Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Part 10 of memoirs of a Japanese Destroyer Captain, He was an Imperial Japanese naval commander during the Pacific War and the author of the IJN manual on torpedo attack techniques, notable for his skill in torpedo warfare and night fighting. He was a survivor of more than one hundred sorties against the Allies and was known throughout Japan as the Unsinkable Captain. A hero to his countrymen, Captain exemplified the best in Japanese surface commanders: highly skilled, hard driving, and aggressive. Moreover, he maintained a code of honor worthy of his samurai grandfather. He was as free with praise for American courage and resourcefulness as he was critical of himself and his senior commanders. He was the only IJN destroyer captain at the start of World War 2 to survive the entire war Here is the link of the playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLGjbe3ikd0XEgpZaJTo25BGLPJDrer821.html Link of Part 1 ua-cam.com/video/3UcMnCkCawM/v-deo.html Link of Part 2 ua-cam.com/video/ODvaNAw-po8/v-deo.html Link of Part 3 ua-cam.com/video/CW2UlbuvAgY/v-deo.html Link of Part 4 ua-cam.com/video/J0Drg8PanfA/v-deo.html Link of Part 5 ua-cam.com/video/vCWxRnKZSIo/v-deo.html Link of Part 6 ua-cam.com/video/dhSM6DNUflg/v-deo.html Link of Part 7 ua-cam.com/video/YHxcdbV94Jw/v-deo.html Link of Part 8 ua-cam.com/video/nCyb0SvAzfA/v-deo.html Link of Part 9 ua-cam.com/video/Gl3oheIZC04/v-deo.html
Captain Hara's book is one of the best I've ever read on the War in the Pacific. Had the Japanese high command had more commanders like him the IJN would have been much more difficult to defeat.
He does a lot of humble-bragging. "When I departed, there was not a dry eye among my comrades"... "They insisted that I was Japan's greatest commander, and I protested and denied it." I take it all with a grain of salt.
@@justlucky8254 I just wish that channel's like this that share material of such important historical matters wouldn't use the AI voice because it can't even pronounce (already difficult) names of places and people the same way twice. I don't care so much if someone reading these for videos says the names wrong in their enunciation as long as they use the same enunciation each time. It becomes very difficult to follow who and what has been sunk when it keeps changing the enunciation of the place or name. Sometimes it even makes some of the names of Captain's and Boat's sound so much like alike or exactly the same that it gets even more confusing.
I'll tell you all what is batshit insane, utterly useless and inhumane about the Japanese military leadership during WW2. Dropping off troops into a jungle with neither interest nor capacity to support or supply them is absolutely insane. I have no respect for the Japanese soldier, he was a beast but to drop these men without hope of victory was a senseless waste.
You're absolutely right. People just don't realize that the Japanese were every bit as depraved as the Nazi's. The Germans, Japanese and Russians all treated their own soldiers like ammunition, something to be expended without thought or care.
Not all were evil or committed heinous acts. Many were just doing what they felt was their duty to their country, blissfully unaware of atrocities that were happening elsewhere in the war. People often forget this. We see patriotism on all sides of war, and often good men wind up on the wrong side of history. This is especially so when conscription is involved as it was here. I have respect for the average soldier on both sides and the hardships they endured. I have no respect for butchers, but I respect those who fought and died doing, in their limited scope of view, what they thought was right. People didn't have the same access to information we have today; they couldn't have informed opinions. My late grandfather served in World War II. He was a member of the US Army Signal Corps. On Okinawa in 1945, he bought a captured Japanese Type 99 rifle from another GI. This was an early-production example from around 1941. This meant it, and likely the soldier who carried it, went through the entire Pacific war, only to meet their end during Japan's desperate final stand. And the rifle bears all the hallmarks of its hard service. I often wonder the things this rifle and the person who carried it saw. Likely some poor young man who died doing what he thought was right or what he was forced to do, even if history proved him to be on the wrong side.
@@WardenWolf there were no "Good Japanese" in the IJA or IJN. There were certainly good Japanese people- there were pacifists and anti-militarists but they were all in prison. The Japanese were brutalised in training and even their Korean conscripts sometimes outdid them in their extreme behaviour. There are no reliable sources claiming otherwise. They were, to a man, beasts.
@@jayglithero524 When I was in the USAF just constantly blabbing your mouth to your direct supervisors or jumping over them when it wasn't prudent was career suicide. Tact is essential if you want anyone to listen to you in the military, if you just open your trap like your local union trailer trash you will find yourself in crappy commands and Korea unaccompanied. When I dealt with the Army the place was full of these low IQ specialists with all mouth and no solutions.
Its interesting to hear criticism of the IJN and IJA. Something that rarely occurred in Japan in WW2. My father was the duty chief on the Enterprise on December 7th and when he took the air raid message to Admiral Halsey was ordered to get conformation even as battle stations were ordered...
@johncaldwell-wq1hp Unfortunately not! The Truk Stop took us to the bigger ships. Some deep dives for just compressed air. 20ft stop required for for all dives!
In the all encumbersome Fog of War with these after war commentaries we get to see what is happening at both sides, it gives understanding to many wide open questions. Adm. Hara does an excellent job of this. Unfortunately much of the action is found at places in the middle of the Pacific No-Where that most has no idea where it is located, I'm a geology nerd but most aren't, maps would be nice.
Thank you for all your work, these are always a treat. BTW the thumbnails for the past few eps have been so on point. The dred in the image matches the title
Hara was despairing of the technical advantage of American DD's at this stage of the war. He didn't seem to factor in that effective American leadership had also appeared such as Frederick Moosbrugger and Arleigh Burke. The Pacific USN had also developed an effective means of dissemination of lessons learned from each encounter as time went by.
@@sirboomsalot4902 Hara may not be high on the food chain, but he had been griping about the IJN leadership being a bunch of inflexible officers. He didn't reflect that the USN leadership might be adapting faster than the IJN. It's an institutional bias as far as I can see.
Most interesting look into the polical implications of war. This was, for the Japenese, a precurser to the U.S. and Vietnam. We had the forces, and the technical advantages in all areas and squandered over 50,000 lives for politicians. I am as bitter as this destroyer officer. Politicians usually start wars and the troops pay the price for their incompetence.
The US was wise to intervene in Vietnam against Ho Chi Minh- an open and unapologetic admirer of Joseph Stalin, with his secret police, concentration camps and opposition to all human rights, such as freedom of speech. Ho Chi Minh did likewise. Add to this The Domino Theory of one Stalinist country likely infecting adjacent countries with this horrid political disease, was well founded. Opposition to the Vietnam War came from pampered, brain dead leftists in the US. The result was Ho Chi Minh’s reign of terror, culminating in the tragedy of the boat people- ethnic Chinese in Vietnam who were forced to flee aboard tiny boats + which were attacked brutally by Vietnamese pirates who raped, murdered and robbed them. All thanks to the American liberal left! I remember the talking heads on TV with their hang dog facial expressions when this predictably occurred!
How many armies and navies have been led by incompetent officers whose rank depended upon WHO they knew instead of WHAT they knew? Incompetence peters out as the war continues. German's incompetent Corporal should never have decided to invade Russia without wise counsel of strategy and established supply lines.
The real problem is that the US industrial might eventually caught up with Japan. Japan couldn't fight the war and keep up with improvements in technology, techniques, training, and production at the same time. Also the allies may have been better at survelance, communication, spying and scouting.
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Let's just try to remember that Japan was the SECONDARY front for the US. This means that the US was able to completely humble the Empire of Japan with one hand tied behind its back and three fingers broken on the other one.
@@honery_old-fart Could be, I'm not aware of that, but there is no reason why not. We know the Germans did at times, so the Japanese could have as well. I just assumed that since some of the information in this story is well beyond the scope of what a destroy captain would know, it would be likely that he drew on outside sources. Very common with post war writings of vets.
It's obvious from this story that the Japanese high command had gotten so used to being able to dominate opponents that they had no idea what to do when outgunned.
Talking about defeatism, the only thing you can produce are torpedo boats and kamikaze aircraft. The war with the US started mid-42 by mid-43 they were to this point and everyone knew it, the US production of naval ships was probably well known by then from many sources. You were a high school team facing a pro team, and destruction of the country was the result of the game, they played the game. At that point they still could have withdrawn everything to the island and picket location, including China and Korea, and unilaterally declared an end to the war. A year later they had gone too far and the ultimate end was destiny.
As bad as Japanese naval strategy was, the Americans were much, much worse - at least in the first half of the war. And this has as much to do with Japanese early successes as anything else. But it was the Americans that took it seriously to learn and improve while the Japanese lost key personnel here and there and just got worse and worse.
These are great audios from the Japanese point of view. But, can I suggest you to place numbers on each so we know the order to listen to them? Thanks. 😊 oops just saw your pinned comments. So sorry, as they would say.
the marianas turkey shot happened in june 44 far from the base at rabaul and was not even mentioned in the narration of this vaunted ship captain. the picture of the evading ships have been labeled as from the marianas turkey shoot in other articles. what happened? rabaul was raided on november 5 1943 way before the marianas episode.
I’ve wondered how these stories are compiled. Is it possible that AI is skimming many stories to make another story? It’s clearly narrated by a computer program. The great overview and perspective of the ‘author’ is only possible in hindsight using many sources. It is listenable as a historical novel.
I would say that the Japanese quality of pilots at this time in no way could be in par with the Americans, who were the best around. So not surprising that the Japanese pilots got it handed to them. And this Officer's book was excellent!
How many of the high command would have been willing to walk along underwater and place a charge, or drive a flimsy plywood boat into an enemy warship? Or for that matter, fly an obsolete and decrepit aircraft into a flight deck of an american carrier?Desperate measures indeed, from hidebound desk warriors safely removed from personal danger but quite willing to sacrifice untold thousands of lives merely for their concept of 'honor'. The war was lost in mid to late 43, but only a few on the front lines seemed able to accept it
Interesting. The American military rotated experienced personnel back to the States to train recruits. The Japanese seemed to regard this practice as a demotion or an insult? Even though they were clearly suffering from a lack of trained troops?
Would really prefer a narrator with a Japanese accent. It seems weird listening to the same voice from a previous video about the Soviet advance on Berlin.
I realize the speaker is not Japanese, but he should at least try to pronounce the cities and other thing correctly. Like yoko soo Ka is yo koo ska. Cure is Kure ee (Kure). Others I don’t remember.
The author blasts IJN command for not adequately providing enough scout planes manned by experienced pilots, yet a few minutes later acknowledges Japans resource limitations regarding number of planes and experienced pilots. Comes across as a whiner complaining over something high command knows, but cant fix. The author of this memoir should have run for office....behaves like a politician.
Japan planned for a quick war expecting the enemies to simply not fight back. The surprise attack on Pearl ended any chance of that. Unlike the US that developed a plan which included weapons production as well as training Japan never developed such a plan. Inter service rivalry created many additional problems as well. The home islands didn't have a dedicated defense force of planes. Japan also wasted resources by having the most different plane types of any combatant.
Both assertions are objectively true. But armchair admirals and keyboard warriors are free to cast character aspersions against commander who was actually there. Carry on, rear-end admiral, carry on.
This guy single won WWII single handed! When he's late for a battle and his other boats get sunk, it's because he's smarter. When he run's away like a coward, he's the only clever one. All his luck is due to his "new plans." Japanese arrogance doomed them from the beginning. With people like this it's no surprise.
@@JohnMcmillin-br8tk I have listened to several of these episodes. The author is a blowhard. He voices many discrepancies and conflicting statements, yet is always the smartest man in the room. His memoirs are descriptions of others congratulating him for his brilliance, constantly "brooding" over things not being perfect and objective evidence of mistakes of others.
You listened only from your American ego centric view. He has been throughout as honest as I've found any of these authors. He has not spared himself from self criticism and offered fair appraisals of both the Japanese and American tactics - even listing the sources for anyone's attention. If his language is centric to his views,than any American would do the same. Yet you want to believe in John Wayne victories and complete American superiority. He cared deeply for his men and his country,plain and simple. If you truly listened, you could learn something about what being a true soldier and warrior means..that surviving a battle or a war is Valor and sometimes, blind luck - for enemy and foe.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Part 10 of memoirs of a Japanese Destroyer Captain, He was an Imperial Japanese naval commander during the Pacific War and the author of the IJN manual on torpedo attack techniques, notable for his skill in torpedo warfare and night fighting. He was a survivor of more than one hundred sorties against the Allies and was known throughout Japan as the Unsinkable Captain. A hero to his countrymen, Captain exemplified the best in Japanese surface commanders: highly skilled, hard driving, and aggressive. Moreover, he maintained a code of honor worthy of his samurai grandfather. He was as free with praise for American courage and resourcefulness as he was critical of himself and his senior commanders. He was the only IJN destroyer captain at the start of World War 2 to survive the entire war
Here is the link of the playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLGjbe3ikd0XEgpZaJTo25BGLPJDrer821.html
Link of Part 1 ua-cam.com/video/3UcMnCkCawM/v-deo.html
Link of Part 2 ua-cam.com/video/ODvaNAw-po8/v-deo.html
Link of Part 3 ua-cam.com/video/CW2UlbuvAgY/v-deo.html
Link of Part 4 ua-cam.com/video/J0Drg8PanfA/v-deo.html
Link of Part 5 ua-cam.com/video/vCWxRnKZSIo/v-deo.html
Link of Part 6 ua-cam.com/video/dhSM6DNUflg/v-deo.html
Link of Part 7 ua-cam.com/video/YHxcdbV94Jw/v-deo.html
Link of Part 8 ua-cam.com/video/nCyb0SvAzfA/v-deo.html
Link of Part 9 ua-cam.com/video/Gl3oheIZC04/v-deo.html
¹p¹
Captain Hara's book is one of the best I've ever read on the War in the Pacific. Had the Japanese high command had more commanders like him the IJN would have been much more difficult to defeat.
A battle with no casualties but significant material loss.A rarity.
He criticizes everybody including himself.But he gives praise when its due he seems to be as honest as can be expected
Much more believable account and sounds like a more likable dude than that Japanese fighter pilot.
Or the crybaby Kraut always whining about the Geneva convention like they ever followed it
He does a lot of humble-bragging. "When I departed, there was not a dry eye among my comrades"... "They insisted that I was Japan's greatest commander, and I protested and denied it."
I take it all with a grain of salt.
@@guest6398. It's also easy to be the 'best' if everybody else is dead.
@@tannertempleton3404the differences between a good ship captain with a crew to keep and a good individual fighter with a couple of wingman.
Luckily this type of officer wasn't on the bridge of every Japanese ship.
Maybe. Or maybe his account is self-serving. All of his superiors praise him, and his subordinates worship him. So he says.
One reads dry history that talks about American Industrial power. But in listening to diaries, you see the effect on man and see the reality. Amazing
I enjoy these memoirs but a few maps (rather than a static photo) would greatly enhance the experience.
Especially since many of those places have changed names over the years.
Their are maps on the version of this book I have, which is the newest print on Amazob
Voiceovers that correctly pronounced words in the various involved languages would also be nice. That's the downside of current AI, apparently.
Exactly. It makes absolutely no use of the video. What a waste.
@@justlucky8254 I just wish that channel's like this that share material of such important historical matters wouldn't use the AI voice because it can't even pronounce (already difficult) names of places and people the same way twice. I don't care so much if someone reading these for videos says the names wrong in their enunciation as long as they use the same enunciation each time. It becomes very difficult to follow who and what has been sunk when it keeps changing the enunciation of the place or name. Sometimes it even makes some of the names of Captain's and Boat's sound so much like alike or exactly the same that it gets even more confusing.
Look at all those near misses I can only imagine the panic on that ship.
This is a really excellent article on a critical aspect of the Pacific war between the US and Japan. Well worth watching.
I'll tell you all what is batshit insane, utterly useless and inhumane about the Japanese military leadership during WW2. Dropping off troops into a jungle with neither interest nor capacity to support or supply them is absolutely insane. I have no respect for the Japanese soldier, he was a beast but to drop these men without hope of victory was a senseless waste.
You're absolutely right. People just don't realize that the Japanese were every bit as depraved as the Nazi's. The Germans, Japanese and Russians all treated their own soldiers like ammunition, something to be expended without thought or care.
Not all were evil or committed heinous acts. Many were just doing what they felt was their duty to their country, blissfully unaware of atrocities that were happening elsewhere in the war. People often forget this. We see patriotism on all sides of war, and often good men wind up on the wrong side of history. This is especially so when conscription is involved as it was here. I have respect for the average soldier on both sides and the hardships they endured. I have no respect for butchers, but I respect those who fought and died doing, in their limited scope of view, what they thought was right. People didn't have the same access to information we have today; they couldn't have informed opinions.
My late grandfather served in World War II. He was a member of the US Army Signal Corps. On Okinawa in 1945, he bought a captured Japanese Type 99 rifle from another GI. This was an early-production example from around 1941. This meant it, and likely the soldier who carried it, went through the entire Pacific war, only to meet their end during Japan's desperate final stand. And the rifle bears all the hallmarks of its hard service. I often wonder the things this rifle and the person who carried it saw. Likely some poor young man who died doing what he thought was right or what he was forced to do, even if history proved him to be on the wrong side.
What do you think paratroopers are used for? They are fodder to tie up larger forces or to capture critical points behind the lines.
@@WardenWolf there were no "Good Japanese" in the IJA or IJN. There were certainly good Japanese people- there were pacifists and anti-militarists but they were all in prison. The Japanese were brutalised in training and even their Korean conscripts sometimes outdid them in their extreme behaviour. There are no reliable sources claiming otherwise. They were, to a man, beasts.
The fact that he could say what he felt needed to be told to his superiors and get away with it proves how valuable he was.
Admiral Tanaka said what he felt but didn't get away with it, despite being valuable.
In the military it's about tact, if you have no tact and always, "expressing your feelings" get ready for a world of hurt and a stalled career.
You saw how well tact enabled the Japanese to win the war.
@@jayglithero524 When I was in the USAF just constantly blabbing your mouth to your direct supervisors or jumping over them when it wasn't prudent was career suicide. Tact is essential if you want anyone to listen to you in the military, if you just open your trap like your local union trailer trash you will find yourself in crappy commands and Korea unaccompanied. When I dealt with the Army the place was full of these low IQ specialists with all mouth and no solutions.
Its interesting to hear criticism of the IJN and IJA. Something that rarely occurred in Japan in WW2. My father was the duty chief on the Enterprise on December 7th and when he took the air raid message to Admiral Halsey was ordered to get conformation even as battle stations were ordered...
so interesting to hear the other side
Dove Truk Lagoon in the late 80's. Lots of sailors still there.
DID YOU SEE "I-69"- ??
@johncaldwell-wq1hp Unfortunately not! The Truk Stop took us to the bigger ships. Some deep dives for just compressed air. 20ft stop required for for all dives!
In the all encumbersome Fog of War with these after war commentaries we get to see what is happening at both sides, it gives understanding to many wide open questions. Adm. Hara does an excellent job of this. Unfortunately much of the action is found at places in the middle of the Pacific No-Where that most has no idea where it is located, I'm a geology nerd but most aren't, maps would be nice.
Thank you for all your work, these are always a treat. BTW the thumbnails for the past few eps have been so on point. The dred in the image matches the title
@Godzilla00X Much appreciated Sir ! 🙏
Hara was despairing of the technical advantage of American DD's at this stage of the war. He didn't seem to factor in that effective American leadership had also appeared such as Frederick Moosbrugger and Arleigh Burke. The Pacific USN had also developed an effective means of dissemination of lessons learned from each encounter as time went by.
You're exactly right. Good old 31 knot Burke!
To be fair, it’s quite unlikely imo that Hara would have known any American commanders or how their leadership was.
@@sirboomsalot4902 Hara may not be high on the food chain, but he had been griping about the IJN leadership being a bunch of inflexible officers. He didn't reflect that the USN leadership might be adapting faster than the IJN. It's an institutional bias as far as I can see.
The "31 Knots" being a well-known laugh at his INABILITY to come anywhere NEAR that speed of operations. @@Jakal-pw8yq
@@sirboomsalot4902 Yamamoto did though.
Most interesting look into the polical implications of war. This was, for the Japenese, a precurser to the U.S. and Vietnam. We had the forces, and the technical advantages in all areas and squandered over 50,000 lives for politicians. I am as bitter as this destroyer officer. Politicians usually start wars and the troops pay the price for their incompetence.
The US was wise to intervene in Vietnam against Ho Chi Minh- an open and unapologetic admirer of Joseph Stalin, with his secret police, concentration camps and opposition to all human rights, such as freedom of speech. Ho Chi Minh did likewise. Add to this The Domino Theory of one Stalinist country likely infecting adjacent countries with this horrid political disease, was well founded. Opposition to the Vietnam War came from pampered, brain dead leftists in the US. The result was Ho Chi Minh’s reign of terror, culminating in the tragedy of the boat people- ethnic Chinese in Vietnam who were forced to flee aboard tiny boats + which were attacked brutally by Vietnamese pirates who raped, murdered and robbed them. All thanks to the American liberal left! I remember the talking heads on TV with their hang dog facial expressions when this predictably occurred!
How many armies and navies have been led by incompetent officers whose rank depended upon WHO they knew instead of WHAT they knew? Incompetence peters out as the war continues. German's incompetent Corporal should never have decided to invade Russia without wise counsel of strategy and established supply lines.
Frank Fletcher was sidelined by political admirals.
Great videos. Glad I found these. Subed and liked.
@skippy2752 Awesome, thank you so much Sir 🙏
It is rare to hear it from the Japanese side. Very interesting.
TY so much
@wadeenyart9676 Sir most welcome 💐
@48:05 ..why did I feel sadden when I heard the Shigure had been hit?
Because you are human and therefore somewhat susceptible to human frailty.
Needs more photographs 📸
Interesting Rabul was open to air attack, yet they put cruisers in the harbor that they could not maneuver.
rare to have ships park outside protected bay harbors at sea. problem is less the harbor than the fact they were there at all.
The real problem is that the US industrial might eventually caught up with Japan. Japan couldn't fight the war and keep up with improvements in technology, techniques, training, and production at the same time. Also the allies may have been better at survelance, communication, spying and scouting.
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Difficult to understand how a country with practically no natural resources would decide to go to war? Only possible explanation is leadership arrogance!
Let's just try to remember that Japan was the SECONDARY front for the US. This means that the US was able to completely humble the Empire of Japan with one hand tied behind its back and three fingers broken on the other one.
24:00 How did Koyanagi know the identity of the three American carriers?
Two possibilities, he added information from Japanese and American accounts of events, or it’s a fake.
Is it possible that Japan had also broken some of the USA codes as well
@@honery_old-fart Could be, I'm not aware of that, but there is no reason why not. We know the Germans did at times, so the Japanese could have as well. I just assumed that since some of the information in this story is well beyond the scope of what a destroy captain would know, it would be likely that he drew on outside sources. Very common with post war writings of vets.
Could be post war memoir
I don’t think the newspaper accounts embarrassed him at all. He’s very full of himself and take what he claims with a large grain of salt 😊
"The Navy high command had not developed torpedo boats". Somewhere, the ghost of Admiral Zinovi Roshestvensky is throwing his binoculars.
It's obvious from this story that the Japanese high command had gotten so used to being able to dominate opponents that they had no idea what to do when outgunned.
Here is more information on Tameichi Hara and a photograph of what he looked like.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tameichi_Hara
Talking about defeatism, the only thing you can produce are torpedo boats and kamikaze aircraft. The war with the US started mid-42 by mid-43 they were to this point and everyone knew it, the US production of naval ships was probably well known by then from many sources. You were a high school team facing a pro team, and destruction of the country was the result of the game, they played the game. At that point they still could have withdrawn everything to the island and picket location, including China and Korea, and unilaterally declared an end to the war. A year later they had gone too far and the ultimate end was destiny.
The nation was in the grip of the militarists.
As bad as Japanese naval strategy was, the Americans were much, much worse - at least in the first half of the war. And this has as much to do with Japanese early successes as anything else.
But it was the Americans that took it seriously to learn and improve while the Japanese lost key personnel here and there and just got worse and worse.
These are great audios from the Japanese point of view. But, can I suggest you to place numbers on each so we know the order to listen to them? Thanks. 😊 oops just saw your pinned comments. So sorry, as they would say.
the marianas turkey shot happened in june 44 far from the base at rabaul and was not even mentioned in the narration of this vaunted ship captain. the picture of the evading ships have been labeled as from the marianas turkey shoot in other articles. what happened? rabaul was raided on november 5 1943 way before the marianas episode.
I’ve wondered how these stories are compiled. Is it possible that AI is skimming many stories to make another story? It’s clearly narrated by a computer program. The great overview and perspective of the ‘author’ is only possible in hindsight using many sources. It is listenable as a historical novel.
Yeah, the titles have been consistently shit here
Arlie A Burk does not have ships named after him for nothing.
Burke
Haze Grey n Underway
Shigure was considered a lucky ship. It the only ship which survived Battle at Sruigao Strait Nishimura Southern force.
Is it Rabool or Rabaul?
I wonder too. How bout Truk or Trook lagoon?
I would say that the Japanese quality of pilots at this time in no way could be in par with the Americans, who were the best around. So not surprising that the Japanese pilots got it handed to them. And this Officer's book was excellent!
I hate to complain, but it's not a VIDEO if it's only one photo.
Is the video frozen? All I see is a single still
There is no video. It is an audiobook.
How many of the high command would have been willing to walk along underwater and place a charge, or drive a flimsy plywood boat into an enemy warship? Or for that matter, fly an obsolete and decrepit aircraft into a flight deck of an american carrier?Desperate measures indeed, from hidebound desk warriors safely removed from personal danger but quite willing to sacrifice untold thousands of lives merely for their concept of 'honor'. The war was lost in mid to late 43, but only a few on the front lines seemed able to accept it
The Japanese claimed a lot that wasn’t true.
Knew they could not win.... wasted thousands anyway....😢
That he recognizes that some Americans had some slight bit of courage is commendable.
It would have been nice if it told us what year this occurred.
Interesting. The American military rotated experienced personnel back to the States to train recruits. The Japanese seemed to regard this practice as a demotion or an insult? Even though they were clearly suffering from a lack of trained troops?
Don't see any real information on the Marianas battle, it just passes in the background.
An island nation japan realized we have a bigger island. Technically a continent is surrounded by water.
Would really prefer a narrator with a Japanese accent. It seems weird listening to the same voice from a previous video about the Soviet advance on Berlin.
I wonder how much of this is true, and how much is fantasy (to put it politely lol). I have huge doubts. 🙄
I realize the speaker is not Japanese, but he should at least try to pronounce the cities and other thing correctly. Like yoko soo Ka is yo koo ska. Cure is Kure ee (Kure). Others I don’t remember.
I think this is text to speech AI.
Some truly american-esque statements in the comments section here...
Its pronounced rabual. Not Rabul.
Its A I Voice..not human ..Spoken as Read..
9
Why only ONE STATIC IMAGE ?!? And
not even a single map ?!? Downgraded!
Rabaul and Truk mispronounced in every video.
666 th like
Gotta wonder wjy.not just copy USA Navy torpedo boats?
When some one says “just ……” you know you’re dealing with an unskilled layman. As an engineer, when I see these comments I roll my eyes.
@@robertfousch2703 “just” like the Chinese copy “just” about everything!
The author blasts IJN command for not adequately providing enough scout planes manned by experienced pilots, yet a few minutes later acknowledges Japans resource limitations regarding number of planes and experienced pilots. Comes across as a whiner complaining over something high command knows, but cant fix. The author of this memoir should have run for office....behaves like a politician.
Japan planned for a quick war expecting the enemies to simply not fight back. The surprise attack on Pearl ended any chance of that. Unlike the US that developed a plan which included weapons production as well as training Japan never developed such a plan. Inter service rivalry created many additional problems as well. The home islands didn't have a dedicated defense force of planes. Japan also wasted resources by having the most different plane types of any combatant.
Both assertions are objectively true. But armchair admirals and keyboard warriors are free to cast character aspersions against commander who was actually there. Carry on, rear-end admiral, carry on.
This guy single won WWII single handed! When he's late for a battle and his other boats get sunk, it's because he's smarter. When he run's away like a coward, he's the only clever one. All his luck is due to his "new plans." Japanese arrogance doomed them from the beginning. With people like this it's no surprise.
Have you even listened?
@@JohnMcmillin-br8tk I have listened to several of these episodes. The author is a blowhard. He voices many discrepancies and conflicting statements, yet is always the smartest man in the room. His memoirs are descriptions of others congratulating him for his brilliance, constantly "brooding" over things not being perfect and objective evidence of mistakes of others.
@@robertbraden4454And you aren't a blowhard? Explain that, please.
You listened only from your American ego centric view. He has been throughout as honest as I've found any of these authors. He has not spared himself from self criticism and offered fair appraisals of both the Japanese and American tactics - even listing the sources for anyone's attention. If his language is centric to his views,than any American would do the same. Yet you want to believe in John Wayne victories and complete American superiority. He cared deeply for his men and his country,plain and simple. If you truly listened, you could learn something about what being a true soldier and warrior means..that surviving a battle or a war is Valor and sometimes, blind luck - for enemy and foe.
I listen to his words. Put your pseudo psycho bs in your pipe and smoke it.@@JohnMcmillin-br8tk
Rational gun owners is oxymoronic.