Last Stand of Japanese Heavy Cruiser - Battle of the Malacca Strait Documentary

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On May 9th 1945, the Japanese Heavy Cruiser Haguro deployed into the malacca strait from Singapore. It was to be the ships’ last voyage. A few days later, Haguro was ambushed by a flotilla of Allied destroyers, who used dozens of torpedoes and heavy gunfire to sink her, over the course of an hour-long battle where Haguro’s crew made their final stand.
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0:00 - The Indian Ocean in 1945
3:00 - Ridge Wallets
3:39 - Opening Moves
5:13 - The Chase Is On
7:54 - The British Attack Begins
10:06 - Haguro's Last Stand
13:16 - Aftermath
Credits:
Animation for this video by:
/ scuffed_lund
/ addaway23
Artwork Lead:
/ chrisbyflanker
Written, Directed and Produced by:
/ addaway23
Come join the historigraph discord: / discord
Sources:
John Winton, Sink the Haguro!: Last Destroyer Action of the Second World War
Corelli Barnett, Engage the Enemy More Closely
M. J Whitley, Destroyes of World War Two
M. J Whitley, Cruisers of World War Two
Evan Mawdsley, War for the Seas
www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chr...
Music Credits:
"Rynos Theme" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Crypto" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Stay the Course" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Other music and SFX from Epidemic Sound

[@historigraph]

Thanks to ridge for sponsoring this video! Check them out at ridge.com/malacca for the best deal!

[@Aelxi]

My dude why don't you just do a single long line for ships' course (like in coral sea video by montemayor, I think?) rather than dots? I was first confused looking at it and like "wow so many ships following the DD flotilla I see" lmao

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nicely done video

[@DendrobiusAU]

Hi there - you might want to double check the rank that the Captain of the Haguro held during this battle. I believe that Sugiura Kaju was promoted to Rear Admiral on 1st May 1945, and was promoted to Vice Admiral posthumously. This would make him a kaigun-shosho, not a kaigun-taisa, during this battle. Cheers.

[@guyk2260]

My father serving aboard HMS Raider was involved in the rescuing of HMS Saumez and also HMS Volage when they both hit mines in 1946 . This was known as the Corfu Channel Incident . Exciting stuff for an 18 year old matelot.

[@Northseaaviation]

you got a lot of views from Johannes. He cant stop watching your videos.

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

"Manley Power" is still one of the greatest names I've ever heard to serve the Royal Navy

[@Aelxi]

69th like for Emperor Admiral Arthur Power name's good too imo Also our girl Exeter had been avenged by the sinking of Haguro! :D

[@SpiritOfMontgomery]

I think he’s definitely got one of the best names in the British forces. General “Windy” Gale is another contender, though his is a nickname (pre-airborne days too).

[@paulroberts3639]

Yeah, but did you know that his sister was called ‘Fanny Power’.. an early feminist no doubt..

[@andrewzheng4038]

Right up there with William Goodenough

[@sellingacoerwa8318]

Also the title of your sex tape...

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

About a month later the destroyer Kamikaze would escort another Japanese heavy cruiser, the Ashigara, which got promptly sunk by the British submarine HMS Trenchant, the largest warship to be sunk by a british sub in ww2. Kamikaze apparently wasn't a very good escort to be with in 1945.

[@Saeronor]

On the other hand being posted there seemed uncharacteristically lucky given the name :)

[@Aelxi]

Yukikaze and Shigure would be great contenders

[@hirisk761]

the Kamikaze actually survived the war. it was wrecked in 1946 and scrapped in 1947. thanks Google

[@nicofolkersma2535]

Ashigara was also a Myoko class and Haguro's younger sister. She was present at a large pre-war excersize in honour of the coronation of King George VI. Apparently that's where she received the nickname "the hungry wolf".

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

@@hirisk761 Sure, the Kamikaze herself survived, but I was talking about the ships she was escorting. Those didn't survive.

[@arwing20]

The Japanese Transport managing to shoot down two aircraft is pretty surprising considering how often on this channel you see planes flying into fleets of destroyers and cruisers and somehow not suffering a single casualty

[@AmriTiBriOlym]

Plus it was known that the Japanese had the shittiest anti-aircraft armaments in WWII, so yeah indeed it’s surprising for a troopship.

[@Aelxi]

Emperor's Divine intervention

[@anathardayaldar]

Beginnarrr Ruck!!!

[@obesespringroll3997]

@@anathardayaldar Haha 😂 racism

[@MrNicoJac]

Since they were carrying troops, is there a chance that the garrison's AA crews took over the guns? One would hope they'd be specially trained on how much to lead their targets etc - to a much higher degree than transport vessel crewmen, at least... 🤔

[@deaks25]

The observations about Haguro's lack of engine performance says a lot about how hard the ship had fought. An honourable last stand fighting impossible odds, ensuring the Kamikzae could escape. It's the sort of actions that an Allied ship would be hailed for, so I think the crew of the Haguro deserve to that to be recognised. It's also another example of how aggressive Royal Navy destroyers were; from Narvik (twice) Cossack's capture of Altmark, Glowworm and this as well. A thinly veiled willful disobeying of orders because he *might* be able to locate and then hope to catch Haguro, and then when he did catch the cruiser, engaging in ruthlessly and efficiently surrounding and grinding down Haguro is a fine example of that aggression by Power and his ships.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Meh, you guys were flying the flag after the USN decimated the IJN in 43/44. The fact that this took place in 45 tells you all you need to know. By late 44 Japanese merchant marines were reluctant to sail in the open water as they told Allied POWs that were waiting to be transported to Japan that the sea was so thick with US subs that you could walk on them. All the while US Navy resources were being funneled to the Atlantic until 44.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

@@zeitgeistx5239 Presumably, you mean after the Royal Navy had won the naval campaigns in the Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Mediterranean? What US naval resources in the Atlantic, by the way? The US navy was almost entirely concentrated in the Pacific.

[@josephberrie9550]

he only had one eye and a telescope

[@silverhost9782]

@@zeitgeistx5239 There's always at least one freaboo who has to insert themselves into the conversation isn't there? Newsflash: Things happened in WW2 that didn't involve the USA😱 Just shut up and appreciate it or ignore it. Thanks

[@deaks25]

@@zeitgeistx5239 I’m going to take issue with that. The Royal Navy, Commonwealth and Free Navies were fighting Italy and Germany in Europe for two years before the US entered WWII and the Royal Navy and Commonwealth had to also fight in the Pacific after Dec 7 ‘41 as well, so we had to fight on three fronts simultaneously. Yes, no-one can doubt the US’ military and economic support but WWII started in 1939, not Dec 7 ‘41 and you don’t get to deny the contributions of the British, Canadian, Australian, Dutch, Belgian, Polish, French and Norwegian’s who fought and died for the entire duration of WWII. Perhaps you should clarify yourself or retract your comment as they are a bit ill considered.

[@obtusehistorian8946]

Basically, Haguro experienced what it's like to be the last survivor in a world of warships match

[@Matthew10950]

YOU ARE THE LAST HOPE!

[@Ozraptor4]

Was asking for trouble teaming up with a Tier V destroyer in a Tier VII-VIII match.

[@obtusehistorian8946]

@@Ozraptor4 😂😂

[@kristoffermangila]

BTW, two of the Royal Navy destroyers that participated in this operation were veterans of the Battle of North Cape, which helped sunk the German cruiser Scharnhorst: flotilla leader HMS Saumarez and HMS Virago.

[@EneTheGene]

*battleship Scharnhorst

[@Aelxi]

@@EneTheGene apparently she doesn't seem too big for him XD I call her a Destroyer.

[@HMSVanguard46]

Battlecruiser

[@Aelxi]

@@HMSVanguard46 Destroyer

[@DomWeasel]

@@EneTheGene The Royal Navy classed Gneisenau and Scharnhorst as battlecruisers during the war.

[@Wolfgang-Schnaufer]

It's a pity what happened to Haguro's wreck. And to the many English, Australian, Dutch, American and Japanese WW2 warship wrecks in this area. Being in relative shallow waters, almost all have been COMPLETELY salvaged, illegallly, on an industrial scale. So much for war graves.

[@eastcorkcheeses6448]

In a way , they're just wrecks , I don't think the navies of the world gave too much thought to the locals while competing for power and influence , Their ships became just a resource, Different when its your people at the bottom of the sea

[@ollietsb1704]

Also, all surface ships sunk before nuclear blasts become treasures of unradiated steel. The scuttled German Fleet at Scapa Flow were 'mined' for its pristine steel, as well.

[@robruss62]

If Britain properly funded it's navy and had a hundred more ships, and thirty or forty of those serving in the Far East, there would be less of that sort of thing going on

[@timphillips9954]

No English,but British ships in WW2

[@LoserInChief]

Pre-nuclear era steel is rare and highly coveted because it was forged before all the nuclear testing raised background radiation levels. It is used in scientific and medical tools that need exact radiological measurements, or are highly sensitive to errors due to background radiation in the metal of the tool itself. This helps living humans, today. Also, you are looking at some of the poorest areas of the world. Are you really begrudging them a means of living by scrapping because you don't like the idea of a "grave" of someone you never met being disturbed almost a century after their bones dissolved? People have died in almost every place on land where humans tromp around and build today, and you are gatekeeping the sea? Mt. Everest's slopes are littered with the bodies of thousands of adventurers who will probably never get a proper burial, yet tens of thousands hike past them every year, with a few more adding to the landscape. An old cemetery near my house got converted to a dog park, and they didn't even bother to move most of the grave stones. Get over yourself.

[@leogazebo5290]

Always love seeing less known naval engagement of the war. Keep up the good work bro.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Considered the last naval gunfight of WW2.

[@pauldietz1325]

@@fearthehoneybadger Well, there was that bizarre battle on 21 Aug 1945 between sailing ships. And it even involved a boarding action (along with machine gun fire, a Japanese mountain howitzer, a bazooka, and hand grenades.)

[@billpetersen298]

Less known, because it was a Royal Navy engagement.

[@JackSmith-hx8zh]

​@@billpetersen298 Or, maybe because it was a turkey shoot.

[@billpetersen298]

@@JackSmith-hx8zh Mmmmm turkey.

[@keithh3876]

Dad was aboard HMS Virago which was attacked and bombed while refuelling on return to the main fleet. This ‘star pattern’ attack was taught for some years following the war and although being the last gun battle between surface vessels in WWII was also the only ‘classic’ Destroyer action.

[@K3end0]

Great video! I appreciate the little "tracker line" you put behind the ships, great for better understanding the varied movements of ships at sea.

[@brucegoodwin634]

Def. Maybe a isocoherent trailing curve to display both time and course. A humble brain faat in good faith: love this channel. It could be a straight, rather than a channel though…

[@Dayvit78]

Two things surprised me about this engagement. 1) how little damage Haguro's big guns did. Maybe because it was night? 2) how many sailors survived. This I assume is because of the calm, tropical waters in the straight. I'm used to hearing about North Atlantic battles which are a nightmare for sailors whose ship goes down!

[@historigraph]

Night time, rough seas, relative surprise, close range. Worth pointing out as well the british guns didn't do a lot either. I too was surprised how many sailors were picked up.

[@AmriTiBriOlym]

The waters of the Strait of Malacca is known to be less rough compared to the South China Sea on the other side of the Malay Peninsula in which the monsoon winds erode the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia all the time. It is very rare for the waves in the Strait to be higher than 5 metres due to the presence of the Indonesian Sumatra Island to the west & the Malay Peninsula to the east acting as shields against the monsoon winds. However typical thunderstorms can occur frequently & unexpectedly in the tropical region, so the waves caused by the thunderstorm at that time of the battle were enough to drown the fragile sailors & aiming the guns at flank speed, tiny multiple destroyers at a time.

[@raywhitehead730]

Radar. Gave the British a insurmountable advantage. No mater the size guns. Got it?

[@paulsteaven]

It is known that heavy cruisers' main guns were almost useless against destroyers, that's why the US Navy shifted in their light cruisers more after their heavy cruisers were sunk/damaged/crippled by fast Japanese destroyers at Guadalcanal campaign. There's also the weather factor that might have affected the IJN command aboard Haguro in spotting the British destroyers even if the latter has superior radar.

[@davidlewis5312]

@@historigraph with the exception of a fatal gunnery hit on the bridge of the Haguro

[@HeidiJ77]

Thank you for sharing this. My Grandad served on HMS Verulam and although he almost never spoke about it I do remember he mentioned a Manley Power one time. So here I am watching it on what would’ve been his 98th birthday. I’m not sure if he was still aboard when this took place but I will certainly try and find out.

[@OtherWorldExplorers]

Regardless of the time place or nation. I thoroughly love hearing about last stands. The lost heroes are their nations. Everyone's story deserves to be heard.

[@ArcticTemper]

I get the sentiment but surely villains can make last stands too? Don't see how any of the Nazi last stands could be called 'heroic' merely very brave.

[@Historylover-ho6lg]

@@ArcticTemper Depends which side you're on.

[@Maple_Cadian]

You do realize the Imperial Japanese navy has its fair share of war crimes right?

[@heliogt1961]

@@ArcticTemper ofcourse its heroic. no matter the nation. a soldier always serves its nation. not a political direction. If you think all the germans screamd HEIL cus they were fanatic about it youre wrong. any soldier that fought valiantly deserves to be called heroic. what you say is basically not calling anyone like Manfred von Richthofen or Tetsuo Iwamoto a warhero simply because they fought for the other side.

[@ArcticTemper]

@@heliogt1961 Agree to disagree, there are no heroes on the side of evil, merely villains, even the valliant.

[@heartofoak45]

Firstly what an excellent commentary on this Battle. Looking at the final stages of Haguro's destruction I can not help but think of a huge water buffalo surrounded by hyenas who eventually bring their prey down by sheer numbers. In closing please remember the two lives lost aboard HMS Saumarez along with the brave sailors of the Imperial Japanese Navy. May they all rest in Peace.

[@glenchapman3899]

Yes it is an absolute text book attack. And a real shame to see so many men lost so late in the war to serve no real purpose

[@davidforbes7772]

Apart from the fact that water buffalo come from south east asia and hyaenas are in africa, f**k the japanese - my Dad was a POW captured at Singapore and taken to what is now Taiwan. The Jap sailors tossed sick men overboard.

[@billhanna2148]

Thanks! Thank you AGAIN for your excellent work.

[@historigraph]

Thank you for your generosity! Your support is much appreciated

[@rashidahmad7830]

Thanks for the video. I read of this battle in the late 1970s. A fine example of gun and torpedo action which was in the finest tradition of the Royal Navy. This battle received high praise from Acting Vice Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, then Supreme Commander of South East Asia Command (SEAC); himself a distinguished destroyer commander who lost his ship HMS Kelly in the Battle of Crete in 1941.

[@NeistH2o]

Very impressive visual quality especially the 3D model of the ship and the close up representations of the ships, including their trajectory and everything, really nice!

[@still_guns]

I'm pretty sure the 3D model is just footage from World of Warships

[@jarencedacles5291]

Congrats to British destroyers to destroying haguro who sank HMS Exeter on second battle java sea😢😢

[@mbryson2899]

_HMS_ _Saumarez_ also helped sink the German battleship _Scharnhorst_ at the Battle of North Cape.

[@jarencedacles5291]

@@mbryson2899 true

[@sanbisli7660]

Exeter was sunk by air attack I believe

[@mbryson2899]

@@sanbisli7660 Nope. Japanese ships sank her at the Second Battle of the Java Sea after they had crippled her in the First.

[@PaulP999]

Remember that Haguro along with three sister ships (40 x 8" guns) sank River Plate hero HMS Exeter (6 x 8") earlier in the war. Also remember that Exeter survived seven 11" hits from Graf Spee. Liked your video because it helped me visualise that story in one of my books, pity about the Hellcat when talking about Avenger though.

[@Rationalific]

Absolutely brilliant video about a great undertaking that I'd never heard about before! The narration and illustrations were both fantastic!

[@rolandfelice6198]

Thanks for a well presented story. This was an action I had not been aware of and so was much appreciated. Thanks again.

[@tobiasGR3Y]

I'd never heard about this battle before. But I do know one Captain Manley Power, from Drachinifel's take on the Battle of Cape Mattapan. To quote that video in the context of this one, "Was it ever really going to be a fair fight?"

[@dboconnor57]

Well done. Again a compelling and engaging account of the engagement. Thank you for these informative videos.

[@ickisdogg3779]

Awesome video, my dad served on the Vigilant , how it;s shown is very much what he told me about this battle, how they ran at full speed to catch it, told me how he saw the japanese ship on fire, sad ending in this dad said they never got the credit they deserved for that action .

[@malickfan7461]

Another event that I had never heard of. Thanks as always for the outstanding content.

[@Magneticle]

Excellent video! You improve with every single one! Just one note, given the namesake of HMS Saumarez, it's most likely pronounced "Suh-ma-ray" or "Summer-ray". It's a Guernsey name, so a mix of Norman and French, and I absolutely don't blame you for the way you pronounced it.

[@hound3000]

Thank you for covering this battle. I didn't know about this battle taking place in the strait.

[@JoshuaC923]

Always appreciate you covering the lesser known battles, thank you!

[@ArenBerberian]

Was recently reading about the history of HMS Saumarez which participated in the sinking of Battleship Scharnhorst as well as this, only to see this vid pop up from you! Perfect!

[@ChrisbyFlanker]

This is great Love seeing continuos shot battles!

[@mindliss92]

Incredible video as always historigraph!

[@TheWayne8698673]

5:08 Can we take a moment to appreciate, how a cargo ship manage to shoot down 2 Avenger bombers.

[@MrNicoJac]

Yeah I wonder if the garrison's AA crews helped out the crew, and whether that made a difference..... 🤔

[@TheWayne8698673]

@@willemsma You're right. He didn't implicitly say that the Avengers were shot down. However, the visuals presented in the video showed otherwise.

[@Anzei_Kazumi]

@@willemsma Let's say they got shot down, it sounds better than "Engine problems" or "Pulling too late from a dive" or "Sneezed too hard the plane exploded."

[@lilboy3102]

Yes sir ❤ Thankyou for this video. One of my requests you fulfilled. I am satisfied that other requests will also be fulfilled one day ! Keep going ❤

[@tomstratman9977]

The last hurah of a mighty ship. RIP to all those lost, may they find peace

[@josephberrie9550]

they were an implacable enemy mate why dont you read some books on how the japanese treated captured prisoners during world war two you will hopefully change your mind

[@boogts]

@@josephberrie9550 Humans did all kinds of bad things to each other then, as they do now. The sailors on that ship however, were just fighting a war they thought to be just and did it with honor.

[@strikerarmy1145]

@@josephberrie9550 it’s funny people always seem to remember others mistakes a lot better then their own if you go with this logic no solider in history would be allowed to rest In peace because every country has committed war crimes in every war they ever fought because there is no such thing as a “clean” war that goes for everyone Japan, Russia, Germany,Great Britain,France,China or the USA

[@VIDEOVISTAVIEW2020]

​@@josephberrie9550a family of mine were victims of Japanese army cannibalism in ww2. Yes the crew of the haguro are Japanese, should I hate them too? The Haguro crews fought to the end not only because out of duty but they fought for their lives.

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

SPLENDID job making this video.I had never heard of this battle before.Thank you.

[@sulevisydanmaa9981]

THERE S a book SINK THE HAGURO. Ezy search ..

[@NVRAMboi]

Very nice research, production and delivery on a battle about which I've always lacked details. Well done.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

I've only read the wikipedia entry about this battle. So you going into depth was great. That is a lot of torpedoes, 30-40 launched with about third of them hitting

[@EuroScot2023]

Compare it with the hit rate by big guns. Battleships would blast away at each other with multiple salvos and congratulate themselves when they got2 or 3 hits. Torpedos were fired in salvos on a spread to allow for the target manoeuvring during the time they took to get there.

[@Samlind]

Well done RN, only heard of this in passing and never got the detailed story before. Japanese heavy cruisers were the best most effective class of ships the IJN had, always dangerous. And like the USN, the RN had centimetric radar courtesy of the UK that had enough resolution to lay a gun with, deadly in so many night fights.

[@hisdadjames4876]

Superb visualisation and commentary. Thanks. 👌

[@stevecurl7430]

Drydocked at Mitsubishi dry dock, Keppel Harbor to commence preparations for a supply run to Port Blair, Andaman Islands. HAGURO's torpedo tubes are removed by the personnel of 101st Naval Construction and Repair Unit to make room for stowage of food and ammunition. Some 8-in ammunition is likewise landed to embark the maximum amount of cargo. After the return from the Andamans the IJN intends to use HAGURO as a floating battery. Keppel Harbor. Embarks cargo for the garrison of the Andaman Islands, including 1,200 fuel drums, ammunition, 1,100 tons of rice, medical supplies and 200 bamboo poles, separately ordered by the IJA. Between 0114-0202, the 26th Flotilla attacks from all sides. HAGURO opens fire with main guns at 0218 and hits SAUMAREZ with an 8-in shell. All of the British destroyers claim hits with their torpedoes at ranges from 1,200 to 2,500 yds. HAGURO is hit by 3-4 Mk.IX torpedoes. The first hit at 0120 floods the forward generator room and ignites fuel drums carried as deck cargo around the fore turrets. She slows and takes on a 15-degree list to port. The forward magazines are flooded and the cruiser makes smoke. Most fuel drums carried on the afterdeck can be jettisoned. At 0135, the second torpedo hit floods the port forward engine room and increases the list to 35 degrees so that most of the AA guns on that side are disabled. The cruiser goes dead in the water. Captain Ono Itaru (50), the XO, orders to flood the starboard engine rooms and to save the Emperor's portrait, preserved in the lower communications room, which is found to be already flooded. Vice Admiral Hashimoto, HAGURO's navigating officer LtCdr Ota Kazumichi (59) and several staff officers are killed on the bridge by destroyer gunfire, Captain Ono is wounded. Power failure disables the remaining main guns while a few 12.7-cm and 25-mm mounts on the starboard side continue to fire.

[@virt1one]

thak you for the additional details

[@HoH]

Great work as always, keep it up!

[@anhmichaelbarnes6012]

Would love to see Battle of Surigao Strait. I feel like that it tends to be overlooked due to the rest of the battles around Leyte.

[@AviationHorrors]

Outstanding as usual. I always look forward to your videos.

[@harrykeel8557]

I enjoy these videos because they bring up battles some known and some that are not known.

[@mbryson2899]

I've been waiting for you to touch on this one and you did an admirable job! I never before heard that Avengers were also out hunting, nor that they had sent a _Maru_ first.

[@mbryson2899]

_HMS_ _Saumarez_ was most definitely a fearless giant-hunter.

[@sam39410ify]

In Kancolle, Haguro is depicted with very timid personality. Because of that, fans have been joking it's because of the trauma she received from this particular action.

[@ruthjacobs5104]

😊

[@903IDFOLEY]

Yet, she is probably the strongest direct combat heavy cruiser in the game even when compared to her sisters.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Not many people talk about this engagement congratulations on an excellent video to cover it.

[@still_guns]

I actually made a video about this battle almost 8 years ago now. I used Silent Hunter 3 to record the footage on a crummy old laptop, but it got the job done. Most viewed video on my channel. Glad to see someone else make a video about 'The Last Gunfight' as I have often called it.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

ah you are the "1 hour of pan paka pan" guy. Nice.

[@still_guns]

@@xxnightdriverxx9576 Yes

[@jacksprat9172]

That was a brilliant video, watched it a few times. Fascinating and surprisingly emotive, so thank you very much Still_Guns. Now that you've named it I can find and bookmark it a lot easier, rather than stumbling across it at 3/4am. Cheers!!!

[@tomriley5790]

The reason for the suspicion on initially detecting the contact on radar was because of the range - by some freak of the atmosphere she was detected at 65,000yards which was basically 3 feathers on the badge of "Prince of Wales" the navy considered it a degree of payback.

[@johntechwriter]

13:06 - With Haguro sinking and without support, why didn’t the Venus pick up survivors? Concern about enemy submarines? Knowledge that Haguro’s crew would not accept being prisoners? There could well be a plausible reason, and it should have been mentioned here. Haguro put up a magnificent fight, and I have no doubt her admiral and captain were aware their voyage would be one-way. But the valor of the Japanese sailors was tainted with the fanaticism that was ultimately to devastate the Axis military and homelands. Still, I think about those hundreds of the Haguro’s crew lost to drowning when they could have been saved by the Allied side. To me this illustrates how desperate both adversaries were to prevail. No quarter was asked, or given.

[@dougerrohmer]

I've heard stories about Japanese survivors shooting at rescuers, and at this point of the war the Brits were well aware how the Japanese treated prisoners. So there's two reasons off the top of my head why.

[@darrellborland119]

Excellent video...thanks for a quality-piece. 😀

[@MetalRodent]

Good to see this lesser known battle get some focus, the last heavy ship engagement of the war and a perfect example of destroyer tactics against a more powerful opponent. Perhaps a short sequel video could be made on the sinking of the Ashigara, the last large Japanese ship to be sunk at sea (Again featuring our now familiar Kamikaze as escort).

[@TheDgamesD]

I'd love to see a video of the Italian Submarine Luigi Torelli, being one of the handful of ships to serve under all 3 major axis nations, as well as allegedly firing the last shots of the war in the pacific hours before the treaty was signed.

[@ashifabedin]

Commissioned in 1929, Haguro saw significant service during World War II, participating in nine naval engagements.

[@iainmalcolm9583]

Great video. Just what I have come to expect.

[@dutchman7216]

That was interesting thank you for making this video.

[@nopoint2427]

10:44 This is like the scene from Pirates of the Carrribean At World's End but it's torpedos instead of cannonballs

[@ArchangelExile]

Manley Power must be one of the most badass names ever given.

[@doggonemess1]

I was going to say the same thing. XD

[@AraCarrano]

Thank you for the chapter list.

[@Astro_Gardener]

Very good video, thank you for the upload.

[@red.5475]

I'm surprised the Haguro's return fire was so ineffective.

[@justit1074]

considering she was caught off guard and by the time the crew was returning fire , was probably suffering from damage to fire control equipment as well as listing, which may have negatively affected her gunnery

[@davidbuckley2435]

@@justit1074 it was also night time, targeting smaller, fast-moving targets, and I think they were also splitting their fire between multiple targets. Add in a bit of luck on the British side, and I don't think it's that surprising

[@pauldietz1325]

@@davidbuckley2435 Also, the British no doubt had better radar, and some of Haguro's guns had been damaged at Leyte Gulf and not replaced.

[@Tom--Ace]

It's likely that the shells overpenetrated and did not explode properly.

[@EuroScot2023]

The British destroyers had 'state of the art' gunnery radar and took out the Haguro's bridge, and therefore command and control, very early Haguro was also at least 2 guns down on her full outfit due to prior battle damage and had relatively primitive radar. Add to that the fact that she had propulsion damage which slowed her and probably a forest of weed hanging from her hull. Accurate gunnery under local control once she was listing was virtually impossible. She was caught by surprise as the British radar had detected her at about 30 miles range which allowed them to stage a perfect ambush where they could hit hard with their powerful weapon, torpedoes, and neutralise the big guns of the Haguro quickly. All in all, a textbook destroyer action. Sink the enemy quickly then head for home with pink gins all round in the wardroom and an extra tot of rum for the enlisted men. Definite advantages of not being on an American ship!

[@anselmdanker9519]

Thank you, very strange that neither the japanese cruiser nor the destroyer launched the type 95 long Lance torpedoes.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

It is possible that none were on board. These torpedos were very fragile to enemy fire, and after a few incidents where these torpedoes were blown up while still on the ship itself, many IJN captains opted to jettison them when they were attacked by enemy aircraft. And as shown in the video Haguro was attacked by British aircraft shortly before the battle, so it is possible the captain decided to jettison the torpedos to prevent them blowing up due to attacks by said aircraft.

[@anselmdanker9519]

@@xxnightdriverxx9576 thank you for the insight.

[@sskuk1095]

@@anselmdanker9519 * Type 93, The Type 95 is the 533mm submarine derivative of the "Long Lance".

[@anselmdanker9519]

@@sskuk1095 thank you cheers

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

Excellent disertation. Thank you.

[@SwankySpitfire]

I might have to animate this battle. Nicely told!

[@parrot849]

Very interesting. Another very well done video. I knew very little of this action prior to this video, thank you. Didn’t realize it was the final surface gun battle of the war. Any record of the fate of the maru transporting those Japanese troops the Haguro was supposed to have escorted?

[@theblackprince1346]

Always look forward to these animations, the background music and the narration.

[@arteckjay6537]

I normally don't say this, but rest in peace to those 700+ men who went down with the ship

[@jpgcne]

Thank you for the video. Big Thumbs Up 👍 here. Much Obliged Sir.

[@CrasusC]

wow, 5 allied destroyers sinking a cruiser, didn't realise such a outmatched side could win so decisively. Just shows how the intelligence advantage, competent and confident commanders could tip the balance massively in favor of the weaker side.

[@kennethkellogg6556]

Radar fire control helps a lot as well!

[@BlisterBang]

@@kennethkellogg6556 They had radar. Radar fire control? That's a different animal and I'm not so sure about that. Besides, the vast majority of the damage was delivered by torpedo which isn't part of radar fire control even if you do have it. I recommend Drachinifel's latest video aboard HMCS Haida where he covers fire control and torpedo control.

[@EuroScot2023]

It was a perfect destroyer action. Radar gunnery took out the bridge and officers early on. Then, knowing their guns were unlikely to inflict lethal damage on a heavy cruiser, they used their speed and heavy weapon, torpedoes, to do the destruction. Result? Quick exit for one heavy cruiser and 2 casualties on the British ships. Ok chaps, lets go home for a nice drinky poo.

[@rhylieshifflett7114]

Could you do a video on the sinking of USS Indianapolis by I-58? I think it would be a nice video to introduce to the masses and I trust you to develop a clear and fantastic video for it. I understand you have projects in the works, just a thought that’s all. Fantastic as always!

[@konstantinosnikolakakis8125]

Wartime Stories did a pretty good series on the Indy. One of his more fact based series of videos.

[@timothyirwin8974]

@@konstantinosnikolakakis8125 Not to mention Robert Shaw in the first Jaws movie which reached more than a few including myself.

[@EndingSimple]

Animations really make naval battles easier to understand.

[@kcinkg]

Excellent content

[@headforthehillsuk]

From the names of the British destroyers, some of these ships were present in the destroyer forces at the Battle of the North Cape.

[@dopplerhit8374]

never heard of this battle thanks for the video

[@zacharycha4791]

Great video as always.

[@niclasjohansson4333]

Haguro was at this time, after long wartime service, in very poor condition ! 2 of here 8" guns was out of action, radars were obsolete, the ship was long overdue for an overhaule, and the crew was starving, like most other Japanese sailors/soldiers.

[@RogueReplicant]

Radars were obsolete??? The Japs didn't have radar! t f

[@darkdill]

Any thoughts on doing the Battle of Leyte Gulf? Taffey 3 really distinguished themselves in that fight, while the Yamato barely did anything. EDIT: Just read that Haguro's wreck was illegally scavenged for scrap metal in 2014. Pretty disrespectful of the salvagers.

[@Zumangy]

Very good presentation ! I liked it very much

[@ryanyoung1328]

This was good. Thank you.

[@macgonzo]

I thought, at first, that more and more ships were joining the destroyer flotilla, then realised it was just the route they were taking 😅😅😅

[@ChrisbyFlanker]

CAPTAIN MANLY POWER!!

[@casparcoaster1936]

Great story superb vid much obliged!!

[@fsj197811]

That was good, thanks for sharing.

[@oweneather1435]

This action under especially the great sense of duty resident in navies, and I say this as a ( long retired) soldier. Both Services have their perils which the respective members shoulder without murmur ( well, not much). The thing that seperates us is this, as was pointed out to me on Anzac Day by a Pacific War RAN veteran. It is this; soldiers, within reason, can move, conceal and avoid enemy action, often when others are engaged nearby. But the Navy has this implacable truth to constantly consider - their ship is their first, last and only refuge. In this fight, the zHaguru, even when all senior command had dies, fought on as if there was some hope of victory, which would have been plain did not exist. This spirit, from my reading and conversations, is universal across all navies. The Haguro's stout crew should be honoured accordingly, as should all sailors who fight their ships till the ocean closes over them.

[@oweneather1435]

Under especially = underlines etc.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

They fought for one of the most monstrous regimes on the planet, and for the 1940s that's saying something. There was some serious competition for being really horrible to people. They had plenty of opportunities to help the allies, rescue civilians and even dare I say surrender like a normal human beings. Or even scuttle their ship at port. They chose to do none of those things prior to this pathetic last stand. They deserve no honour because they never had any to begin with.

[@oldschoolcfi3833]

an amazing amount of torpedoes fired for so few hits, especially after the target was damaged and stationary.

[@silverhost9782]

Hard to hit a target when it's shooting back at you. Especially when any of her shells could rip you apart quite easily.

[@shawngilliland243]

And it was night time, which may have had an adverse effect on aiming the fish.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

at the distances involved in such a battle, being off by just a few degrees in your angle will result in a miss. And such small differences can and do occur due to waves pushing the ship around. Also, torpedos were intentionally fired in a wide spread for exactly this reason. Even in ideal conditions with perfect aim and a stationary target some torpedos would miss because of this. But in practice, this increased the hit rate. You can't account for course changes from the enemy while the torpedos are in the water for example. Spreading your torpedos out results in a higher hit chance overall, even though it will decrease the number of hits.

[@sof5858]

Yes lad 😍.....I've been waiting.

[@bikezonly]

Greetings from Malaysia! Thank you for the video

[@Sjikable]

Title may be missing "Haguro" after "Heavy Cruiser". Or not. I clicked anyways.

[@historigraph]

It's a fine balance of getting the best SEO - Haguro is in the thumbnail, the title explains what it was

[@gstormcz]

When you see silhouette on thumbnail, you get it already, what is it. I saw multiple of infographics vids, mostly with historical topics, but this one stands among the best. Simple situational show, clear comment and heart breaking story. You definitely have feel sorry for those 2 Avengers with crews, 2 Brittish Marines and even all those Japs hurrying home at dawn of war. I got finally track to Kamikaze DD, which is known to me from my favourite World of warships online game. Thanks for animated story.

[@maxhill7065]

I'm still amazed that the Japanese took so long to add radar to their vessels, and the inconsistency they were installed with

[@justit1074]

they were relatively late to developing them, and likely weren't able to develop a doctrine to properly use what sets they did have to their full potential

[@silverhost9782]

You can thank Germany for not bothering to help them out sufficiently in that area lol

[@virt1one]

Nobody had confidence in radar at the time. There were several cases of newly installed radars on American ships not being used at all because the captain simply didn't trust them. They also knew using their radar could give away their presence or even their position, so many of them saw it as an "everything to lose, nothing to gain" technology. I've read one case where an upper commanding officer had to demand his captains use their radar, or document in detail why they were not being used. (the EXACT same thing happened with the hedgehogs btw, so it seems captains really don't like using new technology)

[@user-fl1ih8ks1k]

Please cover the battle of Kohima! The most untalked about major British success of WW2. Thank you and carry on doing incredible work!

[@sav2236]

Very interesting, thank you.

[@999theeagle]

Haguro was a beautiful looking ship.

[@herbsuperb6034]

They fought their ship to the last. Unfortunate that so many brave sailors had to die. The writing was on the wall LONG before this battle, and Japan's surrender could've saved millions of innocent and belligerent lives.

[@bradleychristensen9866]

Never knew this story. Thank you

[@andrewbishop2315]

Well done, very interesting.

[@manglehipper8350]

Kamikaze: Ight, imma head out

[@johnholt890]

The royal navies revenge for loss of HMS Exeter and others to task force including Haguro in 1942.

[@jimbojonesporfavor]

what fantastic well-research content

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Solid content