Invading Italy: When destroyers tried to be tanks and aircraft carriers hunted for wind

[@MrRugbylane]

I already have Dr Clarke's book. Its a lively thing indeed.

[@iantobanter9546]

Thanks for this. My dad was there on HM S Penelope and until she was lost after Anzio.

[@jeffbraaton4096]

I was inundated with new stuff today, Dr Clarke kept me engaged from beginning to end, would love to take a class with him. This presentation is just another example of, Not all the stories of WW2 have been told. Every show Paul has more/new information. You can't read one book, watch one show on the History Channel and be informed about WW2. Absolutely Brilliant Dr Clarke and Paul ... let's do another couple of hours 😉

[@philoaviaticus]

Dedicated fellow, Dr Clarke

[@1089maul]

Woody/Dr Alex, Fabulous presentation. Really enjoyed the information and style of presentation! Thanks. Bob

[@therealuncleowen2588]

The stories at the start of the talk about ships getting right up to shore to knock out tanks at Salerno, those are just the essence of what I've always found most fascinating about war in general. Those absolutely desperate moments when the enemy is voting against the plan, and things might start to go very badly. The solution is to improvise and find out what the weapons you've brought (designed, built, and paid for by the best minds of your nation) can really do when stressed to the limit. The bravery, ingenuity, and intelligent capability on display in such moments is the stuff of legend.

[@stevej8005]

Another fascinating show I missed first time around - I just cannot keep up with your quality output Paul!!🤣👍 I loved the little anecdotes that Dr Clarke provided to highlight some of the unorthodox things that were happening !! This level of detail is what makes your channel so engrossing and informative🙏

[@spirossaris308]

I love the work of both WW2TV and Dr Clarke ; this presentation was a real treat :)

[@jimwalsh1958space]

just begining to comprehend how much work the makers of this channel put in. i am so very grateful and i will support you all i can.

[@WW2TV]

Thank you so much 😀

[@michaelfleming6420]

Great insight into a broad area.

[@terryemery7839]

Well, that was 2 hours of my life, that I … well, really enjoyed!

[@stuweiss-zi9rc]

Fantastic! The realities of operating space, force allocation, and command decision-making blew me away. I learned so much behind the scenes details, the kinds of things that keep me coming back to WW2TV.

[@marks_sparks1]

Thoroughly enjoyed Alexander passionate and hilarious take on Salerno and Royal Navy Mediterranean operations. What I learned was a better appreciation of why the Messines Strait evacuation from Sicily was unopposed by the Allied navies. You may have the assets but if they're not there to do the job when you want them, well what good are they? And really loved the cockup about the Regia Marina in the signed Armistice - straight out of Monty Python. Fantastic show.

[@morganhale3434]

Strangely enough there was a US submarine that sank a train on one of the Japanese home islands in 1945. It shelled it with gunfire, but I still love that statement.

[@Thumpalumpacus]

Also, (about 1:00:30 or so) naming an SSBN after the BB which landed the longest naval artillery hit in history, 26,000 yds.

[@therealuncleowen2588]

"The Royal Navy are considering the Army to be a projectile and they are firing out where they want to go." That is a brilliant way of looking at it. Given the depths of their inter service animosity, the Japanese military would most definitely have agreed with that sentiment. Also, there were moments in the Pacific when the Navy might have gladly considered the Marine General Holland Smith as a projectile. LOL In all seriousness, there's a mixture of humility, dedication to duty, and poking fun within that sentiment. The Royal Navy is of course, a service with an incredible history of ruling the oceans of the planet, and while it might not have been obvious at the time, WW2 was very much the final glorious days of that era. Here they are, willing to act in a supporting role to the Army, but able to joke about it somewhat. The Army thinks they are doing the important bit, but actually they are still just a projectile for us to fire.

[@therealuncleowen2588]

Ike FORGOT to include the Italian Navy in the terms of the armistice!!?? That's awesome. That story, partially apocryphal or not, goes into my long list of reasons why I respect Ike. He makes a mistake, owns it rather than lying about it, and then assigns the job to an able subordinate from Allied nation with whom he shares mutual respect. Think about the situation and imagine the numerous points where a man with a bigger ego than Ike could have practiced the fine art of turning a bad mistake into a real disaster. Denying he'd made a mistake and trying to blunder ahead without dealing with the Italian Navy, or insisting an American naval officer with no connection to the Italians handle it, or attempting to impose a solution on the Italian Navy without talking to them, thereby insulting them and wrecking hopes of cooperation. Ike was good at dealing with people.

[@ondrejdobrota7344]

HMS Manchester attacked by MS 16 and MS 22, which each fired one torpedo, one of which struck the cruiser in the aft engine room, despite her efforts to evade the torpedoes, and jamming her rudder hard to starboard. The hit killed one officer and nine ratings and knocked out electrical power to the aft end of the ship. Sunk.

[@Thumpalumpacus]

Another good example of direct fire support from a DD is USS Frankfort off'n Omaha.

[@ethanmckinney203]

Bizarre that so few people were interested in this.

[@johnnynielsen3006]

Cunningham: What about the Italien Navy? Eisenhower: Huuh? That was hilarious. LOL

[@morganhale3434]

I've always wondered how much cross-fertilization of the European and Pacific amphibious operations lessons learned and competing doctrines there was? My first thoughts when I was much younger was that there obviously had to have been since in New Guinea and the Solomons both British Commonwealth and US forces were intimately involved as in the Mediterranean and Normandy invasions. As I've grown older, I've not noticed any mention in the histories of those campaigns and the natural arrogance and parochialism that major institutions and collectives show towards those outside of their bailiwicks. Mainly were fighting Germans/Japanese in Europe/Pacific and you're not, so why bother. I would love to know if there was any and why or why not?

[@cocopuffs5561]

need clarke back with more time

[@josephwurzer4366]

Is their a good 1 volume history of the Italian campaign? You expect the campaign needs a 3 volume, 1, Sicilian. 2, To taking Rome. 3, Finish the war.

[@WW2TV]

James Holland's book are very good