Is *THE PACIFIC* BETTER Than *BAND OF BROTHERS*?!

[@SpartanandPudgey]

We thought Band of Brothers prepared us for this....it did not. Watch up to Episode 5 Reaction EARLY & UNCUT over on Patreon! www.patreon.com/spartanandpudgey

[@Blackflame24]

Be prepared. The Pacific Theatre of war was much more brutal and violent and this shows that completely. Trench fighting and close quarters combat against a fanatical enemy that refuses to surrender along with booby traps everywhere. The Marines literally could NOT let their guard down for a single second. Band of Brothers focuses on the brotherhood between soldiers. The Pacific pretty much focuses on the brutality of war and soldiers slowly losing their humanity and the unspeakable things they sometimes have to do in order to survive

[@RJKookie]

Definitely recommend watching Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary “The War” that goes more in depth with a couple of the real men portrayed in “The Pacific.” The documentary features Tom Hanks and others as voice actors in this very emotional and gripping depiction from the American perspective of the WW2 service members and home front.

[@travisgray8376]

Please watch the episodes with the introduction it has the real veterans talking like band of brothers but also Tom Hanks narration n real footage it adds alot to the show n at end U find out who's who. Make sure U watch the Pacific with the introduction n theme song it's awesome.

[@SamGray]

Band of Brothers was a strong series because of the narrative, but The Pacific is more about examining how war affects people. I can appreciate both because they each have their own merits, but they're different.

[@UMADtouchgrass]

Facts, I love both equally but im more bias on the pacific as a marine vet.

[@johnwayne9828]

I think it's so different because band focused on an entire company while the Pacific was based on several marines memoirs and has a much narrower focus on just a few individual men.

[@USful]

@@johnwayne9828 It's a bit more than that. The Japanese were *very* cruel to everyone they encounter. My grandma was living in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded and she has soooo many horror stories about how they treated the local population. During that time, the Japanese viewed everyone that wasn't Japanese as animals, and they treated them as such. Babies caught with bayonets, children forced to kill their own parents, innocent residents being tortured for no reason. During the latter parts of the war, when the Japanese were fighting closer to home territory, they would build tunnel networks in the island and fight tooth-and-nail for every inch given. Everywhere that was taken likely had a tunnel or secret cove of Japanese soldiers hiding. They wanted death before dishonor, and surrender was seen as a grave offense to their personal, familial, and national honor (which is why you likely know about the Kamikaze pilots and Banzi charges). They were brutal in a LOT of ways that just don't compare to the European fight. If you'd like, look into the Bataan Death March, the Rape of Nanking, and the Manila Massacre. The Germans had a lot of horrible crimes they committed (same with the Soviets), but the Japanese (from the WWII America's perspective) was extremely brutal.

[@Pedrogog]

I agree. The Pacific is much darker, deep and you can even feel yourself depressed sometines. However is still a great series.

[@SamGray]

@@UMADtouchgrass Semper Fi, bro.

[@angelredfield]

Oof... Prepare for this one. Band of Brothers is a marvelous series in terms of both story and depiction... The Pacific on the other hand is very good in relaying how close to hell the Pacific theater was

[@willvr4]

Yeah, in terms of the actual warfare, the Pacific theatre was arguably worse than the European battles.

[@Commanderstevo]

Truly, the Pacific was a gruesome theater, if it wasn't the relentless enemy, it was the jungle and tropics itself. The dual movies Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima is also a great look into the mindsets of soldiers from both sides in one of the most horrific battles of WWII, right up there with Stalingrad imo.

[@AlecLeibensperger]

i am one of the few people that enjoy the Pacific more. I enjoy movies and TV shows that don't hold back when it comes to showing the nasty sides of humanity.

[@BGBG617]

In 1975, when I was 12, I was watching a baseball game with my uncle. He was wearing shorts and drinking his usual vodka with vodka 😅. I asked him why his legs were all scarred up and he proceeded to tell me about Saipan and Iwo Jima. Will never forget what he told me. He got a battlefield commission because nobody above his rank was left. You stayed away from the flamethrower. None of the Japanese would surrender. They had to burn them. He never lost his humanity. He was such a gentleman and role model as all my teachers, coaches and friends’ dads were who fought in that war. They came out of the depression and were built different. Later, after my uncle passed, I told his son, my 1st cousin what his dad told me. He was shocked. His dad never spoke of it. And my cousin was a marine in Vietnam. 1/9 Bravo 68-69. My family goes back to civil war and every engagement since. Sometimes, I can’t believe how they all survived for me to even be here today.

[@sidral1176]

respect for your uncle and cousin ! man

[@mikelautensack7351]

Brace yourselves, this one is dark. Really does a good job portraying the dark horrible reality of war.

[@aaronowen1048]

Make sure you watch the episodes with the interviews in the beginning

[@MarcoMM1]

Its now only avaible in Blueray discs HBO remove it the interviews in all the streaming services. But they still can watch them on YT.

[@atuuschaaw]

I'm glad y'all are continuing the journey. The Pacific is definitely a much darker and brutal depiction of war. I believe y'all should also do Masters of the Air once The Pacific is complete. At 73, I had uncles who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, my dad was in the Navy and took part in the Solomon Islands campaign, and I worked with two disabled airmen who were on B-17 crews in the 8th Air Force. So I was deeply invested in seeing all three of the series.♥

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

My maternal grandfather was in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific and my paternal grandfather was a surgeon (Major) in Burma; he later volunteered as a surgeon for the Red Cross in Vietnam. His morality has always been my Northstar.

[@jrafel1707]

I think the comparison of Band of Brothers vs The Pacific is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both so different. While Band of Brothers does show more of what war is like for troops, it still doesn't touch the true severity of mental and physical anguish that soldiers can experience. The Pacific does this better because what the Marines went through in that area of the war was Hell on earth.

[@空の夢-h1j]

I do think they are companion pieces. Band of Brothers finds the beauty in camaraderie and purpose, the bonds between brothers and the help they gave each other even in the face of war. The Pacific is the inverse, the way that war breaks people down and can turn good people into violent animals, and the despair that comes from it.

[@MontgomeryWenis]

Apples and oranges are both round drupe fruits with an outer skin layer and seedy flesh within. They grow from trees as a way to reproduce, relying on the animals who eat them to disperse the seeds. They are both green when immature and grow into primarily warm, single colored mature fruit. Both are sweet and/or tart in flavor. It's literally easier to compare similarities between apples and oranges than find their differences. Such a stupid phrase.

[@hermanhedning4220]

Alligator creek was in fact named after the salt water crocodiles who lives there.

[@Showstealer13]

It's not better. Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Masters of the Air are three different and important series, which serve to remind us that freedom is something that can never be taken for granted, but has been earned with sacrifices that we could never repay.

[@Manolo0528]

The scene of the father seeing his son off constantly reminds me of a similar incident in my family although the send-off in my family was covered by the local newspaper. The send-off was attended by an elderly man in his 90s, a veteran of the US Civil War (1861-65), his son, a veteran of the Spanish-American War (1898) and his grandson, a veteran of WW1 (1917-18). They were there to see off the elderly man’s great-grandson who was leaving by train in 1942. The great-grandson was a Marine and was going to, you guessed it, the Pacific. He survived and came home. 4 consecutive generations, fathers and sons to each other, hence the newspaper interest.

[@rlswiss7518]

Incredible. I hope your family is well. Heroic bloodline, that you got there, mate.

[@Manolo0528]

@@rlswiss7518Thank you

[@andrewkline5611]

Australian soldiers were a menace wherever they ended up during the war. Respect.

[@shawnofdanaukota3843]

Kokoda trail was their turning point

[@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258]

The 'Kokoda Trail'...the Diggers' Finest Hour...🫡

[@kaybevang536]

Especially the ones in todays Aussie Spec Ops They Are straight up cooking

[@jeff-ni5cy]

The actor who plays Eugene Sledge is the same one who played the boy in Jurassic Park

[@rexracer3221]

Not better, just different. The Japanese didn't observe any "rules of war". They literally fought to the death, because to surrender was to dishonor not only yourself but your entire family.

[@frenchfan3368]

Yup, they adhered to the Bushido Code which was absolutely brutal.

[@MS-wz9jm]

In terms of war crimes committed the Japanese were much worse than the Germans. Look into the crimes they committed against the Chinese if you dont have a weak stomach. The crazy thing is the US covered for them after the war.

[@johnwayne9828]

They werent given much choice in the matter whether they believed it or not. Letters from iwo Jima is a great film that does a good job portraying the average japanese soldier.

[@hawkeyegeorge]

People continue to try to compare the two, which isn't fair to either series. They're both fantastic in their own way.

[@MickeyStartraveller]

And as we all know nuking two cities is strictly within the rules of war.

[@jestx101]

High School history teacher here. Teach 10th & 11th in the States. I took my last university credits in Japan then lived there for 4 years. I always show "White Light, Black Rain" documentary in class. History is best through the eyes of primary sources. Tough watch, but very engaging.

[@alanholck7995]

Have you read ‘The Girl With The White Flag’ by Tomiko Higa? She was 7 during the battle of Okinawa & literally caught in the crossfire.

[@JamesMurray-iq5tz]

With the pacific they do a really good job with showing just how terrible the fighting conditions were. The rain, the heat, mud etc

[@woodspirit98]

My dad joined the Marines and landed on Saipan and Tinian when he was seventeen years old. He also served during the Korean war.

[@McBrannon1000]

My Grandpa was a tank mechanic, B/4/4.

[@frankgunner8967]

Imo the more you get into this series the more brutal it gets

[@elmo2800]

Please keep watching. The second half introduces Eugene Sledge and that story is absolutely incredible.

[@tropical_boys]

This is what I was waiting for, thank you very much!! A big hug from Brazil to you 🇧🇷❤️🇦🇺

[@saaamember97]

That first battle, between the ships, depicted the "Battle of Savo Island." The worst American naval defeat. The Navy had to depart the area to lick it's wounds and regroup/resupply, leaving all the Marines on Guadalcanal to fend for themselves. The Navy came back a short time later with reinforcements and supplies, and the "Battle for the Pacific" was on!

[@harryrabbit2870]

The "murmur" would be a heart condition, usually the result of heart valve irregularity. A heart issue would disqualify anybody trying to enlist.

[@jforden78]

Usually, it has to do with a leaky heart valve which can inhibit him in strenuous activity depending on its severity.

[@gibsongirl2100]

Please tell me you chose the version with the introductions before each episode - they are essential to this! I don't even know what they were thinking, releasing this series with that as optional to begin with. Please watch them!

[@travisgray8376]

Hans Zimmer and Blake Neely composed the score for the HBO miniseries The Pacific. Zimmer composed almost two-thirds of the score, and the two collaborated on the work. The score was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition in 2010..

[@C0maT0ast]

Bob Leckie's father is English-born Australian actor Chris Haywood. Pudgey kind of got it right when trying to explain why he seemed so 'distracted' by the car - I mean he's obviously not an overtly emotional man, but I'm guessing that he didn't want to acknowledge that his son is going off to war and quite possibly never coming home. Quite a few Aussies in this show, speaking of, if you get a chance maybe check out the miniseries Changi, it's based on Australian POWs incarcerated in a Japanese WW2 Concentration camp in Singapore.

[@jdgoade1306]

The Great Raid also a good one despite the fictional romance.

[@saaamember97]

As a former U.S. Air Force service member, I've done my share of historical study on the battles of Guadalcanal (Edson's Ridge, Alligator Creek, etc). I consider it to be "The Fight for Australia." Japan had already taken most of the Pacific, and were not going to stop, until they took Australia too. In order to do that, they had to take the Solomon Islands, which lay along the direct shipping supply lines to Australia from America and the rest of the free world. As the battles unfolded and the ultimate result became apparent, the start of the take-back of the Pacific ensued. The Aussies, and the rest of the world for that matter, owe a great debt of gratitude to my U.S. Marine Corps brothers ..... They have MY respect. Oorah!

[@dariuszczerniak2325]

Yes masters of the air for sure 👍🏼 “I believe you should be as merciless to them as they were to my people” remember Poland 🙏🏼

[@HemlockRidge]

There are no alligators in the Solomons, just some "Salties". The Marines just called the creek that, because that's what they were familiar with.

[@Jane-AnimalFriend]

Yes, you should definitely watch Masters of the Air. It's the story of the pilots.

[@Manolo0528]

BACK STORY (before the series began): The Japanese conquered the British possession of Singapore. It was the largest surrender in the history of British Military history. About 80,000 British soldiers surrendered. The Brits no longer had an effective fighting force in the Pacific. They couldn’t send troops from North Africa. The Canadians, Australians & New Zealanders had most of their military in European and/or Mediterranean/North African Theaters since war began in 1939. England needed them for its defense. The result was a meeting between US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Prime Ministers of Britain (Churchill), Canada, Australia & New Zealand where the US agreed to take 100% responsibility for the defense of Australia & New Zealand. In order to do this FDR sent for General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines & go to Australia & take command of all American, Australian & New Zealander military forces as “Supreme Commander-Southwest Pacific Area”. Most of Australia’s & New Zealand’s army remained in England & North Africa. Australian Navy remained in the Pacific under US command either under Admiral Chester Nimitz, “Supreme Commander-Pacific Ocean Areas” or MacArthur depending on where in the Pacific Ocean the battle took place. This is why the Naval Battle of Coral Sea occurred. Stop the Japanese invasion force headed toward New Guinea & Tulagi which could be used as a springboard to invade Australia. This is also why the Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands) campaign (Episode 1 of “The Pacific”) is occurring. Capture the Japanese airstrip & hold it so that Japan can’t use it to bomb Australia. The Solomon Islands, of which Guadalcanal is the largest island & where the capital is located, was in 1942 & today a British possession. They are “independent” the same way Canada, Australia & NZ are: self-ruling but with King Charles III of the UK as the Head-of State. One more thing, the “American Industrial Juggernaut” hadn’t fully kicked in yet and wouldn’t until 1943. Marines on Guadalcanal (The Pacific-Episode 1) were forced to fight with old weapons some of which dated to the WW1 25 years earlier. At the stage of the war the US Navy was clueless about night fighting. The Japanese were experts. It also didn’t help that at night there could be no air cover or scout planes to tell us where the Japanese were. The Naval Battle of Savo Island (witnessed by Marines on Guadalcanal at 17:32) was just such an example. The Japanese Navy surprised the American Navy at night & defeated the American Task Force. The Japanese withdrew just before dawn to avoid American planes. In order to keep his Aircraft Carriers safe the Task Force Commander withdrew them. Without air cover the supply ships & the amphibious ships left without unloading thus taking reinforcements, ammunition, food, medical supplies & drums of drinking water with them. The Battle of Savo Island is considered the worst “ship vs ship in the open sea” combat defeats in the history of the US Navy. (Pearl Harbor is considered THE WORST defeat but the fleet was at anchor not out in the open sea doing combat). In the aftermath the Captain of one sunken American Naval vessel was assigned administrative duties back in North America for the rest of his career. He never went to sea or saw combat again. This was in spite of the fact that he was a Navy Cross (2nd only to the Medal of Honor) recipient from WW1, had many years of experience commanding vessels & received the Purple Heart for wounds received at Savo Island. Another Captain of a sunken American ship discovered that his actions would be heavily criticized in an official Naval Inquiry Report on the battle & committed suicide. The careers of the Admirals involved were not negatively affected despite the mistakes they made in battle. The Navy also changed procedures & tactics.

[@RJKookie]

FDR ordered MacArthur to relocate to Australia because he feared MacArthur would be captured or killed once Japanese forces had surrounded the island of Corregidor. Dec. 7th is remembered every year because of Pearl Harbor. Yet our brave and heroic defenders of Bataan & Corregidor are largely forgotten. Their sacrifice and tremendous courage helped delay Japan's strategic advance in the Pacific by six months. The fall of Bataan was an embarrassment to the U.S. but these starving and emaciated sickly men had felt abandoned and forgotten. Their hellish suffering - and what they had to endure - hopefully will never be forgotten.

[@chrisherber1635]

I was in the marines, this one just hits different. John Basilone and Chesty Puller were known throughout the Corps. And I think they really captured the Marines well..to this day we still say “kill kill kill em all”

[@thetragicschoolbuspodcast]

I honestly prefer the Pacific. (Just my opinion, clearly BoB is the better show. But something about the Pacific I just prefer)

[@vincesalazar8682]

I cried alot in the Pacific 🥺

[@mikealvarez2322]

In this first episode the Marines slaughter the Japanese in the Battle of the Tenaru River or Alligator Creek, which should have been named Crocodile Creek. One of the unsung heroes of that battle was Jacob Vouza, a constable and native of the island. He volunteered to scout for the Marines and they in turn gave him a small American flag that he carried with him. The Marines set their perimeter and were well placed for the Japanese assault. Jacob was out scouting when he was captured by some of Colonel Ichici's men. They found the flag Jacob was carrying and started torturing him for information about the Americans. Jacob refused to talk so the tied him to a tree and used him for bayonet practice. He was stabbed in the face, neck, abdomen, and arms. They left him tied up to die. Jacob managed to free himself a walked a couple of miles to the Marine aid station. He warned the Marines that the Japanese would attack that evening. Within 15 minutes the attack was on. For his courage he was awarded the Silver Star and the Ligion of Merit by the US and The Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire George Medal. In 1968 Jacob was flown to the US for a visit by the 1st Marine Division. There is also a statue in his honor in the Solomon Islands.😊

[@chilloutmusiclounge1682]

Masters of the air is a great third iteration, not as good as the rest. However, it shows the horrors of being many miles up in the air with no place to run away to.

[@salto1994]

i hope the uncut version also has the interviews

[@danielleeskelton]

Are the interviews only on the American version? Because when I watched this when it first came out in the UK there weren't any.

[@salto1994]

@@danielleeskelton i think it depends on what streaming service you use

[@MarcoMM1]

Its now only avaible in Blueray discs HBO after a few years remove it the interviews in all the streaming services. But they still can watch them on YT.

[@MarcoMM1]

Its now only avaible in Blueray discs HBO after a few years HBO remove it the interviews in all the streaming services.

[@LadyNymeria38]

I do think the release order is the same as the ranking order but all are brilliant. Definitely recommend doing Masters of Air after Pacific - completes the trilogy and gives you yet another interesting perspective on the war

[@warriorpitbull1170]

As a Marine myself, I'm likely biased for this series. Part of the pride I have comes from knowing the stories of Marines that came before me. Marines in the pacific theater faced a different kind of enemy and environment than soldiers in the European theater. The Japanese, unlike the Germans had no sense of honor in war. The pacific will expose you to this fact. If you want to know more about the savagery of the Japanese, learn about the Nanjing Massacre also known as 'the Ra-p-ing of Nanjing'.

[@alanholck7995]

Semper fi

[@cassu6]

I think it's a bit unfair to say Japanese had no sense of honor in war, but their way of honor in war was totally incompatible with the western honor

[@warriorpitbull1170]

@@cassu6 I don't think it's unfair at all. That incompatibility you refer to relates to a lack of honor among the Japanese. It's not honorable in any circumstance as an example, to use civilians and children as shields, to target medics specifically, or to feign surrender. Furthermore, there are worse crimes that the Japanese army - as a whole (not as individuals or individual units) - committed in war. They certainly weren't using Samurai honor as a model.

[@warriorpitbull1170]

@@alanholck7995 Oorah!

[@RJKookie]

Also highly recommend “Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila.” My family were in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation and some had met a gruesome fate under the Japanese’s sadistic brutality. My mom’s uncle was a Philippine Scout and Bataan Death March survivor. He hated the Japanese and could never forgive them for what they did to him and his comrades and countrymen.

[@patrickmuir6940]

Masters of the air is definitely on part with these 2 series

[@craigurquhart6514]

Oh man. Prepare yourselves. This one is so much grittier than BoB. Just as good, but in different ways. Much harder watch IMO. Glad you're doing it!

[@jonnydisaster]

SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU GUYS GETTING STARTED ON THIS SERIES. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT DEPICTION OF INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT THE 2 THEATERS OF WAR WERE BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE PACIFIC.

[@andreww1225]

My grandfather was wounded by shrapnel in the pacific theater. He was on a ship in the American navy.

[@danvan318]

Sledge was the kid in Jurassic Park.

[@zanderC5953]

Wow! You are some of the best war movie reactors and I love the cultural analysis and empathy you guys show for both sides. I hope your channel keeps growing👍👍

[@ErdTirdMans]

Band of Brothers: War turns boys into heroes The Pacific: War turns men into meat Strap in. This is brutal

[@BogeyDopeYT]

You’re going to see some brutal shit. Keep in mind, as the island hopping goes on getting closer to Japan, the Japanese got very very brutal.

[@Forgottenfriend56]

Yes Masters of the Air next

[@skyhawk-1]

Band Of Brothers is the classic

[@MontgomeryWenis]

Yes, it is better. My grandpa was a naval officer on the ships sent to return these troops from Japan. My grandma was a Red Cross nurse who spent most of the war on trains between makeshift hospital camps. They met on a train back to Minnesota, where their parents both emmigrated from Norway and Sweden, respectively.

[@janeathome6643]

One important factor in the Marines' success in ultimately retaking these Pacific Islands, was the tremendous amount of assistance that they received from the Polynesian natives, who were most assuredly part of the "Allied Forces" in the Pacific.

[@RichardFay]

If you're interested in the strategic aspects : The Pacific was really two theaters. In the Southwest Pacific you had US Army and Australian troops fighting up the coast of New Guinea to the Philippines, and in the Central Pacific there were US Marines and Army "Island Hopping" towards Japan. Since this series is based on memoirs written by Marines (Leckie and Sledge), it's all about the Central Pacific theater. The island groups were widely spaced which dictated which ones were attacked - you needed air bases in one group in order to attack the next group, which you had to take before you could attack the group after that, etc. (no aerial refueling in those days). Most of the islands were also pretty small, which meant there was no room to maneuver; you can't outflank an enemy if he hasn't got a flank. In the Southwest Pacific some Japanese strongpoints could be bypassed, but in the Central Pacific certain islands HAD to be taken, even when the only available tactic was frontal assault against a fortified enemy.

[@RichardFay]

To add to what's above : You might notice that uniforms weapons, and equipment change during the series - that was real. At Guadalcanal the Marines were using largely WWI equipment, and that changed rapidly once US industry really got going. After you finish this series, you might want to check out "Hacksaw Ridge".

[@DANKUSH7]

Please watch Masters of the Air!

[@ttr9668]

You need to check out Windtalkers also! It deserves a spot in this ww2 journey! ;)

[@_Coffee4Closers]

There is little doubt that "The Pacific" is cinematography spectacular. They spent a fortune on the filming of many of the landing scenes, and it really does show. The difference on this series for me is that it does not focus on the same group of people like the "Unit History" of Easy Company in Band of Brothers. You feel more connected to the men from Band of Brothers. As too the use of the Atom Bomb at the end of the war there were estimates that the US would lose over 1 million men in an invasion of Japan, and over 3 million Japanese would die. The Bombs actually saved lives in the end. More people died from the conventional bombing of Dresden in Germany than from the Atomic Bomb.

[@farkas3131]

Did you notice "heart murmur" guy is the little kid from Jurassic Park ???? 😂

[@bennickell8477]

Joseph Mazzello is his name. He plays Sledge in this series. Highly recommend Sledge's book "With the old breed".

[@daddynitro199]

@@bennickell8477SPOILER

[@Carlos-Dangerous]

This one is a lot more accurate than Band of Brothers because Stephen Ambrose was a horrible historian and even developed vindictive attitudes towards some of the veterans. The Pacific is largely based on memoirs written by the veterans. Which is why it’s less of glorious adventure w hardships but in exchange it is brutally honest

[@eschiedler]

Yes, some "historians" write to a narrative to sell books, fairly shameless. Primary sources are essential.

[@JayEvans1911A1]

Yes! Please also watch Masters of the Air!

[@JoshDeCoster]

Need to watch this show with the veteran intros at the beginning. Its crucial. These can be found on KZbin, and should be watched before each episoce

[@sinnoh8941]

You definitely watch it with the commentary before each episode. It’s narrated by Tom Hanks and there’s also parts of interviews with veterans just like band of brothers. You also get a reveal at the end of who was who

[@chucks9205]

Eugene's buddy from Alabama is named Sidney "Sid' Phillips...the Middle School I went to in Mobile, Alabama is named for him.

[@TheRagratus]

There is a line from the movie "Fury", "Wait until you see what a man can do to another man."

[@kevinotoole2285]

My great grandfather was a navy cross recipient from world war 1 stationed on hickams field training army pilots on basic survival skills after bailing out when on December 7th he started his 2nd World War. My grandmother was 13-14 at the time who hid in a bunker w my great uncles as the bombs fell. She wrote in her journal what happened minute by minute as the ground shook beneath her and Japanese strafed anything they could. Afterwards he took a rifle platoon as their Platoon Sergeant and came under the command of a 17 year old kid (my grandfather) who had never seen combat before on Guadalcanal like most young men in that very platoon. They fought with the 1st Marine Division on every island together shown in this series so to me this show tells me my family history in a way. Well after the war they got home and my great grandfather introduced my grandfather to my grandmother they got married and after 4 kids and a generation later I’m here.

[@zvolchen117]

There's a wonderful podcast from a few years ago for the Band of Brothers 20th anniversary. Each episode is about one of the actors and their experience meeting the real people and how to portray them. Also, the two books The Pacific is based off of, by Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie are both narrated by the actors in this show.

[@SJersey2SFlorida]

I'm hype for your reaction to this one!

[@joeyr4429]

Please, you must watch the version with the historical introductions narrated by Tom Hanks In the beginning. Really help and add to the show. Sorry if you already know this or been told already.

[@simo41]

I've been looking forward to this after Band of Brothers! Definitely worth watching Masters of the Air too guys. 👌

[@qburns2035]

Make sure to watch the episodes with the interviews and documentary before each one. It puts every episode into context

[@Perfectly_Cromulent351]

I really hope you guys are watching the proper version that has veterans accounts like in BoB and Tom Hanks giving historical context about before each episode. Also, things get progressively darker each episode and truly take off at ep. 5.

[@PEPPER2323]

Japan got really close to Australia. A lot of Americans were stationed in Melbourne.

[@WraithWTF]

BoB, Pacific, and Masters of the Air are the WWII trilogy from HBO, but they're not the only war-focused miniseries that HBO has done that's worth watching. They also did a mini-series on the Iraq war called Generation Kill that's absolutely worth a watch. Each show approaches what happened in its particular theater of war, and the effects that war had on people in that theater, in their own way, and all 4 absolutely deserve a watch.

[@chucks9205]

The actor playing Eugene (the friend with the heart condition) is the kid from the first Jurassic Park movie 😉

[@RavenHawk1988]

Once you're done with this series I highly recommend the documentary called 'He Has Seen War'. It goes into what happened after the war and the struggles these men faced in their journey to reintegrate into civilian life. It features familiar faces from both Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Additionally, if you're interested in more WW2 movies there are some great classics such as 'A Bridge Too Far' from 1977 that is about operation Market Garden which we saw a glimpse of in Band of Brothers.

[@phj223]

It's very different, and I think BoB is more accessible if that makes sense, but TP is just as good. And holy s*** is it darker ..

[@viggowiin]

The Normandy landing (seen in Saving Private Ryan) was the biggest amphibious assault in history. The island hopping in the Pacific Ocean was smaller skirmishes but very strategically important in their own rights to closing in on the Japanese heartland. It was to get airfields, cut off supply routes ect.

[@mjbull5156]

The invasion of Saipan occurred shortly after Normandy and was an impressive feat, given that the troops were embarked in Hawaii. That also led to one of the major naval battles of the Pacific Theater, the Battle of the Philipine Sea. Tgat tge Allies did two massive invasions on opposite sides of the world with two different fleets is mind boggling.

[@ondrejgabris1777]

It’s great but not better. Band of Brothers is of the greatest TV shows ever.

[@craigmorrice6032]

Good to see you watching this one seein it took place close to home (Australia) 1 of the reason this seems so brutal is that the japanese did not surrender they fought to the death almost evertime, the germans knew when they were beaten, the japanese either didn't or didn't care they fought to the last.

[@acelee12]

"Alligator Creek" was named so because Americans had only seen gators in the US, they didn't realize they were actually way more dangerous Saltwater Crocs that fed on the dead.

[@DocRob23]

Important to note, one of the two (if not both) that were killed by the Japanese soldier who blew him self up were Navy Corpsman, who are the Combat Medics for the Marine Corps. The Japanese would specifically target them because they were Medical Personnel, leading to Corpsmen becoming very very jaded against the Japanese’s, eventually leading to them adopting the same uniforms as the Marines, loosing the red crosses on their uniforms, and even carrying weapons. Most decorated rate in the Navy.

[@soflyedits322]

each series has it's pros and cons, band of brothers had the benefit of being a tight, well told story because it was based on one book. the pacific is a little more fragmented for a few reasons; the amount of resources used in the pacific theater at the time of the war was massive, this series is actually an adaptation of 3 books brought together because there were so many people involved, veterans who served in the pacific, each with a unique experience. eugene sledge's book, 'with the old breed' is the best combat veteran memoir i've ever read and it should be studied as a first hand perspective of traumatic stress being dealt with while on the front lines. even the title is intense because eugene's unit had an older veteran who had served in WW1 and had the experiences of fighting in BOTH world wars. Masters of Air is the latest edition to the WW2 spielberg series and honestly it's my least favorite but it's still AMAZING. I'd recommend Catch 22, the series with George Clooney. it's actually based on ww2 and takes place during it but it's a fictional story written by a ww2 veteran to help him cope with his PTSD. loove that you're doing more historical shows and films, it's a great way to learn history.

[@jamesmayes4351]

In case no marine has come along and explained. The guy talking to the marines at the start of the episode is Chesty Puller, THE Marine. The most decorated marine with a long line of service who was a true leader of men. I believe new recruits in boot still wish Chesty a goodnight before lights out.

[@michaelminard2524]

In 1942, my maternal great-uncle served with the 19th Bomb Group (B-17s), 5th Air Force, during the Guadalcanal, Papua, and Rabaul, New Guinea campaigns. He was stationed in Townsville and Mareeba, North Queensland. 1944, he was stationed with the 456th Bomb Group (B-24 Liberators) in Italy. Serving as a Co-pilot, he completed 37 missions before being Killed in Action on 11/11/1944. Lest we forget.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

My paternal grandfather was a surgeon in Burma and served with British and Australian soldiers in that hellish theater.

[@michaelminard2524]

@@Jon.A.Scholt The wounds your grandfather operated on...Respect.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

@@michaelminard2524 Later in life he also volunteered to serve as a surgeon for the Red Cross in Vietnam, operating on civilians in Saigon injured in the crossfire of that war. One thing he did there has given us (my dad and I) a ton of insight on his time there. When he was operating, he always recorded an audio tape of what he was doing, so we have this rather large collection of audio tapes from his time in Vietnam. What is really crazy is he got there only a couple months before the Tet Offensive, so you can hear random explosions (or what I assume are) in the background on a couple of those tapes. "Grandaddy", as we called him, was extremely stoic and was always very level headed and measured, but during a couple of those recordings he'd say something like, "I wish Secretary McNamara could see this child right now". That was about as angry as hever got. So granddaddy has always been my Northstar when it comes to morality, recognizing right and wrong. Those from his generation definitely had a heavy burden; how they chose to deal with it is an example to us all. Also, I'd feel remiss if I didn't mention my maternal grandfather also served in the War. He was a member of the Army Air Corps and the Bronze Star he earned while serving in the Pacific is displayed on a bookshelf not far from where I'm sitting.

[@senorstinkfist]

There is a pretty good movie on the pacific theater (Guadalcanal specifically) based on the James Jones novel and directed by the legend Terence Malick, and starring MANY big names called The Thin Red Line. Its similar in tone to the Pacific, in that it deals a lot with the affects of war, and mentality of those there.

[@markduncan7638]

Parts of the Pacific were filmed around Melbourne, I remember they closed part of Flinders' Street to film scenes there, also some of the island battles were filmed at the Youyangs out Melbourne West, there was stuff left there life a mock Tank but I think it is all gone now.

[@empireants3052]

3rd tour for our Spartan & Pudgey! I hope you guys continue watching the war movies/shows. It's one of my favorite genres. Be sure to check out "Generation Kill" when it comes time. It's a great miniseries as well.

[@dquanissavage6287]

Spartan & Pudgey Such A Awesome Video Today!!🔥🐐🐐💎

[@jchappy1889]

yes watch Masters of the Air loved all three

[@FlankerB3]

there is a movie called Hell in the Pacific I really recommend. IT has only two actors in it and they did a fantastic job. Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune were amazing in it.

[@privatewhitford]

The Thin Red Line would be a great film to add to your WW2 to watch list

[@doobiesam]

I absolutely love The Pacific and BoB. I'm not sure how well MOTA would do on KZbin, but I definitely believe that it is worth the watch either way.

[@jimflores9098]

I LOVED Masters of the Air....it told a completely different story, but it got stronger and stronger as it went. Please do react to it.

[@matthewcoleman4305]

Guadelcanal had large population of saltwater Crocs the Battle of alligator creek provided food for them.

[@travisgray8376]

The Pacific is awesome underrated and a masterpiece.

[@romanhoax9014]

*Great reaction! Definitely watch **_Masters of the Air_** after **_The Pacific_** , showing the air war from the POV of the brave B-17 pilots* 🔥

[@bernardsalvatore1929]

You guys should do a little research on "Chesty" Puller, the man who gave that excellent speech at the beginning of the episode!! He was quite an outstanding Marine!!❤❤

[@BogeyDopeYT]

If this version doesn’t have the interviews and Tom Hanks intro’s, better trade it in now before you get in.

[@garrettflores1730]

I keep thinking of episode 1 of Band of Brothers. When they are interviewing the Vets, one of them mentioned that 3 men killed themselves because they were 4F (not medically fit) and couldn't enlist. This series will show a man who couldn't enlist due to a medical issue.

[@patmurray9730]

MUCH of this show is based on the book "With the Old breed" by Eugene Sledge. The kid with the heart murmur in the beginning.

[@PavelD83]

17:50 The battle of Savo island.The greatest defeat of US Navy in history. 4 heavy cruisers sunk and ~1000 sailors killed. One of the cruisers was Australian, HMAS Canberra.

[@mjbull5156]

The USN got caught with its pants down and tge IJN had the superior night fighting capabilities at that point in the war.

[@PavelD83]

@ I’ve been always fascinated by the bizarre situation that resulted from this battle, where the control over the sea around Guadalcanal basically changed between US forces and Japan every 12 hours. US controlled the seas during the day thanks to the air superiority, Japanese naval forces ruled during the night. It lasted for months. Absolutely bonkers.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

That's not a fair question to ask. Think of the actual men and women portrayed and simply ask if their stories were served well.

[@garytomblin3572]

Band of Brothers has better storytelling as a whole.... Pacific was better with the "realities" and historical accuracy

[@Flavius_Belisarius]

The common soldiers didn't know, but the higher military, especially Intelligence knew about the camps earlier. The German citizens who didn't go along with it were erased, many knew the J's disappeared, but they didn't necessarily known about the camps, and knew better than to ask questions, but I'm sure they had an idea.