Megaweapons of WW2 on PBS

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BlackSheep214
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Megaweapons of WW2 on PBS

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Last night I was looking for something to watch on TV. Went to Prime Time On Demand and looked through various stations until I chose PBS. Yup and guess what? There was an episode on Battleship Yamato. Never knew it was THE biggest battleship built during WW2. Impressive yet the source of Japan having a too little too late to take advantage of her in battle. Took several torpedoes and 16 bombs to sink her. Mushidu (spelling?)was the other but she was the first to sink while Yamato went into hiding in safe harbor.
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Stikpusher
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Re: Megaweapons of WW2 on PBS

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If they said that she was “too little/too late” it sounds like that the show was poorly researched. Yamato was commissioned shortly after Pearly Harbor and was Admiral Yamamoto’s flagship at Midway. If anything it was a case of IJN brass not wanting to risk her in battle. She easily could have participated in the surface actions around Guadalcanal and potentially have made a difference there. In her sole surface action during the Battle off Samar at Leyte Gulf, she was handled poorly and taken out of the battle early by a torpedo evasive maneuver.
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Floki
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Re: Megaweapons of WW2 on PBS

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Leyte Gulf was a insane lopsided battle. The military Chanel has a few good episodes on the battle can also find the same episodes on YouTube.
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BlackSheep214
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Re: Megaweapons of WW2 on PBS

Post by BlackSheep214 »

Stikpusher wrote:If they said that she was “too little/too late” it sounds like that the show was poorly researched. Yamato was commissioned shortly after Pearly Harbor and was Admiral Yamamoto’s flagship at Midway. If anything it was a case of IJN brass not wanting to risk her in battle. She easily could have participated in the surface actions around Guadalcanal and potentially have made a difference there. In her sole surface action during the Battle off Samar at Leyte Gulf, she was handled poorly and taken out of the battle early by a torpedo evasive maneuver.
Everything you mentioned was mentioned on that show. Yes, she was commissioned shortly after Pearl Harbor - a week later in fact. Yes, the IJN brass were cautious putting Yamato in battle. Had they done so, the outcome of the Pacific theater would have been quite different. Yamato could have easily taken out numerous US ships if she was given the opportunity to do so from 24 miles away.

They did mention about how Yamato was taken to dry dock to be outfitted with anti aircraft guns. I mean this ship was armed with 100 guns and 3000 sailors. Only 276 were rescued from her sinking.

It’s funny, Hitler sent the Tirpitz into hiding in fear of aerial attack on her at one point. Until the mini subs and Lancaster’s armed with “Tallboys” sunk her in November 1944.
“Who controls the skies, controls the fate of this Earth”

Author unknown- 352nd Fighter Group, Blue-Nosed Bastards of Bodney

“Send one plane it’s a sortie; send two planes it’s a flight; send four planes it’s a test of airpower. - Richard Kohn
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