[DonGlock26]

View: https://youtu.be/-l6FvrW4hBw

 

[Colt38SuperDude]

You mean winning the war like in Europe?

 

[Glock-O-Rican]

U.S. Marines were involved in Pacific Campaign, the U.S. Army was involved in Euoropan Campaign. When German was defeat, and the war with German ended. U.S. Army did come in late to help with Pacific Campaign. Back then in WW-2, there was not Air Force, it was Army Air Corps and they also helped a lot in Pacific Campaign.

The U.S. Merchant Marines got little credit for their contribution to the WW-II effort, many served in North Atlantic, Mederterian, and last Pacific Campaigns. Some say Merchant Marines did not comntribute much, I say not true. Most everything that needed to be transport to staging areas like UK for D-day, or war zones were transported by Merchant Marines. Men, Aircraft, Tanks, Artillary, Food, Oil. Gasoline, Ammo, Bombs etc. Merchant Marine delivered the cargo, and many ship went down from Torpedo & Aircraft Attacks.

Merchant Marines fell under control of Army Transportation Corps, after the War they got No VA Benefits, VA home loans, VA Educational Benefits. Think it was 1998 the law change after many of those merchant seamen were already dead.

I know all this as the guy I called P{ops was a Ensign - Purser - Pharmacistmate in the Merchant Marines. He was already in Merchant Marines when WW-II broke out, served in ever War theater until end of World War 11, when Japan surrendered.

 

[OXMYX]

The Army was in the Pacific war in the beginning and participated in the most fierce battles.

 

[HollowHead]

The Army was in the Pacific war in the beginning and participated in the most fierce battles.

Wake Island was defended by the army, IIRC. HH

 

[OXMYX]

And the Army had millions of soldiers and airmen. For instance the 8th Air Force lost more men than all the Marines in WWII

 

[Fatboy2001]

Don, thanks, for posting. They were all very brave men, regardless of unit or affiliation.
God bless them all for what they sacrificed. We owe them all a ton of thanks! They were indeed the greatest humans this country ever produced! God, I miss them - including my Father (battle of the bulge) and my FIL (Navy aviator) battle of Midway. God I miss them.
:flag:

 

[DonGlock26]

U.S. Marines were involved in Pacific Campaign, the U.S. Army was involved in Euoropan Campaign. When German was defeat, and the war with German ended. U.S. Army did come in late to help with Pacific Campaign. Back then in WW-2, there was not Air Force, it was Army Air Corps and they also helped a lot in Pacific Campaign.

The U.S. Merchant Marines got little credit for their contribution to the WW-II effort, many served in North Atlantic, Mederterian, and last Pacific Campaigns. Some say Merchant Marines did not comntribute much, I say not true. Most everything that needed to be transport to staging areas like UK for D-day, or war zones were transported by Merchant Marines. Men, Aircraft, Tanks, Artillary, Food, Oil. Gasoline, Ammo, Bombs etc. Merchant Marine delivered the cargo, and many ship went down from Torpedo & Aircraft Attacks.

Merchant Marines fell under control of Army Transportation Corps, after the War they got No VA Benefits, VA home loans, VA Educational Benefits. Think it was 1998 the law change after many of those merchant seamen were already dead.

I know all this as the guy I called P{ops was a Ensign - Purser - Pharmacistmate in the Merchant Marines. He was already in Merchant Marines when WW-II broke out, served in ever War theater until end of World War 11, when Japan surrendered.

You should watch the video. The US Army fought in the Pacific, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany.

 

[DonGlock26]

Wake Island was defended by the army, IIRC. HH

Wake was defended by the Marines, and they did a heroic job. The US Army defended the Philippines and fought courageously despite poor initial leadership by MacArthur and being written off as a lost cause by FDR.

 

[Glock-O-Rican]

You should watch the video. The US Army fought in the Pacific, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany.

Well maybe as U.S. History Non Fiction is a favorite subject of my reading, you are correct the Army did play a minor role in the Pacific. After the Germans & Itilians were under control. The major role was the Marines in the pacific theater.

North Africia, Sicily, France, Italy, Belgum, Germany , Holland, etc. We're the Mederterian & European were the Army & Air Air Force with land battles.

Bottom line is we got involved in World War Two fighting Two Major Enemies, gthe Japanese and their allies on one front, and the Germany and their allies on the other. Some how we won, did no go bust, and built a new nation after the war was over with a thriving ecomony.

History is intresting if you read about same subjects by many authors.

 

[DonGlock26]

Well maybe as U.S. History Non Fiction is a favorite subject of my reading, you are correct the Army did play a minor role in the Pacific. After the Germans & Itilians were under control. The major role was the Marines in the pacific theater.

North Africia, Sicily, France, Italy, Belgum, Germany , Holland, etc. We're the Mederterian & European were the Army & Air Air Force with land battles.

Bottom line is we got involved in World War Two fighting Two Major Enemies, gthe Japanese and their allies on one front, and the Germany and their allies on the other. Some how we won, did no go bust, and built a new nation after the war was over with a thriving ecomony.

History is intresting if you read about same subjects by many authors.

The role of the US Army in the Pacific Theatre was not minor. In fact, the US Army had far more casualties than the USMC. The USMC assaulted islands in the Central Pacific (with US Army support) as the US Army simultaneously attacked in the South-Western Pacific. As I have read several books about the Japanese point of view of the Pacific War, I can tell you that the Japanese failed to mount an effective counter-offensive after Guadalcanal because they lacked the shipping to supply their garrisons let alone deal with two Allied offensives. US Army Air Corps air power also decimated Japanese relief convoys and bombarded their garrisons and airfields.

"The total dead or missing were 41,592 for all U.S. Army ground troops in the Pacific and southeast Asia, with another 145,706 wounded. The Marine Corps and attached Navy corpsmen suffered total casualties of 23,160 killed or missing and 67,199 wounded.

http://www.pwencycl.kgbudge.com/C/a/Casualties.htm "

 

[Bead]

I had an uncle who was Merchant Marine and had a ship torpedoed from under him. I don't know which theater. My father was Navy in the Pacific, two more uncles Army in Europe one who was in the invasion of Italy and took part in the battle of Anzio. These were all my father's brothers. My maternal grandfather was also Army in Europe, A career officer. None of them talked about their service so little more is known by my cousins and me.

 

[AK_Stick]

Well maybe as U.S. History Non Fiction is a favorite subject of my reading, you are correct the Army did play a minor role in the Pacific. After the Germans & Itilians were under control. The major role was the Marines in the pacific theater.

North Africia, Sicily, France, Italy, Belgum, Germany , Holland, etc. We're the Mederterian & European were the Army & Air Air Force with land battles.

Bottom line is we got involved in World War Two fighting Two Major Enemies, gthe Japanese and their allies on one front, and the Germany and their allies on the other. Some how we won, did no go bust, and built a new nation after the war was over with a thriving ecomony.

History is intresting if you read about same subjects by many authors.

“Minor role” is an interesting way to put the majority of the fighting men in the pacific during WW2.

 

[bfg1971]

My grandfather served in the Pacific with the army. 105mm artillery battery. I don't know which unit though.

 

[Pandaz3]

I knew a lot of WWII veterans, Stan who was a SSG in the Army Inf, acquired three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars and a abiding hatred for the Japanese, between 1942 and 1945, he came back on a Hospital ship. I met the USMC's youngest POW from Wake Island. Lots of Navy guys.

That caused me to read a lot, some here should read a little more.

 

[Bradd D]

My uncle was a US Army K9 handler in the Pacific. His dog was KIA.

 

[Sam Spade]

Here's to the fighting force that conducted more amphibious operations than any other in WW2. And to the force that conducted the largest in history.


That would be the US Army, in both cases.

 

[Deltic]

My dad was a Marine NCO serving in the Pacific in WWII.
My mothers cousin wrote a book about his experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Tatum
"Tatum's war memoir, Red Blood, Black Sand, was one of five books used as source material for the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced HBO miniseries The Pacific. Tatum is portrayed in the series by actor Ben Esler."
Aunt Patty's husband died when the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed after they delivered Little boy, the A bomb used on Hiroshima.

 

[DonGlock26]

I had an uncle who was Merchant Marine and had a ship torpedoed from under him. I don't know which theater. My father was Navy in the Pacific, two more uncles Army in Europe one who was in the invasion of Italy and took part in the battle of Anzio. These were all my father's brothers. My maternal grandfather was also Army in Europe, A career officer. None of them talked about their service so little more is known by my cousins and me.

Do you have the name or number of his ship? Maybe we could find out more. The submarine war is getting better documented everyday. He most likely was torpedoed in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, or the Gulf of Mexico.

The Japanese rarely used submarines against the Allied merchant marine, which was a major blunder. In short, the Japanese military was too offensively-minded for their own good. The Allies were more three dimensional, and by going after an already over-stretched Japanese merchant marine, they actually sealed the fate of the Empire earlier than it seemed.

 

[DonGlock26]

I knew a lot of WWII veterans, Stan who was a SSG in the Army Inf, acquired three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars and a abiding hatred for the Japanese, between 1942 and 1945, he came back on a Hospital ship. I met the USMC's youngest POW from Wake Island. Lots of Navy guys.

That caused me to read a lot, some here should read a little more.

My old boss, Bud, was a US Army combat engineer, and was shot in the stomach on Saipan.