WWII~Pacific Photos

[mickeyd]

Quite a bit of WWII history captured in these 100+ photos.

The below collection focuses on The Pacific War, a term referring to parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, the islands of the Pacific and the Far East. The start of The Pacific War is generally considered to be the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The Pacific War pitted the Allies against the Empire of Japan and culminated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945, Victory over Japan Day on August 15, 1945 and the official surrender of Japan aboard the battleship U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Captured: The Pacific and Adjacent Theaters in WWII | Plog

 

[Purron]

These pics are so cool. DH is gonna love this. He loves WWII stuff. Thanks!

 

[Free To Canoe]

Reading Studs Terkels War. Timely to find some WWII pictures to go with the soldier's narratives.

Thanks,

Free to canoe

 

[Rustward]

Very good. Thanks!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

This is very close to home. I grew up with photos like those, from

My father was in the US army in the pacific theater.

My mother was in the US army in North Africa in WWII.

Every one of my uncles was in service in WWII.

My FIL was in the navy in the pacific. Every one of his brothers also served.

My brother and I served. My BIL served.

More later.

 

[samclem]

Thanks. As close to hell as man can create, I think. This was my dad's war, but he didn't talk to me much about it. Just the funny stories (a million stories about trying to outsmart the "godamm rats--they'd get into anything you had") but nothing about the fighting.

This is another amazing picture from the war in the Pacific (posted here previously, apologies):
This photo shows the crash of a Navy F6F-3 Hellcat aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) in November 1943. The plane's ruptured belly fuel tank caused an instant fire.

The guy climbing up the side of the aircraft, with his boot on the ruptured fuel tank and flames all around, is Lieutenant Walter L. Chewning, Jr., USNR (Catapult Officer on duty). He is assisting the pilot, Ensign Byron M. Johnson in getting out of the burning aircraft. Both escaped without significant injury.

But, really, the photo says it all. To serve with guys like Lt Chewning or any of the thousands of guys shown in the link -- who could ask for more than that?

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Message deleted. Too much emotion here.

 

[Leonidas]

My FiL fought on Guadalcanal and a couple of other places. He refused to talk about the war, other than one time when my youngest got him to tell a funny story. After that he clammed up again and would only say that war was horrible, too many friends died young, and he didn't want to remember any of it.

 

[FUEGO]

Reading Studs Terkels War. Timely to find some WWII pictures to go with the soldier's narratives.

Interesting. I'm reading the same book right now.

If you want some good docu-drama tv watching, there is a 10 show miniseries called The Pacific that I really enjoyed. In fact, I realized while reading Stud Terkels book that one of the interviewees, Eugene "Sledgehammer" Sledge, is a central character in The Pacific. He apparently went on to write a book about his experiences as well.

As a youngster who's first memories of armed conflict was watching tracers arc through the night sky over Bagdad circa 1991, these photos and the military history are very interesting.

 

[REWahoo]

If you want some good docu-drama tv watching, there is a 10 show miniseries called The Pacific that I really enjoyed.

I just finished reading the book. The reviews on Amazon are interesting - an overall "3 stars" with individual reviews distributed almost equally from 1 to 5.

 

[Leonidas]

I just finished reading the book. The reviews on Amazon are interesting - an overall "3 stars" with individual reviews distributed almost equally from 1 to 5.

Interesting reviews. I haven't read any of the books by either Hugh Ambrose or his father Stephen. It is interesting to note that Stephen was accused of plagiarism and inaccuracies, in some of his works; and, Hugh's work on The Pacific seems to be to a large extent just collecting stories from the books of the participants. Eugene Sledge wrote what I think was the best of the collection, Amazon.com: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (9780891419068): E.B. Sledge: Books.

Bob Leckie wrote at least three books, but I've only read the one about Guadalcanal, Amazon.com: Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific (9780553593310): Robert Leckie: Books

And Sid Phillips wrote Amazon.com: You'll Be Sor-ree!: A Guadalcanal Marine Remembers The Pacific War (Military History) (9780615336831): Dr. Sid Phillips: Books

John Basilone's story was well documented.

Considering what I saw on the miniseries, I don't think the younger Ambrose did much justice to the actual events as written by the participants and earlier historians. Plus, from what I read in the reviews, Hugh Ambrose's writing style is atrocious.