My grandpa E.O. Bakke landed on Okinawa April 1st under kamikaze bombardment sinking his troop ship. He was hit by Japanese artillery fire on April 6th, 1945 at Chocolate Drop Hill as a .30 cal gunner in the Army’s 77th infantry division. He said a red mist was always over the ground on Okinawa. There was nothing living. There was only mud, craters, charred remains from flamethrowers and constant shelling. He hid from enemy patrols wounded and was only found when a GI saw him raise his hand near death the next day. He was evacuated to the Phillipines where he recovered and then earned several medals in the battle of Davao. He was transferred back to Okinawa in late July 1945 awaiting the invasion of mainland japan where a 100% casualty rate was expected. After the bombs were dropped saving his life, he was part of the occupying force in Sapporo, Japan until 1947. He passed away in 2012 aged 86. His uniforms and medals are in my possession. He is greatly missed.
My grandparents were too young for ww2 but my great grandparents chased the Germans of their property. Pitchforks against machine guns. Afterwards they were in the resistance.
Wow, what a guy. And what should I bet that he never bragged about it? Like so many of The Greatest Generation, I imagine he kept most of it to himself. My uncle was at the helm of an aircraft carrier at Okinawa, he never had too much to say about it.
I..We.. are very Proud of what your Grandfather did for all of US. We thank him for his Services. I am sure you miss him. We lost my mother's Youngest Brother that she raised because their mother was paralyzed. He never heard her speak. But he was 1 of the 173rd Airborne Casper Aviation Platoon. He had 7 yrs in the Army when he Volonterd to do first Tour VIETNAM in march of 1965 they were the First Army Unit to go inland. He Survived first Tour as Crew Chief on HUEY & lost his son during that tour. He was served Dev. Papers as he stepped onto his porch for his welcome home. So he had no place to go & no job so he Volonterd for Second tour & was killed 6 WKS LATER ON Dec 19 1965 Gov. Wanted to Bury him on CHRISTMAS Day but we Refuse Bury him day after. We still miss him. Dearly
My grandpa fought on Saipan, Tinian, Eniwotok, Iwo Jima and Okinawa- have no idea how he survived. I served and lived on Okinawa for four years- a beautiful island, but I abhor the thought of fighting over 70,000 well dug in defenders. The "mountains" are densely covered with thick, thorny native plants and the rocks are jagged lava- takes the meat right off the bone if you slip and fall on the stuff without proper protective gear- beautiful and horrible. Respect to all who fought there and my heart goes out to the civilians who died there- they suffered the worst.
My father was in the First Marine Division seeing action in all major battles including Okinawa. He was horribly wounded at Okinawa, but survived. He was and will always be my hero.
He would've died during the invasion of Japan itself but thanks to the nukes 1m Americans and 100m Japs were saved as horrific as they were they were used to quickly as possible to end a terrible war against a ruthless enemy who was determined NEVER to surrender.
No, the original company was bought out - along with the History Channel *and I think one more channel) by a shlock, greed crazed reality show zombies. But it is a great loss. I can't get AHC without paying more. But a shitload of religious and qvc junk.
I lived on Okinawa when I was a kid in 1954-55. There were human bones in every creekbed. My friends and I knew there had been a big battle there of course, but we had no idea what a hell it had been only ten years previously. We were just kids. The Okinawans were always nice to us.
That's awful. In my homeland I didn't have to witness human remains as a child. At least you didn't really understand it you were able to keep your childhood innocence somewhat.
Don't forget that women played a huge part in WWII, especially when it came to the "spygames". They were there for our boys as nurses, Doctors, in the French resistance women grabbed the nearest gun and fought. We're the only country that doesn't put women on the front lines. In Vietnam they fought, Korea, etc... Just saying, we need to salute all the men and women on both sides of the "colored" line. Amazing how we can't stand Hitler killing and treating Jews and Gypsies as inferior and here we are putting blacks on the bus in the back! Hypocrisy!
+JoachimderZweite though I agree we should acknlowledge the women who contributed a lot, the tombstones indicate a far greater measure of sacrifice on the male side so lets be honest and balanced in our appreciation and not diminish the all most gave and also be thankful to everyone who served and helped the cause of freedom and decency for all.
+No More Religion! Its what I fight for to this very day. I rescued many Filipina's that are in domestic service in Middle East. They are lured there, have their passports taken and live like slaves. The only support I get is from Americans and for this I am forever grateful.
No melodramatic cliff hangers and obnoxious commentary, just a detailed and factual recount of history. Battlefield is by far the greatest documentary war series ever made.
@@norbitshmorbit3856 Me and Dad would watch it every Saturday back in 73. He was US Army Veteran he was a cook in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Ended the war as the Mess Sergeant of 5th Army HQ
I remember visiting Great Uncle Benjamin’s grave in the Ozarks when I was a very young boy. He was US Army KIA on Okinawa. We visited his grave in 2016 when I was there. (At 44 years old). Forty years had gone by. Uncle Ben’s grave is still there. I’ve now lived 46 years. Ben didn’t get even half that.
I'd like to extend my respects to all the US veterans who fought in the Pacific Theatre. I've spent my whole adult life working , hunting and fishing in peacetime and I have never taken it for granted.
Yes this over looked a lot these days while people like to prop the Soviets up and say America did nothing in WW2. There was also massive air combat and bombing raids carried out non stop which is a massive war on its own.
@@stephenvargas5806 well, if you look to the Soviet situation, you have to admire it. They came out weak after the communists revolt. The communists devastated the country afterward and then WWII broke out. The Soviets failed against the Japanese in the east, lost the Winter war with major blow to their army and they stretched the Red army in Europe(Estonia, Lithuania and Poland). Then the German attack Russia and almost reached Moscow. Despite that, they rebelled the German and then they occupied it along with Eastern Europe. America didn’t suffer the same before, during or after the war as much. Although all the people initially involved in WWII are war criminals ( Hitler, Mosslini, Stalin, emperor of Japan and Churchill) . Some times you have to be fair for their achievements even for a BOS like Stalin.
My grandfather was United States Army Air Corps, 8th Signal Corps on Okinawa. He was a Morse code and radioman with Marines during the battle. He survived kamikaze attacks, strafing runs, banzai charges, booby traps, the whole shabang. He even witnessed the sinking of the USS Bunker Hill. Passed away 4 years ago at the age of 91. Love you and miss you dearly. Roy Clayton Nichols, 1924 - 2015
The Battle of Okinawa is not nearly as famous as the island battles for Guadacanal and Iwo Jima, but it's outcome was just as important as those battles for ensuring Imperial Japan's defeat in WW2.
Didn't see it mentioned so I figured I'd add a fun fact. The "VT fuse" described at around 44 minutes or so is short for "variable time fuse". It was named that because the US didn't want their enemies to find out that they had created a functioing proximity fuse, so they simply claimed it was an adjustable timed detonation fuse, hence "Variable Time".
The proximity fuse or "VT" fuse was a BRITISH invention that was gifted to the Americans in a knowledge exchange between the two countries. Americans greatly improved on the British gift and mass produced it. The same info exchange by the British gifted the HEDGEHOG anti submarine weapon to the Americans.
I don't understand why people dislike shows like these. If you don't like it who's holding a gun to your head to watch the bloody thing. I suppose there's a few Japanese that might not give it a thumbsup but hey it is what it is right??????
All of these wwll documentaries heavily remind me of my Grandad and my GreatGrandad , they were both full-time professional Army officers in the Greek Royal Army. Miss you guys❗
@@rayankaghasi5380 not really, dying for anyone but yourself is just dumb, why be a slave to someone else when you can choose your own destiny, I have more respect for the ones that surrendered and realized they didn’t have to pointlessly die for some guy they never knew/met
My father was commander of the 17th Regiment of the 7th infantry division. Not only did face combat in central Okinawa, but he was involved in planning the attack on the island. He received a Bronze metal Oak Leaf cluster for meritorious service for his part in the planning.
The real horror of the atom bomb is not the explosive power. If all they did was level a city everyone would still be using them. It is the radiation effects that made its use unthinkable. Poison not only the blast area but everything downwind for decades or longer. The release of radiation and its effects by the bomb was not understood very well by the military at first. The use of the bomb disclosed that to the world.
@FooBar Maximus You really are FUBAR, you git. I bet you love the UA-cam comments section where you can be a total pratt without worrying about the op's desire & potential to FYUBAR.
Some of these documentaries are a decade old and even older and they are just as good. These series are so good as they get down right into the guts of the battles. Timeless as some parts of history should always be remembered. Especially to the newer generations as they don't theor freedom was in jeopardy at one time and these vets gave up everything to see that didn't happen.
I've lived,worked and continue to revisit Okinawa. I visited the Southern battle sites, Kakazu Ridge on Shuri line. It's a very breathtaking experience to see the battle sites and history retold.
My oldest brother served on Okinawa and viewed the Japanese as “damn good fighters!” He bemoaned the “needless” deaths of so many innocent civilians. His ptsd lasted the rest of his life and toward the end of his life, he said he could still hear those civilians (including children) screaming as they died. His experiences in the Philippines and on Okinawa were instrumental in my decision to become an educator instead of a career military officer. Though often necessary, war is truly madness of the human spirit. The Japanese and American vets and those of other nations who fought in WW2 were sacrificed to the madness of the mad.
I respect the Russians and their contributions but the main reason there was so many deaths wasn't because it was more intense, it was because both armies were willing to fight to the death.
My late Dad fought in the New Guinea and New Britain campaigns with the Australians, often beside US Marines. He was captured in 1943 and endured six months of torture. He was sprung from the stockade along with ten other Australians by sympathetic natives and walked through 50 miles of jungle to reach his troops. When he was enlisted he weighed 85kg. At the end of the war he weighed 55kg but because he was a lawyer, he was seconded to the Rabaul War Crimes Tribunals as a prosecutor and then Judge Advocate. He finally returned home in late 1946 having pronounced 73 Japanese guilty of war crimes. They included the Japanese who tortured him. All 73 were hung. My mother said when he arrived home, she took one look at him and burst into tears. He said, "at least I am alive". Lots of his comrades did not make it. Of the 463 Australians enlisted with him in Feb 1942, only 103 made it home. Australia only had a population of 6 million in 1945. But 900,000 men enlisted, approximately 1:3 males in the country. They were all volunteers. Conscription or the draft is against the law in Australia and you cannot be forced to serve overseas. Most volunteered anyway. If you look at the emblem of the 1st Marines, the big red 1. Beside it is the southern cross. Its the way the 1st respected the Aussies who fought along side them and from that experience came the ANZUS Treaty which joins the US, Australia and New Zealand at the hip militarily and economically. When Trump sought to wriggle out of the refugee arrangement this was pointed out to him, and thats why he backed down.
They weren't. In the late 60s we had two years of National Service after you finish school. You could choose between have two years in the armed forces of, if you were at uni, join the CMF. There were Citizens Military Forces units at most universities or you could join an Army reserve unit. Only volunteers went to Vietnam. If your unit was marked to go, you were asked whether you objected. If you did you were transferred to a CMF unit instead. There is so much bullshit about our troops in Vietnam. We had it easy despite what some veterans say. We had charge of Phuc Tuoi province. It was not the front line. The main action was in stopping stuff getting down the road in Laos and Cambodia to reinforce the Viet Cong. We did roving patrols but nothing like the situations up near the DMZ where it has like WW1. The Americans were trying to fight a conventional war against insurgents. They lost. In WW2, in my fathers case he was with Ameican units of the 1st Marines. These guys had come from Guadalcanal. No better training than that.
Stephen in OZ Well you learn something new everyday hey , I was only a kid in that time and just remember a lot of blokes getting called up and going to Vietnam.
1st marine have the Guadalcanal patch never really looked at it to close it just really only says Guadalcanal while the big red an army division just has a big 1 on it you only really see it red on ASU's we have a couple of ex marines in my battery who deployed with 1st marine division and soldiers from ft Riley who deployed with the big red 1 but it's all about that old Ironsides 1st Armored Division
@FooBar Maximus Correction; we don't call lawyers "attorneys" in Australia and "college" is called "university" by the way and many Australians enlisted regardless of their social class. You're welcome.
Japan had a small window of opportunity after Pearl Harbor, which they attempted to exploit by seizing Midway before American industrial power could get into overdrive. Many credit Midway to be the turning point of the war, but i disagree. The war was already turning in favor of the Americans, through sheer production volume, and even if all the American carriers had been lost in the battle. The US would have been able to match Japan again in under a year. In addition, i very much doubt Japan would have the logistics and oil production to invade Hawaii and there is no way they would have been able to hold the Islands. The war was simply impossible for Japan to win, even if the US had suffered a loss of material and manpower twice as fast as the Japanese.
Japan didn't care about a few islands in Pacific in their original strategy, they wanted a Tsushima-style total victory over the U.S. Pacific Fleet so that they could force U.S. to a peace conference. Even after U.S. industrial power went into over drive PTO was still the redhead stepchild of WW2 (even Burma front received more material compared to PTO). Major offensives happened once a year in PTO compared to one every six to eight months in Europe because it took that long to build up everything we needed. The Pacific War didn't turn into U.S. favor until late 42 and early 43, after South Pacific campaign ended in complete Allied victory.
Andrwei Joghansan ,,,,very true..The industrial might of America had been recognised by Yamamoto before pearl harbour.He realistically acknowledged the fact that Japan was about to awaken a sleeping giant that would crush Japan eventually,no matter what transpired..
Dude, we had the war won as soon as we cracked JN25 and all versions thereafter ....they had no chance after that...we knew: who? what? when? where? how? and the nukes of course... ....but midway was the turning point, it verified the intel advantage and qualified our equipment and competency of our mil leaders to execute and *Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft* ...till you execute....its just theoretical...plus our manufacturing advantage was *never* in doubt.... *admiral yamamoto* cited this prior to pearl harbor, having studied in the US and served as *naval attache* in DC prior to the depression
@FooBar Maximus that commrnt was 4 years ago but you're probly rite ,do u think the Marines should have threw 3 entire divisions against Iwo Jima, n COMPLETELY wrecked them? I think Iwo Jima at that stage shoulda been bypassed, I think Vandergrif is WAY too generously portrayed (flags of our fathers) n he was a ghoul that wanted Marine "glory" that he didn't want MacArthur to get. There COULDA been increased DD patrols for downed B29 crew n escort carriers for fighter cover for raids on Japan
Being stationed/living here in Southern Japan since April '96, i had the opportunity to visit Okinawa almost every other month and had chances to visit some of these sights around the island. Glad Japan and the US are now allies helping each other not just military way, but economically.
27:00 - 360 combat vessels and 1139 auxiliary ships, 60 carriers were at hand to provide air cover (26 fleet and light carriers, the rest escort carriers), 18 battleships, and over 200 destroyers were used. During operations between March and June 1945, Spruance's 5th Fleet consumed more fuel than Japan imported in 1944.
Bat Guano yaa...and they were cranking out a DE every week a CVE every 2 weeks and essex class carriers were pouring out of shipyards at stupid rates if production. Not to mention the building of ever underestimated heavy and light cruisers plus fast battleships
My father was in the thick of it, with the 96th infantry striking the middle of the Shuri Line. When they ran out of bullets, they went hand to hand and even drowned a couple of Japanese in "puddles". I can't begin to imagine the trauma of that
Better than history channel. And I learned a few new things I hadn’t learned before, like how the Kamakazi’s followed US planes closely to disguise themselves and such, interesting.
First let me compliment you on the upload. It gave me a perspective on the conflict in this area other than a grunts recollection from the business end of a rifle. Even when beginning military service such accounts were rare, and the larger picture presented here helps me understand why. Second, please accept my humble apologies for the barely literate diatribe of so many of the responses here in the comments . Children DO have a tendency to squabble. Finally, the use of the Atomic bomb was a criminal act, just as a policeman shooting a mass murderer is a criminal act, albeit a justifiable one and not a prosecutable offense. In the face of continuing resistance of such an intensity, and with the oft repeated statements about the Japanese fighting to the last man, woman, and child, (And yes I caught the remark in the movie about women attacking with spears on Okinawa.) the designation NON-COMBATANT was removed from the entire population, making any city on the Japanese mainland a legitimate target. The interesting thing about that is that some of the incendiary raids actually produced more casualties than the Atomic bombs. The Atomic bombs are just a contemporary cause celeb. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto warned against waking the sleeping giant. Japan knew what it was buying in to and got what it paid for.
Insane American engineering. An aircraft carrier nearly completely destroyed sailed well over half way around the world from Asia to NYC. Check out a map, making it to California would have been a feat.. making it to NY is nothing short of remarkable.
I watch these videos of Marine Corps involvement with great interest, being a former Marine myself, of the war they fought on certain islands, because my Marine Corps grunt uncle on the ground was there fighting on Okinawa. I'm always looking for him among the faces. He survived that campaign and told me many incidents from eyewitness testimony. God rest his soul... the war is over for him now.
After that horrendous battle 100,000 civilians lay dead along with 150,000 Japanese troops. The United States took 76,000 casualties. When I hear an argument against the atom bombs I direct them to this. The escalation of the war at this point was just horrifying.
Yeah,they also brainwashed the population that us troops were insane bloodthirsty murders and rapists so most committed suicide as well rather than be captured. Japanese troops also used them as shields.
Cody Maranto But how many more would have died in a conventional attack? One raid on Tokyo burnt down half the city in a fire storm. The atomic bombs may have saved millions of Japanese civilians from starvation and hundreds of thousands of soldiers. And yeah, the war was horrifying. The number of chinese prisoners who died in brutal medical experiments outnumbered those killed in Hiroshima.
Cody Maranto In 1938 the Japanese army entered Nanking. They killed with fire, sword and beastality 250,000 people, men, women and children, World War Two had not yet begun. In 1945 the United States dropped two Atomic devices on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, in the resulting explosions 250,000 people, men women and children died, World War Two come to an end. millions of angry words have been written about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, few people today remember Nanking.
Danny Halas Unit 731 = between 3000 and 12000 people killed in experiments. Hiroshima bombing = between 90,000 and 166,000 killed Nagasaki bombing = between 129,000 and 246,000 so you are not close to being correct there. Both acts were horrible and both sides treated civilians as legit targets on many occasions. Japan tried to literary depopulate China so it would be easier to control, The US directly targeted civilians in their bombing campaigns over Japanese cities to inflict terror on the population and weaken the nation.
I was with the 22nd MEU out of Camp Lejeune,NC. While in my ICB there was a Marine with us that a s rap book from his Grandfather. His Grandfather was a Marine on Iwo Jima. The scrap book had pics of skull pyramids, bodies stacked 8ft high and all kinds of death and destruction. The pics are burnt in my head as the real ones are.
One thing I don't understand is why the Japanese on the southern end of the island weren't just bottled up there and left to rot / starve, as they had no aircraft or ability to threaten the US forces about to invade Japan. Why was it necessary to take Shuri by force / frontal assault?
Here is my comment. It was thought at the time that the next target had to be the home island of Kyushu due to it being within the range of Allied fighter support on Okinawa... afterwards Honshu would be invaded with the landing near Tokyo. By July it was becoming evident that the Japanese were planning their final organized battle on Kyushu and had far more troops there than anticipated. Nimitz was very rattled by the prospect and rightly so after the fighting on and around Okinawa.
They lost the war on December 7, 1941. They simply lacked the resources to fight a war of attrition against the industrial capacity of the United States.
no Japan lost the war when we figured out how to split an atom over a city. They thought highly of there own lives or the rest of japan would be a giant ash tray
The Japanese never had a chance to win the war. Yamamoto knew this even when he was planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was asked at one point what he thought Japan's chances would be in a war with the US, to which he replied that he could play havoc with America for six months or perhaps a year, but after that he could've guarantee nothing. He also noted that the army thought they could win by defeating America in the Pacific, but in reality Japan would have to dictate terms in Washington, and he knew that would never be possible.
My grandfather E.M.Sanders was in the 2nd Eng Brg. C Company of the 2nd Division. He would NOT talk about his experiences on Okinawa.. but every time you hear something about roads, bridges or bunker removal, its a good chance he was his company doing it. All he would say about Okinawa was "It was the worst thing a human could experience." After the island was secured he then drove one of 3 bulldozers that cleared the road to, and thought, Hiroshima. He took part in the occupation of Japan until '48, when he was sent home. He died of cancer at the age of 78.
My first duty station in the Marine Corps was Okinawa in 1986 for 1 year. I was at Camp Kinser, the Southern-most Marine base on the island. Very close to Naha. It was amazing, even 41 years after the Battle of Okinawa, you could see huge shell holes that had been grown over with grass, and guys were still finding grenades and other things in caves.
My Great Uncle was a BAR gunner with the 96th Infantry Division. In the Southern part of Okinawa, he was shot by machine gun fire, and was possibly brought to medical where he died of his wounds later on. He died in July, at the age of only 19. I have his 48 star flag and picture next to it. I had yet another Great Great Uncle who was at Okinawa in the Marines, he had survived the war and lived on to his 90s. He was a radio interceptor with the Navajo code talkers. He wasn't genetically Navajo, he simply reported to them. He intercepted Japanese radio transmissions and reported them to the actual code talkers.
Christian Pedersen ...which again, bomb or no bomb, would be unnecessary as they already had the Japanese completely contained by submarine blockade. Had the Russians not been steam rolling across East Asia, there might have been neither invasion nor bomb - merely a starving of Japan until they came to terms. Even as was, the Japanese surrender was NOT unconditional - the U.S. agreed to their condition that they maintain their emperor.
Edvorticus Snorticus I think anyone who says we shouldn't have dropped those bombs needs to imagine themselves on a landing craft heading into one of the main Japanese Islands with a steel helmet on your head and a M-1 rifle in your hand and think that meeting a bunch of starving civilians on the beach with pitch forks, knives and anything else they could use to stab, cut, or otherwise injure you, with regular military units behind them, is a good idea. Keeping in mind that those starving civilians and troops have had nothing but Japanese government propaganda and the Shinto religion pumped into their minds since they where kids by the Japanese government. Some of that propaganda told them that to become a Marine, you have to kill your parents and that Americans ate the enemy's babies. No, no matter what you may think, the only way to truly end that war was to drive it into the Japanese government's head (who tried to cover up the Hiroshima bombing, like it didn't happen) that they would be totally annihilated if necessary if they didn't surrender. Standing off wasn't going to work and Russia was gobbling up as much territory as they could. The war needed to be ended quickly.
Brian Thomas And I think anyone who uses that as a reason for dropping the bombs has to imagine their homes, families, their entire existence being wiped out in a second. Nearly 80,000 people were killed instantly at Hiroshima and they were nearly all civilians, it was a city the size of Pittsburgh today, or Coventry if your in the UK. What happened happened but I don't think you can possibly justify the dropping of a bomb so destructive on a completely civilian area by any argument. Especially not one so lazy and really unnerving to me as your's, which basically amounts to "fighting conventionally would of been too much work" that is not an excuse to target civilians in what is basically one of the biggest mass murders in history.
My uncle was assigned on the USS Morrison, a destroyer, hit by 5 Kamikazes. He was killed by the first one. My dad was on Ie Shima US Army bulldozer operator, was wounded but refused the Purple Heart.
Thanks for sharing. Around 1:09:31 shown "Tanagawa", the Japanese commander's name, is actually "Tanigawa". Around 1:23:37 shown as "Kazaku" is actually "Kakazu", which consists of "Kakazu Ridge" and "Kakazu West", separated by the "Saddle".
My great grandfather Dean Loucks was killed by a kamikaze attack aboard the USS Ticonderoga. He received the Silver Star for actions during the battle for manning a exposed radio position coordinating anti aircraft fires. He was buried at sea.
When the Battleships started blasting the shoreline, all they blew up were trees and rocks. The Japanese had pulled back to the southern part of the island. The main beach landing went unopposed.
My great grandfather whose house I grew up going to all the time fought in the battle for Okinawa. About 10 years ago when he was in his early 90's but still sharp I was dating a girl from Okinawa . She came with me to Christmas dinner and her and my grandfather chatted for awhile. Full circle, life is a crazy thing at times.
Sad to say wars will continue until the end of time. Reasons hatred of our fellow man, greed, negative ambition and our inability to learn how to get along with one another.
My Dad was in the 6th Marine Division, 29th Regiment, First Battalion. He carried a flamethrower and was a prime target for snipers. He managed to survive the battle and came home in early 1946. For years after he got home he had flashbacks and hated fireworks. I just hope my grandchildren don't have to fight the next war.
The United States created the Tenth Army, a cross-branch force consisting of the US Army 7th, 27th, 77th and 96th Infantry Divisions with the USMC 1st, 2nd, and 6th Marine Divisions, to fight on Okinawa. The Tenth was unique in that it had its own Tactical Air Force (joint Army-Marine command), and was also supported by combined naval and amphibious forces. On June 18, General Buckner was killed by Japanese artillery fire while monitoring the progress of his troops from a forward observation post. Buckner was replaced by USMC Major general Roy Geiger. Upon assuming command, GEIGER BECAME THE ONLY US MARINE TO COMMAND A NUMBERED ARMY OF THE US ARMY IN COMBAT; he was relieved five days later by Army General Joseph Stilwell. (The War in Europe had reached an end, and the US Army shifting from the German First posture, was taking a larger role conducting the war in the Pacific.) I've always wondered why they didnt bomb Okinawa with B29s from Saipan and Tinian before the invasion of Okinawa.
My great great grandfather is buried at the military memorial in the Okinawa section. This documentary shed light on the horrific events he went through!
At 47:00 Vought F6F Corsair?! Are you kidding me! Its the Vought F4U, got it right on the image at least. Oh, and the image they showed of the "Essex" class aircraft carrier was actually a Yorktown class aircraft carrier, just saying
Okinawa seems like the brass was using their last opportunity to advance their careers as usual with the blood of their soldiers. On another note, 355 kamikaze launched at the same time mixed with 2x that bom kamikaze.. I can't imagine the adrenaline, excitement, stress etx on those ships and planes as they came flying in. I fought in the middle east but Okiawa has always held my interest (even w/ fam fought in eto) due to its brutality. . When you weigh the continuing firebombing, lack of surrenders, etc. It makes you realize how many millions more people, both Japanese & Americans, would have died had a main island invasion and battle taken place.
4:20 the f8k did we hit them there? lol that's as massive as you can get with conventional explosives...... I'm guessing either our naval bombardment hit their armoury or they blew up their own armoury while withdrawing
Dad passed away in 1995 but I thank you for your comment. He did see some things that I think would horrify most people. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who serve in our military.
+JJ Loz Are you seriously that disturbed by someone's skin pigment? If God above made us all then your beef is with him, if you think we evolved then your beef is with evolved genetics and again your opinion does not matter so why hurl insults? Insults are emotionally based and serve no evolutionary purpose you might as well grunt- will that be one grunt or two? Or a Hallelujah? Me I'm a Hallelujah man.
When the enemy fleet uses more fuel for an operation than you entire country uses in a year, then you know it's time to sit down and shut up. In fact, if I were the allies, I would have invited all the diplomats, from all Axis countries, and give them all the free tours they wanted of all ships, ammo, food, trucks, tanks, factories, supplies, fuel, spare parts, etc. All of them would have returned to their countries and begged them to stop the war.
If one studies the overall Pacific War strategy, it is clear that Adm. Nimitz plan to invade Formosa would have been the better plan, because it would have divided the Japanese Empire in two. The lower part of the Empire would have been helpless. However, our "prima donna" General MacArthur, browbeat FDR into his "Philippine Campaign", just so he can fulfill his "I shall return" blather! This strategy has been examined and, overall, military strategists have agreed that the immense loss of life (both American soldiers and civilians), and destruction of much of the Philippine nation was unnecessary! It is sad that MacArthur's arrogance, and megelo-mania, was not discovered until his attempt to start WWIII at the Inchon Campaign during the Korean War. YES, he was an important military leader for the Allies during WWII, but if one speaks to Veterans from WWII, who served under his leadership, there was much doubt about some of his decisions!
***** Thank you for a very informative, and insightful, response. It is so sad seeing some of the responses, and comments. I wish more History Courses were taught in our schools! thanks again.
@MrSymbiosis1 I doubt that MacArthur had intimidated FDR into doing anything. One has to consider what a successful American invasion of the Philippines symbolized and its effect on the morale of the American public and the Japanese military. The Battle of Bataan in 1942 was the greatest American military defeat in history. FDR and MacArthur were anxious to redress that humiliation.
I always wondered why they didn’t use smoke when the troops stormed the beaches giving the troops cover instead of giving the enemy a clear shot at The troops storming the beaches !
I read that the first landings on Okinawa was a walk on; the Japanese had given up the shoreline defense for defense in depth. I remember that someone wired "I might be crazy, but I think the enemies given up in these parts." Halsey reportedly wired back "strike all after crazy"!
A documentary I have never seen: The battle of Okinawa ended Jun 1945, and the US started preparations for "operation Downfall", the invasion of Japan homeland. The US would need a formidable base to bring massive numbers of troops, perhaps 2,000,000 at least, to launch the invasion. This implied a gargantuan logistics preparation and chain of supplies: Food, water, medical, shelter, services..and the corresponding naval fleets to carry on the assault. Also, the construction of adequate large airbases with supplies and services for numerous airplanes, bombers. Not mentioning the required immense amount of fuel for ships and airplanes. I have seen unrealistic plans which divided "operation downfall" into two attacks, "olympic" and "coronet" but they make it look like two fleets were to be assembled from mainland or Hawaii. That is totally unrealistic, US had to use Okinawa for this gigantic operation. It would be very interesting to see a documentary on what, where, how and who were already preparing this very complex operation.
USA and USSR were the last two major powers to enter ww2. They together changed the couse of the war. We're both 2 countries that are more similar than different. Our two countries need to fight together again in a war against globalism. We have enemies afar and within our own countries.
My Uncle was an Army Scout and fought on Okinawa. He was awarded a bronze star with valor and one of his two purple hearts in the battle. Climbed into a tunnel and killed 5 Japanese including a ranking officer with his 45 sidearm. They recovered a lot of timely intelligence documents, which led to the medal. Told me the closest he came to dying was when he and another scout had crawled forward of their own lines. A friendly fighter spotted them in the tall grass in no man's land. The plane made a couple of runs on them thinking they were enemy forces. Said he never hugged the earth harder, and lived to tell the story.
whynot-tomorrow? It is difficult to follow mostly because it fully covers many issues involved in the event. When you think about it the events themselves were massively complex involving many people and huge amounts of equipment. But you are correct it could use more modern graphics.
This birds eye view of tactics and the history is very informative. I also like the more personal style of documentary that the Ken Burns and Lynn Novak series the war employed in its story telling. Anyways later duders
After the battle of Okinawa, there was no real reason for the Allied forces to further engage the Japanese. They were totally blockaded by US subs and carrier aircraft. They were getting no oil and more importantly, no food.They could have literally been starved into submission. Tojo would have inflicted a humanitarian disaster on the Japanese people rather than surrender. Dropping the atomic bombs was in all respects the more humane option.
That's not actually totally true, the Japanese were suffering from the blockade for a while now and the damage had already been do by then. The subs couldn't do much more anymore. And the b-29s had begun to run out of targets. And yet the Japanese people still didn't surrender even under those conditions. The Americans had to either invade or drop the two A bombs but even after the had dropped two atomic bombs the Japanese weren't going to surrender. They finally did after a new massive air campaign from Okinawa and the fleet carriers made them finally surrender.
Tyler D That and the Russians finally attacked Japanese positions is what convinced them to surrender. Even then the emperor had to cast cast a tie breaking 'vote'
Well, communism 'won', but they far from communists, especially economically. They have firmly embraced a consumer driven economy. If God was going to give the world an enema, North Korea is where he would shove the tube. N. Korea is a scary country considering they are ruled by an idiot with nukes.
My grandpa E.O. Bakke landed on Okinawa April 1st under kamikaze bombardment sinking his troop ship. He was hit by Japanese artillery fire on April 6th, 1945 at Chocolate Drop Hill as a .30 cal gunner in the Army’s 77th infantry division. He said a red mist was always over the ground on Okinawa. There was nothing living. There was only mud, craters, charred remains from flamethrowers and constant shelling. He hid from enemy patrols wounded and was only found when a GI saw him raise his hand near death the next day. He was evacuated to the Phillipines where he recovered and then earned several medals in the battle of Davao. He was transferred back to Okinawa in late July 1945 awaiting the invasion of mainland japan where a 100% casualty rate was expected. After the bombs were dropped saving his life, he was part of the occupying force in Sapporo, Japan until 1947. He passed away in 2012 aged 86. His uniforms and medals are in my possession. He is greatly missed.
My grandparents were too young for ww2 but my great grandparents chased the Germans of their property. Pitchforks against machine guns. Afterwards they were in the resistance.
Thanks so much for sharing that
Hughes Enterprises thank you for his service and to for sharing.) Never gotten.
Wow, what a guy. And what should I bet that he never bragged about it? Like so many of The Greatest Generation, I imagine he kept most of it to himself. My uncle was at the helm of an aircraft carrier at Okinawa, he never had too much to say about it.
I..We.. are very Proud of what your Grandfather did for all of US. We thank him for his Services. I am sure you miss him. We lost my mother's Youngest Brother that she raised because their mother was paralyzed. He never heard her speak. But he was 1 of the 173rd Airborne Casper Aviation Platoon. He had 7 yrs in the Army when he Volonterd to do first Tour VIETNAM in march of 1965 they were the First Army Unit to go inland. He Survived first Tour as Crew Chief on HUEY & lost his son during that tour. He was served Dev. Papers as he stepped onto his porch for his welcome home. So he had no place to go & no job so he Volonterd for Second tour & was killed 6 WKS LATER ON Dec 19 1965 Gov. Wanted to Bury him on CHRISTMAS Day but we Refuse Bury him day after. We still miss him. Dearly
My grandpa fought on Saipan, Tinian, Eniwotok, Iwo Jima and Okinawa- have no idea how he survived. I served and lived on Okinawa for four years- a beautiful island, but I abhor the thought of fighting over 70,000 well dug in defenders. The "mountains" are densely covered with thick, thorny native plants and the rocks are jagged lava- takes the meat right off the bone if you slip and fall on the stuff without proper protective gear- beautiful and horrible. Respect to all who fought there and my heart goes out to the civilians who died there- they suffered the worst.
Artis indonesia
He’s a car
He probably played dead! :)
That good point the mainland ethnic imperial Japanese army treated Okinawans horribly
I respect all who fought there. Personally l couldnt have done it.
My father was in the First Marine Division seeing action in all major battles including Okinawa. He was horribly wounded at Okinawa, but survived. He was and will always be my hero.
@@comradepinochet1253 GREAT HERO!
Endless respect and may God bless your family.
Your father deserves our thanks.
men like your dad are heroes to me too
He would've died during the invasion of Japan itself but thanks to the nukes 1m Americans and 100m Japs were saved as horrific as they were they were used to quickly as possible to end a terrible war against a ruthless enemy who was determined NEVER to surrender.
Discovery channel used to air this series all the time, that what some good stuff. Now its just endless reruns of mythbusters
Discovery Channel sucks, and has for a long time in my opinion.
R
EvilPoet85 0-
political correctness and over sensitivity training of people killed it.
No, the original company was bought out - along with the History Channel *and I think one more channel) by a shlock, greed crazed reality show zombies. But it is a great loss. I can't get AHC without paying more. But a shitload of religious and qvc junk.
I lived on Okinawa when I was a kid in 1954-55. There were human bones in every creekbed. My friends and I knew there had been a big battle there of course, but we had no idea what a hell it had been only ten years previously. We were just kids. The Okinawans were always nice to us.
where did you live there on base or off-base..?
Imo japan is one of the most beautiful places on earth
@@JosephPbuckleyNorthAmerican I was there cutting tuna in -95
@@ElCarboon Ei perkele :D
That's awful. In my homeland I didn't have to witness human remains as a child. At least you didn't really understand it you were able to keep your childhood innocence somewhat.
An incredible documentary that show how much we owe to our fathers and grandfathers who fought this war.
Don't forget that women played a huge part in WWII, especially when it came to the "spygames". They were there for our boys as nurses, Doctors, in the French resistance women grabbed the nearest gun and fought. We're the only country that doesn't put women on the front lines. In Vietnam they fought, Korea, etc... Just saying, we need to salute all the men and women on both sides of the "colored" line. Amazing how we can't stand Hitler killing and treating Jews and Gypsies as inferior and here we are putting blacks on the bus in the back! Hypocrisy!
No More Religion! You are so right - I forgot to mention our mothers and grandmothers who were so important in that great struggle - I apologize.
+JoachimderZweite though I agree we should acknlowledge the women who contributed a lot, the tombstones indicate a far greater measure of sacrifice on the male side so lets be honest and balanced in our appreciation and not diminish the all most gave and also be thankful to everyone who served and helped the cause of freedom and decency for all.
+No More Religion! Its what I fight for to this very day. I rescued many Filipina's that are in domestic service in Middle East. They are lured there, have their passports taken and live like slaves. The only support I get is from Americans and for this I am forever grateful.
You mean how much you owe the soviets
No melodramatic cliff hangers and obnoxious commentary, just a detailed and factual recount of history. Battlefield is by far the greatest documentary war series ever made.
Totally agree!! My dad served in China with the 14AAF during the war.
Watch "The World at War" 1973
Was just about to recommend that to👍
@@norbitshmorbit3856 Me and Dad would watch it every Saturday back in 73. He was US Army Veteran he was a cook in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Ended the war as the Mess Sergeant of 5th Army HQ
I remember visiting Great Uncle Benjamin’s grave in the Ozarks when I was a very young boy. He was US Army KIA on Okinawa. We visited his grave in 2016 when I was there. (At 44 years old). Forty years had gone by. Uncle Ben’s grave is still there. I’ve now lived 46 years. Ben didn’t get even half that.
These battlefield docs r the best most detailed accounts of every theater o f WW2 kudos
I'd like to extend my respects to all the US veterans who fought in the Pacific Theatre. I've spent my whole adult life working , hunting and fishing in peacetime and I have never taken it for granted.
Were you a child soldier by any chance?
The US was simultaneously supporting operations in New Genie, the Marshall Islands, Italy and the D-Day landings in Normandy!!
Yes this over looked a lot these days while people like to prop the Soviets up and say America did nothing in WW2. There was also massive air combat and bombing raids carried out non stop which is a massive war on its own.
@@stephenvargas5806 well, if you look to the Soviet situation, you have to admire it. They came out weak after the communists revolt. The communists devastated the country afterward and then WWII broke out. The Soviets failed against the Japanese in the east, lost the Winter war with major blow to their army and they stretched the Red army in Europe(Estonia, Lithuania and Poland). Then the German attack Russia and almost reached Moscow. Despite that, they rebelled the German and then they occupied it along with Eastern Europe. America didn’t suffer the same before, during or after the war as much.
Although all the people initially involved in WWII are war criminals ( Hitler, Mosslini, Stalin, emperor of Japan and Churchill) . Some times you have to be fair for their achievements even for a BOS like Stalin.
@@stephenvargas5806 more like people say the other way around.
@@stephenvargas5806 yes and I’m sick of it
@@stephenvargas5806Russia broke the German 6th Army and in turn the Nazi strength . 27 MILLION Russians died
My grandfather was United States Army Air Corps, 8th Signal Corps on Okinawa. He was a Morse code and radioman with Marines during the battle. He survived kamikaze attacks, strafing runs, banzai charges, booby traps, the whole shabang. He even witnessed the sinking of the USS Bunker Hill. Passed away 4 years ago at the age of 91. Love you and miss you dearly.
Roy Clayton Nichols, 1924 - 2015
Wow, thanks for sharing him!
Congratulations.
1:34:14
1:14:46
😅😊😅😮😊
The Battle of Okinawa is not nearly as famous as the island battles for Guadacanal and Iwo Jima, but it's outcome was just as important as those battles for ensuring Imperial Japan's defeat in WW2.
Without the A bomb we would have lost countless men invading the Japanese home islands.
@@SaundersE5so what… you invade a country you should pay the price. Not murder a civilization of innocent people
It sure as hell is, the Guadalcanal one is barely known actually!
Actually, it was more important.
@@a.nelprober-rl5cf And that's exactly what happened here. Japan invaded many countries, committed countless mass murders, and they paid the price.
Thank you for the best quality upload available. Video quality is better than 240p max setting suggests.
Didn't see it mentioned so I figured I'd add a fun fact. The "VT fuse" described at around 44 minutes or so is short for "variable time fuse". It was named that because the US didn't want their enemies to find out that they had created a functioing proximity fuse, so they simply claimed it was an adjustable timed detonation fuse, hence "Variable Time".
The proximity fuse or "VT" fuse was a BRITISH invention that was gifted to the Americans in a knowledge exchange between the two countries. Americans greatly improved on the British gift and mass produced it. The same info exchange by the British gifted the HEDGEHOG anti submarine weapon to the Americans.
sir Jonathan booth is one of the most good narrator I heard in documentary film,....God bless you sir and more power! from Philippines
The designation for the Corsair was F4U, the Hellcat was the F6F.
@Harloadshekelbondsteinberg no you
I don't understand why people dislike shows like these.
If you don't like it who's holding a gun to your head to watch the bloody thing.
I suppose there's a few Japanese that might not give it a thumbsup but hey it is what it is right??????
This show was way too light on Buckner's conduct. He was a baby MacArthur without the Old Soldier's luck (or brain). I had to dislike based on that.
+BJ Wilson No... The Japanese high-school text books have a different version of WW2 thats different from the rest of the world.
Rustic Box Well History doesn't lie
Your username is awesome
All of these wwll documentaries heavily remind me of my Grandad and my GreatGrandad , they were both full-time professional Army officers in the Greek Royal Army. Miss you guys❗
God bless all the Allied troops that fought at Okinawa. That was an impressive victory.
The Allied troops that fought at Okinawa, were some brave men.
and the Japanese weren't? Hahah
respect to the two sides ...but the japanese bravery is a next level .
@@rayankaghasi5380 not really, dying for anyone but yourself is just dumb, why be a slave to someone else when you can choose your own destiny, I have more respect for the ones that surrendered and realized they didn’t have to pointlessly die for some guy they never knew/met
Allied? You mean American right? Okinawa was an American show.
@@Jklopoppcorn Exactly
My father was commander of the 17th Regiment of the 7th infantry division. Not only did face combat in central Okinawa, but he was involved in planning the attack on the island. He received a Bronze metal Oak Leaf cluster for meritorious service for his part in the planning.
Wow😮😊
The real horror of the atom bomb is not the explosive power. If all they did was level a city everyone would still be using them. It is the radiation effects that made its use unthinkable. Poison not only the blast area but everything downwind for decades or longer. The release of radiation and its effects by the bomb was not understood very well by the military at first. The use of the bomb disclosed that to the world.
@FooBar Maximus You really are FUBAR, you git. I bet you love the UA-cam comments section where you can be a total pratt without worrying about the op's desire & potential to FYUBAR.
@@skinnykarlos710 danm someone is whinny like a little bitch.
Some of these documentaries are a decade old and even older and they are just as good. These series are so good as they get down right into the guts of the battles. Timeless as some parts of history should always be remembered. Especially to the newer generations as they don't theor freedom was in jeopardy at one time and these vets gave up everything to see that didn't happen.
I've lived,worked and continue to revisit Okinawa. I visited the Southern battle sites, Kakazu Ridge on Shuri line. It's a very breathtaking experience to see the battle sites and history retold.
My oldest brother served on Okinawa and viewed the Japanese as “damn good fighters!”
He bemoaned the “needless” deaths of so many innocent civilians.
His ptsd lasted the rest of his life and toward the end of his life, he said he could still hear those civilians (including children) screaming as they died.
His experiences in the Philippines and on Okinawa were instrumental in my decision to become an educator instead of a career military
officer.
Though often necessary, war is truly madness of the human spirit.
The Japanese and
American vets and those of other nations who fought in WW2 were sacrificed to the madness of the mad.
The battle of Stalingrad was the worst of World War II. 23 August 1942-2 February 1943: 1,798,619 casualties 🇷🇺
I respect the Russians and their contributions but the main reason there was so many deaths wasn't because it was more intense, it was because both armies were willing to fight to the death.
@beatle pete yes exactly. They didn't care for losses, they just sent more men.
My late Dad fought in the New Guinea and New Britain campaigns with the Australians, often beside US Marines. He was captured in 1943 and endured six months of torture. He was sprung from the stockade along with ten other Australians by sympathetic natives and walked through 50 miles of jungle to reach his troops. When he was enlisted he weighed 85kg. At the end of the war he weighed 55kg but because he was a lawyer, he was seconded to the Rabaul War Crimes Tribunals as a prosecutor and then Judge Advocate. He finally returned home in late 1946 having pronounced 73 Japanese guilty of war crimes. They included the Japanese who tortured him. All 73 were hung. My mother said when he arrived home, she took one look at him and burst into tears. He said, "at least I am alive". Lots of his comrades did not make it. Of the 463 Australians enlisted with him in Feb 1942, only 103 made it home.
Australia only had a population of 6 million in 1945. But 900,000 men enlisted, approximately 1:3 males in the country. They were all volunteers. Conscription or the draft is against the law in Australia and you cannot be forced to serve overseas. Most volunteered anyway. If you look at the emblem of the 1st Marines, the big red 1. Beside it is the southern cross. Its the way the 1st respected the Aussies who fought along side them and from that experience came the ANZUS Treaty which joins the US, Australia and New Zealand at the hip militarily and economically. When Trump sought to wriggle out of the refugee arrangement this was pointed out to him, and thats why he backed down.
They weren't. In the late 60s we had two years of National Service after you finish school. You could choose between have two years in the armed forces of, if you were at uni, join the CMF. There were Citizens Military Forces units at most universities or you could join an Army reserve unit. Only volunteers went to Vietnam. If your unit was marked to go, you were asked whether you objected. If you did you were transferred to a CMF unit instead.
There is so much bullshit about our troops in Vietnam. We had it easy despite what some veterans say. We had charge of Phuc Tuoi province. It was not the front line. The main action was in stopping stuff getting down the road in Laos and Cambodia to reinforce the Viet Cong. We did roving patrols but nothing like the situations up near the DMZ where it has like WW1. The Americans were trying to fight a conventional war against insurgents. They lost.
In WW2, in my fathers case he was with Ameican units of the 1st Marines. These guys had come from Guadalcanal. No better training than that.
Stephen in OZ Well you learn something new everyday hey , I was only a kid in that time and just remember a lot of blokes getting called up and going to Vietnam.
1st marine have the Guadalcanal patch never really looked at it to close it just really only says Guadalcanal while the big red an army division just has a big 1 on it you only really see it red on ASU's we have a couple of ex marines in my battery who deployed with 1st marine division and soldiers from ft Riley who deployed with the big red 1 but it's all about that old Ironsides 1st Armored Division
ya the big red one is army not marine
@FooBar Maximus Correction; we don't call lawyers "attorneys" in Australia and "college" is called "university" by the way and many Australians enlisted regardless of their social class. You're welcome.
Japan had a small window of opportunity after Pearl Harbor, which they attempted to exploit by seizing Midway before American industrial power could get into overdrive. Many credit Midway to be the turning point of the war, but i disagree. The war was already turning in favor of the Americans, through sheer production volume, and even if all the American carriers had been lost in the battle. The US would have been able to match Japan again in under a year. In addition, i very much doubt Japan would have the logistics and oil production to invade Hawaii and there is no way they would have been able to hold the Islands. The war was simply impossible for Japan to win, even if the US had suffered a loss of material and manpower twice as fast as the Japanese.
+Aaron Richards avatar
Japan didn't care about a few islands in Pacific in their original strategy, they wanted a Tsushima-style total victory over the U.S. Pacific Fleet so that they could force U.S. to a peace conference. Even after U.S. industrial power went into over drive PTO was still the redhead stepchild of WW2 (even Burma front received more material compared to PTO). Major offensives happened once a year in PTO compared to one every six to eight months in Europe because it took that long to build up everything we needed. The Pacific War didn't turn into U.S. favor until late 42 and early 43, after South Pacific campaign ended in complete Allied victory.
Andrwei Joghansan ,,,,very true..The industrial might of America had been recognised by Yamamoto before pearl harbour.He realistically acknowledged the fact that Japan was about to awaken a sleeping giant that would crush Japan eventually,no matter what transpired..
Dude, we had the war won as soon as we cracked JN25 and all versions thereafter
....they had no chance after that...we knew: who? what? when? where? how?
and the nukes of course...
....but midway was the turning point, it verified the intel advantage and qualified our equipment and competency of our mil leaders to execute and *Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft*
...till you execute....its just theoretical...plus our manufacturing advantage was *never* in doubt.... *admiral yamamoto* cited this prior to pearl harbor, having studied in the US and served as *naval attache* in DC prior to the depression
Your an idiot
Ill say it too....thank you. I've watched several of them and love them!
The Corsiar outclimbed the Hellcat by 800 feet per second? That's one heck of a climb rate!
That was a hard-fought, but impressive Allied victory.
You can't cancel us we've infiltrated all of your institutions! Go gen z, go gen z, woke army!!!! ♥️💚❤🏳️🌈🌈
If Germany had won WW2, antiwhite communism would have been defeated once and for all.
youtube comments really bring out the of humanity, especially in the history docs
@FooBar Maximus I believe he was using sarcasm
@FooBar Maximus that commrnt was 4 years ago but you're probly rite ,do u think the Marines should have threw 3 entire divisions against Iwo Jima, n COMPLETELY wrecked them? I think Iwo Jima at that stage shoulda been bypassed, I think Vandergrif is WAY too generously portrayed (flags of our fathers) n he was a ghoul that wanted Marine "glory" that he didn't want MacArthur to get. There COULDA been increased DD patrols for downed B29 crew n escort carriers for fighter cover for raids on Japan
Being stationed/living here in Southern Japan since April '96, i had the opportunity to visit Okinawa almost every other month and had chances to visit some of these sights around the island. Glad Japan and the US are now allies helping each other not just military way, but economically.
27:00 - 360 combat vessels and 1139 auxiliary ships, 60 carriers were at hand to provide air cover (26 fleet and light carriers, the rest escort carriers), 18 battleships, and over 200 destroyers were used. During operations between March and June 1945, Spruance's 5th Fleet consumed more fuel than Japan imported in 1944.
Bat Guano yaa...and they were cranking out a DE every week a CVE every 2 weeks and essex class carriers were pouring out of shipyards at stupid rates if production. Not to mention the building of ever underestimated heavy and light cruisers plus fast battleships
I agree
It was a savage experience for all
Tawara left blood on the sands between tides
My grandfather a WW2 vet has celebrated his 91st birthday Happy Birthday Roger Minch
My father was in the thick of it, with the 96th infantry striking the middle of the Shuri Line. When they ran out of bullets, they went hand to hand and even drowned a couple of Japanese in "puddles". I can't begin to imagine the trauma of that
Better than history channel.
And I learned a few new things I hadn’t learned before, like how the Kamakazi’s followed US planes closely to disguise themselves and such, interesting.
First let me compliment you on the upload. It gave me a perspective on the conflict in this area other than a grunts recollection from the business end of a rifle. Even when beginning military service such accounts were rare, and the larger picture presented here helps me understand why. Second, please accept my humble apologies for the barely literate diatribe of so many of the responses here in the comments . Children DO have a tendency to squabble. Finally, the use of the Atomic bomb was a criminal act, just as a policeman shooting a mass murderer is a criminal act, albeit a justifiable one and not a prosecutable offense. In the face of continuing resistance of such an intensity, and with the oft repeated statements about the Japanese fighting to the last man, woman, and child, (And yes I caught the remark in the movie about women attacking with spears on Okinawa.) the designation NON-COMBATANT was removed from the entire population, making any city on the Japanese mainland a legitimate target. The interesting thing about that is that some of the incendiary raids actually produced more casualties than the Atomic bombs. The Atomic bombs are just a contemporary cause celeb. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto warned against waking the sleeping giant. Japan knew what it was buying in to and got what it paid for.
This documentary describes Nimitz perfectly. Good job.
Insane American engineering. An aircraft carrier nearly completely destroyed sailed well over half way around the world from Asia to NYC.
Check out a map, making it to California would have been a feat.. making it to NY is nothing short of remarkable.
I watch these videos of Marine Corps involvement with great interest, being a former Marine myself, of the war they fought on certain islands, because my Marine Corps grunt uncle on the ground was there fighting on Okinawa. I'm always looking for him among the faces. He survived that campaign and told me many incidents from eyewitness testimony. God rest his soul... the war is over for him now.
After that horrendous battle 100,000 civilians lay dead along with 150,000 Japanese troops. The United States took 76,000 casualties. When I hear an argument against the atom bombs I direct them to this. The escalation of the war at this point was just horrifying.
Cody Maranto most civilians were forced to kill themselves by the Japanese army by pushing them off a cliff
Yeah,they also brainwashed the population that us troops were insane bloodthirsty murders and rapists so most committed suicide as well rather than be captured. Japanese troops also used them as shields.
Cody Maranto But how many more would have died in a conventional attack? One raid on Tokyo burnt down half the city in a fire storm. The atomic bombs may have saved millions of Japanese civilians from starvation and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
And yeah, the war was horrifying. The number of chinese prisoners who died in brutal medical experiments outnumbered those killed in Hiroshima.
Cody Maranto In 1938 the Japanese army entered Nanking. They killed with fire, sword and beastality 250,000 people, men, women and children, World War Two had not yet begun.
In 1945 the United States dropped two Atomic devices on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, in the resulting explosions 250,000 people, men women and children died, World War Two come to an end.
millions of angry words have been written about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, few people today remember Nanking.
Danny Halas Unit 731 = between 3000 and 12000 people killed in experiments. Hiroshima bombing = between 90,000 and 166,000 killed Nagasaki bombing = between 129,000 and 246,000 so you are not close to being correct there. Both acts were horrible and both sides treated civilians as legit targets on many occasions. Japan tried to literary depopulate China so it would be easier to control, The US directly targeted civilians in their bombing campaigns over Japanese cities to inflict terror on the population and weaken the nation.
I was with the 22nd MEU out of Camp Lejeune,NC. While in my ICB there was a Marine with us that a s rap book from his Grandfather. His Grandfather was a Marine on Iwo Jima. The scrap book had pics of skull pyramids, bodies stacked 8ft high and all kinds of death and destruction. The pics are burnt in my head as the real ones are.
One thing I don't understand is why the Japanese on the southern end of the island weren't just bottled up there and left to rot / starve, as they had no aircraft or ability to threaten the US forces about to invade Japan. Why was it necessary to take Shuri by force / frontal assault?
I've wondered the same thing for many years. Same goes with Iwo and Saipan.
@@indy_go_blue6048and umogobrol mountains aka blood nose ridge on Peleliu.
Blows my mind away thinking about how all these vast and massive logistics were successfully coordinated eighty years ago.
I love the soundtrack for this documentary series, I need it
Here is my comment. It was thought at the time that the next target had to be the home island of Kyushu due to it being within the range of Allied fighter support on Okinawa... afterwards Honshu would be invaded with the landing near Tokyo. By July it was becoming evident that the Japanese were planning their final organized battle on Kyushu and had far more troops there than anticipated. Nimitz was very rattled by the prospect and rightly so after the fighting on and around Okinawa.
Japan lost the war when they decided that human life was of no value.
They lost the war on December 7, 1941. They simply lacked the resources to fight a war of attrition against the industrial capacity of the United States.
Fanatic fucks got what they deserved. Go murica!
no Japan lost the war when we figured out how to split an atom over a city. They thought highly of there own lives or the rest of japan would be a giant ash tray
*meanwhile japan puts soldiers in planes just to commit suicide by ramming into a ship*
The Japanese never had a chance to win the war. Yamamoto knew this even when he was planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was asked at one point what he thought Japan's chances would be in a war with the US, to which he replied that he could play havoc with America for six months or perhaps a year, but after that he could've guarantee nothing. He also noted that the army thought they could win by defeating America in the Pacific, but in reality Japan would have to dictate terms in Washington, and he knew that would never be possible.
Good discussion on the fascinating subject of naval doctrine and early carrier tactics.
Absolutely superb documentary. Others should use this as a template for the pursuit of excellence.
Outstanding
My grandfather E.M.Sanders was in the 2nd Eng Brg. C Company of the 2nd Division. He would NOT talk about his experiences on Okinawa.. but every time you hear something about roads, bridges or bunker removal, its a good chance he was his company doing it. All he would say about Okinawa was "It was the worst thing a human could experience." After the island was secured he then drove one of 3 bulldozers that cleared the road to, and thought, Hiroshima. He took part in the occupation of Japan until '48, when he was sent home. He died of cancer at the age of 78.
My first duty station in the Marine Corps was Okinawa in 1986 for 1 year. I was at Camp Kinser, the Southern-most Marine base on the island. Very close to Naha. It was amazing, even 41 years after the Battle of Okinawa, you could see huge shell holes that had been grown over with grass, and guys were still finding grenades and other things in caves.
The Corsair could "outclimb the Hellcat by 800 feet per second.". So, it could reach LEO in less than five mins? Impressive!!
AbeBSea LEO?
@@CocoTaveras8975 Lower Earth Orbit
Mate the quality of swag round Nottingham these days blows anything you have to offer away in an eye blink!
The Battlefield series is one of most in-depth documentaries!
My Great Uncle was a BAR gunner with the 96th Infantry Division. In the Southern part of Okinawa, he was shot by machine gun fire, and was possibly brought to medical where he died of his wounds later on. He died in July, at the age of only 19. I have his 48 star flag and picture next to it.
I had yet another Great Great Uncle who was at Okinawa in the Marines, he had survived the war and lived on to his 90s. He was a radio interceptor with the Navajo code talkers. He wasn't genetically Navajo, he simply reported to them. He intercepted Japanese radio transmissions and reported them to the actual code talkers.
Kudos to the US Forces that defeated a determined and well entrenched foe at the Battle of Okinawa.
It was the high casualties at Okinawa and Saipan that swayed the american decision to use the Atomic bombs on Japan
And the fact that over 250 000 allied soldiers would possibly die if they invaded the mainland.
Christian Pedersen ...which again, bomb or no bomb, would be unnecessary as they already had the Japanese completely contained by submarine blockade. Had the Russians not been steam rolling across East Asia, there might have been neither invasion nor bomb - merely a starving of Japan until they came to terms. Even as was, the Japanese surrender was NOT unconditional - the U.S. agreed to their condition that they maintain their emperor.
Michael Jonnes I'm not dumb, i'm just reasonable...idiot
Edvorticus Snorticus I think anyone who says we shouldn't have dropped those bombs needs to imagine themselves on a landing craft heading into one of the main Japanese Islands with a steel helmet on your head and a M-1 rifle in your hand and think that meeting a bunch of starving civilians on the beach with pitch forks, knives and anything else they could use to stab, cut, or otherwise injure you, with regular military units behind them, is a good idea. Keeping in mind that those starving civilians and troops have had nothing but Japanese government propaganda and the Shinto religion pumped into their minds since they where kids by the Japanese government. Some of that propaganda told them that to become a Marine, you have to kill your parents and that Americans ate the enemy's babies. No, no matter what you may think, the only way to truly end that war was to drive it into the Japanese government's head (who tried to cover up the Hiroshima bombing, like it didn't happen) that they would be totally annihilated if necessary if they didn't surrender. Standing off wasn't going to work and Russia was gobbling up as much territory as they could. The war needed to be ended quickly.
Brian Thomas And I think anyone who uses that as a reason for dropping the bombs has to imagine their homes, families, their entire existence being wiped out in a second.
Nearly 80,000 people were killed instantly at Hiroshima and they were nearly all civilians, it was a city the size of Pittsburgh today, or Coventry if your in the UK.
What happened happened but I don't think you can possibly justify the dropping of a bomb so destructive on a completely civilian area by any argument.
Especially not one so lazy and really unnerving to me as your's, which basically amounts to "fighting conventionally would of been too much work" that is not an excuse to target civilians in what is basically one of the biggest mass murders in history.
My uncle was assigned on the USS Morrison, a destroyer, hit by 5 Kamikazes. He was killed by the first one. My dad was on Ie Shima US Army bulldozer operator, was wounded but refused the Purple Heart.
"Stand up and fight like a farmer"
Jimi Hendrix.
Thanks for sharing. Around 1:09:31 shown "Tanagawa", the Japanese commander's name, is actually "Tanigawa". Around 1:23:37 shown as "Kazaku" is actually "Kakazu", which consists of "Kakazu Ridge" and "Kakazu West", separated by the "Saddle".
Yes Luga made a few fkups in this one to be fair.
Still to this day, you’d be hard pressed to find a better WWII series than Battlefield
My great grandfather Dean Loucks was killed by a kamikaze attack aboard the USS Ticonderoga. He received the Silver Star for actions during the battle for manning a exposed radio position coordinating anti aircraft fires. He was buried at sea.
When the Battleships started blasting the shoreline, all they blew up were trees and rocks. The Japanese had pulled back to the southern part of the island. The main beach landing went unopposed.
I was very surprised to learn that the Corsair outclimbed the Hellcat by 800 feet per second. 47:47
My great grandfather whose house I grew up going to all the time fought in the battle for Okinawa. About 10 years ago when he was in his early 90's but still sharp I was dating a girl from Okinawa . She came with me to Christmas dinner and her and my grandfather chatted for awhile. Full circle, life is a crazy thing at times.
Sad to say wars will continue until the end of time. Reasons hatred of our fellow man, greed, negative ambition and our inability to learn how to get along with one another.
I agree.
Nabiha Moses No people of all walks of life get along its the leaders that don't get it.
the very best documentaries about the conflict....Thank you so much, and....Carry on!
man, I miss when documentaries were straight forward & factual
This is THE best series.
Thanks
These series on tv of our great history . IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
3
PBS series are very rarely this great. Except masterpiece theatre.
My Dad was in the 6th Marine Division, 29th Regiment, First Battalion. He carried a flamethrower and was a prime target for snipers. He managed to survive the battle and came home in early 1946. For years after he got home he had flashbacks and hated fireworks. I just hope my grandchildren don't have to fight the next war.
The United States created the Tenth Army, a cross-branch force consisting of the US Army 7th, 27th, 77th and 96th Infantry Divisions with the USMC 1st, 2nd, and 6th Marine Divisions, to fight on Okinawa. The Tenth was unique in that it had its own Tactical Air Force (joint Army-Marine command), and was also supported by combined naval and amphibious forces.
On June 18, General Buckner was killed by Japanese artillery fire while monitoring the progress of his troops from a forward observation post. Buckner was replaced by USMC Major general Roy Geiger. Upon assuming command, GEIGER BECAME THE ONLY US MARINE TO COMMAND A NUMBERED ARMY OF THE US ARMY IN COMBAT; he was relieved five days later by Army General Joseph Stilwell.
(The War in Europe had reached an end, and the US Army shifting from the German First posture, was taking a larger role conducting the war in the Pacific.)
I've always wondered why they didnt bomb Okinawa with B29s from Saipan and Tinian before the invasion of Okinawa.
My father had the luck to end up in both Normandy and Okinawa.
Harsh bro
My great great grandfather is buried at the military memorial in the Okinawa section. This documentary shed light on the horrific events he went through!
Great ,Great Grandfather?
Nope.
At 47:00 Vought F6F Corsair?! Are you kidding me! Its the Vought F4U, got it right on the image at least. Oh, and the image they showed of the "Essex" class aircraft carrier was actually a Yorktown class aircraft carrier, just saying
Jose Rojas Yes, yes! The F6F was a Grumman Hellcat, another scourge of the air war.
I too agree. One of the best WWII documentary series.
Okinawa seems like the brass was using their last opportunity to advance their careers as usual with the blood of their soldiers. On another note, 355 kamikaze launched at the same time mixed with 2x that bom kamikaze.. I can't imagine the adrenaline, excitement, stress etx on those ships and planes as they came flying in. I fought in the middle east but Okiawa has always held my interest (even w/ fam fought in eto) due to its brutality. .
When you weigh the continuing firebombing, lack of surrenders, etc. It makes you realize how many millions more people, both Japanese & Americans, would have died had a main island invasion and battle taken place.
What a fascinating documentary thank you for sharing ❤
Live By the Sword, Die By the Sword at the Hand of the U.S. Naval Forces.
4:20 the f8k did we hit them there? lol
that's as massive as you can get with conventional explosives......
I'm guessing either our naval bombardment hit their armoury or they blew up their own armoury while withdrawing
Dad passed away in 1995 but I thank you for your comment. He did see some things that I think would horrify most people. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who serve in our military.
Yay! More comment wars! *Grabs a bowl of popcorn*
Alpha Jalloh give me half of your popcorn.. i have couple cup of tea.. you want?
rachmad aziz kk *hands over 50% of popcorn*
JJ Lozada Overused insult, be original.
+JJ Loz Are you seriously that disturbed by someone's skin pigment? If God above made us all then your beef is with him, if you think we evolved then your beef is with evolved genetics and again your opinion does not matter so why hurl insults? Insults are emotionally based and serve no evolutionary purpose you might as well grunt- will that be one grunt or two? Or a Hallelujah? Me I'm a Hallelujah man.
When the enemy fleet uses more fuel for an operation than you entire country uses in a year, then you know it's time to sit down and shut up.
In fact, if I were the allies, I would have invited all the diplomats, from all Axis countries, and give them all the free tours they wanted of all ships, ammo, food, trucks, tanks, factories, supplies, fuel, spare parts, etc.
All of them would have returned to their countries and begged them to stop the war.
Respect for not cutting out the credits at the end.
Don’t you mean the largest amphibious of World War Two, even larger than operation overlord.
Yes ur right it was larger than d day op over lord
one day hanging out drinking beers at 17 somewhere in Anytown, USA.......then you're in a landing craft at Okinawa ... buzzkill de luxe
If one studies the overall Pacific War strategy, it is clear that Adm. Nimitz plan to invade Formosa would have been the better plan, because it would have divided the Japanese Empire in two. The lower part of the Empire would have been helpless. However, our "prima donna" General MacArthur, browbeat FDR into his "Philippine Campaign", just so he can fulfill his "I shall return" blather! This strategy has been examined and, overall, military strategists have agreed that the immense loss of life (both American soldiers and civilians), and destruction of much of the Philippine nation was unnecessary! It is sad that MacArthur's arrogance, and megelo-mania, was not discovered until his attempt to start WWIII at the Inchon Campaign during the Korean War. YES, he was an important military leader for the Allies during WWII, but if one speaks to Veterans from WWII, who served under his leadership, there was much doubt about some of his decisions!
***** Thank you for a very informative, and insightful, response. It is so sad seeing some of the responses, and comments. I wish more History Courses were taught in our schools! thanks again.
He got found out in Korea. Our equivalent was Mountbatten. The IRA got him in the end.
@MrSymbiosis1 I doubt that MacArthur had intimidated FDR into doing anything. One has to consider what a successful American invasion of the Philippines symbolized and its effect on the morale of the American public and the Japanese military. The Battle of Bataan in 1942 was the greatest American military defeat in history. FDR and MacArthur were anxious to redress that humiliation.
I love how they say Essex class and then show Saratoga of the Lexington class
I always wondered why they didn’t use smoke when the troops stormed the beaches giving the troops cover instead of giving the enemy a clear shot at The troops storming the beaches !
Smoke works both ways, it would have obscured Naval gun and aircraft observers from effective targeting.
I read that the first landings on Okinawa was a walk on; the Japanese had given up the shoreline defense for defense in depth. I remember that someone wired "I might be crazy, but I think the enemies given up in these parts." Halsey reportedly wired back "strike all after crazy"!
A documentary I have never seen:
The battle of Okinawa ended Jun 1945, and the US started preparations for "operation Downfall", the invasion of Japan homeland. The US would need a formidable base to bring massive numbers of troops, perhaps 2,000,000 at least, to launch the invasion. This implied a gargantuan logistics preparation and chain of supplies: Food, water, medical, shelter, services..and the corresponding naval fleets to carry on the assault. Also, the construction of adequate large airbases with supplies and services for numerous airplanes, bombers. Not mentioning the required immense amount of fuel for ships and airplanes. I have seen unrealistic plans which divided "operation downfall" into two attacks, "olympic" and "coronet" but they make it look like two fleets were to be assembled from mainland or Hawaii. That is totally unrealistic, US had to use Okinawa for this gigantic operation. It would be very interesting to see a documentary on what, where, how and who were already preparing this very complex operation.
USA is not a joke
Japan did regret big by attacking Pearl Harbor
Especially since the Japanese were spread so thin, busy trying to conquer China. That is a huge area to try and control.
They sure as hell did.
USA and USSR were the last two major powers to enter ww2. They together changed the couse of the war. We're both 2 countries that are more similar than different. Our two countries need to fight together again in a war against globalism. We have enemies afar and within our own countries.
Cazim are you Czech.
@@deanarupe73 The U.S.S.R invaded Poland with Germany early in the war.
My Uncle was an Army Scout and fought on Okinawa. He was awarded a bronze star with valor and one of his two purple hearts in the battle. Climbed into a tunnel and killed 5 Japanese including a ranking officer with his 45 sidearm. They recovered a lot of timely intelligence documents, which led to the medal.
Told me the closest he came to dying was when he and another scout had crawled forward of their own lines. A friendly fighter spotted them in the tall grass in no man's land. The plane made a couple of runs on them thinking they were enemy forces. Said he never hugged the earth harder, and lived to tell the story.
46:55 - "The Vought F6F Corsiar." Oops!
My great Grandfather served in this battle and got bad ptsd
Okinawa is in the Pacific.
NOOO, it's in Normandy
+Captain Obvious its in japan lol
+spectar viana which is the Pacific
+Johnathan Cruickshank what
spectar viana Okinawa... is... in... the... Pacific... south-bound of japan island.
thank your dad for his service. he probably saw alot of things as a flamerthrower that most men should never have seen.
I'm willing to bet that most if not all of the people arguing in this comment section did not watch the video.
whynot-tomorrow? No bet.
CITADEL5 Too obvious?
: \
whynot-tomorrow? Too likely.
I for one found this documentary fascinating. They could use a few more visual aids though. I had a hard time following the maps.
whynot-tomorrow? It is difficult to follow mostly because it fully covers many issues involved in the event. When you think about it the events themselves were massively complex involving many people and huge amounts of equipment. But you are correct it could use more modern graphics.
This birds eye view of tactics and the history is very informative. I also like the more personal style of documentary that the Ken Burns and Lynn Novak series the war employed in its story telling. Anyways later duders
After the battle of Okinawa, there was no real reason for the Allied forces to further engage the Japanese. They were totally blockaded by US subs and carrier aircraft. They were getting no oil and more importantly, no food.They could have literally been starved into submission. Tojo would have inflicted a humanitarian disaster on the Japanese people rather than surrender. Dropping the atomic bombs was in all respects the more humane option.
That's not actually totally true, the Japanese were suffering from the blockade for a while now and the damage had already been do by then. The subs couldn't do much more anymore. And the b-29s had begun to run out of targets. And yet the Japanese people still didn't surrender even under those conditions. The Americans had to either invade or drop the two A bombs but even after the had dropped two atomic bombs the Japanese weren't going to surrender. They finally did after a new massive air campaign from Okinawa and the fleet carriers made them finally surrender.
Tyler D That and the Russians finally attacked Japanese positions is what convinced them to surrender.
Even then the emperor had to cast cast a tie breaking 'vote'
Well, communism 'won', but they far from communists, especially economically. They have firmly embraced a consumer driven economy.
If God was going to give the world an enema, North Korea is where he would shove the tube. N. Korea is a scary country considering they are ruled by an idiot with nukes.
Wayne canon and russia declared war with Japan!!!
True, but how long would it have taken to starve them out? And the civilians would be the ones to suffer- all food would go to the military...