Comments on: Unique: the Pacific War, Part 2 http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:40:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: lyndon http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm#comment-832174 lyndon Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:52:53 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687486#comment-832174 Why didn't U>S>A> invade the Kuriles from Alaska. Simultaneiously. why didn't Pacific Fleet just blockade and bomb Iwo Jima instead of Marines invading it? Why didn't U>S>A> invade the Kuriles from Alaska.

Simultaneiously. why didn't Pacific Fleet just blockade and bomb Iwo Jima instead of Marines invading it?

]]> By: JonS http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm#comment-830944 JonS Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:55:27 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687486#comment-830944 gah. Make that Operation GOMORRAH. gah. Make that Operation GOMORRAH.

]]> By: JonS http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm#comment-830941 JonS Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:46:24 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687486#comment-830941 neither Taranto nor Pearl Harbor are 'naval engagements' or 'naval battles' by any useful definition of those terms. Otherwise we may as well call operation CHASTISE a land battle because some Tigers were destroyed in their factories. neither Taranto nor Pearl Harbor are 'naval engagements' or 'naval battles' by any useful definition of those terms. Otherwise we may as well call operation CHASTISE a land battle because some Tigers were destroyed in their factories.

]]> By: Jaime Cuevas Dermdy http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm#comment-830934 Jaime Cuevas Dermdy Tue, 08 Jan 2013 04:14:57 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687486#comment-830934 Hi, I have seen this WWI History misstatement so many times, it seems to have a life of its own. In Unique: the Pacific War, Part 2 By Robert M. Citino Tuesday, December 18th, 2012, we find: "The encounter at the Coral Sea in May 1942 was a milestone for that reason, the first naval battle in history in which the hostile ships never came within sight of one another." In fact, the Battle of the Coral Sea was the third such battle in which the hostile ships never came within sight of one another. The first was the battle of Taranto on 11-12 November 1940 and the second was Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. This perennial misstatement is similar to almost all historians ignoring that over 100,000 civilian U.S. citizens died in Manilla between 3 January to 3 February 1945. While I have your attention, can you tell me what you think of an alternative Pacific Strategy for late 1943 and early1944? (1.) Forget about the Gilbert, Marshall, Marianas, Philippine, and Ryukyu Islands. (2.) As soon as possible (probably in 1944) send a force of 10 fleet aircraft carriers and three divisions of marines to attack and seize Yakushma and Tanegashima Islands, and perhaps Tsushima Island for good measure. (3.) From the islands in (2.), launch the mass bomber attacks on the home islands of Japan, the invasion of Kyushu, as well as, base the naval blockade of the home islands from there. Thank You, Jaime Jaime Cuevas Dermody, Ph.D. Hi,

I have seen this WWI History misstatement so many times, it seems to have a life of its own. In Unique: the Pacific War, Part 2
By Robert M. Citino Tuesday, December 18th, 2012, we find:

"The encounter at the Coral Sea in May 1942 was a milestone for that reason, the first naval battle in history in which the hostile ships never came within sight of one another."

In fact, the Battle of the Coral Sea was the third such battle in which the hostile ships never came within sight of one another. The first was the battle of Taranto on 11-12 November 1940 and the second was Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. This perennial misstatement is similar to almost all historians ignoring that over 100,000 civilian U.S. citizens died in Manilla between 3 January to 3 February 1945.

While I have your attention, can you tell me what you think of an alternative Pacific Strategy for late 1943 and early1944?
(1.) Forget about the Gilbert, Marshall, Marianas, Philippine, and Ryukyu Islands.
(2.) As soon as possible (probably in 1944) send a force of 10 fleet aircraft carriers and three divisions of marines to attack and seize Yakushma and Tanegashima Islands, and perhaps Tsushima Island for good measure.
(3.) From the islands in (2.), launch the mass bomber attacks on the home islands of Japan, the invasion of Kyushu, as well as, base the naval blockade of the home islands from there.

Thank You, Jaime

Jaime Cuevas Dermody, Ph.D.

]]> By: Robert Kapanjie http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm#comment-828230 Robert Kapanjie Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:05:30 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687486#comment-828230 American chemists did not synthesize Atabrine, the Germans did in 1931.The Americans manufactured the drug on a large scale for the war effort. It is an effective anti malarial both for prophylaxis and treat ment. It has the somewhat unpleasant although benign side effect of turning the skin yellow. The juandice was a dye effect,it did not cause hepatitis and it did not cause erectile dysfunction. It was the first synthetic antimalarial since quinine. Quinine is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree but was in short supply during W W 2 because the Japanese controlled Indonesia. The small amount of cinchona from South America was insufficient to meet the need. As an aside it is said that the two things that made possible the exploration of the interior of subSaharan Africa, in the nineteenth century were the steamboat and quinine. American chemists did not synthesize Atabrine, the Germans did in 1931.The Americans manufactured the drug on a large scale for the war effort. It is an effective anti malarial both for prophylaxis and treat ment. It has the somewhat unpleasant although benign side effect of turning the skin yellow. The juandice was a dye effect,it did not cause hepatitis and it did not cause erectile dysfunction. It was the first synthetic antimalarial since quinine. Quinine is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree but was in short supply during W W 2 because the Japanese controlled Indonesia. The small amount of cinchona from South America was insufficient to meet the need. As an aside it is said that the two things that made possible the exploration of the interior of subSaharan Africa, in the nineteenth century were the steamboat and quinine.

]]> By: lirelou http://www.historynet.com/unique-the-pacific-war-part-2.htm#comment-827962 lirelou Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:18:39 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13687486#comment-827962 Yes, the scale was unique, but that was inevitable given the technology of the time. Yet parallels exist between the Pacific campaigns and the Peloponnesian War. It's been some time, and my memory of Thucydides is weak, but he painted that war as fought between two great alliances over a series of of islands, some of whom were city states in their own right, and others of whom were colonies of the major powers. Yes, the scale was unique, but that was inevitable given the technology of the time. Yet parallels exist between the Pacific campaigns and the Peloponnesian War. It's been some time, and my memory of Thucydides is weak, but he painted that war as fought between two great alliances over a series of of islands, some of whom were city states in their own right, and others of whom were colonies of the major powers.

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