. The following year he was deployed to SE Asia as part of Operation Starlite in Vietnam. He was rotated home in 1966 and stayed in Marines until he retired in 1968. He had 22 1/2 combined years in service 1942-1945 = 2 1/2 years for WWII/SW Pacific-Japan. 1948-1968 = Korea, Beirut, Europe, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam. My Dad disliked talking about his war experiences and his service time. He didn't open up to me about any of it until he was well in to his latter 60s and early 70s. He had quite the experience, no doubt. Be well.
As a former M-41 gunner, I loved that tank. I've always wondered what it was like to be a tank gunner in the Pacific; roasting hot, humid, sweat pouring off of you, and that heat getting worse with each round fired. Give those Marines and soldiers all the credit they deserve.
I was light infantry. I cant imagine what living in a tank is like. I would think it's a treat when the weather is inclement. Better than sleeping under a poncho in rain and cold.
The bravery of this soldiers is just inimaginable to me,it was just brut force against brut force, I don´t understand how they were able to fight without having an emotional brakedown and just run away from the enemy. Cheers from Chile
As a former Marine Tank Commander, there are far and few stories about our Tankers. Thank you for providing us with this historical account. Also, respect to my Army Tanker brethren.
same, all they teach are the events, when they happened and the political and humanitarian effects and stuff. whenever i try and study for any history topic, weather it would be the american civil war, ww2 etc. i would always get sidetracked and end up watching videos like these lol
They only teach who won the wars, as if they were glorified rounds of musical chairs. Nothing about the technologies, the strategies, the motives, the life-changing stories, instead it's only the meaningless trivia that you forget as soon as the semester is over.
One of the best videos I have seen explaining exactly how the war in the Pacific was actually fought. With a great emphasis on the tanker contribution to the battles. A viewpoint that is rarely told in such depth and brutal honesty.
My Great Uncle Louis Spenello was on the Island of Siapan when he died while serving with the USMC, killed by a Japanese sniper Japan when going inland! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SELFLESS SERVICE LOVE AND RESPECT FROM AN OL 19D CAVALRY SCOUT
My history teacher in high school was a Navy Corpsman with the Marines during island hopping in WWII. We got him talking and he showed us film reels of the battles. He also told us of things general public never knew. Like nurses being accosted and captured Marines used for bayonet practice. It was brutal.
Robert: Our 6th. grade teacher, Mr. Miller, told us he was a veteran of WWII. We were too young to ask questions of his role in the service. I remember he would raise and lower his arm with a clenched fist which meant ("hurry up" in the service) and come in to class for us playing outside.
I remember reading the book "Ghost Soldiers" about the Bataan death march in the Philippines, think was the first time I ever got nightmares from a war book 😅
Here in Saipan, we have several of those Shermans still in the lagoon, as well as some type 97 and 95 Japanese tanks. There is a type 97 just about 1/4 mile from my office and 2 Shermans in the lagoon, less than a half mile. I like swimming out to the shemrans. Pretty cool.
@@williamstidham9526 Also my friend, Dan Chase, has a youtube channel, Diving Saipan, where he posts a lot of things you might find interesting. ruclips.net/channel/UCYtgB547I_9jSv4gKtfspSA
Thank you from America my Friend, enjoyed the videos, I don’t have Facebook so unable to see pictures, My son may have Facebook and maybe I can see what you been doing there, He likes History as well, God bless and stay safe on your adventures
ill be honest with ya friend. i really wish i could win the lottery ( a gamboling thing here dunno if ya know) and bring back those beasts to America if anything to serve as memorials to those we lost and as pieces to honor the dead.
When we lived in the Philippines, 1956-58, there were several at Lingayen, and up in the mountains by Bagio, I found one way back in the boonies, Crew still aboard. I reported it to the AP's, who disbelieved at first, but eventually they recovered the remains, All bones and uniforms by that time, but 4 names off the MIA lists.
One of my Uncles fought a Sherman tank for the CANADIAN army through Italy and then Holland into Germany. He maintained that speed and finding hull down opportunities was better than armour. He went through 7 tanks, 2 to AT guns but 5 to mines. He was very grateful to get wet stowage for the 75 mm rounds. He'd give away the pintle mounted 50 Browning to jeeps or Bren gun carriers so they had more firepower 🔥 That way he could carry more 30 caliber coax ammo. The 50 cal also made the already tall Sherman profile too high. The 50 and its boxed ammo could block the escape hatch - Shermans brewed up pretty fast, so getting out was something they practiced. It was supposed to be for anti air and they never once had to deal with German aircraft-but they did get strafed by some of our own fighters
As a Marine in Viet Nam (Jan '69-Aug '70) I would like to acknowledge our Canadian brothers for their contribution of the "flame thrower", something I did not know until this video. I was close enough to a napalm mission in Viet Nam that exacted the same effect as described of the flame thrower, it is a scary situation when it sucks the air right out of your lungs. ✌
My stepfather was a plank holder in the 6th Marine Tank Battalion on Okinawa. He was part of the rescue of the cut off squad on Sugar Loaf Hill in the Shuri Line.
Iwo Jima seems like such an unimposing speck of land when you look at it today, especially Mt. Sirabachi. That mountain probably looked like Everest plopped on top of an island designed to be defended. Pulling up to that in a landing craft must have been quite intimidating.
The Sherman appeared to be "The Tiger tank of the Pacific". It outclassed the Japanese tanks in the same manner the Tiger and Panthers outclassed it in Europe
The big difference being that the M4 was a main battle tank, whereas Tiger tanks were rarely encountered by Allied armor units. So in a way the M4 was even more dangerous.
Don't forget that American tanks were easy to fix and repair in the field, thanks to modular designs and parts. German tank blew a cylinder? Gotta send it back to Berlin to get an entire new engine. Sherman blew a cylinder? Quick trip to your local vehicle depot and you're good as new.
@@redaug4212 Yeah , the Sherman was more dangerous because it was gas powered instead of diesel , and should have been fitted for a 90 mm cannon . Thousands of lives would have been saved in WW 2 if just these changes had been made .
Ｉ didn't know that tank battles between Japan and USA had been conducted and anti tank guns virsus tanks fighting had been doing in Ｉousima and Okinawa. And they had been very deadly. Ｉ am always taught on your video. Very thanks for your downlord.
When you look up the number of Army Divisions in the Pacific theater, you become amazed at the size of the war there. The Marines did great work, yes, but the Army had to be there. The Marine Corps only had so many men. This video is a rare, in that nobody ever talks about tanks in the Pacific. Thanks.
21 Army Divisions across the 3 Pacific areas , MacArthurs forces were mostly Australian up till the Philipines invasion late in the war ( this is almost totally ignored by historians of the Pacific war ). 12 Australian Army Divisions including an Armoured Division just in the SW Pacific , 6 Marine Divisions Central Pacific . The Island hopping was brutal but came late in the war .Small islands dramatic bombardements with dramatic dashes to the beach . Confined combat better to film than the brutal bloody slog in the SW Pacific ( New Guinea) . The Bulk of the fighting from 42 to 44 was in the South West Pacific & was mainly done by the Australian Army with American support ( over 3000,000 Japanese troops on New Guinea ) .Many of the Australian troops were verterans of the middle east & had fought against the Italian & Germans at Crete Greece Tobruk & Alamein .As well as the French in Syria ( yes the French not all were on our side ).
@@blakelowrey9620 Blake,the M-60 A-3 was no doubt my favorite.The M1A1 is a great tank but is high maintenance .The M-60 A3 is like the Energizer bunny.It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!
The Australians used tanks in New Guinea. The belief was that they could not operate in Jungle warfare. My father served with the 2/7 advance unit and Tanks were used as Bunker Busters to great effect. They originally used Stuarts, Matildas and Lee/Grants. It was a difficult environment for tanks but where they were able to operate proved of immense value to the Aussie infantry as they tried to reduce well dug in Japanese, and again, the Australians used them in Vietnam where their support proved very effective, the Centurion being the Aussie MBT.
I have a stack of books on Marine tank operations Pacific, Korea, Nam and some on the two Gulf War operations.. A friend was on Okinawa 2nd attempt to take Sugarloaf. Too many tanks lost to side hits from well dug in 47mm AT guns in the area.
Interesting/informative/educational. Special thanks to the veteran tanker’s sharing personal information/combat experiences making this documentary more authentic and possible. Realistic animated battlefield scenes.
If you want an interesting account by someone that was there, find a copy of WWII From the Turret, by Dwight Strickler. He and my grandfather were in the same unit,, both tank drivers, and two of only four (of 124!) to not be killed or wounded so badly they could remain in service.
The Pacific was not just a Marine battle, many Army divisions also participated and captured several islands too. Including the 81st Infantry Division.
As a Marine veteran, I was disappointed that this video did not mention that their were 4 US Army Divisions on Saipan too as compared with the 2 Marine Divisions. And the Army always had more tanks then the Marines.
My uncle was with the Army in Bouganville. Drafted away from his professional baseball career. Got very sick on Bouganville and that was the end of that. He never mentioned the war once.
The Central Pacific was mostly USMC. The NY 27th Inf Div was in reserve on Saipan and eventually brought in. The Army was more engaged in the South Pacific.
My dad hated the Marines. He was in the Largest Japanese Banzai Attack of WWII. While the Marines were in the high ground, the 27th Army Division was in the Valley of Death. Any military strategist know that it is always best to be in the high ground. The Marines were in command over the Army on Siapan, which is why the Marines took the high ground.
I’m not sorry for saying this. This Doco like many forget Papau New Guinea, Philippines, largely Okinawa and dozens of other Islands were taken by US ARMY. Which resulted in many tank battles.
Typically by 1944 a US Army tank battalion in the Pacific had 53 M4 Shermans, 6 M4 Sherman flamethrower tanks, 17 M5 Stuarts, 6 81mm mortar teams, 3 M4 81mm mortar halftracks and 68 trucks.
Even after this. Great Men died. And today! Most do not know of the sacrifice of those for Freedom. These documentary should be played in schools so kids would know what others have died for to give them freedom! For myself! I'll never know if I'd had the courage to do what these men did. I salute all that served our great country. Navy, Marines Army Air Force Coast Gaurd WASP. And to the people that supported our Troops. Amen America! God's country.
Good morning friend. I read one of your other comments where you said your Dad was in the 1st Marines at Tarawa during WWII. You said that you wanted to know more historical info about your dad's Marine Corps experiences, I believe. Do you have his DD214? That document shows his time in service, his commendations and awards received plus his various campaign participation. Contact the Marine Corps (start with their main number or Camps Lejeune or Pendleton) directly and ask them your questions. Do you have your late father's dog tags with his name, rank and serial number? The USMC will need that info. Happy hunting.
@@jchapman4842 All I have is his name and rank and place of enlistment. I have no idea what happened to his records. He died in 1976. Same for my grandfather who was a veteran of the Indian Wars and a Spanish American War Cuba vet. I'm sure his story would be absolutely fascinating. I know more about my ancestor who was a Revolutionary War Sea Captain and died in an English prison for harassing shipping off the west coast of England.
never ceases to amaze me that the Japanese Empire expanded over such a vast distance, with incredible developments in military technology and industrial capacity from the mid/late 1800s and yet in the end, from 1943 onwards, they were reduced to desperate, last ditch suicidal attacks against the enemy, be it with infantry, tanks or aircraft. How could such an advanced society believe that a war could ever be won with fanaticism?
It wasn't about winning it was about the peace deal, preferably the USA stop it's oil embargo and the losse of minimal territory, however only two islands stood like they wanted all of them to be, Okinawa and Iwo Jima....
the whole thing with pearl harbor was to basicly kick us in the crotch in an effort to weaken our navy and get us to the negotiating table (it failed in both aspects, even though they struck our battleships at pearl harbor, aircraft carriers were what were more important which they failed to destroy as they were in San Diego at the time and the strike only ended up pissing us off)
Also the Italian Royal Army used the 47mm gun with anti tank function. And the same model was also mounted on Light tanks M14/41 during the North African campaign. But its effectiveness against the Sherman tanks was nil... And the same against the Russian T34 and British Matilda cruiser tank...
Yes, unfortunately the contributions of the US Army in the Pacific are largely overlooked. Not to mention the other Allied countries. We owe the Australians in particular a lot. They fought a number of battles in the South before the Marines even set foot on Guadalcanal
@@L_Trainthe Australian played a key role in Guadalcanal canal they often used as early warning of Japanese air and naval attack and that’s how the Cactus Airforce In Henderson Field Managed to fight off attacks
This video completely omits the reconquest of the Philipines, I've hears that the tank battle of greatest magnitude of them all took place at Luzon, while Americans were advancing on Manila.
The battle of Manila in February of 1945 is not fit for television documentaries like this. It might have been the most brutal battle in human history. The most disturbing things I've ever read and have heard uttered by vets from all the wars Americans have fought in since 1917 were all from Manila in February 1945.
yeah until i visited Spain, i didnt realise Guadalcanal was named after the home town of the Spanish explorer who discovered it. and "Guadal" is a Spanish derivative of the Arabic word for "river".
G Gordon Liddy would relate a story from his show years ago. A friend of his was a Pacific tanker crewman. The crewman would take the severed heads of Japanese soldiers, impale the heads on sticks and wedge the sticks into the Sherman tanks,,,,then go into battle. What a sight this must have been.
Technically a war crime, but everyone (especially Japanese) were playing fast and loose with the rules. The Geneva convention was seen but them as "a cowards code". No quarter given or asked.
The contributions of the ANZACs and Canadians is almost always overshadowed by the British and Yanks. The truth is they couldn't have done it without you (the South Africans and all the other countries).
I’m from the Marshall Islands (pacific ocean) Born and raised🇲🇭 moved to US at 17 now I’m 22 of age.. I can’t forget my islands where there are still tanks in the beaches that are old and damaged.. and the stories my grandparents would always tell me till now I realized they weren’t lying about the war that happened while they were so young🥺
@@crazywarriorscatfan9061 The worst Banzai Attack of WWII was given credit to the wrong people. The strange little decal on the tanks were there to cover up ARMY STARS
@@jamesmooney8933 Okay. Let's see the proof. If you give me a reliable source that supports your claims, then I'll admit defeat and you'll win this debate.
@@crazywarriorscatfan9061 I think he's referring to war correspondent Robert Sherrod's report that Army soldiers supposedly "cowered" while the 5,000-man banzai charge was stopped by a single Marine artillery battalion. Which of course was complete bunk, but the damage has nonetheless been done to the 27th's reputation.
" . . . the role of the Tank in the Pacific War has been untold." Well, maybe under emphasized, but not untold. In Micheners' Tales of the South Pacific (1946), tanks play a pivotal role in the fictional Landing At Kuralei, as one example.
The experimental O-I tanks the Japanese were developing could have been interesting to see, but the war ended before they could be implemented. There was also the factor that they were going to be too heavy to transport to the islands.
"There was also the factor that they were going to be too heavy to transport to the islands." The same to why we used Shermans in Europe, easy to ship, where the heavies would be more of a problem. With our shipping capacity after 1943, it seems kind of lame.
My grandfather fought in the south pacific, the stories he told me were incredible! The suicide raids, sleeping in the jungle....crazy. He was a great man
one of the best in fact. :) and i see a lot of similar qualities today in some of the youth but soo many of them are just incompetent millennial screenagers
As a former Marine I shouldn't complain. But you should have labeled this "Marine Tank Crews" in the Pacific. There's no mention of all the Army Tank crew's actions. Except their famous screwup sending Tanks against Japanese positions without Infantry support on Okinawa.
@@redaug4212 Bro it's been 80 years, it's amazing they had anyone to interview for this... There's probably no one too interview, even if they wanted to.
@@hawkshot867 70 years actually. This documentary was made in 2010. Regardless, even if there was no one to interview, there are still plenty of first-hand accounts to reference. I think they just didn't want to bother focusing on the Army.
The 27th Army Division was in the South Pacific. My father was a machine gunner on an ARMY TANK. My father was attacked by the Japanese in the Largest Banzia Attack of WWII. Okaniwia was in the Pacific. My father's Army Tank was in that landing. So there were Army Tanks in the South Pacific.
@@aquastar1182 The 27th Army Division took the brunt of the Siapan Banzai Attack. The 27th Army Division was placed in what became the Valley of Death while the Marines were in the high ground. Look at the Video. The Tanks were devoid of markings except for a strange elephant symbol , because the Army Star was being covered up by the NAVY. My father's 27th Army Division deserves credit. The reason the 27th was sent to the Pacific was that the Marines lacked Tanks. My father trained under Patton for a year in the California Desert. He did not want to go to the Pacific.
Tragic regarding the civilians, they obviously thought that the American military would treat them like their military treated civilians and prisoners. Such a big difference in cultures.
Ahh when your own bombardment makes holes that your tanks get stuck in. Its one of those things that you think they should have anticipated, but at the same time you get that it sounds like something that might slip off your mind once in a while.
like how D-Day beaches were 'prepared' the Brits had the right idea we thought a shirt would stoppa round...they finally caught on later but damnit man
@@kenneth9874 everything I've read about that 'raid' was it was more about swiping a radar set up the Germans had an to let the Amer. Rangers get their 'feet wet' so to speak.
I'm hoping that we both learn our past history that affect many innocent people hoping that we can avoided this in a near future for good thank and let's pray for the safety of all
The pacific war was particularly brutal as Japan did not comply with the Geneva Convention. To them if One surrendered they were worse than lice and treated as such. My Great Uncle fought against them in Hong Kong and the stories he told me were unreal.
Imagine treatment of Americans by the Japanese if they won the war ? We had examples of that in their POW camps. Those dead Japanese soldiers were going to make it happen.
@@teekey1754 For what they did to POWs and to the not yet commie chinese people, and further to the Vietnamese and the Koreans made the Imperial Japanese deserve every bullet, shell, bomb, incendiary device, flamethrower flame, and nuclear detonation.
My father went ashore on Saipan day 7 and served as part of a tank crew. He never discussed anything about his service in much detail. He mentioned they would use the tanks to recover dead and wounded and I know he saw some nasty stuff. Not sure if the Japanese anti tank devices were a thing on Saipan. My dad quit h.s. and enlisted because he knew he'd be drafted. He was not even 19 when he fought on Saipan by my estimation. I think that what was the only action he was in. He mentioned Tinian but when he died and we got his service record no mention of Tinian but Okinawa.... Not sure if he saw action on Okinawa or perhaps was stationed there for a time before going to mainland Japan in 45. He always bragged about all the stuff he did in Japan like hot rodding boats and trucks. At some point after Saipan he was in Australia. We tend to think like it was the same groups of soldiers fighting each battle but the training and logistics for the 1940's boggles my mind. Marines made my dad a tough individual til the day he died. God bless Marines
This was a good vid. I really liked the footage of the flame throwing tanks in action. Can you imagine what that would have been like in person? The Japanese soldiers were conditioned to die to the last man, but the flip side for their opponents is that you pretty much have to kill 9+ out of 10 of them to win. Surrender is kind of an anomaly with Imperial Japanese soldiers. So we end up with tank that kill not only with burning liquid fire but with asphyxiation. What strange barbarism, eh?
Sure did. Both of my grandfathers fought in the Pacific. One used to tell me that during the battle of Saipan they didn't even have time to clean up as they were building airfields to get the bombers flying over Japan. Told me they used flamethrowers extensively and there was Japanese corpses so badly charred they looked like fallen branches, almost frozen in time in the position they died. No one cleaned them up for weeks.
The Japanese fought for ten years in China and Manchuria before meeting the USMC and USN. CHINA had no effective navy and only the AVG…Flying Tigers…for an Air Force. It’s easy to be the best in your neighborhood when you only fight those you outmatch. In America, especially re the USMC, Japan met its match.
I like the way he described the Japanese Tin Lizzie of a Tank as heavy armor, what!!! Crazy stuff ha ha. To my ears, Mr. Dunkel almost sounds like Clark Gable. He even has a mustache similar to good 'Ol Mr. Gable.
I've always wondered how each side figured out how many tanks to ship to each location... how many shells to send, and how to actually ship them. I don't think either side had those huge cargo planes that could carry a few tanks each. So everything was transported by cargo ship..... hundreds if not thousands of miles of sea water between ports. Amazing!
My fathers tank was hit by anti tank guns at the second airfield on Iwo Jima. His whole crew was killed and he lost the back part of his left leg. He has a few pages in Bill D. Ross book Iwo Jima. Look him up. William R. Adamson God rest his sole. He died at age 92. I am named after his driver of that tank Kris Kristensen, He was suppose to be awarded the Navy cross for his actions on that day but his commanding officer went crazy and the paper work never went through. I tried two Commandants of the Marine Corp to get that medal. It never happened but I don't think it would have mattered to my father. He was more concerned to learn the name of the Corpsman that carried him to the beach. I miss you pops.
my grandfather was also a pacific war veteran, he served on the USS Salt Lake City. I remember him telling me about one of the night skirmishes which tried to stop the flow of japanese reinforcements in the solomon islands campaign.
My dad was a 19 year old Marine infantryman in WWII. He took part in the Southwest Pacific campaign on Bougainville in 1943. He was wounded by shrapnel and earning a Purple Heart for his trouble. When he he recovered and joined his unit, he would've been part the invasion force of the Japanese home islands. The A-bombs made that campaign a mute point and he instead served as part the Japanese occupation forces. After a brief period out the service, he relisted into Marines in 1948 and served in Korea and Vietnam before retiring. He's now passed on as well. RIP to those veterans of the Greatest Generation for their service and sacrifice, some of who departed back then on the battlefield and to those who have departed more recently. And to those of who are still with us thank you for your service!
@@jchapman4842 holy cow! not just pacific campaign but also Korea (the forgotten war) AND vietnam?!
@@jchapman4842 Always fascinating to hear about 3 war vets , there are not many of them for obvious reasons .
@@gordonlandreth9550 My Dad's war experiences in the Marines weren't his only interesting military highlights. After Korea he was bazooka instructor. He served in a Marine detachment with United Nations in post-war 1950s Europe. He then became a DI (I have his DI pic). In 1958 he was deployed to Beirut, Lebanon with the Marines for peacekeeping duties. Before I was born in 1959, Dad had already participated in two foreign wars. By the early sixties he was sent to Puerto Rico (Roosevelt Roads). There was the Cuban Missile Crisis going on in 1962. He was then transferred to Camp Pendleton MCB in California in 1964. The following year he was deployed to SE Asia as part of Operation Starlite in Vietnam. He was rotated home in 1966 and stayed in Marines until he retired in 1968. He had 22 1/2 combined years in service 1942-1945 = 2 1/2 years for WWII/SW Pacific-Japan. 1948-1968 = Korea, Beirut, Europe, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam. My Dad disliked talking about his war experiences and his service time. He didn't open up to me about any of it until he was well in to his latter 60s and early 70s. He had quite the experience, no doubt. Be well.
As a former M-41 gunner, I loved that tank. I've always wondered what it was like to be a tank gunner in the Pacific; roasting hot, humid, sweat pouring off of you, and that heat getting worse with each round fired. Give those Marines and soldiers all the credit they deserve.
just the opposite of the tanks in Europe, where it got so cold, skin would stick to the metal
I was light infantry. I cant imagine what living in a tank is like. I would think it's a treat when the weather is inclement. Better than sleeping under a poncho in rain and cold.
@@jasonhutter7534 none of it sounds fun, If politicians had to go to fight the wars, there wouldn't be any more
The bravery of this soldiers is just inimaginable to me,it was just brut force against brut force, I don´t understand how they were able to fight without having an emotional brakedown and just run away from the enemy. Cheers from Chile
@@hb-ol9octhere was nothing more hardcore than the Marines vs the Japanese. Nothing
As a former Marine Tank Commander, there are far and few stories about our Tankers. Thank you for providing us with this historical account. Also, respect to my Army Tanker brethren.
This was on a TV series long ago. These guys have stolen content from the original people, and act like they've done the research!
As a Brit, thank you for your service and the sacrifices made by your brave young countrymen who gave so much for our freedom.
Great info, love ❤️ your vision as well, Hope to see more soon
Thank you for your service sir.🙂
" TREADHEADS " :
INFANTRYMEN 's BIG GUN ,
" ON THE WAY "
ARMOR RULES
I love hearing these war stories of battles and perspectives that aren’t taught in history classes
same, all they teach are the events, when they happened and the political and humanitarian effects and stuff. whenever i try and study for any history topic, weather it would be the american civil war, ww2 etc. i would always get sidetracked and end up watching videos like these lol
They only teach who won the wars, as if they were glorified rounds of musical chairs. Nothing about the technologies, the strategies, the motives, the life-changing stories, instead it's only the meaningless trivia that you forget as soon as the semester is over.
trying to learn history in class is the same as reading a book only from it's synopsis
I love hearing "hi my name's Dan Snow..."
the issue with these is that they are in some aspect, also glorified.
One of the best videos I have seen explaining exactly how the war in the Pacific was actually fought. With a great emphasis on the tanker contribution to the battles. A viewpoint that is rarely told in such depth and brutal honesty.
My Great Uncle Louis Spenello was on the Island of Siapan when he died while serving with the USMC, killed by a Japanese sniper Japan when going inland! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SELFLESS SERVICE LOVE AND RESPECT FROM AN OL 19D CAVALRY SCOUT
I'm honored to be born in that island as an American citizen.
Y u f 7th t it 8 y y
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@@NATO32Nations 🇯🇵 Once enough.
Least we forget sorry for your loss great Hero
My history teacher in high school was a Navy Corpsman with the Marines during island hopping in WWII. We got him talking and he showed us film reels of the battles. He also told us of things general public never knew. Like nurses being accosted and captured Marines used for bayonet practice. It was brutal.
Robert: Our 6th. grade teacher, Mr. Miller, told us he was a veteran of WWII. We were too young to ask questions of his role in the service. I remember he would raise and lower his arm with a clenched fist which meant ("hurry up" in the service) and come in to class for us playing outside.
@@jgstargazer IDK where you went to school but where I did plenty of us middle schoolers were ww2 and vietnam nerds. Go Rockets!
In Burma our troops found our captured soldiers, bayoneted, wrapped in barbed wire and tortured, captives were rarely taken after that.
By "accosted" I'm assuming you're using a euphemism for something a bit more brutal.
I remember reading the book "Ghost Soldiers" about the Bataan death march in the Philippines, think was the first time I ever got nightmares from a war book 😅
Here in Saipan, we have several of those Shermans still in the lagoon, as well as some type 97 and 95 Japanese tanks. There is a type 97 just about 1/4 mile from my office and 2 Shermans in the lagoon, less than a half mile. I like swimming out to the shemrans. Pretty cool.
Could you maybe someday do a video and post it please, would be a point in time to remember,
@@williamstidham9526 I have a facebook account where I posted many photos.
@@williamstidham9526 Also my friend, Dan Chase, has a youtube channel, Diving Saipan, where he posts a lot of things you might find interesting.
ruclips.net/channel/UCYtgB547I_9jSv4gKtfspSA
Thank you from America my Friend, enjoyed the videos, I don’t have Facebook so unable to see pictures, My son may have Facebook and maybe I can see what you been doing there, He likes History as well, God bless and stay safe on your adventures
ill be honest with ya friend. i really wish i could win the lottery ( a gamboling thing here dunno if ya know) and bring back those beasts to America if anything to serve as memorials to those we lost and as pieces to honor the dead.
When we lived in the Philippines, 1956-58, there were several at Lingayen, and up in the mountains by Bagio, I found one way back in the boonies, Crew still aboard. I reported it to the AP's, who disbelieved at first, but eventually they recovered the remains, All bones and uniforms by that time, but 4 names off the MIA lists.
great thing done by you.
Thanks for returning 4 boys back home
I salute you!
4 down and 55k to go!
One of my Uncles fought a Sherman tank for the CANADIAN army through Italy and then Holland into Germany.
He maintained that speed and finding hull down opportunities was better than armour.
He went through 7 tanks, 2 to AT guns but 5 to mines.
He was very grateful to get wet stowage for the 75 mm rounds.
He'd give away the pintle mounted 50 Browning to jeeps or Bren gun carriers so they had more firepower 🔥
That way he could carry more 30 caliber coax ammo.
The 50 cal also made the already tall Sherman profile too high.
The 50 and its boxed ammo could block the escape hatch - Shermans brewed up pretty fast, so getting out was something they practiced.
It was supposed to be for anti air and they never once had to deal with German aircraft-but they did get strafed by some of our own fighters
As a Marine in Viet Nam (Jan '69-Aug '70) I would like to acknowledge our Canadian brothers for their contribution of the "flame thrower", something I did not know until this video. I was close enough to a napalm mission in Viet Nam that exacted the same effect as described of the flame thrower, it is a scary situation when it sucks the air right out of your lungs. ✌
Welcome home sir
Thank you for serving. Your experience is beyond what most of us can imagine.
Welcome back. So glad you made it.
God bless!
My stepfather was a plank holder in the 6th Marine Tank Battalion on Okinawa. He was part of the rescue of the cut off squad on Sugar Loaf Hill in the Shuri Line.
To anyone watching this that video and served in the military….Thank you for your service!
Agreed!! Both past and present!! 👍
Iwo Jima seems like such an unimposing speck of land when you look at it today, especially Mt. Sirabachi. That mountain probably looked like Everest plopped on top of an island designed to be defended. Pulling up to that in a landing craft must have been quite intimidating.
Very grateful I get the chance to listen to these men tell their story.
The Sherman appeared to be "The Tiger tank of the Pacific". It outclassed the Japanese tanks in the same manner the Tiger and Panthers outclassed it in Europe
The big difference being that the M4 was a main battle tank, whereas Tiger tanks were rarely encountered by Allied armor units. So in a way the M4 was even more dangerous.
@@redaug4212 Correct. Also more reliable. Seeing a Tiger on the Western European Front was rare.
Don't forget that American tanks were easy to fix and repair in the field, thanks to modular designs and parts. German tank blew a cylinder? Gotta send it back to Berlin to get an entire new engine. Sherman blew a cylinder? Quick trip to your local vehicle depot and you're good as new.
@@redaug4212 Yeah , the Sherman was more dangerous because it was gas powered instead of diesel , and should have been fitted for a 90 mm cannon . Thousands of lives would have been saved in WW 2 if just these changes had been made .
@@gordonlandreth9550 The m3 was fitted with a 17lb main gun called the Firefly. It could pen the Tiger 2 on front
I love how the Sherman's turret is way too small on the 3d models XD its been like that for years on that show
The Lee Grant played a large role in the South Pacific war. Would have been nice to hear more about it
I'm surprised they didn't move all the M3s to the Pacific theater when the Sherman became available, since they were still useful there.
My Uncle served in the US Army. He fought in Guadalcanal and Burma. God bless that Man.
Ｉ didn't know that tank battles between Japan and USA had been conducted and anti tank guns virsus tanks fighting had been doing in Ｉousima and Okinawa.
And they had been very deadly.
Ｉ am always taught on your video.
Very thanks for your downlord.
Propaganda my friend .
@@Mossyz. ?
@@jackoliver7506 don’t fret, just a nutter.
@@mastro4886 more like a commie
@@jackoliver7506 These are largely synonyms.
When you look up the number of Army Divisions in the Pacific theater, you become amazed at the size of the war there. The Marines did great work, yes, but the Army had to be there. The Marine Corps only had so many men. This video is a rare, in that nobody ever talks about tanks in the Pacific. Thanks.
21 Army Divisions across the 3 Pacific areas , MacArthurs forces were mostly Australian up till the Philipines invasion late in the war ( this is almost totally ignored by historians of the Pacific war ). 12 Australian Army Divisions including an Armoured Division just in the SW Pacific , 6 Marine Divisions Central Pacific . The Island hopping was brutal but came late in the war .Small islands dramatic bombardements with dramatic dashes to the beach . Confined combat better to film than the brutal bloody slog in the SW Pacific ( New Guinea) . The Bulk of the fighting from 42 to 44 was in the South West Pacific & was mainly done by the Australian Army with American support ( over 3000,000 Japanese troops on New Guinea ) .Many of the Australian troops were verterans of the middle east & had fought against the Italian & Germans at Crete Greece Tobruk & Alamein .As well as the French in Syria ( yes the French not all were on our side ).
Thank you brother for the video.I was a tanker on 5 different tanks from the M48s thru the 60s series and finally the M1 A1 Abrams.
Which of your ladies was your favorite?
@@blakelowrey9620 Blake,the M-60 A-3 was no doubt my favorite.The M1A1 is a great tank but is high maintenance .The M-60 A3 is like the Energizer bunny.It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!
Also,the M-M-60 A-3 was the first tank with thermal sights and was equiped with white hot or black hot images.
@ian mackie Your are welcome Mr.Mackie.
" TREADHEAD " BROTHER. MARK :
19 ECHO 10 , FT. KNOX , KY .
ARMOR RULES !
" ON THE WAY "
U.S.A. " THIS WE'LL DEFEND "
The Australians used tanks in New Guinea. The belief was that they could not operate in Jungle warfare. My father served with the 2/7 advance unit and Tanks were used as Bunker Busters to great effect. They originally used Stuarts, Matildas and Lee/Grants. It was a difficult environment for tanks but where they were able to operate proved of immense value to the Aussie infantry as they tried to reduce well dug in Japanese, and again, the Australians used them in Vietnam where their support proved very effective, the Centurion being the Aussie MBT.
Tanks. Respect. These crews weighed down the tank bigtime for a reason. Dad was in Guam. Ww2. Marines
My dad was a tank commander on Guam With the 6 Marines 2nd separate Tank company
My most sincere thanks to the veterans. May God bless them always!!!! 🇺🇸
I have a stack of books on Marine tank operations Pacific, Korea, Nam and some on the two Gulf War operations.. A friend was on Okinawa 2nd attempt to take Sugarloaf. Too many tanks lost to side hits from well dug in 47mm AT guns in the area.
Part of the problem on Okinawa was that it the southern area was the Japanese Artillery training area.
Interesting/informative/educational. Special thanks to the veteran tanker’s sharing personal information/combat experiences making this documentary more authentic and possible. Realistic animated battlefield scenes.
If you want an interesting account by someone that was there, find a copy of WWII From the Turret, by Dwight Strickler. He and my grandfather were in the same unit,, both tank drivers, and two of only four (of 124!) to not be killed or wounded so badly they could remain in service.
The Pacific was not just a Marine battle, many Army divisions also participated and captured several islands too. Including the 81st Infantry Division.
As a Marine veteran, I was disappointed that this video did not mention that their were 4 US Army Divisions on Saipan too as compared with the 2 Marine Divisions. And the Army always had more tanks then the Marines.
My uncle was with the Army in Bouganville. Drafted away from his professional baseball career. Got very sick on Bouganville and that was the end of that. He never mentioned the war once.
The Central Pacific was mostly USMC. The NY 27th Inf Div was in reserve on Saipan and eventually brought in. The Army was more engaged in the South Pacific.
I wish this would have discussed the 1941 and 44 campaign in the Philippines.
@@codyhilton1750 I US Army Division, the 27th Infantry Division. Not 4. Credit to the Army as well.
Japanese admiral: "A million men couldn't take this island in a thousand years" USMC: "We'll see about that."
Marines: CAPPPPP
USMC needed the 27th Army Tank Division.
My dad was in an Army amphibious tractor battalion in the Pacific so he always joked around about the Marines.
My dad hated the Marines. He was in the Largest Japanese Banzai Attack of WWII.
While the Marines were in the high ground, the 27th Army Division was in the Valley of Death.
Any military strategist know that it is always best to be in the high ground.
The Marines were in command over the Army on Siapan, which is why the Marines took the high ground.
Marines: "... And I took that personally."
I’m not sorry for saying this. This Doco like many forget Papau New Guinea, Philippines, largely Okinawa and dozens of other Islands were taken by US ARMY. Which resulted in many tank battles.
The Battle of Manila in February 1945 is not fit for television.
@@hithere7382 yeah it isn't
My father drove a tank in the Pacific theater. He saw lots of action and many army buddies injured and killed.
Respect
Hero
Thanks for this i never realized there was a full on tank battle in the pacific.
Typically by 1944 a US Army tank battalion in the Pacific had 53 M4 Shermans, 6 M4 Sherman flamethrower tanks, 17 M5 Stuarts, 6 81mm mortar teams, 3 M4 81mm mortar halftracks and 68 trucks.
Armored tanks are so amazing, this whole series is amazing.
never heard of an unarmored tank lmao
@@DontStealMyNoEffortName That's what they are.
@@cloudforest4087 there's no such thing as an unarmored tank lmao
@@DontStealMyNoEffortName Just mentioning what a tank is, an armored combat vehicle. But yeah you are right.
@@cloudforest4087 i imagine everyone knows what a tank is
Finally you put the real Pacific Theatre Tank video up. Last time you listed it the video was really about European Operations.
The interviews of these soldiers must have happened in the early to mid 90’s.
2000’s.
4:05. And in the remainder of the video it is shown that the Japanese did not retreat - they stood their ground, but did not reinforce.
They could not
I watch a lot of these documentaries and all I can think of to say is, "Thank you, boys. Thank you."
R.I.P. Greatest Generation! I Know, you told me.
Even after this. Great Men died. And today! Most do not know of the sacrifice of those for Freedom. These documentary should be played in schools so kids would know what others have died for to give them freedom! For myself! I'll never know if I'd had the courage to do what these men did. I salute all that served our great country. Navy, Marines Army Air Force Coast Gaurd WASP. And to the people that supported our Troops. Amen America! God's country.
If they showed videos like this tank series in high school, maybe history class wouldn’t have been so boring.
Of course for real excitement, you could fight in an actual war.
@@jsmariani4180 hopefully not. There’s been far too many already…..
Its so nice to hear about the shermans proving their worth and showing they really werent bad tanks at all
My father cried when he told us about seeing the Sherman tank go over the side with the crew aboard.
I think it was Tarawa.
Good morning friend. I read one of your other comments where you said your Dad was in the 1st Marines at Tarawa during WWII. You said that you wanted to know more historical info about your dad's Marine Corps experiences, I believe. Do you have his DD214? That document shows his time in service, his commendations and awards received plus his various campaign participation. Contact the Marine Corps (start with their main number or Camps Lejeune or Pendleton) directly and ask them your questions. Do you have your late father's dog tags with his name, rank and serial number? The USMC will need that info. Happy hunting.
@@jchapman4842 All I have is his name and rank and place of enlistment.
I have no idea what happened to his records. He died in 1976.
Same for my grandfather who was a veteran of the Indian Wars and a Spanish American War Cuba vet.
I'm sure his story would be absolutely fascinating.
I know more about my ancestor who was a Revolutionary War Sea Captain and died in an English prison for harassing shipping off the west coast of England.
My dad was a tank commander with the 2nd separate tank company of the 6 Marines and that tank that went over the side one man did survive
never ceases to amaze me that the Japanese Empire expanded over such a vast distance, with incredible developments in military technology and industrial capacity from the mid/late 1800s and yet in the end, from 1943 onwards, they were reduced to desperate, last ditch suicidal attacks against the enemy, be it with infantry, tanks or aircraft. How could such an advanced society believe that a war could ever be won with fanaticism?
It wasn't about winning it was about the peace deal, preferably the USA stop it's oil embargo and the losse of minimal territory, however only two islands stood like they wanted all of them to be, Okinawa and Iwo Jima....
@Manuel Camelo not in the modern era.
@@4exgold wrong
@@Definitelynotjewish right
the whole thing with pearl harbor was to basicly kick us in the crotch in an effort to weaken our navy and get us to the negotiating table (it failed in both aspects, even though they struck our battleships at pearl harbor, aircraft carriers were what were more important which they failed to destroy as they were in San Diego at the time and the strike only ended up pissing us off)
Also the Italian Royal Army used the 47mm gun with anti tank function. And the same model was also mounted on Light tanks M14/41 during the North African campaign. But its effectiveness against the Sherman tanks was nil... And the same against the Russian T34 and British Matilda cruiser tank...
To overlook the contribution of the 10th Army's flame throwing tanks, that were loaned to the Marines on Okinawa, is a serious flaw in this story.
Yes, unfortunately the contributions of the US Army in the Pacific are largely overlooked. Not to mention the other Allied countries. We owe the Australians in particular a lot. They fought a number of battles in the South before the Marines even set foot on Guadalcanal
@@L_Train doesn't get the views. It's less about history and more about profit. Historians gotta eat too.
@@L_Trainthe Australian played a key role in Guadalcanal canal they often used as early warning of Japanese air and naval attack and that’s how the Cactus Airforce In Henderson Field Managed to fight off attacks
Cole Phelps and his team took care of business back then. Sadly, Ira Hogeboom never came home from war. Jack Kelso was the man we all wanted to be.
Imho LA Noire is one of rockstar's best games.
I seen alot of old war videos an forgot about alot but they deff didn't tell stories about the tanks, ggz
Never once in school did a history course get past fort Sumter , second rate education, it was as if history stopped at 1850.
And every year they started at the pilgrims and by fifth grade nobody cared about history!
I reallyv wasn't expecting to see that picture/clip of the baby that went over the cliff...
This video completely omits the reconquest of the Philipines, I've hears that the tank battle of greatest magnitude of them all took place at Luzon, while Americans were advancing on Manila.
The battle of Manila in February of 1945 is not fit for television documentaries like this. It might have been the most brutal battle in human history. The most disturbing things I've ever read and have heard uttered by vets from all the wars Americans have fought in since 1917 were all from Manila in February 1945.
Lets hope this is actually about Japan and not Germany like the last time lol
Right.
Such a fake out lol
there's a reason why it was "untold"
@@mafiaejah lol!
I'm not in 3 minutes and have heard a few errors.
When I was younger I used to think Guadalcanal was….some kind of canal.
yeah until i visited Spain, i didnt realise Guadalcanal was named after the home town of the Spanish explorer who discovered it. and "Guadal" is a Spanish derivative of the Arabic word for "river".
G Gordon Liddy would relate a story from his show years ago.
A friend of his was a Pacific tanker crewman.
The crewman would take the severed heads of Japanese soldiers, impale the heads on sticks and wedge the sticks into the Sherman tanks,,,,then go into battle.
What a sight this must have been.
Like a ear collection in Vietnam..
Technically a war crime, but everyone (especially Japanese) were playing fast and loose with the rules. The Geneva convention was seen but them as "a cowards code". No quarter given or asked.
A little rough , but understandable .
during the MO/KS war (1855-1864), Missouri guerrillas hung the scalps of federal soldiers on their saddle pommel.
Awesome... we have a Sherman Tank in a museum here in NZ 👍🇳🇿
nth or sth island?
If you ask Santa Biden In America he will give you a new tank too
The contributions of the ANZACs and Canadians is almost always overshadowed by the British and Yanks. The truth is they couldn't have done it without you (the South Africans and all the other countries).
Saipan was a huge loss for Japan. I’ve read than Japanese military leaders felt that once Saipan was lost, the war was lost.
At least it was actually about the Pacific this time...
I’m from the Marshall Islands (pacific ocean) Born and raised🇲🇭 moved to US at 17 now I’m 22 of age.. I can’t forget my islands where there are still tanks in the beaches that are old and damaged.. and the stories my grandparents would always tell me till now I realized they weren’t lying about the war that happened while they were so young🥺
Constant problem with Marine Corp upper command structure in WWII. Several times they refused help from US Army to help and reduce casualties.
My late father was a coxwain on one of the two lcvps lost on Iwo. It was due to a mistake by another boat crew and not enemy fire.
Well related with excellent detail. The first hand testimony is invaluable.
my father, a marine, along with other living marines, without a sought, have All agreed this a great doc on the pa
Rip to the brave tank crews
My mom lost a first cousin, Cpl,John Highland, 5th Marnine Regiment, 5rh MARDIV.
The 27th Army Division was in the Siapan Banzai attack.
My father's Army tank fought in the Banzai Attack.
Thanks for ignoring my father.
Lmao relax. People like you always find something to complain about
Not every unit and battle/skirmish can be told. The creators are not trying to be disrespctful towards your father.
@@crazywarriorscatfan9061 The worst Banzai Attack of WWII was given credit to the wrong people. The strange little decal on the tanks were there to cover up ARMY STARS
@@jamesmooney8933 Okay. Let's see the proof. If you give me a reliable source that supports your claims, then I'll admit defeat and you'll win this debate.
@@crazywarriorscatfan9061 I think he's referring to war correspondent Robert Sherrod's report that Army soldiers supposedly "cowered" while the 5,000-man banzai charge was stopped by a single Marine artillery battalion. Which of course was complete bunk, but the damage has nonetheless been done to the 27th's reputation.
Thank you all Heroes..R I P HEROES...74 US ARMY 80
" . . . the role of the Tank in the Pacific War has been untold." Well, maybe under emphasized, but not untold. In Micheners' Tales of the South Pacific (1946), tanks play a pivotal role in the fictional Landing At Kuralei, as one example.
The experimental O-I tanks the Japanese were developing could have been interesting to see, but the war ended before they could be implemented. There was also the factor that they were going to be too heavy to transport to the islands.
"There was also the factor that they were going to be too heavy to transport to the islands."
The same to why we used Shermans in Europe, easy to ship, where the heavies would be more of a problem. With our shipping capacity after 1943, it seems kind of lame.
O-I was designed to fight in russia, after the experience at Khalkin Gol.
@@thenumbah1birdmanbut like the tiger 1 & 2 relatability is a big concern
@@kaybevang536 beyond that-how would the transport them effectively? And such an enormous vehicle would be a tempting target for arrillery.
@@kaybevang536You mean reliability was a problem, not relatability, right? 😅
Perfect timing for this video to come out
Always Great. Thanks.
Every time I watch these shows I gain more respect for my grandfather. These men were phenomenal.
"Untold" is an understatement for the stories of Soviet tank crews in the the Far East and Manchuria!
My grandfather fought in the south pacific, the stories he told me were incredible! The suicide raids, sleeping in the jungle....crazy. He was a great man
My papaw to they where probably close papaw army tech 5
one of the best in fact. :) and i see a lot of similar qualities today in some of the youth but soo many of them are just incompetent millennial screenagers
Thank you for American forces for saving Australia in World War 2 you are Brothers for Life
ALLIES, THE AUSSIES WERE WITH. US AFTER 9 / 11 , AUSTRALIA'S MILITARY , THANK YOU !
( MISSING STEVE IRWIN , CRACKIE MATE ! )
How high temp rises in under tropical sun inside the tank? Over the boiling point of gasoline? 35 C 95 F.
The thing about this story is it's ALL true ! UMC did it once again !!!
Darn right they did ! Too bad this is not taught in grade school or high school .
One of the real joys of these is fast forwarding past Dan Snow, but it is nice you got the right video up this time.
As a former Marine I shouldn't complain. But you should have labeled this "Marine Tank Crews" in the Pacific. There's no mention of all the Army Tank crew's actions. Except their famous screwup sending Tanks against Japanese positions without Infantry support on Okinawa.
Agreed, they couldn't even bother to interview an Army veteran to discuss the only segment that involved Army tanks. Just shameful.
This channel never quite seems to get their titles right
Way I learned it in school the army was never there...you didn't see them soldier they were getting ve day nothing to see here xD
@@redaug4212 Bro it's been 80 years, it's amazing they had anyone to interview for this... There's probably no one too interview, even if they wanted to.
@@hawkshot867 70 years actually. This documentary was made in 2010.
Regardless, even if there was no one to interview, there are still plenty of first-hand accounts to reference. I think they just didn't want to bother focusing on the Army.
The 27th Army Division was in the South Pacific. My father was a machine gunner on an ARMY TANK. My father was attacked by the Japanese in the Largest Banzia Attack of WWII.
Okaniwia was in the Pacific. My father's Army Tank was in that landing.
So there were Army Tanks in the South Pacific.
Marines did the heavy lifting in the pacific
@@aquastar1182 The 27th Army Division took the brunt of the Siapan Banzai Attack.
The 27th Army Division was placed in what became the Valley of Death while the Marines were in the high ground.
Look at the Video. The Tanks were devoid of markings except for a strange elephant symbol , because the Army Star was being covered up by the NAVY.
My father's 27th Army Division deserves credit.
The reason the 27th was sent to the Pacific was that the Marines lacked Tanks.
My father trained under Patton for a year in the California Desert. He did not want to go to the Pacific.
@@jamesmooney8933 Marines did the bulk of the fighting in the pacific
@@aquastar1182 The Marines did a lot, but the Army did the bulk of the fighting in the Pacific. They just don't get the same recognition.
Tragic regarding the civilians, they obviously thought that the American military would treat them like their military treated civilians and prisoners.
Such a big difference in cultures.
*Useful information to discover many new things !!! Liked and Subscribed*
People are often mistaken about the role of Army Soldiers in the PacificTheater.
Majority of the troops in the Pacific were army and the majority of amphibious invasions carried out in the pacific were army infantry
I love this narrator 😊
Ahh when your own bombardment makes holes that your tanks get stuck in. Its one of those things that you think they should have anticipated, but at the same time you get that it sounds like something that might slip off your mind once in a while.
K((7
like how D-Day beaches were 'prepared' the Brits had the right idea we thought a shirt would stoppa round...they finally caught on later but damnit man
@@moss8448 like at dieppe?
@@kenneth9874 everything I've read about that 'raid' was it was more about swiping a radar set up the Germans had an to let the Amer. Rangers get their 'feet wet' so to speak.
The best and only review of Tank Battles in the Pacific Theater of War. Excellent, must watch.
Looks like you guys got the title right this time.
I'm hoping that we both learn our past history that affect many innocent people hoping that we can avoided this in a near future for good thank and let's pray for the safety of all
@Rusticle 2.0 It'll be the last thing the chicom ever does.
Jenny , if you love peace prepare for war .
@Rusticle 2.0 I agree , could start any day now over Taiwan .
Protection, fire power, morale boost, but magnet for enemy fire. Blessing and curse for grunts
The pacific war was particularly brutal as Japan did not comply with the Geneva Convention. To them if One surrendered they were worse than lice and treated as such. My Great Uncle fought against them in Hong Kong and the stories he told me were unreal.
What did he tell you?
My full respect to the dead!
Imagine treatment of Americans by the Japanese if they won the war ? We had examples of that in their POW camps. Those dead Japanese soldiers were going to make it happen.
@@teekey1754 For what they did to POWs and to the not yet commie chinese people, and further to the Vietnamese and the Koreans made the Imperial Japanese deserve every bullet, shell, bomb, incendiary device, flamethrower flame, and nuclear detonation.
They fixed it! The Pacific 👌
My father went ashore on Saipan day 7 and served as part of a tank crew.
He never discussed anything about his service in much detail.
He mentioned they would use the tanks to recover dead and wounded and I know he saw some nasty stuff.
Not sure if the Japanese anti tank devices were a thing on Saipan.
My dad quit h.s. and enlisted because he knew he'd be drafted. He was not even 19 when he fought on Saipan by my estimation.
I think that what was the only action he was in. He mentioned Tinian but when he died and we got his service record no mention of Tinian but Okinawa.... Not sure if he saw action on Okinawa or perhaps was stationed there for a time before going to mainland Japan in 45.
He always bragged about all the stuff he did in Japan like hot rodding boats and trucks.
At some point after Saipan he was in Australia.
We tend to think like it was the same groups of soldiers fighting each battle but the training and logistics for the 1940's boggles my mind.
Marines made my dad a tough individual til the day he died.
God bless Marines
My grandfather Roy McCormick was one of the first to mount a napalm flamethrower to a tank in that war I believe.
Good man , he had to use the tools they had to win that tough fight . Tip my cap to Roy Mac .
This was a good vid. I really liked the footage of the flame throwing tanks in action. Can you imagine what that would have been like in person? The Japanese soldiers were conditioned to die to the last man, but the flip side for their opponents is that you pretty much have to kill 9+ out of 10 of them to win. Surrender is kind of an anomaly with Imperial Japanese soldiers. So we end up with tank that kill not only with burning liquid fire but with asphyxiation. What strange barbarism, eh?
The Japanese wanted a war and the Marines gave them one. It just didn't quite go as the Japanese had thought it would.
Sure did. Both of my grandfathers fought in the Pacific. One used to tell me that during the battle of Saipan they didn't even have time to clean up as they were building airfields to get the bombers flying over Japan. Told me they used flamethrowers extensively and there was Japanese corpses so badly charred they looked like fallen branches, almost frozen in time in the position they died. No one cleaned them up for weeks.
The Japanese fought for ten years in China and Manchuria before meeting the USMC and USN. CHINA had no effective navy and only the AVG…Flying Tigers…for an Air Force. It’s easy to be the best in your neighborhood when you only fight those you outmatch. In America, especially re the USMC, Japan met its match.
I'm pretty sure that there were those in the Japanese navy who thought attacking the US was a bad idea.
Excellent video.
My highest regards to these men.
I like the way he described the Japanese Tin Lizzie of a Tank as heavy armor, what!!! Crazy stuff ha ha. To my ears, Mr. Dunkel almost sounds like Clark Gable. He even has a mustache similar to good 'Ol Mr. Gable.
I've always wondered how each side figured out how many tanks to ship to each location... how many shells to send, and how to actually ship them. I don't think either side had those huge cargo planes that could carry a few tanks each. So everything was transported by cargo ship..... hundreds if not thousands of miles of sea water between ports. Amazing!
I swear, this same exact documentary is on 4 different channels, atleast!!
Yeah, I think these are a few years.. decades.. old. :)
@@TheEvilmooseofdoom It was released in 2010.
Ripped off from the history channel