Thank all 3 of you! Excellent info and video! A relative of mine is still there, Kenneth E Ritter,company C was over ran on the night of the 12th, he was wounded by shrapnel and was being dragged to cover when attacked by 3 Japanese and was bayoneted in the legs but Pfc Joseph Rushton killed the attackers. They hid in the jungle till the morning of the 13th and Kenneth passed away, Rushton hid him under a giant fern and he has never been recovered. But thanks again for such a great history lesson with great detail!!! We in Moatsville Wv would love to have him home!!
I get a haunted feeling when he talks about Guadalcanal. Like literally the hair stands up on my arms and neck. He is the right Marine for this. Man all the pacific veterans in my family woulda loved him. I00%
@@rickkephartactual7706 It's pretty fascinating. They have recovered tons of artifacts. He walks along the front line positions and there are loaded clips laying about on the ground still.
Who wants movies and Hollywood BS when you can hear real stories of actual living people like this? Thanks to all three of you. You all (+JP) combine in a wonderful way to bring history alive.
I am looking at Captain Toti on the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast on RUclips. I found Dave Holland because he participates in, and supports, this podcast. Jon Parshall also participates and supports. As well as Drachinifel. These are all second to none sources.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I hope I catch up... This is some awesome material. I have seen many photos and even film footage I have never seen before
Great comment from Dave at the end about how Guadalcanal and New Guinea were two sides of the same campaign, and how interesting it was that the Japanese understood this better than the allies.
Well I for one understood it. And when our down under allies complain about not getting enough help in defending them in their fight in New Guinae, I point to all the Japanese landed in the Solomons to drive a wedge between supplies from Hawaii and them, and the cost the US paid. And remember the US Navy lost more men than the Marines did there just trying to keep that operation from getting shut down.
Australians and New Zealanders contributed so much but McArthur denigrated us. The Americans did not want us or the British involved further north. The Americans did not want us to have any claim to the Marshalls or the Marianis because the US wanted all those islands to become US possessions after the war. We suffered terrible losses mopping up when we should have left the Japanese to starve. There were huge bad feelings about unnecessary loss of life. You neec to read more.
You guys do a great job of bringing the Pacific War to life. Dave is a walking encyclopedia on Guadalcanal--great to have him join you. Thanks Seth and Bill!
I discovered this podcast a few months ago, and what an absolute gem. Thank you so much for your work and passion regarding the Pacific theater of WW2. I know it takes a lot to put it together, and I can't describe how very much I appreciate the education. 😁❤️
Nothing but praise. Excellent detail, with feeling. And deepest respect for the people who put it on the line for their friends, unit mates, and country. 🇺🇸
My Uncle "Gunny Bob" fought at Edson's Ridge and was awarded the silver star for his service. I miss him every day of my life. It breaks my heart that nobody under the age of 40 knows anything about this country and they have no gratitude for the sacrifice that what my Uncle's generation made.
Not everybody, most of them for sure. My youngest is a fan of history, loves military history, currently a E-5, tip of the spear. I give thanks for your uncles service, and thanks for your reverence of him and his generation.
Outstanding presentation on the early part of the Battle of Guadalcanal by Dave Holland a true expert. Great show and a great series commanded by a an impressive team.
Fantastic, thank you. Still smiling at Dave's brilliant stories like, the Marine in the dark of night who joined in with a squad of advancing Japanese.
Been reading/watching WW2 Pacific war history since a boy in the 1960's, this "Unauthorized History", is the best I've ever seen. I'm a geezer at 68. Bravo Gentleman! My mom's 1st husband was a Jarhead in 3rd MARDIV on Bougainville, her 1st cousin with 25 Marines, 4 MARDIV still on Iwo.
This is the best podcast ever! The last few days I've been binge watching, and Seth & Captain (Commodore) Toti are simply a super terrific team! I can't say enough good things about this podcast! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well done. I can almost recognize every book by the color and width. My 1st Guadalcanal Veteran’s sister must have bought every book from the first to publish and just kept going since the war. If I could only finish reading them all I’d get more answers maybe. Boy would I love an afternoon to go through some papers and documents with you guys one day. Once again Dave adjusted another timeline in my head. Thank you always. Sure wish I asked my grand more about ichiki’s last moments, and a thousand other questions now that it’s too late. I just didn’t know in time and they just didn’t talk about it unless it was to the list of names by the phone until the end. E.F.C talked to about 15 old Marines until the end. And the look he could stare at you if you asked about the list could cut through 3” steel. Brrrr. RIP
I'm so glad I found this channel! What a great reservoir of information on The PTO. Hope to see this more and more moving forward and maybe one day a podcast on Korea? =)
This Video Podcast is the most detailed analysis and logical explanation of the Naval War in the Pacific which I have discovered to Date. Excellent Analysis. A++. LMM LCDR USCG '72, Sr. Port Engineer, COMNAVSURFPAC, (Ret.) 1984-2006.
Once again, this episode leaves me breathless about how good you guys are at getting 'into the weeds and beneath the myths. I, without any service history, have learned so much about. The interplay and interdependence of trigger fingers, artillery and forge integration, along with 'dumb luck' and nail-biting reality. WOW! And THANKS!
Well done. The U.S.S. Edson DD-946 is currently a museum ship docked about 3 miles from where I am typing this now. It's always cool to hear more about it's namesake.
Watched several of your videos and you are my favorite. Lately I've dispaired of finding anything interesting on YT, then I found this and am very happy.
Another solid show! Thought you guys gave a us a good understanding what it was like on Edsons Ridge, dark night tucked in a foxhole with swords, bayonets, rifles and the Japanese Rebel Yell rolling right over you. No wonder young Marines made a business decision to attack to the rear at the Height of the Action! Dave Hollands inciteful point about Kawaguichi turning down an additional Battalion that could have made a critical difference in spite of the tremendous artillery that rained down on the Ridge. Another critical decision/moment that happens to affect the outcome before the Battle even starts. As you guys made abundantly clear, The Battle was on a knifes edge that first night and a Banzai charge by that additional Battalion at the proper time had they had it could have put the airfield in Japanese hands. Kawaguichi ignoring intelligence to fight the battle he wanted instead of what was really there!
The quality of the guests on this series never ceases to amaze me. I already knew of Jon Parshall courtesy of Shattered Sword, but I now find myself wanting to familiarize myself with Mr. Holland's work. Great job, gentlemen.
Capt. Toti, interesting you mentioned an uncle who was an army engineer on Guadalcanal. My father was also an army engineer on the island, although I’ve never been able to pin down his exact unit. Hence my interest in this subject. Thoroughly enjoy these programs. Thank you.
Im happy you guys are getting down to the nuts and bolts,My ship visited Guadalcanal in 1992,I didnt get to see as much as i would have liked to But i did tour Edsons Ridge and i got dozens of pictures of Edsons Ridge and also from japanese positions and i had since forgotten what the guide told me about the areas i photographed but now watching this video i can follow along using them
One soldier referred to as burak was my uncle he was edson's runner he was shot down and killed after accomplishing his mission on the way back and received the Navy Cross.
I had the good fortune of growing up with a number of Edson's Raiders and other Marines in the First Marine Division who were there. Everyone referred to the battle as that of Edson's Ridge and afterward that was the only name for those hills. Yes, the artillery was incredibly effective, but someone had to stop the Japanese not killed by the artillery and those Marines in the fox holes were fighting hand to hand with enemy soldiers on both sides and behind them. Edson's Raiders had an abundance of talent at the junior officer and NCO level. Walt, Antonelli, Griffith, Pettus and others were talented and inspirational. Red Mike Edson was charismatic and a driven, stone cold killer and he drove his men to be stone cold killers. In combat they hit very hard in unexpected ways that unhinge, confuse and fix the enemy in place where concentrated firepower destroys them.
Whenever I see pictures of the marines on Guadalcanal after the invasion with their Springfield 03's, I think of the general public always thinking of the semi-automatic M1 Garand as the weapon they used, as that is the predominant battle rifle of US forces in WW II. But the Marines at the outset of the war used the Springfield M1903 rifle, which had a 5 round capacity that had to be reloaded with stripper clips and had to be fired singly as it was a bolt-fed rifle similar to the British Lee Enfield. In fact, when the first US Army troops came to Guadalcanal, the 164th Infantry Regiment, they were split up when they went to the front and soldiers were dropped off in each fighting position with the marines already there, and the Marines appropriated the Garands, with their 8 shot monobloc clip, and give the Japanese a surprise they didn't like.
It's funny how the historian's accent transitions between American to Australian as he transitions from talking about Guadalcanal to New Guinea. Excellent episode.
very good-how did they manage to keep the airfield operational after the battleship bombardment? it must have cratered the airfield severly-there must have been a secret strip-even disbursement in the jungle would not have serf iced with the aircraft -the catctus airforce must have lost a lot of aircraft through the bombardment
I think American artillery was vastly underrated in WW2. Ive read accounts by combatants of every Axis nation. All of them mention how terrible it was to face US artillery during the war. Our FDC system gave any soldier with a radio and a map the ability to bring devastating firepower down at moments notice.
It strikes me just how important the quality of Marine leadership was to success in this battle. If Vandergrift or Edsen had not been truly excellent leaders, if the Marines had been complacent, the attack at Edsen Ridge would have been a true disaster.
Does Dave live on the Island or just visit frequently. I’m looking to speak with you guys about helping to write a book. 90% of proceeds go to build a home for homeless veterans and veterans in recovery and suffering from PTSD. I live in DC. Come by Valor Brew Pub in Capital Hill to talk. It’s on 8th and I SE.
Could almost feel the terror of that night. How did the Marines fare against the Japanese in hand-to-hand fighting? I've heard that the Japanese of that era held in disdain the fighting men of the US. Did we acquit ourselves?
They held their own in hand to hand fighting. The Raiders in particular had been trained in hand to hand and knife fighting. On the average they were bigger and stronger than the Japanese. The Japanese were also not great bayonet fighters as some accounts lead us to believe.
A relative of mine who is still there was wounded and while his barman was dragging him for cover they was attacked by 3 jap soldiers and was bayoneted in the legs and died early pm on the 13th, never recovered, sad sad battle. His name was Kenneth E Ritter, good read on missing marines.
This podcast is a gift to the internet. As this episode shows, the USMC didnt win this fight simply because they were "harder" man for man than the Japanese Army troops they faced. There was valor on both sides, but the US marines fought smarter, were better prepared, equipped, and organized. In fact, the japanese culture of the time, which was built on the idea that they would always triumph because they were the SUPERIOR warriors, was one of the reasons they did so badly. What could be braver, or stupider, than charging again and again into killing zones and being crushed? What could be "harder" than killing yourself after a failure instead of swallowing your pride and learning from your mistakes? Surely, it is best to send your elite troops in to fight until they die instead of sending them home to train their successors? And the result of this superiority complex was ultimately a total defeat. In total war, everyone, including those in non combat roles, contribute to victory. America's factory workers, truck drivers, cooks, teachers, typists, farmers, journalists etc won the war too under full mobilization, while the fascists were too afraid of their own people to call them into the war effort until they were already losing because they were afraid they would be too weak to take the strain. This falacy that only the strongest, toughest, bestest troops can be relied upon guided the fascists throughout the war and, though they often won early victories, they were all eventually crushed by mass citizen armies of better trained, equipped, coordinated, supplied, and led soldiers. Of course individual valor matters, but without artillary support, food, and training, it doesnt do the job, as the Japanese found out. If you are certain you are already the best, you can't learn from mistakes and instead take refuge in denial. Good luck with that.
An additional element to your argument that Guadalcanal was the major turning point in the Pacific War, following the Kido Butai expedition into the Indian Ocean for the raids on Shri Lanka (Ceylon) and the sinking of Hermes, Cornwall, Dorsetshire and Vampire, the Japanese intended to continue raids on shipping there and in the Bay of Bengal. Operation Order 107 set out B Sakusen on 22 June. The ships assigned to this were 2 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 19 destroyers and 7 auxiliary ships. The first preliminary air reconnaissance for this started on 1 August, with the position of the British Eastern Fleet established. That position delayed the start of the naval deployment for 3 days. The next reconnaissance on 5 and 6 August had the Japanese ready to start. 1st Marine landed on Guadalcanal on 7 August and on 8 August Operational Order 198 cancelled B Sakusen with most of the ships assigned to it ordered to proceed to Truk and Rabaul to support the Solomon’s campaign. A lot of what ifs had the Japanese operation proceeded. But clearly the Guadalcanal invasion altered the Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal military situation, as well as that in New Guinea, a little later. Love the series, catching up slowly! All the best for 2024
I'm not up on the numbers regarding troops or divisions for both sides. Or the numbers for the Cactus Air Force. But however many planes that were serviceable with the Cactus Air Force just show the fighting spirit and skill that these Pilots had! This episode shows how dangerous and difficult it was for the Japanese to move troops and War material down the slot during the daytime. Especially on the slow barges. The Destroyers had the Speed but they didn't have the carrying capacity that they needed. Japanese must have been terrified on those daytime runs either coming or going. Seth, I think that you're completely on the money saying that Guadalcanal was the schoolhouse. We learned so many incredibly important lessons in all phases of combat on Guadalcanal. I don't really know what the Japanese learned other than they were basically fucked.💖🇺🇲⚓️💯👍
I found this epsidode difficult to folloow and visulize as the battle progressed. A few maps of the batttle of where the Japanese attacked from, where the US artillary was located, etc would have helped.
Evening guys, this is for Bill. My father was also at Guadalcanal with the Army “Company “C” 65th Engineer Battalion. He was wounded there. I have a Battalion photo of them in Hawaii October of 1941 if you are interested. I can get a copy made.
Another great video! There is so much detail, personal experiences, and more. I have studied WW II fir many decades, and own the two HBO miniseries "The band of Brothers', and "The Pacific", which in most ways was actually better and more realistic. But this video is about the Bloody Ridge battle, and in The Pacific series, it showed Basilone as the hero of this battle (excellent scene in The Pacific), but you did not mention him here at all. Was he really at this battle? I was also shocked to hear that some Marines actually panicked and ran. If you haven't seen this HBO series, you should!
Thanks. Basilone was at the October battle. See one of the later episodes in this series (119). During the Battle of Edson’s (Bloody) Ridge, Basilone had not arrived on Guadalcanal.
@@guadalcanal-walkingabattle5349 Wow! That is good to know. "The Pacific" implied it was this this key battle up on the ridge, although they have to cover a lot in a short time that the video can show, so it was probably an 'example'. Have you seen 'The Pacific'? If not, I highly recommend it. It tracks 3-4 Marines through to Okinawa, and it is based on the books many wrote after the War. I have most of their books too! It has an amazing ending as well - 10 1 hour 'episodes'. I have it on DVD, where it tells you all the people they followed and the books that they wrote.
What is a seargent Major..??? Besides some sort of high up guy.. That would be a cool episode... I have always.. ALWAYS... Wanted to know all the different ranks of the military... The Marines... And the Navy especially... Since that is what you guys specialize in... I'd like to go over all of them. But I guess I gotta look up another channel for that
Excellent vivid discussion. One thing that I would disagree with. The Japanese did not throw everything they had at Guadalcanal. For whatever reason, they held back major surface units, most notably 'Yamato'.
It would be a great help if you added some maps/Charts to show the Islands and the placement of the battles around the airfield. Your narration jumps around so much that it is hard to remember what the heck you are talking about.
If the 3 Japanese formations attack at once like they had intended, chances are they would have broken through and captured the airfield. They also had to abandon all their heavy weapons in the jungle. Each formation attacked independently instead of in coordination with supporting troops and without the benefit of heavy weapons support.
Shooting a weapon with iron sights at night is extremely difficult. Most people can’t hit a man sized target past 30 meters. Even if the target is illuminated, it is very difficult to see the target through the sights. Most effective are grenades, mortar’s and machine guns on tripods with t &e mechanisms with crossing grazing fire ( knee height flat out to 200 to 300 meters. Using 105 mm is dangerous for troops that aren’t properly dug in because of the large blast radius. Once fighting get within 150 meters, 60 mm 81 mm mortars and the 75 pac howitzers should be the weapons of choice. Another big killer amongst moving exposed troops (Japanese) is friendly fire. All the flashes from detonations will destroy night vision. You can see enemy flashes but you might not realize there are friendly in front of you. Then the people that are closest to you are the most dangerous to you. And how well do you think soldiers can hear once all that racket begins? Most troops will have continuously ringing ears after firing a couple rounds and being near hand grenades and mortar. Detonations. Leasing troops at night becomes problematic. You can’t see them they can’t see you and sometimes they can’t hear you or hear what the leader is saying. Controlling a platoon of 30 troops is both exhausting and lethal. Troops seeing all this stuff whizzing by have a tendency to stay down stay put and crawl into any nearby depression. Meaning they might get turned around. Most want to wait until the weather improves - less metal in the air
I find quite strange that Vandergrift, having strong evidence of Japanese attack at least 48 hpurs before, practically left Edson's Marines alone to face the assault. Were the west and east Marine forces that much tied at their positions not to be able to detach few companies to some kind of central reserve?
Dave answers that by saying Vandergrift still wanted to protect his flanks but moved artillery support to pre register fire around the ridge. Basically using artillery as a force multiplier.
@@gabrielrodriguez821 Perhaps I do not appreciate enough how Seth often underlines scarcity of Marine forces. In the end this entire perimeter to watch was really vast and ability to rapid troop transfer limited - even for defenders.
Late in the war he was in the 1393d Engineer Construction Battalion which was assigned to Americal Division. That was the unit he was in when he was discharged. However, I think it was a different unit on Guadalcanal. Difficult to get those records.
About all compasses that were ineffective - very possible - if they were issued with northern hemisphere compasses as they were fighting in the southern hemisphere
The radio problems of the Japanese may have been partically ffected by the geology of the area, like high magnetic rock masses and topography, causing radio local blind spots..
The leaders of the Guadalcanal conflict are rare men. Their like will never be seen again. Vandergrift was a hack. How did he rise to such a high position? He had no idea of the technical aspects of battle.
That’s interesting that you say Vandergrift was a hack with no technical aspects of battle. What is this based on? Vandergrift had been to the staff schools with combat experience in the Caribbean.
One more comment - only 450 Medals of Honor were awarded in WW II for the 12 million or so soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen that participated in WW II, and half were awarded posthumously!
This podcast is brilliant, I can't get enough of it. BUT I wish you and your guests would stop referring to the AIF as Australia's regular soldiers. They weren't. They were wartime civilian volunteers. In fact the regulars were barred from joining the AIF. Dave Holland as an adopted Aussie should know better!
The AIF were the regular soldiers. WW2 it was the 2nd AIF. In the Great War it was the 1st AIF. From the internet: The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. After considerable expansion of this force, three divisions were sent to the Middle East and North Africa, while the 8th Division was sent to garrison British Malaya and Singapore
The jungles of Guadalcanal wasn't anyone's friend. Assumption is the mother of screw ups. In combat it costs lives. We always talk about American racism toward the Japanese but not in the same negative tone as Japanese racism towards all people that weren't Japanese. For the record I am half Korean. I don't hate Japanese. The Japanese I would hold a grudge against are mostly dead. If not due to the war then old age.
I seen the Title in Instantly Clicked, subscribed n Liked👍. Respect to the REAL Men That Made the Soft Males of Today. As Evidence Shows History will Forever Keep Repeating itself with the 4th Turning...Sooner or Later Well being doing SIMILAR Shxt in SIMILAR Locations with just Way more advanced Technology 🙄...
@@dstaff7373 singles mothers tired of violence and nightmares true, But the cream always rises my grandad always said. We’ll be alright, and if not then not. Enjoy the ride. What’s the 4th turning? Is that some L Ron Hubbard voodoo ?
@@FlukeTog Most Child ABUSE comes from mothers FYI, WHY do you defend women you never met n disparaging Men you never met?? I'm going off STATISTICS that single mother homes RAISE weak men due to lack of FATHERS...
Thank all 3 of you! Excellent info and video!
A relative of mine is still there, Kenneth E Ritter,company C was over ran on the night of the 12th, he was wounded by shrapnel and was being dragged to cover when attacked by 3 Japanese and was bayoneted in the legs but Pfc Joseph Rushton killed the attackers.
They hid in the jungle till the morning of the 13th and Kenneth passed away, Rushton hid him under a giant fern and he has never been recovered.
But thanks again for such a great history lesson with great detail!!!
We in Moatsville Wv would love to have him home!!
I really can't get enough of these deep dives into history !
Dave's knowledge of Guadalcanal is unsurpassed.
It’s mind blowing.
I get a haunted feeling when he talks about Guadalcanal. Like literally the hair stands up on my arms and neck. He is the right Marine for this. Man all the pacific veterans in my family woulda loved him. I00%
Guadalcanal - Walking a Battlefield
@@rtqii Thank you, I was search for his channel.
@@rickkephartactual7706 It's pretty fascinating. They have recovered tons of artifacts. He walks along the front line positions and there are loaded clips laying about on the ground still.
Edson was everything a fighting Marine leader should be. God rest his soul.
Who wants movies and Hollywood BS when you can hear real stories of actual living people like this? Thanks to all three of you. You all (+JP) combine in a wonderful way to bring history alive.
This is one of the best channels that I found by accident because I’m hooked!!!
I am looking at Captain Toti on the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast on RUclips. I found Dave Holland because he participates in, and supports, this podcast. Jon Parshall also participates and supports. As well as Drachinifel. These are all second to none sources.
Thank you, love learning from people who have been there.
Thanks much
Great podcast… enjoyed them very much….. keep them coming
We hope to keep it up!
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I hope I catch up... This is some awesome material. I have seen many photos and even film footage I have never seen before
Great comment from Dave at the end about how Guadalcanal and New Guinea were two sides of the same campaign, and how interesting it was that the Japanese understood this better than the allies.
Well I for one understood it. And when our down under allies complain about not getting enough help in defending them in their fight in New Guinae, I point to all the Japanese landed in the Solomons to drive a wedge between supplies from Hawaii and them, and the cost the US paid. And remember the US Navy lost more men than the Marines did there just trying to keep that operation from getting shut down.
Australians and New Zealanders contributed so much but McArthur denigrated us. The Americans did not want us or the British involved further north. The Americans did not want us to have any claim to the Marshalls or the Marianis because the US wanted all those islands to become US possessions after the war. We suffered terrible losses mopping up when we should have left the Japanese to starve. There were huge bad feelings about unnecessary loss of life. You neec to read more.
You guys do a great job of bringing the Pacific War to life. Dave is a walking encyclopedia on Guadalcanal--great to have him join you. Thanks Seth and Bill!
I discovered this podcast a few months ago, and what an absolute gem. Thank you so much for your work and passion regarding the Pacific theater of WW2.
I know it takes a lot to put it together, and I can't describe how very much I appreciate the education. 😁❤️
Always a great show when Mr Holland is on board sharing his local expertise!
Nothing but praise. Excellent detail, with feeling. And deepest respect for the people who put it on the line for their friends, unit mates, and country. 🇺🇸
My Uncle "Gunny Bob" fought at Edson's Ridge and was awarded the silver star for his service. I miss him every day of my life. It breaks my heart that nobody under the age of 40 knows anything about this country and they have no gratitude for the sacrifice that what my Uncle's generation made.
Not everybody, most of them for sure. My youngest is a fan of history, loves military history, currently a E-5, tip of the spear. I give thanks for your uncles service, and thanks for your reverence of him and his generation.
@@karinchaney101 definitely not everybody, I'm 35 and consider myself a huge WWII buff. And I'm sure my 1 & 2 year olds will follow :)
Outstanding boys!
Thanks Joseph
Dave’s depth of knowledge is amazing. He’s definitely the premier SME
Outstanding presentation on the early part of the Battle of Guadalcanal by Dave Holland a true expert. Great show and a great series commanded by a an impressive team.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic, thank you. Still smiling at Dave's brilliant stories like, the Marine in the dark of night who joined in with a squad of advancing Japanese.
Been reading/watching WW2 Pacific war history since a boy in the 1960's, this "Unauthorized History", is the best I've ever seen. I'm a geezer at 68. Bravo Gentleman! My mom's 1st husband was a Jarhead in 3rd MARDIV on Bougainville, her 1st cousin with 25 Marines, 4 MARDIV still on Iwo.
Thanks for this excellent oral history of the Battle of Edson’s Ridge.
Awesome
Another great video.
Thanks again!
This is the best podcast ever! The last few days I've been binge watching, and Seth & Captain (Commodore) Toti are simply a super terrific team! I can't say enough good things about this podcast! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well done. I can almost recognize every book by the color and width. My 1st Guadalcanal Veteran’s sister must have bought every book from the first to publish and just kept going since the war. If I could only finish reading them all I’d get more answers maybe. Boy would I love an afternoon to go through some papers and documents with you guys one day. Once again Dave adjusted another timeline in my head. Thank you always. Sure wish I asked my grand more about ichiki’s last moments, and a thousand other questions now that it’s too late. I just didn’t know in time and they just didn’t talk about it unless it was to the list of names by the phone until the end. E.F.C talked to about 15 old Marines until the end. And the look he could stare at you if you asked about the list could cut through 3” steel. Brrrr. RIP
What was your grandfathers name?
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar E.F.C G-2-1
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Ed Claffey
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar At the end - “ ichiki was too “yella” to commit hari Kari so we did it for him.” Take care
I'm so glad I found this channel! What a great reservoir of information on The PTO. Hope to see this more and more moving forward and maybe one day a podcast on Korea? =)
Thanks for watching.
This Video Podcast is the most detailed analysis and logical explanation of the Naval War in the Pacific which I have discovered to Date. Excellent Analysis. A++.
LMM LCDR USCG '72, Sr. Port Engineer, COMNAVSURFPAC, (Ret.) 1984-2006.
Thank you.
You guys are beyond awesome.
Riveting history
Most Excellent!!
Once again, this episode leaves me breathless about how good you guys are at getting 'into the weeds and beneath the myths. I, without any service history, have learned so much about. The interplay and interdependence of trigger fingers, artillery and forge integration, along with 'dumb luck' and nail-biting reality. WOW! And THANKS!
Well done. The U.S.S. Edson DD-946 is currently a museum ship docked about 3 miles from where I am typing this now. It's always cool to hear more about it's namesake.
I noticed the Kokoda Trail was mentioned a couple of times. Are you planning on doing an episode on it at some point?
At some point, yes. I would like to get into the New Guinea area fighting. It’s not my area of expertise but that’s what would make it fun for me.
SP
Dave is the best. He lived there while working for the Australian Federal Police.
Watched several of your videos and you are my favorite. Lately I've dispaired of finding anything interesting on YT, then I found this and am very happy.
Another solid show! Thought you guys gave a us a good understanding what it was like on Edsons Ridge, dark night tucked in a foxhole with swords, bayonets, rifles and the Japanese Rebel Yell rolling right over you. No wonder young Marines made a business decision to attack to the rear at the Height of the Action! Dave Hollands inciteful point about Kawaguichi turning down an additional Battalion that could have made a critical difference in spite of the tremendous artillery that rained down on the Ridge. Another critical decision/moment that happens to affect the outcome before the Battle even starts. As you guys made abundantly clear, The Battle was on a knifes edge that first night and a Banzai charge by that additional Battalion at the proper time had they had it could have put the airfield in Japanese hands. Kawaguichi ignoring intelligence to fight the battle he wanted instead of what was really there!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Dave!
The quality of the guests on this series never ceases to amaze me. I already knew of Jon Parshall courtesy of Shattered Sword, but I now find myself wanting to familiarize myself with Mr. Holland's work. Great job, gentlemen.
Dave is a great guest
Dave!
Fitting, I just watched tonight a documentary on the USS Indianapolis and Bill was in it
Michael, it was my honor to take part in those documentaries
Yes. Dave is thee foremost expert
He is indeed
Absolutely mesmerizing.
Capt. Toti, interesting you mentioned an uncle who was an army engineer on Guadalcanal. My father was also an army engineer on the island, although I’ve never been able to pin down his exact unit. Hence my interest in this subject. Thoroughly enjoy these programs. Thank you.
Im happy you guys are getting down to the nuts and bolts,My ship visited Guadalcanal in 1992,I didnt get to see as much as i would have liked to
But i did tour Edsons Ridge and i got dozens of pictures of Edsons Ridge and also from japanese positions and i had since forgotten what the guide told me about the areas i photographed but now watching this video i can follow along using them
One soldier referred to as burak was my uncle he was edson's runner he was shot down and killed after accomplishing his mission on the way back and received the Navy Cross.
Hello Oz, NEVER FORGET!
I had the good fortune of growing up with a number of Edson's Raiders and other Marines in the First Marine Division who were there.
Everyone referred to the battle as that of Edson's Ridge and afterward that was the only name for those hills.
Yes, the artillery was incredibly effective, but someone had to stop the Japanese not killed by the artillery and those Marines in the fox holes were fighting hand to hand with enemy soldiers on both sides and behind them.
Edson's Raiders had an abundance of talent at the junior officer and NCO level.
Walt, Antonelli, Griffith, Pettus and others were talented and inspirational.
Red Mike Edson was charismatic and a driven, stone cold killer and he drove his men to be stone cold killers.
In combat they hit very hard in unexpected ways that unhinge, confuse and fix the enemy in place where concentrated firepower destroys them.
@@francisbusa1074 I am retired.
Another great podcast.
Whenever I see pictures of the marines on Guadalcanal after the invasion with their Springfield 03's, I think of the general public always thinking of the semi-automatic M1 Garand as the weapon they used, as that is the predominant battle rifle of US forces in WW II. But the Marines at the outset of the war used the Springfield M1903 rifle, which had a 5 round capacity that had to be reloaded with stripper clips and had to be fired singly as it was a bolt-fed rifle similar to the British Lee Enfield. In fact, when the first US Army troops came to Guadalcanal, the 164th Infantry Regiment, they were split up when they went to the front and soldiers were dropped off in each fighting position with the marines already there, and the Marines appropriated the Garands, with their 8 shot monobloc clip, and give the Japanese a surprise they didn't like.
Sone Marines landed on Guadalcanal with M1 Garands on 7 Aug 42. In the minority and not the infantry regiments.
It's funny how the historian's accent transitions between American to Australian as he transitions from talking about Guadalcanal to New Guinea. Excellent episode.
very good-how did they manage to keep the airfield operational after the battleship bombardment? it must have cratered the airfield severly-there must have been a secret strip-even disbursement in the jungle would not have serf iced with the aircraft -the catctus airforce must have lost a lot of aircraft through the bombardment
SeaBees could\can carve airfields from coral with mess spoons!
Seabees don’t mess around 😎
I think American artillery was vastly underrated in WW2. Ive read accounts by combatants of every Axis nation. All of them mention how terrible it was to face US artillery during the war. Our FDC system gave any soldier with a radio and a map the ability to bring devastating firepower down at moments notice.
It strikes me just how important the quality of Marine leadership was to success in this battle. If Vandergrift or Edsen had not been truly excellent leaders, if the Marines had been complacent, the attack at Edsen Ridge would have been a true disaster.
I agree that we should see the Guadalcanal campaign and the Kokoda Track campaign as were much interrelated
Does Dave live on the Island or just visit frequently. I’m looking to speak with you guys about helping to write a book. 90% of proceeds go to build a home for homeless veterans and veterans in recovery and suffering from PTSD. I live in DC. Come by Valor Brew Pub in Capital Hill to talk. It’s on 8th and I SE.
Hi, I lived and worked off and on there starting from 2009-2020.
Could almost feel the terror of that night.
How did the Marines fare against the Japanese in hand-to-hand fighting? I've heard that the Japanese of that era held in disdain the fighting men of the US. Did we acquit ourselves?
They held their own in hand to hand fighting. The Raiders in particular had been trained in hand to hand and knife fighting. On the average they were bigger and stronger than the Japanese. The Japanese were also not great bayonet fighters as some accounts lead us to believe.
It doesn't take any training or expertise to bayonet wounded enemy troops or women and children.
A relative of mine who is still there was wounded and while his barman was dragging him for cover they was attacked by 3 jap soldiers and was bayoneted in the legs and died early pm on the 13th, never recovered, sad sad battle. His name was Kenneth E Ritter, good read on missing marines.
This podcast is a gift to the internet.
As this episode shows, the USMC didnt win this fight simply because they were "harder" man for man than the Japanese Army troops they faced. There was valor on both sides, but the US marines fought smarter, were better prepared, equipped, and organized. In fact, the japanese culture of the time, which was built on the idea that they would always triumph because they were the SUPERIOR warriors, was one of the reasons they did so badly. What could be braver, or stupider, than charging again and again into killing zones and being crushed? What could be "harder" than killing yourself after a failure instead of swallowing your pride and learning from your mistakes? Surely, it is best to send your elite troops in to fight until they die instead of sending them home to train their successors? And the result of this superiority complex was ultimately a total defeat. In total war, everyone, including those in non combat roles, contribute to victory. America's factory workers, truck drivers, cooks, teachers, typists, farmers, journalists etc won the war too under full mobilization, while the fascists were too afraid of their own people to call them into the war effort until they were already losing because they were afraid they would be too weak to take the strain. This falacy that only the strongest, toughest, bestest troops can be relied upon guided the fascists throughout the war and, though they often won early victories, they were all eventually crushed by mass citizen armies of better trained, equipped, coordinated, supplied, and led soldiers. Of course individual valor matters, but without artillary support, food, and training, it doesnt do the job, as the Japanese found out. If you are certain you are already the best, you can't learn from mistakes and instead take refuge in denial. Good luck with that.
An additional element to your argument that Guadalcanal was the major turning point in the Pacific War, following the Kido Butai expedition into the Indian Ocean for the raids on Shri Lanka (Ceylon) and the sinking of Hermes, Cornwall, Dorsetshire and Vampire, the Japanese intended to continue raids on shipping there and in the Bay of Bengal. Operation Order 107 set out B Sakusen on 22 June.
The ships assigned to this were 2 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 19 destroyers and 7 auxiliary ships.
The first preliminary air reconnaissance for this started on 1 August, with the position of the British Eastern Fleet established. That position delayed the start of the naval deployment for 3 days. The next reconnaissance on 5 and 6 August had the Japanese ready to start.
1st Marine landed on Guadalcanal on 7 August and on 8 August Operational Order 198 cancelled B Sakusen with most of the ships assigned to it ordered to proceed to Truk and Rabaul to support the Solomon’s campaign.
A lot of what ifs had the Japanese operation proceeded.
But clearly the Guadalcanal invasion altered the Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal military situation, as well as that in New Guinea, a little later.
Love the series, catching up slowly!
All the best for 2024
Enjoyed Dave's commentary.
He has a distinct twang of an Australian accent.
I'm not up on the numbers regarding troops or divisions for both sides. Or the numbers for the Cactus Air Force. But however many planes that were serviceable with the Cactus Air Force just show the fighting spirit and skill that these Pilots had! This episode shows how dangerous and difficult it was for the Japanese to move troops and War material down the slot during the daytime. Especially on the slow barges. The Destroyers had the Speed but they didn't have the carrying capacity that they needed. Japanese must have been terrified on those daytime runs either coming or going. Seth, I think that you're completely on the money saying that Guadalcanal was the schoolhouse. We learned so many incredibly important lessons in all phases of combat on Guadalcanal. I don't really know what the Japanese learned other than they were basically fucked.💖🇺🇲⚓️💯👍
I found this epsidode difficult to folloow and visulize as the battle progressed. A few maps of the batttle of where the Japanese attacked from, where the US artillary was located, etc would have helped.
Evening guys, this is for Bill. My father was also at Guadalcanal with the Army “Company “C” 65th Engineer Battalion. He was wounded there. I have a Battalion photo of them in Hawaii October of 1941 if you are interested. I can get a copy made.
Yes please. Please email me at william@williamtoti.com
Another great video! There is so much detail, personal experiences, and more. I have studied WW II fir many decades, and own the two HBO miniseries "The band of Brothers', and "The Pacific", which in most ways was actually better and more realistic. But this video is about the Bloody Ridge battle, and in The Pacific series, it showed Basilone as the hero of this battle (excellent scene in The Pacific), but you did not mention him here at all. Was he really at this battle? I was also shocked to hear that some Marines actually panicked and ran. If you haven't seen this HBO series, you should!
Thanks. Basilone was at the October battle. See one of the later episodes in this series (119). During the Battle of Edson’s (Bloody) Ridge, Basilone had not arrived on Guadalcanal.
@@guadalcanal-walkingabattle5349 Wow! That is good to know. "The Pacific" implied it was this this key battle up on the ridge, although they have to cover a lot in a short time that the video can show, so it was probably an 'example'. Have you seen 'The Pacific'? If not, I highly recommend it. It tracks 3-4 Marines through to Okinawa, and it is based on the books many wrote after the War. I have most of their books too! It has an amazing ending as well - 10 1 hour 'episodes'. I have it on DVD, where it tells you all the people they followed and the books that they wrote.
What is a seargent Major..??? Besides some sort of high up guy..
That would be a cool episode... I have always.. ALWAYS... Wanted to know all the different ranks of the military... The Marines... And the Navy especially... Since that is what you guys specialize in...
I'd like to go over all of them.
But I guess I gotta look up another channel for that
i would be very interested in myth-busting.
Love love the smart guys with a southern accent
Saw Dave on it and had to subscribe.
Same
Yes Dave is a treasure.
Nothing like a good boy scout compass
History does not get better than this!
Would you guys give an explanation fo the books behind you on all your shelves
Love this, but some maps would be helpful.
Marines had no good maps either.
Did the Marines not have Naval gunfire support as well??
Excellent vivid discussion. One thing that I would disagree with. The Japanese did not throw everything they had at Guadalcanal. For whatever reason, they held back major surface units, most notably 'Yamato'.
It would be a great help if you added some maps/Charts to show the Islands and the placement of the battles around the airfield. Your narration jumps around so much that it is hard to remember what the heck you are talking about.
Would calling it Stalingrad of The Pacific be zn apt comparison?
If I were to read one book on Guaducanal what would it be.
Guadalcanal by my pal Rich Frank
If the 3 Japanese formations attack at once like they had intended, chances are they would have broken through and captured the airfield. They also had to abandon all their heavy weapons in the jungle. Each formation attacked independently instead of in coordination with supporting troops and without the benefit of heavy weapons support.
Shooting a weapon with iron sights at night is extremely difficult. Most people can’t hit a man sized target past 30 meters. Even if the target is illuminated, it is very difficult to see the target through the sights. Most effective are grenades, mortar’s and machine guns on tripods with t &e mechanisms with crossing grazing fire ( knee height flat out to 200 to 300 meters. Using 105 mm is dangerous for troops that aren’t properly dug in because of the large blast radius. Once fighting get within 150 meters, 60 mm 81 mm mortars and the 75 pac howitzers should be the weapons of choice. Another big killer amongst moving exposed troops (Japanese) is friendly fire. All the flashes from detonations will destroy night vision. You can see enemy flashes but you might not realize there are friendly in front of you. Then the people that are closest to you are the most dangerous to you. And how well do you think soldiers can hear once all that racket begins? Most troops will have continuously ringing ears after firing a couple rounds and being near hand grenades and mortar. Detonations. Leasing troops at night becomes problematic. You can’t see them they can’t see you and sometimes they can’t hear you or hear what the leader is saying. Controlling a platoon of 30 troops is both exhausting and lethal. Troops seeing all this stuff whizzing by have a tendency to stay down stay put and crawl into any nearby depression. Meaning they might get turned around. Most want to wait until the weather improves - less metal in the air
Good points all, but the Japs got up close and personal. You fight with what you have.
I find quite strange that Vandergrift, having strong evidence of Japanese attack at least 48 hpurs before, practically left Edson's Marines alone to face the assault.
Were the west and east Marine forces that much tied at their positions not to be able to detach few companies to some kind of central reserve?
Dave answers that by saying Vandergrift still wanted to protect his flanks but moved artillery support to pre register fire around the ridge. Basically using artillery as a force multiplier.
@@gabrielrodriguez821 Perhaps I do not appreciate enough how Seth often underlines scarcity of Marine forces.
In the end this entire perimeter to watch was really vast and ability to rapid troop transfer limited - even for defenders.
Bill what division in the Army was your great uncle in?
Late in the war he was in the 1393d Engineer Construction Battalion which was assigned to Americal Division. That was the unit he was in when he was discharged. However, I think it was a different unit on Guadalcanal. Difficult to get those records.
About all compasses that were ineffective - very possible - if they were issued with northern hemisphere compasses as they were fighting in the southern hemisphere
Corp Walter Burak was my uncle. I blame Puller's bad habits for the death of my uncle. I believe Edson did too.
So sorry
Ionospheric skip may have played a roll in communication.?
The radio problems of the Japanese may have been partically ffected by the geology of the area, like high magnetic rock masses and topography, causing radio local blind spots..
Also may explain why so many had "faulty compasses".
excellent and detailed depiction of the battle with nice map graphics here
ruclips.net/video/YlHi7kSCzYI/видео.html
Plural of Dauntless = Dauntmore? :)
The leaders of the Guadalcanal conflict are rare men. Their like will never be seen again. Vandergrift was a hack. How did he rise to such a high position? He had no idea of the technical aspects of battle.
That’s interesting that you say Vandergrift was a hack with no technical aspects of battle. What is this based on? Vandergrift had been to the staff schools with combat experience in the Caribbean.
One more comment - only 450 Medals of Honor were awarded in WW II for the 12 million or so soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen that participated in WW II, and half were awarded posthumously!
The Japanese should have used their 2 big daddy Battle wagons in these battles. That was their biggest mistake.
Guadalcanal is the longest battle of World War Two ! Six months
In this era how many men were in a squad, company, battalion, or a regiment? The Japanese must have taken appaling casualties.
Link to Dave’s Walking Tour of Edson’s Ridge. Very helpful. ruclips.net/video/PRgzRF1uFBA/видео.html
I read Hirohito's biography a few years ago. He was extraordinary fortunate not to be hung as a war criminal.
Yes indeed
Sergeants Major, not Sergeant Majors…… other than that, great talk gentlemen.
The usual plural I've seen for Dauntless is Dauntlesses.
The Japanese validate the old military axiom that everything in war is easy, unfortunately the easy is difficult.
Considering these were battles of extermination, it is no surprise the Japanese had a hard time learning.
This podcast is brilliant, I can't get enough of it.
BUT I wish you and your guests would stop referring to the AIF as Australia's regular soldiers. They weren't. They were wartime civilian volunteers. In fact the regulars were barred from joining the AIF.
Dave Holland as an adopted Aussie should know better!
The AIF were the regular soldiers. WW2 it was the 2nd AIF. In the Great War it was the 1st AIF. From the internet: The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. After considerable expansion of this force, three divisions were sent to the Middle East and North Africa, while the 8th Division was sent to garrison British Malaya and Singapore
The jungles of Guadalcanal wasn't anyone's friend. Assumption is the mother of screw ups. In combat it costs lives. We always talk about American racism toward the Japanese but not in the same negative tone as Japanese racism towards all people that weren't Japanese. For the record I am half Korean. I don't hate Japanese. The Japanese I would hold a grudge against are mostly dead. If not due to the war then old age.
I seen the Title in Instantly Clicked, subscribed n Liked👍. Respect to the REAL Men That Made the Soft Males of Today. As Evidence Shows History will Forever Keep Repeating itself with the 4th Turning...Sooner or Later Well being doing SIMILAR Shxt in SIMILAR Locations with just Way more advanced Technology 🙄...
Who raised those soft males?
@@thebean8255 Single Mothers whom Don't Need a Man...
@@dstaff7373 singles mothers tired of violence and nightmares true, But the cream always rises my grandad always said. We’ll be alright, and if not then not. Enjoy the ride. What’s the 4th turning? Is that some L Ron Hubbard voodoo ?
@@FlukeTog Most Child ABUSE comes from mothers FYI, WHY do you defend women you never met n disparaging Men you never met?? I'm going off STATISTICS that single mother homes RAISE weak men due to lack of FATHERS...
Might as well be, yeah. Astrology basically.
The marines must have fired millions of rounds from there water cooled 30 cal machine guns. Machine guns are really neat until you have to carry one.
Qualed at Edson range in Pendelton and traveled Holocomb blvd in Lejeune tons.