The Pacific island of Peleliu was the scene of a brutal World War II battle involving US and Japanese soldiers.
The battle was expected to last four days but continued for more than two months with nearly 13,000 dead.
Seventy-five years on, the grim task of identifying and repatriating remains continues.
Al Jazeera’s Nick Clark reports from Peleliu.
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#BattleOfPeleliu #Japan #WWII
All in the name of the emperor of japan, who didn’t want this to happen.
Never mind all of you. We all know that the soldiers only carry out the tasks given by their superiors, they do not know exactly the ideology or the hidden desires of their leaders. We know that many of the desires and rotten plans of the higher-ups make their subordinates bitterly hate what they hate. So most of the animosity when the war is the result of the hatred of their superiors.
So, it can be concluded that the Japanese Empire felt they had higher self-esteem than the others, and they wanted to rule over other countries. The same is true if America is in the position of the Japanese Empire. It’s just a matter of who will act first.
@Naufal Daffa wow are you as hot as your meem
This is the end result of : fascist
That’s revisionist history. Hirohito’s complicity is well-established. Just another Weeb.
From WWII till now, USA directly killed about 40 million people and further killed about 30 million people by using different government/rebel/terrorist groups throughout the world.
Sins will chase USA to collapse.
Says the loser who followed the Persian moon god
You’re an idiot!
I suppose YOU think the Bataan DEATH March was just a little hike! MORON!!
I see USA as God’s tool to accomplish His plan for all of mankind, whether good or bad for us all.
Since the Chinese communist party, CCP, came to power, they have murdered 80 million of their own citizens. They continue to use concentration camps , forced sterilization, threaten hardship & execute. 👋 🇦🇺
TENNOHEAKO BANZAI!!!😠😠
The old ruins of planes and tanks are facinating
The U.S. Marines believed that the coral ridge needed further shelling than the supporting naval forces were prepared to provide, so that when the Marines went ashore they were cut down by the dug-in Japanese: what might be called a “clusterf**k”.
No surprise – All war is a form of human sacrifice. To Minimize casualties has never been the objective of war.
We veterans call it a “Charlie foxtrot”.:)
I have a cousin who is still buried in his Corsair near Palau
This is the only cost of war. And we still fighting Wars day in. Different countries and different countries are fighting Wars this is a middleman situation.
Liar
@Clint Eastwood What
Stop saying U.S. soldiers. They were U.S. Marines. There IS a difference…
@David Kreutzer ya, McArthur wanted his flanks covered but it was unnecessary.
@Joseph Mcbride , what did they call him ??? Dugout Doug
@David Kreutzer lol yup, that is what they called him. More of a drama queen than a soldier if you ask me. His landing at inchon was fantastic, and he governed over Japan well, but he was a bit much. Also, he really dropped the ball with his arrogance when he dismissed china and pushed to the yellow river in korea. Alot of our boys died because of that.
@Walt Schmidt my dad was a seabee, he was in many landings. His battalion received the presidential unit citation for their combat work attached to the 4th Marines.
@bob shortman That is awesome. There were sea bees on Wake Island as well as civilian contractors, some of whom helped fight the Japanese until surrender was their only option.
This a graveyard leave it as it is. All U.S. Marines at this time did what was to be done.
Nobody is going to talk about the marine dual wielding Thompson’s
My brother was USA Army in Viet Nam in 66-67. He sniped a Viet Cong he saw carrying a Thompson. He used it for the remainder of his tour to great affect. His M16 was a dust collector.
Jim Rr I was there at that time M-16 was junk, Thompson’s were great, same with M-14.
you need to get back in the sandbox.
David O’Beirn You sound triggered about something. Need to talk about it, liitle man?
All solders NEED to be brought home no matter what side.
Interesting point however I would think that most would prefer to be with their comrades/buddies/mates who in many cases were more family than those at home.
How many graves now remain unattended and forgotten by their families at home?
My grandfather lies buried in Nth’n France and I went to visit him and pay my respects!
@chuck h YES you make a good ponit and maybe very well be right
chuck h …very true. There was this group in Belgium that would go out looking for remains in the Ardennes so that they could be properly buried. With American remains, the decision of where they are buried is first given to the family. If no family remains then the government decides. One set of remains found in the Ardennes was returned to the family on their insistence and buried in the old family plot in what is now a very bad and and run down section of Baltimore. It was kind of sad because if the remains had been buried in one of the military cemeteries it would be well cared for to this day. Where they are now, not so much.
Evil countries n it soldiers don’t need to go back home. They slaughter sooo many innocent people’s!!!!
@Xong Lo There is no such thing as evil countries just evil people.
If anyone wants to get a real sense of how truly horrific Pelelieu was read “With the Old Breed” by EB Sledge.
David Kreutzer Yeah I think total deaths were over 2000 for both army and marines. The total casualty figures were around 10000, Sledges Company K had a casualty rate of 64%.
The HBO Mini series “The Pacific” featuring Sledge as a character is also pretty good.
FYI, official USMC and Navy websites list Marine casualties as 1336 KIA and 5450 WIA. US Army (81st Infantry Div) casualties were shown as 208 KIA and 1393 WIA. Total casualties for all US forces are 1544 KIA and 6843 WIA. In the first six days of the battle, the 1st Marine Regiment suffered 70% casualties (KIA and WIA) and the 7th marine Regiment suffered 46%. Both would be considered “combat ineffective” under current combat power standards. Japanese losses are estimated at 10,695 KIA and 301 taken prisoner. “Ironically, Peleliu, won at such a great cost, would not play any significant role in the final year of the war. Instead, Ulithi became the U.S. Navy’s primary fleet support hub in the western Pacific.” “At this stage in the conflict, …following severe losses in the central Pacific and with the Home Islands (Japanese) already under aerial attack, the Japanese were faced with rapidly dwindling means to wage war. Given this situation, whether Japanese forces on Peleliu would have posed a serious threat to MacArthur’s push into the Philippines is an open question.” (Quotes taken from the Naval History and Heritage Command of the U.S. Navy).
FedAgtMan Yes you are correct. Interestingly enough according to Sledgehammers book, there were 7 soldiers, and 12 sailors out of the 300 odd prisoners. The rest were workers I believe of different Asian nationalities.
johnnymcblaze FYI, I could find no documented evidence of bonzai charges being utilized on Peleliu. The Japanese leadership had recently changed its war fighting doctrine from “decisive engagements” which prominently featured the bonzai charge. Instead, they instituted the concept of “endurance engagements. “ The new 1944 policy of endurance engagements disavowed the earlier defensive style. Endurance engagements called for a much longer battle that would kill as many Americans as possible. By the time Peleliu occurred many Japanese commanders thought defeat was inevitable. They also believed that buying time with enemy lives might offer better negotiating terms. The major factor of endurance engagements was described by the phrase “Fukkaku positions.” Fukkaku, in essence, meant the utilization of “underground, honeycombed defensive positions.” By mid 1944 endurance engagements were becoming policy at Imperial General Headquarters resulting in the issuance of the “Defense Guidance on Islands” manual to its field commanders which called for using this defense-in-depth strategy while avoiding counterattacks like the wasteful banzai charge. This drawn-out blood-letting would come to define the exceptionally vicious ending of the Pacific War.
Japanese culture demanded no surrender! 🤔
Why the “🤔?”
Semper Fidelis
My late uncles only battle. A newly minted OCS grad, he ,fortunately survived. After hostilities he was released from military service to return home and run the family farm for his widowed mother. He would never talk about his time there. Narragansett Bay
Lee Marvin was in the 4th.
sniper i believe
We know now Peleliu could have been bypassed having little ability to effect McArthur’s landings in the Philippines. Rest in Peace.
Yes everyone know there mistakes after they the fact. The real fact is the Japanese should not of started this mess.
@Baron Marseille It wasn’t the Japanese. It was the Military and their mentally. Something every nation with a military needs to be cautious of. General MacArthur greatly reduced that mentally and introduced “Western” ideals as much as possible. However Japanese are still society trained not to question serious authority. A good example is their current criminal justice system. There is little question the police could have gotten it wrong. If taken to criminal court there is a 99.9% chance you will be convicted. A left over from the feudal days of not questioning authority. That’s why the president of Nissan/Renault fled.
Joseph Bingham you have much to educate yourself on the Japanese mind set at that time. All of Japan was the military! Everyone was behind the emperor and he was involved or better said was Japanese culture.
@Baron Marseille What I meant was if Japan gets a military again the citizens might not question that the Government and the Military are making good choices. They might continue the ideal of supporting authority without serious question or protest. Hesitation of being the “nail that stands up’ Something that is dangerous.
@Joseph Bingham … you mean like in the USA… yea..
Japanese took death before dishonor very seriously.
s0nnyburnett . They weren’t very honourable with the way they treated their POWs. Starvation ,torture, death marches. Medical experiments carried out with no anaesthesia,comfort women and the rape of Nanking. Their ‘code’ was not the one of centuries before. Most if not all countries involved in WW11 committed ‘war crimes’, the Japanese took it a few steps further. Let’s hope governments don’t turn us against each other again, but they will. War is big industry along with asset grabbing. The futures bleak,sorry.
X Ruttles Was a long time ago. Japan is now our greatest ally in the region. South Korea has no real will. Without America the North would roll over them in a week. Japan and Australia are the only countries I trust over there.
As the Russians say of WW2 ( great patriotic war ) “ No one will forget , nothing is forgotten “ , this American won’t forget your sacrifice and will say a prayer tonight for the souls of those boys that sacrificed themselves for us
“Marines”, NOT “soldiers”
@Gary Pulliam , my apologies . I stand corrected my friend
@David Kreutzer No worries buddy.
Pioneer Lover please, if you’re so educated then go call a US marine a soldier and see what happens.
@Pioneer Lover Shut up kid.
@Pioneer Lover try saying that to a Marine
My grandfather was wounded on Peleliu, September 17th. Died on hospital ship September 20th. Buried at sea. May he rest in eternal peace. 🇺🇸 Semper Fi.
Amen 🇺🇸🙏
God bless 🇺🇸🙏🏻
Sorry, may he rest in eternal peace. 🙏 🇦🇺
May he rest in peace, he would be proud of you.
My Father was there..( fighting the wrong enemy oh well ) he survived !
@Caden lovelady yeah ! They de nazified Germans..But russians stay Bolchevics.
John Fabio you are a idiot and I would stood with my boot upon your chest laughing
Lot of Neo-Nazis trying to repaint history in this comment thread. Awesome circlejerk, fellas!
Sounds like Daddy should have died all along.
John Fabio your disgusting, disrespecting your fathers name due to your dumbass belief that we shouldn’t have been fighting a bunch of genocidal nazis, absolutely pathetic, shame on you
I have been to Palau on a dive trip and took a tour of the island. It is littered with unexploded ordinance. Took a dive on a Japanese cargo and you can see helmets and grenade canisters. More interesting is Chuuk Lagoon (Previous called Truk) which was called the American Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Navy deserted their merchant fleet and the Americans Sunk all of them. The remains are pristine.
I had 2 uncle’s who fought on that island.
RIP & SEMPER FI MARINES.
Wife’s grandpa fought with the 81st infantry on Pelelui.
I’m not American but thanks for your family’s service, take care guys 🇺🇸🇬🇧
I want to pay my respect for the 2 Marine you menchend who went before me. Semper Fi brothers!
Who asked?
@Steven Lovejoy What do you mean who asked..?
0:38 “Many U.S. soldiers died”? No! Many U.S. Marines died. NOT soldiers. Soldiers are in the Army. Marines are in the Marines. To generalize all U.S. warfighters it is proper to say “troops”. To specify Marines, one would say “Marines” …. not “soldiers”.
Hey, don’t push that silly argument that Marines are not soldiers. That’s only a progressive idea!
81st Infantry (Army) also fought on Pelelui
100to 1 war is stupid
They should make the Japanese pay reparations if they want to come and dig.
“Reparations” Starting to sound like a Liberal, Japan has Changed a Lot, They’re Not Paying to Dig up Soldiers from Their OWN Country.
weißer Ritter they will pay when those soldiers slaughtered millions of innocent people
Boy, my grandfather hated the Japanese, I personally like them.
@David Kreutzer
I was raised by my grandmother. She was a nurse when Japan mainland was thoroughly bombed. She told me, there were many human bodies scattered internal organs, limbs amputated, or were charred, she worked in them and survived.
Old Japanese die when they ordered to die, and live when ordered to live. They don’t grudge against the past. She never hated America, only saying the B-29 was beautiful in the blue sky.
You need to read “the Rape of Nanking” by Iris Chang, sonny.
@David O’Beirn
Meaningless. Japanese forget what they did and were done, after several years, as a habit. That’s why we Asians are quarreling each other.
西村賢治 Uh… Japan isn’t done. They, too, are involved the South China Sea dispute. You’re trying way too hard to give a pass to a country that you wish you belonged to. Weeb.
You only try to understand War in terms of direct threats and Interest or like a lawsuit to West. I’m talking about the Japanese emotional habits about War. Don’t complain about the pain of the past like a betrayed wife. Right?
You guys feel anxious, but it’s easy for us to understand China.They wants to create Great Asia United and conquer the Pacific to India for the time being. That’s what we were planning on the idea of IJA General Ishihara Kanji in 1930s.
We look the same, and have a long historical relationship with them. Moreover, they are trying to do the same as we used to. So do you think we will cooperate with China if Easts are stronger than Wests? I say, Never. You wouldn’t know that without knowing ethnic nature cultivated over thousands of years. OK? Allies.
How many Chinese do the Japanese government look for to bring home?
fifty years why should they after what Japan did to their country
@John Ritchie There are still germans returning from russia and Russians from Germany.
@John Ritchie … I believe you did not understand the question. Read once more.
China still holds it all against Japan.
Yet Japan denied their atrocities.
Yet Japan is writing WW2 out of their history books.
Njkalashnikov That’s… what the OP just said.
0:22 is that guy dual wielding Thompson’s? Nice
Very nice.
Whoa never noticed that, probably seen that reel a hundred times in docus
“Get some!”
The emperor of Japan Hirohito was to be blamed on ww2 in Asia. Hirohito packed with the fascist party Hitler & Mussolini to gain militarism power. It’s likely we are witnessing China communist party aiming militarism over Asia and the south pacific regions
That is FEAR-based war mongering by US military propagandists! You should fear your own government more than fear China.
napalm and magnesium bombs was available and should have been used to sterilise the landing area.
How about Bactine instead?
@David O’Beirn drink some and report back if it sterilises your childishness?
My grandpa was there and he killed many Japanese soldiers
What else did you bring for show and tell today? Your favorite bed side doll?
He was a hero
SAD to watch . And SADDER that so many want to deny and bury History . What a Horrific fight in the Pacific . And how IRONIC that the Japanese became such great Allies . I doubt that the Fighting Men ever thought about this . R.I.P. to ALL Soldiers . History should NEVER be forgotten . Great Post!
Who wants to deny and bury history? I can only think of those who say “Hitler did nothing wrong” and “The wrong side won the war.”
What’s even more sad, is that the Japanese are still denying the war crimes such as unit 731.
@Julian Villa EVERY side committed War Crimes .They can deny what they want . Historical Facts need to be preserved , not obliterated . A Teacher I talked to recently told me that students are not aware of the Vietnam War . [ANY War crimes committed there? ]
herr3945 by taught I mean realize such evil men are there and never to repeat itself.
@Julian Villa I understand . You are obviously a learned person to know about unit 731. I Respect you for that . Been a pleasure communicating with You .
Maybe they want to recover the remains in Nanjing (Nanking) as well. Or do they still deny committing war crimes?
The Chinese communists would have found the remains by now if there were any. The victors write history to suit themselves.
There are Marines and there are soldiers. The two are not the same.
Semper Fi
Jack Capone short sighted, when the shooting starts, were all the same, US Army, 66-68
@Duffy Bordeaux Don’t get your panties in a twist, Duff. A simple distinction is all I’m pointing out. Of course all US servicepeople are one.
Jack Capone Haha triggered
@MrSlanderer Triggered? Time to put down the x-box, go up stairs and put the trash out for your mom, little boy.
In 1998, I went to Japan. A friend there showed us around. I asked about WWII things. She looked scared and said “We don’t talk that”.
I was stationed on Japan for over 8 years. I’m married to a Japanese woman. I have never had any problem talking to my inlaws about WW2.
There is supposedly a WW2 museum in Japan that is heavily biased towards the Japanese perspective.
TSimo113 Of course !Most nations are nationally biased towards themselves.
Pat Middleton Germany isn’t. They know what they did.
I pray these families find their loved ones.
Great
U.S. 99.99% kill rate
It’s not like they’d let us take them prisoner…
My dad was there in a DD offshore. I never heard him say a cross word against the Japanese. His grandson (my son) is married to a Japanese girl, I think that shows the good fruits of peace. I’ve been to Japan myself, really loved it.
lance22me Congrats
Japan really is an interesting place. I stayed there for several months, many years ago. So much to do, so little time.
My wife is Japanese. Got to meet her grandfather who was an Imperial soldier. I never got the chance to have a good conversation with him due to his age. The bond between the US and Japan today is probably only second to the bond we have with the UK.
Haunted af
Al Jazeera sucks
I love history so we learn…so we can learn to live in peace with eachother. Can we now please build our renewably powered global economy so we live in peace? If we do we can enjoy life without air pollution, without energy scarcity and without industrial carbon emissions causing climate change.
What did any of that have to do with this video?
@MrSlanderer Maintaining peace and stability.
Wow.
An example of another Pacific island that was invaded at the cost of thousands of American lives. Some of these islands were or could not be of much strategic value to the war effort. Could have easily been by passed, and left to ” wither on the vine “. Decisions made by our so called ” heroic leaders “! Were really not very heroic except for those who participated, and gave their lives!
Unfortunately, I think that was the verdict on Peleliu. The air strip was too far away for bombers. Two Jima offered a short root 5 months later. Guadalcanal was definitely the end of Japanese expansion. Unfortunately so many more islands had to fall just to get in to striking range. Strange to think that Guadalcanal, one of the first engagements with the U.S. ended Japan’s imperial growth. Took 3 more years to finish the empire off
It’s a crying shame these battles have to take place theres never really a good reason evil wants to conquer all
Sounds like you don’t know much history.
poor boy
My dad was there, Pavuvu, and Okinawa, same as Sledge and was also a mortarman like Sledge. I once asked him if he would volunteer to come to my history class and talk about WWII and also answer some questions , I would have received 100 points extra credit . He declined and I ended up getting a C in the class, I would have received an A, for 40 + years I never forgot that. Shortly before he passed I found out he was in Peleliu, his USMC history goes way beyond that, it is beyond belief.
I thank your father for his service! He’s a hero! Poor guy was probably dramatized dude don’t be to hard on him. I don’t want to talk about repeating a grade imagine all the horrors he must have seen and doesn’t want to talk about it!
I Thank your father and all those from their generation.
Truly the Greatest.
@Andre Behroozi I forgave him for that looong ago, swept it under the rug. Oh his history goes way beyond that all the way past Vietnam war. He was MACV 1962-63 and it appears he was in Columbia about 1972 , FARC ?, one of the last things he did before he retired. I have been researching him for about 10 years.
@Incognito Damnit, Have you requested his military records from Page Ave?
@Me Smith I have his SRB . It is huge, at least 500 pages + from 1944 to 1974
So sad. I watch the videos of the guys in Russia who find Germans and Soviets remains and equipment. They return the bodies to the government to find the families. My great grandfather was on this island. He captured a Japanese officer. My great grandfather shot the officer in the face in front of his soldiers. He spoke in Japanese. “ This is for Pearl Harbor” The rest of the men where shot dead.
MuscleCarsorNoCars It was total war. Kill the enemy.
Ivan Karaschuk it’s illegal to kill unarmed prisoners of war.
Il Postino for cold blooded murder?
MuscleCarsorNoCars Tell that to the POWs or the guys at pearl who drowned. I will become vengeance and strike down my enemies. You don’t like it. Look away. The enemy deserves no mercy.
Ivan Karaschuk oh yeah, all sides of the war commuted these atrocities. They should all be called out for the horrors they committed. Like the Biscari Massacre
Such respectful people the Japanese…Love to all families of lost servicemen..from every war..never again will we witness such acts of man
My grandfather fought there. It was nightmarish.
Can you think if the young men of today went to fight to in the same war and before they even signed to fight they be hold Protests, BLM, my uniform is to tight, none stop complaining, half would dropped out a load of them would be in the hospital So with what’s left of which you think was the real men when they got to the beach but there wasn’t enough to fight so they had a BBQ and took drugs.
There’s a difference when you’re fighting a war to protect your country and it’s people, vs needing it for free medical care and college. Also wtf do protests and BLM have to do with anything you boomer?
Only 1600 US dead? BS.
Actually the wiki page says around 2,300 casualitys. The U.S would literally spend DAYS shelling these islands with massive navel guns and air attacks. The fact that they were still able to put up such a defense was amazing.
@LoveHammer i still call BS. US grossly understating casualty figures. You can shell a well dug in enemy all you want. Eventually infantry has to go in. Against that same heavily dug in enemy with presighted fields of fire and, who incidentally doesnt believe in surrender. His or YOURS.
@1Man Army It doesnt matter if it’s a Navy Seal, Spetnaz, or German Commando. If all you give them is a bolt action rifle to fight a machinegun and artillery, they’re gonna lose…
Stay in your mommie’s basement playing fantasy games, and shut up.
It gives me call of duty waw vibes
Because one mission is actually based on this battle.
Lesson: Don’t pretend to be a friend to the U.S. and then sucker punch it in the back of the head.
Awful.battle. historian now claim.island could have been bypassed
larry robinson and the Japanese military could of surrendered without fighting, but that never happened either. It’s easy to pick on past events.
@DynamicDurge I am 74 with parkinsons so it’s hard sometimes to get my fingers to hit these damned small keys just right. I do best I can and am sorry to have offended you.Larry
@Baron Marseille you’re right but isn’t that what we should do with history especially our own ? What’s done is done and wont bring anybody back
larry robinson very true
@Baron Marseille take care and stay safe
Is it also important for the Japanese government to acknowledge the war crimes that they committed and apologise? We’re all still waiting.
0:54 God bless you and may your soul Rest In Peace. thank you for your sacrifice. I never met you but I have to yo thank for our freedom
There was an American painter who worked for TIME Magazine called Tom Lea who landed with the Marines on Peleliu. His paintings and sketches of the event are at times super graphic and depressing. I’m Canadian but I once wrote an essay on him for college.
I’ve seen those.
War is never good. It’s hard to loose thousands of those that are your own. But it is important to remember what each side was fighting for. Hopefully those how have not been found return home soon
All soldiers deserve to go home when the fighting is over.
Didn’t know John Leguizamo is now a tour guide.
This hacksaw ridge the movie?
No..Hacksaw Ridge was on Okinawa
@Kevin Johnson thanks
*US Marines
This is where John basilone earned his medal of honour
No…it was on Guadalcanal…Alligator Creek..or Tenaru..Oct 24 – 25 1942 ….No biggie..just sayin.
The Old Breed…RIP Sledgehammer !!°
Worked as a young Engineer at a power plant project on an island adjacent to Peleliu back in the 1980’s I used to drink with an old guy who was one of those US Marine’s who landed on those beaches in the first few waves. Told me he grow up in an orphanage as a kid and that his mates in Marine corp were the only real family he felt he ever had and that he lost his family that day, as a consequence he’d gone back as he wanted to live out the last few years of his life near ‘family’ The man was real Gentleman and just felt need to honour him and his memory by making this post.
I’ve read the book,an inspiration for the Pacific miniseries.
🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺. They are old soldiers to. We are at peace, let them go home so their spirits can rest to. Peace to the world. 👍👌💐🌺🌸🌻🌼🌹🌷😄
I was on Enewitok Atoll in 1977. Part of the U.S. Cleanup of Nuclear Bomb testing. On one tiny little island we worked on there was a pit of remains Japanese war dead. Or rather what was left of them. Only bone fragments and a few what looked a partial leg or skulls were visible in what amounted to a peices of skulls. Only a surveyors stake with a few Japanese letters to mark the grave. The Marshelles King consented for the Japanese goverment to remove and repatriate the remains. It was a grim place. I was told that there were the remains of over 300 soldiers in that pit. Mostly peices.