The Thousand Mile War-The Campaign in the Aleutians with guest co-host Jon Parshall -Episode 222:

[@sundiver137]

In the late '70's I met an Air Force electronics tech who'd been stationed on Adak. "It's just like Cher", he said. "Neither one is fucking sunny".

[@haldorasgirson9463]

That is great!

[@dirthgr]

beautiful...

[@MemorialRifleRange]

Thank-you, My father was stationed in the Aleutian islands. Hated it. "Don't like the weather wait 5 minutes, it will get worse" was his saying.

[@darrelllovett4722]

I first heard of this channel right about the time of the MacArthur episode. You guys talked about a history that was COMPLETELY washed out of the popular narrative. RIGHT THEN, I was hooked! You are required Tuesday morning! For those of us who are new to this channel; go back and listen to the letter Seth Paradin read on Memorial Day and you will quickly understand this channel.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

The McArthur episode was a historical tour-de-force, where politics (of all shades) were exposed. I especially liked the way they ripped into Hollywood on their twisted view of that horrible man.

[@michaelhardy7461]

I was in Dutch Harbor in the early 1980's and the wooden remains of the submarine repair shop along with a lot of other buildings were still standing. Lots of tunnels and concrete gun emplacements too. We used to say, "There is a woman behind every tree in Dutch Harbor."

[@drexelringbloom7731]

My dad was stationed on Kodiak and saw Dutch Harbor bombed but saw no other combat. He had no good things to say about his stay.

[@steveperry6492]

Any episode with Jon Parshall is a great one.

[@douglasalderman9031]

This is one of the finest, unedited, and truthful history channels i have ever viewed. Equaled only by Ken Burns "Civil War ". Many thanks

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thank you

[@garyrunnalls7714]

All of these episodes have been incredibly informative and can't thank you all enough. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@robertstack2144]

I concur. Some of my friends ask how I learned so much about WW2 in the Pacific. My answer is this show with Seth and Bill amd very special guests.

[@frankbodenschatz173]

Thanks again, Seth and John, for another wonderful episode. I didn't k ow about the indigent populations' plight there as well.😢

[@ericmuhs]

Did you mean indigenous? Indigent is a similar sounding word that means poor or needy, which isn’t really a great way to describe the native Aleuts.

[@frankbodenschatz173]

@@ericmuhs Thanks for the correction of auto correct and no glasses!

[@navyreviewer]

Honestly they were kinda nice about it...

[@barnentertain]

Thank you for another stellar episode. Missed Capt. Bill but always a treat to have Jon.

[@patrickgrove2645]

Excellent at presenting an often forgotten part of the pacific war. Great job Seth and Jon was superb as always.

[@haldorasgirson9463]

Seth I love your channel. Having Jon as a guest host is such a delight. I hope this turns into a long term collaboration.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

I’m sure it will. Jon is a friend so we don’t see this ending anytime soon. We have too much fun.

[@brucefinocchio8535]

Love you both for the service you are doing in remembering and learning about WWII, and it's brave and courageous men and women. John is a national treasure! Thank you from our hearts!

[@jonparshall]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Word!

[@markam306]

Seth and Jon, another great episode. Tell Bill we missed him. A couple of things came to mind: In the US Navy history of the PT boat in WW2, the chapter on the Aleutians described the weather as: the only place on earth where dense fog and high winds occur AT THE SAME TIME. Just think about that for a minute. I have always thought the Japanese decision to invade Attu and Kiska was made by officers who had never been there, and never met anyone who had been there. This is the type of move that can look good on a map, but that’s it. Looking forward to the episode on the Battle of the Komandorski Islands. It would be interesting to hear a short mention of the Battle of the Pips !

[@jamesthompson8133]

Excellent job guys. I didn’t know about that aspect of the war. This is the most educational channel I’ve ever seen. Hope Captain Bill isn’t wearing himself out. I hope he is enjoying using his expertise on this unfortunate situation. He is the perfect man for the job! The knowledge and experience you all have is incredible. Thank y’all so much!!!

[@paedisca]

Always nice when a new episode appears. I've been bingewatching this channel for a while, it's very informative and fun to watch. Great show, great guests, keep up the good work! Much love from Holland ♥

[@johnprekezes8881]

I have learned so much more from this series than I have from other sources.

[@scottgiles7546]

I know others must have already said this: The old Battle Wagon sitting in the calm sea at the end is the most peaceful scene one could imagine. I don't know why it is so moving.

[@georgegeller1902]

I think it is USS Arizona. Anyone know for sure?

[@dalerobinson8051]

USS Arizona (named after the state I grew up in) was sunk in the opening minutes of the Pearl Harbor attack.

[@davefinfrock3324]

This image is CGI and it's not what I'd expect of a wartime Pennsylvania, which would be your first thought. I don't see the 5"/38 batteries she was refitted with. So, yeah, going to go with a CGI image of Arizona as she looked (more or less) on the eve of the war.

[@Freeman144000]

This was a greatly needed video and filled a massive void in my personal history repertoire. Thank you!

[@randallreed9048]

You two guys work well together and compliment each other in style and delivery. I look forward to more of these collaborations! Excellent job. Thank you!

[@dwightadams3853]

John, I recent completed reading your book, Shattered Sword, and I enjoyed learning more details about the battle of Midway.

[@haldorasgirson9463]

I you enjoyed that you should read "Battleship Commander", a biography of Admiral Willis "Chin" Lee. What an astoundingly good commander and man. USN commanders in the early days of WW2 were in general less than exemplary, but Lee more than made up for them.

[@johnbullard902]

I love you guys! Thanks for what you do. My dad was in the Pacific with the first Cavalry division in the Philippines. He said that when they loaded the troop ship (in San Francisco I believe) they were completely kitted out with beautiful cold weather gear--big parka’s with fur trimmed hoods etc. When they got to the Philippines they threw all that gear into a huge pile on the shore and left it to rot.

[@chrismack5908]

My dad was a Lt. with the Scouts who landed by submarine on Attu. They trained at Ft. Ord, thinking they'd be headed to North Africa. They were completely unprepared for winter conditions but made it over the mountain into Massacre Bay, which took 2 to 3 days. The conditions were horrible. From what he said, the fighting was ferocious. He happened to be carrying the Army Code of Conduct in his left breast pocket, when a grenade exploded near him, shattering his upper left arm. On first pass, he was declared dead, but a doctor went to double-check and found he was alive. He was evacuated, had surgeries, and recovered, but scarred. Hence, afterward, I was born. As a little girl he was carrying me on his left hip at the beach. I remember seeing the scars, and asked what happened and I'll never forget what he said. With a grin, he replied, "You're mother bit me"!! I loved that man dearly.

[@jeffreymartin8448]

Way cool !

[@carywest9256]

Ma'am, be proud of your father for shedding his blood for our country. And feel fortunate that that doctor went to check a second time. I am a veteran, but never saw a minute of combat. My life would have turned out worse than it already is. But l brought on my own problems and l'm paying for it now. May we never forget what the men and women did to keep our country safe from enemies foreign and domestic!

[@chrismack5908]

@carywest9256 I'm so appreciative of your comments. Hang in there and get right with yourself. Whatever has happened to you is in the past. Live for today and find peace and joy within! Blessings to you, too.

[@randallreed9048]

@@carywest9256 God isn't finished with any of us yet! Never stop! Never give up!

[@carywest9256]

@@chrismack5908 Thank you for responding Ma'am. And may GOD bless you also. Take care and be safe.

[@robertmoffitt1336]

What a wonderful podcast this is, just tremendous. Jon Parshall is fantastic!

[@DOL1954]

Vert good review of a terrible battle. I was a civilian contractor for the Naval Air Unit on Adak Naval Air Station from Sept 1977 to Sept 1978. And I have the Book The Thousand Mile War. Thank you for giving a very good summary of the weather which is dominated by the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean constantly clashing. We had 10 days of sunshine the whole year I was up there. Thank you very much from Prescott, Wisconsin

[@garyrunnalls7714]

Because of the Aleutian campaign we were able to get ahold of a Zero Zeke fighter that had crash landed upside down with minimal damage. The plane was transported to San Diego and test flown with invaluable results that really helped our pilots and design teams to beat a great fighter.

[@sneakerset]

The Akutan Zero recovery coincided with another recovery: War Prize - The capture of the first Japanese Zero in 1941 / James Lansdale. The 23rd Fighter Group had members who test flew Zero 3372 - "The Zero Club" The Lansdale collecton includes image(s) of the recovery site, restoration and transfer to the US.

[@ganndeber1621]

Yeah why not just repeat what is said in the video?

[@Idahoguy10157]

@@isolinear9836 …. I’ve read the zero was parked and a navy aircraft taxied into it. Destroying it with the prop. But it had already been well test flown and evaluated

[@EndingSimple]

My Dad was a seaman on a mine sweeper in the Pacific. Thank you. You've given me a good look at a part of War World II I'd never seen before and always wondered about.

[@larrykeller4174]

Wow I had no idea how much this campaign cost our guys. Thanks so much.

[@rusty14706a]

The Norwegian Rat. "Sounds like my kinda joint." Me too Seth. Throw another pallet on the fire!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

That’s what I’m talking about.

[@aviation1776]

Fascinating as always! Miss Bill, but always a pleasure listening to Jon talk Pacific War!

[@anthonybush607]

I went to high school in Anchorage and took both Alaska state history as well as a WWII military history course (Mr. Green, my favorite teacher). In neither case did they mention that Native Alaska tribes were interned during the war. As usual, you guys are always good at teaching me something I didn’t know. Great job.

[@joeywheelerii9136]

The only reason im familiar with this battle is randomly seeing a documentary about it in the early 2010s when i was in middle school. The story of the 7th ID has become one of my favorites.

[@davidhanson8728]

I read Thousand Mile War back in the 80's and got an appreciation of the important of the campaign. The bad weather necessitated the use and refinement of using radar to counter the soup. I seemed to recall that they would become experts in radar bombing and use of radar in naval engagements.

[@chrismack5908]

I remember Brian Garfield meeting with my Dad to discuss his situation during the Attu invasion. I have the signed copy Brian sent to Dad. My Dad's picture is listed #54.

[@allenrobinson9483]

Always enjoy the programs, your story telling pulls me in. Having watched Jon on other programs has brought me to yours. Thank you so much for taking the time to make history come alive!! This is my first time to comment but have been following over a year, Thank you again.

[@anthonybaldry9611]

One of the best historical channels on the net . One of the things that Bill brought up on the Australian and American animosity after talking with my grandfather 9 div and step grandfather 7 div . Was squarely in dugout Dug’s lap at the battle of Finchhaven in New Guinea dug promised the transportation for the operation. After starting the operation the Americans withdrew the transport Dug’s staff left the Aussie’s with their arse’s hanging out with their reinforcements sitting in lay . The only thing that saved Dug’s arse was it was the 9 division and at the time the premier allied division with extensive combat experience. The average soldier looked at this as a stab in the back .

[@dougm5341]

Thanks Bill and Seth and Jon for another great topic. We appreciate your efforts and hard work.

[@just_one_opinion]

Why Bill? Was he there?

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Bill was there in spirit.

[@StylinandProfilinBBsandBBQ]

Wow, great episode. I had no idea about the removal of the Alaskan natives from their lands also. Maybe I missed it but I am pretty sure that this action was not only Pennsylvania’s but also Nevada’s first action since Pear Harbor. That is a big testament to the hard work of the shipyards of the west coast to repair Nevada and get her back in the fight. Always a pleasure having Mr. Parshall as a guest.

[@TomasMartinoLlamas-xf4xx]

I love this channel because I have always been interested in every aspect and detail of the Pacific war. My grandfather was stationed on Kodiak Island in Alaska in the Army during the war. My great uncle fought in the Solomon Islands in the Marine Corps. I wish you would’ve talked more about Kiska and what happened there. Thanks for all of the great information! Great podcast!

[@saenole66]

Interesting segment on a rarely mentioned theatre. Jon Parshall is always a welcomed guest expert. The no surrender ethos of the Japanese made the atom bomb a necessity.

[@kauphaart0]

Jon Parshall is ALWAYS amazing.

[@jonparshall]

I think he's overrated, but thanks! 🙂

[@jerrywertelecky9543]

Excellent job with John!!!

[@gregcollins7602]

Great job guys. I really enjoyed the discussion of the lesser known battles. I look forward to seeing Hollywood Toti next week.

[@cjohnson1469]

This is my favorite podcast series. I enjoy the depth of content and appreciate the hosts obvious knowledge on these subjects. I've heard things in every episode that were new to me. The coarse language that is used from time to time is distracting, but great overall. Thank you for putting this very interesting series together.

[@nickwoods5150]

Thanks again for opening my eyes and understanding of a Campaign that I knew little more about other than its name. The work you are doing in helping keep this conflict in living memory is invaluable. Keep up the great work guys!

[@josepetersen7112]

Hell yeah for Jon Marshall. That guy's a celebrity in my book.

[@jonparshall]

Whatever I may be, I always feel privileged to come on Seth and Bill's fine channel; it's always a great time for me! Thanks, tho!

[@robertdendooven7258]

@@jonparshall 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 for the first part. Talking about Alternative History, what do you think TF 16 would have accomplished in mid-June 1942 if Nimitz had continued his original plan for the TF to go to the Aleutians for airstrikes on the Japanese fleet located around there?

[@josepetersen7112]

@@jonparshall Haha, automatic correct changed Parshall to Marshall. Either that or my fat fingers hit the wrong button.

[@jonparshall]

@@robertdendooven7258 No clue: my crystal ball ain't that big, lol.

[@robertdendooven7258]

@@jonparshall Fair enough.

[@DalonCole]

Great job. Highlight of my Tuesday. Thanks y’all

[@richardweryzynski5943]

This is a great series. Worth watching

[@axcs0119]

Spent a fair amount of time on Adak and there was a lot of that part of WW II there. We had the Adak National forest that was 5 feet tall when it was planted in the 50's. It was still 5 feet tall in the mid 70's. It was a good place to keep tabs on the Russians.

[@readhistory2023]

I was there in the 80's. It hasn't changed much.

[@dave3156]

Definitely glad you guys covered this operation. I knew there was fighting in the Aleutians, but had never looked into the campaign. What a rotten place to be sent. Thanks Seth and Jon--great coverage as usual.

[@astraltraveler2725]

Great show guys! 👍 👍

[@patrickshanley4466]

Another great show!! Didn’t know about how the native Alaska folks were treated. Hope they were compensated fairly after the war. Don’t forget the Alaska highway buoy during the war, I believe

[@USSBB62]

Thanks So Much for presenting this phase of the Pacific War.

[@kemarisite]

1:32:38 according to Jerry Pournelle of the Falkenberg's Legion series, "la cafard" (the bug) was a chronic condition among garrison troops. The recommended treatment was a rifle and the opportunity to use it. However much we might think that sitting out the war in a backwater like Norway or the Aleutians was a good way to survive the war, it has its own challenges for the men there.

[@gregpfaffe4098]

Incidentally… many WW2 vets loved Alaska and made it their home. “The Boy-General” (a genius at building operational airstrips In impossible locations, lived out into his 90’s at the end of a road in Anchor Point AK. In my area, half the house flew the Stars and Stripes. Rural AK ‘49ers SOURDOUGHS love this war history

[@gregpfaffe4098]

Storied Career but could not find Boy General reference

[@JohnDalton-n6l]

I had an uncle that served in the Aleutian Campaign. He wouldn't talk about it. He was a nice guy, but an alcoholic who never could dry out. I wonder if his WWII duty was the cause?

[@rvenden]

What a terrific episode. I just increased my knowledge of this campaign by 1000%. Thank you so much. Incidentally, I saw Bill's report about the loss of the submersible. He sure knows his stuff and is great on camera. Please give him my compliments.

[@eliotsherman163]

Jon's wallpaper is back! Gonna pour myself a drink and settle into this. Many thanks to you both for the great work that you do. Liked and subscribed.

[@garymackey850]

I've wondered....does it look better in person than it does on screen? Hmmmm....//

[@scottsherman6889]

It does look pretty cool on the screen!😂

[@huachafo]

Thanks guys; I wait to for your broadcasts. It's an amazing effort.

[@jammininthepast]

Superb presentation. Thanks, you're appreciated.

[@williamlaforge4517]

Thanks Guys! Great episode…. Nice to see you Jon.

[@51tetra69]

God bless all the courageous veterans with nerves of steel who risked everything and selflessly sacrificed so much to protect our countries and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today! God bless all the souls - military and civilian - that we have lost in times of war! God bless America! God bless us all and grant us peace!

[@chrismack5908]

Thank you, my Dad would appreciate this.

[@jamesthompson8133]

Thank you for bringing God into the mix properly!

[@brendanoneill1466]

My Uncle's DE was in the Aleutians. He had several pictures. He almost preferred the North Atlantic convoys to Archangel. This was a great episode and an untold story that really did need to be covered.

[@NVRAMboi]

Seth, Jon...thanks very much. I learned a ton of history I've never heard or read about this Aleutians campaign.

[@michaelwaldmeier1601]

I find the information from Kings and Generals to be complimentary to your fine analyses.

[@brucelytle1144]

Never visited the Aleutians, but been through Unimak pass many times over the years, sailing from west coast ports to the far east and back. The weather sucks and the snow is the weirdest looking snow ive ever seen. Great episode!

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

It would be interesting for you to discuss the Army Air corps in the Aleutians prior to the counter invasions. This is where Tommy McGuire honed his piloting skills. A lot of crews in aircraft took off only to never be heard from again in the Aleutians. Noble on this day knows what happened to them they may have been mechanical or they may have been weather losses.

[@philpockras4408]

One of my uncles was an Army radio op in the Aleutians. He had most all his service there. He was strongly influential in getting me into amateur radio. Another now-deceased friend was Army Coast Artillery stationed there. In civilian life he'd been a Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive engineer. So -- of course! -- they made him a red leg. I remember him mentioning that he and others frequently would listen at night to WLW, from Cincinnati, "The Nation's Station".

[@philpockras4408]

Your mentioning the 7th ID training in the desert reminded that my uncle went to radio school in Miami, FL. Then posted to Dutch Harbor. 🙄

[@toms6213]

Thank you Seth and John.

[@russnelson8867]

I kind of knew about this campaign but learned SO much more. I'd never heard about the internment of the Aleuts. Why no mention of the overland highway built from Washington to Alaska? Thank you for your work.

[@technologyinnovationandwar7583]

A terrific series, thanks for your great work at exploring and sharing Pacific War history!

[@dank5032]

What a great episode! I learned so much! Damn good episode covering the Aleutian’s

[@navyreviewer]

Wait till you read about Kiska. Oh boy. The japanese had already evacuated when the allies landed and we still took casualties. Yup, blue on blue

[@Silverhks]

I'm one of those who knew of the Battle for Attu but not about the battle. I very much enjoyed this look into the campaign.

[@stevewaldschmidt4344]

Well done gentlemen!

[@williamashbless7904]

“Blathered on long enough…..” Good God! I could watch you two talk about women’s soccer and be enthralled at your passion and delivery. The only thing I can think that would be better is to get you two(Skipper Bill as well) sitting in a bar, having beers. You find out a lot about someone while knocking down a beer.

[@raykaufman7156]

My father, Wendell Kaufman, served with the Seabees on Adac. He never talked much about it, except how crappy the weather was and that they were served rotten pork at mess. He came down with appendicitis and shipped home for surgery. After he recovered he was deployed to Subic Bay in the Philippines to build airstrips for the duration of the war.

[@TrainmanDan]

'The Thousand Mile War', I have read and re-read that book about half a dozen times. I highly recommend it to everyone. Your point about fratricide, Americans and Canadians were killed on Kiska and there were NO Japanese troops on the island! As a British Columbia boy I grew up hearing stories from friends and relatives so it is not a 'forgotten war' for me. Thank you very much.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Your comment about what are you going to do when suddenly confronted with a banzai charge, reminded me my dad's last nightmare due PTSD fighting in Europe during the second World War. " What are we going to do? We're going to fight like hell! " Dad had the dream post-op triple bypass. He passed away a few years later.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Thanks as always guys!

[@charleslangston1661]

I spent a year of isolated duty on Attu 1965-66 while in the Coast Guard weather was brutal

[@stewartportela9159]

Better than running PBR missions up the CUA Viet River in Vietnam in 66! I know a number of Coast Guard officers assigned to Brown Water Navy up north in the Cua! Total Craphole of a place. If not for the 120 degrees, constant rain, stifling humidity, getting shot at on every bend, bugs, snakes, booby traps…it was a wonderful place!

[@freda7436]

Great episode. Thank you, gentlemen.

[@billechols7136]

Great show gentlemen.

[@jonathanmorton9856]

Thanks guys for bring this information to us.

[@petestorz172]

In different wways, Ryujo and Junyo seem to have bee intended as ways to skirt naval treaty provisions. Ryujo was like USS Ranger got washed in hot water. It was just below the carrier displacement subject to treary limitation. Japan, at the time, thought it could have large numbers of small carriers, but Ryujo tried to do too much in too little (as did, arguably, Ranger and Wasp). Junyo (and several other ships) took a different tack, being converted from non-combatant ships designed to be convertible.

[@markowsley4954]

Another great episode as usual. This one though hits a little close to home. My wife had an Uncle who was severely wound on Attu. I know he was blinded in addition to his other wounds that eventually took his life in the 1950's. I've not been able to get a lot details of what exactly happened to him as the family members that did know after the war are all now gone. I will always now wonder if he was in the field hospital that was overrun during Japanese last charge. Thank you for covering this mostly forgotten battle.

[@Heathen22]

Another great show. Thanks

[@dutovdevlich3781]

Thanks for covering. My dad was USN stationed in Dutch Harbor and Adak 42 ti 45 before finally being sent to gunnery school to arrive at his new carrier assignment in New Jersey on VJ day.

[@DanielMatthews-ql3wf]

My Grandfather was stationed in the Aliutians during the war as a Seabee. And he had nothing good to say about the Aliutians ,he said that the battle was more against the weather than the Japanese.

[@bruceday6799]

Maps! This guy who is not Bill but Jon likes and uses maps too! Seth promised a map but forgot. Great show!

[@kevinerbe6297]

You guys do a great job. My grandmother’s brother fought in the Aleutians during WWII. He came back pretty messed up psychologically.

[@kemarisite]

15:32 Drachinifel keeps pointing out that Ryujo was a Japanese attempt to exploit a loophole in the treaty system, a carrier that doesn't meet the Washington definition of a carrier because the standard displacement is less than 10,000 tons. Then tye London Treaty came along and said "We'll have none of that, Japan."

[@riftraft2015]

Great show Seth & Jon. This is the 1st in depth look ive ever had of this little talked about campaign. Good job guys.👍 🇺🇸 Thank you. 🇺🇸

[@GusShoulders-ml2cw]

I love this so much. I’m a former Alaskan fisherman and have been to all these places. I also read The 1000 mile war on the boat

[@WRSBaxter]

Thanks!

[@gdolson9419]

In about November 1977 I had the dubious honor of being in USMC Rifle Company that was sent to northern Norway to A) Work with the Norwegians B) Test cold weather gear. In 1977 US cold weather gear was all WW2/Korean War leftovers. 99% of it failed miserably. After 2 weeks in the mountains we'd lost 50-75% of our people to cold related "injuries".

[@vincentlavallee2779]

Nice to see Jon again! And my comment to Jon, I lived n Mpls. for 13 years, and my wife is from Bemidji! We left (went to Southern CA - WHAT a difference) because the weather is bad in MN almost always (try -34F as a low and a high that day of -25F while I was at work!), except for the the summer which supposedly comes on a weekend in early July! And the unofficial 'state 'bird' is the mosquito! As for the war, and the Aleutians, I always thought that it was strictly a Japanese ruse, to fool Admiral Nimitz. But Jon has described otherwise, that the attack was planned and it was not a diversion. This makes sense since good tactics would have been to have all 6 carriers at Midway, and they would have landed well prior to the Battle of Midway to be as a means to divert the US Navy. Also, based on Jon's description of the weather up in the Aleutians, I could not imagine a place anywhere where the weather is worse than in MN! It is also amazing that Jon has experienced the Aleutians weather first hand! In fact, I always thought that we should never have gone there to route the Japanese out. They should have just left them there to "rot on the vine", just like they did with the troops at Rabaul. The saving grace for the US forces attacking the invading Japanese in the Aleutians is that they found a Zero (Japanese famous plane) completely in tact, and this very plane was used to learn about its weaknesses, and how the Hellcat (and other US war planes) can take advantage of this and fight it more successfully! Great episode, but I missed Bill!

[@JohnDalton-n6l]

I spent several years flying all over Alaska. I kept running into people who had moved there from Minnesota. I always asked why the moved to Alaska, and every time the answer was "To get away from the cold winters."

[@vincentlavallee2779]

@@JohnDalton-n6l What a great response! We moved away because of the weather. I got a transfer to JPL in Southern California from Minneapolis, and it was like going to heaven! We went to the beach with our kids on Thanksgiving day, and Christmas day our first year!

[@arnoldholden5325]

Thanks!

[@kilcar]

Seabees went to the Aleutian Islands also; 22nd Naval Construction Battalion among others. My dad was fortunate, if you could call it that, his new friends made in Seabee boot camp went to Alaska. Dad was with the 20th NCB, and went to New Guinea and the New Hebrides and Solomon Islands. What a Sophie's Choice of deployments!

[@CJrun]

I went west in the 80s from NC and met a great uncle in Seattle from that far-flung branch of the family. He let me park my car while I had to go to Dutch Harbor. When I was back in Seattle, I would join him in the basement, where the smoking lamp was lit and he told me stories. His posting had been Adak. Concrete doesn't work, with the freezing/thawing, so they had to use gravel and upgrade to that corrugated sheet metal for runways. Which does not go well in wind in the 100s. After fighting the metal into place, they would get back in the morning and the sheet metal was curled up. Tough duty!

[@gagamba9198]

Fishing. In the spring of 1936, the Japanese Diet approved funding for a three-year survey of fishing resources in the Alaskan waters, seeking particularly salmon and trout, and in the early summer sent several ships into Bristol Bay to begin investigating the salmon run. The following year in July the appearance of a factory ship, _Taiyo Maru_ , signalled the full expansion of the Japanese salmon fishing industry into Bristol Bay, touching off a five-year struggle over fishing rights between Japan and the US. This expansion was part of Japan’s search throughout the Pacific and Asia for food and other natural resources. Japan had the world's largest fishing fleet at the start of the War. How large was it? It was twice the size of the second largest fleet. Fish was not only an important part of Japan's caloric intake, fish byproducts, called fish cake, along with soy byproducts, called oil cake, were used to fertilise the nation's agriculture on the cheap. Though no point anywhere in Japan is more than 150km (93 miles) from the sea, that journey traversed mountains on unimproved paths. Improvements in domestic transport (rail and road), canning, manufactured ice, and refrigeration/freezing brought fish products inland. Fish, especially sardines, were important to Japan's munitions industry. The glycerin derived from sardine oil was converted into nitroglycerin. In the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War the nation sought to maximise domestic resources. For example, it shifted from thermal power (provided by domestic coal) to hydroelectric power. Though coal remained king, about 80% of electricity was generated by hydro (this amount was dictated by the annual monsoon, typhoons, and snow melt-off to replenish the reservoirs). Great effort and expense went to shifting industry from coal to electricity. The fishing fleet was motorised, allowing it to extend both the range and the time at sea from fewer than 10 days in the early 20th century to 15 - 20 days in the '30s. The whaling fleet spent much longer periods at sea, and this required replenishment tankers and other vessels. The contested waters of the Pacific reduced the fleet's range and all but ended whaling, which had been an important food and oil source. (How abundant were whales? Whale meat was one of the rare foods that was not in deficit in the USSR, even in the '70s and '80s. But the Soviets becoming a deep-sea fishing power is a post-WWII development.) Further, the seven tankers that served the whaling fleet were needed for wartime duties. IIRC, the Japanese were the sole whalers of the Pacific, especially the South Pacific. The Norwegians were the other whaling power, usually in the other hemisphere. Norway's whaling fleet was larger and caught more than Japan in the '30s. I need to mention that conscription had an effect on industry including fishing. Japan didn't take the same care identifying war-essential civilian workers like Britain and US did. Looking at the pelagic empire from Tokyo, the safest waters were Japan's inland sea, the Sea of Japan, and the Yellow and East China Seas, but these were heavily fished. The central and south Pacific were becoming unsafe or inaccessible. What's the remaining large body of water that's relatively safe and with abundant resources? North Pacific and Bering Sea. A lot of oil-rich salmon and herring in these waters. Japan's fisherman also served a picket-duty role, providing reports of US movements.

[@sneakerset]

Thanks for the share. I'll add this: Whaling along the U.S. west coast was profitable on the last gray whale hunts home-ported in S.F - $1,500 per whale in the Depression of Jan. 1936. source/images: Details of Malibu whaling boats re-emerge / The Malibu Times 4 Jan 2006 / Emerson Gaze / The Bill Beebe collection

[@hazchemel]

Hey, much appreciate the info, and no doubt the sea in that band is the best choice for aquatic food. Among the subjects mentioned above whaling, in the 70s ports on the Australian east coast, especially Tasmania, were bases for several yachts that would shadow Japanese whalers, often interfering with their work, in the Southern Ocean.

[@colinellis5243]

Great episode on a much overlooked aspect of the PTO.

[@davidferg1413]

I was on the USCGC Jarvis in the mid 70's. Our patrol area was usually the Aleutians. At USCGAS Kodiak, they wore t-shirts that read "Kodiak, it's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here." It reputed that at USCG LORAN Station Attu they wore t-shirts that read "Attu, this is the end of the world"

[@steveschlackman4503]

A great conversation. You confirmed the Japanese plans were stupid. Who, in their right mind, would want Kiska and Attu? Alaska should have a thank you Japan day for helping to create modern Alaska. I hope that you had a bunch of viewers for this video.

[@ph89787]

1:13:58 In terms of US Carriers, at least. Saratoga was in the Solomons. Victorious was on her way to the Solomons. So could have been diverted. Enterprise is on training duties in Pearl Harbor and Essex had just arrived in Pearl Harbor.

[@alberthartl8885]

I have heard of the battle to retake Attu my entire life. My father lead the diversionary group at the beginning of the operation. The book 'Bridge to Victory' is the best source of information on the operation as the correspondent was imbedded with the 7th Division. A condensed version was reprinted in the October 1943 edition of the Reader's Digest.