Five Marines of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment describe the ferocious battle for Peleliu, an "island on fire." 9,000 Marines attacked 10,000 battle hardened Japanese soldiers dug into hundreds of fortified and reinforced coral and limestone caves. The tale of Peleliu is as harrowing as any in the history of modern warfare. A battle of total annihilation fought in inhuman conditions.
VIDEO HERE (1 hour)
I would have liked to watch the video but my computer is being a bitch, so not going ot happen
ReplyDeleteIf you're in the UK, it may be blocked for whatever reason. Others have mentioned that in the past.
DeleteI live outside the U.S. and I've had fairly good luck with downloading videos that won't play for me. Once it's downloaded you can watch.
Deletethat was the last battle my uncle jack fought in WW2. after that he got sent back to train the Marines that went in on Iwo. he also said it was one of the worse ones.
ReplyDeletehe served with Chesty Puller from the "canel" to Peleliu. when I asked how he made rank so fast, he said it was easy, the rest of them either got wounded or died. he was wounded twice. the stories I heard was between him and my dad after a few beers on the porch.
dad was in the navy and had a shitload of medals. even a damn navy cross as he called it.
weird watching my dad shake when telling what it sounds like when a torpedo scrapes along side the hull of the ship he was on was very telling.
uncle Jack a few stories about how good(?) flame throwers where, and how rolling a barrel of gas with a charge attached could solve most problems.
fun fact, when we buried dad in Arlington, the navy had 2 commanders to help.
one asked why there was no one there in a navel uniform, my brother and brothers in law are all army, I wore a suit as I had no idea where mine was.
I told the one guy, well, my dad always called "the fucking navy" he laughed out loud and said with what he had , he could call it whatever he want too. he earned that right.
dave in pa.
I knew someone who was there and at Iwo Jima. Came home with two silver stars, two purple hearts and a messed up knee. He was 17 at the time.
ReplyDeleteHe passed away last year. Good guy, too.
That battle was a needless tragedy. When the time came to start the invasion, the original reason for it was no longer relevant. It was decided by the powers that be that since it was ready to go that they would do it even though it wasn't needed. Lots of dead and wounded for no reason.
ReplyDeleteMore than the powers that be drove this. MacArthur insisted on the invasion and the fault was he was accommodated.
DeleteHorrible it was and arguably unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteYou could make that argument about pretty much any war the clowns in DC got this country involved in, starting with the War of Northern Aggression, and including the current shitshow in the Kraine. Horrible, and unnecessary. We certainly didn't get involved in any of them for the publicly stated reasons. War is a racket.
DeleteI enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1963 18 years after the war. My first Gunnery Sgt served with Chesty Puller on Guadalcanal, he was regroup in Hawaii and fought in Okinawa all I can say he was a fair Marine but a mean one
DeleteIf anyone hasn't read "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by Eugene B. Sledge I would highly recommend it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/Old-Breed-At-Peleliu-Okinawa/dp/0891419063/ref=asc_df_0891419063?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80745437135190&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584345029250761&psc=1
That's an outstanding book. I believe you were the one that recommended it to me.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it. I have recommended it before here and at other spots. It is a great book. E.B. Sledge also has some great clips on YouTube. There is another guy named R.V. Burgin (Sledge's mortar platoon Sgt.) who wrote 'Peleliu 1944: Horror in the Pacific'. I met him at the Show of Shows in Louisville some years ago and bought a copy of his book which he autographed. I would recommend it too.
DeleteThanks. I'll pick that up too. I was really impressed with Sledge's style of writing in his book.
DeleteGood lord
ReplyDeleteNo soy boys, or man buns wanted. Only real men. 💯 % Americans.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, there are a lot of Army buried on the Pacific's islands. Lost many on Iwo AFTER the Marines left. Plenty on the Canal, through to Okie. My good friend's Dad made it to and through Okinawa. We buried Don in 1980. He wore my dress greens. An xray taken for autopsy showed a 3" spot, doc thought cancer, but it was shrapnel. You couldn't pry those men apart. God bless every one.
ReplyDeleteLittle known hell hole. Another very good book is “Semper Fi ,Mac” by Henry Berry.
ReplyDeleteIt is a collection of accounts by a number of Marines in various battles.
Paul J