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Thread: World War Two History

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    World War Two History

    I can remember growing listening in awe of my grandfather's stories from WW2 as a marine anti-aircraft gunner in task force 38. But after he passed away while I was in high school I thought I would never get to know more about what he and his fellow ship service marines did during the Occupation of Japan. Well I still have a lot to learn but I have found a lot on information to fill in some of the gaps. So please enjoy a few links to learn about the first occupiers of Japan. The United States Marine Corps (with some Navy and Royal Navy personnel)

    http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438971.pdf

    http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Pu...9000411500.pdf

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    I've watched countless documentaries on ww2 south Pacific battles but the history channelso I watch almost never cover the occupation which I find disappointing. To the best of my knowledge, the roll in with the occupation went without incident.

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    It really is sad how they fail to cover the occupation there's so much that could be covered even though the occupation was effectively without any major incidents there are so many stories that could be told. My dad recently me a story of how his platoon was put up in an old school house in rural Japan without a translator. And that they took turns watching the caretaker because they were scared something would happen while they slept.

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    Would like to hear some stories from your grandad if you care to share.

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    It'll take a while to write them all out but one that always made me laugh was they somehow got ahold of peanuts and grew some aboard their carrier so they could have boiled peanuts. Well they start eating them and some of the northern boys come over and ask what they're eating. Well showing good hospitality they shared the boiled peanuts but didn't tell to shell them first. "The Yankees" ate them and were disgusted by them and asked the southerners how they could eat these things. One the other marines said we shell them first. My grandfather did tell me they told the ones they liked to shell them first though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Srt201 View Post
    I can remember growing listening in awe of my grandfather's stories from WW2 as a marine anti-aircraft gunner in task force 38. But after he passed away while I was in high school I thought I would never get to know more about what he and his fellow ship service marines did during the Occupation of Japan. Well I still have a lot to learn but I have found a lot on information to fill in some of the gaps. So please enjoy a few links to learn about the first occupiers of Japan. The United States Marine Corps (with some Navy and Royal Navy personnel)

    http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438971.pdf

    http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Pu...9000411500.pdf
    Grew up with that same awe with my grandfather and his 6 brothers who all served. Granddaddy was 3rd wave at Omaha, captured near St. Lo, escaped by tackling a guard and propelling both off a prison train, and made it through to the Elbe River. 1 brother was a tank commander in North Africa, 1 was at Pearl, 1 survived a year shipwrecked in the Pacific hiding in caves from the Japs, and one was too old for the Air Corp and went Canada and lied about his age and joined the RAF. I wish I had been a little older before they started dying and I could have interviewed them more formally. I still heard wild stuff as a kid.

    A couple of tips for more info - get his service records, the research his unit. A lot of units published unit histories shortly after the war with incredible pictures. I have my grandfathers.

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    Those sound like some interesting stories it would be awesome if you could share more about those stories too. And I know we have some of his service records somewhere in my parents house but it'll be hard to find it. All I know about he was drafted into the navy and volunteered for the marines in navy boot camp. Then he was shipped out aboard the USS Yorktown CV-10. I think carriers had 60-80 marines to keep the navy in line.

    Brunswick did they bring back any souvenirs they showed you? And stories of how they got them?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Srt201 View Post
    It'll take a while to write them all out but one that always made me laugh was they somehow got ahold of peanuts and grew some aboard their carrier so they could have boiled peanuts. Well they start eating them and some of the northern boys come over and ask what they're eating. Well showing good hospitality they shared the boiled peanuts but didn't tell to shell them first. "The Yankees" ate them and were disgusted by them and asked the southerners how they could eat these things. One the other marines said we shell them first. My grandfather did tell me they told the ones they liked to shell them first though.
    That's 17ing hilarious man. Lmao. Keep em coming if you are so inclined.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BrunswickDawg View Post
    Grew up with that same awe with my grandfather and his 6 brothers who all served. Granddaddy was 3rd wave at Omaha, captured near St. Lo, escaped by tackling a guard and propelling both off a prison train, and made it through to the Elbe River. 1 brother was a tank commander in North Africa, 1 was at Pearl, 1 survived a year shipwrecked in the Pacific hiding in caves from the Japs, and one was too old for the Air Corp and went Canada and lied about his age and joined the RAF. I wish I had been a little older before they started dying and I could have interviewed them more formally. I still heard wild stuff as a kid.

    A couple of tips for more info - get his service records, the research his unit. A lot of units published unit histories shortly after the war with incredible pictures. I have my grandfathers.
    This thread is starting to rock. Thank you all for sharing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bully13 View Post
    That's 17ing hilarious man. Lmao. Keep em coming if you are so inclined.
    Haha I'm glad you liked that one. When my grandfather died he left me a book about the entire World War Two history of the USS Yorktown and apparently there were a lot of pranks and things that happened. Supposedly someone replaced the Stars and Stripes with the Stars and Bars and caught hell from the admiral.

    I remember him telling me about how he snuck a rifle out of a jap warehouse under his uniform and he was only six feet tall and the rifle was 50.2 inches long. He said everyone turned a blind eye to it. And he didn't let the mum get ground off either.

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    From my memory, the Japanese rifles were inferior to ours. Would still be cool to shoot one though. Wasn't the Yorktown one of ours that was sunk during a battle ? Wasn't it a carrier?

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    Well I grew up thinking the jap rifles were inferior to ours but I've done a lot of research into them and as crazy as it sounds the the jap rifles were some of the best quality of all the axis powers. The quality of the rifles suffered approximately around 1944 when the war started out but they'd probably be safe to fire. The problem was a lot of rifles brought home were marked "for training only" or "blanks" only and those were dangerous. The rifle I have is a type 38 manufactured in 1916.

    And my grandfather served on the second Yorktown. The navy decided they would name the Yorktown after the carrier they lost at the battle of Midway to confuse the Japanese who thought it had been sunk.

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    Good info. When these things pop up, I don't cheat and go to Google. I just spout off. Love the way we screwed the japs on the intel on the "failed water supply" deception to get a leg up at midway. Was the turning point for the good guys.

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    It really is crazy that they fell for deception and they even attacked some islands in Alaska. But another story I remember is him meeting (I think it was, I'll have to ask my dad) Charles Kerlee who was the photographer who documented life aboard the Yorktown. My grandfather used part of his time taking classes about photography which led to him working in the news paper industry after the war. Not bad for a guy who was drafted before he finished high school.

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    My Dad served in the occupation from 45-46. We still have a Jap 25cal rifle with the chrysanthemum emblem filed off. And he had a samauri sword. After the war we were filling up landing craft with jap weapons and dumping them into Tokyo Bay. My dad said that US soldiers would go down to the craft and get what thy wanted to send home. All Jap weapons had the emblems filed off before the surrender since this was the symbol of the emperor. And no you don't want to shoot them. The 11th Airborne was the first unit to "invade" Japan since we didn't know what their response would be.

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    Quote Originally Posted by parabrave View Post
    My Dad served in the occupation from 45-46. We still have a Jap 25cal rifle with the chrysanthemum emblem filed off. And he had a samauri sword. After the war we were filling up landing craft with jap weapons and dumping them into Tokyo Bay. My dad said that US soldiers would go down to the craft and get what thy wanted to send home. All Jap weapons had the emblems filed off before the surrender since this was the symbol of the emperor. And no you don't want to shoot them. The 11th Airborne was the first unit to "invade" Japan since we didn't know what their response would be.
    Do you still have the arisaka? I can probably help you find more information on it including manufacting location and approximately what year it was made.

    http://oldmilitarymarkings.com/japanese_markings.html

    This is the main online source I have for Jap type 38s, I have more information that I scanned out of a book from the library of congress during some research.
    Last edited by Srt201; 05-05-2017 at 01:52 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Srt201 View Post
    Do you still have the arisaka? I can probably help you find more information on it including manufacting location and approximately what year it was made.

    http://oldmilitarymarkings.com/japanese_markings.html

    This is the main online source I have for Jap type 38s, I have more information that I scanned out of a book from the library of congress during some research.
    I thing Coastratdog, my brother, has it. The thing is so beat up from me playing with it growing up that I bent the sights and barrel on it. It was a cool "toy". I still have a pic of my dad in his Eisenhower Jacket standing on the bridge going into the emperors palace.

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    One of the big Bulldog supporters from Crystal Springs, who owns a large Materials supply company in Jackson served on the 2nd Yorktown. He still has a ship painting that was down during the War. He is 94 and still goes to Patriots Point every year for a reunion.

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    Well it still sounds amazing and if you want I can message you all the research I have. And if you ever want to try to restore it I can help you find parts I have a few websites that carry parts for those rifles.

    And could you give me his mailing information if it's possible? I have probably that same painting at my parents house, my grandfather loved going to Patriots Point and one day when my wife and I have the money we'll go. Ha but working for the state doesn't pay to great.

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    Wow. As a lover of ww2, this thread rocks. Wish I could share some family shit but I don't have any. Just a brain full of t.v. documentaries. Thank you all so much. I know a lot about the main events but these personal things makes it so much more interesting.

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