The Most Hellish Battle that Turned US Marines into an Unstoppable Force
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 тра 2024
- General Alexander Vandegrift, commander of the 1st Marine Division, had been fighting the Japanese at Guadalcanal for over four months under less than desirable conditions: they were surrounded by the enemy around Henderson Airfield, lacked proper food, and ammunition was running dangerously low.
A desperate firefight had just ended around the perimeter, and General Vandegrift observed his Marines with contempt. Their machine gun barrels still running hot, and the wounded still pleading for help, the Marines and the Navy Corpsman quickly rushed to help. Most of the Japanese from the assault wave had perished, but one wounded soldier grasped for help.
One leatherneck and corpsman approached him to provide first aid. As they raised him, General Vandegrift’s eyes were wide open: the wounded Japanese was armed with a hand grenade set to detonate.
He shouted with desperation, but it was futile: it was already too late. Only then did the general realize his men were fighting an enemy who was truly committed to fighting the last man for the eternal glory of the Emperor and the Empire of Japan.
Guadalcanal was hell.
-
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
Dark Docs content idea- My father, a LRP in Vietnam, served with a remarkable man named Patrick Tadinia. Patrick is perhaps one of the most badass individuals to have ever lived, and regrettably, his story may go untold. He served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, 74th Infantry Detachment. Spending five consecutive years in Vietnam, he led hundreds of missions as a team leader without ever losing a single man. A native Hawaiian, he confidently walked point in black pajamas, armed with an AK-47. Upon contact with the enemy, the resulting confusion lasted just a few seconds, and that was all it took. Motivated by the early loss of his brother in the war, Tadinia spent five consecutive years seeking revenge, earning him legendary status among LRRP units. These missions, deep behind enemy lines with 4-7 man teams, were exceptionally perilous, involving reconnaissance, prisoner snatches, enemy harassment, direct assault, POW rescue, and more. Patrick's extraordinary accomplishment of running missions for five years in the jungles of Vietnam without losing a single man is a tale that deserves telling. He garnered two Silver Stars, 10 Bronze Stars, three Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry, four Army Commendation Medals (including two for valor), and three Purple Hearts. Patrick Tadinia's untold story is one of remarkable resilience and bravery- I hope this comment makes it to the right person because his story should be told.
I just googled him, you’re totally right he deserves more attention
When you form the character of a group of fighting men, you need an enemy worthy to sharpen their teeth, to harden their spine, to teach them about fear and how to meet it. Japan helped to define what it means to be a Marine. The few. The proud. The United States Marines. RIP to all who have fallen.
I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be a 19 year old on a distant island in the middle of the ocean fighting for your life every day. I have nothing but respect for ALL who served and died. God bless.
@@armyvet8279 Even the Japs?
Amen
One of my best friends was in the 1st Marines that landed on Guadalcanal. He liked talking about it too. RIP Hop Birdsong. Semper Fi! 🇺🇸🫡
Marine grave marker at Guadalcanal~ “And when he get to heaven to Saint Peter he will tell ‘Another Marine reporting Sir I’ve served my time in Hell’ “.
Semiper fi do or die
The Japanese thought hand to hand combat with Marines would realize a victory. The Marines thought deferent.
I think the video needs to review some of the dates. For example in 4:46 it says the Doolittle Raid was on Apr 18, 1943. It was in 1942.
well this site sucks anyway
Late to the party but nice that you finally showed up and then took credit for the win.
The First Marine Division, of course, has a shoulder patch. There is one word on the patch…..it is “Guadalcanal”
The original Marine Raiders were total badazzes. I had a friend that was one in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. They "Took no prisoners" under Vandergraff my friend said. RIP Judge!
First USMC Commandant That Gave African American Montford Point Marines an Even Break. May He R.I.P. Heaven is for Heroes.
Oh... they're special in some way? Guess crime stats sort of bear that out, huh?
@@20alphabet !?
@@20alphabetyou mean segregated and discriminated against? Yeah racist troll they were
The fact that “Montford Point” existed as such and in context was a sin. Giving an “even break” is hollow victory in context.
@@20alphabetTheir gods chosen people, according to liberal America.😂 Everything's color with them. We were doing really well till Barry came into office. Now it couldn't be worse. I'm sad to say this.
I dont believe General Vandergrift ever looked at his marines with contempt. Specially not during the Campaign to secure Guadalcanal.
Noticed that comment.
That was so weird!
Yeah, he kind of lost me at that line, too.😉
Marines didn't hold the Army with high esteem during WW2 for a variety of reasons. Primarily among these there was the lack of competent field leadership amongst the officer Corps. For the most part the Army relied on firepower to overwhelm the enemy. Whereas the Marines were extensively trained to fight aggressively at all times......always moving forward towards their objective. Remember this though, Army troops fought just as hard as the Marines did. It was their lack of aggressive style training and overly cautious battlefield tactics that hampered the GI's.
@@brucewood1827
Hellish Biak - a hybrid of Guadalcanal & Peleliu & Iwo Jima - was cleared by 🇺🇸 Army
soldiers. & many other New Guinea jungle fighting too.
General H.M. Smith was a great soldier, but his obsessed animosity against the Army caused needless frictions & extra losses, as on Saipan when he relieved General Ralph Smith USA, in the middle of the fighting.
US Marines have always been kick-ass awesome fighters. I am and have been impressed when training with them. Former Army airborne infantryman here.
Thank you sir for your service. :)
Lol, hardly.
@@20alphabet What do you mean by that?
@@20alphabetmarines are different. They are expert marksmen & train to fight harder. For example, when ambushed, they don't push through it or fall back to regroup. They immediately fight back and take the initiative, constantly moving forward until all enemies are gone.
The general was a Marine, proud to be a Marine and proud of the Marines.
Marines
Not 1943.
Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. 18 April 1942. USS Hornet. 16 B-25 Bombers
5 months after Pearl Harbor attack.
Another outstanding video there has never been a fighting Forest like the United States Marine Corps ever has a family member of many of them all I can say is they are as dedicated in peace as they are in war
Wake Island was an amazing battle If I remember correctly the Marines fought so fiercely and bravely they garnered respect from Japanese as POWs.
no they killed a few after ..civilans also
@@katana258 What is your point / can you clarify this comment?
@@katana258 Ate a few also.
as always great stuff. Small point: it's not the Congressional Medal of Honor, just the Medal of Honor.
Awesome thanks for your channel info 👍
Ever get a Chance Dark. Check into Colonial Giles Gere.
A great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you
.... The "Doolittle Raid" was in 1942 - not in '43.
Guadalcanal was a campaign, made of multiple battles over 6 months, on land and sea and air.
After the war, Japanese officers were asked when did you know the war was lost.
They said Guadalcanal.
Fun fact.....the US Navy lost many more men than the Marines during this campaign.
The Marines had it relatively easy as the enemy army was fanatical but stupid.
The US navy had a much harder time as the enemy was in many ways superior, especially at night fighting.
If the Japanese navy had admirals with the courage and fanatics of their army....Guadalcanal would have been a Japanese victory. The Marines would have starved.
Granted....you have to be far more careful with ships (which take years to build) than troops, which are generally expendable, which explains the cautiousness of their admirals. And this would not be the last time this happened in the war.
Semper Fi
Semper Fi = Always Faithful
While the Marines and the Army were fighting on Guadalcanal the Navy was fighting tooth and nail. The night of November 13th was the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal although four others had happened before this. This battle has been described as "a knife fight in a blacked out telephone booth.". Then the next night Admiral Willis Lee put on a radar clinic with the USS Washington destroying the IJN Kirishima in minutes from 7000 yards. If you think 7000 yards is close look up the Drachinfel video The Battle of Cape Matapan - +100 to Battleship Stealth.
Oops the Doolittle raiders was April 18,1942, operation vengeance was April 18,1943.
Thanks for this clarification. 💪🏻🦅🇺🇸
A significant advantage the Marines had in WW2 was the small arms they had were much better then the Japanese, M-1 Garand, semi automatic, Thompson sub machine gun, BAR light machine gun, M-1 carbine, 1911 45 pistol, a rifle squad just had more firepower then the Japanese, and something that’s not talked about
Much but makes perfect common sense is that the average Japanese soldier was very small compared to American soldier, I’m only referring to this Bc I saw a short video explaining how devastating the 30-06 and 45acp round were devastating in battle, and talked about basically it’s a big difference if let’s say a farm boy from Iowa that’s 6 feet 200 pounds gets shot in the shoulder compared to a Japanese soldier who’s 5’2 and weighs a 110 pounds who takes a 30-06 round to the shoulder, so the American has a very good chance of recovering from this gun shot, not so much with the little guy, that’s a big round hitting and causing so much blood loss, probably blow his whole shoulder off, then the next example is the advantage a Thompson sub machine had in close fighting against a enemy with long bolt action rifles and large heavy light and heavy machine guns
Marines did not have the M1 at Guadalcanal. They did not get them until later. They had bolt action 1903 Springfield rifles. This vid has enough incorrect info without adding to it.
Drives me nuts when the commander gets top award for what his people did.
Agreed…the Medal of Honor is reserved for extreme acts of heroism, specifically, “The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his comrades and must have involved risk of life.”
I am not trying to say that he did not deserve accolades, but receiving the MoH? Maybe not…during OIF I/III all of the platoon leaders in my unit received Bronze Stars and such…I really felt that that action cheapens the gallantry of those that had earned it in the past
@@Ir0nli0nzi0nzbee "If we succeed, blame the Soldiers. If we fail, blame the leader." - Me
@@Ir0nli0nzi0nzbee -- I totally agree
@Ir0nli0nzi0nzbee The military loves to give the Medal of Honor to officers.
ARMY AND MARINES LET DOWN BY THE NAVY , WHAT DO WE CALL THAT .😮😊
Life in combat.
SNAFU
Guadalcanal was primarily a naval battle. While US troops were gunning down numerically inferior IJA forces on the beachhead, the US Navy was fighting against what could arguably be considered the world's most powerful surface fleet in 1942. For every single Marine or Soldier killed on land, six more Sailors were killed in naval battles around Guadalcanal and adjacent islands.
Oorah
Many folks think that the turning point of WWII happened at the Battle of Midway, but that was just the first major Japanese attack that failed. While this was certainly important, Guadalcanal was the first time the Japanese were pushed off territory they'd taken. In my mind, this is a more important turning point in WWII.
Certainly arguable, but when you're fighting over an ocean that literally covers half the globe, the navy is paramount. Midway was the turning point.
The Doolittle Raid was in 1942 not'43. A minor slip I know but c'mon get it right.
To the narrator…there is NO SUCH THING as the congressional Medal of Honor! It proper name is Medal of Honor. It is awarded by congress and usually presented by the president!
The Doolittile raid was in 1942.
What exactly is a 10 day supply of ammunition? Most of the time nothing is happening. In a firefight ammo goes quick.
I love all your series of videos. If I can say one thing... it is Medal of Honor. MOH. for some reason it constantly referred to as CMH. No. It is simply Medal of Honor. Any other description is incongruent with the US Military designation. Thanks again. Keep making videos. They are short and to the point. Sometimes I don't want to watch 55 min of the same thing said over and over.
WHY MIX IN MOVIE CLIPS?? : ) => 9:55
Did he ever meet Smedly Butler?
he viewed his men with contempt .. what and he gets the M.O.H.
Much inaccurate commentary in video.
The commentator got the year wrong for the Doolittle Raid, stating April, 18th, 1943, whereas it really took place a year before (1942)
👍🏼😎
👍🍻
So much wrong in this vid…
Unreal…
The Navy didn’t withdraw they met their enemy in waters further away in order to protect those on the ground
👍
My Stepfather was there, upon return, he could Never eat rice or chicken, ever again, and my Mom usta make Great Fried Chicken..
Hi
To people leaving comments about mistakes. A comment is a comment and that's how channels make money. Best way to get a comment? Make a mistake. This is my contribution to "Dark" fund. Also stop watching til the very end as this cuts into view time. Less view time + less comments equals less money.
Bro you gotta start getting your info right. Im out
You say "Congressional Medal of Honor", but there is no such thing. It is the Medal of Honor. It does not need any adjectives, and it certainly does not belong to Congress.
Does he get extra money every time he says "leather neck"?
If not for the coward McAurther the Philippines would not have fallen.
...Van de Grift...must be of Dutch ancestry...Qua Patet Orbis...
This channel was once good but now it’s just wrong facts and click bait titles. What a hopeless downfall.
Dark Docs was once a favorite of mine. No more. What to trust in your content? Example your technical editing is filled with errors. For example with dates: (time line 4:33) the U.S. General Wainright surrendered in 1942 NOT 1943 per your video. The Doolittle raid (timeline 4:44) was in 1942 NOT 1943 per your video. Simple stuff and Dark Docs fails.
Also New guinea was not lost but held by the Australians, by the skin of their teeth, in a famous fighting withdrawal that exhausted the Japanese assault along the Kokoda Track ( an action not dissimilar to the dogged determination exhibited in the first siege of Tobruk). This is in contrast to the capitulations of the Americans and Brits up to this point.
The USN did not defeat an IJN fleet at Coral Sea. It was a tactical victory for the Japanese with the loss of Lexington vs the light carrier Shoho, although with hindsight, the damage to Shokaku and loss of Zuikaku's air group kept them from participating in the Battle of Midway. It was a strategic victory for the US and her allies only because the Japanese landing force aimed at Port Moresby retreated after the battle without being engaged. Your fact-checking on this video was very sloppy.
Yes, they all earned their money (or their relatives?)
Did the Japanese not say the Marines are crazy and come from asylums where they were locked up, and that is why they were struggling so much against the Marines?
Never trust an idolator.
Exactly what year was the Doolittle raid executed? Not 1943, Skippy, try a year earlier. If this the extent of your research or ability to read a script, that means a serrious lack of credibity.
Hell yeah excellent point to bring up. Saying 43 instead of 42 when 3 is next to 2 on every keyboard and he is a human and humans make mistakes, makes this whole video useless and pointless and evil. Let's be really smarmy and sarcastic in the comment section so people realize that WE are the smot wuns.
Fk your inability to grasp social cues. Your blanket intelligence does no one any good if no one wants to talk to you. Adapt.
And for fucks sake THINK before you speak. It's embarrassing cleaning you up like this.
Straight ROASTED!!!!!
Nobody likes a Know it all. Geez, cut em some slack. They put out a lot of content. Mistakes happen 🤷
Hey bro!! I'm Subscriber #9 to your channel. Super cool 😎 being in the Top 10...🤠👍
I’m unsubscribing to this channel after leaving this comment . This is like the 5th time the information was incorrect and almost like they had ChatGPT write these episodes , wack .
The situation was more like this: Japanese militaristic, fanatical mentality did not allow room for wisdom and plain common sense, though there were a few exceptions. Good battle tactics and strategies were not on Japan's side.
Just a comment you made about loosing New Guinea in March. New Guinea was never lost, yes they pushed the Australians back, but the Aussies were the ones that pushed the Japanese back as the Japanese line of logistics was too far to support them!
That story doesn't get told because old Corn Pipe Mac Arthur wanted the lime light and painted the picture that the US stopped the Japanese in New Guinea. Mac Arthur only left his HQ base in Brisbane once to go to New Guinea, and there he was lucky to escape the Aussies from shooting him after the comments he made about them. Even the Aussie command would not give him the full picture on the battle ground.
Yes the US helped with air transport and fighter support. But it was the Aussies on the ground that pushed the Japanese back. I am trying to take away what the US soldiers did on the ground, but give credit were credit is due!..
they can name an aircraft carrier after Doris Miller, (because he was Black) but only name a pig boat GMC after Vandergriffe? Wow.
I agree. That’s politics under democrats. It Fricking Sucks
Damn right but not because he was black. Reading real history not your strong point? Vandergrift was launched in 1982 ages before the carrier its not like they chose one over the other dimwit. Also a mess cook in a racially segregated military isn’t supposed to know how to operate a machine gun much less shoot down an airplane and save the lives of people under one of the worst combat situation in history Pearl Harbor but a USMC General damn well knows how to beat the enemy or should. Your comparison is idiotic and yeah racist.
With all respect to the us mc, they have never been as successful as the Royal Marines of the uk.
I stand as trained with SBS, RM and SAS doing fibua.
In my regiment I worked alongside ( and proudly) amongst the Ghurkas.
No matter the usmc, the British have the edge.
It's not a cock size competition, just better prepared.
I volunteered, 1 Wessex and proud.
F*ck semper fi........ us English go hard and follow tradition. 🖕🏻
"Unstoppable" as long as the Army was there to save them!
ARMY = Ain’t Ready to be Marines Yet
@@wesleyblacksher1641 USMC= Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. Much love tho
When referring to a division, you would say "1st Marine Division". "1st Marines" would be 1st Marine Regiment. Small gripe, but its enough to piss off an old Marine.