Peleliu
- Thread starter Jessie
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Read "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge. Fantastic book on Peleliu and Okinawa by a Marine that was there.
Where is the Peleliu documentary available?
Texas Star
US Veteran
Yep,a real meat grinder! And how many modern Americans know about that hard won victory?
About the only good in fighting there is that the Marines were not freezing, like our soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge.
You can view excerpts from, The Pacific on You Tube.
Thankfully, American tanks easily outclassed Japanese tanks, unlike the situation in Europe.
About the only good in fighting there is that the Marines were not freezing, like our soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge.
You can view excerpts from, The Pacific on You Tube.
Thankfully, American tanks easily outclassed Japanese tanks, unlike the situation in Europe.
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HOUSTON RICK
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Young adults today do not remember what happened in World War II as well as we remember - even with our memories - what happened during the American Revolution.
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^^^ Thanks to the public schools, by design.
Ole Joe Clark
Absent Comrade
Many good men lost their lives so we could remain free. Many more were wounded both physically and mentally.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
Have a blessed day,
Leon
wood714
Member
Not sure if it's the one Jessie is talking about. There's several on YouTube.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekBiXoRUik8[/ame]
Thank you for suggesting this. I don’t know how I have missed seeing this for so long. Watching the first episode now.
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
We had a gator freighter named USS Peleliu (LHA-5). I served aboard her for two years & a couple of WesPacs.
We carried 600 Marines, assorted helos and landing craft.
We carried 600 Marines, assorted helos and landing craft.
Racer X
Member
With The Old Breed was the foundation of much of the movie. Supplemented by two others I believe.
I watched 3 episodes last night. VERY good. I was expecting all honor and glory and heroism. There was all of that, but the men were human too—it was heartbreaking in parts seeing what they went though, the mental hospital and the lead character/hero suffering from nocturnal enuresis from combat stress. Their problems and overcoming them, made them all the more heroic to me.
The other book that I'm aware of is "Helmet for my pillow" by Robert Leckie who is also portrayed as a leading charactor in the Series.
I've read both books, With the Old Breed and Helmet for my pillow and they are recommended reading if you have any interest in the Pacific side of WWII
DWalt
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I once had a friend (now long dead) who was a WWII Navy Corpsman and had probably hit all the beaches in the Pacific. It showed, even over 25 years later. I remember him telling me that Pelilu was the worst experience he had. Sort of a sad situation. I think I was the only person he had ever been able to make a connection with. Most everyone else thought he was a weirdo and avoided him.
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jlrhiner
US Veteran
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Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
They have a pretty good display on the battle at the World War II museum in New Orleans.
My father served during the battle...earned a Purple Heart.
My father served during the battle...earned a Purple Heart.
My father served there as well. It was his first combat experience...
jlrhiner
US Veteran
WHERE?
That was how many we had bunks for. The entire area forward of the mess decks from the hanger deck to the flight deck was berthing.
hoosierone
Member
My father was with the 81st inf div and fought there. He was wounded 0ct/1944 by a Jap machine gun. He received a bronze star, I din't know that until recently while contacting govt sources. They sent me
the star, and all other awards he received. The nicest was the combat infantry badge. He had problems post war that I believe to be caused by his wartime service.
the star, and all other awards he received. The nicest was the combat infantry badge. He had problems post war that I believe to be caused by his wartime service.
If that was my first combat experience, I would have asked for re-assignment to a desk job!
usmc2427765
US Veteran
This is the island that "dugout Doug" thought needed to be taken so he could have hour of glory in retaking the Philippine Islands. It was not necessary and a lot of good Marines died for him. A really disgusting event in the Pacific war!!
CCantu357
Member
I went to both private and public schools in the 1990s and early 2000s, and my one complaint is that we spent too much time on the early part of American history. While I was taught quite a bit about the founding of our nation and the Revolution, pretty much everything from the Civil War to WWII was compressed into a half-semester.
While early American history is important, I believe that WWII is the most influential event in modern history. No student should leave high school without being able to explain how, in four years, the United States was able to defeat an evil European empire while fighting a war against a determined Pacific empire. Unfortunately, I learned more about that from Stephen Ambrose and Steven Spielberg than I did in school.
I finished The Pacific last night. As soon as I get into the office I am going to order The Old Breed. I genuinely can’t believe what those men went through, especially the conditions of absolute filth in which they were forced to live during those island battles. No wonder we finally used nuclear weapons after losing all those fine Marines. I read the casualties would have likely been a million or more continuing to fight for those islands and invade Japan.
I just read in Retribution, the Battle For Japan, that during the battle calculations show it took U.S. forces over 1500 rounds of ammunition to kill each Japanese defender, and that during the battle, the Americans expended 13.32 million rounds of .30-caliber, 1.52 million rounds of .45-caliber, 693,657 rounds of .50-caliber bullets, 118,262 hand grenades, and approximately 150,000 mortar rounds.
Simply astounding.
I just read in Retribution, the Battle For Japan, that during the battle calculations show it took U.S. forces over 1500 rounds of ammunition to kill each Japanese defender, and that during the battle, the Americans expended 13.32 million rounds of .30-caliber, 1.52 million rounds of .45-caliber, 693,657 rounds of .50-caliber bullets, 118,262 hand grenades, and approximately 150,000 mortar rounds.
Simply astounding.
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And to think he was awarded the Medal of Honor...
jlrhiner
US Veteran
I am not a "fan" of MacArthur. There are just as many examples of incompetence are there are of "brilliance". I personally will never forgive or forget his inaction prior to the invasion of the Philippines that cost his air support and the continued poor defense that led to the devastation of the Philippines.
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