This photo appeared in Life magazine in 1942 and
brought the American public proof that the
Japanese were not unbeatable although
undoubtedly many were still not convinced.
This horrible
scene shows the actual Kaiten suicide pilots of
one man submarines prior to their boarding of
their individual sub. Though largely
unsuccessful, they were able to sink a few
supply ships.
This wonderful piece of history shows a truck
load of the best fighter pilots in the world as
they were being transferred back to their barracks after a landing at Henderson Field.
Life photographers get the credit for these
masterpieces of history. Click for much better
pictures.
Probably the most important fighting ship of WW2
was the Fletcher class shown below.
The above
picture shows pilot J.Thach explaining how to
fly his scheme of constant weaving of two or
more plains to keep enemy pilots off of the tail
of their planes ....Story
Not all carrier landings are perfect, here is
one that is even less than good.
Not all of these pictures are photos. Here is
a picture drawn by a young lady in Belgium who
read and liked the Maine Potato story. Below is
her rendition of it.
Click for the complete story.
You are not going to believe this but this is
a photo of the actual initial Marine landing
at Guadalcanal in August of 1942. Somehow a
Life photographer was able to take this
picture and get it published. Note the lack of
motorized landing craft and the huge number of
oars required to get ashore. Notice how the
onlookers were able to calmly watch without
any fuss or worry. A few Japanese planes could
have ruined this peaceful scene.
Click for a
larger photo.
This wonderful
photo, again by Life photographers, is an actual
picture showing a group of Marines taking a
brief rest before returning to combat.
Click for big picture.
Above: A not so
pleasant, but a common scene found on surrounding hospital ships in
the Pacific. This kind of care was rarely available to wounded
Japanese servicemen.
All of the stories on this site are true and
most are written by Ernest Herr - Combat Vet WW2
What was it like to be a
sailor on an American destroyer? Well, if you
check this picture, you will come up with the
wrong impression since the girl shown could only
be seen in these guy's dreams.
From a reader
in the Far East
Shown at the left is the flight deck of the
USS Hoggatt Bay. The author of this bit of
information
viewed this scene from the
safety of having crossed the equator some two
years earlier on the destroyer the USS O'Bannon.
Naturally this was a more enviable way to make
the crossing as on the prior crossing, it was I
who sat with the greased head and in the seat
that launched you backwards into the tank seen
here. The
escort carriers proved to be extremely important
in the elimination of submarines since their
aircraft provided an
enviable view of the ocean surface.
Here is a
picture of the PT 109 prior to it's being the title of a
Hollywood movie and prior to the gentleman on the right
becoming a U.S. president.
Click for a larger photo.
Another photo of the great Guadalcanal pilots
but this time the center pilot is Major Gailer.
John L. Smith is at the left and Marion Carl is
at the
right.
The USS Wasp was one of the first carriers to be
sunk by the Japanese
Click
for story
