Gotterdamerung: The End on Okinawa- with Jon Parshall-Episode 421

[@goddessomai9177]

Thank you for breaking down in expert detail the battle of Okinawa. This battle not only affected my family but my wife's to as she is Okinawan.

[@bcvanrijswijk]

This monumental series of history podcasts will be remembered and consulted forever. Your names will be engraved in stone. Thank you very much from Europe.

[@flparkermdpc]

@bcvanrijswijk check out Seth's special episode on The Real Meaning of Memorial Day aired 23 June 2023. It's the episode that contains Seth's reading of a letter from Lt Cdr John J Shea to his son Jackie, written 6/29/1942. LtCdr Shea died on 9/15 fighting fires aboard USS Wasp when she was torpedoed off Guadalcanal.

[@jeffreymartin8448]

It's true. People will be watching these pod casts long after we're gone.

[@SaundersE5]

Well put. And true.

[@Rbjohnson-14]

Great series on Okinawa. My father was a marine. He was wounded in the stomach on Okinawa he told me it was the happiest day of his life.

[@kimj2570]

@Rbjohnson-14 It aint over. Next time guys start again from late March, and talk about Naval and Air battles of Okinawa campaign.

[@dianeduffcroop8158]

I've heard the same sentiment from many soldiers, marines, and Naval personnel. The million-dollar wound was no joke, and it was welcomed with open arms, provided it's not to God awful serious. Can't say I blame them actually. Particularly after watching this Okinawa series. Not that the other ones were cakewalks but good Lord Okinawa was just spawned from hell. 🇺🇲⚓️🙏💖💯

[@442dudeathefront]

My grandfather and his family were anti-war in Japan and lived in fear of the Japanese secret police. He unfortunately was about to be drafted in the last year of the war in Japan and decided to pull a reverse Uno card and joined their OCS to avoid dying on a random island and was stationed in Hiroshima for training and survived the bomb and witnessed all kinds of horrific things and had to stay to assist cleanup operations. His family including my grandmother lived in Kagoshima at the time. If it weren’t for the bombs I probably wouldn’t be here. After the war they moved our family over to the US. My grandfather to the day he died never blamed the US for deciding to drop the bombs. He was just happy it was all over. A lot of people don’t understand how crazy it was living in Japan and how willing the govt was to just throw away its peoples lives.

[@knutdergroe9757]

Thank you ! I think I would have liked your Grandfather very much. May God continue to Bless and keep his. SEMPER FI

[@joeyartk]

@@442dudeathefront Why was he anti war? Anti war with just the US? Or anti war with China too?

[@442dudeathefront]

@ @ I don’t know every detail, he didn’t exactly like to talk about that period. They tried to draft him earlier in the war though, but they passed over him because of medical reasons, much to his relief. But by 1945 they didn’t give him a choice.

[@mikeat2637]

@@knutdergroe9757 I agree wholeheartedly.

[@MinnesotaGuy822]

"A lot of people don’t understand how crazy it was living in Japan and how willing the govt was to just throw away its peoples lives." Sounds like Russia today. Thanks for your comment; you enriched my life. :)

[@vernonwilliams8577]

Thanks for talking about Clarence Craft. I met him at my grandmother's American Legion Post in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where the city has named a park after him. What a great dude who spent his later life taking care of fellow vets at the Fayetteville VA Hospital.

[@derrickcochran4180]

I'm listening from Fayetteville Arkansas My father in-law pacific war vet. He retired from the VA

[@wadeenyart9676]

@@derrickcochran4180 Colcord ok here 40 miles to your west

[@dave3156]

Seems like when I think I have seen your best, you guys find a way to outdo yourselves! What a series you guys put together on Okinawa. The casualty figures are not fully comprehended. We certainly couldn't keep up supporting these kinds of losses very long, even with divisions coming from Europe. The last amphibious landing of the war and shortage of LVTs seems to suggest that we were stretching our supply channels a bit thin. The revisionists need to stay out of this--with these kind of losses and supporting thousands of troops so far away, the bomb seems justified. Certainly glad Dad's tank battalion didn't have to ship out for the Pacific. Superb job guys--thanks Seth, Bill, and Jon. You guys are really enjoyable to listen to.

[@michaelcoe9824]

Always, the most horrific sight for me, will be of the Okinawan toddler being given water by an American. Her uncontrollable trembling brings me to tears almost every time I see the footage. People attempted to retain their humanity in that world.

[@おだいふく-x6t]

おはようございます。 日本は５日の午後７時半です。 訪問マッサージの仕事を終えて明日の準備をしつつ拝聴してます。 お三方のお声を聞いてるだけでも何となく癒されます。 英語の意味は分からないところが多いですけれど、リラックスできます。 いつもありがとうございます。

[@flparkermdpc]

Thank you for your participation and interest!_

[@おだいふく-x6t]

@@flparkermdpc 　ご返信光栄です、ありがとうございます。

[@dianeduffcroop8158]

​@おだいふく-x6t thank you very much for your comments and your participation in this thread. It really is helpful to get the perspective from the other side of the world. I was wondering if you might have some reading that this American might find interesting? I'm talking about from the Japanese perspective of course. Peace to you and I wish you a long fruitful life. Jim from Seattle washington, America.🇺🇲⚓️🙏💖💯

[@おだいふく-x6t]

​@@dianeduffcroop8158 ご返信ありがとうございます。日本の戦記物として優れた書籍や雑誌を多く出してる出版社としては、潮書房光人新社などがあります、英語名は Ushioshobokojinshinsha Co., Ltd.です。Wikipediaなどで調べると公式サイトに当たると思います。特にその出版社で出している雑誌『丸』（まる、MARU）は詳しく太平洋戦争についてあらゆる観点から書かれてるので勉強になると思います。読み物としても面白いです。しかし撲はどちらかというとアメリカ発信の翻訳物の太平洋戦争関連の本を読むことが多かったですね。ニミッツの太平洋海戦史や空母信濃を撃沈したエンライト艦長の著書など面白いので何度も読み返したりしてます。

[@おだいふく-x6t]

@@dianeduffcroop8158 心づくしのご返信ありがとうございます。日本の戦記物を扱う本としては、月刊雑誌に｢丸｣という世界の軍事的な事柄を主に太平洋戦争を中心に扱う雑誌があって、歴史的資料や体験者の記録や各種の分析記事などがあって興味深い内容になっているものだと思います。出版社の名前は潮書房光人新社という出版社です。僕としては、どちらかといえばアメリカの太平洋戦争に関する記録のほうが愉しめてます。｢ニミッツの太平洋海戦史｣や空母信濃を撃沈したエンライト艦長の著書｢信濃｣など何度読んでも飽きないです。特にエンライト艦長の著作である｢信濃｣は当事者の自身が臨場感あるタッチで筆を進めていて読んでるだけでもその臨場感に魅了されます。日米両海軍の軍人の視点で書かれていて戦争というのは喜怒哀楽を織り込んだ人間ドラマなんだなとつくづく感じさせる良書だと思います。翻訳物で読んでるのでたぶんアメリカでも出版されてるのではないかと思います。

[@Cometkazie]

The GI in the photo helping a woman and her child out of a cave could be my father-in-law. He was a pharmacist's mate in a unit that looked after the Okinawan civilians. He was particularly involved with getting proper nutrition to the children. He said once the Okinawans realized we weren't going to eat their babies, they were tremendously helpful with our efforts. He came away with a tremendous amount of respect for the local civilians.

[@dianeduffcroop8158]

I am incredibly excited and stuffed about your new book Jon! You are one of my favorite authors, let alone historians on the planet! What you add to Seth and Bill's show is exponentially crazy to say the least! I've yet to miss an episode with you or without you. And if I see you on somebody else's show, well, I'm all in to say the least! So congratulations on the new book I can't wait for it to drop and I've got a pot of coffee waiting for me and my favorite chair my kitty cat in my lap and let's go!🇺🇲⚓️🙏💖💯

[@3nheaven]

My Grandfather was in the pacific theater. So many lives lost on these islands. I feel so lucky that i had a Grandfather. He made it home .

[@flparkermdpc]

How was he? My mother knew men and relatives whose only recourse was to completely compartmentalize the whole thing.

[@3nheaven]

@flparkermdpc Thats what my Grandfather did. Matter a fact , my Uncle and my mother and i were out to dinner with him the last time he flew in from Lancaster. He was 87 then. Sitting there after we ate chatting he brought up the war. I looked at my uncle and he looked at me. He told us on this island after naval bombardment then the marines taking the island they were dropped in to set up a base. He said they never got all the japs and after about 2 weeks the stragglers would start getting hungry. One night my grandfather had a upset stomach and couldnt sleep in a big tent barracks thing they set up for about 30 guys a tent. He said everyone was sleepin and a jap had snuck past the gaurds and made it into their tent. He opened his eyes and saw the silhouette of the jap with his rifle up with a fixed bayonet fixing to start killin. He always kept his 45 under his pillow and pulled it out and killed the guy just in time. Saved many lives. He waited until he was 87 to say that. My uncle said he never ever spoke of the war and never did again until he died.

[@3nheaven]

@flparkermdpc that is what he did. He never ever spoke of his time in the war. Then when he was 87 at a family reunion of sorts he all the sudden told us about an event on a island. After days of constant navel bombardment of this island ? the marines went in and took over. He was not a seabee , but then they went in to establish the base. Marines never did kill all the japs as they ran off into the jungle. One night gramps couldn't sleep in a big tent barracks when he saw the silhouette of a jap , bayonet fixed , right before he would try kill the his first soldier my grandfather killed him with his 45 saving many lives that night. Only thing he ever said and that took 65 years for him to talk about it.

[@danboyd6609]

Anyone questioning the dropping of the A-bombs needs to watch this episode.

[@CoryGarnaas-m1t]

Guys the battle for the Atlantic has so many untold and worthy stories. And honestly the amount of submarine actions and navel actions by the royal navy would provide a huge amount of education and discussions. And frankly I ha e looked forward to.your guys podcast every week for the last three years I don't want it to end.

[@bryantrussell120]

I wish they would do an eto series I've learned so much that I didn't know in the Pacific. Hopefully they change their minds but if not then what we got I will listen to for many years.

[@jamesthompson8133]

Today everyone is excited about voting but I was more excited about this episode. Just finished watching and always love the job y’all always do. Thank you!!! Now I’ve got to go vote!

[@richardbennett1856]

ME TOO. Great stuff from history that we shouldn't ever forget.

[@shaunjay6942]

Seth and Bill and all their guests make this so enjoyable to watch and listen to. Fascinating for me, being a Brit, because it is educational and so easy to take in. Wouldn't it just be incredible to sit down over a couple of beers with these guys?

[@EnzedderEntertainment]

Getting to these videos early is the best part of the week! Many thanks gentlemen for the content you produce

[@charliegiammarco5178]

They fought for this democracy, now go vote for it

[@flparkermdpc]

WE WON!!

[@charliegiammarco5178]

@flparkermdpc not so sure bud

[@davidpitchford6510]

Listening to these gentlemen is one of the finest things civilization has to offer.

[@steve-qc8hd]

Yes they certainly are 👍

[@TerryNelson-k6t]

@@davidpitchford6510 Truth

[@matthewnewton8812]

I just don’t know what I’m going to do when these guys aren’t putting out an episode every Tuesday anymore. I feel like Seth, Bill and Jon are my trusty and reliable friends. I’ll be devastated without this podcast.

[@lindabrashear57]

Another excellent presentation of a battle that isn't well known to the general public. You convey the horror of war without being melodramatic or maudlin; at the same time, you never lose the pathos of war in the statistics and big-picture tactics and strategy. The combination of empathy and cold hard rationality makes for a superb, educational, and eminently engaging show. I can't say it's enjoyable to hear the stories of suffering and death in these battles, but I am always glad to have watched, and I always learn things. Glad you made it safely through the crazy weather, Captain Toti!

[@williampage622]

Captain I totally agree with your comments on the Japanese peace group receiving the Noble Peace Prize. The Japanese should keep their mouths shut when it comes to taking about peace. This is another great episode thank you very much.

[@dianeduffcroop8158]

I couldn't agree more. The Japanese have much to atone for and they never will.

[@dianeduffcroop8158]

The Japanese have no place getting the Nobel Peace prize. It shows me that a country, a nation that has yet to acknowledge the atrocities they committed all during that war from start to finish just blows my mind and makes me very very angry. My father fought against the Japanese with the US Navy in the South Pacific and the Central Pacific and he had nothing good to say about the Japanese in any way shape or form. In fact he said there was a saying that went back in the day, wherever the Japanese went rape, torture, and murder, followed. No truer words were spoken and until the Japanese government pulls their Collective head out of their ass and acknowledges what they did during that war I have no use for the japanese.🇺🇲⚓️🙏💖💯

[@DB-ug1pr]

Love your reverent & detailed presentation of the Pacific war. I pray that the sacrifices made will never be forgotten or taken for granted! Thank you

[@seanhall8686]

1:45:00 Thank you for providing the important context that is so often ignored when discussing the atomic bombings. We may have pushed to the doorstep of Japan but much of Asia was still under Japanese occupation and the war in China was still raging.

[@scottcarmichael1328]

Very moving. I've grown accustomed to watching you every week and I hate to think you won't be there in the near future. I urge you to stick with it. ETO? Korea? Whatever you end up doing, many thanks for all you have done!

[@anthonycorona9435]

Thank you as always gentlemen. Always look forward to Tuesday

[@benjaminfrazier5419]

USMC tanker here…..been waiting for this one!!! Thought heavily about the fighting when I was on “The Rock” in ‘86…..your series has cast a new and most interesting perspective on this last land campaign of the Pacific War! Kudos to you all, gentlemen!! 🦅🌎⚓️

[@flparkermdpc]

@benjaminfrazier5419 I've read "With The Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge maybe the best infantryman's combat memoir ever, by a talented writer as well as a survivor. Sledge has the legitimacy of a true participant but I have to say that our three tour guides tell at least as compelling a tale. Robert Leckie in "A Helmet for My Pillow" is in second place. And he wrote "OKINAWA", but our three men, for me, bring the pathos and the tragedy home in this series with heartbreaking realism.

[@benjaminfrazier5419]

@ - I read “Helmet For My Pillow” as a kid in elementary school. Read Sledge’s “With The Old Breed” after I got out of the Corps and re-read it often. Agree that it is one of THE BEST memoirs of a combat Marine. 🦅🌎⚓️

[@nissenilsson5955]

I have been waiting all week for this! Thank you!

[@pittsburghwill]

This series stands with the icon of war documentaries "World at War" as the best of history on world war two i have enjoyed this series a very heart felt endeavor thank you

[@ibpopp]

"The devil is in the detail," and your series is so very illuminating because of it. Born in Australia in the early 1950s, the memory of the Pacific war was fresh in the minds of my parents' generation, but the horrible nature of this was never brought home to me until you started your series. Many thanks, and bravo.

[@richardbennett1856]

I have priorities every Tuesday for over 3 years. Coffee, Unauthorized History of the Pacific War by 5AM. Vote for a prepared military, America. Thanks, Dream Team, for another excellent podcast

[@jetdriver]

“We’re not going to do Europe and we’re damm sure not going to do Korea. So just cool your jets” Freaking Hilarious. Seth at his best.

[@georgehourdakis2758]

Gentle man I most admit I was anticipating EUROPE in my selfish future with you guys. Please reconsider

[@JimRibby]

In the late 1960's I was a high school senior talking with some classmates about whether we should have used the atomic bomb on Japan. Most of us said no. A teacher heard us talking said to us "I was on Okinawa. I loved the bomb." Then he simply walked away. A few years later I learned of the hell he had experienced.

[@nomdeguerre7265]

Not just the American lives. The Japanese lives lost at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a terrible loss, but they weren't much more than a couple 'drops in the bucket' that would have been lost if there had been a conventional invasion of the Japanese home islands.....

[@scottcampo7348]

I have loved every single episode that you have done. I hope that after you get done with the war, you continue with episodes about some of the other important figures and also hit on topics that were not covered, such as Wake Island, the salvage of the fleet after Pearl Harbor, and other topics

[@Sawman6771]

Yet another eye opening episode from your show. Amazing content and fascinating story.

[@adamstrange7884]

John's shirt gave Roosevelt the idea for Lend Lease!

[@brushhogg1]

Jeez u guys, pretty friggin' grim... I didn't think anything could be as sickening as Saipan. Having read a few accounts that in hindsight glazed alot of it over, once again I am shocked at my ignorance of the actual facts. Thank you(I think) for putting me off my breakfast this morning...

[@fettfan91]

Examining the Battle of Okinawa with fairness and clarity is no easy feat, but you gents pulled it off. A tough episode, but very necessary.

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

Thank You, you guys deserve it, wish I could do more

[@jaredwren9304]

Thanks for another great episode.

[@TerryNelson-k6t]

"We're good at talking " Yes you are gentlemen. Keep up the good work!!!!

[@CarnageDogg]

Bill & Seth's Excellent Podcast.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Gnarly, dude

[@jerrywertelecky9543]

Fantastic show again, guys. As a Marine veteran, I have learned much more than my time in the Marine Corps about the Marines and other units in the Pacific during World War Two. I'm looking forward to future broadcasts as we close, but I don't hope for a while. Hopefully, you guys will be doing some of the post-war occupation of Japan. Macarthur had his flaws, but here's where he really shined. Thanks.

[@PalleRasmussen]

Your intro feels like coming home. I disagree and correct on very rare occasions, but gods you guys do good work. And Jon always improves everything.

[@kenm4678]

Thanks! Gotta be close to taking a long well earned break! Will miss the show.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

We’re not quitting

[@kawiemer]

Really enjoying this series. Please keep it going . Very informative!

[@Godussop81]

Just got done watching the pacific, good series wish it was done by you guys though, you guys do great work!

[@bobfrye6965]

Thanks!

[@73Trident]

Seth, Bill and Jon a great presentation as per usual. Thank you men for all the hard work involved.

[@flparkermdpc]

15:30 You seemed a little tired this morning. The experience of a tornado AND a hurricane within days gets lost in words. I've experienced both but not in close proximity. And with no damage to self. But we're all Here! We can hardly wait for the fruits of your labors. Sort of. These descriptions are very detailed.

[@jean-francoislemieux5509]

Hello guys! great, fantastic post as usual...

[@michaelwolf564]

Gentlemen. How the Allies kept going after the large numbers of men made POW's in1941&1942, then regrouped to take the offensive after Kokoda, Milne Bay and Guadalcanal the casualties just got worse. It is just unbelievable how these troops just kept going. Macarthur sidelined the Australians and maybe he did us a favour. Australia had a population of 8million and all up had 1 million in the Forces in WW2 with 42,000 KIA. The USA, if I recall my history taught to me in 1960, was well north of 1million. I am immensely proud of we Australians and after the last 6 episodes equally proud of the US Forces. An incredible story is the Allied efforts in the Pacific but may it never happen again.....

[@johnfleet235]

Seth, Bill and John-I think you are correct about the risks of invading Japan and the casualties that were expected. My father was training in the Spring of 1945 as a gunner on a B-17 that was intended to support the invasion that fall. He was told to expect not to come back by the officers' training him.

[@jammininthepast]

Thanks Gentlemen, this grisly, repugnant history is difficult to fathom but important none the less. Good work, you're appreciated.

[@dankelly2147]

The decision to drop the atomic bomb was a tragedy but so were LeMays’ fire bombings that took many times more lives than the casualties suffered in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. After the experience of Okinawa the specter of the proposed Kyushu invasion made the decision to drop the bomb straightforward. War is the ultimate expression of moral dilemma. The butchery is horrid. Weighing the cost in American and Japanese lives certainly justifies the choice to resort to “the bomb,” in my opinion.

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

Never been through a hurricane or a tornado, but living here in Seattle and Northwest I've been through plenty of earthquakes. Particularly the one of 1964 that devastated Alaska also nailed us hardcore! I can remember walking to school being about 10 years old or so and the telephone poles were coming in and out of the ground and the concrete looked like waves of water coming at us we were so freaked out my sister and I! Okinawa with such a tragedy obviously. In my opinion it totally justified the dropping of the bombs on japan. Love your show as always, guys❤

[@gandalfgreyhame3425]

I've seen that short clip of the shivering Okinawan toddler in multiple films/videos about the Pacific War. He/she would be 81-85 years old today if still alive. Wonder what happened to that child.

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

It is so heartbreaking to see that footage of that poor child. I too have often wondered what happened to her. In my heart of hearts, I think that she probably survived being that she's behind the lines and with the Marines at this point. Still, it's a very tough watch.

[@jeanineking7311]

I pray for her and others like her each time I see her.

[@gagamba9198]

The trembling girl's name is Ms. Urasaki Sueko (浦崎末子, maiden name Kazu). On 22 June 2019, the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper published a story about her. She was 81 at the time of the report. You wouldn't guess it from the video but she was 7 years old at the time the video was shot. Though not in the video, she was with her older sister. She lost four family members during the battle. She was was reunited with her mother and younger brother at an interment camp, but her brother later died from the effects of a tear gas grenade he was hit with in a shelter where they had taken refuge. Why was she trembling? 'It was my first time seeing an American. I was so scared of those blue eyes that I was trembling. The unfamiliar camera looked like some kind of weapon, and I was so scared I might be shot at that I was shaking like a pig.' I'd provide a link but experience taught me the comment will be removed. If you search for ' 沖縄戦 震える少女 ' (battle of Okinawa trembling girl) and her name you ought to find info about her. On this platform YOMIURI TELECASTING CORPORATION NEWS CHANNEL uploaded a documentary with English subtitles that includes an interview with her (begins @10:26) when she was 85.

[@jeremyperala839]

My sister's mother in law was a child on Okinawa during the fighting. She was deaf in one ear. Lived her life as a dairy farmers wife here in Minnesota. Died this last year. Hell of a lady.

[@patrickshanley4466]

Excellent again guys!

[@RichardMartz-p2j]

Excellent series on Okinawa, or as I remember it from the late 1960's "The Rock". Ft. Buckner used to have a small museum with a lighted relief map of the island that showed the landings and progress of the capture of the island. Your series was far more informative. We were "advised" that there were many bunkers, pill boxes and caves left but to stay out of them as they were unsafe from cave-in's and unexploded ordinance. We ignored the advice. Small relics and items were found. Very interesting. And of course the weather. There are four distinct seasons. The rainy season, the monsoon season, the typhoon season and the wet season. I was at a Marine base about 3 miles south of Kadena called Camp Foster repairing counter mortar and "people finder" radar for 3rd MarDiv. Interesting place with a lot of tragic history for both sides. Glad to see the island and people today have recovered and appear to be happy and prosperous. Keep up the good work. I very much enjoy and appreciate the fruits of all the work that must go into the preparation of the videos.

[@briancooper2112]

New episode!!

[@CutGlassMan-CTI]

More books to read. Great stuff. Thanks for doing this.

[@JosephPaige-l1j]

You guys are the best 👌

[@SaundersE5]

That they are.

[@augustineramos3789]

i love the show!! have you had an episode on medics , navy and army. this took a lot of courage.

[@Fishyyy]

Hey guys, great content as always. Love the series. One small thing, since I am a german, it's "Götterdämmerung" :)

[@somtngwong7781]

Thanks again guys. A bit disappointed you aren't going into Korea, but I certainly hope the Captain will share more of his experiences with Korea and it's culture. Also I hope you will continue the legend of Dugout Doug and his suzerainty of post war Japan. From what I know, there is plenty of material to cover.

[@SamAlley-l9j]

Thank you Bill Seth and Jon.

[@saoirseewing4877]

One of the things I think about with all the WW2 veteran stories here is that I've heard combat stories from Vietnam veterans. You had to wait until they first decided to get drunk, and then let them cry their way through the nightmare. But their stories are worth remembering.

[@edwardsteinmetz-gl3zl]

Once again, another great video. Great work gentlemen.

[@bencarlyle2155]

Love you guys keep it up

[@michaelshrumii1494]

Great as always

[@billechols7136]

Great show gentlemen.

[@themischeifguide]

To Bill's point, those adrenaline dumps not only exhaust you but can distort your perceptions. During raids in Iraq we had incredible strength and endurance but when it wore off we were spent and often didn't know what day it was or even the general time of day. I wonder how many men were pulled off the line due to physical exhaustion, I'm sure it can have long term effects.

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

Afghanistan vet here. US Marine's, 2/7/D. You're right, the effect of huge doses of adrenaline, fear, noise and confusion make for an experience that, had you not experienced it there's no earthly way you can replicate it or understand it. I found that after some of the lengthier firefights we were in, when it was over, I could barely hold my rifle. Didn't know which end was up, like you said didn't know the time of day or even what day of the week it was. Or what direction we were supposed to be advancing in. The come down from the adrenaline and all the other effects that I listed was profound. Many of the newer guys had to be pulled off the line because they had just lost their shit and couldn't get it back. Nobody faulted them. We all felt sorry for them but happy they were being pulled off the line. I'm glad you made it home, brother!🇺🇸⚓️💯👍💖

[@themischeifguide]

@Jakal-pw8yq Army A-3/7 CAV. Adding to that, the sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations, especially at night those worn down units would be in a poor state, not to mention immersion foot and a lack of decent meals. I've experienced hallucinations myself after five days of continuous operations, some of those units spent over a month at a time on the line.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

solid content👍

[@TheBruceGday]

I’ve posted on each of the Okinawa episodes about my Grandfather-in-law, Sgt. Ken Malick, 1st Marine Division, 7th Marines, 2nd Battalion, Fox Company. He was one of the marines who joined pre-war, in 1940, via the CCC working through the depression into the Corps. He was a part of each of the campaigns. Every one the 1st Mar Div fought. I’m thankful he survived to have a family and to share his stories. Thank God for those who battled on Okinawa, for our veterans, WW2 or beyond as we are less than a week from Veterans Day.

[@jackburkhart873]

A few years ago my youngest spent several months on Okinawa. The young indigenous people’s were fine but the old people just glared at them when they were on the town!

[@paulfarace9595]

Oh great. Another session of pain, heartbreak, and sorrowful education about what our fathers and grandfather's suffered on our behalf. Good work gentleman, but it's tough to listen to. And I'll assume it's even more so for you.

[@SaundersE5]

Turns out the A bomb saved millions of lives. On both sides.

[@Redwaterman65]

Enjoy your shows !

[@sushibar777]

Another uplifting episode.

[@thefoolscrusade8523]

If you want what I presume is a preview of Jon’s book, search for his 1942: Crux of War speech to the 35th Annual Admiral Nimitz Symposium. It’s a fantastic presentation and will be a great book.

[@thomasvanness1516]

The tail end of the commentary about the deaths throughout the Pacific and China/Burma theaters was stunning to me. I never considered the starvation and disease of the peoples in those areas during WW2 caused by the fighting being more than the deaths in Hiroshima and Nagasaki every week or month the war continued. I was always aware that the Allies and Japanese deaths caused by the invasion of Japan were going to much greater than what the Atomic bombs caused, but when the deaths throughout the Pacific and China/Burma theaters are taken into account, the lives saved are literally uncountable.

[@unclemikedoyle]

Regarding the closing comments: The point is well-taken regarding Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An invasion of the Home Islands would have cost us 500,000 casualties if we lost a man, in my lay opinion (Mac's estimate of "only" 100,000 was equal parts hopium and balonium). I don't want to contemplate the number of Chinese, Burmese, Vietnamese, and Koreans still under the Japanese yoke, but I have to. How many million people would have died if we'd simply blockaded Japan and left the IJA running amok on the continent for however many months or years it would take to starve them out? As for the Japanese perspective: my lay opinion is that the Japanese people would at the very least have been decimated, in the literal, Roman sense, either in combat or through starvation. Radiation sickness and cancer are very horrible ways to die. So are being gutshot and starving to death. Sometimes you don't have a choice between good and bad. Sometimes, you can only choose between bad and worse.

[@andrewnlarsen]

Heck even a few of the Japanese government officials in the peace faction at the time were secretly grateful for the bombs (although they could not say it out loud). And then there is Minoru Genda stating that if Japan had the bomb, they wouldn't have hesitated to use it for even a second.

[@rg4987]

Looking fwd to your book, John.

[@ThePrader]

It was men such as Clarence Craft that made me proud to be both an American, and a veteran. Where do we get such men?

[@jetdriver]

A great episode and a good wrap to the ground campaign. I’m glad you got into a brief discussion of how this battle influenced opinions on the possible invasion of the home Island and the decision to drop the bomb. I was thinking that even before you said so this episode would be a great argument for how ugly that invasion would have been on both sides. And the Allied civilian casualties still happening in Asia wasn’t something I had even thought about. Well done Gentleman. A request. Is there any chance you can turn off the mid video adds? They keep getting more frequent and more annoying.

[@samstewart4807]

Hi, as usual, an excellent video. I have read/ studied/ followed the Pacific war for about 62 yrs. If I had read about the real horrors of Okinawa, I had forgotten them. I think your statements about how this battle effected the American decision to drop the bomb deserve a separate video.Most people have no idea of how brutal the Japanese were in china, Vietnam etc. I am sure they have no idea of how many civilians across the entire theatre were dying every day, week, month. I dont think I have ever seen a video talking about that. Maybe that is why groups like the one in Japan today have so much traction. I had a friend (long since passed) who was a paratrooper waiting to invade Japan. He told me they expected 250,000 U.S. soldiers to die when they invaded. One day they were told to write their wills and write letters to their family. The next day? they heard the news of the bomb dropping. They were overjoyed. Last, the eastern front was at least as bad from6/22/41 to 5/8/45.Stalin lost 10,000 troops everyday.I think at least that many civilians died everyday too.The Germans only lost about 5 million men.

[@hdfoster5507]

Bill, on that last program don't forget a bugler and "Taps".

[@scrambledganglia6946]

Thanks for diversion on this Snoutcounting Day. I will spend all day going back to the first episode and working forward after eliminating the leaves infesting the property.

[@A_Donaldson]

I'm finally up to date!

[@JamesonRutfordPhD]

I see comments “good morning” and realized dang I need to go to bed

[@bryantrussell120]

I listened to the episode yesterday great episode as always but I'm particular I learned the likely fate or at least reason for my great grandfather being killed on Okinawa he was drafted and was likely part of the ill trained group that was sent up to right. I would love to learn more about him but don't really know where to begin. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

[@CRSolarice]

1:06 ....and that can be a serious deal. I was in a hurry once and somehow caught the corner of my Impala's door with my face and for some reason it is a very painful experience. It also seems that it is a very dangerous thing to have happen as well. It only happens once for most people and in spite of warning others to be careful about hitting their face with the door , etc. it seems that most folks just don't pay heed to the warning. Its just one of those things that has to happen to a person for them to actually understand it, otherwise they just kind of brush it off: "Yeah, like hit his own face with the car door...." (You have to be in a rush....)

[@kemarisite]

1:26:59 Murphy's Law of Combat #3: "Don't look distinctive, it draws fire."

[@mkaustralia7136]

The lesson was learned in the Civil War. Why was Buckner still doing it 80 years later????

[@dogsbd]

For as long as I can remember I've had a certain affinity for General Buckner. He was one of the first WWII Generals whose name I learned simply because my father had told me that when the war ended he, my father, was aboard a ship anchored in Buckner Bay, named for the then recently deceased General. And he had been killed on my birthday, 17 years prior to my birth. But it was only today that I learned that Buckner did not die by some lucky shot, a one in a million that just happened to land near an unlucky general. Instead he had been purposefully targeted. Would have been nice to have discussed that tidbit with my father, had he not gone home in 2002.

[@billyhouse1943]

Thank you..

[@philpockras4408]

The maps in John's book look fantastic! Even better than my _West Point Atlas of American Wars_.

[@fishaddict2]

I signed up for Jon's book (Crux of War). Really hoping it gets published.

[@denniscahill9683]

The gutting of "training units" actually predated the Bulge. I had an uncle who was being officer-trained o be a member of the Italian Occupation force. When Italy surrendered, all these guys were dispersed; my uncle was sent to be an enlisted truck driver in CBI.

[@dummre83]

It’s TUESDAY……🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@davidk7324]

The British Pacific Fleet provided significant logistical support and lost 119 killed and 83 wounded sailors and pilots. No Brit ships were lost but four fleet carriers were lightly damaged by kamikazes; they lost ~ 220 aircraft.