"The Ghost of Bataan, Arthur Wermuth" | Kip Reacts to The Fat Electrician

[@isaacgraff8288]

There is a reason a lot of WW2 veterns suffered alcoholism. We didn't have therapy for them back then so they 'self-medicated'.

[@KipReacts]

This. I don't think a lot of people understand that.

[@leojamesclune1730]

And any therapy that was available was seen as weak or something to be embarrassed about, an attitude we still have

[@chrismaverick9828]

MacArthur was among the highest level commanders in the entire Pacific Theater. For him to be captured would have been a massive, possibly deathblow, to American morale in the early days. He and many others escaped via submarine from the island fortress at Corregidor (also some intense reading to get into), preserving much intel and HUMINT connections that would come into use later. Was it the manly thing to do? Shrug: I can't judge but it certainly seems like it would be counter to most commanders' training, but MacArthur was one of the big-picture commanders and could see things in that light. He swore to return, and that at least gave some of the people of the Phillipines enough to keep waging their bush war. Without that it would have been very hard to take the islands back.

[@Sirscruggz]

I will say that despite my thoughts on MacArthur being a glory hound and overall arrogant piece of shit, it does make sense for him to leave before he got caught

[@Knightblood1]

MacArthur was ordered to leave.

[@RaderizDorret]

@@Knightblood1 Was he also ordered to prosecute the man he left in charge for cowardice (a capital offense in wartime) for losing the battle?

[@roustabout4458]

I knew a gentleman from my tiny town in SD that was a member of the 26th Cavalry Regiment based in the Philippines. They were the last mounted Cavalry unit to go into battle, consisting mostly of Philippino scouts. His stories of combat against the Japanese were fascinating, brutal, and rarely told.

[@fredamedic2000]

Im very glad the fat electrician puts these stories out there and people like yourself react to them. These men and their acts deserve to be remembered. They were genuine heroes.

[@SnibediSnabs]

27:25 In this case it wouldn't be desertion, as FDR had ordered MacArthur to evacuate. Apparently the logic was that, while him running away was a hit to morale, him being captured and/or executed by the Japanese would be even worse.

[@KipReacts]

I did have a conversation with my buddy after and got more context on the situation that I didn't have during the stream. It was his Theater, since his position looks at the macro level as long as he can justify his reasoning to the President, he can do it. If he needed to retreat to Australia and justify it as it being early Pacific Theater and him being captured would be the worse option, he can go wherever he deems best. I tried to convey in a civilian looking in hindsight at military affairs properly, it's not a light decision for a commanding officer to make.

[@hannibal-rb3go]

@@KipReacts To his credit he wanted to return and fulfill his promise and did going so far as to personally go there. That said, he's very much a controversial person for this and several other things (Cough... Nuke Korea Cough..) General Wainwright however stayed and was a prisoner of war till August 1945. And amazingly after that went back till service till he hit the mandatory retirement age and lived to 70. They awarded him the medal of honor for his leadership as well during the invasion.

[@KipReacts]

@@hannibal-rb3go it's a damn shame the Pacific Theater gets glossed over in US Public School. There's so much to learn about and so much that went on that just isn't widely known.

[@hannibal-rb3go]

@@KipReacts I think only one year of my education did we actually even get passed Reconstruction. That said I got a book about Iwo Jima on my own time so this was actually the main theater I got into. That said been years, so probably a good place to sink some time this next year. Would be a good follow up to the eastern front stuff I got into a few month back.

[@hannibal-rb3go]

@@KipReacts Sorry for another reply. But good channel to look into. Eastory has some great map videos going over all the theaters in little 10 minute videos. They're good to show the scale and thought process. As he talks about the plans that were thrown around, and shows you the POW numbers. Just make sure you get the ones with him talking and not just the map moving.

[@DiggitySlice]

We DO understand that it's not just numbers, but it doesn't change the fact that what needs to be done still needs to be done. I would love if there was no more wars, but in many cases in history the war itself is the lesser of two evils to what would happen if good people didn't give their lives for what's right.

[@animeproblem1070]

Its always good to talk to Chaps because Chaps is literally there for the troops

[@Mirnum007]

I’m surprised this hasn’t been made into a movie yet

[@KipReacts]

It absolutely blows my mind.

[@Altair1473]

He got bombed twice on two different hell ships before he was sent to Japan then sent to POW camp in korea, afterward sent to POW camp in china

[@Yeetums]

Your talk about the individual lives of the solders that die made me remember my grandfather who fought in the pacific. He was from Albertville Alabama and fought in the battle of biak island. When I was doing research on bronze star recipients from Albertville Alabama I came across two sailors, who both were listed MIA. One over the waters of Guam and one after a kamikaze plane hit his ship at biak. It’s crazy to think that men my grandfather probably knew were dying in the same place, and at the same time that he was fighting. It puts the humanitarian cost of war into perspective a little bit more.

[@KipReacts]

I think people should look at the human cost a lot more. Absolutely, there are going to be logistical and "big picture" positions in the military. From a civilian perspective, I think a lot of civilians should think less about logistics and more about the people in the stories and reports.

[@loganb7059]

IIRC MacArthur wanted to stay with his men but he was given a direct order by the President to escape

[@BinnyKing]

27:40 MacArthur had been retired from the US Army before The Pacific Theater and was in the Philippines advising the Government and Defenses against the invasion. When the Japanese took control, FDR ordered him evacuated and he was smuggled out by PT Boat (which is only the start of the Gangster Shit those crews pulled off during WW2.)

[@edmorrisonjr9088]

Kip I don’t know if you’ll read this but you gotta do a video on TFE’s videos about Jake “McNasty” McNiece and also The Last War Chief Joe Medicine Crow. Two absolute legends of WW2 and TFE’s great narration and humor!!

[@kevinzanuar5492]

​@@aztumtheknightofwumbo7060could you share the Mc Nasty video, cause i couldn't find it on his playlist

[@aztumtheknightofwumbo7060]

@@kevinzanuar5492 Dayum. Nvm. He has not done it yet. F***

[@Flash_Flood44]

TFE is such a good story teller. Its captivating.

[@rylinger]

Dan Carlin’s Supernova in the East is a good resource to learn more about pacific theater

[@InstrucTube]

Yeah, Idaho here too. I didn't learn nearly enough stuff about real important history in school, but my Grandpa fought in the Pacific theatre in WW2 and while he didn't like to talk about it much, he occasionally would, and so I got to learn some firsthand stuff... probably not the greatest things for a ten year old to learn, but hey.

[@bigdodeigaming6579]

Kip should have a go with the phil scout ranger school video, would love to see his reaction to it. Always love his reactions to videos 🎉

[@ComfortsSpecter]

I Love Your Care to Pay Attention to The Real Loss of Comfort Every Number: A Human An Intellect Comfort Thank You

[@KipReacts]

Absolutely! I feel really strongly about it, and I think more civilians should be aware of the true costs of conflict.

[@alexanderscout]

the funny part about him getting up is probably because of how the human brain works you need to act like your supposed to be there and if you don't act like that you will get found out, that means being confident keeping calm following the formation ect nobody questions you when you act like you are meant to be there

[@joshcurtis386]

5:04 yeah all the service academies are unbelievably tough to get into. I don’t know if it was like this back in the ‘30s but nowadays, on top of all the physical and academic standards to meet, you also need a letter of recommendation from either a member of Congress or the Vice President.

[@Dannyedelman4231]

My great grandfather in law was a captain or a LTC with the 32nd infantry and no one talks about the Aleutian campaign at all like i know it's not the most glamorous thing but part of alaska was invaded by the Japanese army

[@yudelabreu5964]

It never makes sense to me how little is talk about the pacific theatre in general. I think it’s because Uncle Sam was not proud of what happen there. From the rapid defeats they US suffer at the early stages to the atrocities that both sides did. In many ways for the US the pacific theatre was similar to Europe Easter front a war were little mercy was given or asked. Japanese soldiers fought to the last and often times even faked surrenders to detonate explosives among US marines and some marines just stopped taking prisoners altogether.

[@RockinAfr0]

To your point earlier in the video, I've always seen it like this: it is up to the survivors to remember the fallen (I'm not claiming credit for this quote, but I also don't know who it's from). And so I see it as our collective duty to remember any fallen, whether it is to war, cruelty or any other needless loss of life. The idea that were would be glory in a death during combat is one of the biggest lies they can teach you. There is only the satisfaction you personally get from knowing you did what you believed to be right and that you may have helped defend your home. We need to stop glorifying combat, and the start of that is stop remembering statistics and start remembering the people behind those statistics. I'm a civilian so I know what my opinion is worth, but I think that would be a much more dignified death for a soldier than becoming part of a statistic in a dossier, history book or youtube video.

[@douglaswayman7152]

I had the distinguished honor of training with these beasts in human form. Seriously these guys are superhuman

[@chriscalvin5083]

Great reaction video

[@Leoluvesadmira]

For me to get into Annapolis i needed grades and a recommendation from my senator... In my class we had a girl that went to Westpoint her dad was a colonel in the army. Funny thing i ran into her in hawaii

[@MrNtlman]

This man was just built different.

[@domination1985]

This story takes place right at the beginning of the war when Japan was kicking the crap out of us and they were surprise attacks that they did like Wake Island and Pearl harbor

[@blackspirit86245]

Hey I was an L5R player! Scorpion and Crane!

[@KipReacts]

Fabulous choice in Clans.

[@Zerpderp0]

30:47 Wermuth: I didn't hear no bell

[@matthewlaird5235]

As an Air Crewman in the USN, that went to SERE school, sabotaging the work that your captors are making you do, checks out.

[@RocRolDis]

"I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with terrible resolve." Admital Yamamoto

[@Jhvin]

The 1911 was made (alegedly)because the tenacity of the charging Moros who tied their upper body with rope and body binding making rudimentary body armor was no match for the M1892 .38 double action pistols that the American army had to request the older M1873 single action that uses .45 colt cartridges. Thus the myth that only a .45 can stop a charging Moro 'Jurementado' as they were called before.

[@m2hmghb]

My Grandfather was with the 4th Marine Raiders battalion then the 4th Marine Regiment. The shit the Japanese would do is unreal. Grandpa was on Okinawa, Guam, and other places. Family lore is that it took grandad from 46 to 47 to walk home. He said he wasn't fit to be around people so he just walked from california to New Jersey.

[@XxSoraMifunexX]

2:46 So basically the Cayachan Jungle Fighters, but with shirts.

[@CaptainFrost32]

I had a history teacher in high school guaranteed to teach about the Pacific Theater and the Philippines because Mr. Abraham's father survived the Death March and remained to stay and identify graves and recover the fallen for proper burial.

[@veynre2726]

Cardboard box vibes IRL and on steroids long before it became a thing. 😄

[@Dragonsofchaos852]

17:40 untill 18:15 I have to agree with you kip on that.

[@DumbChaoticPhoque]

Watching Kip on a big tv feels different

[@Zerpderp0]

When you're call in a bomber on an enemy troop ship but suddenly get banned for friendly fire.

[@snipsnip8785]

we need more fat electrision hes such a good channel lol

[@kizunadragon9]

There are only two ways to go to West Point. Either you are in the top 1% academically or you are personally recommended by a US senator. I've been on the campus twice. It's an amazing school Fun fact: The reason the US civil war was such a bloody and brutal slugfest is because both Grant and Lee were graduates of West Point

[@sierramike0913]

Recommendations from prior graduates and MoH Recipients also can get you in. Also, everyone only has so many recommendations per year that they can give out.

[@loganb7059]

Bro literally did a pickpocket grenade kill from fallout lmfao

[@TheMetalwolf77777]

Was this what Jack did before the start of MGS 3, like bro walks up with the enemy like he's one of them

[@DerekKnop]

MacArthur didn't "flee". He was dragged kicking and screaming out of the islands in a special operation because he ignored ordered to leave sooner. The US could not risk all of the intel that MacArthur had, plus the propaganda victory of his capture, falling into the IJN's hands. His personal sense of pride, combined with he overwhelming desire to keep his promise to return, is why the pacific theater went the way it did. The US could have gone around the Philippine islands, or taken other targets, but MacArthur was going back to the islands no matter what.

[@ComfortsSpecter]

I Feel like He Inspired Cliff Booth from OUATIH, Tarantino The Book Goes Fairly Hard on His Insurgent Philippine War history

[@qtar1984]

Please update the playlist.

[@phillipdeems1471]

Where is the reaction to America's ace of aces Richard Bong!!!!

[@si2foo]

The chaplin's duties aren't primarily for god but for the sanity of the unit or crew. they are a counsellor without the name.

[@Badadice9713]

Fun fact the average grade point to get admitted to West Point is 3.9. The average grade point of the freshman class is 3.75. So you have to have brains plus more to stand out to get accepted. Also high ACT/SAT scores. Leadership roles. Medical and physical qualifications. And almost universally a nomination from your congressional representative.

[@Doubie.]

Priests were the original councilors and psychologists its not surprising at all the government gave chaplains clearance especially with the oath of secrecy (witch is even funnier because the other half of the government has been trying to eviscerate that religious practice)

[@si2foo]

Kip the Reason the pacific theatre isn't covered is because of politics. When the wars ended and the atrocities started being counted, Germany's was already very very well known where as japans was less well known. Although the war had ended the winners weren't one happy family. America didn't want the soviets getting any sort of control in japan which could have lead to a north and south japan situation. so they decided to not talk about what happened so the Japanese stayed more neutral or democratic. the after effect of those decisions is that people who were taught about the war weren't taught about japan, thus when it came time for there turn to teach. they didn't teach about it either. only those who actively look into the history of japan would know all the dark horrors that happened.

[@steadfastscout4606]

KIP Idaho is ranked 22nd in the country for education! Oklahoma is 48/50 🤣

[@KaizuoSilva]

since im from hawaii, alot of our history is pacific based

[@P3ndragon025]

Filipinos have been begging ubisoft to make an AC game set in the Philippines and I think we found our protagonist.

[@rmartinson19]

The lack of attention paid to the Pacific Theater of WWII in schools makes a bit more sense when you look at the numbers. 75% of all the losses the U.S. took across all branches were taken in Europe and North Africa. The majority of the battles fought and the move-counter-move of the war was in Europe. The Pacific Theater by contrast could largely be reduced to "landed on x island with overwhelming firepower, defeated starving, outnumbered and under-equipped Japanese garrison, moved on to next island, rinse and repeat until finished". This is in no way meant to diminish the struggles and heroism of those who fought there, but compared to the bloodbath that was the North African and European Theaters, most of the Pacific Theater comes off as somewhat anti-climactic and underwhelming to the people writing the history books. Especially since the horrors of the Holocaust fixed people's attention firmly on the European war as the place where the battle for the soul of the Western World was fought.

[@LordRaine]

I want to know why he was denied the Medal of Honor. That's the only reason I don't like this video. I love the Fat Electrician, and when he talked about Jake McNasty, he explained why he was denied the medal. I want to know why Arthur Wermuth wasn't given it. There has to be a story behind it, some political reason. Some bullshit. They put him on bubblegum packages to raise morale on the homefront, but they couldn't give him a Medal of Honor? There's no way he didn't qualify.

[@DiakronYT]

Refuge in Audacity.

[@thatgrumpyvet]

The Chaplain is the ONLY person in the military that is cleared to hear everything. However, you still need to keep certain things out of the discussions. So, you basically have to deal with what happened without help. Ask me how I know.

[@enricopaolocoronado2511]

Well, the pronunciation, at least for me and my relatives, is Bata-An rather than pronouncing it like Bat-awn. Either works and does the job.

[@bradenjenkins8808]

3

[@ClancyWoodard-yw6tg]

Bataan was one of the worst campaigns in the history of the US military because they were not only fighting the enemy they were also fighting diseases as well as problems associated with starvation

[@mandyogilvie686]

739 like

[@codyhunt5916]

Wait, US schools care about your retention of info? That's not what their actions showed me lmao

[@supremecaffeine2633]

I almost forgot we had schools.

[@AhHereWeGo]

Heh, 69th like

[@newbdestroyer9997]

Understand the significance throughout history all over the world of men given nicknames involving ghosts, phantoms, spectre....anything like that. Those are ALWAYS THE threats lol. Absolutely terrifying to the enemy. Nobody thinks Casper when they name an enemy ghost. Lol. Nobody. They think intangible demon that materializes out of your nightmares and eats souls before fvcking off to another dimension until it feels like eating more of your forces another time. 😂😂😂

[@Diceboxx]

WWII Filipino Soliders are the equivalent of the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, you're fcked when you fight them on their own land

[@YukiNami]

Oh that's absolutely true, there was an archived story here about the Japanese so scared to enter the jungles because some of the indigenous tribes attack them not knowing where tf they are hiding. And some of the indigenous tribes are known to be literal headhunters

[@stalinsoulz7872]

​@@YukiNamiremember the time the headhunter's Axe or Filipino Tomahawk was introduced in a episode of Forged in fire. The history was spot on. Made purely for tribal warfare during the old tribal era and culture of the Philippines and was allegedly feared by japanese soldiers and scouts. Because time and time they'll came across missing soldiers headless. Then come to find out some elusive natives who reside deep in the tropical mountain ranges hunt japanese soldiers and take their heads as currency to trade tobacco, alcohol, etc from either US. Back guerilla or outright Filipino merchants who secretly introduced underground bounty on any japanese heads they can show.