How Did America Defeat Japan At Guadalcanal? | Battles Won & Lost 

The die was cast as the first bomb fell on Pearl Harbor. They didn't stand a chance of defeating America.

The Americal Division was active during the Vietnam War. I didn't know until years later that it had fought on Guadalcanal.

My dad was in the First Marine Division

@@KoolT But was he in the First Marine Division in World War II? Anyway, I'm wondering how your comment would up in my reply chain. Anyway, this all began because the video that's the source of this all didn't identify the troops replacing the 1st Division as being US Army soldiers, not Marines. Specifically, they were from the Americal division, which was formed on the island of New Caledonia. Nope, not California. It had a division number, either 24 or 25, but I'm not going to look it up again because it was still called "Americal" when it was in Vietnam. The new commander on Guadalcanal was a pretty interesting guy named Alexander Patch. After whomping Japanese, he went on to whomp Nazis, one of the very few generals who got to do both. Patch led the Seventh Army through France into Germany. He remained in command when the 7th returned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he died two days after his 56th birthday on November 21, 1945. I wasn't present at any of this, being born in 1950, but I became very aware of the Americal division before I finished high school, especially after we lost two alumni in the 1968 Tet offensive.

@@oldgringo2001 when I was a young PFC at Fort Hood Texas back in the early 90's, my first Platoon Sergeant had an Americal Division combat patch with his CIB. The way he explained it the Americal was once again reformed in Vietnam from what would normally be replacements around a cadre of experienced NCO's and officers. To my knowledge as a unit the Americal has never set foot in the Continental United States. Being disbanded overseas much like the WWII version.

If I recall correctly, Patch never forgave the media doing something somewhat similar to what this documentary did in not giving the army sufficient credit, in his view. Patch would push to abolish the Marine Corp after the war, though he died shortly thereafter if I recall correctly.

Winning Guadalcanal saved Australia.

My father was one of these eastern SOLOMON ISLAND Marines.

my fathers third wife's second removed fiance's younger brother was in this unit and killed 76 men with her bare hands

Hold on you might still make the last battle of the Last war.

My grandfather and my uncle were in 1st division there were no other division was the better than them they both fought all the engagement both got purple hearts Semper Fi

@@robertkoth4022 you must be proud fella 🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸

Worst nightmare of enemies...

When the marines first walked onshore at guadalcanal the raider battalion( minus 80 hand-picked men that were onboard 2 subs for the stunning making island raid)had a tough fight on tulagi where they killed all but 3 Japanese

Yes Japan was set back at Midway, but still were on the offensive. After beat up Naval airpower on Midway, they redeployed Army Air power from Asia.

The turning point was either at Guadalcanal or the Kokoda Track. The Japanese army was stopped both places. The Japanese decided to shift resources from the Kokoda track to reinforce Guadalcanal, so they thought that was more important. They still lost it. They couldn't replace everything they lost in Iron Bottom Sound either. They couldn't replace the pilots they were losing. They bled out in the Solomons.

alot of people forget that while these battles were taking place the Japanese were still highly offensive in China, Thailand, Indonesia etc, all throughout there, and were fighting Australia NZ and so on. This side of the Pacific war isnt discussed much at all

Yes the Gaudacanal Land and Naval Campaign was a long drawn out battle where the Leadership on both sides made very questionable decisions and though the US won in the end they lost more ships and 5 fleet carriers though their losses were made up by May 1943.

@@geoffhunter7704 yep my dad lead heavy cruiser got sunk there he swim all night the north Hamton

Besides of the fatal lost of the Kido Butai (the supereliie of the navy´s pilots. Japan lose the offensive power based in navy+ air attack+ landings. When the japanese built a minor carrier force , USA launch 40 carriers. Without the navy+pilots, Japan is not capable to use the sucessfull estrategy used years before. Is time for Japan for built in land and use short distance (leap frog), just when the idea was to cut Australia from USA (taking Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia). Still very powerfull the IJN (Imperian japanese navy), they fears is what USA used Carrier in the same way, avoiding any confontation. Curioslly USA prefers escort carriers, and do not see the carriers usefull for landing in some atoll. USA will use "task Force combination" destroying the japanese Navy. Midway is a decissive defeat for many reasons.

lol

It's just a mistake duuuuh

Not enough topic about Guadal Canal.. ? Just to make the doc bit longer..

This film includes sections on boyj Guadalcanal and Leningrad.

Van Rhodes , are talking about Taffy 6 ? where they went up against battle ships and crusiers? they were all heros, take care.

It's a 50 minute program, they can only fit in so much in detail. Relax. This isn't meant to be comprehensive, it's an overview. You can only fit but so much in less than an hour.

American military training is probably flawed!!!

@@richardbowers3647 Some are good at politics. Others are good at war. The training was fine. The high ranking Americans just refused to believe that their new radar technology worked worked, their new torpedoes had the range they were rated at and lastly that the Japanese could beat them. All training in academies hinge on never underestimating you enemy and know your weapons. The training didn't fail. The people failed.

Watch...DRACHINFEL...

I told my boss, the way to be promoted is to drink with your bosses, not trying to get more work out of your workers. I suppose it is the same in the military?

Military tactics have and always will be trial and error...learning from mistakes. I'm just thankful they weren't as incompetent as the ww1 officers

Not that close

Counting pocket Carriers America had almost 100 active carriers at the end of ww2

The end of the beginning? That makes no sense

Finding the right reel footage to go with the narration can be a problem. Some use what applies, most just use whatever is available. See: "Dark Skies/Seas" approach to World War II reel footage.

I agree, in fact, most of these shows on battles are beyond awful. You real can't even begin to present a clear picture of the facts and background of an island campaign within a hour let alone the 12 minutes devoted here in this video. Not discussed but germane to the battle was the intraservice disconnect between the Japan's Navy and Army, the belief that American soldiers had no stomach for fighting (a belief re-enforced by the poorly trained, organized, and supplied US forces in the Philippines and the few other islands that were quickly overtaken), the effect it would have on Japanese forces in New Guinea, the politics behind the important decisions at high command level on both sides, the reasons for the logistical limitations, etc. While these video snippets are okay in a mindless sort of way, the only way to gain some real knowledge is to read a couple of good books on the subject.

Agree Midway was the turning point but don’t agree that within one year of Midway. This would be only June 1943. It was just getting more even at this point. Only 2-3 Essex carriers. It was more 1944 which the US waited until they had a massive advantage and that’s when the US really opened up. The key here is that Japan wasn’t looking for a long drawn out war. Their only chance trying to push the US back to the west coast by 1942. The IJN had their chance and blew it. They had a massive advantage in mid 1942 and failed to utilize those resources/vessels.

I agree in part. You are mistaken, I think on the battle of Guadalcanal being a foregone conclusion. They built up their force to over 20,000 just like we did. As the person being interview stated, Japan did NOT push the issue. They were winning the naval engagements there and did NOT capitalize on their success with aggression. They could have continued to supply, just as we did if they would have been aggressive. Their hesitation that list them the chance there is the same that cost them at Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway.

@@chargree I actually disagree. The problem for Japan was what the IJA was trying to do vs the IJN. The IJA had control also which was a mistake. The US military was smarter in making the navy commander CINPAC. There really was no point in trying to take Port Moresby. How the Battle of Coral Sea went for the IJN was a blessing in disguise. The IJN actually won the battle anyhow. Taking out Lexington and damaging Yorktown and only losing Shokaku to damage and light carrier Shoho being sunk. The Battle for Midway was set and capturing Midway was the most important battle. It was the perfect opportunity to unleash Yamato and utilize their battleships and shell Midway. The IJN carriers should have been placed behind and loaded with 2/3 fighters. Had this type of battle plan been used then Zuikaku would have been brought to Midway. There was no need for the Aleutians either. This Northern Force should have been re-arranged and used as a seek and destroy force looking for enemy carriers. Had this unit went further east instead of north then the cruisers and destroyers would have eventually gotten in range of any wounded US carriers that would have eventually been spotted. The overwhelming surface ships. 22 cruisers and 64 destroyers plus 11 battleships and 9 carriers would have simply been too much for Task Force 16 and 17 which only had 8 cruisers and 15 destroyers plus 3 carriers which Yorktown was already damaged and could only do mid 20 knots. What was mentioned above was not the entire IJN force either. Other vessels could have been set down south and see what the Allied Forces would do.

@@chargree i disagree. Japan didn’t have the ability to replenish its forces at Guadalcanal. The U.S. Navy’s heavy presence on the water surrounding Guadalcanal, coupled with the U.S. Navy’s complete air dominance due to their carriers operating almost unimpeded, made victory on Guadalcanal a certainty. The Japanese simply could not sustain combat operations long enough to really win that battle. American forces were being replenished daily. Men and supplies, replacements for casualties, etc, continued unabated. Like I said, game over in large part because those 4 aircraft carriers of Japan were sunk at midway.

You’re absolutely right.

doubt the 10 airmen on one bomber would agree with this if asked

I understand. I think there just weren't any good alternatives.

Imagine even later when the Japanese saw what 1 plane and 1 bomb could do to an entire city.

EOk eis is weis wI ew to e

I'm very concerned about what's happening in the Ukraine right now. There have been world wars started over less.

Riiight.

@@tacituskilgore8379 there was less than 5 minutes about Leningrad at the end. This was a full episode of War Stories which you can find actual episodes released from them!

Quite right. In the Whirlwind episode of The World at War, Hitler's armaments minister Albert Speer (who was in a position to know) explained the bombing tied down hundred of thousands of soldiers on defence, plus huge amounts of equipment. It was, he said, our Second Front.

I’m not going to argue with you but up until we crossed the Rhine River production of tanks and planes was at the highest of the entire war. Strategic Bombing did no slow then down at all. Fuel? Yes. But not armament production.

Even if Japan had invaded and taken hawaii, the outcome would have been the same. They never had a chance at defeating America.

The Navy took a beating at Guadalcanal. But all they talk about is the marines. I have said many times that Guadalcanal was the true turning point of WWll. It really makes me wonder if people ever really attempt to pickup a book, let alone attempt to read one..

@@norshstephens2395 I'll answer the question for you. They don't pick up books and they don't read.

I don't mind more history

Nor the Samuel B Roberts

Their coverage of the Battle of Leyte Gulf was full of inaccuracies.

Fact Checker , wow THATS WHAT i WAS THINKING,! GOOD CALL!

They firebombed before we did. Not many rules are followed after shooting begins. War crimes all the time. I think it's a big part of the human condition.

I'm not so sure that the British were at any time squeamish when it came to German civilian deaths, the fire storm that raged through Dresden after an allied bomber force had finished their work of destruction and death. If however there was some reservation, this was eased by the righteous nature of the attack justified by Churchill when he paraphrased the Bible verse, "they have released the wind, now they will suffer the whirlwind" or something like that.

殺し屋がお前捕まえたら幸せにならんだろ

At Savo Island the US fleet was eradicated as a shielding force, thus the pullout of vulnerable cargo vessels. It was wise ultimately.

The Navy was afraid of losing their aircraft carriers to a stronger Japanese force.

The Battle of Hiroshima was.