PT Boat Forum


Moderated by: Dick, Jeff D

The PT Boat Forum ª PT Boats of WWII ª  PT Boats - General

Next Page » | Page: 1 of 2

« Back to Topic Index Page 58 | Replies: 12 | Pages: [1] 2

 Author  Topic: 70th Anniversary
CJ Willis

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of CJ Willis  Posted on: Aug 9, 2015 - 11:07am
Today is the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. I was at PT Base 17 Samar P.I. at the time. We were informed of the bombing by a news letter put out by the base but we had no idea of the magnitude of a atomic bomb and never thought too much about it. 5 days later Japan surrendered which was one happy day for us PT boys. We were preparing for the invasion of Japan. It was rumored that the PT Boats were to go into the harbor of the invaded island and strafe the shore line. PT Boats were to be used since our wooden hulls were less likely to be mined. Ha Ha The atomic bombing saved the lives of many many service men probably me included. Today's atomic bomb protestors of our bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki sure were not on the front looking to make the invasion like we were.

C. J. Willis

Total Posts: 464 | Joined: Nov 5, 2006 - 5:02pm | IP Logged

Frank Andruss

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: Aug 9, 2015 - 12:10pm
Thank you C.J. for sharing this story. So glad you boys didn't have to head to Japan, tough choice for the President but I think a good one.


Total Posts: 3964 | Joined: Feb 9, 2007 - 11:41am | IP Logged

  Jerry Gilmartin

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Gilmartin   Send Email To Jerry Gilmartin Posted on: Aug 9, 2015 - 2:49pm
In a documentary I recently saw, the US Military had estimates that had we been forced to invade Japan, the Japanese Government was pushing the idea that every man woman and child sacrifice their lives for the Emperor. Some conservative estimates placed the expected Japanese loss of life in efforts to repel an all out invasion would have been 3-4 MILLION dead, while other estimates placed that figure even higher. This is many times higher than the actual Japanese casualties from the two bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ( I think in the area of 105,000) So not only did the decision to use these bombs save at least a Million US lives, it also saved even more Japanese lives from being lost in a hopeless cause. It was a very sobering thought and a good comeback to those knee jerk protesters. (P.S. I edited the death toll from 50K to 105K after looking it up)

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Total Posts: 1469 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm | IP Logged

bubbletop409

MASTER
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of bubbletop409  Posted on: Aug 9, 2015 - 8:42pm
A fact lost upon those who feel the bombs were inhumane or barbaric fail to acknowledge more people died in the fire attacks on Dresden Germany and Tokyo Japan than in either of the atomic attacks.

Larry
62 Bel-Air
260 Eagle EXP
79 Cole TR-2

Total Posts: 164 | Joined: Apr 22, 2013 - 11:48pm | IP Logged

Will Day

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Aug 9, 2015 - 9:17pm
If it saved one American life, I have no problem with it.....

Will

Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm | IP Logged

  David Waples

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Aug 10, 2015 - 5:53am
I've said this before. My dad was in the 82nd Airborne getting ready to be sent out for the invasion of Japan. If dad had survived I can't imagine how he might have been changed. If we had not used the atomic bomb I may not be here today. That's my selfish view.

The bomb was a terrible thing to have to unleash on Japan and her citizens but there is not doubt it was better than the alternative, whatever that might have been. It brought men like my dad and CJ back home and ended a terrible military regime. I hope it never has to happen again. Thanks for sharing the memory CJ.
Dave

David Waples

Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm | IP Logged

rickas

Advanced Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of rickas   Send Email To rickas Posted on: Aug 10, 2015 - 5:24pm
My Father-in-Law was on a transport back to the Philippines after advance training at Melville when he heard that the war was over. He shared that he felt very lucky to have completed his first tour in the Solomons and escaped relatively unscathed. He always said that the A-bomb saved his life.

It amazes me that recent revisionist theories hold that The Emperor was ready to surrender and if we'd only have waited. BULL I say. Even after Nagasaki there were members of the Japanese inner circle who wanted to continue the fight. Harry Truman made the correct call.

Rick Schaefer
Splinter PT 63

TM2c John E Mirus
Solomon Islands
Dec 43 - Jan 45

Total Posts: 82 | Joined: Dec 26, 2013 - 5:16pm | IP Logged

TED WALTHER

TOP BOSS
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Aug 10, 2015 - 7:03pm
Rick;
That is so true, they didn't find all of those suicide boats for nothing.The SHINYO production numbers were:6,200 for the Japanese Navy and 3000 for the Japanese Army. Now combine this with Kamikaze's and Kaiten(suicide mini subs type l and type ll) , it was going to be a long fight.
When the Japanese High Command got wind that the Emperor was contemplating surrender, the tried to kidnap him, just to keep him quiet. It happened on the night of 14–15 August 1945, and it is known as the Kyujo Incident, and was an attempted Military coup.
After the original surrender broadcast by the Emperor on 15 August, a second coup was attempted, an upraising on 24 August was called the Matsue Incident by Members of the Japanese Empire Voluntary Army, totals vary but the largest is 48(of this group 8 were women, but another source says 16 were women).
Yeah they were not going to give up so easy


A Shinyo being tested by Lt Col James F. Doyle USA commanding officer 2nd Bn. 305th Infantry 77th Division
Take care,
TED
P.S. here is the rest of the list ONI and Army Intell found out:
THE KAITEN, a suicide human guided torpedo, was extremely effective against landing craft, freighters, and other American vessels. This Kamikaze weapon carried a 3,400 pound TNT warhead. Launched by a submarine, this 48 foot craft guided by one man was almost impossible to defend against.

KUGISHO MXY7-K1 OHKA, carried a 2646 pound high explosive warhead in the nose. It was actually a flying torpedo. 750 were actually constructed.

FUKURYU - Japanese swimmers became a human mine when explosives were strapped to them and they swam to the target ship to destroy themselves and the ship.

NIKAKU - The suicide soldier had explosives strapped to his body. He would then crawl under a tank or other vehicle and blow it up.

Other suicide methods were used, some not fully developed before the wars end. A Ki-67 Kai (PEGGY) twin engine bomber with all guns and interior removed had a 6,400 thermite bomb installed. Under development in 1945 only two are known to have been built with no reported success.

KAIRYU - A small midget submarine first used at Pearl Harbor. All five were destroyed. Some 300 were built which carried special warheads of crashing into ships same as the KAITEN.

KORYU - Five hundred 5 man submarines were under construction at the end of the war. 115 were already completed, thought to be used in the coming invasion by the U.S.
Also remember this does not include the Imperial Volunteer Army(civilians) who were also trained in "Homeland defense"

Total Posts: 3058 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am | IP Logged

ROSS FISHER

Advanced Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ROSS FISHER  Posted on: Aug 10, 2015 - 9:39pm
As referenced by bubbletop409, on March 9-10, 1945, 25% of Tokyo was destroyed by fire bombing leaving between 80,000-100,000 dead and a million homeless. Sadly, there's no moral highground in choosing to kill people with hundreds of 4 lb. incendiaries rather than an atomic bomb.
Both my father and my uncle returned from Europe in the summer of 1945 to undergo transition training from the B-24 to the new B-29. They both felt they owed their lives to Harry Truman's decision.

Ross Fisher

ross@dupagels.lib.il.us

Total Posts: 82 | Joined: Jul 23, 2008 - 10:03am | IP Logged

PT127

Full Member
  

    
Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of PT127  Posted on: Aug 15, 2015 - 2:59pm
CJ — What boat were you on at the time?


Total Posts: 35 | Joined: Aug 21, 2011 - 1:32pm | IP Logged

Next Page »

Pages: [1] 2


Lock Topic

 

Forum Legend

New Member

Reply to topic

More than 25 posts | Full Member

Reply to topic with quoted message

More than 50 posts | Advanced Member

Edit Message

More than 150 posts | MASTER

View profile

More than 300 posts | TOP BOSS

Email member