Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: The Battle That Saved Marine Corps Aviation
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: The Battle That Saved Marine Corps Aviation
With John R. Bruning
Part of our on-going Pacific series on WW2TV
• The Pacific
More WW2TV content about New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
• New Guinea and the Sol...
On August 20, 1942, twelve Marine dive-bombers and nineteen Marine fighters landed at Guadalcanal. Their mission: defeat the Japanese navy and prevent it from sending more men and supplies to "Starvation Island," as Guadalcanal was nicknamed. The Japanese were turning the remote, jungle-covered mountain in the south Solomon Islands into an air base from which they could attack the supply lines between the U.S. and Australia. The night after the Marines landed and captured the partially completed airfield, the Imperial Navy launched a surprise night attack on the Allied fleet offshore, resulting in the worst defeat the U.S. Navy suffered in the 20th century, which prompted the abandonment of the Marines on Guadalcanal. The Marines dug in, and waited for help, as those thirty-one pilots and twelve gunners flew against the Japanese, shooting down eighty-three planes in less than two months, while the dive bombers, carried out over thirty attacks on the Japanese fleet. Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island follows Major John L. Smith, a magnetic leader who became America's top fighter ace for the time; Captain Marion Carl, the Marine Corps' first ace, and one of the few survivors of his squadron at the Battle of Midway. He would be shot down and forced to make his way back to base through twenty-five miles of Japanese-held jungle. And Major Richard Mangrum, the lawyer-turned-dive-bomber commander whose inexperienced men wrought havoc on the Japanese Navy.
Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: The World War II Battle That Saved Marine Corps Aviation by John R. Bruning
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This old Oregon Duck thoroughly appreciates John's eloquent presentation, and his name-checking of the West Coast heroes from Univ. of Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, and Univ. of Washington. Wish I had caught it live.
Great guest telling some really great stories about some pretty amazing guys.
This was a wonderfully researched and narrated story. What a spartan war compared to the famous battles to come, and I could listen to John’s voice share war tales for decades to come.
Yes, I need this book. I read John's Race of Aces, which is a fantastic detailed history of 5th Air Corps during the Solomon Campaign.
Both are great books!
Remarkable show. I regret that I missed it live. To play Mr. Obvious, I have to remark that the Asia - Pacific Theater was an entirely different war on so many levels.
Wow! What a brilliant exposition on the exploits of some incredible Marine Corps Aviators and their leaders during the opening phases of the Guadalcanal campaign. The personal price paid by these people resonates with me as a veteran myself. While I never could claim myself as having gone through anything as quite as harrowing, I have felt the loss of comrades as a former US Army Aviation maintainer. Having lost something over 35 fellow soldiers during my career, both to combat and to accidents I can relate in some ways. These Marines were special though. This was a fascinating look at combat and its effects upon individuals.
Howdy folks! Another master class in history by John B and Woody. Exciting history provided by a master. Another home run by WW2TV
"Home run" ? Somebody's gonna have to explain 'grand slam' to Woody.
Very great book! So many detailed stories of these guys, many of whom don’t make it through the 53 days. The Cactus Air Force is the pivotal part of the pivotal battle in the pivotal campaign.
I watched the talk live and again just now. What a fantastic presentation. As much as I am fascinated by the higher strategic issues, the politics and the technical aspects of the war and the kit, the real power for me will always lie in the human stories of those who experienced it first-hand. And, when their tales are told in such a meaningful way, told by someone who knew some of these men personally, then the impact is all the stronger. Thank you both for this. A real lesson in what the keeping history alive is all about - or should be.
John did a well informed, concise presentation. I could listen to, John all day, some presenters have a gift of putting a story over, John is one of those exceptional people.Thanks Woody for getting John on your channel. Bring John back if you can in the future. Thank you both, one of the number one presenters you have had on your channel
He'll be back
What an amazing and moving presentation by John. It is incredible that those early US pilots on Guadalcanal were as successful as they were considering the tough conditions on both men and machines. The ground based pilots in the Pacific had a very different life than their colleages based in the UK.
I love Mr Bruning's work.
ETA: Guadalcanal's invasion was called by the GIs fighting it "Operation Shoestring" -- and rightfully so.
Fantastic presentation highlighting the bravery and determination of these guys, facing the problems of manpower, training, equipment and logistic issues, yet still managing to put up a significant deterrent to the enemy. All branches of the U.S military were on a huge and deadly learning curve in the early stages of the war and it is to their everlasting credit that they did not give in or give up.
apart from the broadcast quality of john b's excellent presentation, he is such a lovely honest man. this comes across in this episode of such spellbinding personal sacrifice and outstanding leadership. i have ordered this book and looking forward to reading. thank you WW2TV and John Bruning.
Presented w/a profound sensitivity and high regard for these very special men. Mr. Bruning achieves his goal of honoring them and their memory by bringing their story in all its historical detail to light. His Book is most certainly a must-read-companion to this show.
I read 53 days a few weeks ago and it's another Bruning masterpiece. He has never let me down.
He is so happy to be on the show, almost humbled, that's just great to see :). Cool topic also
Excellent, another book must read.
I have the book. Excellent reading. The details for the two squadrons and their leaders and personnel were incredible. Good stuff.
Great topic and guest speaker. More please.
Great interview
1:01:23 "used as an aiming point", if I recall the sequence of events correctly from Richard Franks' book, the Pagoda was bulldozed after "The Bombardment" by Haruna and Kongo in mid-October.
interesting stories, keep up the good work
Great show and guest!! Just bought his book!
Good for you
Really enjoyed this segment
Excellent discussion and presentation. Thank you gentlemen.
Our pleasure!
Great!
I just ordered John's book. An idea to have John come back on and discuss would be the subject of his thesis about the training and expansion of Marine Corps aviation before WW2. At this point, I do not know if John's book has the early chapters on this subject or not.
Just a suggestion.
The book touches on it a little bit, but it's not the focus
@@WW2TV Thanks Woody. I just finished the book on Monday. An excellent story. The only criticism I have is that he takes the Marine side in that Fletcher abandoned them. I don't agree with that opinion due to other considerations. I would blame R. K Turner more for doing a horrible job in making his surface forces ready for a possible Japanese naval counterattack. It ended up with the Savo Island disaster.
Looking forward to Seth Paridon's 2nd appearance on the channel. His UHPW channel just had John Bruning on his show yesterday.
Top show!!
In the blood ridge photo, are there Marines standing in the background? Looking into the Jungle?
Yes
Sounds like Operation Watchtower should have been called Operation Shoestring.
18:33 "no bomb carts", is John seriously saying the ground crews had to move and load bombs without any mechanical assistance for the first two months or so? I've manhandled 500 pound bombs (OK, once) and I doubt the ones in 1942 had much more in the way of handles or rough surface to get a grip on them for a team lift. Did they get bomb trucks by the time they tried to load the bigger 1,000 pound bombs?
Yep, that's what he said
Life expectancy in the Solomons was about 40 years in 1950! Not a healthy place!
15:35 patently false, factually wrong, and the continuation of a marine corps myth that has simply refused to die.
What are you saying is false? At 15.33 the fact stated is that 1000 Allied sailors died. Are you disputing that, or the fact it was a defeat?
Howdy mate, the Battle of Savo Isle was a crushing defeat by the allies. Nobody can argue otherwise with any iota of honesty.
What I take exception to is that pernicious myth that TF 61 was withdrawn because of Savo Island, or that Vandergrift and Turner were not pre-briefed on when the cover would leave.
The Saratoga conference, before the invasion, was explicit on how long the air cover was going to be around. The carriers provided the air cover for as long as the plan indicated they would and the frustrating thing all the command level officers knew it in advance.
It’s a Post Hoc fallacy that combines Turners loss of his cruiser force followed by the withdraw of TF 61 and concludes one follows the other because it happened after it.
Thanks