I remember this movie! Always liked it. I'll have to buy it. Also good is the 7-ups, another NYPD cop movie of same era. Good stuff.
I appreciate your perspective and apprciate your service. To your secound paragraph; it seems to me that a quick decision was made to hand off the mission to the State Department and deemphasize the Pentagon running the immediate post battle phase ; most likely because of fear of how things would be seen from the anti-war crowd and too, because State was logical.
All the best intentions undone by State though; filled with anti-administration global-thinkers, it seems bad decisions were made at every turn and with General Franks immediate retirement, the Army leadership was inconsistent... and as the anti-war/anti-Bush/ Democrats noticed the opportunity, they pounced and started most of the BS memes that the press gladly magnified for the next 5 years. And of course, the administration never missing an opportunity to turn the other cheek and allow lies to linger and hypocrites to pontificate.
I agree with your assessment of Iraq and Iraqis. In my opinion, the region is set for instability and dire straights. A tinderbox...
short is ok. No offense taken... But, to what extent did the IJN exploit their carriers after Midway. Not much, that's all.... and we very quickly switched gears deploying the jeep carriers and made inroads into much of the central Pacific confining the IJN into fighing closer to home islands. I guess I was too curt. Didn't intend to be. I'll read some more... I thought I had a good grasp of the post-Midway flow, but willing to learn more. I don't think the IJN was "broken", but too, the ability of the IJN to do as they pleased after Midway was curtailed to a great extent and though they fought tough battles thereafter for sure, after summer '42, the conquests were complete and it was a battle of attrition, no?
Well, I'll have to disagree with you on the IJN's capabilities after 1943. They were severely short on fuel and thus did not have the range to affect much of the Pacific. They were a threat for sure, but only in a limited area. They had no real carrier threat after Midway. Individual battles were never a given, but my point was, the IJN, based on what I've read, just didn't have the logistics to fight the growing USN and the end result was never in doubt... it was always the treasure of lives lost to get them to admit defeat.
Good points. I don't think the Japanese underestimated us as much as they were as "racist" as we were. We derided their capabilities and they though themselves ultimately superior in every way. I do not think Yamamoto thought they had a chance, but he was not as rabid as the Army. The Navy was by and large more reluctant to buy into the superior mindset.
Agreed the IJN was superior in 1941 and evern through 1942... but that quickly reversed and as our subs finally got good torpedos and we flooded the pacific with jeep carriers and island bases, air superiority soon followed by '43 on. It was never a easy win and the Japanese fought hard all the way... in fact, so hard and determined it was an easy decision to use the bombs as soon as they were available... It was a horrendous war; fought brutally. I think you read more into my view of the movie than I feel towards the War in the Pacific. I do not admire or give credit to the Japanese at all. They were brutal in indoChina and merciless in their conduct in the War... especially the Army. They were a cult that had to be crushed, and we ultimately did so at a high cost on both sides.
ha ha... ok, I'll give you some soap, but it really is a good movie.. and I know we agree on that.
Yes... Max Hastings is one of my favorite authors. I've read Armageddon too. Just bought his latest, but haven't started it yet... ( it's large ) " Inferno".
Agreed. I may have to watch In Harm's Way again... tonight! Heh. Trying to see what this History Channel special is like and if it's worth tuning away from....
your conclusion is right on. The Japs never had a chance of winning. It was a one-off attack, and within 6 months they were losing the Pacific and within a year, their Navy ceased to be a real threat. It was only a matter of time and how many of us they could kill. I recommend " Retribution" by Max Hastings... a good book that explores this well...
I "thought" I liked Tora Tora Tora as I was building my war movie collection on DVD's a few years back... and my memory failed me. Like I said in one of the above replies, I like In Harms' Way much better. I found TTT too 70's and too "balanced". I want a movie that shows just how the Japs earned our revenge and how we gave it to them. I'll pass on the BluRay.. Thanks for the review though..
Soapiest? Really? I disagree... It's got women, rape, killing, revenge, fires, dancing, beards, respect for elders, suicide mission, killing Japs, ... .best line of the movie... " bring it up to 20 kts as soon as you can.. 20kts through the harbor? You heard the man! " awesome..
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Opus