Germany First, but Not so Fast: Admiral Ernest J. King and the War in the Pacific, Dec 1941-Aug 1942

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Germany First, but Not so Fast: Admiral Ernest J. King and the War in the Pacific, December 1941-August 1942
With Trent Hone
Part of Pacific Week on WW2TV
• The Pacific
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“Germany first” was the cornerstone of Allied strategy in World War II. Long before Imperial Japan attacked in December 1941, the U.S. military had prioritized the European theater and the defeat of Nazi Germany. However, the scope and scale of the Japanese onslaught was unanticipated. It outpaced the ability of the United States and its Allies to plan. They were forced to react, but their commitment to a European strategy constrained their options. How could they “hold” in the Pacific while preparing for a decisive blow against Germany?
Admiral Ernest J. King, the U.S. Navy’s new commander-in-chief (COMINCH), navigated this challenge. First, he personally took control of a substantial portion of the Pacific theater, unifying direction at a crucial time. Second, he drove the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) to clarify Pacific command arrangements and establish areas of responsibility. In parallel with this, he convinced his U.S. Army peers to establish bases in the South Pacific that could stem the Japanese advance and protect the lines of communication to Australia and New Zealand. Finally, King pooled sufficient resources in the South Pacific to undertake an offensive that would challenge the Japanese and push them back.
This presentation will explore how King achieved these accomplishments. It will highlight King's strategy of dynamic opportunism rooted in underlying principles of maritime conflict. Unlike his peers in the Army, who embraced a centralized approach congruent with today’s dominant strategic paradigm of aligning ends, ways, and means, King acted first and thereby created new options. For King, strategy was a rapid sensemaking process informed by tacit knowledge and core principles that caused strategic priorities to emerge. Rather than selecting from available options, King made decisions and thereby created new options. This approach was crucial in early 1942, when the Allies found themselves facing a series of potentially crippling strategic dilemmas.
Trent Hone is an award-winning naval historian. He has presented at the Society of Military History’s Annual Meeting, the McMullen Naval History Symposium, and numerous other conferences. trenthone.com/
Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1898-1945 by Trent Hone
UK uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/978168...
USA bookshop.org/a/21029/97816824...
Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night: 1904-1944 by Vincent O'Hara and Trent Hone
UK uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/978139...
USA bookshop.org/a/21029/97816824...
Trent Hone's previous appearance on WW2TV
Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific
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20 авг 2023

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Комментарии : 116

@therealuncleowen2588 10 месяцев назад

Taking the offensive in August 1942 feels awfully early. I wonder how that turned out? Seriously the whole idea of attacking Guadalcanal at that time was brilliant and risky. That decision alone underpins Admiral King's impressive legacy.

@livingadreamlife1428 10 месяцев назад

IJN was reeling after losing the Battle of Midway. After getting it’s head handed to it over the past six months, US (Roosevelt and King) wanted to capitalize on the momentum gained by invading when the IJN would be cautious with their remaining carriers after Coral Sea and Midway.

@dexterscott7824 10 месяцев назад

But the question - not really addressed in the video - is whether the Guadalcanal offensive was consistent with the "Germany First" strategy. One could argue that it was not. The Japanese had been checked at Midway, and their offensive potential severely reduced. Therefore the Americans could have focused on building up forces in Britain per the original Plan Dog strategy.

@hazchemel 10 месяцев назад

I've always and instinctively admired Admiral King, and his management of the total fleet was incredible, remarkable, and puts him in the top tier of our military traditions like Wellington, Napoleon, G. Julius Caesar etc.

@PalleRasmussen 10 месяцев назад

Drach calls King "Semper Iratus" in his portrait of him, but is not unfavourable to him. He does seem to like Lee more, but I must admit to a certain liking of the Sniper Admiral myself.

@richardbennett1856 10 месяцев назад

Lee was a badass. His innovative approach to BOA, introducing 40mm Bofors, as many as there can be put on a ship, and several other expidied must haves, was as important as him using his Battleships

@PalleRasmussen 10 месяцев назад

@@richardbennett1856 he was obviously both brave, intelligent and dared to think for himself.

@marchuvfulz 10 месяцев назад

Another excellent presentation. Many thanks to Trent and Paul.

@KMN-bg3yu 10 месяцев назад

Wonderful subject and a fantastic guest

@Chiller11 10 месяцев назад

An excellent presentation that emphasizes the significant accomplishments of Admiral King in the Pacific Theatre under very difficult circumstances. It does demand a little more complex analysis of him particularly among his numerous detractors.

@jamesthompson8133 10 месяцев назад

King didn’t like anyone. Great show guys! Always informative and entertaining!

@mathewkelly9968 10 месяцев назад

The start is weird , of course it was Germany first , but by the time the US entered the war the Kreigsmarine had nothing the US Navy had to worry about besides U Boats . Japan actually had a navy so of course the majority of large surface combatants went to the Pacific

@executivedirector7467 10 месяцев назад

The German navy never had much of anything other than subs. Their large surface ships were easily handled by the RN.

@peterfriedenspfeife9230 10 месяцев назад

I always find Admiral King very interesting. The US were lucky to have him in this position. I found the presentation very informative, showing the big lines of thinking and acting in the Pacific theatre in the early months. Best greetings, Peter

@ramal5708 10 месяцев назад

One of the factor why King really hated the British was the continuous request by the Admiralty of American capital ships and more American naval assets for the Atlantic like in the beginning requesting both carriers Wasp and Hornet, the fast battleships Washington and North Carolina plus other smaller vessels to the Atlantic by early 1942 to summer 1942 as they were being used as either convoy escort or to counter Tirpitz threat if she was to sortie from the base which never happened. This frustrated King especially in May 1942 - July 1942 since he needed Wasp in the Pacific and both fast battleships much earlier for his drawn up Guadalcanal operation, yet he would be able to get Wasp and North Carolina on time for Watchtower, not until battleships Massachusetts and other South Dakota class were put into service that he finally be able to get all North Carolina class and South Dakota in Pacific theater. Also Roosevelt's Europe first policy prevented him to transfer assets into the Pacific, not until the USN lost Wasp and Hornet plus Saratoga being damaged for a long haul and Enterprise also being damaged but partially ready for battle that Roosevelt finally agreed to pour more naval assets and resources into Guadalcanal, seeing that they managed to get this far against Japan in Solomons, so by November 1942 the USN had Washington and South Dakota in South Pacific area, plus more Army divisions underway into the area to relieve the battered Marines on Guadalcanal, also more land based aircraft. FDR kind of reluctant in sending these assets as he would rather use them for North Africa operation. Mind you Operation Watchtower was King's plan and idea so like any other commander he wanted it to work and drive the Japanese out of the area, he even tried his hardest to move Guadalcanal area into USN area of responsibility, since prior to that it was US Army's area under Macarthur, which he despised more than the British.

@Conn30Mtenor 2 месяца назад

No, his hate for the British dates back to WW1 when he was working with the Royal Navy and was subjected to a lot of patronising, arrogant contemptuous behaviour by Royal Navy officers. Understandable.

@user-hw1qo2mu9e 10 месяцев назад

Absolutely amazing! There are too many things to put in a comment but the entire thing was incredible. I like having both sides in the conversation the British opinion of King and the comparison to Monty is interesting. As an American I love King and despise Monty so I might need to reconsider my position on Monty. One thing that's absolutely certain is that King doesn't get the love he deserves. He's right there with Nimitz in the best naval officers America has ever produced conversation but most people don't even know he existed. From what I understand a lot of his problems with the Royal Navy started when he was young and continued in WW1. Drach did an excellent job of covering the wider view of King it doesn't have so much of the deep dive personal stuff but it's definitely worth checking out. I also like how you point out that it was perfectly possibly for King to be an A-Hole and still be an excellent commander. And lastly I think what you touched on at the end is very important. If King hadn't been so insistent on keeping pressure on Japan and they'd been left alone for years while the allies focused on Europe by the time the allies got to the Pacific it would've been much worse than it was historically. If Japan had been given time to really dig in and fortify every position not to mention build up a large supply of oil and other resources the fight to retake each Island would've cost far more lives. Thank you both very much!

@davidvonkettering204 10 месяцев назад

Monty was a buffoon later in his life, but he doesn't hold a candle to Douglas McArthur. McArthur killed a lot more Allied soldiers for no reason than Monty might have dreamed of if he was trying to fail.

@executivedirector7467 10 месяцев назад

Montgomery was an outstanding General. Plenty of Americans including, say, General James Gavin are perfectly capable of overcoming national bias and seeing that. People need to give up their silly nationalistic feelings and get rational.

@lewistrott417 10 месяцев назад

Great companion episode to Trent's previous episode about Nimitz. Again Trent is very concise and understandable, and as usual, an exceptional offering from WW2TV. Thank you.

@gmdyt1 Месяц назад

Another superb talk. Thank you.

@WW2TV Месяц назад

Glad you enjoyed it!

@iKvetch558 10 месяцев назад

The thing I always remember about the whole "Europe first" policy, is that it was ultimately limited by real world factors that most folks fail to take into consideration. Such as the fact that it was impossible to send more than a certain amount of forces across the Atlantic to England/Africa/The Med until the Battle of the Atlantic is basically won...so the US cannot really enact Europe first until later in 1943 after the U-Boats have pretty much withdrawn due to their own losses.

@executivedirector7467 10 месяцев назад

Not exactly impossible, just difficult or risky. The US made the decision that it would not risk troop ships the way we could risk cargo ships. Great decision of course but different decisions could have been made.

@iKvetch558 10 месяцев назад

@@executivedirector7467 Yes...there was definitely that issue...though the US mitigated that somewhat by sending most troops by ships that were too fast for UBoats to catch and by routes that attracted the least UBoat attention...both before and after mid-1943. But there was also the issue of high loss rates in cargoes sent to England, since a certain amount of supply was needed just to maintain the forces already overseas as well as the needs of the British people...particularly for food. But as you say, it would not have been impossible, but it probably would have meant less goods going to the USSR, so who knows what results that might have brought. You make a good point.

@dexterscott7824 10 месяцев назад

Yet FDR and Marshall were pushing for a buildup in Britain and a landing in France in Fall 1942 or Spring 1943. Moreover, the US sent 1.6 million men overseas in 1942 and early 1943, and conducted two major amphibious operations (Torch and Sicily) with relatively trivial losses to U-Boars. Thus, Europe First was clearly not impossible, it just got redirected to North Africa and the Mediterranean, which probably was not a bad thing compared to trying to land in France in 1942 or 1943.

@iKvetch558 10 месяцев назад

@@dexterscott7824 Marshall and company were all INSANE for thinking there could be an invasion of Europe in 1942 OR 1943...there were not enough landing craft and LSTs available for the number of divisions that were expected to be involved in Overlord until 1944...in fact, the original date for the landings had to be pushed back a month from May to June just so the Allies could gather the last batch of landing craft and LSTs that were needed based on Ike's final revisions to the plans.

@dexterscott7824 10 месяцев назад

@@iKvetch558 Agree it wasn't a good idea in 1942. Would have been very possible in 1943 if they'd focused on it. This is always blamed on the Brits for urging invasions in the Med, but it should actually be blamed squarely on the Americans. The reason there were not enough troops and landing craft in Britain in 1943 was there was so much in the Pacific. It is hard to argue, in my opinion, that anything offensive achieved in the Pacific from June 1942 to June 1943 was anywhere near as important as landing in France in the spring/summer of 1943 would have been. Similarly, the delays in Overlord in 1944 were not so much due to the Med as to the Pacific. The question arises, of course, why Marshall and FDR abandoned the Germany First strategy and sent so much to the Pacific when they were at the same time agitating for the Second Front. What they said and what they did were very much at odds.

@carveraugustus3840 Месяц назад

So great. I discovered Admiral King in Ian W Toll's trilogy. Very interesting character. I love that offense defense theme here, seems much in line with King in Ian's books. pushing, mandating Guadalcanal operations

@philbosworth3789 10 месяцев назад

The UK's 'favourite' US Admiral got a very fair hearing here thanks to the advocacy of Trent Hone. Well done Trent, that was an episode well worth listening to.

@lllordllloyd 10 месяцев назад

I normally struggle a little with presenters who speak quickly. But Trent is so clear, so lucid, and the presentation is so well structured, thjat this was an absolute pleasure to listen to. King was like the 'good' Stilwell or MacArthur: arrogant, difficult, stubborn... but unlike his army counterparts, unquestionably brilliant.

@markstephan2304 9 месяцев назад

Are you aware of settings/playback speed? I find myself using it often, most of the time to speed things up a bit. Cheers!

@jimgrundy1278 10 месяцев назад

Another fascinating presentation. Thank you. Could King's attitude be summed up by something Michael Caine's character said in 'The Italian Job'? "It's a very difficult job and the only way to get through it is we all work together as a team. And that means you do everything I say."

@1089maul 10 месяцев назад

Woody/Trent, Thank you for an interesting presentation. I am not knowledgeable on the Pacific Theatre but have learnt a lot today. Regards, Bob

@philliptukia8307 10 месяцев назад

As a Tongan American it was great to see a reference to the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu. 40,000 Americans eventually set up base there in support of the Guadalcanal campaign in 1942 and early 1943. Profound affect on little Tonga at the time. Its native population of 50,000 almost doubled and the sudden influx of foreigners with all their technology and equipment was breathtaking. Thank God the war did not spread further than the Solomons.

@Conn30Mtenor 10 месяцев назад

Is spam as popular with Tongans as it was (and is) popular in Hawaii?

@brianomalley7501 10 месяцев назад

Another outstanding episode Trent is a awesome guest very knowledgeable he now's his stuff and king is à great subject matter this was very easy and enjoyable to listen to thank you

@WW2TV 10 месяцев назад

We agree!

@69Applekrate 10 месяцев назад

have been watching/listening to this a few times as I have much interest in the early parts of the US war. Thank you. very informative and educational. Much info here. recommended

@robertoneill2502 10 месяцев назад

Brillian, brilliant discussion. Another hour would not have been too much.

@orlandofurioso7958 10 месяцев назад

An off topic comment follows: Cato the Elder ended every one of his speeches with this catchphrase, "Carthage muat be destroyed!" regardless of whether he had been speaking about the city of Carthage. In that same off topic spirit, "The Spanish Armada was destroyed!" Sorry England lost to Spain yesterday, but "The Spanish Armada was destroyed."

@davidvonkettering204 10 месяцев назад

I'm worried. I knew that was Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy immediately. I'm afraid I know more historic figures than current ones. I don't know whether I should be worried? This and other channel's Papua/New Guinea are really important to watch. Aussie Civilian Military Force (Draftees) did wonders fighting under the worst imaginable conditions. I gained a new respect for our brothers in Australia from being ferocious fighters, but also for putting up with McArthur. Love, David

@warrenklein7817 10 месяцев назад

Milne Bay and Kokoda Track, later Buna and Gona, New Guinea are complimentary to Guadalcanal. The Japanese had to divide their forces and didn't have enough to the benefit of the US and Australia.

@gagamba9198 10 месяцев назад

A compelling defence of King. Whether together or independently, Messrs Hone and Parshall are always fantastic guests. For me they're always must watch and must read. I understand why Churchill and FDR decided 'Germany first', yet by early Nov '40 the Battle of Britain has been won, Sea lion's threat is gone, so the staging area for the reconquest on continental Europe has been secured. Yes, the U-boat campaign is dire, but it's not a conquest threat. By mid Feb '42 Japan had taken Malaya. It gained the significant rubber, tin, and iron ore resources there as well as tungsten, manganese, and bauxite. At the end of first week of March the East Indies are under control. The oil resources and refining facilities of British Borneo (Sarawak), Brunei, and DEI are in Japanese hands. The British have done a very good job with scorched earth, and the Dutch less so. Though production has fallen greatly, given these wells and refineries are far from Allied harassment it's evident they'll soon be sustaining the IJA and IJN. Thailand, which was the rice basket of SE Asia, is in Japanese hands. French Indochina's resources were already under Japanese control. When strategic resources are discussed, cordage (rope) doesn't come to mind immediately. Yet the USN declared albaca fibre (aka Manila hemp, from a banana tree) one in 1937 and began to secretly stockpile it. By July 1942 the stockpile was nearly depleted. Manila hemp was highly desired and strategic because it resisted breaking down in salt water, which is great for a navy and a fishing fleet. Where was America's chief supplier? Mindanao, Philippines. In Japanese hands. Looking at the Pacific in May '42, Japan had won the resource empire of Germany's dreams. Moreover, Japan's enormous merchant fleet was not bottled up by blockade like Germany's. Though Churchill and FDR understood Japan was a threat, were 'what if' questions asked and taken seriously? What if we lose Singapore? What if the Japanese capture Burma and threaten India? What if all the Americans in the Philippines become POWs? Whatever King's motivations were, thank heavens he kept his eye on this ball.

@davidlavigne207 10 месяцев назад

Great analysis!

@gagamba9198 10 месяцев назад

@@davidlavigne207 Cheers.

@73Trident 10 месяцев назад

Well said.

@Pwj579 9 месяцев назад

It also helped that Axis (Germany, Italy) was pre-occupied from late 41 to mid 44 on the Eastern Front with Russia. King was right to take the fight to the Japanese immediately, the first major naval battle in Pacific, Coral Sea was a loss/draw to USN depending on historian but they learned a lot from their first true engagement of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The Battle of Midway in June 1942 was huge blow to the IJN from which they never recovered in terms of Force Projection using Naval Aircraft. After that the USN had mostly supremacy in the Pacific. The US submarine force then concentrated on commerce raiding to prevent Imperial Japan from receiving critical resupply of imported goods. The IJN submarine force similarly tried to pick off large US transport ships and surface combatants that were bringing US Marines and supplies supporting the "Island Hopping" campaign. The USN and IJN submarine forces had some of the highest casualty rates across the entire global conflict.

@johnkratch6597 10 месяцев назад

Spectacular! Nuff said.

@WW2TV 10 месяцев назад

Wow, thanks!

@dennisweidner288 7 месяцев назад

Excellent program. All kinds of interesting info. King can be criticized on the convoy issue, but on most issues, he has been proven to have been right.

@garyaugust1953 10 месяцев назад

I think there is another King programme out there with Trent. I believe it is important to look at his career overall to determine how much of a success he was or not. From what I've read on him being single minded, focused and determined to see the job through makes an overall evaluation imperative rather than itemising just a few decisions in his career.

@lisakurkowski9131 10 месяцев назад

Amazing

@richardbennett1856 10 месяцев назад

Many authors aren't the best presentors, but like John Parshal, Trent Hone is exceptional. King w as in the right place at the right time for the US Navy, as was George Marshall for vision and getting results. Thanks!

@dexterscott7824 10 месяцев назад

The main issue the presentation did not cover, except somewhat in response to a question at the end, was the impact of the Pacific War on the Germany First strategy. Given that FDR and Marshall were pushing for a Second Front in summer 1942 in order to divert German forces from their summer offensive in the USSR, why did they send so many troops to the Pacific? Their stated strategy of Europe first and keeping the USSR in the war was completely at odds with what they actually decided to do. Moreover, their decision to attack in the Solomons after Midway was inconsistent with "Germany First" - now that the Japanese had been checked, shouldn't it have been time to return to focusing on Europe? In addition to which, the decision to land in the Solomons was taken *after* the decision to land in North Africa (Operation Torch). It was entirely predictable that these two operations would compete for resources, and in fact Guadalcanal had a negative effect on the conduct of Torch. The claim that if left alone, Japan would be able to consolidate and build up her defenses is unconvincing. In fact, Germany could consolidate and build up her defenses much faster than could Japan, due to the larger Germany economy and better communications in Europe, and therefore leaving Germany alone to consolidate was much more dangerous than leaving Japan alone.

@WW2TV 10 месяцев назад

There's only so much we can cover in one show

@davidpf043 10 месяцев назад

King frequently is criticized for not instituting convoys on the East coast early in World War II. The reason was that the Navy simply did not have enough escorts to cover those convoys and other priority missions. Early on the highest priority was escorting convoys deploying assets--especially troops--securing strategic lines of communication in the Atlantic and the Pacific. They had to prioritize risks and they decided they could not afford to lose troop transports headed for Australia, Samoa, Iceland, and other places. Until that was done, the thinking was no convoys vice poorly escorted convoys. Believe Clay Blair covered this issue in in the first volume of his two volume work on Hitler's U-boat War.

@davidlavigne207 10 месяцев назад

This is borne out when one looks at the U.S. National Archives. They clearly point out the lack of escorts, and above all aircraft capable of anti-submarine duties to meet the onslaught. Admiral King made a choice to utilize his few destroyers to escort what President Roosevelt felt as the most important convoys at the time. I do believe it was a shame that convoys were not immediately adopted by the coastal shipping, and that blackouts were not instituted by the cities along the east coast. Britain also went through a similar chastening in 1939-early 1940 when the institution of convoys was resisted by shippers too. They also had a limited number of suitable escorts for the coastal convoys as most of their escorts were needed for the North Atlantic convoys.

@executivedirector7467 10 месяцев назад

People also overlook, or do not know, the fact that convoys are not without cost. They slow all shipping and make ports less efficient. That's not to say that convoys are a bad idea (obviously they are a very good idea) but they aren't cost-free.

@johnkratch6597 10 месяцев назад

I remember reading somewhere that FDR floated the idea of converting pleasure yachts into sub chasers.

@dexterscott7824 10 месяцев назад

The thinking was wrong. Weakly escorted convoys were better than ships sailing solitaire.

@airplanes42 9 месяцев назад

@@executivedirector7467 the number I have heard is about 30%. Conveying reduces cargo flows by about 30%

@andrewlm5677 10 месяцев назад

King’s view of the British with suspicion seems pretty reasonable in that their interests in the conflict with Japan were not fully in line given the considerations of the Empire. The idea that Americans would be directed to certain objectives that were more in the interest of protecting the British Empire than in defeating the Japanese is something to be aggressively avoided Churchill was a clever SOB

@morganhale3434 10 месяцев назад

Excellent show with great depth and balance on an extremely "difficult" person and by difficult, I mean King's personality. I think the British view on King is directly parallel with the Army's view of King: neither of them liked him. My first thought on King's failure with the Atlantic U-boat threat was that it proves no matter how good you are at a particular job you aren't actually good at everything and in war that means losses that you shouldn't have taken.

@amnucc 10 месяцев назад

Given the horrific human costs involved in recapturing the Pacific islands King's "defensive-offensive" strategy to "hold what we have" was preescient.

@jeromyfisher297 10 месяцев назад

Everyone gets hooked on the fact that King didn’t like the British, King didn’t like the Russians either, I never read that he enjoyed working with anyone not wearing a U.S. uniform. If he was a British officer, not willing to work with the United States. No one would bat an eye.

@executivedirector7467 10 месяцев назад

He hated the US Army also. One of his daughters was responding to someone who said King lacked the ability to show his emotions and she said, "Sure he could show his emotions. he was in a rage all the time"

@Conn30Mtenor 2 месяца назад

Regarding King and the British- when he was serving in the USN in WWI he encountered a lot of patronizing contempt (for the USN in particular) on the part of the majority of Royal Navy officers that he met. Later in the war he developed good working relationships with British command when he met officers of the RN who were on his wavelength. So his attitude towards the British was earned by the British. Arrogance was a common characteristic among British military types during the period.

@billdibrito5305 7 месяцев назад

King's battlefield was the bureaucracy. He was very good at it.

@barryrammer7906 10 месяцев назад

Most of the British high command despised Admiral King. He hated the British more than the Germans. This according to a lot of historians. Maybe he just wanted to defeat the Japanese only at first. Even Ike hated King. He really was just thinking at the time Americas war was with Japan not Germany. Until Hitler cut his own head off by declairing war on the USA. I seen a poll 85% of Americas wanted no part of a war in EU. The horrors of WW1 never again. America mind your busness and worry about America first. Most Americas did not see Germany as the enemy at first unil Hitler screwd himself, by declaring war on the yanks. That was probably the biggest mistake he made in world war two. Besides Russia invasion.

@WW2TV 10 месяцев назад

"He hated the British more than the Germans" - just think about that for a minute, it's clearly not true

@barryrammer7906 10 месяцев назад

@@WW2TV that's from the British high command point of view. I did not believe that. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He had to follow the president wishes. But really spoiling to pay back Japan. The none destroyer convoys is one example. How he thought of the British. Getting beat at the time and recommend war ship excourts with supply ships. He really did not like the British with thier colonies. Thought they no better than the Germans. Ike hated King and said we win the war a year earlier without King. Thats a direct quote. So thier is a lot of truth of his hatred of the British.

@WW2TV 10 месяцев назад

But again, as we said in the show "hating the British" carries no nuance. Sure, he had problems with the British Commanders, but his own parents were British. It's a statement that needs examination and balance

@executivedirector7467 10 месяцев назад

@@WW2TV King hated almost everyone. He was really good at hating. ;)

@dennisquill1793 10 месяцев назад

Like it or not, the Soviet’s government on the war in Europe. After the German invasion of the USSR, there was never less than 63% of the total German forces on the aRussian Front. By the time that we landed in Normandy in 1944, the Soviets had destroyed Herman Army Group Center and there was nothing to stop them. They could have probably taken Berlin in 1944 but Stalin was positioning for the post war world and made sure they dominated ALL of Eastern Europe before they defeated Germany

@Ghost_wheel 10 месяцев назад

The myth commanders created for themselves. It was important for the men too, to believe you were lead by someone larger than live, stronger than death.

@scottgrimwood8868 10 месяцев назад

Trent does an excellent job as usual. King is a complex person and too often is protrayed in a one dimensional manner.

@73Trident 10 месяцев назад

Do not forget Richard Frank the fifth horseman.

@bufatutuagonistes8876 4 месяца назад

Excellent guest and presentation. Re is he an Anglophobe: When he was a visiting officer with the RN he may very well have been put off by the dominant role of the aristocracy. I also notice that his critics never mention that virtually every one of his British counterparts is in their position by birth and that even more than in the British Army. As an American I find myself deeply put off by the brutal and brutally unfair patterns of generational land and wealth ownership and power still accorded to the nobility because of their often violent exploitation of other nations and the British(and Irish, among others) peoples.

@jimwatts914 10 месяцев назад

Howdy folks. It’s no big deal that King didn’t like the Brits. He didn’t like anybody. King liked the Brits better than he liked the US Army. But he’d work with both when necessary.

@caifrank7425 9 месяцев назад

battlestations pacific , please to play this great game

@nickdanger3802 6 месяцев назад

1.16.00 Kings Anglophobia

@vinkobosnyak4463 10 месяцев назад

This speaker must have played percussion in his school band.😢

@WW2TV 10 месяцев назад

Not sure I understand

@vinkobosnyak4463 10 месяцев назад

@@WW2TV He was tapping or hitting his hands on his desk in gesturing while talking, giving a nice musical performance.

@caifrank7425 9 месяцев назад

I really want to know Why Philip K. Dick could creat the Book The Man in the High Castle 1962 Alternate history must take too much time to write all of that stuff What is his real Thinking about the WW2 I saw the movie about this book from 2015 to today , for many times it's a great movie just like The Pacific 2010 because I am a movie Editor Philip K. Dick was very a Different Person in the Earth Because of His Thinking about WW2 His Minds is Madness and Imagination , seriously

@joebudi5136 10 месяцев назад

I never heard of Admiral King until now. I dont recall seeing his name on the big screen during TORA! TORA! TORA! #ThrGreatestGeneration

@carrabellefl 9 месяцев назад

Did King detract from Europe too much? The best answer would be after Torch, if you are not going to use the Navy can I borrow it to strike the Japanese.

@markstephan2304 9 месяцев назад

Don’t discount Adm. Leahy’s influence. He literally met with the president daily. Roosevelt kept him close for a reason. Recommend O’Brien’s THE SECOND MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD: THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL WILLIAM D. LEAHY, ROOSEVELT’S CHIEF OF STAFF.

@johnmann5074 6 месяцев назад

This conversation has embarrassingly lacks Kings negligence in the Atlantic. Ten of thousands died waiting for him to decide to support the war against Germany submarines.

@WW2TV 6 месяцев назад

Because it was about the Pacific campaign. Perhaps I will invite Trent back to talk about the Atlantic

@nickdanger3802 6 месяцев назад

"Ten of thousands died" Source ?

@caifrank7425 9 месяцев назад

it should be China first , Pacific first ( 1931-1945 )

@johnmann5074 6 месяцев назад

King was a disappointment and killed thousands in the Atlantic and our convoys were left stranded because of his negligence.

@WW2TV 6 месяцев назад

A binary and simplistic view I think