Ghosts of the Battle of Tinian (WWII) | History Traveler Episode 242

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  • Опубліковано 24 вер 2022
  • If you're into history and urban exploration, this one might have some appeal. Many people associate the island of Tinian in the North Mariana Islands as the site where the U.S. launched attacks on Japan with their B-29 bombers. It was from this island that the planes bearing the nuclear bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki took off from. But before any of that could happen, the island had to be wrestled from the control of the Japanese. That task would go to the Marines of the 2nd & 4th Divisions.
    This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory...
    Support the effort to expand history education on PATREON: / historyunderground
    Set yourself up with a 10% DISCOUNT on all Origin gear and nutritional products by entering the code "history10" at www.originmaine.com!
    Other episodes that you might enjoy:
    - The Suicide Cliffs of Saipan in WWII | History Traveler Episode 235: • The Suicide Cliffs of ...
    - The Bones of the WWII Dead in the Caves of Saipan | History Traveler Episode 234: • The Bones of the WWII ...
    - HIDDEN JAPANESE GUNS IN THE WWII JUNGLES OF GUAM! | History Traveler Episode 238: • HIDDEN JAPANESE GUNS I...
    - Japanese Caves & Hideouts of Guam!!! | History Traveler Episode 240: • Japanese Caves & Hideo...
    - WRECKED TANKS & THE WWII INVASION BEACHES OF SAIPAN | History Traveler Episode 230: • WRECKED TANKS & THE WW...
    All drone flights conducted by a Part 107 licensed pilot.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 458

  • @TheHistoryUnderground
    @TheHistoryUnderground  Рік тому +8

    If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out.
    Also be sure to check out The Gettysburg Museum of History and their store at gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com. Thanks!!!

  • @jamessherrard6020
    @jamessherrard6020 Рік тому +18

    I am the 72-year-old son of a US Marine that landed on Tinian in July 1944 with the 2nd Marine Division. I have visited Tinian three times in the last 10 years. The ghosts of the past speak quietly when you walk runway ABLE, drive Broadway, and visit the caves on Mt. Lasso. My father spoke rarely about the war but when on Tinian I feel his presence with me, I love walking ABLE late in the afternoon when the sun is setting, if you are quiet, you can hear the banter of the airmen and the rumble of the B-29 engines. I feel like I am walking in my father's footsteps in the summer of 1944.

    • @vamortimer
      @vamortimer 7 місяців тому +1

      My dad was in the same group. He talked a lot about the B29s. He passed away in 2013.

    • @LR-zy9py
      @LR-zy9py 3 місяці тому

      Thank you for this - I suspect your dad may have known my grandfather. My grandfather J. Taylor was Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, KIA 24 July 1944.

  • @randymorgan-droneovermichigan
    @randymorgan-droneovermichigan Рік тому +118

    This has became my favorite you tube channel. I am now 60 years old. The world war II veterans were my teachers, the old guys in the neighborhood, (they had the best looking yards and the most well-kept homes), both my grandfathers and many of my great uncles. They were great guys to sit and talk with. My US history teacher, Roy Shook, took part in the D-Day landings. This is a great thing you're doing to keep the soldiers of world war II's history alive! Looking forward to your next video

    • @samuelschick8813
      @samuelschick8813 Рік тому +16

      Randy, I had a math teacher back in the day, about 5th grade who served in the Pacific. One day still sticks out when he was done teaching the subject and such and had time to pass before the bell rang. He started talking about his service about where he was in the Pacific and such. The typical questions were asked " were you scared?", " what kept your moral up?", "what was it like coming home?", " what battles did you fight in?". You know the harmless questions. But as expected there's always someone that has to ask the wrong question.
      Sure enough a kid across the room asked " How many Japanese did you kill?" Mr. Bays just sat on his desk with a surprised look that someone would ask that question. Mr. Bays said we would not talk about that and it should not have been asked. I even knew at that age that is a question you do not ask a veteran.

    • @comm2531
      @comm2531 Рік тому +5

      Same age as you and same WW2 guys in my neighborhood. What a world back then. They're all gone now.

    • @randymorgan-droneovermichigan
      @randymorgan-droneovermichigan Рік тому +9

      @@comm2531 almost. I work in an assisted Care facility. We just lost a veteran who served under general MacArthur. There are still a few of those guys left. But not many. If we could step into a time machine and, take today's youth back in time, they would not know how to handle the freedom that we all had because of those men and women.

    • @reginaromsey
      @reginaromsey Рік тому +1

      My Highschool Chemistry/Physics teacher, a full blooded Sioux, told us stories of being on Titian when the Enola Gay and other Silver bombers that were to carry the Atomic Bomb 1and 2. The crews boasted that when they flew the War would be over. Thanks to good luck, infighting among the Japanese court and decision of the Emperor after the second bomb they were correct.

    • @randymorgan-droneovermichigan
      @randymorgan-droneovermichigan Рік тому

      @@reginaromsey Wow, what an awesome memory!!!

  • @bobhamilton4643
    @bobhamilton4643 Рік тому +8

    My Dad was a tank commander and manned a 50 on an am trac. He was on the 1st wave here and on Siapan and Oakanawa. He refused to talk about any of it until his death in 78. I enjoy seeing these places where he fought.

  • @LadyGunfighter45
    @LadyGunfighter45 Рік тому +62

    Thank you for showing Tinian, my Dad was a seabee, heavy equipment driver that helped in the massive effort to build those run ways. He also helped build the "pits". Thank you again.

    • @timothyogden9761
      @timothyogden9761 Рік тому +11

      Thank you for sharing this about your Dad. Obviously he played a key role in the dropping of the Hiroshima bomb. My Dad was with the 1st Marine Division during WWII and after Okinawa was sent to China with the next step being the invasion of Japan. So, I must thank your Dad for making it possible for me to be here today. God bless you.

    • @olentangy74
      @olentangy74 Рік тому +3

      My uncle was a Seabee, and was part of the taking of Saipan, and then Tinian. I wonder if your dad and my uncle knew each other?

    • @LadyGunfighter45
      @LadyGunfighter45 Рік тому +1

      @@olentangy74 My Dad was connected to the 350th Naval Construction Group. It was a very small group. They could have at least passed each other!!

    • @dissuade81
      @dissuade81 Рік тому

      My grandfather was a Seabee on Tinian. He was also a heavy equipment operator. Always a small world, even all these years later.

    • @user-ks2ju5xk2i
      @user-ks2ju5xk2i 5 місяців тому

      Thanks to your Dad for his service and building the runways for my father, Lt Joe D Woods, P 47 318th fighter group, 73rd squadron. He flew missions over Japan and China and also was stationed on Saipan and Ie Shima off of Okinawa. Love the videos from JD.

  • @christophertipton2318
    @christophertipton2318 Рік тому +42

    As I mentioned when you did the Saipan videos, my father fought both on Saipan and Tinian with the 6th Marines Scout-Sniper Platoon. He did say Tinian was a much easier battle than Saipan, all things considered. They still had some knockdown drag outs with the Japanese on Tinian. Dad got his second official Purple Heart on Tinian. He ended up with two total between the two islands, but said if he actually got a PH every time he was wounded to some degree, he would have had at least 13. He only got two because those were the only wounds he had to go to the battalion aid station for and thus the wound was officially documented. He was never evacuated until after his unit went back to Saipan and did some work guarding medical facilities and engaging in rabbit hunts for loose Japanese. All of his wounds (almost all grenade or knee mortar fragmentation) finally caught up with him even though he was only 18 years old. He was sent back to the States for medical treatment and when the war ended he was assigned to Marine Barracks Indian Head, Maryland (a naval ammo factory). He was told he would be going back to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan, but the Japanese evidently didn't want to see his young ass again and surrendered. :-) Until the day he died, dad was picking tiny pieces of metal out of himself, it was like popping small zits. He kept them all in a small box (quite a few). Unfortunately my mom threw that box out after dad died. Great videos and good work.

    • @828enigma6
      @828enigma6 Рік тому +3

      What was she thinking. Those bits were a part of him.

    • @PeterOkeefe54
      @PeterOkeefe54 Рік тому +1

      my father in law went ashore with the first on the canal and he too had a few PH. after the second one upset his mom so bad he decided not to have anymore. LOL...so no more "documented" wounds. After the canal he spent the rest of the war in hospital recovering from malaria berry berry and PTSS. We will never see there kind again.

    • @10actual
      @10actual Рік тому

      Just sent this video to a Marine who had his 18th birthday there. He has an amazing memory and has recorded his time in the Corps with some fine detail. He told me that his "notes" to his son's and they could do as they wished.

    • @samwilson2797
      @samwilson2797 Рік тому

      My dad knew your dad, his picture is in the book 40 thrives on saipan along with your dad. He was buried with a fragment of a Japanese hand grenade in his wrist. The corpsman who patched him up said he could be put in for a ph, but after seeing what had happened to others, he declined.

    • @christophertipton2318
      @christophertipton2318 Рік тому

      @@samwilson2797 What was your dad's name? I don't find a Wilson in the book.

  • @richardsmith3091
    @richardsmith3091 Рік тому +27

    My father was in the 4th Marine Divsion landing on White Beach 2. He talked very little about the Banzai charge that took place and it affected him the rest of his life. I took him to Saipan on the 50th Anniversary and toured it extensively but he had absolutely no desire to visit Tinian because of his experience in the Banzai.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Рік тому +5

      Oh wow. That’s intense.

    • @philipnestor5034
      @philipnestor5034 Рік тому +4

      Your father is part of the Greatest Generation! Men like him saved us!

    • @comm2531
      @comm2531 Рік тому +1

      I lived on Saipan. I was working on board those ships out there as a DOD contractor. My ship the MV Lummus was named after a MOH winner on battle of IWO JIMA and we got to go there. I was on Saipan, Guam 1988-89, 1994-99 with ships and working aviation there as an aircraft mechanic.

    • @ericmailander3361
      @ericmailander3361 Рік тому

      I visited Saipan and Iwo during the 50th anniversary. I'm a WWII history buff.

  • @glenndotter5065
    @glenndotter5065 Рік тому +43

    Love your work! My fathers cousin Clifford Jordan was shot down at Tinian. He flew TBM Bombers. He was saved by his Radioman but lost a portion of his foot. He became a dairy farmer in the Catskills after the war.

    • @charles1964
      @charles1964 Рік тому

      Clifford Jordan the Saxophonist?

    • @glenndotter5065
      @glenndotter5065 Рік тому +1

      @@charles1964 No. He was a dairy farmer in the Catskills. Son of Charles and Francis Dotter Jordan

  • @kinderjenni
    @kinderjenni Рік тому +6

    My dad was there, too. I love that you are doing this. Thank you. My poor daddy lived with terrible PTSD.

  • @SIGP229TPOC
    @SIGP229TPOC Рік тому +11

    Glad you didn't go in the water. Caught a glimpse of a shark in your drone shot. 😄

    • @ericmailander3361
      @ericmailander3361 Рік тому

      Harmless reef shark that are very common in those waters.

  • @dave3156
    @dave3156 Рік тому +53

    JD you have done an outstanding job with this journey to Saipan, Guam, and Tinian. Unbelievable terrain to have to fight in. Great series--thanks for taking us along

    • @BillBird2111
      @BillBird2111 Рік тому +3

      I must agree. This series has been outstanding. I was especially surprised to discover that there are still some areas on these islands where you dare not tread due to the danger of unexploded munitions. The battle for Tinian may not have been as other battles in the South Pacific, but it's the smaller operations and landings that really should be remembered. Your "history lessons" take us there. I really do enjoy them.

  • @dandanheim9241
    @dandanheim9241 Рік тому +11

    Thanks for doing these. My Dad was a 4th Marine and fought on both Saipan and Tinian. Great men.

  • @jimcronin2043
    @jimcronin2043 Рік тому +27

    My father was a Marine PFC rifleman in the 25th Regiment and was wounded on Tinian.

  • @jeffreygraf3358
    @jeffreygraf3358 Рік тому +10

    To Thomas D'Acquisto USMC. Veteran of Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. A 17 year old Milwaukee high school kid who skipped school with his buddy and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was always a Marine. Rest in peace.

    • @guitarnerd1022
      @guitarnerd1022 7 місяців тому

      My grandfather, also from Wisconsin was in A1-10 2nd marine devision on these islands, he was a forward observer

  • @rwsmith7
    @rwsmith7 Рік тому +24

    Thank you VERY much for doing this video, I am grateful to you for letting me see the island! My grandfather served in the US Army Air Corps and, in the summer of 1945, unknowingly, he changed the bomb racks out on the Enola Gay prior to her fateful flight from Tinian. As a young boy I asked him about his role in such a pivotal time in History and he said he was just following orders and knew nothing about Little Boy until after the drop. He said he just knew the racks were for a big bomb. I know his role was small, but I am proud of his service nonetheless and he was part of the Brave who fought to rid the Pacific of the evils of WWII. I will forever cherish the picture I have of him standing on the air field at Tinian with a B29 in the background. 🇺🇲

    • @dandanheim9241
      @dandanheim9241 Рік тому +6

      There were no small roles.

    • @pamelaoliver8442
      @pamelaoliver8442 Рік тому

      Came to say there weren't small roles but it's been said.
      Be proud. We all are.
      The Pacific theater is often overlooked because...well ..that one guy ..but it was crucial nonetheless.

  • @bladesausteel
    @bladesausteel Рік тому +25

    Your series on the war in the Pacific is really fascinating, JD.

  • @tonyk1584
    @tonyk1584 Рік тому +5

    Did y'all see the shark in the drone video of the beach at 10:02?

  • @darrellhampton5057
    @darrellhampton5057 Рік тому +4

    Ok, in all honesty, who else ducked as JD was going under the rocky overhang in the trail because they were so into watching this. I sure did lol. Well done JD.

  • @JW-sy2yt
    @JW-sy2yt Рік тому +12

    Fantastic video!! I also enjoyed watching the shark swim across the tides in the drone shot (10:02)!!

  • @Chris-lh7wj
    @Chris-lh7wj Рік тому +13

    One of the few legible words in my grandfathers letters home was Tinian, so I know for a fact he was there. What a great treat for me and many others seeing this and so many other sites you’ve shared with us from your trip, just being able to visualize my grandfather trotting on this very beach as a young man means a lot to me. Thank you so much!

  • @warbirdwf
    @warbirdwf Рік тому +3

    This is a great channel that I really enjoy the content from. My neighbor growing up was a army veteran of Guadalcanal. He never spoke of his combat experience but I'd heard some of it from his wife. He passed years ago as has all the other older neighbors that were WWII veterans. We all owe that generation our gratitude for what they did for our country.

  • @andreguillette6293
    @andreguillette6293 Рік тому +3

    OMG those little planes , above all planes scares the crap outta me ... You are brave and Thank you

  • @phyllishershkowitz3806
    @phyllishershkowitz3806 Рік тому +30

    The brutality of war is astounding! Whether Japanese, Nazis, it is beyond humanity! Thank you for sharing this, looking forward to the airfields!

    • @cleverusername9369
      @cleverusername9369 Рік тому

      If humans are capable of something, then by definition it's not beyond humanity. Look at what the Russians are doing in Ukraine, all these reports of rape and civilian executions, shit don't change.

    • @arnegreve1019
      @arnegreve1019 Рік тому

      You forgot the Russians. They where not better, than the Nazis and Japanese.

    • @karlheinzvonkroemann2217
      @karlheinzvonkroemann2217 Рік тому

      The rate of captured Americans that were returned after the war from German custody was over 90%. The rate of German pows that returned was about the same. The rate of Americans returning from Japanese pow camps was 72%. They weren't the same.

  • @angierodriguez7383
    @angierodriguez7383 Рік тому +12

    JD, I was one of those subs that “helped” you move from 74k subscribers to 75k. I still remember your excitement about that milestone, but let me tell you that my excitement about this channel hasn’t ended one bit! You keep these videos fresh and thanks to you, we can “go to places” that we never thought we would☺️
    Keep on the good work!

  • @baronedipiemonte3990
    @baronedipiemonte3990 Рік тому +3

    I wonder what our Marines and Coast Guardsmen on Tinian would have said if you told them that in 2022 a historian would return, via Mauricio Airlines, and rent a new car... for a video production on his own "TV" channel ???
    FYI... the US Coast Guard 1) operated the landing craft, and 2) had teams of "Beach Parties" (forerunners of today's USCG Port Security Units) that went ashore BEFORE the Marines to scout and clear areas for landings. The only Coast Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor - posthumously (PO1 Douglas Munroe) was a landing craft pilot at Guadalcanal and saved the lives of thousands of Marines.
    Excellent work J.D. ! I doubt any of us would have the opportunity to see this if not for your work !

  • @johnmarlin4661
    @johnmarlin4661 Рік тому +3

    Glad you didnt bump your head JD LOL THANKS once again for covering WW2 IN THE PACIFIC !!

  • @philthefriendlyfrog
    @philthefriendlyfrog Рік тому +3

    Shark shark....well done JD...

  • @cleverusername9369
    @cleverusername9369 Рік тому +7

    JD I've gotta ask, who finds/picks the music for your videos? It's always excellent! I mean all of your videos are excellent but I feel like the music doesn't get enough attention.

    • @emilyc8356
      @emilyc8356 Рік тому +2

      yessss. need to know what this song is?!

    • @hooligan1875
      @hooligan1875 Рік тому

      ​@@emilyc8356 it took me 7 months to figure it out but the band is Sunriver and the track is "Redemption". They have 2 EP's & a few singles on their UA-cam Music page

  • @TheFunkhouser
    @TheFunkhouser Рік тому +2

    That was an AFV's running gear on those rocks JD and also 10:03 3 o'clock low, a shark! Dang how cool!

  • @joemabry9643
    @joemabry9643 Рік тому +3

    Cannot believe you were walking on that island. Wow. Thank you.

  • @idahosagebrush5662
    @idahosagebrush5662 Рік тому +4

    Thank you...Very well done tour.
    My dad was shot and wounded the 25th, the 2nd day on Tinian and was in hospitals in Hawaii and Oakland until the end of January, 1945. He was in the Marshall Islands and Saipan before that. Like most others, he rarely said much about taking the islands. He had an 8"x 10" photo of his outfit and he could name every one of the men and where they died or were wounded. I once asked him why his unit didn't have reunions like so many do, and he said it was because there weren't any of us left... He did tell a story about after landing on Saipan, how they dug in, as was mentioned in this video, but when it got dark they fell back 50 yards and dug in again. It saved their lives because the Japanese threw everyone and everything they had against the first line.

  • @tennesse_courier
    @tennesse_courier Рік тому +4

    What a fascinating history lesson. 5 * for history 5* effort 5* for content and 10stars for not hitting your head.

  • @BigLisaFan
    @BigLisaFan Рік тому +4

    The water is so clear and the beaches serene and peaceful. A far cry from what they were like in 1944. I liked the notice on your flight over Don't touch the controls. Wouldn't think one would need such a thing.
    Excellent video, looks like you are the only one there.

  • @chiron14pl
    @chiron14pl Рік тому +5

    Of all the WWII videos, yours is the only ones I've seen that actually go back to the physical locations of battles. That's more common in European theater, but your flight in a small airplane from Saipan to Tinian highlights the differences geography can make to history and its retelling, Thanks for your work

    • @chiron14pl
      @chiron14pl Рік тому +1

      BTW, when you do the next segment on the airstrips for the B-29s, look up the song "Enola Gay" by Bruce "Utah" Phillips. I listened to him sing that when I was a teenager decades ago

  • @ryanvogel9610
    @ryanvogel9610 Рік тому +4

    What was that song in the intro? Also love the channel awesome stories

    • @hooligan1875
      @hooligan1875 Рік тому

      The band is Sunriver & the track is "Redemption". They have 2 EP's & a few singles on their UA-cam Music page.

  • @obiecat3341
    @obiecat3341 Рік тому +4

    That flight was beautiful and scared me and I wasn’t even on the tiny plane ✈️ glad you were safe. Thank you for sharing your adventures

  • @1psychofan
    @1psychofan Рік тому +3

    Reading a memoir of a Marine who was in the pacific theater, at Tinnian and it’s o cool to see the places he mentions. Really brings the reading up a level! Thanks JD

  • @toddorr4521
    @toddorr4521 Рік тому +1

    I went to Tinian several years ago and what I found out later that there was this retired Marine by the name of Mike Mervoch, nickname "Iron Mike" who had fought on Tinian, Saipan, Kwajalein and Iwo Jima. He was on a sentimental journey revisiting all the islands he had fought on. I later learned that I missed him on Tinian by one day.
    I always thought since then what an experience that would have been to have been on the island with a combat Marine who had actually fought there and just getting the living history experience.

  • @barrygrant2907
    @barrygrant2907 Рік тому +2

    My dad was a Seabee on Saipan and Tinian. One of his duties was surveying the runways, etc. He also did the surveying for the atomic bomb pits, although he didn't know what they were for at the time. 92 NCB.

  • @genius2524
    @genius2524 Рік тому +3

    Thank you History Underground for documenting these Pacific battle sites. I’ve always loved WW2 history. The Pacific never gets enough attention. Your series and hard work honors those who fought and died there, as well as the civilians who were killed there. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  • @dimwitt461
    @dimwitt461 Рік тому +6

    Another outstanding video JD. Especially liked the wildlife cameo at 10:02. Keep up the great work!

  • @dawndickson2156
    @dawndickson2156 Рік тому +2

    Thank you for tackling an area of WWII that we do not see covered. Your videos I hope will be used for generations to come. I can grasp why my uncles never talked about their service. So grateful for their service and sacrifice.

  • @terryroths4254
    @terryroths4254 Рік тому +5

    thank you so much for showing the battlefields so well! History is interesting again.

  • @Cabreratonn
    @Cabreratonn Рік тому +1

    I have stayed on Tinian my whole life and I tell you that I am so in love with the history that took place on my home.

  • @sonofhawaii4227
    @sonofhawaii4227 Рік тому +6

    Thank you for visiting these small islands that were huge in winning the war. Both of my grandfathers fought in the PT and my brothers and I grew up hearing many stories of these battles. With these videos, we can now put some true scenery to their stories. You are awesome JD! Aloha 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

  • @mark-ib7sz
    @mark-ib7sz Рік тому +2

    Just excellent !!! Your Pacific videos are some of your best.

  • @dustyvanbrocklin4731
    @dustyvanbrocklin4731 Рік тому +3

    Keep up the great work JD. What a dream to see all of these hallowed grounds.

  • @karlablack4305
    @karlablack4305 Рік тому

    My husband and I visited Tinian in 2014 and visited White Beach 2. His grandfather was part of the 4th Marine Division that landed on that beach. It was something I will never forget.

  • @M4M1S
    @M4M1S Рік тому +1

    I was born in Saipan and raised in Tinian. Left to Hawaii for college and came back in 2018. I’ve always loved learning about our WW2 history and your channel has been so helpful and informative. It may be hard to believe but a lot of locals have seen Japanese ghosts all around the island. I wouldn’t dare to venture around suicide cliff or north field at night, because of all the people that have died there but my husband is an astrophotographer and they’re ideal locations to take deep sky photos haha. Thank you for all that you do to share the stories of those that served in the war. There are lots of other WW2 sites on island, but you would need a few more days on island to see all of them.

  • @americanschweitzer45
    @americanschweitzer45 Рік тому +2

    When you walked out to beach White 1 I thought for sure Tom Hanks would have came out of the bushes and yell “WILSON”! Lol

  • @philslaton7302
    @philslaton7302 Рік тому +2

    Thanks. Amazing odyssey that you're on.

  • @charlie-nl3hl
    @charlie-nl3hl Рік тому +4

    I have a relative that was killed on Tinian in the waning days of the battle. I know next to nothing of him other than he was a Marine machine gunner. This was amazing to watch and try to imagine his experience and sacrifice.

  • @skimmer8774
    @skimmer8774 Рік тому +2

    Great ! Looking forward to see the feild where Tibets took off with the Enola Gay.

  • @JackFlemingFan1
    @JackFlemingFan1 Рік тому +3

    As always thank you for keeping history alive and for telling us the history of what happened not only in Tinian but in all other WW2 battlefields you have visited.

  • @jenellebellew5916
    @jenellebellew5916 Рік тому

    I love seeing the history of Tinian from WWII. My grandfather was a B-29 mechanic that was stationed on Tinian near the end if the war. He even had the opportunity to see the Enola Gay from a distance.

  • @fredv7487
    @fredv7487 Рік тому +5

    Thanks JD. Another fantastic video. So interesting what all the troops went through. Stay safe. 👍👍👍👍👍

  • @djacobs1000
    @djacobs1000 Рік тому +3

    That rusty piece of metal on the beach looks like the final drive of either a tank or armored carrier

  • @mamab4211
    @mamab4211 Рік тому +2

    Thank you for taking us along 🫶🏼

  • @derek89273
    @derek89273 Рік тому +2

    Beautiful segment and tribute to all those who served and perished.

  • @checkmark7171
    @checkmark7171 5 місяців тому

    My Uncle Arthur was with the 4th Marine Division. He fought at Tinian. He died D+2 on Iwo Jima. I am a Marine as was my father. I am researching his path across the Pacific to tell his story. I appreciate your content.

  • @chrisperrien7055
    @chrisperrien7055 Рік тому +4

    Single engine plane over water from Saipan? Braver than me . Don't want to end up like Larry Hilblom (DHL founder).
    I remember a few plane crashes when I was there . 1995-1996 Also more than a few boat sinkings between Saipan and Tinian as well. Dangerous stretch of water
    Tinian became totally an airfield, from having fairly flat areas. The original US built docks , to offload bombs and supplies for all the B-29 units, also had closeby garbage dumps in the water , with the military throwing everything from wrecked B-29's, equipment vehicles, to Coke bottles into the water till past the end of war. I knew a few dudes I worked with that would dive/scuba there to find "relics". I remember one of my friends(one of our crew boat captains) finding several full cases of empty WWII era Coke bottles, and those things were worth like $5-10 a piece. SO he made out that day

  • @JennaCee
    @JennaCee Рік тому +3

    Another great video and love the drone shots at the end. I can only imagine the 'energy' and the feelings of those battles now having spent so long visiting them. It must be amazing.

  • @Jerry-fn5nx
    @Jerry-fn5nx Рік тому +1

    Such a beautiful place for such a horrific scene of war. Hard to imagine

  • @walterschiller8281
    @walterschiller8281 Рік тому +3

    Thank you for this fine video! Lived on Saipan for a while and visited a lot of battle sites! Incredible what our Marines had to fight through. Brave men!

  • @Ro6entX
    @Ro6entX Рік тому +6

    I’m glad you covered this island because I honestly don’t really know much about it. In future project if you like to visit the west coast, you should check out Morro Bay, California. Not really much visible relics but it was used for amphibious landing training for roughly a year during WW2. There is a small but cool Maritime museum there. Also in Southern California, you should check out Honda point, site of pre-world war 2 disaster (1923). Seven Navy destroyers slammed into rocks in the fog, killing about 23 sailors. In fact the bell from one of the ships that had most of the deaths is at that museum in Morro bay that I mentioned.

  • @nunya4244
    @nunya4244 Рік тому +1

    Well done. I've always wanted to visit these places. My father was communications personnel with Wps/8 (Weapons Company, 8th Regiment), 2d Marine Division - Saipan and Tinian. He was also communications with Co "D", 2d Scout Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2d Mar Div at Tarawa. I have never see anything about the Scouts - this was not the same company as the Scout Raiders or the Snipers. (The Scouts, btw, evolved into is now known as 2d Recon.) After Tarawa, while in Hawaii, several of these Scouts transferred over to Wpns/8 as replacements. The 8th had suffered heavy losses at Tarawa. Like most vets, he didn't talk about it very much, and if he did it was usually some lighthearted story or a "mini" reference to something he experienced.

  • @reloadncharge9907
    @reloadncharge9907 Рік тому +2

    Another Pacific classic…thx, Andrew

  • @ymcavalier3555
    @ymcavalier3555 Рік тому +2

    Great video. Think the drone caught a shark at 10:05.

  • @donwood-gmail9953
    @donwood-gmail9953 Рік тому +5

    My preacher dad had a private pilots license. Many trips in small planes. Loved it. Spins, loops etc. Dad let me fly. So I hope you enjoyed yourself. Continuing to follow your History Traveler video's JD. May God bless and protect you in your travels. Keep'em coming.

  • @halporter9
    @halporter9 Рік тому +5

    My father commanded armored amphibious tractors (armored landing craft) at Tinian. Said it was easy, at least compared with Saipan. He was Army attached to 4th Marine Div

    • @jamesmooney8933
      @jamesmooney8933 Рік тому +1

      My father was on Tinian with the Army also. He was also on Siapan and Okinawa

    • @halporter9
      @halporter9 Рік тому

      @@jamesmooney8933 my father was also in the first wave on Okinawa and two landings in the Philippines, one of which was Leyte. I would have to look it up, I believe it was the 443rd (473rd?) Amphibious Tractor Battalion. I think. If it is of any interest to you, I can look it up. I also stumbled across the battalion after action report for Saipan. It makes interesting reading, though perhaps more understandable if some army historian had written an intro. One choice observation, spark plugs had to be replaced on the amph track’s rotary engines every couple of days. In the journey from the training grounds in Hawaii, the replacement plugs got separated from the battalion for something like 100 vehicles. So I gather that a standard part of daily vehicle repair was remanufacturing plugs as much as possible. The reports author didn’t feel a need to pile on examples of what this entailed. I believe the Report was in the Army War College research library. I have a copy if you have any problem, but I just stumbled across it a few years ago. Father’s name: Tech Setgeant Myron H. Porter.

  • @LR-zy9py
    @LR-zy9py 3 місяці тому

    Thank you for this! My grandfather J. Taylor was Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, KIA 24 July 1944.

  • @firedude3337
    @firedude3337 Рік тому +5

    I was hoping for the Indiana Jones airplane travel graphic to Tinian......love your videos!

  • @Martin-rc4iy
    @Martin-rc4iy Рік тому +2

    Interesting stuff
    Thank you

  • @robertkrusin9856
    @robertkrusin9856 Рік тому +4

    Did you go out to the No 1 and 2 Bomb Loading Pits??

  • @perryj8850
    @perryj8850 Рік тому +3

    Just awesome!! Can't wait to see the airfield.

  • @kathleendaugherty4218
    @kathleendaugherty4218 Рік тому +3

    That has to be some intense fighting. I feel bad that there are so many battles in WWII that I know nothing about.

    • @walterbosch9198
      @walterbosch9198 Рік тому +1

      Thank you, DJ, for showing what the greatest generation had to go through, thank you all the world war 2 service men and women.

  • @michaeldouglas1243
    @michaeldouglas1243 Рік тому +3

    Anyone notice the shark swimming in the drone footage at the 10:00 mark? Really neat

  • @bryanquichocho1280
    @bryanquichocho1280 Рік тому +1

    Hey bro thanks again for another awesome vid, I believe you are the first one to come out to the Mariana Islands do do these videos well your the only one that I know of. I hope you enjoyed your visit to the islands as I've enjoyed your videos about the war on this part of the world🤙🏾. I also wanted to mention that I have a deceased great uncle right in front of my drive way according to my father he stumbled upon his bones while digging up holes for my Grandma's plants so he asked her who is that in the ground and she told him that it's his uncle who got cut in half by bullets on the airfield when the US was taking over Guam. Thanks again bro🤙🏾.

  • @cindylehman4818
    @cindylehman4818 Рік тому +2

    I came across this channel about a month ago. I love it. I always loved history. I probably will never see these sights in person but I almost feel like I have. So thank you.

  • @terryeustice5399
    @terryeustice5399 Рік тому +4

    The Battle of Tinian is one I have not heard of. It’s amazing how it has overgrown. Yes I can see how it was overlooked. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights on this Island.

  • @gracestoebner584
    @gracestoebner584 3 місяці тому

    My great grandfather was a medic in the Pacific sadly he passed when I was young and he didn’t talk about his service with his children. He collected money from all the different areas he served, it was passed to me and I now take the bills and coins out every so often and it is such a simple reminder of his service.

  • @peterscaglione1345
    @peterscaglione1345 Рік тому +3

    I can't get enough of your videos! These trips to WWII Pacific Islands are enlightening. Your production value on the latest video always seems to top the last!

  • @davidtuttle508
    @davidtuttle508 Рік тому +5

    JD - if you ever get to New England/ NY State area - here's one for the American Revolution: start at Fort Ticonderoga, travel to Mt Independence (across the water from Ft Ticonderoga), travel SE to Hubbardton, VT- to see where there was a British/ Hessians rearguard fight against Seth Warner and his American forces. Then travel to Bennington, VT. (NOTE: The actual battle was fought in Walloomsac, NY). Then travel to Bemis Heights/Freemans' Farm for the Battle of Saratoga.

    • @cyndiebill6631
      @cyndiebill6631 Рік тому

      I’ve been there an it’s an awesome place to go. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves history.

  • @edwardh1591
    @edwardh1591 Рік тому +3

    What a amazing video documentary. Thank you for sharing

  • @andreguillette6293
    @andreguillette6293 Рік тому +3

    Although the cliffs are high i am sure a lot of civilians did not die right away and the thought of people slowly dying at the foot of the cliffs is so heartbreaking

  • @jimbuford4147
    @jimbuford4147 Рік тому +2

    The debris looked to be a crankshaft from one of the vehicles.

  • @lisamunson3610
    @lisamunson3610 Рік тому +2

    Thank you for this series. I know a great deal about the war in Europe,and the basics of the Pacific war. I am really enjoying learning more about these battles and what the brave marines went through. Thankyou

  • @patmoritz5213
    @patmoritz5213 8 місяців тому

    Had to watch this again. Uncle in Seabees, built airstrips, Dad in 509th engineering division. Thanks so much. Now to Wendover Field, Utah, for me, much closer to home.

  • @thinghammer
    @thinghammer Рік тому +2

    Wow. Tinian is a forgotten place for sure. You gave it new life. I'll bet a whole bunch of people do a whole lot of searching for Tinian after this.

  • @halporter9
    @halporter9 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for showing me this

  • @helenabiesma5560
    @helenabiesma5560 Рік тому +1

    lovely footage and reflect again shows the shear input the had on the invasion and make it
    easy - lovely story

  • @MrBobconner1952
    @MrBobconner1952 Рік тому +4

    Another excellent video. I grew up watching the old b&w documentaries, seeing my dad's old b&w photos, and hearing about WWII in the Pacific from him and my uncles who were in the Navy in the Pacific. I'm always a little startled by color videos of those battlefields such as yours. The color somehow provides a little more depth in the perspective of what it would've been like.

  • @tonyeagle4182
    @tonyeagle4182 Рік тому +2

    Thanks for sharing....alot of world history played out from Tinian after it was secured.... USS Indianapolis, The Atomic missions.
    I knew one man who was on Tinian during the war in the USNR....

  • @Chiller01
    @Chiller01 Рік тому +1

    I’m thinking you should market a History Underground playlist.
    Can’t wait for your trip to Italy. That’s where my father was stationed, 15th Air Force.

  • @jbs454
    @jbs454 Рік тому +1

    I learn so much more from your videos than any book or documentary, you make me feel like I took the trip with you and that’s as close as I’ll ever come to getting to those places. My goal before I die is to learn as much knowledge as I can and keep dementia from creeping in. I would have loved to had you as my teacher as a kid and you are probably a great teacher and those kids are very lucky

  • @Liz-cmc313
    @Liz-cmc313 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for showing us the realities of war.

  • @GuyPipili
    @GuyPipili Рік тому +2

    I can't even begin to imagine what the marines and the Japanese defenders had to go through in the fighting. The fear, the anxiety, not knowing what will happen next, and whether you would get out alive. Can't imagine how the Japanese could willingly charge in the suicidal madness. The Japanese treatment of civilians and for what gain? There's no strategic advantages of treating the civilians like they did. No wonder most marines who were there and on Saipan don't like talking about what they witnessed there. The survivors had to live with this knowledge for the rest of their lives. Oh and JD, great video and a good job in not adding another bump on your noggin!😄

  • @renegarza798
    @renegarza798 Рік тому +1

    As I see the images you share, I imagine being able to see my grandfather's ship, USS Bull, somewhere there, he shared very little and that was near the end of his journey on this side. Thank you for bringing images to his stories. I am thankful

  • @Patriot-American
    @Patriot-American Рік тому +2

    Really enjoying this series on these Pacific landing and learning about the battles. Looking forward to Part II of this one. You do a wonderful job...

  • @darkoflight4938
    @darkoflight4938 Рік тому +3

    Wonderfully interesting, as usual! Thank you and keep up the good work.