When my dad was stationed in Japan in the 70’s , there were occasions when riding the trains that older Japanese spit on us. It only happened a few times and my dad explained that it was because of the devastation brought about by the bombing campaign against Japan during WW II. I find it ironic that Japan wants to talk about Hiroshima and other bombings. I don’t hear anything from them about Nanking or Manila atrocities perpetrated by their troops.
Recent Japanese governments have downplayed many of the atrocities committed by the Imperial Army. There are numerous museums in Japan that make absolutely no mention of the war in the description of the exhibits, such as the Yūshūkan War Memorial Museum. I remember one specific case of a display of an Oka suicide plane that makes no mention at all that it was meant to be used as a kamikaze.
If the USA ever pulls out of Japan and the East Pacific in general I am afraid Japan will learn that the Chinese have not forgotten or forgiven one ounce of the pain Imperial Japan caused.
Thank you for making this video, Mark. My great uncle was Lt Col Chase Nielsen who was the navigator on The Green Hornet. His B-25 was the sixth plane to take off the USS Hornet of the Doolittle Raid. He was also one of the four raiders who survived the Japanese POW camps. He was very open about his experience as a POW in Japan. I can vividly remember some of the stories he told our family about the hardships he endured. But through it all, he forgave the Japanese people and taught others how to forgive their enemies. He's one of my personal heroes, so I can't thank you enough for sharing these stories with the world.
In a social media world, there thrives so much false, trivial fluff and profit seeking nonsense. And then there are guys like Mark, who make it all worthwhile and informative. I really enjoy his stories.
I agree. This is a very informative channel. Most other channels use attention eliciting “click-bait” headers. Then you you watch the content it’s simply regurgitated news or events. 🤫
@@generallobster Anagram? i wonder what word you meant to use. If your handle General Lobster means that you are an office of King George during the American Revolution, then none of our lives will matter because we are not born and possibly never will be. And you mean "up to this point," not "until," because "until" implies that you care now, and you don't. However, your POV on life seems a little suicidal, so I will pass on an insight gained over 40 years of being circumstantially suicidal: don't do it. 'A few good moments of freedom, love, or interest, can counterbalance decades of despair or apathy
@@generallobster what it tells me is that i believe you are emotionally bereft and intellectually poor. One of the most important consequences of taking in just how much suffering and loss results from conflicts is that we are so deeply affected that we make sure conflicts are extremely rare. If someone cannot care about the suffering of others, then it would be hypocritical for that person to expect others to care if they, or their families suffer. So, no social support, no charities, no aid for disasters - just each person looking after themselves. Suddenly, I prefer my lobsters boiled.
My father escaped Singapore in early 1942 and island hopped to New Guinea where he rejoined the Australian army in Port Moresby. He was seconded to the US marines as an aircraft and instruments technician and helped to repair broken B29s in Tinian in 1944 and 1945. When he was assigned to a broken plane he kissed it for good luck. All of them survived and were never shot down but some came back damaged and again another kiss and off you go!.
Considering my great grandmother was held in a Japanese prison camp it pisses me off how easy the Japanese got off with these unspeakable crimes yet they always seemed to be portrayed as the victims because of the atom bombs
Because they were turned into martyrs from the atom bombs. Germany had to dig deep in critical introspection for a long time, maybe beyond any required time. Japan dodged critical introspection and was allowed to do so because of the redrawn geopolitics of power. The Bataan Death March, the Singapore garrison marched to forced labor. The rape of Nanking and the brutalization of every conquered population make me say that they had it coming with the Bomb. Even with their twisted ideology, Germany had twenty some allies, Japan had none. History and epistemology drive us to rationalize in terms of forces and dynamics and tend to forget something more deeply human, wrath.
The other side of the medal is speculative. When the Bomb was first used, there were only two. We saw the effects and as weapons grew more powerful, if not for this tragic demonstration, their first use could have happened when many sides had them along with their delivery systems. I am not contradicting my previous post. I am aware that there was deep soul searching before their use. Many top brass resigned over this. Terms of surrender were rephrased twice to make them more acceptable and US diplomats leaked to Stalin during the Yalta meeting that something unseen before was to be used against Japan. Again, no reddition. Meanwhile underground factories were about to roll out Tiger 131 and jet fighters of which they had obtained designs from Germany. Japanese knew how to dig in, they were formidable in defense. Let's imagine the Cuban Missile Crisis happening without our foreknowledge of aftermaths provided by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. I will stick to act of wrath, it is more human than cold calculus.
@@mikecimerian6913 America was happy to do business with former Nazis and enemies of all kinds to make a buck. The Yanks took advantage of their own allies to screw them out of territory, put them in debt, and condemn thousands of people to Soviet imprisonment and death, setting up the world for the Cold War that followed. If Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbour, the world would be a very different place today. America doesn't get involved unless there's money to be made.
Yes. Live vivisection of Americans at Kyushu imperial medical University down the street from where I used to work. Shocking and most people there have no idea.
@@SirAntoniousBlock The innocent civilians in China, Burma, and the south Pacific: Hey, we dont want anything to do with your war. Japanese: We dont give a sh*t about anyone else, thats how this works.
Can't really feel any humour in a meme about the deaths of thousands of people mostly by fire. Its pretty awful, but war is hell as they say. And I guess your comment helps the channel
@@daniellebcooper7160 most of the dead in WW2 were not military most were just civilians trying to go about their lives but THATS how war works not fair or honourable in any sense at all
My Dad was a bombardier flying in B-17Gs, stationed at Foggia, Italy, from 10/44 through VE day. At the time of the A-Bomb attacks, he and the rest of the AAF bomber crews in the European theater were awaiting transit to the US, for training in the B29. I thank God he didn't have to go through a second round of hell over Japan. War is always a tragedy, but defeat and subjugation at the hands of the Axis powers would have been infinitely worse.
Same with my Dad. Did 35 bombing missions over Europe and was supposed to go home but was going to be sent to the pacific till those two atomic bombs where dropped. Those bombs saved over a million Americans lives.
@@pyrotechnick420 lol,i caught that to and had to let someone know their mistake,i doubt they will appreciate it but it is what it is i guess. PS,Sorry for any spelling mistakes. 😁 😉
@@chaz000006 Yes, there's the famous "Rape of Tokyo" where the US soilders machine gunned, barried alive, bayonetted civilians for no reason. Raped the women then kill them. There's also the famous picture where a soilder is holding up a rifle with a baby stuck on the bayonet. Also that news paper about officers competing who can chop 100 people's head off the fastest. But they miscounted or something, so they had to do it again.
My grandfather was involved in the Tokyo fire bombings and really never spoke about it much but he shared a story of one of the night time raids and the pure fear in his eyes is something I’ll never forget..I didn’t quite understand it I thought being on an air fortress would be preferable to island hopping in my small brain..but learning this angle that the airmen were doomed if they were to be shot down..and him seeing the incendiary carnage below must’ve been truly hell on earth..this video really was intense thanks for sharing this history
When I was younger I got to meet a few survivors of the Bataan Death March, those men were filled with such joy but the hate was still there, and once you learn what they went through it is very understandable. For the most part my grandfather was able to let his hate go, he was on the USS Calhoun, it was kamikazed 5 times, but his experiences still haunted him until the day he died.
@@robertharper3754 interesting but terrifying story. I feel for them, I have heard of death marches on Allied troops from Felton and others, it’s on par with Nazi death marches.
Same thing for my wife's uncle. Before I knew him very well, I made the mistake of riding to his house on my new Honda 450 bike. He dressed me down in no uncertain terms!
When the marines took Okinawa, they were very close to mainland Japan and with the end of the war in europe, they could use every heavy bomber available from British and USAAF air fleets this meant 3x 1,000 plane raids every 24 hours. Every day and every night bombing raids could be mounted on Japan the complete annihilation of Japan was actually saved by the surrender after the nuclear attacks
yes...all these horror stories about how millions of US soldiers would die in an(several) invasions on Japan seems bollocks to me. If you have ALL OVER superiority..in air, land and sea power..there is no millions of bamboo spears civilians that can put a dent in that...at..all.
@@oddballsok those were the estimates for a beach assault, and theyre probably minimums. What would be difficult for the allies to handle politically are the very high numbers of civilian deaths. WW1 had 50% civilian deaths, WW2 had 80% civilian deaths. You would be safer in a Sherman tank in the middle of Tokyo than a civilian during a raid in Hamburg or Dresden.
@ODDBALL SOK you have to realize that the Imperial Army was largely in charge of Japan at that point, and the Imperial Army was willing to sacrifice Japanese civilians to inflict casualties on USA soldiers to force the USA into accepting a conditional surrender. After Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender there was an attempted coup in the Imperial Army trying to force the Emperor to take back the surrender.
@@RenlangRen yes of course I do, in part thats the case. As it would have made civilians hostiles, and the whole thing would have been a complete bloodbath. And Japan still wouldnt win Not to mention the USAAF had a plan up to drop a third nuclear weapon on the 18th/19th August should surrender not be forthcoming
Nice presentation - Any and all prisoners ( Army, Navy, and Airforce) were ill treated, abused and killed, Lest we Forget those who did not come home. Cheers and stay safe
and nurses don't forget the noncombatants. what was more horrid is the lack of punishment for war crimes by that nation is like Germany took the stick for everyone for that war!
@Albert Strauss Interesting take - read about Nanjiig Massacre and Unit 731, once you have a read on death tolls, you might change your comment and open your mind.
@Albert Strauss the Japanese thought they’d get the war they wanted, the same arrogant mindset was prevalent in the nazi heads too, they the war they didn’t expect, they got the war they chose, they got the war they started, I’m truly sorry for the innocent Japanese civilians caught up in it, the video even said the allied airmen dropped leaflets warning the people to escape, i cannot imaging the Japanese nor even the nazis doing likewise. Japan and her imperial general staff therefore bears ultimate moral and legal responsibility for the war and its harrowing consequences.
I was honored to meet Hap Halloran at the 73rd BW Reunion in Omaha, NE in 2002. I bought his book and had him sign it. Hearing him tell his experiences in person was very special. May he, and all B-29 crew members who have passed away, Rest In Peace!
I met Mr. Halloran at a JCC Luncheon in Palo Alto in the late 1990s. He mentioned he had left his body twice and visited his home in Ohio. But he quit doing it because coming back into his body was too painful. Every day he chose to survive; if he hadn't done it, he wouldn't have made it. There is a picture of him along with Isamu Kashiide and Saburo Sakai on the web that tells volumes of his forgiveness experience. R.I.P.
My Grandfather was an ANZAC POW transferred from Bruma to Japan after being captured in Java in 1942. I’m so grateful he was spared the retribution that befell these pilots.
Are we talking about the indiscriminate mass killings of civilians including small children, pregnant women, babies, seniors? What about showing some sympathy for those innocent civilians. History taught us that those who did the exact same thing have always been cursed and called names like the scorch of God. Remember the Mongols? They did more or less the same thing butchering the entire population of towns, decimating civilizations. We can not endorse such a large-scale act of barbarism on the pretext of an attack on a military unit.
One of my old uncles was held in a Japanese pow camp, he was released after the Japanese surrender, he only lived for three more years as a result of the way the Japanese treat him during his captivity, he never spoke about his treatment during this time, I wasn't born then, so I never new him, he went to war as a strong, strapping soldier but came back a weak terrified young man.
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652 Right... Or I simply find it concerning that you sheep just believe everything no questions asked. Nice ad hominem btw. Really mature.
Sir Mark another amazing story. The way you tell it keeps me on the edge of my seat. Thank You for your hard work. All the information of names of pilots and aircraft cities etc. Absolutely Amazing. 🏴🇬🇧🇺🇸
This channel has made me realize how little I know about a subject I once thought I was well read in. I don't think enough appreciation is given to how in depth your research must be to find such details missed out in all other productions. If you don't get a TV show soon il fund it myself! Production value way above UA-cam level.
...after it is scientifically scrutinized then dr. Mark Felton reads it with vigor in a low tone monotonous voice that could woo the moon down from the heavens.
Thank you, Doctor for your work on these audio broadcasts. They are of great value to me even more that your video productions (which are golden!) as these do not require my visual attention as I work in my shop making violin canes. But I especially want to salute you for your disclaimer seen in each description of these audio titles. I very much appreciate and endorse your right to reduce, limit, and even refuse hateful comments which detract from your ethical, unbiased presentation of our nation's histories.
Jacob DeShazer was a bombardier on a B-25 known as "The Bat" that participated in the Doolittle Raid where he was captured in China and was a POW until 1945. 3 years afterwords, he returned to Japan as a Christian Missionary.
@@ahrenmann908 No. You fulfill your duty to your country, and you fulfill your duty to God, and you are blessed to be able to love people who have treated you horribly.
There are some books about DeShazer available plus some more about Mitsuo Fushida who led the attack on Pearl Harbor and later became the Billy Graham of Japan after converting to Christianity.
My uncle was an officer on a USN Destroyer that was sunk in 1944. About 40+ sailors/officers were rescued by a Japanese ship. Men were segregated according to rank, enlisted were beaten, some decapitated, and were thrown overboard with weights and/or their arms/legs tied. The few officers, my uncle included were brought in to the mainland POW camp for torture, trying to get military information. Out of the 6-7 rescued officers, three were killed in captivity after long torture sessions. My uncle was beaten for nearly a year and saw some of his companions being dismembered. In 1945, as Japan was being bombed, he was praying that bombs would go astray and kill him to end the carnage. According to my aunt (his wife), he never recovered, nightmares, fears, scars... and never forgave his captors. He volunteered for and saw action in Korea. He wrote several "diaries" (part of some therapy) but he finally committed suicide in 1955 upon return from Korea. His nightmare was over... Grand-ma donated his writings, diaries, memorabilia to the Smithsonian. I read them - it was absolutely unthinkable what he went through (along with many fellow Allied prisoners). His captors tortured him with "finesse", keeping him and his fellow POW between life and death to prolong the agony. I still get "unhinged" when I see or hear liberals claiming "how bad we (Americans) were to firebomb and drop an Atomic bomb on Japan". How quickly does the world forget tyranny and infamy! Peace be with you all, lest not forget, ever! Ciao, L (US Veteran)
@@joshuakatherine6251 Hi Joshua Katherine, my uncle's diary was written right after the war (he could not write in captivity). His writings (originals) are at the Smithsonian along with some memorabilia and records of his service. My grand-mother let me read them as she was trying to prevent me from serving (which in my days were mandatory for boys my age). His captivity was absolute hell and would be hard for anyone who has not experienced combat to understand - I really mean it. I would have to ask my cousin for permission but YT is not a very respectful format to discuss such serious issues. He recovered physically, enough to fight the Korean war but not enough to prevent him from killing himself in 1955. War is hell Joshua - it is not like on TV/Media, I know, I have been there. Peace be with you, Ciao, L
My Dad was a platoon leader and fought the Japanese in several major battles of Bougainville, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines. He got wounded three times and ended the war as a disabled veteran. He said, son, we knew that capture would be Hell so we saved our last bullet for ourselves. He was hit by Japanese artillery and never had to use his last bullet. Thank goodness. 🤠🪖
At my grandfather's funeral we were told about his experiences during the war. He never told us these stories, but clearly he was a bad ass going after Japanese soldiers who had kidnapped a local girl. There's one story I'll never forget. A captured US pilot was brought to a grade school and the students were forced to watch while they skinned him alive and stabbed him with bayonets. Everytime he passed out they revived him. I can't even imagine how traumatized the children were by this barbaric act. They are mostly gone now, but it's not hard to understand why the older generations of Filipinos in our families absolutely hated the Japanese.
@michael boultinghouse What the fuck are you talking about? Filipinos fought in guerrilla armies to oppose the Japanese occupation. The Japanese military killed so many people that Filipinos sided with the Americans, of all people, to stop them.
It's always amazed me how Japanese and Germans went from Being enemies to being neutral after the war. We never here much in the West what it was like living on the enemies side.
@michael boultinghouse By the time of the invasion of the Philippines in 1941, they already had their own government and had been promised their independence. The Philippines was given full sovereignty in 1948. You suppose the Filipinos should've cheered their liberation under the Japanese (and some might have), but many held onto with hope when MacArthur promised to return. And even more decided to fight the Japanese when the Japanese committed numerous atrocities against the Filipino people.
Seriously, Mark Felton needs to release audio-only versions for podcasts. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while I go running or while driving, youtube obviously doesn't work for those purposes but I absolutely love this content
My "old man" was on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) towards the end of WWII in the Pacific (1945). He talked about how at times you'd look up and see just hundreds of long, white contrails filling the blue sky overhead from the B-29s flying towards Japanese cities to be bombed.
My dad was not spared Japanese torture. His plane was shot down and he was captured and tortured. He barely survived. He suffered the rest of his life because of the Japanese. He was a very kind gentle man. I miss him.
My father was a p51 pilot shot down and was a japan pow his stories about every life as a prisoner were like a horror story . He passed in 2020 at the age of 98 . Our Dads were Hero's .
I lived in a small German town in the 1960's. I was about twelve years old. Down the cobblestone street lived my friend 'Marco'. His mother was Caucasian, - and his dad was Japanese. His dad lived in Japan when the two nuclear bombs fell. One day while at Marco's house I was in the living room perusing a bookshelf and espied a 'blob' of what looked like glass. Marco's dad was there in a recliner; suddenly he asked me what the misshapen piece of glass appeared to be. I'd no idea. What he told me was incredible. Marco's dad told me, that sometime after the blast (which one I don't recall) - he toured the skeleton of a laboratory there in the city, - when the guide retrieved a little glass mound off the shelf. This piece in his living room was that same 'glass-mound'. Marco's dad told me - that the little glass amorphic piece 'was' in-fact a small stack of microscope-slides from that very same laboratory he visited. The nuclear-blast generated so much heat - it was so hot, - that the stack of glass slides literally melted and fused into the piece I was holding in my hand. When you read of the heat resulting from the detonation of a nuclear device and imagine just how hot it might have been (and the lab was some distance from it) your imagination probably won't help you. People must have been flash-fried. Words and pictures can cheat a reality. But to hold a piece of that day in your own hand - then a connection and real understanding make for reality.
It’s surprising that Admiral Yamamoto’s warnings of what a concerted bombing campaign would do to Japanese cities went unheeded, Just over 2 decades prior the great Kanto earthquake of 1923 killed over 140,000 people in Tokyo many of whom died in large fire storms that engulfed the city.
Probably because of the rivalry between the IJN and the Army, none would accept each other’s suggestions on how to conduct the war, no matter how logical the argument was.
Absolutely riveting, Mark. My father flew transport planes in China during the War, but like many in his generation, spoke little of his experience to his children. Thanks for illuminating some of the harrowing experiences these brave airmen faced every single day and the indignation, rage & bewilderment their Japanese counterparts must have felt while their beloved, theretofore inviolable homeland was systematically razed.
@@ImperialistRunningDo Yes, the pilots were transferred to a prisoncamp near the Iranian border and the Soviets looked the other way when they escaped. The reason for their arrest was that the Soviet Union was neutral in the war against Japan and didn't want to risk breaking it, since they were too preoccupied with the German invasion.
When you mentioned flying over the hump it reminded me of one of my dads old government coworkers, Jimmy Davidson. Jimmy was a radio operator in B-17's for his first 25 missions over Europe. After that he wound up flying C-46's over the hump into China later in the war. He said flying over the hump on instruments socked in with clouds was far scarier than any mission he had flown in B-17's.
I've listened with apt attention as your detail-filled narration came across. I didn't have to really see your images as your descriptions were very evocative. I think this program was among your best and most moving. Thank you
I had three uncles that served in the Pacific in the Marine Corps. They often referred to the Japanese as savages. Especially in the '70s when I was a kid. Being that they all were Detroiters, they couldn't even understand why Americans would buy their cars.
03:13 "One B-25 landed in Soviet territory where the aircraft and its crew were interned for the duration." Ambivalent Soviet conduct towards its allies during the war never ceases to baffle.
That wasn't ambivalence. The Soviets were neutral in the Pacific war, it was a great shock to the Japanese when the Soviets eventually invaded in 1945.
They had to intern the aircraft crew due to the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact. Kinda weird situation when both nations fight against each other's allies but not against each other.
Excellent work, Mark. It's interesting that the Japanese signed, but never ratified, the Geneva Convention. I sure that most people didn't know that. Thanks once again.
And usa has only signed 3 of the 4 protocols of said Geneva convention (and not the 1 that outlaws civilian bombings or bombing hospitals). Not many know this either ... or want to know this.
We still had a "Dolittle Pad" here at Hurlburt Field, Florida in 86 to 91 when I was here. Unused and overgrown with weeds it was still an inspirational place where they had parked their aircraft while practicing for their raid on Tokyo!!
@@user-yk7dc9hu2k My great uncle was a US Marine detached to police Rhine Meadows and at 98 years old he has no reason to lie so I take great stock in an actual eye witness account of what happened.
@@user-yk7dc9hu2k the reason the death rate was low was no one was documented on entering so there was no real way to tell the death rate. Once a week they would come in with bulldozers to bury the dead and any unlucky soul who was trying to hide from the cold. Propaganda laced with shreds of truth to make it sound credible.
How can the Japanese that live by "Honor", have so little "Honor"? Still denying the text books to tell it like it really was, for their students to understand.
You can't talk about your honor while watching the Propanda video. Honor seems to disappear from the English dictionary. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mutilation_of_Japanese_war_dead
This certainly makes the reasons for dropping nukes on Japan more reasonable. This sort of information is rarely acknowledged by people against the USA’s use of firebombing/nukes on Imperial Japan.
The warcrime of torturing hundreds of POWs is making the warcrime of burning cities with millions of citizen to the ground more reasonable? Would you still agree if it were New York instead of Tokyo?
@@leonfa259 well, considering 250000 Chinese were exterminated for “harbouring” USA aircrew certainly makes it easier to justify in my opinion. I consider myself fairly well read on WW2, this info was certainly new to me.
@@gibbo1977 A horrible warcrime and the participants should pay, still nothing can justify bombing a whole city. Government and military targets are legitimate, civilian especially in large quantities are not.
@@leonfa259 All of the belligerents during WWII attacked civilian targets. The war industries were located inside of cities surrounded by civilian housing, and laser-guided smart bombs were not even considered by sci-fi authors at the time. If you had to demolish the factory, destroying the entire area around it was the only viable method. Also consider that the Japanese tended to distribute their war industries throughout civilian areas. Their government effectively used the civilian population as human shields. There is good reason why the USAAF left Kyoto alone, and that is because it wasn't a legitimate military target. Aerial bombing of cities during WWII was not a war crime because it did not go against the established conduct of the time, nor was there any international treaty banning it. Using PoWs as slave labour, deporting civilians to death camps, and deliberately attacking clearly marked medical personnel *were* war crimes in the 1940s and are today. And Japan did _all_ of those things in "large quantities."
@@Schwarzvogel1 I completely agree that the Japanese government and military were legitimate targets and were responsible for horrible warcrimes in large quantity, but the population of any country is never a legitimate target. Strategic bombing of cities is a warcrime after the Hague Convention of 1899 and 1907 and the Geneva Conventions. If you consider every postoffice war industry then it was in the middle of the city, else large dockyards and industry tended to be on the outskirts of cities and you would use HE against them instead of using incendiary bombs against square miles of densely populated area. The government and military are the ones that should be targeted for their crimes not families with children that were unfortunately born in the wrong city. No child should be punished for the crimes of their government, nowhere.
In the 90s I once did a construction job for an old fella who got shot down while on an air raid in the pacific and captured by the Japanese. The man was tortured for the better part of a year (bamboo chutes under the fingernails nails was mentioned) When the camp he was being held was liberated he was told he had been through enough and could come home. He responded "I ain't done killing the little bastards yet." His story, im just telling it. Hell of a fisherman as well.
This, I thought, was among your most captivating stories. I was on the edge of my seat. Devastating to listen to, though it had its one bright and interesting moment with the salute. I feel as if I am there with some of the imagery.
@@jsmariani4180 After the war, it was discovered the Japanese had several more divisions of battle ready troops than initially thought. Unlike Europe, there was only one site large for the Allies to land and mortality rates for Allies were estimated at one million. Your snarky comment only illustrates your ignorance of the subject and diminishes the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops in a war that Japan initiated.
They signed up for it, and being young, thought nothing bad could ever happen to them, maybe the other guy, but not them. Most were scared shitless all the time in battle. Anyone who says they weren't is a liar.
@@davidhoogendyke2774 Nah. WW1 already taught everyone that WW2 would be utter hell. When they signed up, they had a good idea of what they were getting into. Still scared shitless though.
My great grandfather served in the Pacific, and was stationed in Japan after the war. He actually met and became great friends with a Japanese man who had been fighting against him in the same battles. Surprised by the American's kindness towards a defeated foe, he gifted my relative a set of old coins from Japan, some of which were already 150 years old. Eventually he went home to America,and they lost contact. I have this set of coins, in a small wooden box, with a typewriter note thanking my relative for his kindness. I often wonder what became of him and his family, and how his descendants are today. Sadly, I have no name for the Japanese man, and everyone involved died years ago.
If you looked into your great grandfather's unit history, you may find the location where it they met. Perhaps the soldier was a local. I definitely recommend posting a video showing off the coins.
Unfortunately, I'm lacking information that would help me piece it together. I know his last name, Chambers, but not his first. There's nobody I can really ask, my mother forgot his first name and he died shortly after her birth. Both my grandparents on that side of my family are dead, so no help there either. I have an ancient tablet I used to watch things, so I'm not sure I can do a video. But if I find a way to, I'll do it.
Unfortunately, I'm lacking information that would help me piece it together. Wayne Patterson --- That should not be a problem with some online research. You need to start with his name, Chambers, the names of your parents, and grandparents, and identify his branch of military service if possible. Even if you do not know his military branch now, there are means by which we can discover that information too. With that information it may become feasible to determine where and when he encountered his Japanese nemesis in the war and then trace them back to their area in Japan where they had an opportunity to encounter each other again.
Mark probably covers this but in January 1945 at the Tokyo Medical School a American flyer is put to sleep by a anesthesiologist. The Medical Students watch a live dissection of the American. I’m not kidding. The distinguished British author Max Hastings covers it in one of his books.
My Dad was a B29 FE in 1945. When he did talk about it, which wasn't often, he said his crew agreed they were NOT to be taken in Japan if they had to bailout. They would either go down with the plane or attempt to get to Korea or China and bailout/ditch there.
Very Interesting subject matter. Kudos for the audio n archival photos that enhances ur narrative. Anticipating ur next one to discover what happened next.
This was worth the moments it was so enveloping that while we were listening and I didn't realize until it was over that in my mind I was imagining what the crew members were going through as they bailed out and when mark described the firebombing of Tokyo and what the emporer was doing in his bomb bunker I could see it happening also when the the commandant of the prison left the American crew men to what he thought was a ironic fate I felt the contempt he must have felt and how ironic is it the Japanese whom used terror bombing as a ineffective way of waging modern war was to be it's final testament to it's horrors upon their own nation...thank you mark for 23:10 minutes we were transported to a time and place(me and my daughter's 16(twins) and 17 yrs)were learning history I look forward to hearing the rest of this leason
@@therealuncleowen2588 Actually it was my father. He would have been 97 is he were alive. He passed due to a car accident when he was 67. He said he was glad he didn’t get sent in.
Glad I found this channel, incredible videos about so many things I’ve never heard about. I appreciate your channel and hope you continue to make videos.
Sending a special heavenly bday to my great uncle Jack Houston...side gunner on a B-29...shot down 7 Japanese zeros. He flew over "the hump" on 9 missions. He said it was so cold that their guns froze to their pivots and they got frostbite. I wish I could've heard more of your stories...RIP..a true hero!
Hmmm. Apparently the 4 thumbs up are from folks who flunked INTRO to B-29s in high school. Being a gunner on a Superfortress was much more comfortable than manning a .50 on a B-17. And the missions over the "Hump" were supply runs to the forward bases in China.
Pappy Boyington wrote a great book called BAA BAA BLACKSHEEP. Boyington spent time as a POW in Japan after being shotdown. In the water the Zeros that downed him straffed him but on the Japanese sub that picked him up sailors treated him decently. In the POW camp most of the guards were brutal ,and he was starved, but was saved by an old Japanese woman working in the kitchen who gave him food on the sly. Boyington said that when out working clearing bombing related rubble the civilians were never hostile. But the guards could be violent to the civilians showing kindness.
I really missed you, Mark. About the cities firebombed. The two cities that received the A-Bomb gift were placed on the NO Bomb list. This was done so that effects could be later evaluated. When American airmen were about to be executed, the firing squad was told to miss. They reloaded and missed again. For the third round, some of the soldiers were told to only kill a few of the airmen. In total it took five rounds to kill them all.
I worked with Ray Halloren, he wrote a book about his experience, I believe it was his therapy to talk about the crash ,and experience after he landed .Brutal stories.Thank You Ray for your service
Think of all that was lost in all the fighting and destruction of the last century. So much history gone for nothing. Most was lost in all the futile Allied bombing campaigns in Europe.
All people remember are the atomic bombs being used. The amount of death and destruction caused by fire bombing was so much more devastating. Thank you Mark for going the extra mile on your research.
@@barrykevin7658 recent discoveries show he was very much aware of the atrocities and bought off on many of them. It was politically expedient to not charge him, but he was very much involved.
True. Who knows. But then again nothing happens in Japan in those days without the emperor's stamp of approval. He was like a God to the Japanese people. So I'm pretty sure he took advice from the military leadership in the end he made the call. I don't think they dare do anything without the emperor's knowledge of what's happening
When my dad was stationed in Japan in the 70’s , there were occasions when riding the trains that older Japanese spit on us. It only happened a few times and my dad explained that it was because of the devastation brought about by the bombing campaign against Japan during WW II. I find it ironic that Japan wants to talk about Hiroshima and other bombings. I don’t hear anything from them about Nanking or Manila atrocities perpetrated by their troops.
idiots always assume that people are representative of their entire country's actions and history. you included.
Recent Japanese governments have downplayed many of the atrocities committed by the Imperial Army. There are numerous museums in Japan that make absolutely no mention of the war in the description of the exhibits, such as the Yūshūkan War Memorial Museum. I remember one specific case of a display of an Oka suicide plane that makes no mention at all that it was meant to be used as a kamikaze.
If your home was turned into ash and your family killed by ambivalent bombing, you likely would feel the same as those old Japanese did.
If the USA ever pulls out of Japan and the East Pacific in general I am afraid Japan will learn that the Chinese have not forgotten or forgiven one ounce of the pain Imperial Japan caused.
@@RenlangRen And Chinese made similar or worse things under Mao rule.
Thank you for making this video, Mark. My great uncle was Lt Col Chase Nielsen who was the navigator on The Green Hornet. His B-25 was the sixth plane to take off the USS Hornet of the Doolittle Raid. He was also one of the four raiders who survived the Japanese POW camps.
He was very open about his experience as a POW in Japan. I can vividly remember some of the stories he told our family about the hardships he endured. But through it all, he forgave the Japanese people and taught others how to forgive their enemies.
He's one of my personal heroes, so I can't thank you enough for sharing these stories with the world.
There's a display on the Doolittle raid at the US Air Force museum in Dayton Ohio
Thank you for sharing your Uncle's story. There seems to be great wisdom in being able to forgive your enemies 🙏
We forgave them with Operation Meetinghouse.
@@brocklanders6969 Yes, and what a meeting it was, at their house.
You think that Mark Felton actually reads any comments!!!!! I thank your uncle for work. That is more than you will ever get from Felton.
In a social media world, there thrives so much false, trivial fluff and profit seeking nonsense.
And then there are guys like Mark, who make it all worthwhile and informative. I really enjoy his stories.
I agree. This is a very informative channel. Most other channels use attention eliciting “click-bait” headers. Then you you watch the content it’s simply regurgitated news or events. 🤫
Me too, cw2 Ingram, retired.
Yeah, he has at least researched the history and provided perspective on both sides
@@generallobster Anagram? i wonder what word you meant to use. If your handle General Lobster means that you are an office of King George during the American Revolution, then none of our lives will matter because we are not born and possibly never will be. And you mean "up to this point," not "until," because "until" implies that you care now, and you don't. However, your POV on life seems a little suicidal, so I will pass on an insight gained over 40 years of being circumstantially suicidal: don't do it. 'A few good moments of freedom, love, or interest, can counterbalance decades of despair or apathy
@@generallobster what it tells me is that i believe you are emotionally bereft and intellectually poor. One of the most important consequences of taking in just how much suffering and loss results from conflicts is that we are so deeply affected that we make sure conflicts are extremely rare. If someone cannot care about the suffering of others, then it would be hypocritical for that person to expect others to care if they, or their families suffer. So, no social support, no charities, no aid for disasters - just each person looking after themselves. Suddenly, I prefer my lobsters boiled.
When I saw the word “japan” and “treatment” I was already like “I don’t like where this is going...”
Japanese Officer: "Me going to give gaijin a haircut" (Pulls out katana and smiles)
@@eldarhighelfhealermiriella7653 "A little of the top please"!
Once i saw american airmen i said, Oh boy this will not be pretty
Neither did our ancestors in the Pacific.
If I were floating down in a parachute over Tokyo, the last bullet in my sidearm would be for me.
My father escaped Singapore in early 1942 and island hopped to New Guinea where he rejoined the Australian army in Port Moresby. He was seconded to the US marines as an aircraft and instruments technician and helped to repair broken B29s in Tinian in 1944 and 1945. When he was assigned to a broken plane he kissed it for good luck. All of them survived and were never shot down but some came back damaged and again another kiss and off you go!.
Hah, great story. Need all the luck you can get in days like that.
Love and respect from America.
How dis he ever get out of Singapore? It is a miracle. His service is appreciated. Rick an Aussie and American.
Considering my great grandmother was held in a Japanese prison camp it pisses me off how easy the Japanese got off with these unspeakable crimes yet they always seemed to be portrayed as the victims because of the atom bombs
Damn right
Because they were turned into martyrs from the atom bombs. Germany had to dig deep in critical introspection for a long time, maybe beyond any required time. Japan dodged critical introspection and was allowed to do so because of the redrawn geopolitics of power. The Bataan Death March, the Singapore garrison marched to forced labor. The rape of Nanking and the brutalization of every conquered population make me say that they had it coming with the Bomb. Even with their twisted ideology, Germany had twenty some allies, Japan had none. History and epistemology drive us to rationalize in terms of forces and dynamics and tend to forget something more deeply human, wrath.
@@mikecimerian6913 Japan had one ally in Asia - Fascist-Thailand.
The other side of the medal is speculative. When the Bomb was first used, there were only two. We saw the effects and as weapons grew more powerful, if not for this tragic demonstration, their first use could have happened when many sides had them along with their delivery systems.
I am not contradicting my previous post. I am aware that there was deep soul searching before their use. Many top brass resigned over this.
Terms of surrender were rephrased twice to make them more acceptable and US diplomats leaked to Stalin during the Yalta meeting that something unseen before was to be used against Japan. Again, no reddition. Meanwhile underground factories were about to roll out Tiger 131 and jet fighters of which they had obtained designs from Germany. Japanese knew how to dig in, they were formidable in defense.
Let's imagine the Cuban Missile Crisis happening without our foreknowledge of aftermaths provided by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
I will stick to act of wrath, it is more human than cold calculus.
@@mikecimerian6913 America was happy to do business with former Nazis and enemies of all kinds to make a buck. The Yanks took advantage of their own allies to screw them out of territory, put them in debt, and condemn thousands of people to Soviet imprisonment and death, setting up the world for the Cold War that followed. If Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbour, the world would be a very different place today. America doesn't get involved unless there's money to be made.
I remember hearing that captured allied airmen. Where used in experiments at Unit 731. And at medical schools in Japan itself.
Mark made a video entitled " WW2 Japanese Military Brutality Explained " maybe that will help you
@R W There is a video about it. Just not sure if on his main channel or the audio channel
Yes. Live vivisection of Americans at Kyushu imperial medical University down the street from where I used to work. Shocking and most people there have no idea.
do you have a link for the japanese brutality video/audio?
@@dovidell someone knows their Feltons
Japan: "Hey bombing us is not fair, we're gonna pass a law making it illegal!"
B-29 crews: "I don't think you understand how this works."
The chinese still have this attitude.
@@SirAntoniousBlock The innocent civilians in China, Burma, and the south Pacific: Hey, we dont want anything to do with your war. Japanese: We dont give a sh*t about anyone else, thats how this works.
Can't really feel any humour in a meme about the deaths of thousands of people mostly by fire. Its pretty awful, but war is hell as they say. And I guess your comment helps the channel
@@daniellebcooper7160 most of the dead in WW2 were not military most were just civilians trying to go about their lives but THATS how war works not fair or honourable in any sense at all
@@mikepette4422 it wasnt ment to be funny
My Dad was a bombardier flying in B-17Gs, stationed at Foggia, Italy, from 10/44 through VE day. At the time of the A-Bomb attacks, he and the rest of the AAF bomber crews in the European theater were awaiting transit to the US, for training in the B29. I thank God he didn't have to go through a second round of hell over Japan. War is always a tragedy, but defeat and subjugation at the hands of the Axis powers would have been infinitely worse.
Same with my Dad. Did 35 bombing missions over Europe and was supposed to go home but was going to be sent to the pacific till those two atomic bombs where dropped. Those bombs saved over a million Americans lives.
@@wizerdjuice9589 Lol they didnt save anything. Also, who cares about american lives?
You know your day is going to be good when Mark Felton uploads
And bad when you're shot down over Japan.
So far you're the only commenter on this video who spelled Felton's name correctly lol
His neighbours prefer his unloads and we prefer competent comments minus sycophantic sheiss *
@@pyrotechnick420 lol,i caught that to and had to let someone know their mistake,i doubt they will appreciate it but it is what it is i guess.
PS,Sorry for any spelling mistakes. 😁 😉
@@DaveSCameron are you speaking English?
I like how the Japanese talked about war crimes. Not ironic at all.
Seems both side liked to target civilians...
@Doctor Detroit Yes yes but no matter who starts a war, it is still wrong to kill civilians no matter who side you fight on.
@@joonamikkonen_ I agree. The greatest single terrorist attack in history was the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima.
@@chaz000006 Yes, there's the famous "Rape of Tokyo" where the US soilders machine gunned, barried alive, bayonetted civilians for no reason. Raped the women then kill them. There's also the famous picture where a soilder is holding up a rifle with a baby stuck on the bayonet. Also that news paper about officers competing who can chop 100 people's head off the fastest. But they miscounted or something, so they had to do it again.
@@Nathan-jh1ho you almost had me there. I was like wait a sec, that sounds like Nanking.🤦♂️
My grandfather was involved in the Tokyo fire bombings and really never spoke about it much but he shared a story of one of the night time raids and the pure fear in his eyes is something I’ll never forget..I didn’t quite understand it I thought being on an air fortress would be preferable to island hopping in my small brain..but learning this angle that the airmen were doomed if they were to be shot down..and him seeing the incendiary carnage below must’ve been truly hell on earth..this video really was intense thanks for sharing this history
I knew a man who wouldnt let his hate for them go because of this
My grandma had this attitude.
When I was younger I got to meet a few survivors of the Bataan Death March, those men were filled with such joy but the hate was still there, and once you learn what they went through it is very understandable. For the most part my grandfather was able to let his hate go, he was on the USS Calhoun, it was kamikazed 5 times, but his experiences still haunted him until the day he died.
@@robertharper3754 interesting but terrifying story. I feel for them, I have heard of death marches on Allied troops from Felton and others, it’s on par with Nazi death marches.
Same thing for my wife's uncle. Before I knew him very well, I made the mistake of riding to his house on my new Honda 450 bike. He dressed me down in no uncertain terms!
My great uncle who was a POW in Burma had the same attitude
When the marines took Okinawa, they were very close to mainland Japan
and with the end of the war in europe, they could use every heavy bomber available from British and USAAF air fleets
this meant 3x 1,000 plane raids every 24 hours. Every day and every night bombing raids could be mounted on Japan
the complete annihilation of Japan was actually saved by the surrender after the nuclear attacks
yes...all these horror stories about how millions of US soldiers would die in an(several) invasions on Japan seems bollocks to me.
If you have ALL OVER superiority..in air, land and sea power..there is no millions of bamboo spears civilians that can put a dent in that...at..all.
@@oddballsok those were the estimates for a beach assault, and theyre probably minimums. What would be difficult for the allies to handle politically are the very high numbers of civilian deaths.
WW1 had 50% civilian deaths, WW2 had 80% civilian deaths. You would be safer in a Sherman tank in the middle of Tokyo than a civilian during a raid in Hamburg or Dresden.
@ODDBALL SOK you have to realize that the Imperial Army was largely in charge of Japan at that point, and the Imperial Army was willing to sacrifice Japanese civilians to inflict casualties on USA soldiers to force the USA into accepting a conditional surrender. After Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender there was an attempted coup in the Imperial Army trying to force the Emperor to take back the surrender.
@@RenlangRen yes of course I do, in part thats the case.
As it would have made civilians hostiles, and the whole thing would have been a complete bloodbath. And Japan still wouldnt win
Not to mention the USAAF had a plan up to drop a third nuclear weapon on the 18th/19th August should surrender not be forthcoming
@@z_actual Sorry for any confusion Z _Actual. My post was directed at ODDBALL SOK, not you.
What a fantastic story so far. I'm in my garage working on motorcycles, drinking beer and listening to Dr Felton. Life is grand
Nice presentation - Any and all prisoners ( Army, Navy, and Airforce) were ill treated, abused and killed, Lest we Forget those who did not come home. Cheers and stay safe
Utter destruction
and nurses don't forget the noncombatants. what was more horrid is the lack of punishment for war crimes by that nation is like Germany took the stick for everyone for that war!
@Albert Strauss Interesting take - read about Nanjiig Massacre and Unit 731, once you have a read on death tolls, you might change your comment and open your mind.
Add Civilians, Merchant Seaman and Nurses.
@Albert Strauss the Japanese thought they’d get the war they wanted, the same arrogant mindset was prevalent in the nazi heads too, they the war they didn’t expect, they got the war they chose, they got the war they started, I’m truly sorry for the innocent Japanese civilians caught up in it, the video even said the allied airmen dropped leaflets warning the people to escape, i cannot imaging the Japanese nor even the nazis doing likewise. Japan and her imperial general staff therefore bears ultimate moral and legal responsibility for the war and its harrowing consequences.
I was honored to meet Hap Halloran at the 73rd BW Reunion in Omaha, NE in 2002. I bought his book and had him sign it. Hearing him tell his experiences in person was very special. May he, and all B-29 crew members who have passed away, Rest In Peace!
Joe are you aware of the B-29 site most of us gravitated to after Sally Ann’s site went down?
No, what is it?
B 29 Wings of the Mariannas on Facebook
I met Mr. Halloran at a JCC Luncheon in Palo Alto in the late 1990s. He mentioned he had left his body twice and visited his home in Ohio. But he quit doing it because coming back into his body was too painful. Every day he chose to survive; if he hadn't done it, he wouldn't have made it. There is a picture of him along with Isamu Kashiide and Saburo Sakai on the web that tells volumes of his forgiveness experience. R.I.P.
My Grandfather was an ANZAC POW transferred from Bruma to Japan after being captured in Java in 1942. I’m so grateful he was spared the retribution that befell these pilots.
The Burma campaign was hell. Being a POW was slow death from starvation and abuse. Glad he survived.
It was simply, luck of the draw.
Mark, you deserve your own TV show. Your content truly is that good.
No. TV networks turn everything into shit
This *is* his TV channel. Who watches TV any more? My boss pays something close to $200 a month for cable which in the end of things is utter shit.
Does anyone still watch TV? This is the future.
@@dado6559 don't you remember old history channel?
@@obamabin-laden2420 back when it was actually about history and not garbage reality shows.
The bombing of Japan is the classic case in history of "f around, find out".
And it goes both ways. These downed, captured airmen also found out.
@@fatherelijahcal9620 I’m sure they found it worth it
Like Custer and the Seminole wars!
Are we talking about the indiscriminate mass killings of civilians including small children, pregnant women, babies, seniors? What about showing some sympathy for those innocent civilians. History taught us that those who did the exact same thing have always been cursed and called names like the scorch of God. Remember the Mongols? They did more or less the same thing butchering the entire population of towns, decimating civilizations. We can not endorse such a large-scale act of barbarism on the pretext of an attack on a military unit.
*The US is just as brutal as Japan when it comes to indiscriminate killings of civilians.*
One of my old uncles was held in a Japanese pow camp, he was released after the Japanese surrender, he only lived for three more years as a result of the way the Japanese treat him during his captivity, he never spoke about his treatment during this time, I wasn't born then, so I never new him, he went to war as a strong, strapping soldier but came back a weak terrified young man.
I'm sorry. May he rest in peace. He still was that strong man. It's just that Imperial Japan was deeply evil.
That sucks, to bad MacArthur protected all the Japanese war criminals, same with Truman.
@@TheRealBatCave Togo got hung
@@TheRealBatCave Nope, over 900 were executed.
@@TheRealBatCaveThat really piss me off. I don't know which is worse, the Japs or the Nazi.
A big thumb-up to Dr. Mark Felton for the real history of the Japanese cruelty depicted so realistically.
War is cruel.
How do you know he is not making it up?
@@Leon_der_Luftige
Because he’s well versed and educated. You obviously don’t read history.
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652 Right... Or I simply find it concerning that you sheep just believe everything no questions asked.
Nice ad hominem btw. Really mature.
@@Leon_der_Luftige
People like you always prove a point - some people do not read history.
Sir Mark another amazing story. The way you tell it keeps me on the edge of my seat. Thank You for your hard work. All the information of names of pilots and aircraft cities etc. Absolutely Amazing. 🏴🇬🇧🇺🇸
This channel has made me realize how little I know about a subject I once thought I was well read in. I don't think enough appreciation is given to how in depth your research must be to find such details missed out in all other productions. If you don't get a TV show soon il fund it myself! Production value way above UA-cam level.
Mark. Once again you deliver and we learn more about History!
History is written by the victors.... and then scientifically scrutinized.
Don’t be a lemming. Trading one indoctrination source for another.
He has a few books as well. Really enjoyed the story about the Lippizaner Stallions rescue.
...after it is scientifically scrutinized then dr. Mark Felton reads it with vigor in a low tone monotonous voice that could woo the moon down from the heavens.
Both of your channels never fail to amaze and enlighten me Mark 👍
Thank you for the hard work and time you put into them
Thank you, Doctor for your work on these audio broadcasts. They are of great value to me even more that your video productions (which are golden!) as these do not require my visual attention as I work in my shop making violin canes.
But I especially want to salute you for your disclaimer seen in each description of these audio titles. I very much appreciate and endorse your right to reduce, limit, and even refuse hateful comments which detract from your ethical, unbiased presentation of our nation's histories.
Jacob DeShazer was a bombardier on a B-25 known as "The Bat" that participated in the Doolittle Raid where he was captured in China and was a POW until 1945. 3 years afterwords, he returned to Japan as a Christian Missionary.
Step 1: destroy the country
Step 2; destroy the culture
Step 3: McDonald's
@@ahrenmann908
No. You fulfill your duty to your country, and you fulfill your duty to God, and you are blessed to be able to love people who have treated you horribly.
Better man than me...
There are some books about DeShazer available plus some more about Mitsuo Fushida who led the attack on Pearl Harbor and later became the Billy Graham of Japan after converting to Christianity.
Do you happen to know if Jacob was aware of the massacre the Japanese did in the Chinese town he stayed in?
My uncle was an officer on a USN Destroyer that was sunk in 1944. About 40+ sailors/officers were rescued by a Japanese ship. Men were segregated according to rank, enlisted were beaten, some decapitated, and were thrown overboard with weights and/or their arms/legs tied. The few officers, my uncle included were brought in to the mainland POW camp for torture, trying to get military information. Out of the 6-7 rescued officers, three were killed in captivity after long torture sessions. My uncle was beaten for nearly a year and saw some of his companions being dismembered. In 1945, as Japan was being bombed, he was praying that bombs would go astray and kill him to end the carnage.
According to my aunt (his wife), he never recovered, nightmares, fears, scars... and never forgave his captors. He volunteered for and saw action in Korea. He wrote several "diaries" (part of some therapy) but he finally committed suicide in 1955 upon return from Korea. His nightmare was over... Grand-ma donated his writings, diaries, memorabilia to the Smithsonian. I read them - it was absolutely unthinkable what he went through (along with many fellow Allied prisoners). His captors tortured him with "finesse", keeping him and his fellow POW between life and death to prolong the agony.
I still get "unhinged" when I see or hear liberals claiming "how bad we (Americans) were to firebomb and drop an Atomic bomb on Japan". How quickly does the world forget tyranny and infamy! Peace be with you all, lest not forget, ever! Ciao, L (US Veteran)
You can never trust a man that you can blindfold with a shoelace
What was your uncle's name? I'm interested in reading his diaries... where are they kept?
@@joshuakatherine6251 why is your second name a woman's name?
@@VVtos174 it's my wife's name.
@@joshuakatherine6251 Hi Joshua Katherine, my uncle's diary was written right after the war (he could not write in captivity). His writings (originals) are at the Smithsonian along with some memorabilia and records of his service. My grand-mother let me read them as she was trying to prevent me from serving (which in my days were mandatory for boys my age). His captivity was absolute hell and would be hard for anyone who has not experienced combat to understand - I really mean it. I would have to ask my cousin for permission but YT is not a very respectful format to discuss such serious issues. He recovered physically, enough to fight the Korean war but not enough to prevent him from killing himself in 1955. War is hell Joshua - it is not like on TV/Media, I know, I have been there. Peace be with you, Ciao, L
As one veteran B-29 crewman and POW told me, "beheadings with samurai swords were very common."
My Dad was a platoon leader and fought the Japanese in several major battles of Bougainville, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines. He got wounded three times and ended the war as a disabled veteran. He said, son, we knew that capture would be Hell so we saved our last bullet for ourselves. He was hit by Japanese artillery and never had to use his last bullet. Thank goodness. 🤠🪖
At my grandfather's funeral we were told about his experiences during the war. He never told us these stories, but clearly he was a bad ass going after Japanese soldiers who had kidnapped a local girl. There's one story I'll never forget. A captured US pilot was brought to a grade school and the students were forced to watch while they skinned him alive and stabbed him with bayonets. Everytime he passed out they revived him. I can't even imagine how traumatized the children were by this barbaric act. They are mostly gone now, but it's not hard to understand why the older generations of Filipinos in our families absolutely hated the Japanese.
Sounds like a tall tale to me. Respectfully, many stories of the war like that just never happened.
Too much bullshit, tone it down a little.
sounds like a script from a typical hollywood movie.
@michael boultinghouse What the fuck are you talking about? Filipinos fought in guerrilla armies to oppose the Japanese occupation. The Japanese military killed so many people that Filipinos sided with the Americans, of all people, to stop them.
It's always amazed me how Japanese and Germans went from
Being enemies to being neutral after the war. We never here much in the West what it was like living on the enemies side.
@michael boultinghouse By the time of the invasion of the Philippines in 1941, they already had their own government and had been promised their independence. The Philippines was given full sovereignty in 1948. You suppose the Filipinos should've cheered their liberation under the Japanese (and some might have), but many held onto with hope when MacArthur promised to return. And even more decided to fight the Japanese when the Japanese committed numerous atrocities against the Filipino people.
Seriously, Mark Felton needs to release audio-only versions for podcasts. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while I go running or while driving, youtube obviously doesn't work for those purposes but I absolutely love this content
There are tools you can use to grab audio off UA-cam vids
My "old man" was on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) towards the end of WWII in the Pacific (1945). He talked about how at times you'd look up and see just hundreds of long, white contrails filling the blue sky overhead from the B-29s flying towards Japanese cities to be bombed.
Ahhh shit here we go. Haven’t even listened yet but I know this will be an intense one. Thanks Dr. Felton for all the hard work.
The expression in the narration is becoming so much more refined and descriptive.
Well done Mark.
Damn mr Felton, your writing in this one is GREAT. Rest In Peace to those who lost their lives.
Nicely done mark. Thanks for your hard work.
My dad was not spared Japanese torture. His plane was shot down and he was captured and tortured. He barely survived. He suffered the rest of his life because of the Japanese. He was a very kind gentle man. I miss him.
Truly the greatest generation. I salute him. 🇺🇸
Much respect and gratitude for your father's service
My father was a p51 pilot shot down and was a japan pow his stories about every life as a prisoner were like a horror story . He passed in 2020 at the age of 98 . Our Dads were Hero's .
@@arnulfob3454 My father only lived to be 82.
@@roberthart557 they are all Hero's
I lived in a small German town in the 1960's. I was about twelve years old. Down the cobblestone street
lived my friend 'Marco'. His mother was Caucasian, - and his dad was Japanese. His dad lived in Japan when the two nuclear bombs fell.
One day while at Marco's house I
was in the living room perusing a
bookshelf and espied a 'blob' of
what looked like glass. Marco's
dad was there in a recliner; suddenly he asked me what the misshapen piece of glass appeared to be. I'd no idea. What he told me was incredible.
Marco's dad told me, that sometime after the blast (which one I don't recall) -
he toured the skeleton of a laboratory
there in the city, - when the guide retrieved a little glass mound off the shelf. This piece in his living room was that same 'glass-mound'.
Marco's dad told me - that the little glass amorphic piece 'was' in-fact a small stack of microscope-slides from that very same laboratory he visited.
The nuclear-blast generated so much heat - it was so hot, - that the stack of glass slides literally melted and fused into the piece I was holding in my hand.
When you read of the heat resulting from the detonation of a nuclear device and imagine just how hot it might have been (and the lab was some distance from it) your imagination probably won't help you.
People must have been flash-fried.
Words and pictures can cheat a reality.
But to hold a piece of that day in your own hand - then a connection and real understanding make for reality.
It’s surprising that Admiral Yamamoto’s warnings of what a concerted bombing campaign would do to Japanese cities went unheeded, Just over 2 decades prior the great Kanto earthquake of 1923 killed over 140,000 people in Tokyo many of whom died in large fire storms that engulfed the city.
Probably because of the rivalry between the IJN and the Army, none would accept each other’s suggestions on how to conduct the war, no matter how logical the argument was.
Absolutely riveting, Mark. My father flew transport planes in China during the War, but like many in his generation, spoke little of his experience to his children. Thanks for illuminating some of the harrowing experiences these brave airmen faced every single day and the indignation, rage & bewilderment their Japanese counterparts must have felt while their beloved, theretofore inviolable homeland was systematically razed.
Professor, the B 25 crew going to the USSR, deserves it's own video!! It's an amazing story in it's self!!
Or the B-29s that ditched in the USSR, leading to "the stealing of the Superfortress."
@@demef758 Yeah, that became the T 4!
Would make a great story seeing both countries were suposedly allies
They escaped into Iran, didn't they?
@@ImperialistRunningDo Yes, the pilots were transferred to a prisoncamp near the Iranian border and the Soviets looked the other way when they escaped.
The reason for their arrest was that the Soviet Union was neutral in the war against Japan and didn't want to risk breaking it, since they were too preoccupied with the German invasion.
My late neighbor was captured by the Japanese. Until the end of his life he hated Japanese.
All of the survivors did.
Rightly so . I knew men like this .
His generation was like that, angry at an entire race because of his awful experiences with the cruel, wartime regime.
@@davidhoogendyke2774 And rightly so.
My father did also. He would never even buy a Japanese car.
You know your day is complete when you get to watch Mark Felton production's 7 minute post #12 comment. Thanks Mark
Absolutely amazing video! Capturing the seriousness and horror of the ordeal from both sides and the delivery of the story is spot on.
When you mentioned flying over the hump it reminded me of one of my dads old government coworkers, Jimmy Davidson. Jimmy was a radio operator in B-17's for his first 25 missions over Europe. After that he wound up flying C-46's over the hump into China later in the war. He said flying over the hump on instruments socked in with clouds was far scarier than any mission he had flown in B-17's.
About half those guys are still there.
Dr.Felton, how on earth do you have the energy to approach so many various topics with such detail? I am truly amazed at the depth of your knowledge.
I've listened with apt attention as your detail-filled narration came across. I didn't have to really see your images as your descriptions were very evocative. I think this program was among your best and most moving. Thank you
My 7th grade science teacher survived the Bataan death march.
Dr Felton makes great videos really and so does the World War 2 team. In a SPOF they just talked about the Bataan death march.
Did you give your teacher a medal?
I had a religion instructor at college (Baldwin Wallace) who survived the Bataan death march. He was obviously affected by his experiences.
@@Venezolano410
He married one of first female surgeons in my state and drove an E-Type Jag to school. He did well after the war and died at ninety.
I had three uncles that served in the Pacific in the Marine Corps. They often referred to the Japanese as savages. Especially in the '70s when I was a kid. Being that they all were Detroiters, they couldn't even understand why Americans would buy their cars.
You are such a good speaker and your writing so excellent that I didn't even realize I was listening to an audio vs watching video etc. Excellent.
Great video, yet again. The B-29 is the most amazing bomber of WW2. Well ahead of its time. The intro picture is fabulous.
you can even considered it to be the father of B-52 stratoforts and Russian Tu-95 bear(from tu-4)
@@nogibertv4824 The TU-4 WAS the B-29!
Most advanced plane of the war period.
03:13
"One B-25 landed in Soviet territory where the aircraft and its crew were interned for the duration."
Ambivalent Soviet conduct towards its allies during the war never ceases to baffle.
That wasn't ambivalence. The Soviets were neutral in the Pacific war, it was a great shock to the Japanese when the Soviets eventually invaded in 1945.
Patton was right. We should have steamrolled into Moscow.
They had to intern the aircraft crew due to the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact. Kinda weird situation when both nations fight against each other's allies but not against each other.
@@non-standard6864 they were fighting against each other in an unoffical border war in 1939 though
@@yeeter5328 Yes, they did (Even many smaller skirmishes before Nomonhan). The Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact was signed later on the April 13, 1941.
This is such great content. As a younger guy it’s fascinating to learn about history at this level of depth.
Excellent work, Mark. It's interesting that the Japanese signed, but never ratified, the Geneva Convention. I sure that most people didn't know that. Thanks once again.
And usa has only signed 3 of the 4 protocols of said Geneva convention (and not the 1 that outlaws civilian bombings or bombing hospitals). Not many know this either ... or want to know this.
Just like Eisenhower ignored the convention after the war and murdered countless thousands on the Rhine Meadows.....talk about a dirty fuck!
We still had a "Dolittle Pad" here at Hurlburt Field, Florida in 86 to 91 when I was here. Unused and overgrown with weeds it was still an inspirational place where they had parked their aircraft while practicing for their raid on Tokyo!!
Excellent story Dr. Felton! Thank you!
What better way to start a Saturday morning. Can't wait for P2. 👍
The Kempeitai seems to make the Gestapo and SS look like like they are 4 year olds playing in the sandpit at preschool.
Eisenhower made them all look amateurish with his post war death camps...thats one bastard I trust is rotting in hell for his war crimes
@@Cam-vz3le I'll put more stock in that claim when an actual historian like Dr. Felton discusses it, rather than a fiction writer
@@user-yk7dc9hu2k My great uncle was a US Marine detached to police Rhine Meadows and at 98 years old he has no reason to lie so I take great stock in an actual eye witness account of what happened.
@@Cam-vz3le ua-cam.com/video/icFKdMw7nT8/v-deo.html
@@user-yk7dc9hu2k the reason the death rate was low was no one was documented on entering so there was no real way to tell the death rate. Once a week they would come in with bulldozers to bury the dead and any unlucky soul who was trying to hide from the cold. Propaganda laced with shreds of truth to make it sound credible.
I think this is one of your best presentations Mark. Thank you.
*3:48 AM*
Yeah imma sleep.
*Sees Mark Felton Productions new video.*
Ive got time.
Nice account of this aspect of the War over Japan Mark!!
That was exceptionally well written, and extremely well narrated, to boot! Very nice job, indeed! As always!
"Congratulations to Japan on your successful attack on Pearl Harbor."-Signed, Little Boy & Fatman
hoo rah
Tell that to the USS Indianapolis
videos like this convince me they pretty much deserved to get nuked. Twice.
@@robertmaybeth3434 tell that to Detroit
Best wishes from ENOLA GAY, & BOCKS CAR !
How can the Japanese that live by "Honor", have so little "Honor"? Still denying the text books to tell it like it really was, for their students to understand.
You can't talk about your honor while watching the Propanda video.
Honor seems to disappear from the English dictionary.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mutilation_of_Japanese_war_dead
@@UP3UP Are you kidding!? You're equating mutilation of enemy corpses with mutilation of _helpless, living captives?_ Tell me I've misunderstood you.
@@UP3UP whatever get vaporized infinitely by the flash of light.
As far as the Japanese were concerned Any soldier allowing himself to be captured had No Honor.
i love these war stories...my dad was a WW2 veteran and he told me a lot of stories when he was in saipan-guadal canal campaign in the pacific
This certainly makes the reasons for dropping nukes on Japan more reasonable. This sort of information is rarely acknowledged by people against the USA’s use of firebombing/nukes on Imperial Japan.
The warcrime of torturing hundreds of POWs is making the warcrime of burning cities with millions of citizen to the ground more reasonable? Would you still agree if it were New York instead of Tokyo?
@@leonfa259 well, considering 250000 Chinese were exterminated for “harbouring” USA aircrew certainly makes it easier to justify in my opinion. I consider myself fairly well read on WW2, this info was certainly new to me.
@@gibbo1977 A horrible warcrime and the participants should pay, still nothing can justify bombing a whole city. Government and military targets are legitimate, civilian especially in large quantities are not.
@@leonfa259 All of the belligerents during WWII attacked civilian targets. The war industries were located inside of cities surrounded by civilian housing, and laser-guided smart bombs were not even considered by sci-fi authors at the time. If you had to demolish the factory, destroying the entire area around it was the only viable method.
Also consider that the Japanese tended to distribute their war industries throughout civilian areas. Their government effectively used the civilian population as human shields.
There is good reason why the USAAF left Kyoto alone, and that is because it wasn't a legitimate military target. Aerial bombing of cities during WWII was not a war crime because it did not go against the established conduct of the time, nor was there any international treaty banning it. Using PoWs as slave labour, deporting civilians to death camps, and deliberately attacking clearly marked medical personnel *were* war crimes in the 1940s and are today. And Japan did _all_ of those things in "large quantities."
@@Schwarzvogel1 I completely agree that the Japanese government and military were legitimate targets and were responsible for horrible warcrimes in large quantity, but the population of any country is never a legitimate target. Strategic bombing of cities is a warcrime after the Hague Convention of 1899 and 1907 and the Geneva Conventions. If you consider every postoffice war industry then it was in the middle of the city, else large dockyards and industry tended to be on the outskirts of cities and you would use HE against them instead of using incendiary bombs against square miles of densely populated area. The government and military are the ones that should be targeted for their crimes not families with children that were unfortunately born in the wrong city. No child should be punished for the crimes of their government, nowhere.
Thanks
Your description of the effects of fire on people and the city are haunting... war truly is hell.
Japan earned more than 2 nukes.
In the 90s I once did a construction job for an old fella who got shot down while on an air raid in the pacific and captured by the Japanese. The man was tortured for the better part of a year (bamboo chutes under the fingernails nails was mentioned) When the camp he was being held was liberated he was told he had been through enough and could come home. He responded "I ain't done killing the little bastards yet."
His story, im just telling it.
Hell of a fisherman as well.
This, I thought, was among your most captivating stories. I was on the edge of my seat. Devastating to listen to, though it had its one bright and interesting moment with the salute. I feel as if I am there with some of the imagery.
The brutality of the Japanese was well know to the Allies. The justification of the Atomic bombs became easier as the war progressed
It's true. Old men, women and children were becoming increasingly a threat.
@@jsmariani4180 After the war, it was discovered the Japanese had several more divisions of battle ready troops than initially thought. Unlike Europe, there was only one site large for the Allies to land and mortality rates for Allies were estimated at one million. Your snarky comment only illustrates your ignorance of the subject and diminishes the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops in a war that Japan initiated.
@@bluemilkalienmonster522 just like you fell for western propaganda.
@@weirdshibainu thanks for your online service
@@Brobrobagins420 You should really thank 2 of my uncles. One that died in Europe and the other in the Pacific theater.
Brave brave men . Respect.
They signed up for it, and being young, thought nothing bad could ever happen to them, maybe the other guy, but not them. Most were scared shitless all the time in battle. Anyone who says they weren't is a liar.
@@davidhoogendyke2774 Nah. WW1 already taught everyone that WW2 would be utter hell. When they signed up, they had a good idea of what they were getting into. Still scared shitless though.
Who? Japanese or Americans?
Im an American living in Japan now... Its crazy how far the world has come since then.
American US airmen could expect the absolute worst treatment while in the custody of the Japanese Empire.
That's too bad. After all they were dropping candy and food over the Japanese population.
@@jsmariani4180 And the Japanese were going into China and Korea for a picnic
Your videos on Japan are BY FAR my favorite (great content in general, but this is my favorite material to learn about!)
My great grandfather served in the Pacific, and was stationed in Japan after the war. He actually met and became great friends with a Japanese man who had been fighting against him in the same battles. Surprised by the American's kindness towards a defeated foe, he gifted my relative a set of old coins from Japan, some of which were already 150 years old. Eventually he went home to America,and they lost contact. I have this set of coins, in a small wooden box, with a typewriter note thanking my relative for his kindness. I often wonder what became of him and his family, and how his descendants are today. Sadly, I have no name for the Japanese man, and everyone involved died years ago.
That box of coins deserves a video
If you looked into your great grandfather's unit history, you may find the location where it they met. Perhaps the soldier was a local. I definitely recommend posting a video showing off the coins.
Unfortunately, I'm lacking information that would help me piece it together. I know his last name, Chambers, but not his first. There's nobody I can really ask, my mother forgot his first name and he died shortly after her birth. Both my grandparents on that side of my family are dead, so no help there either. I have an ancient tablet I used to watch things, so I'm not sure I can do a video. But if I find a way to, I'll do it.
Unfortunately, I'm lacking information that would help me piece it together.
Wayne Patterson --- That should not be a problem with some online research. You need to start with his name, Chambers, the names of your parents, and grandparents, and identify his branch of military service if possible. Even if you do not know his military branch now, there are means by which we can discover that information too. With that information it may become feasible to determine where and when he encountered his Japanese nemesis in the war and then trace them back to their area in Japan where they had an opportunity to encounter each other again.
Thank you for acknowledging Kiwi aircrews in the fight.
As always a great and informative video thank you Mark a big history fan love watching the videos I always learn something new
Mark probably covers this but in January 1945 at the Tokyo Medical School a American flyer is put to sleep by a anesthesiologist. The Medical Students watch a live dissection of the American. I’m not kidding. The distinguished British author Max Hastings covers it in one of his books.
Another Felton upload = another good day
Wonderful stuff Mark.
I like all the detail you put into your videos.
My Dad was a B29 FE in 1945. When he did talk about it, which wasn't often, he said his crew agreed they were NOT to be taken in Japan if they had to bailout. They would either go down with the plane or attempt to get to Korea or China and bailout/ditch there.
Thank you, Mark.
Very Interesting subject matter. Kudos for the audio n archival photos that enhances ur narrative. Anticipating ur next one to discover what happened next.
This was worth the moments it was so enveloping that while we were listening and I didn't realize until it was over that in my mind I was imagining what the crew members were going through as they bailed out and when mark described the firebombing of Tokyo and what the emporer was doing in his bomb bunker I could see it happening also when the the commandant of the prison left the American crew men to what he thought was a ironic fate I felt the contempt he must have felt and how ironic is it the Japanese whom used terror bombing as a ineffective way of waging modern war was to be it's final testament to it's horrors upon their own nation...thank you mark for 23:10 minutes we were transported to a time and place(me and my daughter's 16(twins) and 17 yrs)were learning history I look forward to hearing the rest of this leason
My father was a US Marine who was to be part of Operation Olympic in November of 45.
I'm grateful your grandfather never had to invade the Japanese mainland.
@@therealuncleowen2588 Actually it was my father. He would have been 97 is he were alive. He passed due to a car accident when he was 67. He said he was glad he didn’t get sent in.
@@nofrackingzone7479 I see that I failed at reading comprehension. Lol
my dad was trained exclusively in house to house. Lucky for the Japanese the bomb came before they could send him in.
Glad I found this channel, incredible videos about so many things I’ve never heard about. I appreciate your channel and hope you continue to make videos.
Sending a special heavenly bday to my great uncle Jack Houston...side gunner on a B-29...shot down 7 Japanese zeros. He flew over "the hump" on 9 missions. He said it was so cold that their guns froze to their pivots and they got frostbite. I wish I could've heard more of your stories...RIP..a true hero!
Hmmm. Apparently the 4 thumbs up are from folks who flunked INTRO to B-29s in high school. Being a gunner on a Superfortress was much more comfortable than manning a .50 on a B-17. And the missions over the "Hump" were supply runs to the forward bases in China.
Pappy Boyington wrote a great book called BAA BAA BLACKSHEEP. Boyington spent time as a POW in Japan after being shotdown. In the water the Zeros that downed him straffed him but on the Japanese sub that picked him up sailors treated him decently. In the POW camp most of the guards were brutal ,and he was starved, but was saved by an old Japanese woman working in the kitchen who gave him food on the sly. Boyington said that when out working clearing bombing related rubble the civilians were never hostile. But the guards could be violent to the civilians showing kindness.
I watched a vid from 2 years ago, the production quality has gone up so much since then!
I really missed you, Mark. About the cities firebombed. The two cities that received the A-Bomb gift were placed on the NO Bomb list. This was done so that effects could be later evaluated. When American airmen were about to be executed, the firing squad was told to miss. They reloaded and missed again. For the third round, some of the soldiers were told to only kill a few of the airmen. In total it took five rounds to kill them all.
Highly recommend reading Unbroken. Great read.
I haven't seen a video yet that wasn't interesting.....as simplistic as it is.. by far this is one of your more interesting videos to me...thanks mark
I worked with Ray Halloren, he wrote a book about his experience, I believe it was his therapy to talk about the crash ,and experience after he landed .Brutal stories.Thank You Ray for your service
Wow that’s cool. How old r u may I ask?
@@willandrews9741 71
I visited Kyoto back in the 1990s. Because it was spared from the fire raids, it has the majority of prewar architecture intact.
When I finally go to Japan I will check that out, good to know!
Think of all that was lost in all the fighting and destruction of the last century. So much history gone for nothing. Most was lost in all the futile Allied bombing campaigns in Europe.
It really doesn't amount to anything. Traditional buildings like temples are regularly dismantled and rebuilt on a 20 year schedule anyway.
Kyoto is the anagram-lover’s Tokyo.
@@AtheistOrphan Tokyo is actually an anagram of Kyoto
All people remember are the atomic bombs being used. The amount of death and destruction caused by fire bombing was so much more devastating. Thank you Mark for going the extra mile on your research.
From just looking the title, i know that this aint gonna end well…
The emperor was shitting his diaper knowing the beast was at his door step
If he did shit his nappy he had no need to. The Allies let him off like so many war criminals. He lived a long peaceful and lazy life.
I'd love to know how much the Emperor was actually involved in WW2 personally or was he just steered by his military leaders and politicians ?
@@barrykevin7658 recent discoveries show he was very much aware of the atrocities and bought off on many of them. It was politically expedient to not charge him, but he was very much involved.
True. Who knows. But then again nothing happens in Japan in those days without the emperor's stamp of approval. He was like a God to the Japanese people. So I'm pretty sure he took advice from the military leadership in the end he made the call. I don't think they dare do anything without the emperor's knowledge of what's happening
And it was in that moment. "He knew, he fucked"