How a Blind Machinegunner Hit on Target

We'd like to thank Adam Makos for his help with this script. You can find out more about this story and others in his excellent book, Voices of the Pacific: Untold Stories from the Marine Heroes of World War II. Any errors are our own.
It's August 21st 1942 on the Island of Guadacanal in the Solomon Islands. Hidden just within the tree line lie the men of the 1st Marine Division in their camouflaged positions along the banks of Alligator Creek. Inside one of several foxholes Gunner Johnny “The Indian” Rivers, Loader Al Schmid, and ammo-bearer Corporal Leroy Diamond fend off exhaustion. When 900 men from the Japanese Imperial Army start to cross the river an epic struggle ensues. It's a tale of bravery, commitment and perseverance despite severe injuries and overwhelming odds.
Yarnhub uses the Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 - 2022, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

[@Yarnhub]

Please support us by becoming a patron www.patreon.com/yarnhub

[@AKASkobble]

Me when first reply

[@tocka1845]

love your vids have a nice day

[@thunderbias2085]

isnt there a movie about that?

[@Sword338]

me when 7th like

[@alesprvy8274]

Wrong uniform for japanese!

[@Rob.DB.]

Another nearly forgotten hero, now remembered forever. R.I.P. Johnny "The Indian" Rivers. W.W.II Navy Cross recipient.

[@GrumpyIan]

I hope one of these day Yarnhub (or any history KZbinr for that matter) does a video reading submitted stories from viewers about relatives or personal experience in war, as a way to remember the forgotten heros.

[@thermiteknight.]

May he be remembered.

[@kathypichey4306]

Thankyou for the information

[@Autobotmatt428]

He has been remembered by those who study and learn but now thanks to Yarnhub he will be known to even more people

[@Canadianvoice]

Robert Leckie never forgot.

[@lanfrancoadreani9212]

We have a similar story here in Italy: Rosario Rondazzo (Gold Medal to valor) was fighting in Russia when he got hit by a mortar round and had his arm amputated. To cover the retreat of his unit he reached a fixed machine gun manuvering it with his lef arm and squeazing the trigger with his mouth. Eventually he got overun and killed. Later an officer found his body, next to him his teeth that were crushed by the recoil of the weapon while firing.

[@mctlp2323]

there a similar story here where I live. during our liberation war one lieutenant had a mortar shell explode near him, it broke his knee, he ordered his men to retreat, but they refused a few times before following his ( The lieutenant ) command, he held the enemy for a few moments. his dead body was found the next day, the enemies had pulled his eyes out with their bayonets. he was given the highest honor of the country.

[@dead8514]

@@mctlp2323dang does everyone have a story about someone getting injured and then operating a machine gun in a weird way lol

[@lanfrancoadreani9212]

​@@mctlp2323 where are you from?

[@nhrahat188]

@@mctlp2323 Mannnnnnnn... Our Liberation War😍😍 Bangladesh Liberation War We got incredible stories by not creators😪

[@nhrahat188]

@@lanfrancoadreani9212 Bangladesh Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971

[@CamoTheGuy]

My Great Grandpa who was a Native American from the Cherokee Tribe fought there on that same exact battle. Joined the Marine Corps at such a young age before the war even started to support his poor family in the depression, and soon found himself across the pacific fighting across island after island. I truly wish I could've gotten the chance to meet him before he died as I was at such a young age, his stories never cease to amaze me.

[@berenger1002]

The animations just get better and better. It amazes me all the progress Yarnhub has made over the last couple years.

[@theycallme4799]

I much better prefer that he enjoys keeping the stories of our warriors, alive.

[@Redangrybird1928]

The fact that it's been three years already scares me.

[@Liam.2984]

it amazes me when i find a similar comment nearly every video

[@Tree457]

I still remember that mad jack video

[@buttongoclick1035]

It is scary to think about a blind machine gunner

[@garrettallen7427]

Imagine how scary it was for the enemy lol

[@SnakeInAShoe]

Well i think any machine gunner is scary

[@nursestoyland]

If the gunner was Rambo then yes

[@The_Meat_Man69]

It would be especially terrifying for the gunner's comrades

[@ralphy1989]

Alot of men were blinded in battle and kept on shooting downrange

[@dong7474]

The whole time I kept thinking “I wonder if he’ll mention Leckie” when you did I got goosebumps. His book helmet for my pillow is amazing, his description of the Indian’s gallantry is beautiful. if you like the actor for Bob Leckie in the pacific, he voices the audiobook on audible. It is a really good listen, and with Leckie’s background in writing, is extremely poetic.

[@mjpraetorian4386]

Oh shit! Might have to get the book.

[@mitchellscrannage6855]

Its on my wish list, ive been rereading Sledges book with the old breed. Epic stuff

[@natashabrubaker91]

@@mitchellscrannage6855 no crap I'm getting that movie

[@dong7474]

@@mjpraetorian4386 seriously worth it, he actually talks about the Indian in it, In detail. I would highly recommend.

[@dong7474]

@@mitchellscrannage6855 if you’ve read Sledges’s book, you’ll really enjoy helmet for my pillow. I have the physical copy and audible copy of both, extremely worth every penny Lmfao

[@SnakeInAShoe]

Just look at this animation! Simply amazing, compared to the content 4 years ago this improvement is huge!

[@akyukon]

👍 Very kind words, and agreed

[@rayhatton7683]

A story that is by far inspiration for any American. As this story unfolds we the watcher of this channel are nothing but in awe how this keeps getting better everytime. Well done yarnhub. Someone get these storytellers a medal. Carry on yarnhub.

[@johncox2865]

Should, but may not inspire any of the new generations.🇺🇸

[@rayhatton7683]

@@johncox2865 I'm inspired and 47. Sadly though you have a good point. This true grit and determination to fight in a battle that is lost on the younger generation. Not knowing what was going on back then is the foundation of today. History will repeat if not seen or understood what is at stake. Yarnhub is truly a great channel and watching these videos is just nothing short of inspiration in video form of bravery acts. The videos are what should be watched with great respect to this history and the bravery. I will say this again. Yarnhub carry on. You can inspire by these great videos. With each story told more is known. Please don't stop.

[@jordangatewood28]

There was also another soldier in the same battle named Rodger Young that was nearly blind and is deaf. He faked the hearing test to get into the Army and is a Medal of Honor recipient for diverting machine fire from a nearby bunker. Despite being wounded twice, he continued to get to the bunker and lobbed grenades into it, but he was killed in the process of throwing grenades into the bunker which saved his platoon during a retreat. He has a song about him called "The Ballad of Rodger Young".

[@jdean09able]

Rodger Young wasn't on Guadalcanal. His MOH action took place on New Georgia, which was every bit as big a hellhole as Guadalcanal. Maybe even worse.

[@equarg]

RIP Johnny Rivers 🫡 You fought and died like a Warrior. Your ancestors would of been proud. May your story never be forgotten.

[@captain_commenter8796]

Schmid and Diamond are men of focus, commitment and *sheer fucking will*

[@palpatinethesenatehog7086]

I understood that reference!

[@thecocktailian2091]

How do you not mention Rivers?! The injustice persists.

[@scettybagle5552]

As a Native American of Ogallala Lakota/souix decent, a sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing the spirit of such a brave warrior to live on through your retelling of this battle.

[@jhypyro]

Yarnhub is so underrated that it saddens me. (I can't have enough of that narrator's voice)

[@virus5600]

First heard of Rivers, but I really wish he also get remembered like how both Schmid and Leroy is remembered. He's done lot for them too.

[@aldreenbautista2375]

It should have been MoH for the three. I know this award is not given in a group but still, one blind man firing with the help of his wounded friend whose arms were too wounded from a grenade and the 3rd one who set the tone of the fight in the beginning by holding the line amidst wave of Japanese soldiers...

[@icun2212]

I am not from the U. S. But i can feel heroism runs all over my body. RIP Johny "The Indian" Rivers. And thank you, Yarnhub, for keeping him lives on the history from now.

[@kathypichey4306]

Do you have stories of your country's heros it would be interesting too

[@Kitkire]

Fantastic story and animation, but I also know the 1st Marines did not have M1 garands in time for Guadalcanal. For Private Jacobs to have an M1 as he does in this animation he must be a time traveler!

[@tomicbranislav3]

Or he "tacticaly aquired" it from the army

[@OLDMANWAFFLES]

What were the marines primary infantry weapons at that time?

[@novallasca4730]

@@tomicbranislav3 xD yep that's reminds me of a episode of the Tv series "The pacific" in which the army are distracted by a japanese air raid and the marines "get" alot of goods from the army.

[@cheesebigmoney]

@@OLDMANWAFFLES M1903 springfields

[@Kitkire]

@@OLDMANWAFFLES As Greg already said; they were equipped with the M1903 Springfield bolt action rifle.

[@jeremyroberts6674]

May Johnny the Indian Rivers always and forevermore be remembered. May they all be remembered.

[@rockstarJDP]

Damn Yarnhub, there was me thinking this absolutely would be about John Basilone and you pulled the rug out from under me yet again with a story I'd never heard before! Great work guys, you genuinely never disappoint! 👏

[@yankees29]

Basilone was badass. That guy took out like a whole battalion. He was one of the best machine gunners ever in the military.

[@Youraveragemarine1944]

He held the m1917 MG while his hands had 3rr degree burns​@@yankees29

[@yankees29]

@@Youraveragemarine1944 yes that’s correct I’ve heard that before too. He was pissing on the barrel to cool it. The enemy must have thought there were 20 guys dug in!

[@carronade2456]

In the version I heard of this story, after Rivers was killed, his finger got caught on the trigger and causing the machine gun to fire two hundred rounds before the other men realized he was dead and removed his body. Great video by the way!

[@StuckOnAFireHydrant]

Another great escapade as always! We are losing these stories faster and faster by the day. We need to record as many as possible while we still can. I had no idea you guys worked with Adam Makos on some of these videos?! That's awesome! I loved his book "A Higher Call"

[@Thatguy-of5re]

I can recommend "when a BF-109 spared a B-17, the reboot" which was also a Makos collab and inspired by that very book.

[@dalemartin969]

Thank you, those 3, Diamond, Rivers, and Schmidt, especially Rivers, are now forgotten and when I tell people they might not believe me and their story is one that should be told, you did them well, and also I felt the 3 deserved the Congressional Medal of Honor.

[@dalemartin969]

Not that I'm saying anything cold about the Navy Cross.

[@828enigma6]

I agree.

[@DarkMatterX1]

Yet another incredible story told in your fascinating style, and accompanied by the awesome animation I've come to appreciate. Outstanding work again, Yarnhub. Your team is second to none in this genre. Thank you again for your unrelenting dedication to making quality content. I genuinely look forward to each and every one of your uploads.

[@rayhatton7683]

Well said. Enjoyable and educational and great storytelling. What's not to like.

[@dr.bright6160]

Bro is so skilled he doesn't need eyes to hit enemies

[@averdadeeumaso4003]

He had help from his friend which had eyes

[@dr.bright6160]

@@averdadeeumaso4003 Yeah but its not that easy to do it,you gotta trust him a lot and remember the battlefield

[@VikingTeddy]

@@dr.bright6160Mounted Maxim guns were sighted to optimal height with an elevation limiter. You could hose side to side without having to worry about recoil. Shooting blind was the easy part. The incredible part is keeping your head, and having the courage to get up and keep firing in complete darkness, pain and fear.

[@pocketinfinity6733]

bro was using hitmarker sounds as a guide

[@dr.bright6160]

@@pocketinfinity6733 Best one yet tbh

[@fordson51]

Nice that you mentioned Leckie near the end. I read his book, Helmet for My Pillow, about his time fighting from Guadalcanal to Pelalu. His coverage of that battle referred Alligator Creek as the Tenaru River. Richard Tregaskis did the same thing in Guadalcanal Diary.

[@Moostafa_]

The public might have forgot but trust me the Marine Corps did not. Great video. Semper Fi

[@FLJBeliever1776]

I remember reading about that Japanese unit. They were just a detachment of their main unit. Arriving by Destroyer, six of them to be exact, they landed unopposed and supposedly undetected with orders to dig in and wait for the rest of their parent unit. Ichiki, though, disobeyed and opted to attack despite being warned he would be gravely outnumbered and that the full breadth of the US Marines on the island were unknown. Having fought in China, he's actually the guy who kicked off the whole Second Sino-Japanese War. This event is better known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. He was also supposed to help spearhead the landings on Midway and occupy the islands. So, he may have been chomping at the bit to get over the fact that he and fellows were turned back. Some more recent claims say that Ichiki was ordered to assault the heavily defended American positions. Part of the reason why, was to cover up the defeat at Midway. But at the same time, the Japanese High Command had, apparently, also underestimated the size of the American landings and therefore had ordered the attack under the mistaken impression Ichiki and his Detachment could win. It's hard to say. Given his attitude, which literally started a war, I would be inclined to believe he made a gross mistake in judgement. Yet, at the same time, hubris was running rampant in the Japanese leadership and fear of what happened at Midway was potentially a boiling reality. So, a quick win that could be built on the recent success at defeating a supposedly large force of American Warships for light losses. Either way, Ichiki and his men ran into the one thing they couldn't overcome. Well trained, led, and equipped Americans in a strongly fortified position, aware they were on the island and expecting trouble.

[@oxopot5244]

I really appreciate how much effort you guys put in your videos

[@felixsomething1495]

This channel is great, highlighting these obscure and unknow stories of heroes such as these that I wouldnt know about otherwise. Keep up the great work!

[@energyplayz7485]

Love your content. Crazy to see how much you’ve improved!

[@mattbeast38]

I’m a history major that wants to get into highschool/college level military history your videos are absolutely MAGNIFICENT! I thoroughly enjoy your attention to detail and the animations are amazing! Thank you for doing this amazing service for us!

[@toasttoast9955]

Saw the thumbnail and immediately thought "THAT MAN THAT WENT BLIND IN THE PACIFIC AND KILLED A FEW HUNDRED JAPANESE GUYS"

[@johndavies1090]

A truly great story - the animation is superb, espescially the opening showing the men waiting for the attack. I'm a pacifist by temperament and Christian conviction, but admire brave men such as these who had the guts to do what I know I couldn't. The Hacksaw Ridge story was superb, by the way. I was quoting it at church today.

[@Coreybug]

What did we gain:better animation than ever What did it cost: 1 month uploads

[@kimmerrou]

The progress of the videos is phenomenal! LOVE LOVE LOVE the progress. The stories, some known some unknown, NEED to be shared. People need to be reminded of everyday people's extraordinary feats in the face of danger. We hear too often of the ridiculous things of today's spoiled people and not enough of people like Witold Pilecki and his brave actions. His story needs to be told, too.

[@ccx_ReadyOrNot]

You always never dissapoint us, Yarnhub❤

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

You don’t really need eyes if the enemy are just charging straight for it.

[@johnwilliamson2276]

The 1 Marine Division in 1942 did not have M1 Garand rifles. The only M1’s that they saw in that year was with the US Army. The Marines had model 1903 Springfield rifles. They were bolt action rifles.

[@Historical-mi8hd]

I shed tears of this. I'm getting that book soon or later

[@clintgillespie8579]

Robert Leckie mentioned "Johnny the Indian" in Helmet for my Pillow. The only thing I remembered is that he dies. Great video.

[@anthonyirwin6627]

The mortarman who took out the MG eplacement in the LVT, one PFC Sidney Phillips (I may be wrong on the name here) became a surviving veteran of the subsequent Bougainville campaign and fought through 1943, before being rotated to the states. He had the honor of being a close friend to Eugene B. Sledge, author of 'With the Old Breed', being directly addressed by First Lady Eleanor while serving guard duty at a hospital (Can't exactly rmb), and was a key source to the subsequent book The Pacific, where I found many different perspectives of the Pacific WWII, incliding Johnny Rivers above, where Sid and his marines circulated and heard a rumor that Rivers had killed 100 Japanese troops after he'd died, his dead fingers frozen over the trigger

[@firey9309]

Brings a whole new meaning to “blind firing”

[@Batalia122]

Animations just keep getting better.

[@yoshibutkagekira7899]

I think this was seen in HBO's the pacific miniseries. But I never heard of that blind machinegunner.

[@arnonart]

once again, i'm speechless. thanks for the video and keep the excellent work!

[@lolbroek1007]

you know its a good day when yarnhub posts

[@Cromwell-V]

soldier 1: Don’t worry he doesn’t see us. Soldier 2: EXACTLY!

[@lukeskywalker3329]

" Extra ordinary heroism. " God bless them .

[@randomlegionary9399]

Story like this from Australia, Edward “Teddy” Sheean. He was an AA gun loader on a Corvette in 1942. His ship was under attack from Japanese aircraft, he was hit multiple times and could barley stand. His ship began to sink and so he tied himself to the AA gun while bleeding and sinking after the call for abandon ship. He would go down with the ship firing the AA gun.

[@LyricClock-fo8he]

These people are using alien technology to make animations better than our eyesight

[@JStryker47]

This was in an episode of Shootout, back when the History channel had decent shows.

[@comradantonov8600]

Animation gets better as always, the details of arisaka, one more familiar scene from "pacific"

[@itsmewafflecat5052]

it's incredible to see the talent in your videos, your vidoes are genuinely my favourite on the platform and I look forward to every upload, love your work!

[@Sword338]

These animations make history 10000000 times better!

[@crazycrabapple23]

This looks like a movie! Yarnhubs progression is so impressive, keep up the good work guys!!

[@Avist6]

Wonderful video as always! Just a reminder, Marines are not and should not be referred to as soldiers. They're Marines.

[@ikgames6902]

I love your hard work and voice

[@fattermatter1472]

"Sir you just gunned down our entire squad"

[@YokaiiWutever]

Nothing is better than your animation ✨🌟⭐💫⭐⭐🌟🌟✨

[@zayan4416]

SO REALISTIC OMG

[@kiranreddem4877]

the accuracy of these videos is phenomenal,good job yarnhub

[@glassysloth6016]

wow i remember when yarnhub just made like 2d aminations and now this, amazing

[@dumbo21]

Me when my game lags out mid battle so I'm just spamming the fire button

[@captain_rex5274]

I love when my favourite music and favourite animators come together.😊

[@howardamey7228]

Yarnhub, you are the finest site on KZbin. You bring a richness and truth to the heroism, and Valor of our fathers, grandfather's, and brother veterans. Your sense of accuracy is astounding. A heartfelt thank-you from all is well deserved.

[@williamcarter1993]

the special effects are so fucking good. Keep it up Yarnhub! getting better and better

[@epicpuppyman5562]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="511">8:31</a> Seppuku=The act of a person impaling themselfs with a sharp object, such as a sword or a knife.

[@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347]

The Pacific is such an underrated theatre! Good to see you here in the islands Yarnhub!

[@thebono2415]

Best animation on KZbin 💯

[@Hockeyguyspencer]

Their animation is really good

[@bigbigmurphy]

Do the Tiger of Kinmen, how a stuck in sand M5A1 light tank facing the other way, halted the PLA invasion.

[@LancelotChan]

Very touching and inspiring! Thanks for the story!

[@SuperDiablo101]

I could have sworn that one of the Marines was blind from the grenade and the other was deaf from the explosion as well

[@mr.randomyt1097]

Imagine having a blind machine gummer cover your charge

[@glamrockbonnie5983]

I loved the animation it just keeps getting better

[@KoopaTroopa4]

Yet another an amazing animation, thank you! I’m looking forward to the movie with Sabaton! 😊

[@NegiTaiMetal011]

I'm familiar with the actions of these 2 marines from an episode of a docu series called "Shootout!". Really quite an outstanding story of these marines.

[@codybailey855]

Another great video gentlemen! Thank you so much for bringing these stories back to life!

[@firestorm165]

Can we just appreciate the attention to detail Yarnhub has in their vids. Every bit of equipment was rendered perfectly. If I had to nitpick I'd point out that the Japanese didn't ditch the dust covers from their rifles anywhere near as often as conventional wisdom would have you believe, but I have seen far bigger studios make far more egregious errors. Full marks, fantastic work

[@jimmywrangles]

Best animation yet.

[@jeremiahderosas9355]

what a wonderful Video Yarnhub!

[@stanleyronblake1646]

One Piece Marines: WE´RE BULLSH#T U.S. Marines: Where´s Monkey D. Luffy? we don´t hurt him (Machine Gun Noises)

[@k41kai24]

Its 2 am and I still watch yarnhub

[@rickyhenry4958]

Amazing as always

[@breadwaffle5158]

It is awesome how yarnhub's animations evolved! :D

[@brokenbridge6316]

A fine story of bravery and sacrifice. Great job Yarnhub.

[@Aviation4ever330]

what the john they should’ve give both the medal of honor

[@Pit_Winder]

absolute legend, this is the reason we should give more respect to veterans.

[@WarRaven38]

Those Marines were awsome! Question about theme having M1 ?

[@jscomputerservicesanpcpart5772]

mate what a great story to remind us all of those that made the ultimate sacrifice. so we all today can live for the most part in peace. Great work. i am really enjoying your recreationss.

[@TheAngel_of_Death]

Great video, seems you forgot to model the bullets in the leather strap for the machine gun

[@Eyes0penNoFear]

I thought the same thing at first. Look at 3:07 and you can see that the bullets come out of the wooden box.

[@zacharythompson9791]

Marine Teamwork personified.

[@WORRO]

Outstanding! Thumbs up ~John

[@super_ficial]

"War has no heroes or glory" Glory results form the actions that prevent war." Marvelous Man (Every war is a civil war)

[@user-eo4uw7tn5g]

Fantastic!

[@xxthebigtoexx1857]

You guys never disappoint with amazing content, loved the story and animation, keep up the good work 😁👍

[@johnparsons1573]

Fantastic video. True heroes. Love this channel

[@TheDarkfrostElf]

I have never heard of this thank you guys so much for telling this story!

[@lucasparis7284]

The animations just get better and better! What a great watch!