The War

[Snaggletiger]

I think I talked about this PBS documentary some months back.  Found an episode of it last night about 8:00.  I literally had to make myself get up and turn it off at 10:30 to go to bed.  I've always found myself drawn to documentaries, books etc. about WWII and this one is by far the best I've seen.  It not only focuses on the war itself, but also presents it from a more human perspective by telling several individual stories.  Last night, they focused on veterans and family members in three cities, Sacramento, CA, Luverne, Minnesota and Mobile, AL.

One old Suthahn Belle from Mobile, told how "I was at Awbuhn and they pulled a cah outside Langdon Hall with big speekahs attached to it and we listened to thuh President tell us wewa at wawa."

The film is unedited and no-holds-barred footage and for the first time, I really felt like I understood at least something about what it was like during that time period.  And being older, I still recall what it was like as a kid to get a lot of your information and entertainment from the radio. That's what people did or they went to the local theater to watch propoganda films on the war before the actual movie started. 

Some things I picked up on last night were the brutality of the Japanese.  I was well aware of the way Germany went about things, but didn't realize how ruthless the Japanese were in war and to prisoners.  They were a people who had not lost in war in forever and completely believed they could not be defeated.  Also, it was an eye opener to find out how many of our own ships, mostly oil tankers and cargo ships, were sunk right off our own coasts.  German U-Boat Captains talked about seeing the lights of New York and Boston.  I'm considering ordering the whole set for $100.00.  For anyone interested in WWII documentaries, I highly recommend this one.  Gave me even more respect for anyone who has served and/or been in battle.       

 

[AUJarhead]

Some things I picked up on last night were the brutality of the Japanese. 

Go pick up Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley.

The author's father was the corpsman in the famous picture of the flag raising on Mt Suribachi.

The corpsman's best friend went missing on the island, and when the Marines found him, tortured to death, his penis was cut off and inserted into his mouth.

[Snaggletiger]

Go pick up Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley.

The author's father was the corpsman in the famous picture of the flag raising on Mt Suribachi.

The corpsman's best friend went missing on the island, and when the Marines found him, tortured to death, his penis was cut off and inserted into his mouth.

That's what one guy was saying about Guadalcanal (I know I butchered the spelling)  He said he was sent out on a detail to recover some bodies and they would find them with their man-parts cut off and stuffed in their mouths.  On another note, it didn't paint a very flattering picture, at least at times, of Douglas MacArthur. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Go pick up Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley.

The author's father was the corpsman in the famous picture of the flag raising on Mt Suribachi.

The corpsman's best friend went missing on the island, and when the Marines found him, tortured to death, his penis was cut off and inserted into his mouth.

That was an excellent book.  His follow up book "Flyboys" was even better IMO.  It talks about why you may not know much about the Japanese atrocities, after the war US tried many high ranking Japanese officials for war crimes relating to executing prisoners and cannibalizing them; and then sealed the documents and hid what happened from the prisoners families.

[Snaggletiger]

Based on what I saw, I think the war could have turned much quicker had the US been even remotely prepared for it.  When the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, the military was incredibly small in numbers and much of the equipment, weaponry etc. was outdated, some of which was held over from WWI.  I think they took a pretty savage beating until America could draft, enlist and train soldiers and crank up the manufacturing machine to produce more ships, planes and modern weaponry.   

[GH2001]

it didn't paint a very flattering picture, at least at times, of Douglas MacArthur.

Then it ain't worth shit.

Seriously though, a lot of people try and paint Mac in a dark way. He pissed a lot of people off like Patton. It's your typical "true battlefield general" vs "political general at the Pentagon" battle. Just like the Pro Colin Powell people/Pentagon crowd tried to paint Swartzkopf in a bad light after desert storm.

Oh and that accent you were trying to portray from the lady - I think that's called Appalachia Southern. Heard about it on "You Don't Know Dixie" on History Channel. Those accents tended to come from the more well to do English descended people in the south. Interesting

[Saniflush]

Read "With the Old Breed" and "Helmet for my Pillow".

[Snaggletiger]

Then it ain't worth shit.

Seriously though, a lot of people try and paint Mac in a dark way. He pissed a lot of people off like Patton. It's your typical "true battlefield general" vs "political general at the Pentagon" battle. Just like the Pro Colin Powell people/Pentagon crowd tried to paint Swartzkopf in a bad light after desert storm.

Oh and that accent you were trying to portray from the lady - I think that's called Appalachia Southern. Heard about it on "You Don't Know Dixie" on History Channel. Those accents tended to come from the more well to do English descended people in the south. Interesting

On MacArthur, it was just one part where some of the soldiers felt abandoned when they eventually had to surrender at Bataan.  MacArthur had contuinually assured them help was on the way and then retreated to Corregidor.  Some were pissed because he only showed up once before he slipped off the island.  That was another thing I learned about last night...the Bataan Death March.   

[GH2001]

On MacArthur, it was just one part where some of the soldiers felt abandoned when they eventually had to surrender at Bataan.  MacArthur had contuinually assured them help was on the way and then retreated to Corregidor.  Some were pissed because he only showed up once before he slipped off the island.  That was another thing I learned about last night...the Bataan Death March.

Mac was put in a lot of bad positions. And did a lot of things he didn't want to do at the hands of politicians. Read about him and the Phillipines in reagrds to FDR overriding battle strategy. Dumb fucking politicians. I know one thing if I know nothing else. Douglas MacArthur and George Patton were fucking men amongst boys. Fact.

[AUJarhead]

Douglas MacArthur and George Patton were fucking men amongst boys. Fact.

Chesty Motherfucking Puller.

[Saniflush]

Chesty Motherfucking Puller.

WORD. 
General Vandergrift was a close second.


Snags I walked the Bataan route when I was stationed there.  i will refrain from saying what I think because we live in a kinder gentler world.....



No I won't! 
Fuck those raw fish eating, coke bottle glass wearing, Pearl Harbor sucker punching bombing mother fuckers!

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Then it ain't worth shoot.

Seriously though, a lot of people try and paint Mac in a dark way. He pissed a lot of people off like Patton. It's your typical "true battlefield general" vs "political general at the Pentagon" battle. Just like the Pro Colin Powell people/Pentagon crowd tried to paint Swartzkopf in a bad light after desert storm.

Oh and that accent you were trying to portray from the lady - I think that's called Appalachia Southern. Heard about it on "You Don't Know Dixie" on History Channel. Those accents tended to come from the more well to do English descended people in the south. Interesting

If you're a MacArthur supporter then you might want to avoid the "Flyboys" book I recommended (he was the one that urged the US not to remove the Japanese emperor) or then new book "Brothers, Rivals, Victors: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley and the Partnership that Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe" (apparently Bradley hated him) which was excellent.  Really showed how Patton and Ike were basically co-dependent on each other (Ike not the best tactician but a terrific planner and organizer; Patton a master tactician but had no interest in logistics or maintaining a supply chain for his men).

For my personal WW2 heroes who is not looked on with much favor today...Curtis LeMay is the man who won the war in the west.  He was just a little ruthless for the modern historical palette.