Guadalcanal Campaign - Cape Esperance (IJN 1 : 2 USN)

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

Who was the better commander of their nations cruiser forces Gunichi Mikawea or Norman Scott?

[@craighagenbruch3800]

is it safe to say the Tokyo express was the ijn equivalent to the Australian navys "scrap iron" flotilla?

[@Thirdbase9]

USS Sea Tiger

[@dejangabrovsek6534]

How many personnel did admirals usually have on the flag ship and what was their role?

[@Captaintomacus]

Could the US Navy have damaged the Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbour if it had reacted to the either the submarine sightings or the RADAR contact? What affect on the rest of the Pacific campaign would this have had?

[@tandemcharge5114]

Aoba: *Speaks* US ships: "And I took that personally"

[@redshirt5126]

"Anyway I started blasting"

[@ousou78]

@@redshirt5126 "I'm Aoba stop!"

[@19MAD95]

A 1942 American torpedo works as intended = what luck! A 1942 American torpedo that fails to work as intended = what luck!

[@Kromaatikse]

Actually, the warheads were fitted with a delayed arming device that measured forward motion through the water. Until it operated to a sufficient extent, the priming charge would be isolated from the main body of the explosive. The impact, magnetic, and self-destruct detonators all relied on that priming charge, so it should actually have been no surprise that the warhead didn't detonate.

[@kemarisite]

@@Kromaatikse is there a sensor for water (or maybe pressure as it dives after launch), or is it simply a matter of run time or propeller revolutions? The later would not necessarily prevent the arming safety from functioning. I could see a rupture disk that enables a counter on the props being feasible with the available technology.

[@Kromaatikse]

@@kemarisite There was a tiny propeller on the front of the warhead that spun in flowing water to screw the priming charge out of its safety housing. It's probably absent on exercise heads, which is what you see fitted to many museum examples.

[@kemarisite]

@@Kromaatikse thanks for the clarification.

[@alexsis1778]

@@Kromaatikse Still, given the incredibly long list of problems with the US torpedoes at that time, I would be incredibly nervous being anywhere near that torpedo.

[@josephthomas8318]

19:00 "both sides admirals being equally suprised when firing commenced" LMAO

[@torqqueone4186]

Makes you wonder what the need for admirals is.

[@Foxttellio]

@hourlardnsaver hahaha gruesome but funny

[@kyleabrezzi]

US cruisers: soo anyway i started blasting

[@larrytischler570]

​@@torqqueone4186Well, the admirals always refused to let their lead destroyers shoot torpedos at the IJN ships when they were perfectly in position to hit them. That contributed the most to the USN's tactical loses in these night battles. Even worse than the poor torpedo performances. The second worse mistake was the flag officers not using their best available radar to direct their battle. Adm. Lee would not make this mistake on the following battle and defeated the IJN for the first time in night battle from the USS Washington.

[@Aotearas]

Given the infamous history of US early WW2 torpedo reliability, I'd like to think that two captains went on to buy lottery tickets next shore leave.

[@charlesadams1721]

Considering that back in the 1940s the most common nationally was the officially frowned upon Irish Sweepstakes, (or the very uncommon lottery in Puerto Rico started in 1934) the attempt to buy lottery tickets would have been more miraculous. (Lotteries were officially illegal in the US up until late in the 20th century)

[@Aotearas]

@@charlesadams1721 Though my quip was meant to be tongue-in-cheek rather than taken literally, I didn't know that and thanks for the information. Maybe they just had a couple high stakes games in a New Vegas casino instead, I know for a fact that gambling had been largely legalized in Nevada following the Great Depression.

[@insignificantgnat9334]

Nah you have a finite amount of luck, and those captains used up a good chunk of theirs with the torpedoes.

[@MrChickennugget360]

@@Aotearas Las Vegas did not really have Casinos back then. the Rise of Vegas Casino's is a post war thing.

[@Aotearas]

@@MrChickennugget360 Gambling was already legalized then and though whatever gambling den may not have been what we understand as today's Las Vegas casino, they certainly existed.

[@todo9633]

Ah yes, the turret telephones were "accidentally" wired so their crews could chat with each other.

[@gayprepperz6862]

Oops? LOL

[@tyree9055]

SNAFU's are useful sometimes... 😅

[@Self-replicating_whatnot]

The right way, the wrong way, and the army way...

[@americankid7782]

Yes this was unintentional. It’s normally wired so that the main battery can talk to the fire control and the secondary battery can talk to the fire control. The unintentional part was wiring it so the Secondary Battery could talk to the main Battery. Aka, now the little guns can talk to the big guns.

[@brucelytle1144]

There are (were) many IC circuits installed, just to be able to patch around battle damage, they could also be used to cross connect 2 separate circuits, like 1JV to 2JV, etc. I don't have a clue as to the fire control sound powered circuits designations. On the Gearing class DD I was on, we would "pipe" in "background music" on the 2JV during replenishment and such.

[@marktroiani5401]

Moving forward you must declare an MVP for each side in described engagements

[@utzius8003]

Yes, I need this.

[@DanielSilverthorn]

Most Valuable Personnel, Most Valuable Ship, or both? Haha.

[@ag7898]

Can we ask Drach to go back and do the same with past videos? I nominate the SS Kamchatka as the MVP for the Imperial Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima and its lead up.

[@johnbuchman4854]

Participation Trophy 🏆 for Kamchatka?

[@dziwnalata9271]

@@johnbuchman4854 or for those all torpedo boats? :D

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

Polish destroyer: signals "I am a Pole" and trolls the strongest German battleship without being hit. Japanese heavy cruiser: signals "I am Aoba" and gets immediately blasted by an entire American cruiser force

[@johnfrancisterne1072]

To be fair, the Aoba was practically in knife range

[@noahdaniel2577]

USS Helena: “Get that Motherfu-“

[@admiraltiberius1989]

The Aoba was so close to the Americans, an officer with a 1911 could have been effective. A 5inch gun was just brutal, anything larger was overkill.

[@benjaminarnold2881]

@@johnfrancisterne1072 but apparently not quite in katana range!

[@johnfrancisterne1072]

@@benjaminarnold2881 everyone knows only idiots or professionals bring katanas to knife fights.

[@novafloresca7758]

Fubuki: "Wait, you mean I'm *not* the main character?!?" Helena: *cocks 6" gun with malicious intent* "You never were"

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

And Shigure look set to take her job in Season 2. Who you think should be both the main character and narrate the epilogue of KC's series finale? Yukikaze? Ushio? Hibiki?

[@grlt23]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 Captain O'Hara ship - Yahagi.

[@ousou78]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 Our depressed Hibiki/ Vernily would fit perfectly. I don't know about the happy Yukikaze/Tan Yeng.

[@Feiora]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 USN USS Enterprise ^.^ afterall, by the end of the series theres not much of an IJN left... ^.^ Maybe IJN Mikasa? she'd technically be a shipgirl thats been working dockside in Admin... (Incidentally, if the storyline is from solely the IJN's PoV wouldn't that make the abominations they fight the USN instead of some eldritch horror that twists sunken shipgirls into abominations?)

[@spirz4557]

@@Feiora The movie showed up that there is a shipgirls/Abyssals cycle. Sunken shipgirls become Abyssals. Sunken Abyssals become shipgirls.

[@Kevin_Kennelly]

21:40 "launched a torpedo which, in a rare event for the US Navy in 1942, functioned perfectly!" What goes better with coffee than sarcasm?

[@HereticsRight]

I don’t think that counts as sarcasm, perhaps facetiousness?

[@michaelplatts8052]

When the truth is stranger than fiction...

[@micfail2]

@Indigo Whisker all facetious comments are sarcastic, but not all sarcasm is facetious. Facetiousness is the verbal equivalent of a rectangle

[@Ralph-yn3gr]

Drach's Rum, which is rum mixed with Irn-Bru.

[@johnbuchman4854]

It is actually accurate reporting (an admittedly rare thing in this year of 2020).

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

Aoba: "I am Aoba" US ships: *You picked the wrong house, fool*

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

US cruisers: "Do we look like the Bismarck to you?"

[@Welshman2008]

USS BIG SMOKE Home port SAN ANDREAS

[@zoecornish]

@@joshthomas-moore2656 after drinking sarka i would say yes lol

[@variableknife4702]

Welcome to the party, pal.

[@ussenterprise3156]

DROP THE FUCK OUT FUBUKI THE ENEMY

[@loveofmangos001]

"The Marine fighters and the Army P-40 fighters were all waiting for them. Here come our Japanese bombers more or less unescorted without my Zeros because the Navy fighters were out there dealing with them. The Marine fighters and P-40s just slaughtered the bombers. Almost no one survived to return home." - Saburo Sakai over Guadalcanal

[@Yamato-tp2kf]

And Saburo Sakai almost died against a SBD because he thought that was a F4F Wildcat, but he lost one eye and got badly wounded from that confrontation with the SBD

[@loveofmangos001]

@@Yamato-tp2kf That was on mission over Guadalcanal as well.

[@Yamato-tp2kf]

@@loveofmangos001 Yep, it was indeed

[@MrEnvirocat]

@@Yamato-tp2kf Sakai got bounced by the SBD which put a hole through his canopy. He shot it down. He then attacked a TBF squadron from above and behind mistaking them for Wildcats. The combined firepower of the TBF rear gunners have him his wounds and nearly shot him down.

[@Yamato-tp2kf]

@@MrEnvirocat Oh... It was TBF's? I thought that was SBD's...

[@Snoggy_1_2]

Fubuki, "Drive me closer, I want to hit them with my katana."

[@666Blaine]

I thought that they just fixed a bayonet to the front of the ship and charged.

[@JediKnight19852002]

@@666Blaine That was IJN Most Honorable Combat, not Fubuki

[@gmanbo]

Bonsai

[@grlt23]

Nooo... Bucky, no!

[@ousou78]

@@grlt23 Now that reminds me of an episode from the anime where she charged alone like a retard ennemy cruisers. Sees like IRL plot armor was not activated.

[@natekirk18]

My paternal grandfathers father (my great grandfather) was a chief pharmacists mate on the Boise. I know he got some medals for him and the rest of the medical staff saving all the wounded that didnt die when the explosion hit the shell holder. Yes that's correct, they saved all the wounded, and none died. So I think that really is a credit to the men of the boise that even with lack of medical experience for some, they saved every wounded man.

[@thedrifter9814]

hell of a man

[@jerrycottrell302]

Needs must !!!

[@paulsakz1532]

Sir we've torpedoed our own ship! No worries its one of "our" torpedoes just keep shooting! Another excellent video Drach!

[@Cdre_Satori]

Aoba: "I am Aoba" USNavy: "So anyway, I started blasting"

[@AlisonFort]

You are doing a really great job clarifying what I have often found to be a most confusing series of actions - thank you

[@mbryson2899]

Same for me. So many accounts of the engagement are darn near footnotes, and I never before realized that the seaplane tenders' resupply run was part of the same mission. As usual Uncle Drach gives us the whole picture.

[@westcoaststacker569]

Now if Montemayor could continue his videos. He really creates a great visual presentation.

[@otohikoamv]

"IR?" - "I am Aoba!" kind of sums up the opening phases of this one... Honestly, this is just a fascinating study in human communication and situational awareness - even apart from anything naval, there's a lot to study here in terms of how subordinate units behave in absence (or even impossibility) of a common picture with their immediate superior in the lead-up to an action. The conventional wisdom is that you train or drill for the action, when you expect to be too busy to "IR?" your leader on every minor detail and handle things according to the SOP - but still rely on that leader to get you to that point of action first. However as this one shows - even in small tactical formations, that isn't really what happens and independent initiative by subordinates in the lead-up to action is just as essential. In modern aviation, that's something addressed through CRM (cockpit resource management) training, which gives subordinates a lot of ability to do something about situations as they are developing, not after they develop (or after the commander notices them developing). I wonder how much of that has been taken on board in navies...

[@alishahellewaage6175]

Nothing beats a good ol' rum ration from Drach before sleep

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

Drachs new videos always release right when i come home from vocational school.

[@benjaminarnold2881]

So funny, for me, his videos are what I listen to in the morning!

[@gettinglost316]

A Drach vid usualy means I should be asleep by now but won't for atleast another 1hr😂

[@covertops19Z]

There are several good books on this subject: I recommend Neptune's Inferno by Hornfischer and U. S. Destroyer Operations in WWII by Roscoe

[@GoodGnewsGary]

Perfect way to start the day, coffee and Drach!

[@AndrewBlucher]

And I have just gone to bed! Very relaxing.

[@GoodGnewsGary]

@@AndrewBlucher my wife worked nights for 20 years. We were passing ships in the night. Sleep well.

[@rybuds47]

Same right here!

[@therealuncleowen2588]

Drach, thank you for starting to cover the period in the Pacific War from Pearl Harbor through Guadalcanal. I've always found that 18 month period to be the most fascinating part of WW2, being an American. Growing up in the 1970s, pre-internet, I read and re-read several encyclopedic books on WW2 that my parents had, the sections on Pearl Harbor and the subesquent carrier battles were dog eared and tattered from my numerous readings. Of course, the level of detail in those books pales in comparison to the material you present. I never grasped the wider context of events, such as how the weapons systems were developed, that is until your videos, which have really made the history come alive again for me. Thank you, Sir!

[@nonamesplease6288]

Great video as always. I think that these videos on the Guadalcanal campaign are helpful, particularly for Americans. We have largely forgotten how badly equipped the US Navy was for this campaign, how effective the Japanese navy was, and how much the US Navy paid in blood and ships to gain the experience and learn the lessons necessary to eventually win.

[@59ogre]

I knew a guy who was on Duncan during this battle.He said that it was 6-inch shellfire from Boise that caused the fatal damage.He was in the water for 7hrs waiting to be picked up,while sailors from another destroyer,(probably McCalla) manned the rails with rifles to keep the sharks off of them.Evidently the natives of the islands would build rafts to bury their dead at sea,so the sharks had gotten used to people on the menu.

[@Welshman2008]

IJN Cruiser signaling “I am Aoba” US Cruisers “So you have chosen death!”

[@kyleabrezzi]

Ijn aoba: hello Helena and boise: 5 inch guns say what? Aoba: what?

[@ericamborsky3230]

It's amazing that Aoba somehow survived.

[@Trek001]

Japanese heavy cruiser signals: "I am Aoba" Americans signal: "San Francisco and Helena send their regards"

[@alexandermonro6768]

So the Americans were using their 6" signal lamps then?

[@Trek001]

@@alexandermonro6768 It worked though

[@Colt45hatchback]

I wonder if anyone ever morse'd "left, right, goodnight" at an enemy via signal lamp 😂

[@kemarisite]

Note Kinugasa's hit on Boise is about the only known "proper" hit by the Japanese Type 91 AP shell, the infamous "diving" shell design used in guns from 6.1" to 18". There are, of course, many direct hits on ships, but this is one of the few, if not the only, occasions when the shell hit the water short of the target and punched through the shell below the armor belt as designed.

[@MagnusVictor2015]

Thanks for that detail - I was wondering how a shell ended up down there at this range.

[@Steelshadow104]

Aoba sends greeting* Helena slaps Aoba* "Silence weeb!"

[@MagnusVictor2015]

Aoba: "I am Aoba! Konnichiw-" Helena: *BLAM*

[@asherkosmos4312]

Aoba: *surprised pikachu face*

[@NVRAMboi]

RIP Rear Admiral Scott. What incredibly dangerous work. Thanks for your efforts on this great channel. Thanks to you, I've learned what a tortured life the IJN Aoba lived until her ultimate demise in Kure. It seems as if her story is a microcosm of the IJN's fate during the last 18 mos or so (give/take) of the Pacific War.

[@brianmorris4446]

I am a retired USN officer, there is no way that the live fire training exercise that was described would ever happen today. We just couldn't fight WW2 today.

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

Finally, more of the Guadalcanal campaign

[@bullettube9863]

To me the Guadalcanal campaign was as important as the battle of Midway had been in determining the fate of Japan. The Japanese lost four carriers and a big fraction of experienced pilots at Midway and they lost the numerical advantage they had at the start of the war. The Guadalcanal campaign cost the Japanese ships, men and material they could not replace, while the Americans could replace everything. But most importantly the Japanese realized their expansion into the South Pacific was too optimistic as they were not able to support offensive operations there. Once America secured Guadalcanal, they were able to launch more ambitious campaigns with greater and greater success. The pattern of the war was set.

[@TheBruceGday]

You are spot on in your analysis of Guadalcanal vs. Midway. Japanese also lost a lot of planes and crews during the Guadalcanal Campaign. Midway cost the Japanese the numerical advantage required to beat the United States in 1942. However Guadalcanal broke the back of Japanese naval and air forces to the point where the U.S. Could breathe until their new carriers came online and completely overwhelm IJN. US was able to dictate the course of the war. Japan could only react.

[@adamtruong1759]

So Midway evened the odds, and Guadalcanal was the true showdown.

[@bkjeong4302]

Japan lost far more pilots at Guadalcanal than at Midway, actually. At midway over half the Japanese pilots were rescued by Japanese surface ships.

[@alberto1481]

Imagine the Guadalcanal campaign if , In Midway, the USA would have lost its three carriers, and Japan none of them, instead of what happened: Japan losing four carriers, and the USA one. And you must take into acccount Midway lasted for a few days, sinking 3 of the carriers in 10 minutes , while Guadalcanal lasted for several months.

[@drperkins6668]

@@adamtruong1759 it was not the end. It was not even the beginning of the end. But perhaps it was the end of the.. oh you know the thing.

[@mickandrus367]

Thank you very much for the Guadalcanal series and I hope they continue. The naval battles there are historically important and forgotten in the mists of history.

[@darandeyoe]

Thank you for the video. This battle is rarely covered. My grandfather was on the Boise. Although he never talked about it, my grandmother said his battle station was in one of the aft main battery magazines loading rounds up to the turret. He was a fairly short man and had to go down into the forward magazine after the fires were put out and recover his fallen shipmates.

[@kemarisite]

Oof. Sounds about as bad as recovering bodies from the Enterprise after gun gallery following the Battle of the Eastern Solomons.

[@wolf-ic4bu]

My father served on the Boise after his basic training till the end of WW II. He enlisted in the Navy in June 1940. He was a machinist mate working down on the engines. The night of the Battle of Cape Esperanse, Oct 11-12, he was pressed into being a fireman to put out the fires in the front 6" magazines. He suffered from bad PTSD all his life from that night, seeing his fellow shipmates dead. I would like to continue this conversation thru email to find out more about your grandfather and his time on the Boise. My father never talked about it unless he had too much alcohol in him. He died when he was only 47.

[@darandeyoe]

@@wolf-ic4buSorry I don't know more about my grandfathers time aboard the Boise. I'm pretty sure he met his first wife while in the yards somewhere on the east coast after that battle. And then they went to the Atlantic for the remainder of the war. He divorced his first wife a few years after WWII. He met my grandmother while they were stationed in Alameda, I'm not sure if it was sea duty or shore for him. My grandmother was a data processor 3rd class. My mother was born there and my grandmother was discharged. WAVES could not be pregnant on active duty. Anyway, I'm rambling. My grandfather did 20 years on active duty and retired as a 1st class. He worked 35 years on a military instalation in Nevada. He passed away in 2004. He was a great man and a great roll model for me. I wish I knew more about him.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

Been looking forward to Part III. I'm really enjoy these series Drach has been doing; this Guadalcanal series and the Pearl Harbor series. Hope we see more of these in the future!

[@mechtechpotato4249]

Fun fact, the USS Hornet is docked at Alameda navel air station, you can still sea it there today as an museum ship. The Cub Scouts, the younger version of the Boy Scouts do a sleepover on the ship every year when there is not a pandemic. Alameda Naval Air station is also where Myth busters was filmed. It is not used by the US Navy anymore.

[@bernardtimmer6723]

The Hornet in Alameda is the Essex class successor of the Hornet sunk at Guadalcanal.

[@richardloebel]

Thank you for the very interesting film. My dad served on Farenholdt and said very little about his service, like many others of the time. Once we got a few beers in him (first Gen. German) he would only tell two stories. First was how screwed up that night was and how the Admiral didn't know his a** from his elbow. The second was the "torpedo story". Some of his details were different from the film, for example he never mentioned the funnel nor the self destruct. I guess he wanted to have a story with some humor in it and left the second part out. I mean, really, how many people can say they torpedoed themselves? When I heard you confirm that story I shouted out " HOLY SHIT, THE TORPEDO STORY IS TRUE" and made my kids watch it also. Thanks for confirming family lore.

[@auxityne]

US Navy: Mission failed successfully!

[@XXXXHHHHHTTTTTHHHHHH]

Also their motto for the battle of midway where their planes stumbled upon the IJN by accident and proceeded to sink some carriers.

[@drawingdead9025]

@@XXXXHHHHHTTTTTHHHHHH Nothing accidental about it. A good commander in the air made the right call based on the information available to him. His actions that day likely shortened the Pacific war by at least a year.

[@XXXXHHHHHTTTTTHHHHHH]

@@drawingdead9025 Except that even Drachinifel himself said that the torpedo bombers caused the IJN fighters to descend in altitude and it was a "happy accident" for the US Navy. Official US Navy history also admits it wasn't planned it just happened to be to their advantage as they stumbled upon the IJN fleet and had the altitude advantage. If you want to revisit history that's fine but your opinion is in the minority. Midway was a mission failed successfully for the USN by their own account.

[@gregoryhickok6300]

@@XXXXHHHHHTTTTTHHHHHH no one "stumbled" upon the IJN at Midway. The commanders of the attacking squadronsmade good decisions in the air to find the Japanese fleet. That's not luck that's good training and good decision making by the officers making the attack. When Lt. Best noticed that his squadron was massing to attack one carrier instead of dividing to attack two as doctrine dictated he took his 4 plane flight out of that attack to attack another carrier. This caused a hit, by Best, that sank the third carrier. Again, this was good training and decision making by an officer on scene. This is the exact opposite of luck.

[@tegunn]

@@XXXXHHHHHTTTTTHHHHHH fog of war. Make a decision based on the info you have, and hope you succeed; and the old maxim "No plan survives first contact"...

[@jessISaRicePrincess]

i am a US navy ship fanboy all the way but the japanese have the best ship names. taiho "great phoenix", fubuki "blizzard" freaking awesome names!

[@ArmoredNeko]

Yes, they have a strict code of naming ships according to their class and types, for example destroyers are named after weather conditions and Fubuki meant heavy snow so every Fubuki class is named with all kinds of snow. Too bad US would run out of weather conditions just between 200 Fletchers.

[@sanitarycockroach9038]

USS Salt Lake City builders on their wiring: It's not a bug! It's a FEATURE.

[@thekinginyellow1744]

Hah, and everyone thought that the first "bug" was that moth in the relay in ENIAC.

[@historytank5673]

Oooh ya early. Good to finally find out what happens next, hope us Aussie’s do some more epic work

[@patfontaine5917]

As always, such a well made documentary. Thanks for bringing these histories to light. Always look forward to the next installment.

[@josephpmans]

I love this series, probably the most interesting campaign of the entire war. Thank you for this Drachinifel

[@isolinear9836]

As many authors note, including one of my favorites, James Hornfischer in "Neptune's Inferno", the Guadalcanal campaign were the battles where each side were roughly the same strength and composition; it's like watching relatively evenly matched opponents in a ring who are of the same weight class, where overwhelming power is off the table - whilst tactics, guile, gambits and skill take on more importance. It's far more "interesting" than watching two unevenly matched opponents - at least to onlookers from a safe distance - but you can bet the participants would rather have had an overwhelming advantage in their corner and made it "less interesting" though.

[@kpdubbs7117]

31:46 Wow, just dropping that cliff hanger on us... Drach - Thus the stage was set for the next big battle in the ongoing campaign: The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Robovoice - Thats it for this video. Thanks for watching...

[@SteadyTheMobbin]

The best historian. Agreed??

[@charl6335]

This and mark Felton are my line up

[@matthiasbindl7085]

well, that´s Indy Neidell, but he is still real good

[@mbryson2899]

@Matthias Bindl, Indy is good, but only as good as his scripts when he's out of his European element. Their Pearl Harbor series had a fair number of errors. I'll stick with Uncle Drach and Dr. Felton for strict accuracy, Uncle Drach gaining the edge (in my personal taste) for his amusing asides and dry humor.

[@TheEDFLegacy]

@@mbryson2899 This exactly. Lol Also, The History Guy makes up my trifecta.

[@costakeith9048]

@@matthiasbindl7085 I always found his stuff far too light on detail. That's the beauty of this channel, you get all the details so you come out of it with an actual understanding of what happened rather than some generic summary riddled with unsubstantiated assumptions. Now if he did 2 hour episodes at the same frequency he does 15 minute episodes, then it would be one of the best channels on youtube.

[@fatty409]

But I have but one question about this whole engagement... "Do you see torpedo boats?" It is very interesting to go through the near play by play action of these battles. Thank you.

[@josephthomas8318]

I think this have been my favorite series so far

[@kenchen704]

I love your narration. It’s calm but very fun. Fantastic production quality too!

[@randomguy-tg7ok]

Helena: Can I shoot them? Scott: Uhh... who? Helena, Boise, Salt Lake City and San Fransisco: *SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS WHOOOO*

[@josephpmans]

Im picturing Helena as Danny Devito's character from always sunny, "So i came in and started blastin"

[@cyphi474]

Expression on his face when Helena opened fire had to be priceless.

[@Admiral_Ellis]

@@cyphi474 Helena: "Interrogatory Roger" Scott: "Uhh... Roger?" [pause] BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

[@Electriceye1984bySam]

Awesome doc! Black Sheep Squadron was the coolest tv show when I was a kid. One of my favorite campaigns to study.

[@alexkalish8288]

Great description of this major naval action. Thanks for the latest in this campaign...

[@TankerBricks]

Ah excellent day to listen to Drach at Lunch.

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

Battle of Guadalcanal "Seconds out round three"

[@jimlatosful]

You keep choosing topics that I just finished books about! I just finished Neptune's Inferno and then you started this series on the Guadalcanal campaign.

[@anthonyrobinson7715]

Hitting the like button! Your series on the Guadalcanal battles is amazingly well done.

[@jameschristoffersen238]

The intro music just gets me pumped everytime

[@williamf.daigle266]

These videos are just beyond superb. Think the visual version of Neptune's Inferno. Keep up the great work and I look forward to the next video about the Solomon Island/s campaign/s.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

Drach you are one of the best....truly. Absolutely love your work. Thank you for everything you do.

[@edwhite7078]

I do appreciate the work done here. I've been on a Guadalcanal trip all day. Going thru dozens of videos and articles. This is the first time I've heard the actual name of the special shells. Over and over I've heard special shells but I couldn't figure out if they were something created just for this action or what they were. Thanks drach

[@StreetGang2017]

I had a great Uncle on the Boise during this battle as well as the rest of the war and by all family accounts he was never the same after this,I wish I had known more from him but he was mum on the whole thing and remained so until his passing in 1980.All that is left now are pictures of him and of the crew in better prewar times at her commissioning.God bless each and every man jack of them..

[@wolf-ic4bu]

My father was there that night. He was a machinist mate 2nd class. He was not on duty when the fight began so they pressed him into helping put the fires out up on deck. He never talked about it unless he had too much to drink. Mostly about the blood, bodies and smoke. Suffered all his life from PTSD.

[@BDLBM]

Not gonna lie. Particularly enjoying this series. My inner 5-year-old is kicking a tantrum up and screaming "Want Santa Cruz Islands now Now NOW!"

[@skeletonwguitar4383]

Thumbnail: "This here is Japan flag, see a ship with this? Aim!"

[@markstott6689]

You're forgetting something: "Fire."

[@kyleabrezzi]

"Lighting a ship on fire by gun rounds counts as illumination." Sure does

[@wordsmithgmxch]

Thanks for that spirited narrative, Uncle Drach -- a mightily appreciated enhancement to my rum-ration-in-a-glass. The hilarity did briefly pall, however, at 24:18: triple-digits of brave sailors being suddenly pressure-cooked in enclosed spaces is enough to put anyone foo his feed -- or drink.

[@varschnitzschnur8795]

Your research for your presentations is incredibly in depth. As usual, an excellent presentation.

[@belliott538]

Great Video! The Guadalcanal Campaign has always been one of my favorite WWII subjects of study since learning to read as a wee lad in the early "70's. While my other first grade peers were reading Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and The Boxcar Children... I was reading The Cactus Air Force and other dusty tomes concerning this subject. Please Keep up your Great Work!

[@lawrencemyers3623]

Same here....and still do.

[@JosephOlson-ld2td]

Guadalcanal is on the equator, temp 100°F everyday, 80°F every night, and +200 inches per year of rain > 2500 sq miles with 3500 foot ridge down the center

[@howardkoontz4735]

My father ship USS Boise CL 46. Named "The one ship fleet" 6 heavies gone. She lost all comm, guns except some AA. Went back to NY for refit, and then to Italy, and then back to S/P 11 Battle stars. Capt Esperance was her first large battle.

[@Welshman2008]

Thanks been looking forward to this video .

[@athopi]

A half hour I knew would be worth taking the time to grab a beer and slow down for a bit. Thanks!

[@4rdale]

Another really good subject would be the Battle of the Komandorskis in March 1943. The USS Salt Lake City and the USS Richmond, with some destroyers, were providing distant cover for operations in the Aleutians when they encountered a larger force of Japanese cruisers who were escorting supply ships. It was one of the few battles in which aircraft took no part at all, and later an article about it was written in Life Magazine, titled "My Speed Zero," after a report by the USS SLC's captain when she was struck by a shell that let water into their oil feed lines. Great story.

[@CFarnwide]

USS Salt Lake City had a commendable run during WWII. She was one of those ships that were to angry to die. She took a mauling, and dished it out as well, at the Komandorskis but still made it home.

[@Blacksheep1968]

Love this kind of commentary. tks

[@RemcovandeLangenberg]

Great video, great attention to detail, I am really enjoying it and learning a lot...

[@chuckbeal5057]

Good summary. Things are getting interesting. I cannot wait for Drachinifel's summary the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

[@stevewixom9311]

Been looking forward to this.. loved the first two

[@skinnyvid]

I have loved these series so far. Impatiently waiting for Santa Cruz now.

[@Oxide_does_his_best]

Love this stuff, I need to do something naval related. Russian marines?

[@JoseJimenez-sh1yi]

The voyage of the rusian pacific squadron.

[@Dan-lu5qd]

Loadout guide

[@fernandomarques5166]

Loadout: Soviet Marines late-cold war

[@LuqmanHM]

No AKs??!!

[@pedrolopez8057]

Soviet Naval Infantry were used in the Black Sea

[@stevewhite3424]

Superior content! Thanks Drach :-)

[@þþþþþþþþþ]

GAWD I couldn't imagine how awesome it would have been to witness all the main and secondary guns on Helena blasting away as fast as possible.

[@No1_OfConsequence]

The pace of US Navy development during the Solomon Island campaign is somewhat astonishing. While they did have radar, most of the Navy senior leadership did not really know how to employ it, nor was there an organized way to get the information to the people who needed it in any cohesive manner. By the end of the Solomons campaign, the Navy would begin to have the first CICs employed to make effective use of their radar and communications capabilities, and much of the techniques and procedures are still in use today in a slightly modified form. Admirals Scott and Callahan, both fine men and able leaders for their time, were not among those who knew how to make best use of their ships' systems and their flag bridges did not have their own radar plots at that time.

[@roxyfirebunny4973]

For the algorithm! Ive learned so much naval trivia & history I'll never have practical use for. Still super interesting! Thank you!

[@Straswa]

Another fantastic vid Drach!

[@jonathanerickson1543]

I like reading the history of the battle of Guadalcanal. A true brawl between 2 superpowers at the time. Much like midway, however this brought every aspect into the war. Air ground and sea.

[@tba113]

USS Duncan: Shh, quiet - they don't see torpedo boats!

[@stenduginski2306]

Can someone explain the picture at 3:38? It must be either much later in the war, or a different airfield, because B-24s weren't based at henderson field while the island was contested.

[@johnforsyth7987]

Just discovered this type of video. It was wonderful. Thank you very much.

[@grahamsupple6382]

absolutely loving this series, hope you do more like it!

[@rybuds47]

I am loving this series Drach.

[@jonathan_60503]

It still seems amazing that navies keep failing at maintaining shared situational awareness. Were the signal issues at Jutland not well known? You'd think various navies could have set up shoreside exercises to point out, and keep fresh in everyone's minds, how unless you communicate well the various ships and formations will end up with wildly different information.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Book learning and real world crisis are different animals. On top of that, the majority of a senior officer's work is all the stuff BETWEEN the exciting bits. Just getting ships outfitted and ready for action takes weeks of administrative work. That's why Nimitz never jumped onto a battleship and lead his forces into battle. Not his job. He was a great admiral at what he did, giving the Halseys and Fletchers what they needed to fight.

[@Volnas97]

How did you win? Scott: Just like I was born. By accident.

[@MrDgwphotos]

The shells that hit the Boise below the water line were designed to keep their ballistic properties after hitting the water so that they could penetrate below the water line. Thus, the design was both a curse and a blessing.

[@dantreadwell7421]

That's such a great description of Bull Halsey.

[@virusguy5611]

Aoba: Do you know who I am? USN cruisers and destroyers: Some dead man!

[@joakimgreber4708]

USN: Mr. Stevens, chief of catering ?

[@willywally8285]

That was fantastic. Thank you, Drach!

[@CAUSELESSREBEL]

Excellent review of the Solomon's campaign to this point. Thank you.

[@aidanfarnan4683]

*Admiral Halsey, dressed as Jefferson from "Hamilton" swinging in at the end of all this:* "What'd I Miss?"

[@Hiiiiii74]

The world wonders

[@matebalazs1575]

Oh, yes. Halsey, the overrated admiral.

[@seanmac1793]

@@matebalazs1575 ahhh yes so Ghormley could have sloved the problems facing the US right now. He had been doing a bang up job of jack and shit until now

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

@@ramal5708 Your description of Ghormley makes me see him as a paper=pusher who only keep the commission because US is in peacetime, but will be kicked off to a desk job or cashiered if the war is declared. Is he like that?

[@matebalazs1575]

@@ramal5708 I'd pick Fletcher over Halsey. I win. :D

[@lancethompson6839]

Great report, never understood the details of this action before. Thanks!

[@RGC-gn2nm]

Loving this series

[@dewman6379]

Aoba: says hi American ships: anyway I started blasting

[@rring44]

Playing War on the Sea really helped me with identifying all of the ships. I love the Brooklyn class light cruisers. Those 15 6" guns can make short work of destroyers and light cruisers and even mess up the heavy cruisers. Also they have decent secondaries.

[@marvinm8343]

Nice to see a fellow WotS player. I'm here for mostly the tactics used by both sides.

[@yes_head]

Awesome work, Drach. Thanks!

[@TheAsbeth]

"sail me closer, I want to hit them with my torpedo launchers" - Fubuki's captain, probably