Death of the Japanese Navy

[Perknose]

Waiting for the Phillies @ 10:07pm edt and watching this program on the History Channel International as it's being aired under Dogfights.

However, it is the stirring story of Taffy 3 et al in the Battle off Samar in the Sibulian Sea during the larger naval Battle for Leyte Gulf, a story I remember from my childhood and captured with rare elan the book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, imho the best written battle book of all time, and one, as the rest of its title The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour well indicates, is arguably the most heroic engagement in the entire battle history of the United States Navy.

See the proggie, but most definitely, read the book.

 

[Terzo]

How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

 

[Agentbolt]

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the single most epic battle Naval battle of all time. I'll be reading this ASAP, thanks.

 

[theflyingpig]

Originally posted by: Terzo
How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

Fortunately for the world, the Japanese did not have the technology and resources to complete their campaign. You see, they had the will to do what was necessary to win a war, they just ran out of resources. That and the fact that the US was not as weak minded as we are now. Even with our modern technology, the US as it is today would have no chance fighting in WWII. Everyone knows this.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: Terzo
How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

No fluffery needed. A screen of destroyers and destroyer escorts protecting a gaggle of Jeep Carriers (slow and no armor, built en masse on converted Liberty Ship hulls) turns and faces the main battle fleet of the Japanese Navy, including the super battleship Yamamoto in a stirring and desperate charge right out of the Charge of the Light Brigade, only this is no accident, just heroism of the very finest and most unalloyed kind.

And Tin Can is an exquisitely well written book -- best war writing I have ever encountered.

 

[feralkid]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: Terzo
How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

No fluffery needed. A screen of destroyers and destroyer escorts protecting a gaggle of Jeep Carriers (slow and no armor, built en masse on converted Liberty Ship hulls) turns and faces the main battle fleet of the Japanese Navy, including the super battleship Yamamoto in a stirring and desperate charge right out of the Charge of the Light Brigade, only this is no accident, just heroism of the very finest and most unalloyed kind.

And Tin Can is an exquisitely well written book -- best war writing I have ever encountered.

The ship in question was the "Yamato".

 

[Agentbolt]

I'd give my left nut to have been able to see the Yamato or the Musashi. They were both uselessly obsolete before they ever even set out to sea, but they must have been epic to see. A floating artillery platform with more firepower than some entire countries had.

Stupid planes ruined all the good naval battles forever

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: theflyingpig

Originally posted by: Terzo
How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

Fortunately for the world, the Japanese did not have the technology and resources to complete their campaign. You see, they had the will to do what was necessary to win a war, they just ran out of resources. That and the fact that the US was not as weak minded as we are now. Even with our modern technology, the US as it is today would have no chance fighting in WWII. Everyone knows this.

Our history is filled with people who thought we were weak minded and learned otherwise.

 

[Terzo]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: Terzo
How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

No fluffery needed. A screen of destroyers and destroyer escorts protecting a gaggle of Jeep Carriers (slow and no armor, built en masse on converted Liberty Ship hulls) turns and faces the main battle fleet of the Japanese Navy, including the super battleship Yamamoto in a stirring and desperate charge right out of the Charge of the Light Brigade, only this is no accident, just heroism of the very finest and most unalloyed kind.

And Tin Can is an exquisitely well written book -- best war writing I have ever encountered.

Thanks. I'll probably put an order in for one of the used copies tomorrow. I've been thinking that I should educate myself more in history and this should be a decent (or at least entertaining) start.

 

[theflyingpig]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: theflyingpig

Originally posted by: Terzo
How is the book in terms of accuracy/bias? Is it very much a pro-american affair (like the movie Black Hawk Down) or does it present things more neutrally?

Fortunately for the world, the Japanese did not have the technology and resources to complete their campaign. You see, they had the will to do what was necessary to win a war, they just ran out of resources. That and the fact that the US was not as weak minded as we are now. Even with our modern technology, the US as it is today would have no chance fighting in WWII. Everyone knows this.

Our history is filled with people who thought we were weak minded and learned otherwise.

Yes, that is our history. Now we can't even control groups of fools running around in the mountains. Our technological advantage is useless because we don't use it properly.

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
I'd give my left nut to have been able to see the Yamato or the Musashi. They were both uselessly obsolete before they ever even set out to sea, but they must have been epic to see. A floating artillery platform with more firepower than some entire countries had.

Stupid planes ruined all the good naval battles forever

You can always go to the Yamato Museum and cheeck out the 1/10th scale Yamato model

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: Perknose
Waiting for the Phillies @ 10:07pm edt and watching this program on the History Channel International as it's being aired under Dogfights.

However, it is the stirring story of Taffy 3 et al in the Battle off Samar in the Sibulian Sea during the larger naval Battle for Leyte Gulf, a story I remember from my childhood and captured with rare elan the book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, imho the best written battle book of all time, and one, as the rest of its title The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour well indicates, is arguably the most heroic engagement in the entire battle history of the United States Navy.

See the proggie, but most definitely, read the book.

Sounds interesting, I'll have to look for the book. No History Channel for me.

 

[Agentbolt]

Originally posted by: Aquaman

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
I'd give my left nut to have been able to see the Yamato or the Musashi. They were both uselessly obsolete before they ever even set out to sea, but they must have been epic to see. A floating artillery platform with more firepower than some entire countries had.

Stupid planes ruined all the good naval battles forever

You can always go to the Yamato Museum and cheeck out the 1/10th scale Yamato model

Cheers,
Aquaman

Nice! :thumbsup:

Haha I can only imagine what the plaque says though. "Super Battleship Yamato, sunk by cowardly American fighter pilots due to incredible combination of supreme bad luck and unfavorable wind conditions. Such dishonor!!"

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt

Originally posted by: Aquaman

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
I'd give my left nut to have been able to see the Yamato or the Musashi. They were both uselessly obsolete before they ever even set out to sea, but they must have been epic to see. A floating artillery platform with more firepower than some entire countries had.

Stupid planes ruined all the good naval battles forever

You can always go to the Yamato Museum and cheeck out the 1/10th scale Yamato model

Cheers,
Aquaman

Nice! :thumbsup:

Haha I can only imagine what the plaque says though. "Super Battleship Yamato, sunk by cowardly American fighter pilots due to incredible combination of supreme bad luck and unfavorable wind conditions. Such dishonor!!"

I'd go there because they have an exhibit of the "Space Cruise Yamato" from the 70's era anime Star Blazers

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Toonces]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
I'd give my left nut to have been able to see the Yamato or the Musashi. They were both uselessly obsolete before they ever even set out to sea, but they must have been epic to see. A floating artillery platform with more firepower than some entire countries had.

Stupid planes ruined all the good naval battles forever

Picture of the scale model from the Yamato museum in Kure, Hiroshima when I visited last year... used to live about 30min away.

It was an interesting place to visit, more revisionist than the Hiroshima museum, much less than Yasukuni Shine though.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: toonces

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
I'd give my left nut to have been able to see the Yamato or the Musashi. They were both uselessly obsolete before they ever even set out to sea, but they must have been epic to see. A floating artillery platform with more firepower than some entire countries had.

Stupid planes ruined all the good naval battles forever

Picture of the scale model from the Yamato museum in Kure, Hiroshima when I visited last year... used to live about 30min away.

It was an interesting place to visit, more revisionist than the Hiroshima museum, much less than Yasukuni Shine though.

Needs more guns.

 

[OCGuy]

failvatar

 

[FelixDeCat]

I like battlechips. It would have been neat to sea the Bismark vs the Yamato and the USS Moussouri (simulated, of course).

 

[iamwiz82]

I have always been amazed by these photos

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w..._battleship_Yamato.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/w...ttleship_explosion.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/w...e:Yamato_explosion.jpg

Compare the size of the plume versus those Destroyers :Q

 

[LaBella]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...eature=player_embedded