The Battle of Santa Cruz with special guest Jon Parshall-Episode 120

This week Seth and Bill sit down with good buddy and friend of the show, Jon Parshall, to discuss the pivotal Battle of Santa Cruz that occurred in the waters near Guadalcanal on October 26, 1942. American naval aviators square off against the Imperial Japanese Navy once again in the last carrier battle of 1942. Tune in to hear what the trio has to say about the epic, and last, carrier duel of 1942.
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[@thefoolscrusade8523]

I feel like I've been conditioned to click on any video with "Jon Parshall" in the title. Maybe there's a subliminal message in that wallpaper.

[@73Trident]

I'm the same way.

[@thecappeningchannel515]

He's a glorified IJN fanboy! 😂

[@PeteBarrett]

Hah!

[@garypetersen4039]

I agree, I love listening to him. He is so informative and a great teller of history

[@timf2279]

I agree he is awesome, I would like to see him full-time, even replacing Bill.

[@BP-1988]

I very much enjoyed the details about this battle because my father was part of it. He was an SBD pilot from the USS Hornet in VS-8 and was credited with hitting the Shokaku with his 1000 lb. bomb. However, there were a few detail he wrote about that weren't included in your video. Gus Widhelm lead a mixed VS-8/VB-8 15-plane attack with a fighter escort of only 4 VFs. The VFs did not launch with them. The SBD pilot's apprehension was off the scale because the VF and VTs were new to the Hornet and they had never coordinated with them - let alone having only 4 fighters with them! Gus Widhelm was the one who figured out where the IJN carriers would be, passing up the chance to attack a formation of possible IJN battleships and cruisers. His group was then jumped by Zeros which attacked Gus's plane first and shot him down. After that they didn't see any of their 4 fighters escorting them and figured they must have been shot down as well. (They weren't - and all got back OK as their squadron leader dove immediately and then bugged out. This was told to my dad by one of the pilots later in the war.) A Zero then flew through the rest of the SBDs firing to breakup their formation. In desperation and not wanting to get pick off, my father push over on the Shokaku. At this point he felt he didn't have a chance to get back to the Hornet because he felt they had exceeded their maximum range and momentarily considered crashing the carrier's deck. Fortunately, his dive went well and he got a hit. He pulled out at 500' looking for cloud cover for his escape. Suddenly a Zero swished by his SDB. He pulled up slightly and fired his .50 calibers. At first he wasn't sure he had hit the Zero until he saw the pilot bailout. Unfortunately, my father's gunner was badly wounded in this exchange from a 20mm exploding shell and its shrapnel from the Zero. When he sighted the Hornet it was dead in the water, listing, and unable to land planes. Fortunately he was able to find the USS Enterprise. After an initial wave off and with almost empty fuel tanks he was able to land catching #2 wire. His rear gunner had lost so much blood that as his plane was being pushed aside, an Enterprise plane handler pointed at his SBD and said "Look that plane is bleeding!" His rear gunner spent 6 months in the hospital but survived and lived until 2007. In addition, I'm not sure Seth is correct about Gus Widhelm's prior combat experience. I believe Gus was on the Hornet from its initial launch until Battle of Santa Cruz. Hornet was not part of the Battle of the Coral Sea.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

What was your father's name?

[@BP-1988]

Donald Kirkpatrick. After the Hornet was sunk he was assigned to the USS Lexington in Bombing 16. Along with his rear gunner, he was one of the pilots rescued by Commander O'Kane and the USS Tang at Truk where he shot down in May of 1944 while bombing ground installations. In the Life Magazine photo you used In your video about O'Kane and the Tang rescue of downed airmen, he is pictured 3rd from the left in the top row and his gunner, Dick Bentley is pictured 2nd from the right in the top row.

[@DGriff-ix5el]

WOW! Truly one of the greatest generation. Men like these who took the initiative are why we kept of freedom!🙏🏻

[@TzunSu]

@@BP-1988 Amazing story thank you for sharing.

[@georgegeller1902]

My grandmother's brother, Eugene Burns, was there as the AP reporter aboard Enterprise. He wrote up Pinkney's story which is what brought it to the attention of the Navy brass. I was able to visit USS Pinkney DDG-91 when she was in port in San Diego.

[@aizparish9597]

K k k k Ll On m ji be

[@BlackHawkBallistic]

Bill doesn't have as much speaking time as Jon or Seth in these videos with Jon but every comment he makes and question he asks is fantastic and adds so much to the conversation, what an excellent episode

[@LordJuan4]

truly just an excellent trio of people

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

I like this Trio for sure but sometimes I feel like John steps on Bill a little bit. Give Bill the respect he has earned and let him speak, I guarantee you he's going to say something profound and relevant.🇺🇲⚓️💯👍☕️🚬

[@BlackHawkBallistic]

@@Jakal-pw8yq yes Jon does tend to speak over others in the videos/interviews I see him in but I don't think he does it on purpose, I know he's incredibly passionate about this and loves to talk about WWII especially Pacific theater history so he just starts talking and wants to get so much information out there. In later episodes Captain Toti does talk more throughout the episodes.

[@brovold72]

Plus he's earned the right to merely "preside" over these discussions (though of course he does much more than that)

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

​@@BlackHawkBallisticthat's a good point. I hadn't considered that. They all are incredibly passionate about this subject

[@exharkhun5605]

Great video. If you're going to talk about Ching Lee you need to invite Drachinifel for a chat. He's such a fan of Lee that he probably has a Lee poster hanging between his portraits of Nelson and Jacky Fisher, which says all you need to know about an English maritime historian.

[@jetdriver]

If I was looking for a guest to talk about Lee I’d be calling Paul Stilwell who authored the biography of Lee.

[@theodoresmith5272]

Lol drach is a fan.

[@sperrygeo]

To say it's high praise for a British naval historian to hang a picture of Lee between Nelson and Fisher is an understatement.

[@williamharvey8895]

Ahhh Drachinefel a familiar character. Love his channel

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Drach is a lovely chap. Now getting Paul Stillwell on would be good

[@jerrywertelecky9543]

As a Marine never knew that much about Naval history. You guys need to get into some of the military schools and teach. Can't wait to hear about Smith relieves Smith in Saipan when you get there. Been sending your links to a lot of friends and family. They love it.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Haha. Can't wait to light that fuse

[@AbbyChihuahua-iz3ig]

Swede Vejtasa, extraordinary, heroic, smart, so grateful to learn of his exploits, thank you

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

He was my buddy. Miss him daily.

[@SirLurkALot]

The increasing U.S. fleet AAA lethality situation all of you recount at the end of this podcast really does show how prescient Yamamoto was when he said at the beginning of the war: "In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success."

[@dankelly2147]

I served under Red Carmody when he was skipper of the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) in 1965-66. He was quite a guy.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Yes he was. I remember when I asked about him initially Jig Ramage described him as a "Fire Eater." I told Jig, sounds like my kind of guy.

[@georgehughes8698]

As a Navy Veteran and a Minnesota native I am a big Jon Parshall fan he always adds to any discussion about the war in the Pacific .

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Isn't he great?

[@Zephyrmec]

For a good many years I had a primary source for information in re: USS Washington from Scapa Flow to operation Magic Carpet, my father was eventually an MM1 aboard her. He was a skilled tool and die maker prior to his assignment to the Big W. For the most part he made custom parts for the ship, and once in a while, custom “toys” for Admiral Lee. Yes, admiral Lee received his third star prior to his fatal heart attack in casco bay Maine. Admiral Lee was not only a true “bad-ass” but he got along with the enlisted men almost like the skipper on a tin can, as long as you weren’t trying to blow smoke up his ass. The crew of Washington was extremely upset that they were sent back to the states, rather than to Tokyo Bay. Her little incident with Indiana kept her from being the BB with the most battle stars in WW II. My father has been gone since 94, his old Chief buddy who rode cruisers and was sunk 2x made it until 83…..

[@petesheppard1709]

Thanks. My dad was WIA aboard _Enterprise_ in this action. As best as I could tell, he was with her in every battle of '42, up to Santa Cruz. I cannot watch film and photos of those battles without wondering if he was one of the men caught on camera.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

God speed to your father. My dad was 6th Armored Division from Normandy to Prague Czechoslovakia. Got a purple heart eating Spam!

[@petesheppard1709]

@@JohnRodriguesPhotographer My dad's war did not really end until he died in '94. I hope your father had a good life after the war.

[@tylerrichards6456]

Just discovered your channel, and I have to say the product is fantastic. Jon Parshall is the most knowledgeable and insightful guest ever and seems to turn every appearance into pure analytical gold. Sweet that you’ve had him on several times before; I hope that continues. I predict that this podcast will be blowing up soon.

[@Squab83andTRULIFE316]

I can't believe they only have 6k subscribers so far. Glad I can say i was in on the ground floor of huge fans of this podcast/utube channel. I predict a LOT MORE SUBSCRIBERS SOON!! 😀

[@tomhath8413]

Interesting anecdote about the destroyer running through the wake of the South Dakota to put out the fire. It's likely that destroyer captains were told to stay out of those wakes for exactly that reason; all the air stirred up in that white foamy water makes the water significantly less dense - the smaller ship crossing the wake will sink down into the foam. Whitewater kayakers know that happens when they go through foamy rapids; the kayak actually sinks for a second.

[@jovianmole1]

Great point. Ships can sink in foamy water, such as a methane sump leak.

[@dabda8510]

Something I didn't know before...

[@treyhelms5282]

Very interesting Thanks for sharing.

[@davidlavigne207]

My father was a Plane Captain as well as an Aviation Machinist Mate (Jet) with VF-101 during his time in the service from 1957-1960. At the time they were aboard the USS Forrestal CV-59, and USS Saratoga CV-60, which were the super carriers of their day. I was born in Key West, Florida when VF-101 was assigned there as a training squadron. This presentation has been fascinating; I always love to hear from John Parshall. Thanks Bill Toti for reminding us of the future history of the "Grim Reapers."

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Excellent... The first campaign I ever got engrossed in was Guadalcanal....sparked a need to learn all about the Pacific campaign , 1942 & 43. This was back in the 70s. Read every book I found, appreciated the Veterans, most were my teachers, neighbors ECT. I have learned more in recent past from the excellent books and superb authors. My thanks. PS:. Latest pursuit, the Australian campaigns from Kodak Track, Milne Bay, ECT.

[@curtdeno1146]

Seth, Bill, and Jon - I admire so much of what you do. Not in the least the deference you display to each other. You are gentlemen and scholars.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thank you. Not sure about the "scholar" part though (Bill responding)

[@sundiver137]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Bill, IMO, anyone who survives the academic grind at the USNA is at least a fledgling scholar.

[@flparkermdpc]

​@@sundiver137Agreed. I've known many USNA grads, and all were way above average in all situations.

[@08silvercs]

My dad was aboard USS South Dakota that day, and again at the engagement with USS Washington at the slot. He never really talked that much about the war, but at the end of his life he would sometimes tear up when thinking of the loss of his best friend at Saipan. I remember my mom telling me my dads ears would bleed even after the war. No doubt from the concussion as he was stationed on a 5” mount. Away, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this and many other episodes, thanks again.

[@DustpanJoe]

Seth: "...South Dakota's probably kicking close to 30 knots-" Jon: "28." Seth: "...yeah" Hahaha I love these guys. I can't believe it took me this long to find you guys. Can't wait to catch up and be up to date.

[@Perfusionist01]

I stumbled upon this by accident and am very impressed! I thought I knew something about Santa Cruz, but listening to this convinces me that I don't know much. I'll be back to learn more!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Glad you found us!

[@bruceinoz8002]

Old Infantry type, here. This is a great series. I had two uncles in the Royal Australian Navy in the last Great Unpleasantness. Both came back alive.. One was on the HMAS Hobart in the Coral Sea battle. The other apparently had a relatively quiet war. Did the Japanese dive bombers have an "automatic" dive recovery system. I recall that the German Ju87 "Stuka" had some sort of "recovery" system, .Apparently it was found that about half of the pilots would black-out during a dive recovery. (G-suits were a few years off, at this time). Very expensive "Lawn Dart" without such a system. The Ju-87 was also designed to dive VERTICALLY, with the pilot hanging in his harness. It also had a "bomb ladder" that swung the bomb outside the propeller arc, for obvious reasons. How such a system would behave in a damaged aircraft after unloading its "cookie" is just another "rabbit hole" . "Deliberate crash" or "passengers" on a final 'wild ride. Any serious aviation buff out there with comparative dive and recovery data?

[@BlitherVids]

You guys have THE BEST non-animated play-by-play walthroughs of WWII battles EVER. The sheer depth of knowledge and detail that can't be found anywhere else is staggering. Great guests, great expertise, and great storytelling make this podcast so good!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thank you very much. We try.

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

Another great episode from the top three go-to guys when it comes to Pacific warfare 1942-1945. So many nuggets of history here, but for me the real standout is the heroism of William Pinckney. Thanks again for digging real deep into this story. “Greater love hath no man…”

[@paulrugg1629]

What a trio these 3 make. Blend so well together. I am a fan, no question.

[@marksimmons7972]

The technique of passing narrative between the personalities of two or more narrators makes these exciting stories absolutely riveting. Great series !

[@MrPathx]

Great discussion! I really enjoyed the video, many thanks. One correction: Lt. Akira Sakamoto was no longer part of Zuikaku’s squadron at that time and he was not present at the battle. According to my information, Sakamoto died in an aircraft accident in Japan on 15 August 1942, which is naturally before the battle took place. Perhaps he was mistaken for Lt. Kazuko Yoshimoto who was in Seki’s Shokaku squadron during Santa Cruz and who also took part in the Eastern Solomons? Another note: Jon Parshall already made the correction during the video that Seki did not lead the dive bomber attack on Hornet but on Enterprise. I might add that Lt. Sadamu Takahashi of Zuikaku led the dive bomber attack on Hornet but as Takahashi explains in Lt. Tamotsu Ema’s book (excellent book but available only in Japanese) he was damaged by CAP Wildcats during the final approach and had to withdraw without making a dive. In the end, it was Lt. Toshio Tsuda (also of Zuikaku) and his division that scored the three initial hits on Hornet.

[@christophermancini7380]

Maybe the best episode yet!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Certainly had fun doing this one. -SP

[@jameshannagan4256]

This just keeps getting better and better and great choices for guests as well.

[@PaulJohnson-su3mv]

Such a great production, congrats to Seth and Bill, and always a joy to hear Jon speak. I recall hearing that, by the end of the Guadalcanal campaign in 1943, more USN lives are lost than Army+Marine lives in this one area of combat.

[@laketaylora]

Great video. I learned some details about Santa Cruz that I didn't know about. I'd say the battle was a tactical IJN victory, an operational draw - as you mention, nothing really changed on the ground or in the relative supply situations on Guadalcanal - and a strategic American victory, because the Japanese could not win if they could not reverse the operational situation that was steadily tipping in the Americans' favor over time.

[@larrytischler570]

Jon Parshall really shines on this presentation. He is so correct about the confusion of accounts previously rendered on the tracks of the ships and the way the battle was fought.

[@lajinmark2084]

Another Great Show, Stack them up! I recently read an account of Santa Cruz and they wrote that Carrier Shoikaku had a radar set!!! I had never seen that written before! I did not think Japanese Carriers had effective radar until Phillipine Sea, if Then!!! It was always an amazement to me that Japanese Navy had no radar during these most crucial of Battles in these early days!

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

Hands down one of the most detailed, historically accurate and entertaining pieces ever done on such an important battle at sea during WW2.

[@roodogseven]

bloody LOVE this podcast... great work guys .

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Much appreciated!

[@tomhutchins7495]

I finally got around to watching this episode and it was worth the wait. Having Jon along for this one was always going to be a treat. I loved hearing the stories and heroics, both the familiar stories well told and the tragically unheard ones that needed to be told.

[@richardbennett1856]

John could also say, A Decisive Victory Kobe World News. Japanese Midway Victory 3 Carriers, 4 Battle ships sunk. Nimitz Killed. Quite the morale builder for the Empire.

[@dougm5341]

I am thoroughly enjoying this lecture series. Unfortunately, I’m going backwards. Fabulous job gentlemen. Keep it up….

[@stevenmonk4346]

I remember watching one of the History Channel animated shows where a destroyer was hit by a kamikaze and sailed in the wake of a larger ship to put out the fires.

[@lutherpolaris8230]

Again, very worthwhile commentary as usual. I appreciate whenever you have Jon Parshall as a guest because he has a very broad perspective which adds to the always lively discussion and the Pacific War, Midway and 1942-43 are among the topics he adds a great deal of color to the discussion.

[@mollybell5779]

I feel obliged just say this is probably the third time I have listened through this discussion. Most of your shows I have seen at least twice. Not sure what that says about me having a life 😂 But seriously, there is so much information divulged and so much detail that I have to listen more than once to even begin to understand these historical situations, strategically touching on them, but then getting deep into the tactics of battle, and then even deeper into the personalities of individuals in play on both sides At any rate, fascinating stuff, and I really appreciate Seth and Bill giving of themselves, and I am also grateful to their amazing guests, including John Parshall. Outstanding, all of them.

[@charlesscott1493]

Excellent discussion. I just finished James Hornfischer's book Neptune's Inferno and your discussion filled in many cracks and pieces and supplements nicely. Very pleased.

[@jovianmole1]

Miss James H deeply.

[@robbinsteel]

My father was a Navy Corpsman in the Pacific theater. He would be grateful to have known the details & truth about what happened in the operations he participated in. Programs like Victory at Sea really did not tell the story in such detail.

[@jago5373]

Superb show folks. Really good stuff there. The balance of educational, personal and long term strategy is excellent.

[@davidhanson8728]

Great show. I always found this battle very fascinating. Just found your channel and looks like I will have hours of interesting content.

[@GenDischarges]

Excellent! I love all the side cameos of the great event. With great deference Captain Bill, we in the Army have a different description of Hammer and Anvil.

[@billw2126]

thanks fellas, fascinating telling of the history of that desperate time.

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

Thank you all for enlighting us on Seamen Pinkney's rescue efforts.

[@theodoreolson8529]

22:50 Agree 'Grim Reapers" was a killer squadron name. In my view it takes second place to VFA - 143 Pukin Dogs. I love this slice of history because my first ship was FFG-43 THACH. She died with her boots on.

[@creedslays3809]

I think this is one of the best podcasts that I have seen so far. You were able to take a complex battle and make it understandable. Thank you for all your research and work. I found your podcasts by following John Parshall from his talks with the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, TX.

[@wagram]

I just found this channel, and what can I say.. outstanding! Thank you for doing this. Greetings from Norway.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@edroosa2958]

Thank you so much for making my painting job bearable. Listening to hour after hour of your EXCELLENT videos got me through this painting job. I absolutely hate painting but I absolutely love your fantastic videos. 👍

[@rpick7546]

Parshall is awesome. Smart, insightful, articulate - 'Shattered Sword' is one of the best histories I've ever read.

[@jetdriver]

Great video. Jon is always such a pleasure to listen to and a great guest. I think this battle illustrates well that as good and as tough as the Yorktown class was it did have a major Achilles heel. It’s engineering plant. In that the concentration of the boilers over a small length of the ship meant that their ability to take damage in this area and maintain power was compromised. It’s a design failure that I believe was driven by their status as treaty limited designs and it’s one that the Essex class fully corrected. Well done gents.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Of course the treaty affected a lot of ship classes negatively during the war.

[@jetdriver]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I went back and looked it up in Friedman’s book on Carriers and confirmed my memory. What’s also interesting is that BuEng when the decision was being taken to build Hornet as a repeat Yorktown tried to get a new machinery layout installed that would have alternated engine and boiler rooms. I think it’s highly likely that had they been successful in this Hornet would not have been lost at Santa Cruz.

[@McF6420]

The most amazing channel on KZbin! I think you should make John a full time host!!!

[@JPSavage84]

Hunter Wood is another point of proof that U.S. DD captains are required to be a little unhinged when it comes to tactical decisions.

[@ph89787]

1:27:54 Also for the Kates that did survive long enough to make their torpedo drops. Enterprise ends up combing the torpedo spreads.

[@tagfu2226]

“I corresponded with Clay WHILE he was still alive.” I should hope so.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Ha!

[@stevewaldschmidt4344]

Great teaching programs! Love all the anecdotal stories that we normally don't hear about. Nice to learn that SoDak does something right - only remember her debacle in the fight with Washington against Kirashima.

[@westsonrises]

Excellent video keep it up fellas. Look forward to this each week

[@thomasmoore9673]

I just finished episode 123, loved it! I read all the pacific books I could find in high school, late 1970's so much more information has come to light since then. Jon Parshall is brilliant, he has so much knowledge it's amazing. Subscribed and watching more. Thanks so much Gentlemen!

[@NathanOkun]

Th3e "rooster tail" or green-glowing water behind a high-speed cruiser or larger warship is is raised well above the aft deck of the ship making it. It is literally awe-inspiring if on the rear of the ship and looking at it rushing away from you. Also, the rear of the ship is vibrating so hard that I instantly thought of Scotty on the spaceship ENTERPRISE stating "She canna take it any more!!" This is really something great to experience!!! It will most definitely wash the deck of a small destroyer that moves into that rooster tail and put out any external fires.

[@chloehennessey6813]

How this doesn’t have 100s of thousands of subscribers is beyond me. Come on algorithm!!! ❤

[@garyinny5076]

My father was about the USS Hornet (CV8) from shakedown to sinking as an Aviation Machinist Mate (AMM2C) at the time with VF-72. I grew up with stories of Santa Cruz, as well as all the other engagements. During the attack, he was at his fire fighting station on the hanger deck. Although there was not great loss of life on board during the battle, while preforming his duty he came across a number of the burned dead from either the bomb blast or the crashed planes. He said he would never forget the sight or the smell. When the Airdales were ordered off the ship, he was picked up by the USS Russell. (DD-414) via cargo nets hung over the side. He was later transferred to the USS Northampton (CA-26) and ended up on Nouméa until reassigned to other sea duty.

[@sperrygeo]

Awesome talk. If you get the chance, the KZbin Drachinifel has done an excellent series on the naval battles of Guadalcanal. He would be a great guest to talk about Washington versus Kirishima.

[@christophermancini7380]

Drach would be an excellent guest indeed, especially for the Second Battle of Guadalcanal episode and Admiral Willis Lee.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Captain Gatch was a great skipper. He refused to give up command when he was nearly killed by shrapnel to the throat.

[@josephairoso8013]

Outstanding, keep them coming!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

More to come!

[@cynthiacarrithers1832]

Really learned so much more about the brave men who served in the Pacific! Robin Lindsey- what an incredible act of determination and expertise. Thank you!

[@sparkey6746]

Enjoyed this discussion, gentlemen, thank you.

[@lsmith117]

Really enjoying this series. Thanks!

[@maxlopez8552]

Another great, detailed show. Have watched this multiple times and grab more tidbits every time.👍

[@fr.joeobrien3678]

60 degrees? "I cry a single tear. Bring it on!" LOL TY, Jon! From Upstate New York

[@tracygallaway36]

Thank you very much guys! This is an awesome telling of Bloody Santa Cruz!

[@stevemolina8801]

Another outstanding show!

[@vlad78th]

That was really great. Thank you.

[@thomasallan8113]

80+ degree days in central florida during the winter are common I love them

[@riftraft2015]

This channel makes me feel like a gambling junkie walking through a casino checking the empty coin trays. 😂 Cant get enough of these guys. The cold hard facts. Just the TRUTH,,,,, ALL THE TIME. What ALL historians should strive to emulate.

[@chuck3441]

Great video I never thought I could listen to history like this, but you guys did great.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@billechols7136]

Great show gentlemen.

[@davidmowry8951]

This is so good it’s ridiculous. Our forefathers rest easy cause of you.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thanks

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

That means a lot to me. Those boys dominate my thoughts everyday because I knew so many of them for so long.

[@davidmowry8951]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar you do great work on there behalf. I hope Bill is feeling/doing well. Would love for you to do more videos. Both my gramps served in the Pacific. 1 navy 1 marine.

[@robertibert9269]

That is an excellent program gentlemen.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thanks

[@thomasgarrison3949]

Another great video. Just a note to: Capt. Toti, I figured you would have come up here to live in "GOD's Country" since you were on the Indianapolis, now it is Spring here in NE Indiana, we still have temperatures in the 30's, heck 60 degrees is swimming weather up here.

[@Kevin-fd3uc]

Doris Miller, a great Texan. Proud to be a fellow Texan.

[@kaylemoine1571]

This episode brought tears to my eyes. The bravery knocks my socks off. The bravery of the men who took off into the great blue, without really knowing where they were going. It was the hand of God that they found their way home.

[@Cowboys-bm4wh]

Just found this channel great podcast guys love the content.⚓️

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Welcome aboard.

[@garyrunnalls7714]

Swede was amazing. He used the slight oil slick of Enterprise to get a few SBD's back on deck after 40 miles.

[@marcmt4171]

Really enjoy this podcast. Thanks

[@richardcall7447]

I just noticed that Seth has a replica of the Robin Hood mug from the movie, "Twelve O'Clock High", on his top shelf. Nice.

[@grathian]

1:04:00 At the same time in the Med the Brits were proving they had a working fighter direction system. I hope you cover in some detail the Feb-Jul 1943 Noumea operations of "USS Robin" (HMS Victoriuos) with USS Saratoga, wherein the USN decided to copy RN fighter direction procedures for future use. (And the RN decided to copy USN UNREP procedures).

[@jameslee-xs1ol]

Great historical review of the many individual actions associated with this Battle. Beginning to realize how ignorant I am as to the entirety of the WWII Pacific theater Military battles and Naval engagements. A Big Atta-Boy to you both and to the plethora of guests your capable to invite and assist on the individual episodes the last 3 years ......... keep up the good work. My dad was involved in the ETO with the 644th tank destroyer company C recon,

[@Wo1fLarsen]

Excellent presentation. My dad was an amateur war historian. He'd have absolutely loved this. Thank you.

[@migmadmarine]

Excellent review of one of the more confusing carrier battles👍

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Ridiculously confusing.

[@mikeat2637]

Another excellent podcast, as usual, from The Three Amigos. As I said before, I have only been watching for a week or two in my first sojourn with the channel, but I have really enjoyed the experience immensely. One of the things discussed today is one of my favorite Naval Aviators, Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa. He was another of the fine SBD pilots that showed that they could handle fighters also, where he became an "ace in a day" at the battle of Santa Cruz. He was prominently mentioned in John Lundstrom's two fine First Team books. What I found interesting is that he is actually NOT Swedish, but is of Finnish descent. It was said he was constantly reminding that fact to other sailors until he just gave up and accepted Swede as his nickname. You also mentioned Jim Flatley, who was one of the finest fighter pilots in the USN. Flatley, along with John Thach were supreme pilots, tacticians and leaders. It was Flatley who coined the phrase "Thach Weave" in describing John Thach's "beam defense maneuver", which helped mitigate some of the qualities of the A6M Zero. Thach also persuaded Flatley to go with a division of four Wildcats in two sections instead of Flatley's six Wildcats in sections of three each. Once again, John Lundstrom's books were highly informative about the USN fighter pilots just prior to the declaration of war.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

"The three amigos." LOL

[@terryp3034]

Outstanding discussion.

[@yyz4761]

1:46 There is a military history KZbinr that does a video on the industrial capacity of Japan vs USA side by side, day by day. It only includes surface warships and submarines. There reaches a point where our industrial capacity goes parabolic while the Japanese industrial capacity goes way down. I got an amazing appreciation for the industrial capacity of the United States during this period, the Japanese didn’t stand a chance

[@robertgriffin9840]

Just one comment, in the late 1970s I witnessed the Mexican Navy sailing into Pearl Harbor during RIMPAC. I recall seeing one of their WWII-era destroyers sailing past me. I was/and am amazed that it was able to cross the Pacific as it road so very low in the water. Your comments at 1:25:00 triggered my recollection, as irrelevant as it is to your discussion.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Bill responding-- I've taken part of 5 or 6 RIMPACs. Always a joy to work with our allies. And I've also seen World War II destroyers plying the Pacific in the 80s!

[@Zephyrmec]

I remember seeing Fletcher class cans in use by the Greeks and Turks, as well as what I think may have been a pre-Fletcher flush deck 4 stack can in a Greek shipyard peacefully waiting for the breakers yard Pireas perhaps? 74-75……. Can’t remember which Med Cruise…..

[@jliller]

I just found this channel today. I really enjoyed listening to the three of you discuss this battle. I will definitely be watching more videos, especially the ones with Jon Parshall. You mentioned the "halftime" of the carrier war, from here until Truk or Philippine Sea. I would really love to hear a discussion about the Navy's carrier ops in 1943 and the development of the Fast Carrier Task Force. The Navy starts the year with just (twice-torpedoed) Saratoga, with Enterprise finally getting some desperately needed long-term repairs, and has to borrow a carrier from the Royal Navy. How does the Navy use this "last-ditch" force? The Essex and Independence flattops trickle in over the course of the year. How do they get organized and integrated into the fleet? I know why the Navy goes from single carrier task forces to the 2 CV + 2 CVL arrangement (maximizing AA protection and air group airspace), but how does this major operational doctrine shift come about? Is there a "teething" period in 1943 when the Navy has to fine tune this new arrangement? (Even the best ideas rarely run as smoothly in practice as they seemed when drawn up on paper.) Other than one raid on Rabaul and covering the Gilbert Islands invasion what are the carriers up to in 1943?

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

It's coming...

[@fredhayes145]

Very Excellent. Looking forward to episodes with USS Washington. My father was aboard Washington as an aviation radioman during the Guadacanal campaign. I respectfully recommend you look into LT Dwight Shepler, a combat artist who was at Santa Cruz. He was later on Washington and produced drawings of the ship, Admiral Lee, and the Kingfisher scout planes.His and other artist's work appears in a1943 book called "The navy at war; paintings and drawings by combat artists".

[@jstenberg3192]

I got to meet Swede and I did not know about him saving the strike. He was such a nice normal guy for a god like hero (in my view). Wow....just wow.

[@vincentlavallee2779]

This is another outstanding 'podcast', with so much detail, and even the names of pilots, both American and Japanese! Bringing Jon P in is also an immense boost. His knowledge is just devastating. I truly enjoy your videos, with its rich detail. I have been studying WW II for decades, and still I have learned a lot from your videos. I am anxious to watch the rest of this series. Long ago, after I watched "The Pacific' for the first time (2012-2013), I wrote emails to Tom Hanks and Spielberg, requesting that they do a mini series on the US Navy in WW II, and perhaps just in the Pacific, AND that they do another one on the fly boys, probably mainly in the European theater, but I never heard back. I wonder if there is a way you could be the catalyst with Hanks/Spielberg (or whomever) to make at least the Pacific Navy one happen. The stories you tell would make excellent WW II movies. And with the CGI of today, it could all be so realistic. Among other videos of WW II, I also own the two part series (on DVD) from the 80's: The Winds of War, and War & Remembrance. Robert Mitchum became the captain of the North Hampton during the period of its demise!

[@christophermancini7380]

Excellent episode, Seth, Bill and Jon are a joy to listen to! Santa Cruz the end of the first team of Japanese Naval Aviation; Japanese carriers would no longer constitute a serious threat to the US Navy in retrospect. Even when they came out again in force at the Battle of the Philippine Sea, their hastily trained replacement air groups would be mauled by TF 58. As far as the effectiveness of American AA, I believe I read that at least one of the very few captured Japanese airmen mentioned during interogation his respect for the American "machine gun heavy AA" meaning the 5" L/38s, which were indeed capable of firing one round every 3 seconds! I'm curious as far as the problems with American CAP at this point in the war in that I've heard that the US Navy in 1943 would be aided by knowledge gained from the Royal Navy in fighter control, especially in cooperation with radar. For a brief period in 1943, HMS Victorious would operate in the South Pacific alongside USS Saratoga, and I understand that many ideas were exchanged. The RN had a head start in dealing with expertly coordinated air attacks against it's ships facing the crack Fliegerkorps X of the German Luftwaffe, as well as the Regia Aeronautica, in the Mediterranean in 1941.

[@MemorialRifleRange]

Thank-you

[@NathanOkun]

A "tachometric" or "2nd Order" fire-control calculation aiming system has the inputs as to the angular motion (up/down and right/left) of the director keeping it cross-hairs on the target and rate of change in range (from the radar or optical range-finder on the director) to give the inbound/outbound speed, being set into the internal cams and gears of the electro-mechanical calculator being used to track that target and compute gun lead angles. Once set, the motion of these internal mechanical parts begin to run by themselves, creating and internal "mental image" of the target motion that will continue without any further inputs from the range finder sensors. This internal target is now updated by the sensore inputs by "tweaking" the baseline to adjust the internal motion to minimize the error between what the sensors say and what the calculator predicts. Such tweaking is much more rapid and potentially accurate than having to completely recalculate the target motion from the sensors every time the target changes speed or maneuvers. As a result, accurate target motion is much better and the lead agles computations are much better as a result. The calculator is more complex, but the results are much better. When VT (proximity) fuzes are added, then the error has much less effect on target destruction due to the target in effect becoming as large as the explosive-damage-diameter of the shells as they get near it.