I'm not intending to speak for veterans, but I would think that they would be proud and honored that someone from a younger generation was excited about paying attention and honoring what they did and would know you mean no disrespect. I know whenever I've been around veterans, especially WW II vets, they have all expressed surprise and fascination that I wanted to hear their stories, and by the end of our conversation was thanking me for asking. Kudos, JD.

Dad was on Saipan after the invasion just before his group was called back to Pear to prepare for the invasion of Japan. He said the biggest event he witnessed there was when several Japanese POW’s escaped and running about the island. He was fascinated with the PT boats he saw there as well. Keeping in mind he was serving our country at 17 years old. Great video! Dad would’ve approved of using “cool” and “awesome” and happy that the story is still being told…

Being a history buff myself and a veteran. Appreciate all that you do in keeping our history alive. Our Grandfather's sacrafice for our freedoms will always be honored and remembered,.

Thank you for this video, My Father was a Fleet Marine aboard the USS South Dakota, and his brother, my Uncle George was a forward observer, 4th Marine Division. Uncle George got his purple heart on Saipan, he was shot in the head and back and left for dead, but Navy Corpsman recovered him, and he survived. Both are now at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. I've always wondered what the island and the landing areas looked like. This was outstanding. Thank you.

Crazy how well preserved that tank is in salt water after 78 years.....we are so blessed to have you as our guide on all these adventures JD! Thank you so much!

Hey JD, I never felt even the slightest disrespect by what you were saying. Your love and enthusiasm for the history is what makes this channel so special. My dad was there in a liberty ship during the fighting on Saipan, and he would have been so thankful that you deemed it important enough to tell this story. God bless you sir, and keep up the great work.

My father was in several invasions of the Pacific islands. When the focus was put on the Normandy Invasion, through movies and the D-Day Museum, many of the Pacific Veterans, including my father, felt forgotten. The opening of the Pacific section in the Day-Day Museum along with the parade and hospitality of the people of New Orleans washed many of those feeling away.

The fact that you took a moment to note that words like “cool” and “awesome” come from a place of historical reverence was pretty special and hit close to home. It’s hard not to be fascinated and excited in historical places like these. Well done as always, sir.

I had the honor & privilege to attend a reunion of the 4th Marine Division many years ago (even meeting Lee Marvin’s wife who always attended). The men spoke of Saipan but fell silent when speaking of friends who were “slaughtered” (their words) while landing on the beaches. The horror & chaos continued to haunt them 60 years later. Thanks for another stirring video, JD.

My husband’s grandfather was a member of the 4th Marine Division during the battle of Saipan and Tinian. He would later go on to be a part of Iwojima where he was shell-shocked and removed from combat. He never talked about his service but was the inspiration for my husband becoming a US. Marine. I thank them both for their service.

My husband's grandfather was wounded on Siapan. He still had the bullet in him when he died about 20 years ago. Thank you for your videos and the respect you show so that they're not forgotten.

As the son of a WWII Army Air Corps vet (England), I’ve always been fascinated by such history. In the late 1990’s, I had a trip of a life-time and visited Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Palau, and Peleliu. It is amazing the amount of stuff still left on all the beaches and in the jungles.

Wow, today Saipan looks like a dream retirement destination. Thanks for the Lee Marvin connection. The Man Who Shoot Liberty Valance and the Dirty Dozen are my favorite movies with him.

Again I thank you for keeping WWII history alive, my dad was a B-29 A/C during the war. I can say that those Marines & Army doggies had exceptionally large cojones to do what they did back then & for that the world should be grateful. 🇺🇸

Amazing footage of the outside and inside of the tank! Your B-roll footage, overlaid with historical film, and the very appropriate music makes you one of the best KZfaqrs out there. Thanks for all of the hard work you put in to honor the sacrifice of the heroes of the Pacific theater. Wonderful video!

Unbelievable doesnt even come close to describing my feeling watching the close up of the sunken tanks. That was the eeriest sequence of any I have seen in my life. It was as if I could feel and hear the ghosts of Marines desperately wanting to tell their stories of what happened that day. Thank you for this vlog. Unbelievable!

Amazing the amount of effort you put into that tank footage, appreciate that very much. The area is beautiful, but, am sure on that day no one was looking at the scenery and it must have been miserable, thank you veterans! Good information, Good video, thank you!

Thank you for your videos! My dad was in the navy in WWII and spent time in both the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters. At Saipan he was on the USS Satyr. I heard a few stories but my dad really never liked to talk about the war. I found out more from my own research after my dad passed away than he ever told me. He did say his greatest fear was the kamikaze. I really appreciate your bringing WWII to the forefront. I wish kids were still learning about it today.

Thank you so much for taking us along to places that most of us can't go. A love of history is so important !

All veterans and people that support our military owe you a big thanks for keeping our past from being forgotten. You are doing the work that schools today want to forget. Thanks...

My dad landed on Red Beach 1 with the 6th Marines Scout-Sniper Platoon. June 15, 1944 was his 18th birthday. They had the "pleasure" of fighting off those 44 tanks the next night. He got through Saipan and Tinian more or less in one piece. He did get two Purple Hearts, but he said he was wounded many more times than that by grenade fragmentation. You can read about his platoon's story in "40 Thieves on Saipan" by Joseph Tachovsky who is the platoon commander's son.

You use whatever words you want my friend. We all know how much you love those men for their sacrifice. It really is such a stunning view. The peacefulness that is now there is incredible.

Amazing how that old Sherman is still there after all those years. Love the camera you used to get the underwater shots and shots inside the hatch. Very cool 👍

Thank you for being their voice snd telling their story. My Uncles could not when they came home. You are honoring their service and sacrifice by sharing all with us and generations to come. Completely fascinating and extremely humbling.

Your story telling, camera shots, audio, editing, and overall production, just gets better and better. Nothing less than awesome. Great job and thank you for your history lessons!

My grandfather served with the Corp on SAIPAN, OKINAWA, and during the occupation of Japan, loved listening to his stories growing up. Would love to visit Saipan and Okinawa.

Lee Marvin had already landed surreptitiously at the break of dawn as a scout-sniper on 21 different islands in the Marshalls before landing on Saipan with the 4th Marine division. He said he had a choice on Saipan; put his head down and his derriere up or vice versa. He chose to expose his behind and that is where the Japanese machine gunner hit him, almost severing his sciatica nerve. Another round hit him in the foot, while a third landed around three inches from his nose. He was truly pinned down, between a rock and a hard place. As I already said in a previous comment on another video you made in Hawaii JD, Lee Marvin's outfit in the 4th Marines had around 250 men in it, and only about five or six survived the war. Joining the Marines during WW2 was almost a death sentence, with his unit having a 98% killed in action rate. That is the definition of grim. Lee Marvin also commented on the heat on Saipan. He said laying in his bed on the navy hospital ship was hellish. Between the heat, his pain and the other marines crying out in pain at all hours of the night and day it was most unpleasant. My ex's uncle was also on Saipan with the US 27 Infantry division and he took a machine gun round in the back, which caused the army to send him home. The doctor's refused to do surgery to take it out because they were afraid it would leave him paralyzed due to it being right next to his spine and they didn't know what damage had been done. He worked for the post office in Phoenix, AZ for the remainder of his life. He was active for all his years, as far as I know, but that bullet next to his spine must have caused a life of pain. Those guys were some kind of tough. 😯

Two of my uncles participated in one of those “D” days you mention. Thank you for paying respect and not letting us forget. Great job.

JD, this one of your finest videos. Thank you for the multiple perspectives on the Sherman's. That was super awesome.

Having visited Pearl Harbor and Ford Island, it’s quite surprising how there are no tourists around you. It must be a bit more challenging to get there. Thank you for your videos and your stories!

This is some of your finest work to date JD, beautifully done! Good job 👏 can't wait to see what's next!

Thanks for another great video. My Dad was in the ETO and in his later years expressed his admiration for all those that served with him. He would have choked up while watching this. I miss him every day. Bless you and the Greatest Generation.

I wanted to thank you for going into the Pacific theater of WWII where my grandpa spent the whole war. He was on literally every major island we captured in the Pacific. He was never shot at, thank God, he was in charge of logistics for the 13 and 14 Army Air Corps. However, he died back in 1975, when I was 2. So I never got to speak to him about the war. Thanks for going to the islands he spent 5 years on. Next, you should go to Japan, he was there too.

Thank you so much for this series on Saipan. I visited twice in 1975-76. I spent an entire afternoon climbing on and snorkeling around the Sherman you visited. ( and also got the worst sunburn of my life, lol). There is much wreckage of landing craft that were blown up by direct mortar hits as they were making their way towards shore, that are visible beneath the surface. Regarding the Sherman, that evening I spoke with a woman who knew the story of that tank. The Sherman's engine flooded, and thre crew abandoned it and wade ashore under fire. The woman said that the sergeant that commanded the tank survived the war and spent a career as a car salesman in St. Louis Missouri. A word about wading the water on Saipan or any of the other islands there. I would encourage you to wear sneakers or reef booties, as you are walking on coral which can be very sharp, also there are conch shells of which certain ones are venomous if you step on them.

Great to see he's delving into the Pacific theater. My grandfather was with the 4th Marines at Saipan (and other islands).By all accounts, it was brutal. I'm so appreciative of this channel. Everything is done with such respect for what occurred at the locations and in a way that is unique to the many other history channels out there. Thank you

I just want to add that Lee Marvin not only had his sciatic nerve severed in battle but he also was wounded in one of his feet. So many heroes.

Wow, those Sherman tanks submerged in water! Great job behind the camera, those underwater and aerial views were wonderful!👍

Hafa Adai and Tirow! Thanks for spotlighting my island, brother. Let me know the next time you come through and we’ll crack a beer while we watch sunsets with the group. 😎🤙🏽

Fantastic work, JD! Look forward to your future journeys into and stories from the Pacific theater. The quality of your work shows the respect you give to the sacrifices made in all of the places you visit.

My uncle was a marine fighting in Saipan. He made the rank of corporal and said that if he had to of fought deeper inside of Japan he probably would’ve made it out alive. The A bombs prevented it. Thanks to all veterans who have fought for my freedom here and abroad, to you all I am indebted. Gob bless our Vets!

JD great job on presenting the beaches at Saipan. I really enjoyed your mixing in period photos with your visit. Great job!

JD, I appreciate the time, effort, and financial that you put into this visit. As a retired Marine who knows our history IS important to the Corps,…thank you.

Once again, very well done JD. Mixing in the photos and videos from the war is just awesome. Footage of the tank was amazing. This is why you are growing and growing. Such excellent work. Thank you!

Those tanks were both haunting and beautiful at the same time

Having been to the Normandy Beaches and hoping to visit so many more historical sites, I understand your excitement. I love this channel. Great job!

My father was in the 27th infantry division. Saw his 1st action on Saipan. He also won the bronze star there. I started crying as I watched video. Thank you for doing this. He is gone now.

Keep up the awesome documentary video’s on the Pacific. I currently live on Saipan now and have lived on Okinawa for the past 30+ years. I also served in the Marines for 30 years and now retired. My Father served in the U.S. Army during WW II and fought in Europe shot up in Anzio. My Step Father also served in the Marines during WW II and on Saipan and came ashore at yellow beach. He also served on Okinawa as I did also. Just let me say Thank you for your education video efforts and I hope a lot of people get to watch them all.

Thank you so much for doing this. My father was there with the 73rd BW 20th AAF. He arrived just after the last Banzi attack as the AAF ground forces as MP. He wanted to return a year before his death in August 2009. One of his good friends was in the 4th Marine Div. They later had their photo taken at one of the caves. Dad and the 330th ASG were quartered on the high ground above Isley Field once the island was secured. I look forward to seeing more of this.

My dad was Navy, assigned to subs. He was on Saipan just after the battle using Japanese Marines to box up torpedoes. Dad also was going up a mountain in a jeep when he came across two Japanese soldiers. He figured they were out looking for food and they each left each other alone.

Completely incredible. A superb post out of so many each of which is unique and equally superb. Combining the remarkable battle footage of the Marines landing at Saipan with footage of a Sherman Tank left sunk in the lagoon was incredibly moving. Thank you.

Thank you, especially talking about the 4th Marines there is so little about them!

Inhabitants of a free country need reminders that being free is only as good as today if due diligence is not applied to keep it that way. Those ignorant, unempathic of ultimate sacrifices are desstined to repeat history. There are still those and always will be those that think authoritarians provide a better existence lulling in the complacent by coercive control and dark persuasion. The tank in the water stands as a silent testimonial but it really is loud if can hear what got it there. Super excellent video.

I had an Uncle that was a Navy Corpsman with the 2nd Marines on Saipan. He never talked about it. All I knew he was wounded. Took shrapnel. He passed on a few years ago. My sister went and visited my Aunt and found a citation. While his unit was taking heavy enemy mortar fire he kept exposing himself to take care of the wounded until he was wounded himself. While at the field station they were going to transfer him to one of the ships. He refused to go and stayed at the field station to take care of the wounded Marines.

I had the privilege of going on an Honor Flight with a WWII Marine who was there. Thank you for this video.

Thanks for all you do JD! It always amass me the feeling you get in such beautiful places, where so much sacrifice & fighting was done.

That was an amazing video and the footage taken during the invasion was incredible. Those young American soldiers (now old or deceased) deserve the utmost respect. How strong they were (both physically and mentally) to have such perseverance. Truly heroes.

Just amazing what those men had to go through just to get to the beach! Thank you JD for bringing this too us. Another great video!

Really well done. I liked that you mixed in with actual film footage. They truly were The Greatest Generation

Awesome video, JD. I’m loving this Pacific War series.

Fascinating,Superb, Quality 5/5 stars 👏👏👏 Video,music and most important History !! You deserve to be among the best well known name of Documentary on the history ofWW2 era !!! BRAVO JD AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PASSION AND KNOWLEDGE !!!

As much as we love everything you do, don’t do anything dodgy just for us. Please.

As the granddaughter of three WWII veterans I love seeing videos like this & hearing more about what happened & the kinds of things they went through because it helps me to better understand them & why they wouldn't talk about their experiences

I've been waiting for this since you teased it in your Paul Woodadge interview. Thanks for another great video 👍 Now where's the behind the scenes footage of JD wading out to the tank and climbing on top 😉

Really awesome! One grandpa was at Normandy; the other was at Saipan, just post-war. Thank you. He had some stories about Amelia Earhart and Saipan he learned there which were facsinating.

How did those Sherman's end up that far from shore? Were they Dual Drive like what was used in Normandy or being floated in somehow? Nice work!

As a veteran, I very much appreciate your efforts to bring this history to the public

Thank god for the greatest generation. We wouldn't have what we have today if it wasn't for them. If WW2 happened today we would all be speaking Japanese and German.

A friend of mine served with Lee Marvin every step of the way through the war. His name is Norbert Kross and Lee Marvin nicknamed him "shorty". One day in a cantina 3 guys were poking fun at him for being little. Lee whipped all 3 of them for his friend Shorty. Nobert says that Lee was the real deal bad ass. Great video JD. 👍🏼😎

Go To Tarawa, one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific, and totally forgotten. in less then 3 days, more than 7,500 casualties where amassed there, and today, the island is basically covered in trash left by the local inhabitants. I've seen few to none quality videos exploring what's left of the original battlefield there, Give Tarawa that attention it deserves! Wonderful videos THU, keep it up.

This is amazing. My grandpa took part in the invasion of Saipan, with the 2nd marines. He was shot and wounded in July, just days before they took the island. He was shot on “flame tree hill” just east of Garapan (to the best of my knowledge and research). Amazing to see your video of how it looks modern day. Thanks!

Outstanding video, as usual. Any history buff feels the same way at any of these significant battle sites understands what happened, knows the cost in lives and equipment and is still in awe of their surroundings is going to think "Man this is so cool, just to be here." My Dad served in B-24s in Italy. I had an opportunity to get 10 minutes of stick time a B-24, Damn it was cool.

That was Amazing as always! Thanks for carrying us along. I look at those beaches and the ones in Normandy, Iwo Jima, and all the others our braves soldiers stormed and I am in total awe of their bravery. My hats off to all of those men.

I thought Ken Burns was awesome in his rendition of history, but you take it twice his level. My only regret is that I cannot support this channel as I;m retired with very little income. Bless you for your time taking me back to an era my father and uncles served defending freedom. God bless America!

Please keep these coming-my uncle was KIA Iwo JIma, what a way to honor these heroes by keeping alive the story of their bravery and sacrifice. I find myself almost being there with these brave men as they attack under fire.

Thank you for these videos. Veteran disabled country boy. God bless

What an amazing view with that crystal clear water and remarkably preserved tanks stuck in it! Surreal to to say the least. Here in Europe the D-Day history and stories told is often about the European campaigns, well naturally. The war in the Pacific, which is more of an American thing, gets often passed. Really interesting to learn more! WW2 is such a huge topic with multiple battles world wide. It just never ends. Another superb video with a great story, thank you for this and keep em´ coming sir!

Man I've watched this one a couple times and its such a wild contrast to see these tanks, weapons of war, death and destruction still there in such a beautiful looking place. My grandfather served in the pacific. I cant imagine being a young Missouri farm boy getting drafted and then finding yourself fighting for your life on a beautiful tropical island you probably couldn't even find on a map, thats just wild. I think this is gonna end being my favorite series of yours, thank you for bringing us along!

The beaches are so peaceful now. We can only imagine the carnage, pain and horror our WW2 veterans went through back then. We owe them a huge debt. One thing of the WW2 veterans that I have known including my dad, is humility. "I had a job and did it" I have heard that from more than one of them. Thanks again JD for bringing another great video.

Ive got to think that the marines landing there felt like sitting ducks trying to get to shore. Hats off to the brave marines that sacrificed their lives to capture that island.

Another phenomenal video JD and helpers. I'm not an American, but through contacts have worked with some others in the Philippines. If you can ever go to the American Cemetery in Metro Manila, and Corregidor Island in the harbour, it will humble you in the same way as the Normandy beaches teach us all to understand. Thank you for what you do.

I stayed in Saipan my whole childhood. I used to go to tank beach with my relatives and it was awesome. When it was high tide that served as a jump spot as well as sugar dock. I even still remember when the little security cement house was on the dock. We’d jump off the roof too. Good times being outside. Big shout out and love to my garapan famillia

JD. For myself and everyone on here that would agree with me, thank you so much for the amazingly cool, super duper awesome explorations of our countries history that you bring to us!!! Walking out to that tank was a pretty gnarly thing to do might I add and it was so cool of you to bring us the hands on vision of our history that without you having done that exploration,,,,, most of us would not have ever seen. Thank you!!

I love watching The History Underground videos.

My grandfather was there with D Company, 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion (an Army unit). His battalion provided armor support for the entire 4th Marine Division during the beginning stages of the battle. My grandfather went in with the first wave on D-Day and landed on Yellow Beach 1. His company was supporting 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment

I certainly hope no one thinks that you are being disrespectful, these places are cool to see, incredible to stand in that same location where those brave men stood, awesome to be able to see it with your eyes and incredible to have the ability to visit these locations. And I certainly Thank you for taking us along to experience these locations with you 💪🏻😎🥰

I am in awe....especially when you got in the water to be next to the tank. What a privilege, knowing your respect and appreciation for the wars and all the men who took part. Thank you lots JD!

Such natural beauty mixed with jagged reminders of war. It’s surreal.

Thanks for doing episodes on the Pacific. This is a fascinating channel. Japanese tanks were no match for Shermans but they were instrumental in early Japanese victories as they would show up in areas where allied armies didn't think tanks could go. Interesting note about Lee Marvin. Thanks again for doing these.

Never knew these tanks were still out there until now. Definitely a new bucket list item! Thanks for another great episode JD!

First of all, thank you for taking us to saipan. I love your channel and I'm a subscriber and this story resonates with me because my uncle was with the fifth Marines during World War II and fought at Saipan but his baptism of fire was at Guadalcanal at barely 17 years of age. He went on to fight at Bougainville and various other Islands but he said the most vicious and terrifying battle was at Saipan. He was wounded in the leg but refused treatment to stay with his buddies and to stay in the fight. He was a sergeant and found himself in charge of 30 some men at age 18 because their first two lieutenants were Kia on the first and second day. I have nothing but huge respect for these men, for my uncle and for my father that was in the US Navy South Pacific. Thank you for the upload and sharing another Journey with us!

I saw that picture of that tank in a book years ago, and was so fascinated by it then, im shocked it’s still intact after all these years. bravo! thanks for this.

Wow, thanks for the awesome footage, especially of the tank! You do great work, JD, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise or make you feel guilty for bringing history to your viewers. People need to see these things in order to truly appreciate what the men who fought these battles faced. Can't wait for the next one!

I'm having a hard time watching this WWII videos. But I'm so glad your showing this. I have little or no information of what my Dad went through in WWII. I know he was in the 893rd TD BN but that's about it. Keep up the good work on reminding us what is sacrificed in war.

What an amazing series. I am so very pleased to have stumbled upon it on KZfaq. The invasion of those islands in the Pacific was heartbreakingly brutal and so brave. The greatest sacrifice.

My dads uncle was a Marine on Saipan, he survived the war and lived a long life. He told me he had hid a Japanese sword in some rocks on Saipan but he was unable to get back and retrieve it. He always wondered if it was still there.

props for walking out to show us the tank

Well said Phil. Agree! Thanks so much for making this type of history interesting.

The GREATEST GENERATION is a true statement.. My Grandfather Bill Boston was a Navy SeeBee with the Marines.. he was all over the Pacific.. he was much a man... 🇺🇲

My father in law was in the Second Division fought at Tarawa, Roi Island (Kwajalein) and Saipan. God bless him.

For someone who doesn't like the ocean, great job filming that Sherman!! Thank you for all the great work !!