This is the first post describing the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The full account is part of the 1944 special posts for Paid Subscribers. This post is offered today for all readers, to give free subscribers who might be interested the opportunity to upgrade to paid to get the entire series.
How badly the Japanese underestimated the U.S. potential. At least Hitler knew it would be trouble if we came into the conflict. Your level of detail is incredible.
The problem was that only a very few Japanese leaders had ever been to the United States, and none from the Imperial Army (the pro-war faction). Yamamoto had been here for three years in the 1920s and had traveled extensively in the country. He'd seen the steel mills of Pittsburgh and the auto factories in Detroit, and understood the power they represented. Which was why he advocated against war with the US and when finally ordered to do so told his superiors he would "run wild" for six months, but could "promise nothing" past that. He was off by three days (Midway happening on 4 June 1942, 4 days short of six months after Pearl Harbor)
When I was a kid I saw a lot of films on the war on a local unaffiliated channel that used them for filler on weekends. These, of course, were mostly propaganda films. So by the time I was old enough to read real histories of WWII I was fairly well maxed out of interest. Too bad for me. These posts are really tight. Thanks for doing this series, TC.
Thank you, Tom. How exciting to hear about the Asian Pacific theater of war, Battles of which I knew little. growing up. We were fixated on the European theater, just dimly aware that the war was going on 180 degrees away.
“That the United States could simultaneously launch two such colossal assaults against separate enemies thousands of miles apart was the clearest demonstration of American globe-girdling military-industrial power after only two and a half years of war.”
And just two days after liberating Rome to boot. Damn we were kicking some serious ass then! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Small correction. Gary: we didn't "liberate" Rome. The Germans had departed and the Italians declared it an "open city."
What we did do was let the biggest American military idiot after MacArthur - Mark Clark - change the attack orders of Sixth Corps when they broke out of Anzio, headed to connect with the British Eighth Army southeast of Rome, to cut off retreat for the German 14th and 10th Armies and end the Italian campaign thereby, to heading for Rome, which Clark was obsessed with "liberating" (to the point he asked Eisenhower to delay D-Day so the "liberation of Rome" could be "properly celebrated." Eisenhower's reply didn't end up in his papers). While Sixth Corps paraded through Rome, the German armies marched around the city and began their retreat to the Gothic Line, extending the war in Italy another 11 unnecessary months and setting the whole county up for devastation, all for Mark Clark's third-rate ego. (You will be able to read more about Clark's incompetence beginning in "Turning The Tide" this summer, followed by "Mediterranean Sweep" next year - yes, this is a shameless personal plug)
How badly the Japanese underestimated the U.S. potential. At least Hitler knew it would be trouble if we came into the conflict. Your level of detail is incredible.
The problem was that only a very few Japanese leaders had ever been to the United States, and none from the Imperial Army (the pro-war faction). Yamamoto had been here for three years in the 1920s and had traveled extensively in the country. He'd seen the steel mills of Pittsburgh and the auto factories in Detroit, and understood the power they represented. Which was why he advocated against war with the US and when finally ordered to do so told his superiors he would "run wild" for six months, but could "promise nothing" past that. He was off by three days (Midway happening on 4 June 1942, 4 days short of six months after Pearl Harbor)
When I was a kid I saw a lot of films on the war on a local unaffiliated channel that used them for filler on weekends. These, of course, were mostly propaganda films. So by the time I was old enough to read real histories of WWII I was fairly well maxed out of interest. Too bad for me. These posts are really tight. Thanks for doing this series, TC.
Thank you, Tom. How exciting to hear about the Asian Pacific theater of war, Battles of which I knew little. growing up. We were fixated on the European theater, just dimly aware that the war was going on 180 degrees away.
“That the United States could simultaneously launch two such colossal assaults against separate enemies thousands of miles apart was the clearest demonstration of American globe-girdling military-industrial power after only two and a half years of war.”
And just two days after liberating Rome to boot. Damn we were kicking some serious ass then! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Small correction. Gary: we didn't "liberate" Rome. The Germans had departed and the Italians declared it an "open city."
What we did do was let the biggest American military idiot after MacArthur - Mark Clark - change the attack orders of Sixth Corps when they broke out of Anzio, headed to connect with the British Eighth Army southeast of Rome, to cut off retreat for the German 14th and 10th Armies and end the Italian campaign thereby, to heading for Rome, which Clark was obsessed with "liberating" (to the point he asked Eisenhower to delay D-Day so the "liberation of Rome" could be "properly celebrated." Eisenhower's reply didn't end up in his papers). While Sixth Corps paraded through Rome, the German armies marched around the city and began their retreat to the Gothic Line, extending the war in Italy another 11 unnecessary months and setting the whole county up for devastation, all for Mark Clark's third-rate ego. (You will be able to read more about Clark's incompetence beginning in "Turning The Tide" this summer, followed by "Mediterranean Sweep" next year - yes, this is a shameless personal plug)
Oh God.