Battle of Savo Island 1942: America's Worst Naval Defeat

[@DaoBao13]

18:40 the Betty flying extremely low on the left was piloted by Lt Jun Takahashi. He entered the Guinness World Records in 2014 for being the oldest active commercial pilot alive and he's still alive.

[@EFCasual]

So he would have been 18 to 20 at the time. Must be quite the guy.

[@BiggestCorvid]

Holy hell that pilot made it back?

[@sethbromley7186]

@@BiggestCorvid He says he flew below deck level so that the ships couldn't train their guns on him. Legend. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpTGh3Z3odSfmKM

[@steviedfromtheflyovercount4739]

Brave man.

[@RCAvhstape]

I love it when the people in these old photos get recognized.

[@BiggestCorvid]

54:25 "He didn't possess a crystal ball." Mikawa didn't even possess navigation charts anymore. He had received so many lucky breaks, he was smart to act based upon what the enemy could do.

[@MrTalkingCorn]

Yeah its the common saying don't press your luck

[@zes7215]

wrg, no such thing as could or would or good or not about it, cepux, think, do, can think, do any nmw and any s perfect, nothing smart or right or not about it

[@NeostormXLMAX]

He could have still did it sacrificing his fleet to destroy the transports, it would have been more worth it even if all his ships died

[@jki808]

@@NeostormXLMAX we all know that, that’s not the point. Obviously the right decision would’ve been to attack, but the question is to give him a break given his conditions and scenario and we should. As long as it’s known that at the end of the day, he still missed his opportunity.

[@herptek]

@@NeostormXLMAX To many people such an attack would probably have looked like a suicide mission from the point on when the Japanese fleet was compromised to aerial reconnaissance. Pushing on nevertheless might have been considered a sign of foolhardy personal character but the decision to not go after the transports could be used to argue otherwise. What this kind of victory took was unquestionably, along with luck, audacity. One has to wonder how much simple gut instinct has to do with the decision makers in commanding positions during conflict and how much of it follows simply reason.

[@Nerdykearns]

This dude is the definition of quality over quantity

[@Nothing-ws6yd]

Yup

[@Acelnorst]

I would still very much would like more quantity :(

[@miamijules2149]

Dude he killed it! KILLED IT DEADER THAN A HAMMER

[@atillar3321]

probably he follows German rule lol

[@berkkarsi]

A blessing from the lord

[@baptistebauer99]

Imagine being in Mikawa's position. He obliterated 4 ennemy ships, coming from accross the biggest ocean in the world, made a plan that was accepted and went through with it brilliantly, he won a battle by the biggest margin up to date and the biggest that will be during the Guadalcanal campaing, and some dudes were like "why didn't you kill the transports too" when the army told him not to worry about it. And he had wrong intelligence from a previous battle the same day. Give the man a break, he did outsandingly well.

[@carlflaherty2215]

Add to this, he correctly understood that his ships would be expensive and difficult to replace. I wouldn't have been willing to risk them lightly, either.

[@C-Farsene_5]

Plus, he couldn’t have known that the Carriers were too far away to pepper him back, if I were him I’d rather not press my luck, besides over achieving can have some serious consequences, the IJA and IJN hated each other did stuff like deprive the other of supplies and assassinations

[@MultiverseJoe]

Mikawa’s flag ship received a shell into the bridge destroying the naval charts he used to navigate in the dark. That loss caused him to make his decision to turn back. He WAS focused on those transports and the us ships defending them. The Long Lance torpedo would have done massive damage in the confined space where all those ships were anchored.

[@VictorJD]

If Mikawa had returned for the transports, we would get a second round of "he made a decision based on what the enemy would do instead of what they could do". Even if he thought the carriers would likely withdraw, to stick to the maxim, he should assume they were in play and that his ships would be at serious risk by returning.

[@wojtek4p4]

It would be interesting to point out what Mikawa likely thought would've happen, had he attacked the transports. On the one hand, he would've sank multiple unloaded transport ships. Which US would've rebuilt in a few weeks. All that, to help the IJA win their own fight. On the other hand, the attack was likely to cost IJN multiple heavy cruisers, which Japan could not replace.

[@sethbromley7186]

But the point remains that even if the carriers were in play, it was still the right move to sink the transports. The writer cited in the video is right: It would have been worth losing the cruisers to hamstring the invasion. Otherwise, what is the point of the attack? What is the point of a fleet in the first place? The mission of the Allied surface warships was to protect the transports -- in effect they accomplished their mission even though they were sunk. Mikawa's withdrawal was an understandable mistake, but still was a mistake.

[@AudieHolland]

@@sethbromley7186 You forget that both Japan and Germany made the mistake of taking on an opponent far bigger than themselves. Both Germany and Japan had planned a lightning war of a few months tops, then dictate peace at their humbled and weakened opponents. Their offensives failed to achieve their goals: ending the war *before christmas*

[@57thorns]

@@sethbromley7186 The allied fleet could afford to lose those warships, even if they were not quite as expendable as the transports, the allied still had a huge production capacity. They could not afford to lose the supplies on those ships there and then. And now for some wild speculation: In my opinion Japan had lost the war even before they attacked Pearl Harbor. The Soviets and/or the Chinese would have invaded once Germany was defeated, turning East Asia into another Eastern Europe for the duration of the Cold War, a cold war without the Tiger economies of Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan fueling Western economies, because Red China would control those countries with no threat from American bases in Japan. Most likely the whole of Germany would have been part of the Eastern Bloc, and the history of Finland might have been very different as well.

[@VictorJD]

@@sethbromley7186 I guess the maxim applies to allies as well. He made a decision based on what the IJA would do (take care of the landing force) instead of what they could do (fail) lol. Tough call.

[@stevedietrich8936]

I binged and watched the attack on Pearl, the Coral Sea, the Midway series, and now Savo. What a great job you did with all of these. I applaud you for the effort you put into your videos.

[@paulzeman7684]

I agree. His productions are aces.

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

@Steve Dietrich That’s a fine piece of binging you did. I applaud you for it. A kindred spirit indeed.

[@digablesoul]

Doing the same!

[@Krisgenx]

I just happened across one of the Midway ones…3 hours later I’ve watched all the ones you mentioned! Compelling!! Love the maps and analysis with historic photos here and there!!!

[@jmthekid2399]

Seems as tho I am not alone in binging his videos. They are all so good. I am very much looking forward to his coming videos.

[@kumisz2]

I love how you portray the hard choices the commanders have to face and present the pros and cons of their options.

[@JWTan84]

and that pause..

[@Yrkr785]

He absolutely made the right choice, the loss of the fleet would've ensured Japanese defeat

[@jameschenard1386]

I’m in awe at the effort put into this. I’ve been an avid naval history hobbyist for 43 years and read/listened/viewed a dozen accounts of the battle and the events leading up to it. This was so clear and detailed yet concise and entertaining. I haven’t seen all these details in one place and molded together so seamlessly while being delivered so effectively. I could have heard this back when I was first starting out and it wouldn’t have been overwhelming. So well done. The care and passion for the topic come through. “If you made it this far…”. There was no way I wasn’t going to catch every second and every second was a grim, solemn joy.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

You should check out his other videos too if you haven’t yet! One going over the attack on Pearl Harbor and then there’s a 3 part series going over the battle of midway! They’re extremely good, entertaining and informative

[@jameschenard1386]

@@Austin.Kilgore Thank you, I did and you’re right! Amazing stuff!

[@Opesp_lifestyle]

Hello good evening, could you help me start studying the Second World War? Where do I start?

[@ckhpersonal670]

@@Opesp_lifestyle youtube and wikipedia

[@MagicalBacon]

This is a channel that is quality over quantity. And I’m not complaining, can’t wait to watch!

[@offlimit7738]

More quantity cant hurt either ...

[@alliinase9076]

​@@offlimit7738 An immense amount of time and work is necessary to ensure a video is of this high quality. If video production takes more time, videos will be released at a slower rate. This is how a trade-off works.

[@Schmidty1]

@@alliinase9076 it doesn't take 10 months to make something like this. It takes along time as it is detailed and high quality but he clearly has other priorities in life which is totally fine. People have jobs and other issues besides yt. You can't claim this level of quality takes 10 months to do if it was your job though.

[@duelios.]

Please note, he wasn’t working on this project 24/7. He could’ve came up with this let’s say, 2 month’s ago? Also, it takes a bunch of editing, research, and mess ups, to perfect a video. And this is 63 minutes long!

[@cashewsinc.5647]

@@Schmidty1 Go do it yourself then

[@DaoBao13]

when the world needed him most, he returned

[@lucatauca7488]

So true

[@DOSFS]

Legend return!

[@franciscomm7675]

Indeed

[@blackprofile2927]

So True

[@DezzRodriguez9]

Am I the only one that would watch a full series of WW2 videos made with this level of detail? Amazing work - please keep making these!

[@radioactivgrunt1595]

YESSS OMG I was sad to see that there’s so little but based on his upload times it seems he’d rather take his time producing quality content rather than more video which I respect

[@fakecubed]

Really hoping we're getting an epic multi-part Leyte Gulf series. Any year now...

[@sean270wn3]

History channel should hire him

[@everettgraca4296]

Yes please

[@nogoodnameleft]

​@@fakecubed The Battle of Leyte Gulf was crazy. I wish someone would do a long form video of the whole 6 month Naval Battles of Guadalcanal. The Battle of Savo Island was merely the first Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The two night surface battles in November 1942 were not at all "The Naval Battles of Guadalcanal". At Guadalcanal there were the Eastern Solomons Air Battle, Battle of Santa Cruz, the sinking of the USS Wasp fleet carrier, and many other naval battles. Guadalcanal was frankly a disaster for the U.S. Navy: 30+ sunken USN warships and 5,500 dead USN sailors!!! Guadalcanal was why the Central Pacific sailors did nothing at all from February 1943 to November 1943. Halsey served in the Solomons but he reported to MacArthur in SWPA, not Nimitz. Nimitz' men did nothing for about 9 months in 1943 due to Guadalcanal. Guadalcanal prolonged the war and that hardship at Guadalcanal was thanks to no battleships being available due to Pearl Harbor and there was only the USS Washington available at Guadalcanal. And I read that the USN hid the U.S. death toll from Guadalcanal and Okinawa for decades afterwards. It is why in old histories made by USN historians they kept talking about only wounded and survivor stats but never KIA and MIA.

[@robertrexroad835]

80 years ago tonight. My grandfather Robert Owen Rexroad served aboard the USS Vincennes and lucky for my sake survived! Every year I would call him on the night of August 8 to make sure he stayed dry that night. I miss him terribly.

[@josephreed5155]

We must never forget those who defend us.

[@tylerzidron1367]

Woah❤️😳 assuming by your tone and words you lost him but his services to our country deserve the highest commendation. Stay strong grief gets easier

[@paulliu5176]

What a lucky man!

[@iinglis89]

Way to use someone elses achievements for your own need of attention.

[@tylerzidron1367]

@@iinglis89 if it got deleted, for those in the back BRO FUCK OFF

[@mightychicken7774]

As a history professor I must say that this is truly great. Although some parts are speculative (mostly due some reports being lost over the past 80 years from Japan - that or having been destroyed), over all you did a fantastic job. Your history here is sound, and the visual of the battle plan is very well put together. It is encouraging for me to see the younger generations embracing specific moments like these and understanding the importance of those moments. I look forward to more of your work! Keep it up!

[@chickenwings273]

this is very wholesome thank you professor for leaving a remark. Im a part of the younger generations and many more of us like to watch history videos

[@refuge42]

This was very interesting and well done. The abandonment of the Marines at Guadalcanal is known about the story behind the story really brings to light a piece of History that has sunk into the past, a lot like the Tulsa race riots in 1921 where 300 black people were murdered, and no one was held accountable. A similar story that I did not know about was the near sinking of the USS Franklin and it's commanders shameful behavior to the men under his charge. Including his creation of the 704 club. What amazes me about these navel histories is how quickly things can go from high and mighty success to abject failure. Midway is a good example, attacks and failure to sink the Japanese aircraft carriers and that all changed and some 15 minutes or less.

[@docboy989]

@@drcornelius8275 get a life

[@mightychicken7774]

@@drcornelius8275 A non-bigoted one. Can you say the same?

[@polendri4812]

​@@drcornelius8275 Do we really need to turn a WW2 naval battle discussion into a pity party about how persecuted you feel as a [presumed] white male?

[@TirarADeguello]

It's so good to see your new video out. I can't wait to see what you do next.

[@theEWDSDS]

This is a remake

[@runertje550]

Yeah this is a remake

[@damuvang1915]

You’ll see what he does next next year.

[@MobyTheLion]

i didn't know you would be here lol

[@TirarADeguello]

@@MobyTheLion yes, huge fan.

[@jhk8396]

*_And so, Montemayor begins his long and arduous siege against the history of Guadalcanal._*

[@sfs2040]

Drachinifel would be proud

[@adamtruong1759]

I would definitely hope so, and then follow it up with the New Georgia and Bougainville campaigns.

[@greghanson3495]

Ummm...just the guy who made the video!

[@adamtruong1759]

@@greghanson3495 I assume Ben is joking, then again they might be genuine.

[@encycl07pedia-]

Mikawa absolutely made the right call based on the information he had. The Allied forces were absolutely devastated thanks to terrible decisions and worse communication.

[@Tele999zzz]

I would have sent a couple of ships to hammer the transports

[@theEWDSDS]

​@@Tele999zzz did you even watch the video?

[@Tele999zzz]

@@theEWDSDS Yes, did you??

[@nahuelleandroarroyo]

​@@Tele999zzz you forget the transports had destroyers to screen for subs. Element of surprise was no longer available amd if carriers were in range he could have lost at leasylt one heavy cruiser

[@Soap.--]

@@nahuelleandroarroyo true but personally i would still attack, even considering the information he had

[@crazyt1ger08]

One extra note: FDR was so taken by the loss of HMAS Canberra in this battle the next Baltimore-class Heavy Cruiser to be commissioned that was to be named USS Pittsburgh was in fact named USS Canberra to honour this brave Australian ship and its men, something that was never done before or since, naming an American warship after a foreign capital city. The Australian Government returned this tribute by naming a new Tribal-class destroyer, HMAS Bataan, in honor of the US stand during the Battle of Bataan.

[@gregparrott]

Interesting bit of history there...Thanks! P.S. This was characterized as an all American loss when in fact other nations also suffered ship losses. Was the Canbera the only non American ship?

[@crazyt1ger08]

​@@gregparrott In this battle, yes....the HMAS Canberra was the only other non US ship lost on the allied side. The HMAS Australia was the flag ship in this operation but was withdrawn before the battle started for some reason. The US was a little funny with the Royal Navy and wasn't inclined to do joint operations with them but in the case of the Royal Australian Navy they often did joint operations, in fact in the Battle of Sunda Strait the HMAS Perth and USS Houston both fought a very brave engagement and both ships were lost. www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/perth/loss

[@gregparrott]

@@crazyt1ger08 Many thanks for the detailed and documented reply

[@ShawnMM]

A new USS Canberra (LCS 30) has been christen. www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2646551/navy-to-christen-littoral-combat-ship-canberra/

[@chainsawblue3639]

I’ve studied FDR quite a bit for years now, I have tremendous respect for him. As an Australian, this only increases my appreciation of him more so. Thanks for the info!

[@Bokoen1]

Why did I not get a notification for this... The god of naval battles has returned.

[@jucamuja3622]

bokoen how are you so godd at naval battles at hoi 4, im suffering even with increase aircraft carriers force.

[@friedrich9987]

BO???

[@lavendar1358]

lmao bo watches this channel?

[@Welkon1]

Who DOESN'T watch this channel?

[@scrabber9736]

yes

[@cryhavoc999]

Absolutely Brilliant - yet again a masterful bit of work. Mikowa acted correctly given what he knew. In Fletchers defence on his withdrawal of the carrier - he had lost a number of his fighters through accidents (he had many green pilots) and losses sustained defending the landings and his aviation fuel levels were low so had taken the opportunity to withdraw to replenish from oilers. Again had he been told a force was coming down the slot in a timely fashion he may very well have not withdrawn.

[@vlad78th]

Yet given what we know, it was a big mistake. Mikawa's dilemma illustrates how poorly preapared the japanese navy and army were to wage war against the united states. Their only and really slim chance to win was to strike as hard and fast as possible, to win big asap or lose everything. Only yamamoto understood that and it explains the gambles he had been willing to make at Pearl Harbour and Midway. The kind of war Japan had been foolish enough to initiate required to use risk it all strategies again and again while gambling all they had and even then they would only have obtained a chance to a fair fight. Each time the japanese deviated the slightest from the 2 principles of concentration of forces (while they still had the numbers on their side) and willingness to risk it all, it ended in disaster. Yamamoto should never have accepted to divide his carrier fleet before Midway. Mikawa should have risked it all that night. But WWII was the first total war experienced by the japanese, they were mostly unable from an intellectual point of view to envisioned the kind of sacrifices it would require from them nor the true capabilities of US industrial power. Had they known, they would never have started it.

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@vlad78th To be fair, Fletcher a) had as little or less intelligence on Japanese activity than Turner, b) his carriers and support ships needed refueling, and c) he still needed to protect his carriers from Japanese attack. One source on KZbin actually went so far as to say the Turner spent the next couple of days blaming everyone but himself for the disaster, and ended up finding Fletcher to be the perfect scapegoat. Remember, it was Turner in overall command, and it was HIS responsibility to ensure his ships would be ready for anything the Japanese threw at them. Indeed, being in relatively close proximity to a principle enemy base (Rabaul), his ships should have been more prepared for possible action, rather than having captains in conferences or crews more or less stood down for the night.

[@scottl9660]

@@nicholasconder4703 I can’t agree more, Turner blames the captains under him for a “lethargy of mind” and the guys above him. It seems everyone around Turner was to blame disputes the fact it was Turner task force that got wyfpwnd. It was Turners decision to not increase readiness to condition two when he found out enemy ships were heading to the shortlands knowing it would only take a couple hours to transit from there to his transports. Most damning was the disposition of his forces, was split into three components none of which could support each other. Turners battle plan invited defeat in detail and he got exactly what he planned for. It should be noted that Scott Callahan and even Wright didn’t make those mistakes in their plans.

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@scottl9660 Even more damning is that Turner still had 6 hours AFTER he received the message to do something, and he didn't. He got the second sighting report at 18:45, and the Japanese didn't attack until after midnight (2400). That's 6 hours in which nothing was done. Reminds me of the movie Gettysburg where Trimble is complaining about General Ewell not moving to attack Culp's Hill on the first day. To partially quote the tirade, "...and there we sat like fat gray idiots ...".

[@retirednavy8720]

I spent a little over 25 years in the USN. You videos are very informative in regards to naval warfare. Most people have no clue how epic in scale some naval battles have been. Well Done!

[@tealefti]

"Two months later, we will see how Americans had surprise on their side..." Is that a promise of a video on Cape Esperance in two months?

[@MontemayorChannel]

correct, After Eastern Solomons of course. ;)

[@John-rj3cp]

@@MontemayorChannel alright we will see you in a year

[@jeffreyestahl]

Be nice - he's still studying.

[@00calvinlee00]

@@MontemayorChannel Admiral Norman Scott is one of my Heroes.

[@Pekkhum]

@@John-rj3cp Whether his videos take 2 months, a year, or more, they are worth it! The only thing I have ever regretted about finding this channel is that he isn't fully funded to make these full time.

[@hq3473]

This need a million views. The amount of work and research is staggering.

[@castlers5075]

This is fantastic

[@5Dice1]

Hey its you

[@magma4800]

Ok

[@arsenal-slr9552]

Yee, it be indee

[@nathaniel1069]

Sup Castlers

[@rlife7853]

Oh you're here

[@JayGarrickFlash]

Dude you need to keep uploading. Your videos are some of the most informative, captivating, and well put together videos on the subject I have ever seen. If you keep putting out quality videos like this, I'm sure you will continue to be successful! Great work!

[@aquaticaquariums6979]

I think he gave up on youtube

[@robertmchugh4639]

Yes, I agree.

[@hongphuc4478]

No, he don’t

[@aquaticaquariums6979]

@@hongphuc4478 thank God, watched his video earlier today

[@Johno1992]

If your looking to scratch the inch I'd check out the operations room on here there videos are the same style as this

[@mixererunio1757]

Goddamn, whole one hour. Hats off, you're the best.

[@idkhistory5850]

Wonder how long it took him to put it all together. Mad respect.

[@RRRanTV]

Your work is so excellent, well researched, full of accurate details, and graphically so well designed it, it's simply the best version of WW2 naval battle history documentation I have ever seen, regardless Chinese, German, or English wordwide. It's perfect in every way, I'm so amazed today as an adult. And if I saw this when I was a little kid and was curious learning everything about the WW2 naval battles, I would've been absolutely fascinated over 9000% by your work. As if a dream you couldn't hope to be true finally come true. Thank you for your awesome work, please keep continue to do so! Hope more channels/institutions/government will recognize your work and support you, you definitely deserve it thousand times. Take good care Sir, thank you again so much, and best regards from Germany!

[@icewaterslim7260]

Damned right.. . . what he said. Montemayor's Midway video fits that praise too. I'd better subscribe and see some more.

[@Albo-wn4ud]

Very well said, this video is absolutely amazing.

[@taufiqutomo]

Indy Neidell: We'll get to the Battle of Savo Island in a few weeks Montemayor: Challenge accepted

[@filipzietek5146]

Indy Neidell is pretty bad when it comes to naval stuff

[@taufiqutomo]

@@filipzietek5146 10-part Pearl Harbour minute-by-minute: am i a joke to you?

[@GoSlash27]

@@taufiqutomo But the glaring errors and omissions in their Midway specials were telling. World War 2 has excellent production value and are awesome storytellers, but when it comes to factual accuracy and research... they're rank amateurs compared to Montemayor.

[@DizzleOfficial]

@@GoSlash27 yh you're right but I think they are trying to be a bit more simple than this guy, Indy does kinda summaries of events rather than in detail analysis. That Midway special was very underwhelming though

[@HMASbogan]

@@filipzietek5146 in his specials yeah but in the grand scheme of his series he has to gloss over and summarise then as other recent had happened this week and he needs to add it into a smaller video length

[@samuelhuber6885]

When I was about 12 years old I idolized Admiral Nimitz and I developed a monomania for the war in the Pacific. I made regular trips to the secondhand bookshop to buy true combat paperbacks covering all the major battles. I hung a huge map of the Pacific on my wall and marked the movements and actions of each side. I built plastic models of every ship and plane from the era that I could find at Kmart. Now, 40 years later, watching your videos not only makes me super nostalgic for those days, but I find I'm developing a deeper understanding even than I had back then. I've watched all of your videos. Great job!

[@craigwilcox4403]

As the son of a Naval Officer, I too was fascinated by naval actions in the Pacific. Spent a couple years in the Philippines, mid-1950's, where there was still plenty of damage from the war - we would dig up both live and expended ammo all over the Bataan Peninsula and other places. A good friend of Dad's was a young officer on Astoria, and told me about the battle, and the trauma of his ship being sunk. But this rather short video makes that whole battle come clear and precise, with all the warts exposed. I am hoping that Montemayor can do the same for other naval actions in the Pacific. I do plan to watch his Coral Sea next.

[@TuberOnTheLoose]

I am the son of a career Navy man and was born in Honolulu as a result. I too have been a lifelong student of the war in the Pacific and built all the ship and plane models I could get during my childhood. As an added bonus, I lived in Hawaii in a Navy housing area called Halsey Terrace while the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!" was being filmed. These videos by Montemayor are simply amazing.

[@Maria_Erias]

One thing that I don't think was brought up later: Mikawa also had that (erroneous) report from the previous' day's air attack, claiming a large number of Allied ships sunk and damaged. When he arrived at the Savo Sound and only found a handful of Allied cruisers with destroyer support split to cover the transports, the thought that there could be an even larger (unknown) force out there which was tending to the "damaged ships" from that report would have been large in his mind, possibly reinforced if his spotters caught sight of the eastern group. I think it's safe to assume that he didn't know he had effectively destroyed the entire cover of the transports, and so him withdrawing makes absolutely perfect sense - especially considering the fact that, given that report from the previous day's air attack, he could assume that there was a good number more ships in the area than there actually was. If a report had gone out from either of northern or southern cruiser groups that he had missed, if he had turned back to go for the transports, he could assume he would be facing a prepared and possibly equivalent or even superior force. Given how valuable his ships were and how irreplaceable they were, yeah. He made the right call.

[@user-yrelgsts]

素晴らしいビデオだね。第一次ソロモン海戦を取り上げるなんていいセンスしてる This is a great video Thank you from Japan

[@uladzimirdarozka3882]

I absolutely love to have these "ask the viewer what-would-you-do"' pauses in Montemayor videos. That really places one into commander's shoes. I didn't know Fletcher decided to withdraw, and given all the pro's and contra's, I as Mikawa said - right, we should withdraw now, the carriers could come to help any moment, and my ships are precious.

[@jasonx1174]

Those moments in his videos I love a lot as well. It makes you think about what he had been explaining throughout the video and is great at getting you to think on these battles more.

[@brentfarvors192]

I rightfully chose ATTACK; He squandered one of the best successful offensive attacks in naval history. Carriers or not, it was worth the risk to kick the US off the island that would come to wreak absolute destruction on the Japanese main land. Unfortunately, the Japanese knew nothing of American Football...This would be like taking Tom Brady out of the game after scoring 1 touch down...Brady doesn't leave the game until there is no statistical chance of the other team rallying...

[@dmeyerbcp]

@@brentfarvors192 good point, but I don't think the analogy is fair. With the information he had, he would have certainly lost his ships which couldn't be replaced. The transports ended up leaving anyway the next day. The 1700 marines would have still been there. So it's more like Brady can stay in a game he already won, or continue even though he'll certainly damage his throwing shoulder for the season in 4 more snaps.

[@brentfarvors192]

@@dmeyerbcp Hence, the main factor in Japan's defeat; Restricted communication. He was expected to go to war without any intelligence of who, and what he was up against. With proper intelligence passed down, would realize he had nothing to lose, since US reinforcements were but a month or two away from the Pacific fleet...They were told that the only way to win was to force a quick surrender, but, weren't told the reason(s), WHY...Where as for the US Fleet, they were ALL aware the only way to force a surrender, was for the Japanese to sink the Big-E...nterprise...

[@An0niem4]

I think, even without knowing what we know today, I would go for the transports. Fortuna audaces iuvat as my words. My reasons: 1. The value of the transports cannot be overstated against an enemy who has to import almost everything from the other side of the ocean. 2. A fight against planes, however dangerous, does not mean certain death. Are the odds really so bad that you would not want to risk them at any cost? 3. I'm used to working in an organization where rivalry is highly discouraged and taking responsibility outside your normal scope is encouraged. So instead of just letting the army clean up the mess, I would do everything in my power to help them out. 4. Mikawa must have been surprised by some of the actions (or lack thereof) while conducing this operation. After this, I would not make the assumption of the the enemy following ANY doctrine. Okay, maybe this point is influenced by me knowing more about US military engagements from the past century than a Japanese officer would. I would probably do something even more risky: Given the fact that every heavy ship i have seen today has been sunk and it is unlikely the enemy commander will be doing anything but damage control and retreating whatever he can, it is unlikely to encounter anything that can reasonably challenge even half of my fleet. So I could avoid te hassle of regrouping, tell the planes to light up both the transports and set both halves on the closest. I would go with the Aoba, Chokai, Kako and Kinugasa to turn around as quickly as possible to mop up the northern transports while setting the others on a (sharper) course south of Savo with instructions to open fire quickly and catch up around 5:30. Without assembling, sailing around Savo would take this smaller force maybe 1,5 hours, starting the attack around 4, giving them at least half an hour of turkey shooting on the transports. Meanwhile, my other force would leisurely massacre the transports at Florida island and we would be in the Slot by dawn. Or slip between the islands and exit straight to the North. That would mean more time for the enemy to find me, and to cobble together an attack.

[@chrisparkes]

I know everyone comments on the animation and while they are SO clear, it’s your NARRATION I love. Your voice is so expressive and beguiling. Thank you so much for your hard work, these are some of my favourite history lessons anywhere.

[@jimmehjiimmeehh9748]

"In order to lighten the weight, they got rid of their lifeboats." Bugger me.

[@dragoonTT]

Dangerous men, when they already have accepted death or victory.

[@dougdrvr]

If the Jarvis radio was inoperative and no one survived, how would anyone know about that?

[@qweetsg]

@@dougdrvr usually there are logs for expected arrivals and also for departures at ports. The base in Australia that the Jarvis was supposed to head to likely saw it was overdue and since it never came in, something happened to it...plus there are also Japanese records and accounts of the bombing of the Jarvis, so one could put two and two together

[@dougdrvr]

@@qweetsg I was referring to the part about ditching the lifeboats for weight.

[@scottyfox6376]

Shoes weigh a bit could've ditched them too.👞😀

[@robsan52]

I've never read about Mikawa's decision in this light and it makes complete sense. Usually he's just beat on as a 'weak' Commander or that his judgement abilities are questioned. He did the right thing in light of the info he had.

[@papachi4178]

Exactly. People always do this in hindsight. "These ships cannot be replaced easily" would weigh heavily in the mind of the admiral.

[@psychohist]

He did the right thing from the force balance standpoint. From the standpoint of holding territory, not so much. Perhaps the Japanese also had an army/navy gap.

[@exmonarcagoodbye3296]

And he was so lucky till that time. He knows he can run out of luck.

[@peterw9006]

As Montemayor puts it: "Do not base your plan of actions on what the enemy would do. Base your actions on what the enemy could do." And the carriers could certainly have stayed.

[@tomas-iv5ss]

L

[@ralphcorsi741]

The real irony is what happened to the transports the next morning. They were ordered to leave because they could no longer be defended. They left with most of their cargo hence the effect was almost the same as if Mikawa destroyed them. Yes they made deliveries later but they were forced to drop and run due to the Japanese ships continuously coming down the slot on a regular basis at night firing their guns on the marines on Guadalcanal. Another excellent presentation of the battle. Thank you.

[@markmartin9776]

The merging of fact and speculation with video animation is AWESOME! Great job and please know you are helping a new generation understand just how difficult the decisions and operations of WWII were on those who waged them. Bravo Montemayor, BRAVO!

[@theskepticalwhaler4946]

Mikawa definitely made the right call, like you said, everything we know was in hindsight, sure he could've easily knocked out the transports without any retaliations because the carriers left, but he didn't know and if the carriers were still around, he would've almost definitely lost all his ships. That would've almost assured the doom of the IJN.

[@BrianRosborough]

Way to make Monday morning less shitty Montemayor. My man!

[@krixpop]

Flawlessly

[@DrewDurnil]

Return of the King

[@IntelCorei-KProcessor-go2to]

Paintbrush

[@maxxiao1858]

Damn only 16 likes in 2 yrs 😔

[@L.P.1987]

Wut

[@davidfink9454]

When I met my wife's uncle in 1959 he never talked about the battles he fought in in World War II but as I was a World War history buff, I researched some of the battles both on land and at sea. I learned about her uncle being on two ships that were sunk in the Pacific and one day while I was a book store I picked up a magazine with an article in it about the battle of Savo Island and it had some pictures of the battle and one picture of the search lights from a Japaneese ship. So I invited her uncle to go with me to the book store so I could show him the magazine. After he looked at the article and the pictures I asked him to tell my about his experience on the Astoria. He told me that after Pearl Harbor, he joined the navy and was sent to Pearl Harbor where he was assigned duty on the Astoria. He told me that his Gereral Quarters was in fire control which I thought it was about putting out fires but told me it was controlling the firing of the big guns. He told me that on the night of the battle he had just gotten off watch and heard the hits being made on the ship from the Japaneese ships. He said after general quarters was announced he finally made it to his station and saw body parts from a few of the men after some hits from the Japaneese and he looked at me and I saw tears in his eyes and he tried to tell me about what happend and he started crying and he shut up and told me that he didn't want to talk about anymore. I felt so ashamed that I asked him to tell me about the battle and I never asked him about it again. After he passed away a few years later, his daughter was dating a man that was stationed at Scott Air Force Base nearby and he made up a glass case with some of the awards from the U S Navy and he was represented by the military by pallbearers and they played taps at his burial and I was proud to be there and to just know him.

[@stephenandreason7210]

We owe a debt of gratitude, respect, honor and dignity for those who lived, served, suffered during the Second World War.

[@joshuarussell3414]

@@stephenandreason7210 What about a debt to their trauma, and their health and health care ? - the need of which was caused by these battles.

[@neutralevil1917]

Sad story, poor man. My great grandad has made it all the way from Stalingrad to Vienna on his feet, killed several dozens of enemy soldiers with his gun and a couple with his bayonet, returned home in 1945, joined NKVD and then went to Western Ukraine to fight Nazi collaborators in the wilderness, killing a few more enemies in process. He never felt bad about that and used to tell the stories about war all the time up untill his death in the 80's

[@rogerhinman5427]

I had an uncle who was a shipmate of your wife's uncle. He also somehow survived the Astoria's sinking and had all the hair burned off his body . He passed away in 1999 and I don't think he ever talked about it at all to any family member.

[@Seltkirk-ABC]

My grandfather's uncle's brother from another mother didn't really ever speak of what he saw when he was down there. . . .

[@Dustz92]

15:00 Nagumo: Is it possible to learn this power?

[@MontemayorChannel]

haha! You're right, if only Nagumo had thought like this at midway. Great insight Nano.

[@danishkfd]

Nagumo was actually very old and was a surface fleet leader. Giving him carriers was bad and should have been led by yamamoto. But for us it's good

[@blackprofile2927]

XD

[@David-qz1es]

I felt way more sad when learning the sad lonely fate of USS Jarvis. RIP to those lost in battle. Great video as always Edit: Apparently, Jarvis was one of only two American major surface warships to be lost in World War II with no survivors

[@Magtf_hikaroo]

What's the other?

[@scottl9660]

I think you need to get to cruisers before your talking major ships, DDs DEs and SSs are a dime a dozen in the 40s

[@David-qz1es]

@@Magtf_hikaroo USS Pillsbury (DD-227)

[@David-qz1es]

@@scottl9660 I think Wikipedia means major surface warship = surface combatant

[@scottl9660]

@@David-qz1es I’d remind the wiki gods that PT boats are surface combatants

[@PaiSAMSEN]

That 1025 sighting got to be the message that took the longest detour in history of warfare.

[@MontemayorChannel]

exactly! It's what prompted to spend a considerable amount of time discussing it.

[@emerkamp1]

Looked this up for a refresher and this video came up first as the first result. Although it's over a year old, I see why it's first. This guy gave the most clear, concise, detailed account I've seen in a while. I did notice a couple little things left out, still this has to be one of the best. Thank you...See what else he's got

[@Skiskiski]

Quote: "Admiral Turner assessed why his forces were so soundly defeated in the battle: "The Navy was still obsessed with a strong feeling of technical and mental superiority over the enemy. In spite of ample evidence as to enemy capabilities, most of our officers and men despised the enemy and felt themselves sure victors in all encounters under any circumstances. The net result of all this was a fatal lethargy of mind which induced a confidence without readiness, and a routine acceptance of outworn peacetime standards of conduct. I believe that this psychological factor, as a cause of our defeat, was even more important than the element of surprise".[1]:123" source: Wikipedia, Battle of Savo Island

[@donlove3741]

As the Japanese had the same feelings toward the allies..

[@jimgrizzly2357]

Hey Hey Hey Hey,Hey Stupid!

[@robwalsh9843]

In any conflict, underestimating your enemy is one of the worst things you can do.

[@reisen1932]

Remember the Force Z? Talking thrash about the Japanese do not think straight, cannot fly a plane and how bad they are, after an hour they were raided by Japanese bombers and the Repulse and Prince of Wales went to the bottom of the sea. The Allies underestimated the Japanese quite ridiculously :D.

[@celticman1909]

Mark Felton has a great video out on this subject. Underestimate an enemy based on ethnic prejudice at your own peril.

[@josephramirbacea4243]

Montemayor, youve done justice to the history of this era. Thou it was a sad event due to loss of lives on both sides. Its worth remembering. More power to your channel.

[@andrewhall6524]

Extremely well done video. Your prior research, animation, narration, and storytelling of these epic historic battles is the very best out there. Thank you for another very entertaining and informative video.

[@MontemayorChannel]

Much appreciated Drew! it was a lot of work, and I'm glad to see it paid off. Thanks for watching!

[@alexrodriguez7564]

Can you do a remastered version of the attack on Pearl Harbor ? :)

[@VeryEpicGavin]

@@MontemayorChannel What software do you use to make the battle maps?

[@MikePasqqsaPekiM]

This was absolutely amazing quality! Sobering tale, and I can’t imagine having been one of those American sailors waking up to the battle, but thank you for all the attention to detail.

[@ratboygenius]

The amount of poor decision making on the part of the allies in this tale is off the charts. I don't blame them. Simply taking the islands was a big enough job. They needed a reserve naval perimeter to give the strike force a night's sleep. I guess not possible in 1942. P.S. I think Mikawa made the perfect decision. He HAD to assume the carrier group was there. I see criticism against his decision more of an admittance that the allies failed so horribly and got away with it.

[@cinegraphics]

Things would probably develop completely differently if the US command saw this video.

[@johnryan8533]

Cc beÄp

[@Almost3331]

Assuming that the enemy would act in a way to allow victory is what the Americans did to be put in this position of defeat. He would have been doing the very thing the enemy did to ensure victory for himself. He definitely couldn't have been expected to make any other decisions then the one he did

[@artiglesias9317]

I would have made exactly the same decision as Mikawa. Not to do so would have risked his ships, for which there were no immediate replacements, of which he had be warned. If he failed to take the big picture in account he would have failed to make the correct decision.

[@hedgehog3180]

I think it's a sign that Mikawa was a good admiral that he restrained himself and retreated, during WWII we see a lot of Axis commanders who just always press the attack and people like to fawn over them now because taking land and winning battles looks cool but they often just did their country a disservice by wasting manpower and supplies. Mikawa could have gone on an almost unrestrained rampage but he assumed that the enemy was going to act in the most competent manner and that was the right decision, the allies just really had fucked up colossally here. Still his decision to conserve strength probably did help out Japan in the long run even if there wasn't really any way they could win this war, but keeping their light cruisers was pretty important since those provided their recon.

[@drsjwhitman45]

I have been reading WWII history since I was a kid....and 1st baby boomer born on August 11, 1945. :-) Your presentation is excellent and hopefully younger generations will be more encouraged to study the tragedy of WWII. My father was an original officer in the 82nd Airborne 504 Parachute Regiment and my mother was an Army Nurse ... meeting in a hospital in Naples, Italy when he was recovering from his 2nd wound received south of Monte Casino. His first was at Alta Villa, south of Naples. With parents like that as my role models, you can understand my fascination with the war and, in fact, why I spent 20 years in the Navy and another 30 teaching university history. Thank you for your excellent work.

[@bernardcheewanwong2510]

love the sound when he said angrily when talking about the 8 hours old report bit

[@essenceofsuchness]

But the times shown in the video make it to be 6 hours: 1242 to 1845 Should it have said 1042 instead?

[@sangay9361]

@@essenceofsuchness the sighting was at 10:24 but the pilot made it to base at 12:45. The report was over 8 hours old instead of just being over two hours old

[@essenceofsuchness]

@@sangay9361 Ah yes of course, thanks for that. I was too focussed on what was shown on screen at 26:05

[@chrissosa3723]

My guy, I cannot fully express how amazing your videos are, I watched the whole thing in what felt like 10-15 minutes, the level of effort put into these videos is nothing short of praise-worthy

[@zachharris862]

I am one of those youtubers that watch videos and browse the comment section, taking note of the general reaction of other viewers and sometimes have a laugh if there are funny jokes made. I’ve never commented on a video before in 10 years of youtubing. Never saw the value in it. I don’t even know if you’ll read my comment. I hope you do though, as this is the most impressive video I have seen in terms of content, quality and quantity, in my youtubing life. Love your work mate, great job.

[@bunkerhousing]

Is he not great our montemayor.

[@blye4181]

My favorite youtuber uploads again. Time to rewatch this for the next 3 months because it's fucking AMAZING

[@MontemayorChannel]

Thanks Blye!

[@TysoniusRex]

I'd heard of Savo Island, but this is the first time I learned exactly what it meant. Simply an incredible video, you really deserve an award. Informative, and tragic for so many. Thanks very, very much for sharing this.

[@robertsaiz3339]

You should read The Two Ocean War by Samuel Elliot Morrison. This book gives detail in maps with ship movements similar to the video. Has much detail of almost every battle.

[@slimeydon]

Based on what Mikawa knew, he made the right decision. He had actually accomplished his mission in that the transports withdrew shortly after the battle.

[@SenorTucano]

Wrong. His mission was to DESTROY the transports, not CLEAR Savo Sound.

[@gandydancer9710]

@@leong108 The podcast omits to mention this, but the materiel transports had NOT been emptied. They were withdrawn WITHOUT being emptied. And sinking the remaining transport fleet would have eliminated all those ships and crews and materiel from the war, which would have been far from insignificant. Which is not to say that Mikawa was wrong in theory to withdraw. He had to fear not only the carriers' but the airfield's planes.

[@notinterested8397]

The idea of the Guadalcanal invasion was to size the airfield before it was operational. Therefore, there were no allied planes to fear at the airfield.

[@Shoelessjoe78]

​@@gandydancer9710the Marines still would have held. They broke Japanese resistance before they needed the supplies thanks to outdated tactics and poorly supplied Japanese troops. It was overkill like most of the war. The minute Japan attacked it lost.

[@peteranninos2506]

My Flight Instructor in the late 70's and early 80's, Ralph Conaway, told me about this battle. He was on The Vincennes. He told me that they got the abandon ship warning and couldn't understand why as his battle station was in engineering and they weren't aware of significant damage. When he came up on deck, the ship was still making significant headway, the water was just at deck level and rising. He just stepped into the water and watched the ship continue on and sink like a submarine taking a huge number of sailors with it. Later after the war he was stationed in Japan and two of the principle Japanese commanders were now civilians and worked under a US navy Chief (Ralph) ! They kept in touch until the Japanese passed away and Ralph died about 1985 from Cancer.

[@tedshed9691]

thanks for that part of the story.

[@boryswalczyna9923]

Personal experience is so precious, thanks for sharing

[@MarcusHansen276]

That’s actually insane

[@dmeyerbcp]

Incredible. Guys like Ralph are leaving us for good now. My mother in law also lived through that war. Amazing times ... we need to be grateful for their contribution to enabling us to have the opportunities that we have today. thanks for sharing.

[@protonjones54]

I can't imagine the kinds of conversations the old commanders would have with your mate!

[@rbolduan]

My grandfather, for as little as he talked about his time in the Navy during WWII did once tell me, "Guadalcanal was a hellhole". He left it at that. I've always had an idea why, but this one really drove it home. Stationed in the bowels of the Wilson (he was a boilerman), I can't imagine what this was like realizing you're one of the only surviving ships when the morning broke. Thank you so much.

[@shangri-la-la-la]

I'm glad my grandpa opened up about what he went through in the Battle of the Bulge in the last few years he was alive. One of the few things I ever saw him get angry at was people blindly glorifying war. Considering he was a machine gunner with 2 deserters in his group, was fired at several times, had to consider killing a group of 17 captured German soldiers as night was falling all to get taken from the fields due to trench foot I could understand why.

[@theboldr]

@@shangri-la-la-la I did get an Iwo Jima story out of mine. He was there for the landings as a CPO (again, in the boiler room) on an amphibious assault ship which my grandmother and mother to this date keep calling a "hospital ship". While it's true that his ship spent a lot of time ferrying casualties off the island, it also was part of the force that dropped them off. My grandmother and mother say he "Enjoyed his time on the Sibley the most", but if the alternative was watching your entire fleet get wiped out, I can understand why. War sucks.

[@krudeddie]

I think if i had to pick one job not to do on a war ship that would be it. To be down in the bowels of the ship keeping it running as its getting pounding knowing that even when the call for abandon ship the odds of you making it out are not with you is one level above brave. Much respect to your Grandfather and other men who did this job.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@theboldr two truer words have never been spoken. War sucks

[@protipskiptoendofvideoandr286]

@@theboldr like the us soldier that wrote War is Hell on his helmet. I dont know personally but I've heard enough stories to know that they are braver men and woman then me, and I tip my hat to them.

[@dc43tokyo]

For those who haven't already read it, Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal by James D. Hornfischer gives an incredible moment by moment account in graphic detail of what happend that night at Savo Sound.

[@dimitrikemitsky]

@@ohio like, "hey if you haven't read it, you should."

[@benjaminbuchanan7151]

It’s a great book

[@altair458]

@@ohio you don't get his disclaimer? I think that it would be safe to bet that their are a lot of things in life that you don't get. God bless you and stay safe

[@IslandStyle123]

Just ordered it from Amazon. Thanks for the heads up.

[@charleskupfer9920]

Wow, this is just as good as your documentary on Midway! You're a real pro. A true documentarian and historian. Thanks for your great work.

[@hyperx72]

"WARNING! JAPANESE SHIPS ATTACKING!" "Oh no! Anyways..."

[@icewaterslim7260]

"Turn those damned lights off! We're freindlies" . . . Jeez we're trying to sleep here fellas.

[@hektor6766]

@@icewaterslim7260 "実は..."

[@ApexPredatorWithSungGlasses]

Glad to see Montemayor is still doing videos. I just love the way he does his videos being clear and concise. He also provides his sources! I'll keep on holding hope til we get: - The full naval side of the Guadalcanal Campaign - Battle of the Denmark Strait and the hunt for Bismarck - Battle of Taranto and most especially!!! - Battle of Leyte Gulf (the full coverage! from the Sibuyan Sea, Surigao Straight, Cape Engaño, Battle off Samar!)

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

That will take a few years, as per Montemayor rate of fire. But, you know, I'm more than glad to wait. For I know they will be excellent.

[@-Wreckanize-]

Battle of Savo Island: The most extreme example of "not my problem"

[@refuge42]

It is a fascinating study in Murphy's law and especially the effect of miscommunication and non-communication.

[@hatterstadia6258]

pouring-oil-in-the-sink.jpg

[@billnixon8320]

You definitely possess clarity of vision...

[@Warmaker01]

Swiss Cheese model leading into mishaps went into effect here. The American forces were very powerful and should have easily crushed Mikawa's sortie before even getting to Guadalcanal. Lots of mistakes leading into harsh losses, but the Americans would learn from this.

[@MPlain]

The epic list of how in the hell is just nuts. To think that any military is capable of accomplishing all of this cluster fck at the same time is just wow. And getting away with it. I'm not sure who was luckier here. The japaneese for pulling it off....or the americans for not getting completely creamed.

[@sgtsecluded8311]

Amazing video. I honestly just can't say anything more than thank you for giving visual learners such a high quality way to take in these stories.

[@valengar7]

Your analysis is so easy to follow but still extremely detailed. Excellent work. Thank you for this.

[@thom_wye]

considering we're talking about giant naval battles that put hundreds and thousands of men under stress most of us cannot imagine, isn't it ironic how cozy and relaxing watching this video is

[@jasonx1174]

It's relaxing thanks to his general framing and narration.

[@TnTBLACK95]

I'm sure these videos are time consuming to put together but man I wish he had a bunch more! These are very well done!

[@philsalsbery9994]

Be sure to see his 3 part video package on the Battle of Midway.

[@SL4PSH0CK]

everything w/ allotted effort is.

[@nowhereknowhow3348]

Great job, you have produced likely the greatest history video on KZbin. Congratulations on your great success, much appreciation from myself!

[@ramcortez4289]

What makes Montemayor's videos great is that it always places us in the shoes of those people in the battle. Most especially it brings back humanity to the "opponent" in WW2. By placing us in the shoes of the "Japanese" navy, montemayor makes us realize that the opponent in these battles are more than just the fearless, brave people fighting for the japanese empire that is often described in western documentaries.

[@zaidanmujahid6567]

Correct me if I am wrong,I think it is because The Military strength and capability of the Japanese Empire were overshadowed by their sheer amount of atrocities,which makes a bad impression on Foreign lands.So most potrayed em as Bloodthirsty bunch looking for people to kill whether on land or sea

[@thethirdjegs]

To see 10 mins after upload, knowing he rarely uploads - i felt lucky.

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

It sucks that this video isn't performing well in the KZbin algorithm. This video deserves 1M views

[@lensak.a.z987]

Nobody wants to spend 1 hour for just youtube video

[@HW-sw5gb]

@@lensak.a.z987 The other videos on this channel apparently disagree with you.

[@MrKen-wy5dk]

It's been popping up on mine for weeks and I just now decided to watch it.

[@rhynosouris710]

Because there weren't any cute kittens. Not one!

[@whenyoupulloutyourdickands4023]

Its almost there

[@musclesmouse]

Your material is so detailed. This remastering makes it so much clearer why the groups were so ill prepared and not just incompetent.

[@myvideosetc.8271]

Definition of quality: this. Even the background music matches perfectly.

[@republish368]

You must do A LOT MORE of such videos. This is one of the BEST if not the BEST formats to explain the WW2 actions EVER! Many thanks to dedicate yourself to making new generations know what people lived so that today we can say FREEDOM and live in it. Good KARMA to you dude ;)

[@simonnot8487]

Regarding the USS Chicago: the Hepburn Investigation, held by USN board of inquiry over a period of months after Savo Island, drafted a report on the battle recommended official censure for Captain Bode, for his failure to warn the Northern Group about the attack. The report named him as the only one who should be (rightfully) disciplined (at least not in public). In war, the military is pretty forgiving about performance in the beginning because shit happens and the new generation of men leading are pretty new to combat operations. But I do believe the census was that Bode's performance was so abysmal, no one in the Navy can forgive him, not even excusing him for shit-happens or a ensign-newbie-at-the-bridge. Poor Bode must have felt the same shame experienced by Japanese Officers who carried out Seppuku, because when he heard that the report was gonna turn the searchlights on him, he shot himself to death.

[@joelmccoy9969]

Military officers reach for the brass ring of promotion in peacetime, it feathers their nest, feeds their families, strokes their ego, gives them a purpose. But they are frequently not of the combined aggression caliber and cool intellectual judgment of an Admiral Mikawa. The USN at Savo Is. was frazzled and inexperienced. The IJN Mikawa flotilla was fresh, initiating an attack they had trained for, and lucky. At Midway, the IJN was frazzled by 10:20AM having been in combat for hours and in service all night in preparation, they had been worn down and were ready for a respite. Admiral Ghormley had an abscessed tooth at the critical moment of his career. The CO of the whole operation that had been under attack all day, left the scene and took his big ship with him, Capt. Bode was not alone in his failures. Crazy.

[@sid2112]

@@joelmccoy9969 Having had an abscessed wisdom tooth, I wince. That was the worst pain I ever felt. Worse than kidney stones. Worse than the 6 inch gash in my leg when I was a kid. So much pain it changed me. Made me more empathetic. God that hurt.

[@donlove3741]

@@joelmccoy9969 Savo was an uncorroborated Allied fleet. Intel was weak. Radar was weak. Night fighting was weak. Promotions in 1940s Navy wasn't like today. Prior to 1940 Officers didn't advance quickly. Advancement was limited by the availability of slots/billets for officers. The rapid Expansion of all US forces opened the floodgates of the officer corps. The crucible of Battle proves competence and exposes incompetence. The Fog of war is the ever present variable. Naval warfare education is not without cost. Lessons were learned yet the Battle of Taffy 3 showed the lessons learned weren't always at the forefront. Taffy 3 also illustrated the mettle of a battle hardened and aggressive maturity of the USN and its leadership.

[@tessierashpoolmg7776]

@@sid2112 Pain? Compound fracture of femur > 10 abscesses.

[@sid2112]

@@tessierashpoolmg7776 10 abscessed teeth? Good Christ man!

[@露火-b6m]

you're doing great man. your videos are so helpful! i hope you to continue making videos like this. its very interesting and an hour feels like a second

[@leaflizer2041]

No way dude I was just rewatching your stuff yesterday

[@axelNodvon2047]

Same thing what a coincidence

[@bastiankunz4585]

Same here

[@azkamil]

I can remember how 40min midway video went by as 5min.

[@charlesjmouse]

With the information at hand Mikawa couldn't have done a better job, and like any good commander he assumed his enemy would be at the very least as competent as himself. Speculation about what he might have done differently is entirely motivated by the benefit of hindsight. More, with the loss of his charts going for the transports at night could have easily turned his victory in to an embarrassing disaster. On the allied side their preparation and actions on engagement with the enemy might be called a "comedy of errors" if it weren't for all the lives lost as a result. -If things are going well for me, I am lucky. How long will my luck last? -If things are going well for the enemy, they are doing a better job. How do I improve?" The moment you turn those principles on their head in your arrogance and overconfidence you have lost!

[@lorenrogers9269]

I agree 100%. First Savo Island was Mikawa’s masterstroke. Yes, he was lucky, but that’s all part of the game. Same for Admiral Tanaka at Tassafaronga, a battle second only to first Savo Island on the U.S. Navy worst ass kicking it ever got scale.

[@trendlinetracker3147]

Japanese command staff could have prioritized the transports, and should have.

[@BigRed999]

I disagree - hindsight or not. Mikawa should have lingered longer taking advantage by completing (at least) another 'racetrack' if not more. If as good a Commander as you mention, he should have realized the chance he had to devastate the invasions - How could you play it safe?! These opportunities just don't happen! AND that was their problem - how cautious they were until the end - when using frontline assets in suicide attacks e.g, Yamato). The majority of historians give the IJN 'leadership' more credit than 'I' think they're worthy of.

[@summertimerainman5502]

That's nonsense. Winning a war means solving a problem. You break the problem down in several problems which you break down in even more detailed problems. Each soldier tries to solve the problem assigned to him by using his brain and cooperating with his comrades while keeping in mind the higher tier problems and how they relate to the current mission. Since every problem and every situation is unique the optimal action to take often cannot be figured out using simple guiding principles; especially not if you use foolish ones like: "If things are going well for me, I am lucky. How long will my luck last?"

[@owlsayssouth]

the goal of the operation was to destroy the invasion force. to strike at the american invasion of their islands. the Transports are just as important as the naval escorts, if secondary (in order of priority, as obviously the naval escorts can strike back at your naval forces). the japanese assumption is of carriers supporting the invasion, which means the idea that the americans will withdraw without their escorts untrue, as the carriers would still be escorting them (plus the destroyers they know were still in the area). he had taken a large risk in the operation, and a descisive destruction of the transports would severly hamper ongoing operations by the americans until they could be replaced. and that would take time. the Japanese plan for the War against the USA relied on trying to force a peace withing a year and a half of the start, before the americans will be able to swamp them with their superior industry. so even if losses are taken this would be needed. no matter the loss of charts (that will cause problems leaving at any time, or just having one of the other ships take the lead in navigation (and possibly transfering his flag to another ship, with said undestroyed charts)). daylight bringing air attack is a valid concern, with the japanese belief that the carriers were there. but three of four hours head start isn't going to make much of a difference for that. instead, strike them perhaps sail north, instead of up the slot, daring the enemy to move into more constrained waters to pursue. easy enough once clear to said back west to base. with the destruction of the enemy fleet, plus transports, would be worth the cost of some ships, possibly, to air attack.

[@stevelu9340]

Mikawa's fleet is not designed to be a suicidal one, limited mission goals and limited ammunition and fuel, as a commander he completed the best he could already. Nothing to be blame.

[@coyoteken1000]

More importantly limited intelligence on the location of the American carriers

[@francischambless5919]

My son and I are in complete admiration of Mikawa, his old but capable fleet and brave sailors. They did their duty and our fleet paid the price heavily. Was glad to hear of his survival of the war and how he lived afterwards. I'm certain knowledge of the missed opportunity hit him hard, but he has nothing but our respect for his tactical decisions. Wish we had all of them on our side but it just wasn't the case. Hopefully we all learn from these mistakes and elevate humanity above tragedies of war.

[@Doyle-]

Yeah at this time of war the Japanese still have some resource to fight with even though they lost 4 carriers in previous battle yet the war is still a stalemate at this point

[@KrillLiberator]

It was possibly the single greatest performance of any Japanese surface naval force in the entire war. Even Tanaka couldn't top a result like that, with all his daring runs down the Slot.

[@robertrichard6107]

Wasn't the fleet Britain helped get built for Japan used against the Russians in 1905 also trained in night fighting? Weren't several of those battles at night in the Sea of Japan? 'makes me wonder if that crossed Adm. Turners mind. Tsar Nicholas lost face in the 'Royals Status' before the Hapsburgs pulled the levers for WWI.

[@OnerousEthic]

What a storyteller! Such excellent integration of animated graphics! So easy to understand! Such great music! Well done!!!

[@ejp123md6]

This guy is the Tarintino of ww2 videos. They are phenomenal. There’s So much regurgitation of the same stories/videos/pictures on other channels but these stories are really like no other online, original stories of both sides WW2. I really look forward to how he tells the story.

[@Hello-ig1px]

Kings & Generals has a Pacific War series that is still on going. New episodes weekly and there is already like 40 videos and they aren't even half way done

[@untruelie2640]

I thought that your previous videos were already perfect. I was wrong. This documentary is the single most impressive piece of educational/informational art I have ever seen. The information density and depth (including sources), the animations, the music, the pacing, the dramaturgic element... everything is of such high quality.

[@gumnaamaadmi007]

It took me ten minutes to sub to this channel. One of the few that I paused the video, subbed, and resumed watching. What a video! I am so looking forward to spending the rest of my Sunday on a binge.

[@somedudethatripsplanetinha4221]

I love how these videos manage to immerse yourself so well that you actually begin to feel bad when Japan loses an asset or two, not just for the Americans, and you get to experience what the commanders felt when something happened.

[@44CoReY44]

Mikawa didn't make a mistake. He gave his best judgment on what info he had. You can easily say that the air raids were to blame for the survival of the transports as much as Mikawa, since they attacked before Mikawa destroyed most of their AA screen. They could have finished off if not badly criple the remaining forces if they attacked the american forces after Mikawa's. Hindsight is 2020 and it is stupid to blame someone for not being a suicidal fortune teller.

[@teachingthecode4651]

I agree

[@jackfletch2001]

Hindsight is 20/20, just like you said. How would the Japanese know whether or not if they sent aircraft afterwards if they wouldn't encounter interceptors?

[@soilhands7853]

um DUH this was a NIGHT attack, having bombers follow up would be completely futile! try flying and bombing in the dark, genius.

[@rodrigopaim82]

@@soilhands7853 He is saying that the bombers could attackad by dawn, obviously. But again that is also hingsight (which was the point of his comment)

[@vinceb8041]

Although a counterargument could be made in the larger scheme of the war and the situation Japan was already in: If you are being attacked, and score a defensive victory - no matter how pristine and decisive - the absolute best you can achieve is postpone your defeat. Mikawa might have deduced that, against an industrially strong enemy only an offensive blow could really alter their fate.

[@Dilettante-l1s]

20:00 Japanese pilots reported that they destroyed 7 Cruisers and 2 destroyers and many transport ships. But the commander(25th air, Yamada Sadayoshi) knew it was complete bullshit so he officially reported "1 CA / 1 DD / 9 transports ships destroyed". Very imagnative they were.

[@BatCostumeGuy]

My man was a living bs detector.

[@SoulDuckling126]

🤣 BS detector

[@aaronjohn6586]

The layers to why the USN thought it was so superior to the IJN are amazing. The IJN was so much better trained at night fighting, their torpedoes were vastly better, their powder was flash less. Looking at the early years of the war the IJN gave as good if not better then it got. Yes 4 carriers lost and the aircrews hurt a lot but their surface fleet was still formidable.

[@MontemayorChannel]

I totally Agree Aaron John.

[@InLoveWithCities]

In the end that didn't matter. The US had such a vast advantage in industry and manpower that they couldn't really lose as long as support for the war was high in the population.

[@nogisonoko5409]

@@InLoveWithCities Everyone knew that. But one must not doubt Japanese surface fleet quality if they are in their playground. Only the latter war ships USN fielded with superior radar and FCS they could compete with Japanese surface fleet sufficiently at night.

[@bradleyhenry7711]

Great series of videos! I hope you find the time to continue soon, but I bet these take awhile to research and put all the graphics together. Thank you for these, you really did a great job! Here's to hoping for more!

[@DivergencesofHistory]

I only found the channel yesterday and binge watched everything And now I get to do it a little more today :D

[@rustycomer8502]

Ditto. If Montemayor puts this much effort into his hobby - I imagine he must be a beast at whatever he does for his day job”!!! Which I hope is finding a cure for cancer, or in some other field that might be beneficial to mankind!

[@stray-wolf]

This was actually really engaging. Good delivery.

[@adamtruong1759]

Poor Jarvis, I suppose her loss wasn't in vain, not completely anyway.

[@thomaspowell7468]

It wasn’t. The planes that attacked her were on their way to hit the transports. But they instead found and attacked her

[@Nightsight971]

@@thomaspowell7468 Why would one ship take priority a troop landing area, carrier yes, but not a reported cruiser. Such a great video.

[@thomaspowell7468]

@@Nightsight971 Japanese sea control doctrine. They sink what they perceive to be a capital ship so to them they did that they were supposed to do

[@adamtruong1759]

The ship and crew didn't even sacrifice themselves willingly to protect the transports, they're were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

[@gjbaker1]

These videos are extremely well done and highly educational. As a former US Naval officer and military history enthusiast, I find these videos to be invaluable in grasping the actions of battle and strategy in this method of maps, timelines, and events. You are to be highly commended for your work! Well done, sir!

[@chelsiec3819]

This is amazing. I'm literally in awe. Thank you for your hard work.

[@celticman1909]

As soon as I heard that MacArthur's command was in the crucial loop concerning Naval operations I knew it was going to be fucked up.

[@robertfrost1683]

McArthur ~ the most overrated general officer in world war 2

[@erikrungemadsen2081]

The momment i heard his name, i just had a sinking sensation in my stomach.

[@jimwagoner4741]

Same here.

[@francischambless5919]

@@robertfrost1683 My son and I are in complete admiration of Mikawa, his old but capable fleet and brave sailors. They did their duty and our fleet paid the price heavily. Was glad to hear of his survival of the war and how he lived afterwards. I'm certain knowledge of the missed opportunity hit him hard, but he has nothing but our respect for his tactical decisions. Wish we had all of them on our side but it just wasn't the case. Hopefully we all learn from these mistakes and elevate humanity above tragedies of war.

[@michaelhill2844]

@@robertfrost1683 Nah, still Montgomery. :)

[@coddpedo8946]

Yaaaay. He’s back. My favorite KZbin history channel

[@lelievre12]

The attention to the fine detail of the scout plane sighting reports explains the situation perfectly. In a way also Fletcher's departure with his carriers and air cover can be seen as the first domino that caused Crutchley to be absent from his command. He was instead in conference with Truner dealing with the lack of cover.

[@franklarizza7683]

Fletcher s Carriers could not do much, carrier planes didn't fly at night in this stage of the war.

[@emisunflowers]

>clicks this video in recommended "Wow this is amazing immediately" >clicks channel >sees that all other videos look like this one and are similar subject matter Probably the quickest I've ever subbed to a channel

[@stoggafllik]

>greentexting outside of the nigerian basket-weaving board Wew lad.

[@emisunflowers]

@@stoggafllik I learned this art from a Chinese frog breeding forum

[@cliffcannon]

Wait 'til you watch his three-part series on the Battle of Midway ... probably the best visual presentation of that battle ever made for both clarity and accuracy.

[@BatCostumeGuy]

HOLY COW, A FEMALE ON A HISTORY VIDEO? THAT'S RARER THAN A FRICKIN UNICORN.

[@emisunflowers]

@@BatCostumeGuy ;)

[@bad3nergytroll]

Watching your videos makes me feel like when I was a kid; getting ready to watch a good movie I haven't watched yet, but heard many good things about. Thank You.

[@wittycommentator]

I absolutely love your WWII videos. Rather than just reciting the wikipedia page for a battle, you get us inside the minds of the commanders on both sides. It's a great way for us to understand why the events happened in the sequence that they did. I'm also a huge fan of your map-based graphic recreations of the battles, and your tabulation of the losses that each side faced at the end of each encounter. Keep making more great videos like this one!

[@945045able]

Too long.

[@Bああ]

I appreciate that you take the time to name individual destroyers and light cruisers. I don't like that they're often thrown on the end of a list as "and 5 destroyers" or something to that effect.