Battle of Savo Island - Pacific War #38 DOCUMENTARY

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Kings and Generals' historical animated documentary series covering the Pacific War week by week continues with another video. Last week, the invasion of the Solomons was up to a good start. Yet despite its tremendous losses at Midway, the IJN was still standing and it still had sufficient strength to contest control of the south seas from the US, so Admiral Mikawa now prepared for a bold naval ambush that would prove to be one of the worst defeats in the history of the US Navy. Join us as we cover the Battle of Savo Island, and as we also take a look at some new developments on the Kokoda Track.
Pacific War Podcast: thepacificwar.podbean.com
Pacific War #1 - Attack on Pearl Harbor: • Attack on Pearl Harbor...
Pacific War #2 - Japanese Invasion of Malaya: • Japanese Invasion of M...
Pacific War #3 - Japanese attack Guam, Wake, the Philippines: • Japan Attacks Everywhe...
Pacific War #4 - Japan Continues Attacking: Borneo, Philippines: • Japan Continues Attack...
Pacific War #5 - Fall of Wake Island: • Fall of Wake Island - ...
Pacific War #6 - Battle of Kampar: • Battle of Kampar - Pac...
Pacific War #7 - Battle of Slim River: • Battle of Slim River -...
Pacific War #8 - Battle for the Dutch East Indies: • Battle for the Dutch E...
Pacific War #9 - Invasion of New Britain: • Invasion of New Britai...
Pacific War #10 - Fall of Malaya: • Fall of Malaya - Pacif...
Pacific War #11 - Battle of Makassar Strait: • Battle of Makassar Str...
Pacific War #12 - Fall of Singapore: • Fall of Singapore - Pa...
Pacific War #13 - Invasion of Sumatra: • Japanese Invasion of S...
Pacific War #14 - Invasion of Timor: • Japanese Invasion of T...
Pacific War #15 - Fall of Java: • Fall of Java - Pacific...
Pacific War #16 - Fall of Rangoon: • Fall of Rangoon - Paci...
Pacific War #17 - How the US Responded to Pearl Harbor: • How the US Responded t...
Pacific War #18 - Hideki Tojo: Bringing Japan Into The Pacific War: • Hideki Tojo: Bringing ...
Pacific War #19 - Japanese Raids in the Indian Ocean: • Japanese Raids in the ...
Pacific War #20 - Fall of Bataan & The Bataan Death March: • Fall of Bataan & The B...
Pacific War #21 - Doolittle Raid: • Doolittle Raid: Americ...
Pacific War #22 - Japanese Advance on Burma Road: • Japanese Advance on Bu...
Pacific War #24 - Battle of the Coral Sea: • Battle of the Coral Se...
Pacific War #25 - Fall of the Philippines: • Fall of the Philippine...
Pacific War #26 - Fall of Burma: • Fall of Burma - Pacifi...
Pacific War #27 - Operation Sei-Go: • How Japan Responded to...
Pacific War #28 - Battle of Midway: • Battle of Midway - Pac...
Pacific War #29 - Japanese Invasion of Alaska: • Japanese Invasion of A...
Pacific War #30 - Japanese Attack on Sydney: • Japanese Attack on Syd...
Pacific War #31 - MacArthur and the Philippines Disaster: • How MacArthur Caused t...
Pacific War #32 - Attacks New Guinea: • Japan Attacks New Guin...
Pacific War #33 - Biological Warfare in China: • Japanese War Crimes: B...
Pacific War #34 - Japan Attacks the Continental United States: • Japan Attacks the Cont...
Pacific War #35 - Invasion of Buna-Gona: • Invasion of Buna-Gona ...
Pacific War #36 - Battle of Kokoda: • Battle of Kokoda - Pac...
Pacific War #37 - Invasion of Solomon Islands: • Invasion of Solomon Is...
Support us on Patreon: / kingsandgenerals or Paypal: paypal.me/kingsandgenerals or by joining the youtube membership: / @kingsandgenerals We are grateful to our patrons and sponsors, who made this video possible: docs.google.com/document/d/1o...
The video was made by Zakuan Musa ( / @vectorhistoria7767 , while the script was researched and written by Ivan Moran, while Craig Watson ( / thepacificwarchannel ) consulted on the script. Narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )
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Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com
#Documentary #PacificWar #WorldWar

[@KingsandGenerals]

Pacific War Podcast: thepacificwar.podbean.com Pacific War #1 - Attack on Pearl Harbor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKu2Yo13qtGjpbs Pacific War #2 - Japanese Invasion of Malaya: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6GleIh5bbSde5Y Pacific War #3 - Japanese attack Guam, Wake, the Philippines: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4uXlWqHmt6crM0 Pacific War #4 - Japan Continues Attacking: Borneo, Philippines: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5m0o6luZ617pJo Pacific War #5 - Fall of Wake Island: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpjXkpqbrMikgdE Pacific War #6 - Battle of Kampar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3i8kpqefqikobs Pacific War #7 - Battle of Slim River: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5a6cn-notiLrtU Pacific War #8 - Battle for the Dutch East Indies: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onPam5qbqKumfLc Pacific War #9 - Invasion of New Britain: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIavZmZunp2Co9U Pacific War #10 - Fall of Malaya: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGiukoGqo5emfNE Pacific War #11 - Battle of Makassar Strait: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnuwqaVteqlrqqs Pacific War #12 - Fall of Singapore: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpDbdmd5i6xmqLs Pacific War #13 - Invasion of Sumatra: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enKVeX6XmtprrZY Pacific War #14 - Invasion of Timor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnqnYamqapdgrLs Pacific War #15 - Fall of Java: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4Cye5aoZ6mEibM Pacific War #16 - Fall of Rangoon: kzbin.info/www/bejne/parYaK1trLaBp8k Pacific War #17 - How the US Responded to Pearl Harbor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sF6TnZyJjqZpZq8 Pacific War #18 - Hideki Tojo: Bringing Japan Into The Pacific War: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXeyZaJjg5eZgc0 Pacific War #19 - Japanese Raids in the Indian Ocean: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2iYmautfMd5fqc Pacific War #20 - Fall of Bataan & The Bataan Death March: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYvWqaOdg9yrj8U Pacific War #21 - Doolittle Raid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioWwY3uIaLKnr9E Pacific War #22 - Japanese Advance on Burma Road: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJWtkGZtaLOsg6c Pacific War #24 - Battle of the Coral Sea: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX67aIxsg8-Wb6M Pacific War #25 - Fall of the Philippines: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3baeWulhtBpfpo Pacific War #26 - Fall of Burma: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqqrooGPlNVlbbs Pacific War #27 - Operation Sei-Go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIXEkJiropqbmrc Pacific War #28 - Battle of Midway: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmLUfKKkZ9eXsM0 Pacific War #29 - Japanese Invasion of Alaska: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZLcl3-iqtBgndE Pacific War #30 - Japanese Attack on Sydney: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ-8nmqGabSsn9U Pacific War #31 - MacArthur and the Philippines Disaster: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpe6cn6QmcqfqM0 Pacific War #32 - Attacks New Guinea: kzbin.info/www/bejne/emSZq56FapuVpqM Pacific War #33 - Biological Warfare in China: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2XalJKpr5uLfsU Pacific War #34 - Japan Attacks the Continental United States: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iamsYWaqo5yJbs0 Pacific War #35 - Invasion of Buna-Gona: kzbin.info/www/bejne/amPQnmWdis99sLM Pacific War #36 - Battle of Kokoda: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4jEn2etesdliNE Pacific War #37 - Invasion of Solomon Islands: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKCao5qujsp-lZo

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nicely done video

[@brokenbridge6316]

Thanks for liking my comment. I really enjoy your video's.

[@stormsurgeesports]

What's up with the gap between video 22 and 24?

[@KingsandGenerals]

@@stormsurgeesports Covid disrupted production. 23 is now ready and will be released relatively soon

[@stormsurgeesports]

@@KingsandGenerals I figured something happened. Thanks for the answer!

[@sodog44]

the gunnery skills of the IJN at this battle was purely astounding.

[@icewaterslim7260]

At nearly point blank range it might be that some of our gunnery was less so.

[@charleslarrivee2908]

Not only was Mikawa well aware of his lack of air cover in the event of a counterattack by Fletcher's carrier planes, but during the battle Quincy and Astoria had managed a few lucky hits into Chokai's superstructure; Mikawa himself was nearly killed, several of his staff were killed or wounded, and his charts of the waters around Guadalcanal were destroyed.

[@crapshot321]

Also, Mikawa was told before he left for Rabaul that the cruisers that he had would all he would have, since Japanese industry could not make good the losses. This means that going for the transports (was for him) a risk since he actually delayed the attack by several hours. This meant that if he did regroup and attacked the transports, he would have had only a short time before morning arose and would be vulnerable to Allied fighters. He did not know that Fletcher had left, and after the war when asked, Mikawa said that of course he would have attacked the transports had he known the Marines had no air cover. But you know, the fog of war and all that...

[@Conn30Mtenor]

The IJN trained extensively in night operations, had better optics and the best torpedo of the war. Like so many examples of superior tech and training leading to battlefield success, Savo island was prewar doctrine and training bearing fruit.

[@wolftamer5463]

I’m glad someone mentioned this. Coming within an inch of dying would affect anyone’s decision making, even if the rest of the battle seems like an overwhelming victory. It was kinda the same with Nagumo and his staff nearly nearly getting killed by a B-26 crashing into the Akagi at the start of Midway.

[@abrahamtorres4474]

These are facts 👌🏻

[@kevinscarborough8834]

My grandfather was a gunner on the USS Vincennes in this battle and was badly wounded. His stories about it were incredible. Thank you for this video--I've shared with my family. We are very proud of him.

[@theawesomeman9821]

cool!

[@jayfelsberg1931]

In his tremendous work in the USN in WWII, Samuel E. Morrison called Savo Island, "The worst defeat in a fair fight un the history of the United States Navy. " Well put.

[@icewaterslim7260]

IMO the Battler of the Java Sea at least rivals it since the total destruction of the allied ABDACOM fleet left us more vulnerable at that very early point in the war. As far as exposing our lack of rediness this one was deadlier than Tassaferonga..Winning the Naval Battle of Okinawa was deadlier than any of those three or any other Naval battle of the Pacific War.

[@memecliparchives2254]

This battle should always remind any side of a conflict: Never underestimate the enemy.

[@andywomack3414]

Prepare for what an enemy can do as well as what they are expected to do. A form of that statement showed up in another KZbin presentation of this battle.

[@archlefirth2279]

@@andywomack3414 Prepare not for what your enemy would do but prepare for what your enemy could do.

[@andywomack3414]

@@archlefirth2279 Much more poetic. Thanks.

[@syncmonism]

Well, you're not wrong, but the battle is a more poignant example of the importance of not taking completely unnecessary risks. Failing to tell your subordinates that you're going to be unavailable for a period of time, failing to put someone else in command... This was a major failure of basic command/communication procedures, which would have been a totally unnecessary risk even if the chances of the Japanese attacking were significantly lower than they already were in this situation. Mikawa got lucky, and caught the Allies right when they had made a huge procedural blunder. His attack probably didn't rely on this blunder in order to be successful, but it was particularly successful as a result of this good luck.

[@johnsimspon8893]

You're right there. The enemy are the worst.

[@wolfu597]

At Savo Island, the US Navy learned how skilled the Japanese were at night fighting, the hard way. The Allied cruisers had radars on board, but they had no idea on how to use it effectively. Captain Howard Bode on the USS Chicago, belived that radar functioned in the same way as search lights, and therefore ordered his men to shut it down for the night, on the grounds of not giving away his ships position to the enemy.

[@apexnext]

I had no idea. I mean it was completely new technology, even conceptually. So I can see how mistakes were made.

[@Cailus3542]

@@apexnext Unfortunately, it wasn't new technology at all, and there was no excuse for the ignorance. The British had been employing radar in combat for years at this point, forming a cohesive air-defence network in 1940 (the Battle of Britain, which gave the RAF a crucial advantage). Then there was the Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941, when British battleships used radar to sneak up on an Italian heavy cruiser division at night and annihilate it at point blank range. The Italians learned a crucial lesson (night-fighting without radar was suicidal) but the US Navy didn't. Even at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack force was actually detected by US radar but was misidentified. US flag officers in 1942 tended to vary from genius to incredible incompetence.

[@memecliparchives2254]

@@apexnext And the Japanese their long tested night optics. As opposed to radar, at this time only a few select US Navy ships have it.

[@oldfrend]

that is so stupid it beggars belief. all you have to do is look outside at night to see that the radar doesn't give off any visible light.

[@chrisanderson6797]

How may allied lives were lost because this idiot American captain did do his home work?

[@an0gr0br]

Great video, as always. Couldn’t help but crack a smile at the pronunciation of Vincennes (the “probably” correct French “vahn-sen”), as compared to the Americanized “vin-sanes” (the ship, named after a battle, named after a town in Indiana that is definitely pronounced that way 😊).

[@Thylein]

It is just stunning and confusing how many naval officers in the second world war did not report enemy contacts, even after getting shot to pieces.... What was the thinking of those captains? Why no report to the other vessels? The enemy already knew their location as he had fired upon them, so breaking radio silence for such a ship should not be an issue.

[@mystikmind2005]

That was the American tradition since day 1 of the war at Pearl where the Japanese strike force was detected by radar and not reported.... but, even when things are reported they are not given proper attention anyway as was the case with the submarine encounter at that same time. I suppose it is peace time complacency that becomes the habit that becomes the big mistake.

[@davidsargent9359]

They WERE. reported! USS Blue reported the scout planes, hq took it as misidentified B17 , spotted Mikawa too RAAF Hudson’s BROKE RADIO SILENCE to report them. Turner had 7 hours to prepare. This battle is why our forces , self included , train so much together. Share systems of communication. I was disappointed Kings And Generals repeated the myth that the Hudson’s of the RAAF stuffed it for everyone. PS USS 38 (?) was so close to Mikawa her torpedoes wouldn’t have armed in time.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@davidsargent9359 Turner didn't get his report until the next morning because Macarthur's command went through the regular channels with the sightings. So it went to Pearl Harbor then back out to Guadacanal. The intel that Turner did get on time misidentified Mikawa's cruisers as Seaplane tenders which you could fault Turner for assuming they were setting up a Seaplane operation. You might want to check out Montemayor's KZbin post on this battle. Turner BTW was the guy who failed to notify Admiral Kimmel that Battleship Row was being reconnoitered at Pearl Harbor by japanese spies just a couple days previous to the attack. . . So there's the irony / karma of that depending on how you'd want to see it.

[@Jobe-13]

Maritime warfare feels like it has more high stakes. I love watching these.

[@gunman47]

Ah the Battle of Savo Island, the site of the United States Navy's worst defeat and already covered in detail prior by many other KZbinrs as well. It was even portrayed briefly in the first episode of The Pacific. The Japanese will probably take this opportunity to try land troops and take down the Marines with their loss of naval support (except naval transports). Next, the Alligator Creek near the Tenaru River awaits...

[@Luis-be9mi]

I remembered that episode in the show, when one of the marines said excitedly that admiral turner was sending the whole Japanese navy to the bottom of the channel. Then Leckie said I love your optimism. I agreed with him knowing that the marines are in for a shock the next morning.

[@69Applekrate]

can never get enough. always something new to learn or remember that almost 1,000 sailors died that night. Not to be taken lightly or forgotten

[@jackson857]

Cool to see in more detail a naval battle I'd only seen ever so briefly in The Pacific. Such a great series. The only thing that's slightly letting it down is some of the incorrect pronunciation of places.

[@Bugsquash]

Kokoda is koh-koh-da not cockada

[@jackturner4917]

Good video. Montemayor does an amazing in depth video that is a must watch.

[@shaivahnparsons3244]

This is a key engagement mentioned in Fleet Tactics by Capt. Hughes. Important for USN officers to learn as much from their defeats as their victories. The Japanese showed that surprise, speed and violence of action with a bit of luck can be decisive in surface engagements. It also proves the point that command and control relies on quick and accurate communication between officers - if they do not talk, they die alone.

[@peymanmostafaei6963]

Again, like the Battle of Midway, I can't stress enough the quality of Montemayor's video on this battle. On a side note, I don't know why most Allied commanders have their guards down after a victory. A similar situation happened in the Battle of Bulge where literally Germans used unpreparedness of allied troops to push through the front there even though the Wermacht at that stage of the war was on its last fumes.

[@jlvfr]

It's not just the allies; both the germans and japanese did this. It's just human psychology: "yah we good we win, take that, let's celebrate!". Happens again and again all over history.

[@Aspir3xx]

It's always been like that. Once a major and strategic victory has been achieved it's always been celebrated. The Streak of Victories by the British against the Italians in North Africa then was pushed back when the Germans intervened with their Afrika Corps and Rommel.

[@blockmasterscott]

@@jlvfr Very true, the Japanese were guilty of this on planning for Midway.

[@jlvfr]

@@blockmasterscott yep...

[@EK-gr9gd]

@@Aspir3xx Don't compare German troops with the Italians.

[@10_sayyidnouvalaflah56]

i always waiting for the next series of pacific theatre, finally it came

[@mystikmind2005]

One small correction, the Australian pilots did report the sightings, although there was a lack of a sense of urgency because the Solomon landings were kept secret from them... even though by then the Japanese were already aware of it!! It was mainly the stupid American communication bureaucracy from MacArthur's chain of command to Turners command that caused the problem.

[@mystikmind2005]

@@aussiemilitant4486 As far as i was aware, that was a 'suspected' torpedoing, but was never proven? Perhaps people could not believe an American torpedo actually detonated?? lol

[@mystikmind2005]

@@aussiemilitant4486 true, but so far as the torpedoing is concerned, i have seen nothing that says "yes we proved that happened" What i have seen are the circumstances which appear to make it highly likely to have happened. But i do not think it is rock solid enough to put down as fact in a historical video.

[@icewaterslim7260]

@@mystikmind2005 good call

[@ifga16]

Love your presentation. One minor gripe is pronunciation of the name, Vincennes. It is is Vin senz as we Yanks have our colloquialisms.

[@meofamily4]

Thanks. I kept looking for a ship named Vi-chenn.

[@RW77777777]

we've all seen L.A Confidential

[@pepagacy]

I heard it as the Von-cen rather than the American pronunciation of Vin-senz. Kinda threw me off there. Otherwise this was an excellent presentation.

[@devereuxbirdzell]

Narration so good my imagination turns it into movie quality drama and action. * the fantastic score and excellent animations don't hurt.

[@paulceglinski3087]

Another excellent entry into the War week by week. Can't wait for the next vid. Thanks K&G.

[@Firecracker048]

Just wanted to let you guys know to you make great videos. My two kids love to watch them with me all the time

[@noelthorley3248]

Kokoda track is pronounced Koh-koh-da! Sorry had to say that but glad you said track not trail. I had several uncles who fortunately all came home thanks to the "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angles" who thoroughly deserve their own special.

[@blackpowderuser373]

14:45 Yamamoto: Good job bro Mikawa: I missed their transports tho Yamamoto: You WHAT

[@circleancopan7748]

Yamamoto to Mikawa: You baka! Missed the transportsu, you have the chansu. Baka! *Slaps Mikawa*

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the information in this video

[@magellantv]

*Anxiously awaits the next installment 👀*

[@roimontero5665]

Another quality content. Thanks kings and general.

[@jonbaxter2254]

They are the true Kings

[@banerjeesiddharth05]

Mind blowing documentary 👌 🙌 👏

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , K&G . 🐺

[@vinylsolution2522]

Amazing series, keep up the great work.

[@13thravenpurple94]

Great work 🥳🥳🥳 Thank you 💜💜💜

[@johnrogers1423]

Top quality presentation. Suggest checking pronunciation of a few words, in particular Kokoda.

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

[@shaker7804]

Brilliant presentation as usual.

[@chriskilmer5197]

Well done and BRAVO

[@neonwafor280]

Thanks for everything

[@neoneo513]

Same here

[@socrates_the_great6209]

Great Series.

[@robbabcock_]

Thanks, another great installment! 🇺🇸⚔🇯🇵🗡🇦🇺

[@ridleyscurry2480]

A wonderful video, as always! One thing though that I have to mention: the silhouettes used to represent American ships are a mix of Japanese and American. The light cruiser used for Norman Scott's task force is a Japanese light cruiser. The destroyers used to represent the USS Ralph Talbot and the USS Blue are (I am 99% sure) Japanese destroyers, and the carriers used to represent Admiral Noyes's group are Japanese light carriers, but the carrier used to represent Fletcher's group is a Yorktown class US carrier. This doesn't subtract from the excellent overall quality of the video, but it is sorta weird, and rather annoying.

[@frankieM_]

on the representation of the battle, the US cruisers are sailing backwards as well

[@Wolfeson28]

@@frankieM_ Again.

[@dopplerhit8374]

This battle was deadly but its one of my favorite naval battles

[@andywomack3414]

Among my favorites are found in Thucydides "The History of the Pelopennesean War." The Victories of Phormio. There is something about rowed warships being used like human-powered torpedoes that tickles the imagination.

[@ganyumaindayone1112]

we talk a lot about how the uboat wrecked havoc on the allies, but the allies submarine in the pacific were also deadly af

[@Cailus3542]

That wouldn't kick off in earnest until late 1943. The handful of Dutch and British subs did some work, but there weren't many of them, and their bases were quite far away. The US subs were completely useless at this point. They had excellent crews and boats, but the Mark 14 torpedo was utterly useless, criminally so.

[@issacfoster1113]

@@Cailus3542 Not really. LoL . The subs that had the Mk10s worked perfectly. I don't know you said all of them were Useless. Do some research mate. You can ask Drach about the Exploits of USN subs in 42.

[@Cailus3542]

@@issacfoster1113 The Mark 10 worked, but it was still a WW1-era torpedo, and it had its own problems. Granted, 'completely useless' is hyperbolic (US subs had success here and there) but on a large scale, they had very little impact in 1942 given their numbers.

[@icewaterslim7260]

Late in the war our under-sung therefore under-appreciated Submarine blockade of the resource barren home islands was arguably as effective or more in smothering Japan's war production as Lemay's bombing campaign (minus the two nukes) and a helluva lot more cost effective in every aspect.

[@bkjeong4302]

Keep in mind, the American subs were against an enemy whose single biggest weakness was shitty ASW. Not that impressive once you take that into account:

[@allenjacobangeles1949]

This reminds me of Battlestations Pacific

[@Primetiime32]

It took a while for you to make a video of this event . I learned about this in HS. And didn't know how bad this event was until there was a book about it .

[@nylonkid01]

I love these videos. Any video on Nagasaki in the works?

[@irishpsalteri]

Helps so much to see maps and really understand the movement.

[@vojtechslezak4553]

There are few problems here and there in the video but still nice work considering the amount of videos you make. Carry on.

[@albertohusay3002]

Today is the anniversary of this battle.

[@t5ruxlee210]

The American fast freighters were almost as rare and precious an asset as the aircraft carriers and would not be unduly risked either. The best break for the Marines was their capture intact of large Japanese ration storage facilities around the airstrip. They found the beer and canned seafood "made the place worth fighting for", the rice, not so much.

[@minoru5760]

The fact even "one of the worst defeat in the history of the USN" couldn't turn over the deadly fate of IJN, tells us that how strategic initiative or decisive one shot is important I think. Thanks K&G for constantly brilliant movie!

[@memecliparchives2254]

I think thr IJN had a complete chance at Santa Cruz. If they sunk both Hornet AND Enterprise in that battle, all the Japanese needed to do was to completely seize the Solomon's, proceed to Fiji and New Caledonia. Finally, begin the final assault on Hawaii and maybe Midway. It could be argued that the Essex class would have been finished but there is no way the USN will be sending them with rushed trained crewmen or even if the F6F Hellcat enters standard service.

[@omarbradley6807]

@@memecliparchives2254 Well the IJN managed to achieve total air superiority after that, but the US were already winning on land and the USN have the Battleships who they would use in Guadalcanal

[@VirgoShelter]

@@memecliparchives2254 your giving them too much credit

[@kitolz]

@@memecliparchives2254 I think comparing the ship production rates of Japan to the US reveals that there was no way for Japan to overcome the US industrial superiority even if they doubled the amount of US ships sunk.

[@issacfoster1113]

@@memecliparchives2254 There is no way the Japanese will win the Pacific war. lol.

[@danalden1112]

Excellent material as always. Hope you can provide more details about Chicago Capt. Bode shooting him self in future.

[@jaredthehawk3870]

That was a result of him finding out the results of the board of inquiry that was investigating what went so catastrophically wrong at the battle. Apparently, the board recommended he be censured for his actions, and he took it poorly. The results were somehow leaked to him. He couldn't take the fact that they were being so critical of him. As the seniormost captain in Admiral Crutchley's absence, he was in command of the screening force, and he messed up royally. The board found him at fault for not sending a warning out to the other ships in the area to let them know of the enemy ships in the area.

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

Adm. Mikawa made a serious blunder with his Victory in the Cruiser fight at Savo Island, There's 2 theories, 1- Mikawa was fearing the Dawn and the Aircraft that came with it (this was a serious consideration), having achieved a victory it was time to saver the win & get out of Dodge with the little damage done to his. 2- "After Adm. Gunichi Mikawa just humiliated the American Fleet, the Now Naked, UN-loaded Transports sitting all pretty, all ready to be smashed to bits, which would have cancelled Guadalcanal Completely, possibly set the war back 6 months or better, BUT They were beneath even wasting the fuel to go bombard them, Sardine Cans when he just beat some of the best, OFF to Rabal and his congratulations" (actually Mikawa got reprimanded for Not firing on the transports, THAT was supposed to be their main Mission, disrupt the Landing)

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Tactical victory, strategic defeat for the Japanese.

[@92Psyco]

Eh I'd call it a strategic draw. The destruction of his cruiser screens forced Turner to pull his ships back before all materiel was unloaded, and this made life very hard for the marines on the island over the next few weeks

[@anggellos87]

Ka-ko-da

[@LBNOSIN]

THIS NEEDS MORE LIKES!!

[@Huben57]

Will you ever talk about the campaigns of Yue Fei?

[@ghostwriterj9421]

As a battleship fan this battle and Midway were the death of ship to ship combat. Long Live the Battleship! 😁

[@icewaterslim7260]

There was still an instance of a surface gunship battle late in '42 in the Battle of Tassafaronga aka "Night of the Long Lances". Night time was the right time for the Japanese once the carriers at Midway were lost and merely two capital carriers left with one of their aircrews somewhat depleted from attrition already. The fight consisted of our task group of cruisers ambushing their group of destroyers attempting a nighttime supply drop to the IJ Army troops on Guadalcanal. Basically we launched Mark 15s too late which still didn't work well anyway and they launched their long range torpedoes which took out most of our task group, most of which didn't bother with evasion probably because they were told by our "Ordinance Bureau" that the Japanese didn't have our quality of torpedoes . . . which was accurate in the opposite way than as stated. Best accounts so far of "The Battle of Tassafaronga" are by "The Operations Room" which is more consise and "History Media-HD".the later being more comprehensively detailed but both are good. Then there was the Battle off Samar but our Escort Carriers made the difference there. Lots more gunship night moves going on at Leyte Gulf in '44 but carriers ruled the daylight and sank the largest ever battleship Musashi. Her sistership, Yamato was sunk by carriers at Okinawa before getting anywhere near our fleet..Fwiw they took lots and lots of torpedoes and bombs before sinking. But they sank.

[@sohrabroozbahani4700]

Sun Tzu says, the general who makes more mistake will lose the battle, hence we must first brace ourselves against making mistakes, attending to make such happenstance impossible, then wait for the enemy to commit their own...

[@RW77777777]

I think Mikawa was reprimanded/demoted after this for be 'insufficiently aggressive' owing to the superficial damage sustained by the strike force combined with the kokutai air strike which had occurred over the 24hrs previous to contact with the Allied fleets had hugely exaggerated their damage done which got pinned on Mikawa as well and this wasn't Enterprise exaggerated damages; they hit nothing and said they sunk like 20 ships

[@jasonmoore9413]

hey could you do a series comparing the civillazations rome,china ect

[@Thelivewire64]

Carrier absence for safety, deterrent successful without risk. Smart move.

[@pnelson89]

A cool new drinking game. Take a shot everytime he pronounces kakoda wrong.

[@leojablonski2309]

Ever try to unload cargo ship without a dock ?

[@alganhar1]

To be fair to Turner there were actually two reasons he needed to withdraw after 3 days. Yes he was worried about the risk of Japanese Land Based Airpower, but he also needed to refuel his ships, especially the Destroyers and the carriers Aviation fuel. He also only had a limited number of support tankers capable of refuelling at sea, even more than the carriers he could *not* risk those tankers, which meant the fleet had to withdraw in order to refuel without risking the tankers. Without those tankers the USN simply could not operate for extended periods around Guadalcanal, and they had already lost one of the 6 they had at the time (sunk at Coral Sea). Yes, the US ended up building a LOT of Fleet Oilers for that role, but at that time they were down to 5.....

[@davidburland6576]

Should have included the sinking of Jarvis which fought valiantly against Japanese bombers also a part of the savo Island battle.

[@shadowdelta2732]

So this is the scene of The Pacific series that the marines watching in the mountain sinking their boats in night and disaster in the mornings.

[@icewaterslim7260]

Most only heard it and assumed we were kicking some ass.

[@keithdavis4997]

7:09 There were no less than 5 sightings of the IJN force. The first two by B-17s from Australia made a reasonably accurate report. The convoy then passed over a US submarine which made a very accurate report of the composition and speed of the force. The last sighting was by the two Hudsons that reported the ships as seaplane tenders moving at only 15 knots (vs greater than 20 knots). Turner disregarded the sub report and assumed the IJN could not reach the American force that night and in any case was going to build a seaplane base further north in the Solomons. This was only the first in a string of bad decisions, unless you count the interception of the IJN battle plan that was decrypted about two weeks later, in which virtually every mistake that could be made was.

[@jaredthehawk3870]

Funny enough Mikawa wound up getting the last laugh over his fellow IJN admirals as he outlived all of them by a considerable margin dying in 1981 at the ripe old age of 92.

[@quigglebert]

It's amusing to see all American vessels were "fire support" while the RN and RAN provided escorts

[@bigsarge2085]

👍

[@rebeccamoras290]

😔😭

[@icewaterslim7260]

If MacArthur's command had made a priority of sharing intelligence with the commanders in Nimitz's command in a timely manner instead of the halfassed way it was handled,Turner might at least have had a "heads up" . . . not that he was faultless in this but it's just incredible that none of the captains of the southern force even bothered to notify the Northern force that an enemy task force had slipped past the pickets into Guadalcanal Sound and had just shot the Southern Force up. If the Marines on Guadalcanal heard the battle then the Northern Force commanders should've gotten the heads up from that anyway. Plus the one late warning of enemy ships in the sound that was announced by someone not sleepwalking through this. Everybody else in charge deserves some of the "credit" for just that. IJN surface warships still capable of occasionly schooling some of our captains through Tasssaferonga later in the year..We lucked out that Mikawa didn't know the whereabouts of our carriers.. Some new information to me in this video so thanks for posting.

[@-JA-]

👏👍

[@jonbaxter2254]

Fantastic raid from the Japanese, Mikawa had a good eye for an oppurtunity.

[@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791]

Nato counters, please

[@brianramirez5741]

badabing badaboom

[@dopplerhit8374]

Japanese naval night combat the greatest force but with some blunders in it. If Mikawa continued to his secondary objective its likely American forces would have been destroyed and only returned in 1944

[@oscarchoy9469]

Look up montemayer's video of the battle of savo island and tell me whether you would still say the same thing

[@92Psyco]

Even if Mikawa has smashed the American beachhead on Guadalcanal, I doubt the USN would have abandoned the island. Yes, the Marines would have had an even tougher time, and may eventually have been pushed off Guadalcanal, but the significance of the whole Solomons campaign was not just about islands, it was to draw the IJN into a hellish cycle of attrition which Japanese doctrine and logistics were never designed for. By 1943, both Navies were exhausted. The USN got a second wind as the new ships came online and was the leading Naval force on Earth by 1944, whereas the IJN never fully recovered. Given what we know now about the mindsets of USN and IJN leadership in 1942, it is most likely that the two navies would have continued their deadly struggle, albeit perhaps a bit further south. The Americans were spoiling for a fight and happened to find it important to maintain their link to Australia via the south pacific, while the Japanese were trying to conserve their big guns for a climactic showdown and committed units piecemeal into a Naval meat grinder

[@omarbradley6807]

Sure in an alternative universe the US were crushed, in other Mikawa is ambushed, who knows? but the fact is the US screwed it here.

[@dopplerhit8374]

@@oscarchoy9469 I know the video he retreated due to the carriers.But the loss of some ships for the loss of the entire American landing flotilla. Would have been worth it in strategic. IJN had the doctrine of decisive battle and they completed the first one successfully

[@oscarchoy9469]

@@dopplerhit8374 fair enough I agree I think a historian put it best that the destruction of all the transports would have well worth of the sacrifice of his entire fleet but you need to get into mikawa's mind to understand why HE made that decision

[@fighter5583]

When these commanders order a quick withdrawal, did they ever give commands to destroy the supplies they'll leave behind so they can't be used by the enemy?

[@sage5585]

They wanted to leave asap cus they didn’t know the carriers left the combat zone

[@fighter5583]

@@sage5585 Not the Japanese navy, I meant the Australian army during their retreat.

[@sage5585]

@@fighter5583 oh lol

[@ronb.8920]

Total lack of communication

[@Seren89]

I'm gonna wait battle of leyte gulf

[@mikestudioz216]

The Battle of Savo Island aka a “minor” setback to a major operation

[@theawesomeman9821]

I see it more of a minor setback than a grave consequential defeat.

[@mikestudioz216]

@@theawesomeman9821 a minor setback to a major operation

[@Jones-xf5rr]

Not a “minor setback”. It was one of the worst defeats in American naval history.

[@mikestudioz216]

@@Jones-xf5rr I was being sarcastic

[@Jones-xf5rr]

@@mikestudioz216 Oh, ok.

[@jamesonbetts1832]

There seem to be a number of discrepancies between your account and the @Drachinifel account. Can you speak to those differences?

[@dclark142002]

FYI, the proper pronunciation of USS Vincennes is: Vin-Senz. It is an Americanized bastardization of the French...this is rather common across the US Midwest, as English settlers changed the French place names into anglicized versions.

[@sobrirosdriana3901]

Commandos 2 mission the Guns of Savo Island

[@marchellochiovelli7259]

For a while even the weather worked in favor of the Japanese. A good bit of fortune.

[@JaydosPlayZs]

Your comment about the RAAF Hudson aircraft not reporting on the Japanese ships in a timely manner is incorrect.

💞💞💞💞💞💕💕💕💕💕💞💞💞💞💞

[@paulsteaven]

The Americans has a habit of misidentifying the Takao class cruisers as a battleship. First, Maya misidentified as the battlecruiser Haruna during the invasion of the Philippines, then Chokai as a battleship and it will continue upto the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

[@asifalamgir5135]

moden wa

[@redheads604]

why are the US ships sailing backwards????

[@wh_kers]

US most disastrous naval defeat?

[@waveygravey3575]

No

[@omarbradley6807]

It's humilliation was the issue, also they lost their ships in the watch of the troops on land. Who cheered their own defeat beliving who they had won. But there were worst

[@jakubkarczynski269]

Mikawa sholud sail an hour ealier he wolud have than time to make atack on transport ships. Also air atack by G3M sholud go on ships in ironbotom sound. All damage vesels wolud be sunk than by them. Insted they wasted it on one destroyer.

[@davidburland6576]

Actions by submarines s 38 and s 44 are among the reasons savo Island was not a clear decision victory.

[@secdup2510]

The Aussie pilots didn't fail to report it to their command structure it was the dangerously arrogant way the American's (particularly McArthur) treated Australian forces and the associated command structure that had so much more experience and training than the Americans fighting in the pacific which led to many dead G.I's in PNG and subsequent battles. Basically the yanks thought they were gods of warfare and refused to integrate Australian command or intelligence capabilities into their forces leading to vital intelligence being either unread or disregarded as unreliable the vast majority of the time. A really good example is the Gona, Buna and Sanananda landings/battles.

[@twrampage]

The one that really stands out for me is when MacArthur wanted the Aussies at Milne Bay to attack a more experienced enemy, on terrain that favoured the defenders, when that enemy couldn't be effectively resupplied. He had zero trust in the assessment of Aussies in the field.

[@BlindingGlow]

"More experience and training fighting in the Pacific" That's completely false lmao. Just because you fought a battle or two right next to your home island, doesn't mean you had more fighting experience than the US had. You're just another salty foreigner with a giant chip on their shoulder, repeating tired old tropes. People like you are pathetic tbh. I find it hilarious how any mistake you country ever makes you have an entire essay prepared for why it was actually America's fault. So typical lol. Also, I'll take the word of historians over some random kanga-fvcker like you on the internet. Aussies failed to report it to command, like they failed to resist becoming America's son.

[@christopherhanton6611]

good video but like you said Savo Island was not USA navy finest hours .

[@andywomack3414]

Despite the Japanese having a reputation for aggressive bold war making, the timidity of the Japanese Admiral turned this brilliant tactical victory into a strategic failure and unnecessary loss of lives on both sides.

[@oscarchoy9469]

Look up montemayer's video of the battle of savo island and tell me whether you would still say the same thing

[@killergames391]

What isn’t said here was that the Admiral was nearly killed and he lost his charts of the waters around Guadalcanal

[@omarbradley6807]

Lol, there was no strategic failure, as the Japanese lost nothing, on the other hand there were US capital ships in the bottom of the sound.

[@uduakuwah7856]

Timidity uhn? Lool.... .you must be really brave in real life.

[@andywomack3414]

@@oscarchoy9469 It's likely I have seem it. The purpose of the raid was to take out the supply ships. That did not happen. In effect, although the US Navy took a beating, the ships they were there to protect were not harmed. I would strike the word "timid" however.

[@unable2pwn]

This is not the French Navy, Vincennes is named after a city in Indiana and also the site of a fort where George Rogers Clark led an attack on British troops. Hoosiers pronounce it Vin-sins.

[@theawesomeman9821]

Never knew before that the US navy actually lost a battle. The whole reason why my cousin chose to join the US Navy over the US Army was because the recruiter told her the navy never lost a battle.

[@icewaterslim7260]

Battle of the Java Sea, Battle of Savo Island and Tassafaronga . . . All surface gunship battles in the Pacific. All in 1942. Arguably Santa Cruz was considered by Japan a tactical win by Japan because they sunk USS Hornet and, as the only remaining capital carrier left for the short time being, USS Enterprise had to leave the battle. But the attrition was a devastating strategic disaster to the Kido Butai which lost the bulk of the remaining quality veteran aircrews to the heavy AA and CAP pilots. The IJN never again conducted any coordinated "Hammer and Anvil" attack against our carrier groups. Hurriedly trained IJN pilots either crashed attempting to land on their remaining carriers or were mostly easy prey for our pilots in the remaining Naval battles.

[@hannibalbarca9910]

I'm a translator. I want to translate the videos of this channel to Arabic language.

[@thebigone6071]

This was America’s worst naval defeat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@omarbradley6807]

It was very humilliating that is why, but there were worst.

[@darkether1170]

Interesting to hear someone refer to the Battle of Midway as "disastrous" unless they're only presenting the Japanese point of view.

[@RW77777777]

?? did you gloss over how many losses the US sustained in the first 90% of the battle that battle was a certified disaster

[@michealruth8925]

Has this channeld one a video on the Ukraine Black army yet?

[@TheBigJohnson]

It sure seems like Fletcher was a convenient scapegoat. Turner was behind schedule unloading (not all his fault due to the labor strikes in AU). So inexperienced longshoreman loaded the transports poorly. Totally get it. But his bullying and scapegoating Fletcher is wrong. Turner did not communicate how far behind he was. Fletcher had to move not only because he was running out of fuel, but also because of Nimitz orders regarding calculated risks. Fletcher stayed as long as he could. As luck would have it … that’s when the counter happened. If Turner had communicated and managed his command, they would not have been blown up at Savo. Period.