Be sure to check out our sponsor, Battleship Empire here: bit.ly/2HMpOti Thanks for watching guys, this is my longest video yet. If you want me to take this to the next level, and allow me to create a full documentary, become a Patron: www.patreon.com/armchairhistory Huge thanks to Kan Shimada for the Japanese translation! Please list any corrections underneath this comment. *Correction: The first nuclear bomb was not dropped exactly five months after fire bombing, it was the second nuclear bomb that was dropped exactly five months after. Thanks again, Griff

"We don't have the materials needed to wage war with the USA. So to get those materials, we'll declare war on the USA!" Japan's thought process for the invasion of the Philippines was questionable.

My grandfather fought in the Battle of Saipan. He was a heavy machine gunner. After storming the beaches they were taking cover in a ravine and my grandfather yelled at his commanding officer, "Sir get down there are snipers in those trees". The brave officer stood up and exclaimed, "No God Damn sniper is going to stop the United States Army" and was immediate shot in the head and killed. My grandfather said the US loved it when the Japanese would do Banzai attacks as they would all come out of there cover and charge making it easy to mow them down. Just before the Banzai attack he said you could here them all getting drunk and rowdy preparing for the suicide attacks. Later in the battle my Grandfather was shot in the leg and was in the open with no cover and had to lay and play dead bleeding out for hours before the US were able to take control of the situation and treat him. To treat him they just cut his leg off and put him on a hospital boat and sent him back home. Thankfully he survived the ordeal or else his 8 children (my dad included) and 9 grandchildren (including me) would not be here today. RIP Grandpa McIntyre!

Japanese august 8th 1945: "What is this strategy, they're sending only one plane"

Those Japanese voice overs were quite excellent.

The flag was raised on Mount Suribachi upon its capture about 2 weeks before the end of the battle of Iwo Jima

5:23 The main reason America recuperated their losses was due to the Japanese not destroying three important assets. 1. The two aircraft carriers (edit, actually 3) 2. Fuel depos 3. Repair bays

Kinda ironic that it took the power of the sun to get the empire of the rising sun to surrender

If Hawaii falls into Japanese hands, They will surely rename it from Hawaii to Kawaii

Minor detail but Guam was taken by the Japanese immediately after Pearl Harbor. I noticed it remained blue on your map the whole time. Guam was the only American territory with a sizable population to be occupied by enemy forces. It wasn't till after Saipan was Guam liberated. I know this because I'm from Guam.

My grandpa served in the Filipino army and fought alongside American forces in the battle of Bataan. He survived the battles, the death march, and being a pow. He was the most peaceful man I knew and died at the age of 89. Miss you grandpa.

My great grandfather earned a Bronze Star by flanking and neutralizing a Japanese machine gun during Leyte Gulf. Later he took a bullet to the chest which sent him home with a Purple Heart, but he went to work in a factory as soon as he could to keep supporting the war effort. I'm very proud to have such a man as an ancestor.

Japan: We shall win for our glorious empir-- USA: T A S T E T H E S U N.

A favourite story of mine from the Pacific theatre. Is that of Ira Hamilton Hayes. A Native American from Arizona, who joined the Marines in late August of 1942. Despite the fact that the local authorities. Turned off the water supply to his community's farm when he was young.

These videos have no right to be this good

My great grandmother is 92 yrs old, she was a high school teacher back when Japanese occupied the Philippines. she won't tell me what happened to her or she forgot about it

I remember a brave Texas man who fought in the Pacific back then. He was somewhat quoted as saying, “I served in ‘Dubya-Dubya’ 2 and killed me ‘fitty’ men, before I lost my legs from a Japan-man’s machine gun!” His name was Cotton Hill.

I find it interesting that you left out East Malaysia (North part of Borneo island). The Japanese also invaded there, because there are oil fields off the north coast of Borneo island. Being of Chinese descent diaspora, my great grandfather was killed by the Japanese soldiers during the Japanese occupation of Sarawak (East Malaysia). The rest of my family back then fled to the jungles to escape persecution by the Japanese soldiers back then. Also part of the Pacific campaign, was the Australian army halting the advance of Japanese forces at Port Moresby. On the treacherous mountainous Kokoda track, the Australians, even though outnumbered, managed to halt the Japanese invasion, and prevented Port Moresby from being taken.

The flag on Iwo Jima was raised only on the 5th day of the battle. The battle on Iwo Jima went on for 31 more days after the flag was raised

"In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success." Isoroku Yamamoto

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Also make video on battle of Al alamien.

My dad’s friend is the grandson of William b ault. He fought in the battle of coral reef, and while bombing a Japanese ship, he was shot down and never seen again.

The flag being raised on Mt Suribachi on Iwo Jima wasn't raised at the end of the battle for the island. They kept fighting for over a month after it was raised. Clint Eastwood's "Flags from our fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" both make mention of this.

RO2 banzai effects are triggering my PTSD

It’s amazing coming back and seeing how much Griffin’s confidence has increased over the years.

My grandmas dad fought on Iwo Jima. He actually met MacArthur a few times and told my grandma stories she told us after the war. He was a great man saved my bloodline.

I came across your channel a couple days ago and have come to love it so much. I love history (especially WWII), and you articulate with such clarity and conciseness. Your are not an "Armchair Historian" but a historian scholar. Thank you for sharing history.

Alabama would like to show some love to our Australian friends. They get ignored in so many historical accounts, but the entire Pacific campaign was fought in their back yard and the Pacific theater could not have been won without them. Cheers Australia, the US loves you.

The Biggest/Largest Naval Battle in WW2 also called “Battle of Leyte Gulf” happened in Leyte Province, Philippines

My Grandpa was stationed in the Philippines but I don’t remember if he was in the battles where Japan was attacking or the US was trying to take it back. but he died this year RIP Thomas Francis Xavier Reilly.

The animation made it look like China was united. It wasnt at all

Finally a ww2 video that isnt from the philippines talking about the philippines in detail. Most of my ancestors died in manila. While my great grandfather escaped from camp o donnell and joined the fil american guerillas.

As a Filipino, this episode is very interesting to me.

My great grandfather was a surgeon in the United States Navy and he was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. He survived and many years later was buried alongside his fellow brothers in arms on the main island. My family have always been in the Navy and even before they immigrated to America they we're in the German Navy. This is only one piece of the great and tragic story of the Hill family, formally known as the Belz family. Rest in Peace great grandfather. Your lineage endures.

I met Paul Tibbets, the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It was interesting to hear him give a speech about it. Later I saw him, we shook hands, I introduced myself, he said my name and we talked briefly. wow I have a picture of me and him together.

15 Thousand Australian troops were in Singapore

Wait, this actuallly sounded like the philippines is the Only South East Asian country who fought the Axis with the allies.😄

No mention of the Australian forces ;(.

armchair historian, your stories are really good and you have an excellent production. I haven't seen any videos about History without being a war history. That would also be cool.

Good thing there’s a great tv series based on this war”the pacific” and lots of documentaries to keep generations interested in learning about this subject.

Japan: *sees one bomber* Japan: wow they really must be on a low budget

Gotta love 1:04 When he says "Historical Naval Battles" It shows a "Yamato" with 4 main turrets

It's good to see the Pacific Theatre being remembered - I had a great-grandfather and a great-uncle there (the latter was shot dead by the Japanese).

Thanks for such a simple, detailed, and beautiful video. I love your channel!!!

I'm a Filipino and I love this history😍💖 Keep up the Good work😉💘

This was a BRUTAL part of the war. Thank you for posting this. Well done. 👊🏻👌🏻

Great content and production value, very happy to see this quality entertainment on youtube, thanks!

1) The U.S did not write off the Philippines, Guam and Wake Island prior to war with Japan. MacArthur was expected to hold the Philippines at all costs. There was a plan to retake Wake Island early in the war, but the Admiral in Charge was overruled. MacArthur was warned that Japanese attack on the Philippines was imminent, but he did not believe it, and ignored the warning. The Japanese attacked the very next day. Before the fall of Bataan, MacArthur was spirited out of the Philippines via U.S. PT boat, and relocated in Australia. Incredibly, he received the Medal of Honor for his (non)defense of the Philippines. But the U.S. desperately needed a hero. Any hero. 2) Of the battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor, only the Arizona and Oklahoma were total losses. The others were repaired and returned to service in the war. Other than no aircraft carriers being in port in Pearl Harbor, the greatest omission by the Japanese was not launching a third attack and destroying the oil supply tanks and ship repair facilities. That would have been extremely devastating for a very long time to the U.S fleet and U.S. operations in the war. 3) The importance of the six-month Battle of Guadalcanal (August 1942 to February 1943) cannot be overstated! At the time, it WAS the War in the Pacific! It stopped the Japanese in their tracks, from which they never truly recovered. 4) I am astonished that there is absolutely NO MENTION of the two-pronged strategy and approach to U.S. victory in the Pacific (Operation Cartwheel), in which Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (Southern Pacific campaign) and General MacArthur (Central Pacific Campaign). This was the entire U.S. battleplan on how it would carry out the War in the Pacific. MacArthur expertly commanded troops in Papua, New Guinea for much of the war. Admiral Nimitz spearheaded the island-hopping campaign highlighted in this video. 5) Even with our island-hopping campaign, some of the very bloody battles of the Pacific were not necessary. The U.S. would have won the war just as fast (and not losing thousands of Marines and Army troops in the process) by not attacking the Philippines, Peleliu, Saipan and Iwo Jima. By the time the Battle of Iwo Jima was fought, U.S. President Truman knew the U.S. possessed “the bomb” and the U.S. could have bypassed that very costly battle. Admiral Nimitz wanted to bypass Saipan and Peleliu, but MacArthur insisted on retaking those islands. 6) Dropping the two nuclear bombs on Japan was VERY necessary! Even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were levelled by nuclear bombs, the Japanese STILL did not want to surrender, and even staged a “Palace Revolt,” that nearly killed Emperor Hirohito. However, it was Hirohito himself who ended the stalemate and decided to (almost) unconditional surrender. The sole condition on surrender was for Hirohito to remain in power, and the U.S. acquiesced, providing General MacArthur would run post-war Japan. 7) It cannot be overstated on just what a masterful job MacArthur did in running post-war Japan! He kept the Russians/communists out, demilitarized Japan, ended corruption and transformed Japan into a modern democracy, all of which were very difficult tasks, and NOBODY ELSE could have done such a terrific and successful job!

12:26 Dressel: *Did somebody say* *I W O J I M A ?*

"One of the greatest British military defeats..." Me: which one?

I made a presentation using this video and my group was praised. Thankyou for making this video and all your hard work. Much love 😘

Awesome vid as always! Would be cool if you did a more in depth vid on the second Sino - Japanese war, a topic rarely covered even though its scale was huge.

The Japanese had sent a declaration of war to the United States to be delivered at exactly half an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor began. The Japanese declaration laid out reasons, including the oil embargo, on why they were now against the United States. As a Japanese commander put it, "it is honorable to allow the enemy to wake up, take up a sword and be allowed to defend himself instead of killing him in his sleep." To paraphrase.

Aussie here. My great gramps fought in New Guinea, at Port Moresby. Rest In Peace frank Aubin, 29/7/2923 - 1/6/2011.

I absolutely LOVE the style of these videos!

Glad to see that you ve improved a lot at making video, keep it up!

Nicely done! But you should do more detailed studies of the Pacific War. Even in my school days it was something that was briefly hit.

i've recently gotten very interested in the pacific/japanese side of ww2 very cool to research the aircraft and other things.

Awesome video griff, keep it up. By the way, the music you used really had the effects you wanted. Good job.

Always wanted to learn about the Pacific War in World War II and thank you for this video you made.

“I shall return” - General Douglas MacArthur vowed to Filipinos after Japan invaded the Philippines.

In Peru, we have an armed conflict also called La Guerra del Pacífico, which is very remembered nowadays. I would love to see a video about it

As always, wonderful video! However you could've added information or a piece on operation Downfall, the hypothetical larger D-day on Japan and its consequences to really put the brutality of the pacific war in perspective. Great job guys!

Your history Videos Are Awesome!

Fantastic! There's a serious lack of pacific war related content, the Chinese front next?

It's Nic to see the finished product of the streams

Great videos! Just found you today and im so surprised i didnt earlier!! Cant wait for more! Youre very informative and seem to really care about this stuff which i can appreciate! I subscribed right away, youre one of few channels i can truly watch and really enjoy the animations and information shared! Awesome job! I hope the best for your career!

I love how active you are on uploading and making vote polls, unfortunately I voted the other, but I don't mind having this. Because I was in middle of which one to choose, but I've seen a lot of documentaries of this but it's always something new that I discover, which is good, thanks for this anyways! P.S: I know that you have to use the sponsor whenever you make the deal to keep the quality on the channel coming, but can we have that sponsor in the END of the video, when I know there is NOTHING important for me to see ? I personally hate selfpromo and adds during the video and especially at the beginning, it ruins my mood to watch the video.

Something that I find interesting in the pacific war, but rarely get his deserved covereged is the consequences for Southeast Asia colonies, mainly in Phillipines, Myamnar and Indonesia. I would love if the Armchair Historian would make a video about these independences, mainly Indonesia one.

Mc.Arthur looks so badass.

Thank you for the work!

Great summary. I was on Leyte for over a year. I need to do research on the battle of Leyte.

The Japanese executed my great grandparents on suspicion that they were in the Filipino resistance. My grandmother was only eight years old at the time. Nobody really knows if my great grandparents were actually resistance fighters because my grandma's three older sisters have already passed.

Nimitz does all the heavy lifting, McArthhur takes the credit

Very precise content overall!

11:30 love the use of the Banzai charge screams from Rising Storm

My grandpa was a JIA infantryman who fought in Okinawa he held the allied soldiers in very high regard and respected them as fellow warriors on the other side generations later and im continuing his legacy as a US Army Infantryman Im gonna make him proud

Rising storm banzai charge voicework, so iconic !

At 5:54 - that's the B Reactor in Eastern Washington state - at present I live about 20 miles from it - while most of the surrounding buildings are gone, the main reactor building itself is preserved as a museum, and can be toured!

Yes!! This is such a great video for me, I’m doing some intense personal research on the Pacific Theater. I’m writing all my findings in essay form, mainly cause writing it down helps me remember but also so if I forget, I can just look back. But my beginning was very, not good. I got some information wrong but this video really helped. A few details you left out (mainly from the beginning because so far I’ve only reached the battle of wake island) America’s aerial AND naval forces were decimated by the Japanese bombing raids. Also, the retreat to Bataan was also to prevent Japanese access to the Manila Bay, while also being a last attempt to defend the Philippines. You also forgot the mention American and Filipino troops posted on some Islands near by, who held out a bit longer before being forced to surrender. Other wise an amazing video

At Pearl Harbor the Japanese failed to destroy the Oil Depot or the Dry Docks by failing to launch another wave; another "what if" scenario.

Quick correction the flag on Iwo Jima wasn’t raised at the end of the battle but near the beginning of the battle.

Nice video. Keep up the good work.

Love this this was amazing.

Just finished watching Hacksaw Ridge, WOW what an incredible story, and events upon told during this global cataclysmic of an event..

using rs2 sounds for the banzai charges, i got you.

My Pepe was a battling bastard of Bataan. He was captured on corrigedor and then he survived the Bataan death March. Then he again went to survive 4 YEARS as a POW! All from age 18-22! He was tortured daily. Starved. Forced to work 18 hour days. The guys use to break their own fingers. Wrists etc to get a few weeks off from work if close to death. I have a picture of my Pepe with a 5 survivor friends of his and they have their hands up and they all have crooked fingers from breaking them so much over 4 years! Crazy! That generation was just tougher then us.

I was waiting for this

Japan: I don't wanna fight. I wanna go home. USA: Too late.

The Japanese soldiers look like boomhauer from king of the hill.

My great-grandpa served on a Destroyer in the Pacific. He saw the flag get raised on Iwo, his ship nearly got taken out by a Kamikaze at Okinawa, and they escorted ships to the Peace Treaty signing that finally ended the war. He and his crew fought at other battles such as Leyte and the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, but these are just a few.

One of the things that also helped hasten the surrender was all the good coasts and ports of mainland Japan were heavily mined with naval mines, which completely cut off a lot of shipping, and isolated the home islands from the rest of the Empire, which on top of air raids completely destroyed the mainland. I believe like 60% of the Japanese fleet, if it wasn't sunk by a mine, was usually stuck in port and unable to leave.

The flag raising on Iwo Jima was at the beginning of the battle. A couple weeks of hard fight followed

You forgot to include Guam. Guam was invaded and captured only a few hours right after Pearl Harbor.

Fantastic summary of the war in the Pacific.

Love you videos!

Nice use of the Rising Storm banzai audio.

Good video, timeline was spot on as far as my knowledge goes but I do have 1 problem. It feels like the armchair historian deliberately refrained from mentioning Australia, 90% of the conflicts mentioned involved Australian forces and of the allied forces in the Pacific australia was the second largest contributor behind the us, australia was singlehandedly fighting the Japanese for years before America had shown up and was making it hell for the Japanese, there was a massive campaign for papa new Guinea which was singlehandedly managed by the Australians and the armchair historian didnt mention it despite mentioning less important conflicts such as guadalcanal which by the way involved Australian forces as well as American, it wasnt an American victory it was an allied victory.

Damn great video as always, also what about doing a video about the Burma Campaign?