Week 306 - Aussies Land on Borneo - WW2 - July 6, 1945
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Күн бұрынAustralian forces land at Balikpapan to hopefully secure the oil facilities there; In Burma, the Japanese try a diversion to allow some troops to escape the country, but the timing is not what it should be; in the Philippines there is an American landing on Mindanao, but behind the scenes there are those wondering if they really need to push Japan for complete unconditional surrender.
00:00 INTRO
00:31 RECAP
00:55 LANDINGS ON BALIKPAPAN
03:23 A DIVERSION IN BURMA
06:10 LUZON AND MINDANAO
07:39 UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER?
11:18 POLLS AND POLLING NUMBERS
15:25 NOTES
15:48 CONCLUSION
16:56 US ARMY’S 11TH AIRBORNE DIVISION MEMORIAL
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Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Marek Kamiński
Community Management: Jake McCluskey
Written by: Indy Neidell
Research by: Indy Neidell
Map animations by: Daniel Weiss
Map research by: Sietse Kenter
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Artwork and color grading by: Mikołaj Uchman
Sound design by: Marek Kamiński
Colorizations by:
Mikołaj Uchman
Daniel Weiss
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man), artistic.man?ig...
Source literature list: bit.ly/SourcesWW2
Archive footage: Screenocean/Reuters - www.screenocean.com
Image sources:
National Archives NARA
Australian War Memorial
National Portrait Gallery
Pictures of 11th Airborne Division courtesy of Jeremy C. Holm jeremycholm.com/
Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Thanks to Brent Sapp for dedicating this video with a memorial to the 11th Airborne Division. If you’d like to dedicate an episode join the Timeghost Army at Timeghost.tv or Patreon www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
@sch1191 5 күн бұрын
Well done, Brent Sapp! I love contributions from the TG Army.
@jeremycholm 5 күн бұрын
Thank you, Brent, for the shoutout and the kind words. This is a fantastic channel that does a great job sharing history!
@bjpowerequipment1023 4 күн бұрын
Brett Sapp is a prince among men. Thank you.
@alitlweird 2 күн бұрын
11th AB! 🇺🇸
@TrailBlazer65 5 күн бұрын
An interesting point to note is that many of the Australian units fighting in Borneo here were veterans of the fighting in North Africa, Syria and Greece earlier in the war. By this time, some Australian soldiers had a pretty crazy set of combat experiences going from the deserts of North Africa to jungles of the Pacific, fighting radically different enemies in completely opposite environments. By the end of the war some units such as the 9th Division (aka the Rats of Tobruk) had fought against at least 3 (or even 4) of the axis powers... Italy, Germany, Vichy France and Japan.
@danendraabyantara2931 5 күн бұрын
Maybe aussie is the master every terrain in warfare idk, but that's a good info right there, just one month before enola and fat man guys 😊
@ternel 5 күн бұрын
Some of the few who could say they fought on 3 continents
@jorikrouwenhorst7220 5 күн бұрын
Talking about axis bingo
@amo-kd9cn 5 күн бұрын
Could it not even be 5 with Bulgaria in Greece?
@belbrighton6479 5 күн бұрын
Amazing
@XRunNGun 5 күн бұрын
Only 6 of the +2,000 Australians and British POWs survived the Sandakan Death Marches mentioned at the start of the episode - all of whom escaped. A number of years ago I was able to visit the mountains of North Borneo, learn more about the atrocities and see parts of the trail and locations where the POWs had been marched. We visited an old lady who as a young girl, helped hide one of the Australian escapees. If they had been caught, the entire family would have been murdered. I still struggle to comprehend the absolute barbarity and depravity of the Japanese. The POWs were completely emaciated, riddled with tropical diseases and were forced to carry heavy sacks of rice on their backs. Whoever was too weak to continue was bayoneted. Its an absolute disgrace that most Japanese people today are never told about what their grandfathers and great grandfathers partook in during the war.
@martinricardo4503 5 күн бұрын
What purpose would that serve? The people of Japan, Germany, and Italy are not responsible for what past generations did , nor are any peoples on Earth deserving of praise for what their ancestors accomplished. Never Forget does not mean throwing the past into the face of others who you want to blame for the sins of their fathers.
@XRunNGun 5 күн бұрын
@@martinricardo4503 So to you, never forget means never learn in the first place?
@XRunNGun 5 күн бұрын
@@martinricardo4503 Nobody is blaming the individual Japanese person for actions of 80 years ago. BUT... everyone should be made aware of the wrongdoings (and honourable doings) of previous generations - the German attitude today is a good example. If you don't learn what your nation was once capable of, you will never understand why other people's may feel animosity towards you and you won't understand what a nation may be capable of doing when radical political extremism is not stopped.
@boomslangCA 5 күн бұрын
@@martinricardo4503 I think the point is not to allow a situation where future generations get a bastardised narrative of the war (see Germans after WW1) where they end up being the aggrieved party who fought a just war and were ultimately invaded and defeated by evil enemies which starts a whole new cycle of grievance that can be mined by new radicle leaders. Germany after WW2 had a much healthier outlook, acknowledging the past and their part in it and trying to do better. That was in large part due to the Allied powers not repeating the post WW1 mistakes. It feels like Japan never faced the idea that they did anything wrong in WW2. Maybe Spartacus can do a final episode on this issue, both with the Germans and Japanese.
@ralphe5842 5 күн бұрын
The Japanese in particular do not teach about these things and continue to make out they really weren’t that responsible they just lost. Many of the most horrible folks were let off because of the start of the Cold War
@nigelbarker8726 5 күн бұрын
When a sentence starts with "A Gurkha patrol.." It's going to end well.
@Raskolnikov70 5 күн бұрын
Not for whoever the Gurkas run into.....
@ethanmcfarland8240 5 күн бұрын
Great if you’re a friend of the Ghurkas….not so if your a foe
@rajeshkanungo6627 3 күн бұрын
"A Gurkha patrol" or "A Gurkha ON patrol"? It could mean the same thing :)
@gunman47 5 күн бұрын
An interesting sidenote this week on July 3 1945 is that the first civilian passenger car made in the United States in three years will roll off the assembly line of the Ford Motor Company in Detroit.
@Significantpower 5 күн бұрын
It's impressive how quickly the economy reverts to normal.
@Is-3_heavy_tank 5 күн бұрын
@@Significantpowerford 1940:travel 1941:for democracy 1945:some travel
@ethanmcfarland8240 5 күн бұрын
People back in the states want their boys back so they can have lots and lots of babies
@chipschannel9494 5 күн бұрын
Henry Ford was a Nazis sympathizer as was Sloan and Kettering who were part of the plot to overthrow FDR with the help of Gen. Smedley-Butler , (“War is a Racket”, 2-time MoH recipient, and U.S. colonial interventionist) who would have nothing to do with the plot .
@BeanManolo 5 күн бұрын
It's impressive how the War in Europe barely ended, and the one in the Pacific already in its final stretch, but the american industry already managed to revert back to civilian-oriented production; That shows how the distance from the front was fortunate for the american industry, giving them a sheltered status not possible for neither the Axis nor the other powers in Europe and the Pacific (with even the Soviet Union losing part of their industry even though they managed to move the rest away from the front)
@unironicallyDot3 5 күн бұрын
balikpapan resident here, the aussie landing site is now a huge plaza & there's a monument to the allied landing a few km to the west, often confused as the landing site. while paramatta ridge which saw heavy fighting then, is now a dense urban area. and there's still a lot of surviving bunker from ww2 commonly found on graveyard & undeveloped lands, particularly around manggar & sepinggan area. some even still have bullet holes in them
@unironicallyDot3 5 күн бұрын
there is also a small and often forgotten detatchment of US troops that partook in the landing. to this day many australians still consider the battle as a waste of life fought for only a political statement and no strategic gains except a foothold in east borneo. balikpapan and samarinda would be garrisoned by the australians until 1946(?). some good articles to read more about this would be some from Australian War Memorial (awm.gov), and a single post on mapoftheweek where a direct descendant from a US troop that fought there talked about their contribution and the details of the battle edit: indonesia and australia relation would deteriorate later on in history, mostly because of konfrontasi, timor and papua. ironically an australian landing ship named after Balikpapan partook in timor's liberation by the UN. for that i would like to use this opportunity to apologise to the aussies for any wrongdoings our country has done, we recognize and appreciate the contributions you have on our country's early history and let us all pray for a brighter future in our relations
@MartinHutasoit09 5 күн бұрын
Considering that parts of Borneo are controlled by Australians directly rather than given back to the Dutch is interesting to me. As an Indonesian too, it's interesting how parts of Indonesia that were liberated by the Allied forces were under American and Australian control rather than the Dutch. Something must be terrible enough for the Allies to not give them back to the Dutch. Or Dutch diplomacy in WW2 sucked. And to think that Australians think that this whole operation is a waste of military power because the Philippines is already liberated (thanks MacArthur) makes the whole prospect of full Indonesian liberation didn't happen. That makes the independence of Indonesia easier because there's only Japanese military presence in major Indonesian islands (mainly Java, Sumatra, and Bali).
@Dogboy1092 5 күн бұрын
@@unironicallyDot3 thanks for this bit of local knowledge. My grandfather went to Balikpapan in July 1945, I’m hoping one day I get to go there myself to honour him
@algardaus 5 күн бұрын
@@unironicallyDot3 Thank you man, it matters, hopefully both our nations can grow together now.
@MM22966 4 күн бұрын
@@MartinHutasoit09 That, and there were effectively no Dutch troops to conduct a landing at that scale or do occupation duty afterward at the time. Even their "Free" forces in Europe amounted to only a brigade of combat troops.
@hawkman917 5 күн бұрын
Interesting fact: one of the troopers of the 11th Airborne Division was a Technician Fourth Grade from Binghamton, New York (my hometown). After the war, he would go on to be a writer in the nascent medium of television. In 1959, he would go on to create one of the most iconic anthologies ever. The series…The Twilight Zone. The creator…Rod Serling.
@kemarisite 5 күн бұрын
Rod Sterling was also mentioned in a recent episode of the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast, which discussed the 11th on Luzon approaching Manila.
@hgababu 5 күн бұрын
I had no idea Rod was a member of the 11th! I live in Binghamton now, always knew he created the Twilight Zone but had no clue he served! In hindsight, I suppose it's a logical assumption, but still, pretty neat to hear of it.
@archlich4489 5 күн бұрын
Rod Serling was a bona fide badass. Fact!
@alitlweird 2 күн бұрын
11th AB! 🇺🇸
@Dogboy1092 5 күн бұрын
Thanks for posting this. My grandfather was deployed with the Australian Air Force to Balikpapan. Many Aussies aren’t aware of it (as wasn’t a “war winning” battle). As an Aussie this is why we should always be grateful to the Americans. MacArthur was a bad leader who wanted his own show. But the USA actually gave the 7th Div one of the largest landing barrages and aerial bombardment for a division in the war. During the battle going inland, if the army needed close air support, the US pilots jumped at the chance to help. And most importantly, if the USA didn’t drop the bombs and end the war, the invasion of Japan wasn’t the only battle left. Throughout the Pacific more campaigns were being planned to clear Japanese. In the Australian area of ops alone there were 300,000 left. And if the USA didn’t end the war, Balikpapan was going to used as a staging ground to liberate Java (Indonesia) and Singapore. And plenty of other “mopping up” operations that would’ve taken more time off allied servicemens lives from their families (by this stage my grandfather was 4-5 years in service).
@finnyishere3532 5 күн бұрын
Good to see Leslie Morshead back on the channel. He was the guy who held Tobruk against the DAK in 1941 for context
@merdiolu 5 күн бұрын
He was also one of the best division commanders in El Alamein battles (both in First and Second Battle of Alamein) between July - November 1942
@Bottle-OBill 5 күн бұрын
My Grandfather, who died a few years before I was born, served in the Australian 2/2nd (Second-Second) Machine Gun Battalion. He volunteered in '39 at the outbreak of the Nazi offensive, after earlier, pre-war service in the Light Horse militia. It's been a long journey watching the war week-by-week, but there's something special about this episode covering the start of his last operational deployment. From training in Palestine, garrisoning Mersa Matruh, and the battles of El Alamein, to Lae, Tarakan, and Borneo... Thank you Indie, and thank you to the entire Time Ghost team. You have helped me to understand the sheer length of his service, and gave me an inkling of how much he gave to do his small part in defeating the tyranny of Fascists, Nazis, and Imperialists.
@belbrighton6479 5 күн бұрын
That is amazing, any more details about your grandfather? It is very touching to hear these stories.
@Bottle-OBill 5 күн бұрын
@@belbrighton6479 He was in D Company and was trained as a member of a Bren Gun section. What I know of his story is from my Dad, the youngest child of the family and the only one that he would talk to about his experiences, my understanding is he was the only one that was interested beside my Nanna. Being a farmer before the war he was one of the few people in his unit that could drive a truck, so he also became the Company supply driver early into his service. At some point in Palestine he impressed his C.O. with his navigation skills and became his driver of choice. One time he and a few others were griping to an American on guard duty at a depot of U.S. lend lease equipment that had yet to be distributed, saying they could really use some of that stuff cos there equipment is old and buggered, but since it wasn't the sentries place to hand out trucks and motorcycles they were told to leave. The next morning a truck and a selection of bikes were missing from the depot, and the 2/2nd inventory had acquired some new vehicles of unknown origin. He would also tell my Dad of how they would lure the Japanese into a charge by using the Bren's select-fire, setting it to semi-automatic during probes to give the impression the position has no automatic weapons, and when the rush would come, they'd flick over to full and "we'd just mow em down" in his words... There is also the story of a landing (can't remember if it was something at Lae or Tarakan, or another one entirely) where he saw a very large man with a massive double-chin carrying a flamethrower and after wading ashore they all were taking cover behind trees. The big man had his head turned and was talking to another guy behind a different tree when a bullet went right through his double-chin, missing everything else. He was apparently unharmed beside the two holes. Very lucky!
@belbrighton6479 4 күн бұрын
@@Bottle-OBill wow that is amazing. Thank you for sharing your family’s story.
@21bugger 5 күн бұрын
Had a little chuckle when Indy mention to look to the Pearl Harbour miniserie for the "too much" detail - certainly a lot of details and, along with the D-day miniserie, wildly ambitious! Definitely worth a watch though. It's those little details that Indy et al. mention that makes the history come alive...Keep it up 👏
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Both were a big project for the team! We are happy to have been able to do them thanks to the TimeGhost army.
@philroberts1069 4 күн бұрын
Something to add is that Australia's wartime prime minister from 1941, John Curtin, died while in office on the 5th of July. He did a lot to protect Australia during the war including bumping heads with Churchill and ignoring British orders to keep the Australian 6th, 7th and 9th divisions in the European theatre. Those units would return to Australia and play some important roles in the Pacific theatre.
@user-px8eo2cs4g 5 күн бұрын
This is such a weird part of WW2 to me. The end of Okinawa to the atomic bombings hold such a forgotten place in the war.
@randolacle 5 күн бұрын
Normally after the end of the war in Europe, the narrative of WWII is rounded up like....."and then they fought a bit more in Asia, and then they dropped two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the war in Asia also came to an end"
@mgway4661 5 күн бұрын
@@randolaclethats basically what happened
@andrewb1921 5 күн бұрын
At least in the US, this part of the war is usually presented as a few months of sitzkrieg before Hiroshima. But that forgets the fighting and dying that was still going on, as the Allies consolidated their holdings
@scottlarson1548 5 күн бұрын
Also... British and Australians fighting Japanese? They taught us that there were no Japanese soldiers outside of Japan when we dropped the bombs and won the war.
@adamlakeman7240 5 күн бұрын
@@scottlarson1548 Impressive that they somehow missed the million-strong Kwantung army in China.
@chrisstone7924 5 күн бұрын
Respect to all allied personnel who fought in the war there sacrifices never forgotten
@phetproductions5818 5 күн бұрын
I’m a Filipino history student and in my research about local history during WW2 I actually encountered the 11th airborne. After the landings in Nasugbu, Batangas in Southern Luzon they also airdropped paratroopers on Tagaytay Ridge at Feb. 1945. They would encounter little resistance advancing north up in Cavite province and they would come in contact with various resistance groups such as the Hunters ROTC. Elements of the 11th airborne would defeat the Japanese Garisson in Imus, Cavite which freed up the road to Manila. Isolated Japanese garrisons and soldiers were dealt with by the local guerrilla forces. Thousands of guerrilla troops from Cavite were reorganized into units and then attached to the 11th airborne as they fought the Japanese in Northern Luzon. I just want to show my appreciation to the 11th airborne which liberated my province all those years ago.
@jeremycholm 5 күн бұрын
My grandfather's company were the first ones to enter Imus from the 11th Airborne. They were the Angels who fought at the cathedral and found the route across the river for the rest of the division to continue forward
@MM22966 4 күн бұрын
They just "stood up" the 11th Airborne Division again...in Alaska, LOL! Send their Public Affairs website at Fort Wainwright a thank you note! I am sure they will appreciate it.
@janelavie4115 5 күн бұрын
Norway declares war on Japan 😯 This is the beginning of the end.
@HS-su3cf 5 күн бұрын
Read an interview with a Norwegian-American veteran, who served as a navy fighter pilot on a US carrier. He and his mates had a good laugh when they heard this.
@sam74mumm 4 күн бұрын
I am sure that was the real reason for the upcoming capitulation 😄
@jliller 4 күн бұрын
Berserker rage will be unleashed!
@rajeshkanungo6627 4 күн бұрын
The Vikings scared the Japanese.
@anthonyburke5656 4 күн бұрын
My Father was STILL fighting IJN Marines 6 months after the end of the war, in Borneo. He had fought all through the African campaign, been shipped back to Australia after Singapore fell, then fought in PNG, over the Owen Stanley’s. In Africa he was hospitalised twice with wounds, in the Pacific he was hospitalised 3 times for disease, Scrub Typhus, Malaria, Malnutrition. All through growing up he would wake up the house with nightmares. He came home from the war and went back to his job, which was heavy engineering, he was in a protected job, he didn’t need to go to war. After I was drafted, he started to tell me stories, of marching down to the troop ships to go to Africa and being spat on and called “5 Bob a day murderers”. He told me about fighting in the desert, he told me of incredible beauty in the Lebanon mountains and learning to ski! He told me about fighting off waves of IJN Marines, who, having run out of ammo, charged with satchel charges, bayonets, sharpened stick and swords. He told me about a Japanese bomber being shot down on fire and a crewman jumping out, without a parachute, landing in the middle of their camp!
@bullettube9863 5 күн бұрын
That operation to rescue Japanese prisoners happened just in time, as the prison guards had orders to execute the people kept there if the Americans came too close. The cruelty of the Japanese during WW2 must never be forgotten! I love the fact that this video series covers the long struggle of the British and Australians in the Asian war during WW2. Their contribution to total victory is mostly forgotten here in America.
@riptidemonzarc3103 5 күн бұрын
But why are the Americans asking all those Poles about how the war in Japan should go?
@BiggestCorvid 5 күн бұрын
I clean as I watch and did a double take when I heard poles on the war in Japan. I also once went to a nail salon and saw French Nails and Polish nails and was similarly confused
@lukeclarke267 5 күн бұрын
Well, the war started because of the poor Poles, so it makes sense they be asked about the end of it...
@petergray2712 5 күн бұрын
Poland and Japan were allies in the interwar period, owing to their shared enmity with the USSR. This alliance included joint planning for hostilities with the Soviets and intelligence sharing. In 1942, the other Allied governments pressured the Polish government-in-exile to declare war upon Japan.... which was promptly rejected by the Japanese government. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eLVdoNF_zJrNiqM.htmlsi=ZEVKVAfW8PvoJ_xm
@thehistoryvideogameandgame4730 5 күн бұрын
And speaking of the 11th Airborne Division, On June 6th 2022, The Army reactivated the 11th Airborne Division as a Arctic Warfare Unit specializing in combat in extreme cold weather, Their new nickname is “The Arctic Angels”
@TheRandCrews 5 күн бұрын
Arctic Airbone interesting
@aaroncabatingan5238 5 күн бұрын
From the jungles to the arctic.
@speedyjago 4 күн бұрын
Sounds like a Space Marines chapter from Warhammer 40k
@DMS-pq8 4 күн бұрын
Based at Joint base Elmendorf in Alaska
@jeremycholm 5 күн бұрын
Your channel is fantastic. Thank you for sharing history in this way! And thank you and your subscriber for the kind words about our efforts to tell the story of the 11th Airborne Division in World War II and beyond. Truly grateful
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
We are happy to have Brent as a part of the TimeGhost Army.
@briantarigan7685 5 күн бұрын
Balikpapan is now one of the largest and the richest city in Borneo, together with the whole east Kalimantan, not just the Indonesia's side,but the whole Borneo, with Indonesia new capital being build there the area would develop even further.
@seanlander9321 5 күн бұрын
The Australian capture of Borneo was a technical masterpiece and easily the most successful allied amphibious invasion of the war.
@cpj93070 4 күн бұрын
😂😂😂😂😂😂Oh man here he is the Emu is back again.
@seanlander9321 4 күн бұрын
@@cpj93070 Meanwhile, the British have run away, again.
@cpj93070 4 күн бұрын
@@seanlander9321 Are you that thick? we are literally in Burma you silly Emu. 😂😂😂
@rajeshkanungo6627 3 күн бұрын
After the Allies did everything wrong in every possible manner, they finally got it right...
@rajeshkanungo6627 3 күн бұрын
@@cpj93070 I have always wondered what would happen if you grew a bunch of emus and let them loose in enemy territory.
@greybirdo 5 күн бұрын
Indy is incorrect regarding the Sandakan-Ranau death march. At this stage of the war there were still dozens of prisoners alive, as well as the six escapees he mentioned. In fact, more than twenty prisoners survived to the end of the war. These survivors were murdered by their captors on 27 August, almost a full fortnight after the surrender of Japan. They were machine gunned while sitting under trees waiting, as they thought, for release. One of them, doctor Captain John Oakeshott, had given his boots to one of the escapers and chosen to stay with the men rather than participate in the escape. It is a forgotten but bitter postscript to a horrible war.
@Wayne.J 5 күн бұрын
Death of Australian PM John Curtin on 5 July 1945.
@MM22966 4 күн бұрын
The emus got him, didn't they?
@ibanheadhunter8317 5 күн бұрын
I'm loving that WW2 South East Asia is getting more recognition to the world. It is such a niche yet fascinating part of history.
@jasonking3182 5 күн бұрын
Rod Serling creator of the Twilight Zone and one of the most important writers of the 20th century served in the 11th airborne division.
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
He did, some of his work was shaped in a large part by his experiences of the war.
@fuzzydunlop7928 5 күн бұрын
I worked with the US army war college conducting oral history interviews with 11th Airborne vets - what would later help inform the decision to reactivate the unit, or so I was told. Can't speak to the current day iteration, but the original (and post-war) iterations are a fascinating story. It's a toss up between the 11th Airborne and the 82nd Airborne for the "most important" US airborne unit of the war - and resultingly - of the airborne concept in general. Without the 11th Airborne's success during the Knollwood exercises in the aftermath of the messy Operation Husky, it's very likely that no US Airborne divisions would be dropping into France or elsewhere in the war. Eisenhower was not convinced in the efficacy of the Airborne Divisional concept after Sicily. The 11th's CO persuaded Ike to hold the aforementioned exercises which rekindled his faith in the airborne. The irony of course is that the 11th Airborne would hardly ever function as a full Airborne division during the war, utilizing small aircraft to drop companies and platoons behind Japanese lines instead - essentially innovating helicopter assault and airmobile tactics during the war, after which the 11th would become the US Army's testbed for helicopter tactics, as well as becoming the "go to" whenever somebody wanted some guys to walk into a mushroom cloud for whatever reason - they did that, too. In the early 60's (maybe late 50's) the 11th AB was dismembered and its constituent parts were used in the reconstituted 101st Airborne. That's how the 187th ended up in the 101st AB. So not only is the lineage of the 11th represented in the modern day 11th Airborne, but the 11th Airborne is a significant part of the DNA of the modern 101st Airborne.
@Belowbluewaterdiver 5 күн бұрын
I went around the country between 2018-2020 interviewing members of the 511th PIR 11th AB. I wonder if we got some of the same guys. I found 18 total, now just 3 are still alive
@extrahistory8956 5 күн бұрын
Nice to see the action in Burma get pretty detailed coverage. The Battle of Sitting Bang shall be the death ride of the Burma Area Army, which shall be reconstituted into the IJA's 18th Area Army in the final days of the war.
@rrl4245 5 күн бұрын
My father was a paratrooper and a grunt in F company, 511th Airborne Infantry of the 11th Division. Their jungle war in the Philippines was much the same as our jungle war in Viet Nam.
@Belowbluewaterdiver 5 күн бұрын
Back in April I went to the 100th birthday of the last living man in F/511
@graemegillett6437 5 күн бұрын
My father was a coder on the HMAS Manoora, landing ship, and was part of the landings on Tarakan, Labuan and Balikpapan.
@erikdam8850 5 күн бұрын
that was one hell of a dedication. well written, showing exactly what this channel is all about: Never Forget.
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching.
@gregbailey1753 5 күн бұрын
I served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm with D/2-187 Infantry (101st Airborne Division) We were the descendants of 2-187 Glider Infantry Regiment of 11th Airborne WW2, 187 Airborne Regimental Combat Team of Korea and 3/187 of Vietnam/Hamburger Hill fame. Thank you for reminding the world of the Angels (11th Airborne Div), one of the best trained and performing units in WW2. I also appreciate Jeremy Holm's efforts.
@archlich4489 5 күн бұрын
Thank you for your service.
@nickhtk6285 5 күн бұрын
I visited the POW memorial in Sandakan. A sad place. Even more sad was the realization that we were still using the airport/runway they'd built with not even a plaque to be seen....
@CryoDesCoberic 5 күн бұрын
Today being my birthday, this is an excellent gift of history.
@Icicle_Racing 5 күн бұрын
Happy birthday! 🎉
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Happy birthday!
@BenZedrene 4 күн бұрын
Also worth mentioning this week- On July 3rd, Josei Toda is released from prison after being held there for two years as a thought criminal for opposing Japan's war effort. Before the war, he was a businessman and very good at it, owning more than ten businesses at the height of his career. He was also the closest disciple to Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, who founded the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai or Value Creation Education Society. When he was imprisoned for his spiritual beliefs, he lost all of them, and despite his harsh prison conditions, recurrent torture, finding out about the death of his mentor, and the SKG falling apart, he never gave up his faith. Upon release, he is hundreds of thousands in debt with no means to pay it off, all his businesses failed, the SKG has fallen apart, and he's in terrible shape. But he refuses to give up, and after the war declares to what was left of the organization that there would be 750 thousand households actively practicing his Buddhist philosophy by the time of his death, and NOBODY believes he can pull it off. Not only does he do so by the time of his death in 1958, he also overshoots his target with 800k households and counting. He did this so that everyone could know that they too have the power to make the impossible possible through Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Today, the Soka Gakkai International has an active membership of 12+ million members worldwide.
@UncleJoeLITE 4 күн бұрын
So great to see coverage of Australia's war [and with bonus Gurkhas/Indians!], now that it's a strategic clearing out operation. Re those PoWs. My great-uncle was a PoW & yeah, badly scarred. Utter silence about it & he'd eat at amazing speed, even at Christmas lunch in his 80s. As a little kid into history, I was told why he was so damaged & it gave me great respect for him. RIP. _Ironically, I was asleep in AU's odd time zone when this premiered!_
@cpj93070 4 күн бұрын
And you Aussie left out the British because?
@pacificostudios 5 күн бұрын
As an American, I never knew Borneo was reoccupied in 1945. Thanks!
@scottdonohue6486 5 күн бұрын
Well that just inspired me to take a look at the 11th’s war record. Thanks for this!
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Hope you enjoy!
@jliller 4 күн бұрын
The Borneo landings are probably one of the most obscure parts of WW2, especially among combat operations. I think 99% of Americans have never heard of them. I had never heard of them until reading Max Hastings' book Nemesis aka Retribution.
@pmwalt22 5 күн бұрын
I really enjoy how you, through your description of events, place the audience in the moment of time when decision are being made. Your broad approach to all the events in theater and abroad offer a great insight into the thinking of the leading decision makers and their advisors during this time of the war.
@poorwotan 5 күн бұрын
A "Between 2 Wars" series is needed to bridge this and Korea. So much happens that leads to Korea... Start of Cold War, the bomb, insurrections/rebellions around the world, leaders falling/rising, technological changes, economies, mass repatriations, reconstruction, etc.
@Southsideindy 4 күн бұрын
Here’s the thing, based on what we’ve released the past ten years, why would someone think we’d just leave out a chunk of history like that? Of course it will be covered.
@indianajones4321 5 күн бұрын
Another great episode!
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@Freedomfred939 5 күн бұрын
Thx for descibing the atom bomb as the "plutonium" bomb. The uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima was untested but everyone was confident would work. This distinction was confused in the recent Oppenheimer movie. As illustrated in the movie however was the big difference in how much more uranium was needed for a bomb when compared to the much smaller amount of plutonium as illustrated in the movies use of marbles.
@kingblondie7075 5 күн бұрын
Now we see why the Japanese surrendered, Norway. In those days it probably took a few weeks for Japan to hear of this, and another few weeks to locate Norway on a map. Then some library research to realize the Vikings are coming for them. Clearly that gave them no other choice.
@belbrighton6479 5 күн бұрын
😂
@ernestcline2868 5 күн бұрын
Vikings are known for spamming their attacks a lot. One could say they Spamalot!
@badmutherfunster 5 күн бұрын
To be honest if I was a Japanese soldier and a hoard of sword wielding long haired angry norse men rocked up from a longship I would probably shit myself
@aussiedonaldduck2854 3 күн бұрын
@@ernestcline2868 They also use the highly trained & deadly Norwegian Blue Parrot's in their attacks.
@ernestcline2868 3 күн бұрын
@@aussiedonaldduck2854 Norwegian Blue Parrots make the perfect spies and observers with their ability to remain absolutely still to the point that uninformed owners mistake them for dead.
@AdamTube12345 3 күн бұрын
Thank you @worldwartwo again for another high-quality video. I was excited to watch this video as my Grandfather served as a medic in Borneo, he even published a book about his experiences. I too was unaware of the 11th Airborne Division and their story. After watching this amazing video I am glad to say there is at least one more person who will learn of and remember their struggles and sacrifices. To Brig Sapp, Holm, the 11th, and my Poppa, Thanks!
@Sakai070 5 күн бұрын
This is such an interesting time in the war. With germany defeated it almost seems like everyone is phoning it in....except for those like my grandfather in the Pacific still fighting.
@alexamerling79 5 күн бұрын
Great stuff Indy!
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@answerman9933 5 күн бұрын
I just noticed that the world map in the background shows the Caspian Sea. But it missing the Aral Sea, which still existed at the time of World War II.
@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw 5 күн бұрын
Press F to pay your respects to the Aral Sea.
@MM22966 4 күн бұрын
@@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw To quote Captain Falco: "DAMN COMMIES!!!"
@stevehansen5477 5 күн бұрын
The 11th Airborne was recently reactivated in Alaska.
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
@andrewsoboeiro6979 5 күн бұрын
The Intrepid is still in NY to this day; I strongly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about the US Navy during & in the decades after WWII!
@lloydzufelt7514 5 күн бұрын
Another fantastic show
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Much appreciated!
@j.4332 3 күн бұрын
A large part of what is fascinating about military history is not so much the combat but all the political machinations.
@Motorbronx 4 күн бұрын
Very good info, love the format!
@ralebeau 5 күн бұрын
MacArthur never met a camera he didn't like. If Roosevelt had not ordered MacArthur to leave his troops in Bataan, and someone else had led the forces, history might have been much different.
@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw 5 күн бұрын
Chances are the Philippines would have been bypassed, as that was very much MacArthur's obsession that he managed to push through.
@enterprise9001 5 күн бұрын
@@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5ywCould would have led to an invasion of Taiwan instead. The US wanted to slice the Japanese empire in two and either Taiwan or the Philippines was the means to achieve that goal. Even without MacArthur’s ego, the American POWs in the Philippines made it pretty tempting regardless.
@graceneilitz7661 5 күн бұрын
I highly doubt that. You can hate MacArthur, but you have to be realistic.
@OldFellaDave 5 күн бұрын
The US Navy, under King, who was just as 'headstrong' (read: annoying and arrogant) as MacArthur, wanted to invade Formosa (Taiwan) instead of the Philippines. MacArthur won the argument. So yeah, a MacArthur less Pacific Theatre would have gone that way instead.
@pax6833 4 күн бұрын
@@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw No, liberating the Philippines would always have happened, because it was strategically prudent. Invading Taiwan instead would've been utterly stupid.
@Valdagast 5 күн бұрын
I think Japan's goal at this point isn't so much to win the war as to not lose it.
@RenaultFT 5 күн бұрын
That's been their goal since June 8th, 1942
@SmilingIbis 5 күн бұрын
They just don't know they've lost already.
@danendraabyantara2931 5 күн бұрын
The moment when saipan taken that is the moment when tojo and all of his ija crooks is f'd up 😅
@danendraabyantara2931 5 күн бұрын
@@SmilingIbisright now japan has almost ran out fuel by the end of july and august, yet japan still want to negotiate peace for rusky lol, what are they thinking
@kemarisite 5 күн бұрын
@@RenaultFTmaybe the end of January, 1943. There is an argument that the Kantai Kessen (decisive battle) they always sought was the entire Guadalcanal campaign.
@Jarod-vg9wq 5 күн бұрын
I wonder how Many people in Japan 🇯🇵 have seen videos of there nation’s atrocities in ww2? I hope they see these videos on the channel.
@matheusbarbosa4438 5 күн бұрын
Well, this channel has no japanese subs (I assume lack of manpower in TGA for such things) so not a lot. There are Japanese video on youtube talking about those subjects, as you can expect the comment sections are a cesspool.
@extrahistory8956 5 күн бұрын
@@matheusbarbosa4438I've seen the odd Japanese show up on the comment section of these video, but they aren't likely that many watching
@jonnyv9049 5 күн бұрын
I heard about that it's a completly different thing there like it's here in Germany. The Japanese are more like "War is bad because we lost and suffered". But now they rebuild their mighty Kido Butai, with the permission of the US who wants them as a strong ally for the new war. The war against China. And in Germany the voices getting louder and more angry to intervene in the Ukraine War while the german war machine is rolling like it never did since 1944 producing more and more Leopard 2 tanks and hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for bulk up it's forces for the European theater, the german Green Party, self proclaimed left wing, wants to avenge their Nazi grandpas who died at Stalingrad and calling the german youth again to join the Wehrmachts successor, the Bundeswehr. The two blocks are looking at eachother, seeking for a mistake, and one little bad situation, like the assasination of a crown prince, could make the pounder keg explode. And then we would see, in 50 years or so, the start of a new channel: "World War 3 - Week by Week".
@markgarin6355 5 күн бұрын
Nice episode
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed!
@gilwhitmore9682 5 күн бұрын
Even though the outcome is inevitable the Japanese are determined to take as many pounds of flesh as they can.
@joeltucci1916 5 күн бұрын
That was always their plan, they knew they couldn’t “win” as in totally defeat the allies, they were trying to inflict enough casualties to get the allies to lose their will to fight.
@scottmwilhelms2437 5 күн бұрын
We humans can be firm of opinion or staunch in belief when the efforts or consequences are for others.
@andrewroberts7428 5 күн бұрын
really beautiful dedication in this one
@williamgallop9425 5 күн бұрын
How about a video of cargo cults after the war?
@Raskolnikov70 5 күн бұрын
A fascinating bit of history I'd be willing to be the majority of viewers here have never even heard about.
@pmwalt22 5 күн бұрын
Thanks!
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Thank you for the superchat!
@pnutz_2 5 күн бұрын
F for Curtin
@ternel 5 күн бұрын
By this point in the war, the wheels have not only fallen off the wagon for Japan, but the wagon is rolling violently down the mountain while on fire. Japanese troops have little hope of being resupplied since the Japanese airforce is non existant and the japanese merchant navy has been involuntary converted for submersible duty. The few weapons that japan is still producing are termed 'last ditch' by the allies. The rifles are little more than rifled pipes glued to shaped 2x4s with a bolt and a magazine. Starvation is a very real issue, especially for japanese garrisons who are now abandoned on small islands in the middle of the pacific.
@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw 5 күн бұрын
On the bigger islands or the Asian mainlands they could still help themselves to food at the expense of the local population. Japanese forces still control most of Indonesia, Malaya, Indochina, Thailand, Korea and large swaths of China.
@Raskolnikov70 5 күн бұрын
@@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw They no longer had a way to export that food to the Japanese mainland though. Japan has been dealing with near-famine conditions since the start of the war, it won't take long for the blockade to cause a massive famine among an already-stressed population.
@ternel 5 күн бұрын
@@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw yes, the japanese on the continent could still live off the land but in terms of resupply from Japan itself, they were cut off.
@brucechynoweth 5 күн бұрын
I am going to miss those phones when we go to Korea. And the pocket watch. Time Ghost on....OH, I was amazed by Your interview video !!! You have had quite an adventure in Life...Bravo You old Texan...Well Played Sir, Well played...
@isleiff 5 күн бұрын
Oh, there are phones again on the korean set, but the design is ... original. The series started two weeks ago.
@brucechynoweth 5 күн бұрын
@@isleiff LOL, I know, it was a joke, I had commented on the phones on the new series....They were in the time travel/ghost area.....The new series rocks.
@billerator 5 күн бұрын
What a superb commemoration video. Good call!
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
We are happy we could work with Brent on this, and thanks to him for sharing his Grandfathers history with us.
@Tempestzzzz 5 күн бұрын
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: One person who served in the 11th Airborne Division in the Philippines was TV writer/creator of the TWILIGHT ZONE Rod Serling. From what I read It was very traumatic for him and inspired some of his TWILIGHT ZONE stories.
@naveenraj2008eee 4 күн бұрын
Hi Indy Another interesting week. Seems this war going to end soon. Thanks for the video.
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
It does seem to be approaching...
@CARL_093 5 күн бұрын
thanks indy and crew
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching.
@lewiswestfall2687 5 күн бұрын
Thanks TG
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching.
@welcometonebalia 4 күн бұрын
Thank you.
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching.
@anonymousanonymous7250 5 күн бұрын
Surprised you didn't do a special episode on the death of John Curtin.
@danielnavarro537 5 күн бұрын
Good video
@WorldWarTwo 4 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed!
@JLAvey 5 күн бұрын
Comes back to that one word, doesn't it. What they need to do is compromise; word their proposal in a way that it still looks like unconditional surrender to our people while not looking like it to the enemy. Now, Borneo-- I recognize those names from P.T.O. For anyone who doesn't know, Pacific Theater of Operation is a strategy game for the SNES. Came out thirty years ago and I still play through it every few years.
@jamesgillen2339 5 күн бұрын
"Take a poll! But changing the questions just a little can have a change in the results." As we are seeing.
@marcel-ifc17 2 күн бұрын
This is what right wing billionaires do with the fake grassroots groups they fund.
@ikopi56 5 күн бұрын
A slight adjustment to the memorial text at the end of the video. The men who raised the flag were Marines, except one. He was a Navy Corpsman, as was I.
@JTA1961 4 күн бұрын
Depending upon how you word your pole, you can get any answer you want...to this day I refuse to bite...
@OdysseusIthaca 5 күн бұрын
There was a third option. Force Hirohito to abdicate and appoint a regent, like his father did. Then a few months later, try him as a war criminal. He's no longer the Emperor, so the US isn't trying the Emperor, just the former Emperor. The Japanese might actually approve of the subtlety in this.
@marcel-ifc17 2 күн бұрын
The problem is, who do you put in his place. Many of the princes were attached to various army units and helped with the 'looting' of south east Asia and to various degrees involved with war crimes.
@elspurso 4 күн бұрын
Great tribute to the 11th Airborne Division at the end of this episode.
@maxsmodels 4 күн бұрын
"Down from heaven there's Eleven and there's hell to pay below; shout Geronimo, GERONIMO" From the 11th ABN DIV song.
@user-iw8pg8kq2q 5 күн бұрын
Any vids on the Australian coast watchers, and their contributions?😊
@warrenklein7817 5 күн бұрын
Not aware of any coast watchers in Borneo. Australian commandos had infiltrated several months before landing.
@user-iw8pg8kq2q 5 күн бұрын
Warren Klein, I shd hv clarified what I meant. I meant in general, the contribution the coast watchers made. Where ever they were. Tks 4 ur reply Warren. Hv a great day. God bless U and yours.😊
@gordybing1727 2 күн бұрын
Two movies "Father Goose" and "The Wackiest Ship in the Army".
@eamonreidy9534 5 күн бұрын
Love the statistics
@UncleJoeLITE 4 күн бұрын
15:45 When Norway randomly declares war on you, you've screwed something big up!
@cinefreak2307 5 күн бұрын
Public opinion polls result: "the war must continue, as long as I don't have to fight it anymore." 🤣
@charlesworth8699 3 күн бұрын
I find it tragic that even at this late stage in the war people where still dying in their thousands
@TrickiVicBB71 5 күн бұрын
Interesting Polls segment. Wonder if Operation Magic Carpet will be talked about on Home Front series
@rb95051 5 күн бұрын
The point here is that you can’t fight wars by polls…once in that situation, one lead, follow or get out of the way.
@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw 5 күн бұрын
You can't fight a way by going against public opinion though. Not in a Western democracy (and yes, I count the US as one). The USSR could get away with fighting wars regardless of what its public thought, because the NKVD would visit you and offer you an all expenses paid Siberian vacation if you did speak out, Western democracies don't have that option and need to build a consensus by convincing their people for the need of going to war. Especially back then when armies were composed of draftees, not volunteers.
@KKKKKKK777js 5 күн бұрын
@@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw You can for a while, but yes in the end you need to follow the public will in a democracy. (See the Vietnam war for both examples.)
@Elongated_Muskrat 5 күн бұрын
Potsdam, July 17th. Something big might happen by then.
@gordybing1727 2 күн бұрын
Eric Frank Russell was a science fiction writer during the 1950's, of relevance here is "The Wasp" and "-and Then there were None".
@captainnutsack8151 5 күн бұрын
Its extremely interesting to learn about this period between Germany's surrender and Japan. I was completely unaware that public opinion about the war in Japan had begun to shift that much. Great episode.
@isakferm7686 4 күн бұрын
Can we get a special episode or a OOTF-episode over the liberation of Denmark and Norway and the Lapland War in Finland? It is a bit in the shadow.
@1Dropboys 5 күн бұрын
I wish I could donate so that I could dedicate an episode to the 8th air force, in which my grandfather was a mechanic during the war, he met my grandma who was an English nurse. my dad followed in his footsteps and was the same except during the gulf war. I spent alot of time around b-52's as a kid living by barksdale
@cseivard 5 күн бұрын
The pocket watch! Subtle.
@richardanderson2742 5 күн бұрын
Leaving Hirohito in place has to be considered one of the smartest diplomatic and militarily astute moves ever by the US. Removing the emperor, much less executing him, would have been tantamount to killing their god, religion and culture…leaving the people little to lose in resisting occupation at every turn. No replacement authority would have been considered legitimate by the Japanese people and the resulting anarchy would have made rehabilitation/reconstruction impossible.
@marcel-ifc17 2 күн бұрын
I think that is overblown. It would barely have made a difference to most people. Plus, considering he wasn't a constitutional head of state, it makes him above all responsible for the war crimes. We know now that he exerted great influence behind closed doors and backed the military's view of war to the bitter end until fairly recently in this video series. One word from him would have stopped the war and he didn't until his own position came under threat and even then only reluctantly. The whole idea of a fight to the death existed only in the minds of a small minority of army fanatics and wasn't even shared by the navy. How the last ditch attempt to keep the war going mid August fizzled out tells the whole story. You can only intimidate and control the mass of people for so long, but once you lose control of such mechanisms, people show their real views when they are no longer afraid some army fanatic will come and 'punish' them. Within the US government, men like Joseph Grew represented the views of the Japanese aristocracy, as did Henry Stimson, they knew next to nothing about the Japanese people at large. Had Stimson had his way earlier on, even the US would have had an 'aristocratic' model of selecting military officers. They were out of touch with modernity. But the bigger scandal was how prince Asaka, commander of the Kwangtung Army and chief responsible for the Nanjing massacre wasn't turned over to China to be tried and hanged like he deserved to be in my view.
@richardanderson2742 2 күн бұрын
@@marcel-ifc17 The deeply held devotion of the average Japanese in the 1940s to the Emperor was instrumental in the occupation of Japan. Leaving him in place was the issue being addressed and had nothing to do with whether to prosecute or not prosecute the myriad of true war criminals.
@galloian 5 күн бұрын
A good book on the 11th Airborne is "Angels Against the Sun" by James Fenelon. a former paratrooper himself. Just came out last year.
@johnpawlak7350 4 күн бұрын
For anyone interested, The Fat Electrician has an hour long episode about the 11th Airborne Division and the Raid on Los Banos.
@jonbaxter2254 5 күн бұрын
In some ways, it's good to see these videos getting shorter. Means the war is ending. But always sucks to see less of Indy 😢 Still, now we have Korea too!
@WorldWarTwo 5 күн бұрын
Some weeks will be longer, just depends on the week.
@itinerantpatriot1196 5 күн бұрын
Wait, Tokyo got word that Norway was coming in??????? 🙄And people try to say it was the Soviets declaring war that caused the Japanese to give up. Talk about bias. No one ever gives Norway their props in bringing the war in the Pacific to a close.
@markberesford7107 4 күн бұрын
Indy, you should explain political polls - you have a great way of explaining the nuance.
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