Pacific - Episode 6 (1 Viewer)

[lancer]

Don't know what else to say except #6 was just plain outstanding. Best one yet, etc. -- Al

 

[gk5717]

Great episode, fastest 50 minutes of TV this year!
The airfield attack reminded me of the SPR Omaha Beach scenes.
And to think we still have Okinawa and Iwo Jima, plus the remainder of Pelilui.
If someone has a complaint about Episode 6, they probablly would complain about winning the lottery.
Gary

 

[marco55]

Yes a great episode about a terrible battle.Makes you wonder how anybody can survive something like that.
Mark

 

[lancer]

I was very impressed by the scenes where Leckie was told to go get the corpsman and radio. One could see the "What, me go back across that airfield?" look in his face. Then he looks at his wounded buddy and goes even though you can see he feels he's doomed. Great scenes, great episode. -- Al

 

[sammy719]

Loved episode 6, battle scenes were top notch!!!! 5 smilies!!

 

[Stryker II]

Great episode, fastest 50 minutes of TV this year!
The airfield attack reminded me of the SPR Omaha Beach scenes.
And to think we still have Okinawa and Iwo Jima, plus the remainder of Pelilui.
If someone has a complaint about Episode 6, they probablly would complain about winning the lottery.
Gary

Gary: Well I'm sure SOMEONE will have something stupid to blow off about!!!!!........Stryker

 

[Warrior]

This was an episode I was sad to see end, had me glued to the screen for the entire time, that airfield attack was something else, parts flying everywhere.

That scene along with Omaha Beach from SPR drive home just how random war really is; the worst soldier in a squad can somehow make it across the beach/airfield while the best dies right next to him, it's so random and senseless.

This series has shown me the Marines fought more than just the Japanese, they fought the elements as well; the rain, the heat, the disease, poor Leckie, the guy has bad luck and no luck at all.

Sledge has saved the series IMO, I can really identify with him and the next episode will be off the charts from what I've seen and heard.

 

[gk5717]

Last night HBO replayed the first 3 episodes together and I watched them. Enjoyed them more this time than the first go around. I think it is because I now am familier with all the charectors. Before it was one dirty face after another and it was hard identifying with them.
Gary

 

[kingtoot]

I watched episode one with the fight at Alligator Creek..pretty spectacular even though it's at night..this series already shows the emotional toll that jungle warfare has on soldiers...pretty emotional stuff

 

[binder001]

I guess the major frustration for me was watching the bloodbath on the beaches and inland and knowing that it didn't have to happen! Peleliu was such a horrible mistake from many angles. It sure brings up the bravery that the Marines exhibited when storming a hostile shore. It inspired me to re-read some of the accounts of the battle. Right now I am in the Peleliu chapter in Ed Gilbert's "Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific".

Gary B.

 

[VIRIATO]

Saw this one last night. AWESOME!!!! Probably the best episode I've seen so far. Terrific combat scenes, action, the best this series has to offer so far in my opinion (although I did like the episode in Australia too, very different but great stuff too IMO).
The scenes look pretty realistic, production (location, uniforms, guns, aircraft), the action tempo and music, I loved it...


Paulo

 

[Rob]

Well I just saw the first two episodes and liked it very much.The combat scenes were superb,especially Alligator creek and the later night fight scenes,very well done and very atmospheric.The scene with the 'wounded' Japenes soldier with the hand grenade said it all about the enemy the Marines faced.Its a great companion series to Band of Brothers and both are brilliant in their own way.And both show us the things we ask our young men to do so we may be free from oppression and hatred,things that no one should have to do but thank god there are people who will.



Rob

 

[wds0855]

I have liked all the episodes so far.
In 6, crossing the airfield, was there a reason why they couldn't wait for the tanks? I am not familiar with the battle on this island, but later in the episode I noticed there was a tank brought up. I thought it would have been great to have that armor support when crossing that airfield.

P.S. - If you have Comcast HBO, you should be able to go to the "On Demand" section, and then "Premium Channels", and then "HBO" and you should see the Pacific episodes there, up to 6, that you can watch anytime.

Walt

 

[VIRIATO]

Well I just saw the first two episodes and liked it very much.The combat scenes were superb,especially Alligator creek and the later night fight scenes,very well done and very atmospheric.The scene with the 'wounded' Japenes soldier with the hand grenade said it all about the enemy the Marines faced.Its a great companion series to Band of Brothers and both are brilliant in their own way.And both show us the things we ask our young men to do so we may be free from oppression and hatred,things that no one should have to do but thank god there are people who will.



Rob

If you've liked the combat scenes on those episodes, wait till the 6th...

Paulo

 

[binder001]

I have liked all the episodes so far.
In 6, crossing the airfield, was there a reason why they couldn't wait for the tanks? I am not familiar with the battle on this island, but later in the episode I noticed there was a tank brought up. I thought it would have been great to have that armor support when crossing that airfield. Walt

Peleliu was a major tragedy compounded by human error. Peleliu and the Palaus were to be taken or neutralized to guard the flank of the invasion of the Philipines. After Halsey struck the island he recommended that it be bypassed, Nimitz concurred but felt he didn't have the authority to cancel the operation and bucked it to the Joint Chiefs - so basically the 1st Marine Div was wasted on a hell-hole that didn't need to be invaded. From Air recon Peleliu looked like fairly easy terrain. The jungle and vegetation hid the fact that it is full of caves, small hills and deep depressions. The Marianas operations were taking longer than planned so shipping was still tied up, so the 1st Marine Tank Battalion started off with only 30 out of 46 tanks. The end of Peleliu that was invaded was poor tank country and the Japanese resistance was fierce. Armored support was needed on each flank to attack positions that were firing on the beaches. So the tanks were there for crossing the airfield, just not enough of them. Unfortunately the flame tank might have been beneficial on Peleliu but the ones with a high-capacity flamethrower replacing the 75mm gun were not yet available. The last Japanese troops on Peleliu didn't surrender until about 1947.

Gary B.

 

[bromhead]

I guess the major frustration for me was watching the bloodbath on the beaches and inland and knowing that it didn't have to happen! Peleliu was such a horrible mistake from many angles. It sure brings up the bravery that the Marines exhibited when storming a hostile shore. It inspired me to re-read some of the accounts of the battle. Right now I am in the Peleliu chapter in Ed Gilbert's "Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific".

Gary B.

My division took thousands of casualties from 1965 -70 in the same area along the Cambodian border,now its a paved highway area with mcdonalds and clothes factories supplying chinamart,along with tourist visits. The Didnt have to Happen, syndrome is a very major frustration for the survivors.

 

[UKReb]

Peleliu was a major tragedy compounded by human error. Peleliu and the Palaus were to be taken or neutralized to guard the flank of the invasion of the Philipines. After Halsey struck the island he recommended that it be bypassed, Nimitz concurred but felt he didn't have the authority to cancel the operation and bucked it to the Joint Chiefs - so basically the 1st Marine Div was wasted on a hell-hole that didn't need to be invaded. From Air recon Peleliu looked like fairly easy terrain. The jungle and vegetation hid the fact that it is full of caves, small hills and deep depressions. The Marianas operations were taking longer than planned so shipping was still tied up, so the 1st Marine Tank Battalion started off with only 30 out of 46 tanks. The end of Peleliu that was invaded was poor tank country and the Japanese resistance was fierce. Armored support was needed on each flank to attack positions that were firing on the beaches. So the tanks were there for crossing the airfield, just not enough of them. Unfortunately the flame tank might have been beneficial on Peleliu but the ones with a high-capacity flamethrower replacing the 75mm gun were not yet available. The last Japanese troops on Peleliu didn't surrender until about 1947.

Gary B.

Gary

Many thanks for the brief but very erudite synopsis of Peleliu as I too wondered why they raced across that deadly airfield in broad daylight and without tank support. It was almost a reversal of fortune that the Marines found themselves in a similar situation as the Japanese had at Guadalcanal-charging a strongly fortified position. This might sound an odd analogy but then again with my interest perhaps not so odd. But watching this episode last night I was reminded of earlier Americans in insufferable heat charging up Cemetery Ridge during Pickett's Charge coming under the same intense artillery and infantry fire.

My son lives in Melbourne and a couple of his friends worked on the series as part of the production crew and he told me way back early last year not to expect the sequel to Band of Brothers this was going to be a whole different and dirty ball game. I'm beginning to understand his quote but I do think this as a television series will in time become as popular as BoB and will definitely find a place on everyone's DVD shelf.

I don't agree with other poster's disappointment about lack of character definition I believe I now know Leckie quite well and Sledge in this episode earning his handle of "Sledgehammer" definitely marks his maturity as a Marine even though we don't quite yet know what's going on in his head. That weird creepy Snafu is another great character but I'm not sure I would feel happy having him protecting my left flank. Like most of you probably have I have known the story of Congressional Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross winner Sgt John Basilone for many years and I'm sure his final scenes on Iwo Jima are going to be as moving and as tragic as it was when I read the book. Also Zimmer's main theme music has now grown on me and I'm beginning to get that same haunting feel I have whenever I hear the BoB theme. Just a Brit's opinion and with still another four episodes to go but I believe Spielberg & Hanks have another winner on their hands.

Reb

 

[lancer]

It has been a great series. I have enjoyed it since the first minutes and have not been disappointed at all. The combat episodes have been extremely well done but I have found myself liking the "downtime" episodes the most. The fight for survival was against the whole environment, not just the Japanese, and the series has been quite successful in conveying this. It is beyond my understanding that the Marines were forced to fight on Peleliu without the basic need of fresh water. That was a major SNAFU that went beyond battle circumstances. It was a major planning and supply error, as was, it seems, the whole campaign. But, as is said, hindsight is 20/20. -- Al

 

[binder001]

It is beyond my understanding that the Marines were forced to fight on Peleliu without the basic need of fresh water. That was a major SNAFU that went beyond battle circumstances. It was a major planning and supply error, as was, it seems, the whole campaign. But, as is said, hindsight is 20/20. -- Al

According to "Marine Corps Tank Battles In the Pacific" the USMC did plan for water supply, unfortunately somebody thought it would be more efficient to use 55-gallon drums over the 5-gallon cans. Remember the scene about scrubbing fuel drums? Many of the drums were still contaminated with fuel so the water that did reach shore was undrinkable or gave the men cramping diarrhea. The one fresh water source on Peleliu was up in the hills and the Japanese fought fiecely to retain control of it.

The sun and tropical heat made the tanks like ovens. Gilbert's book mentions that with combat losses there were more crews than running tanks, so a tank would return to the supply point, the exhausted crew would climb out, the tank was resupplied and a fresh crew would drive it back into combat.

Gary B.

 

[lancer]

According to "Marine Corps Tank Battles In the Pacific" the USMC did plan for water supply, unfortunately somebody thought it would be more efficient to use 55-gallon drums over the 5-gallon cans. Remember the scene about scrubbing fuel drums? Many of the drums were still contaminated with fuel so the water that did reach shore was undrinkable or gave the men cramping diarrhea. The one fresh water source on Peleliu was up in the hills and the Japanese fought fiecely to retain control of it.

The sun and tropical heat made the tanks like ovens. Gilbert's book mentions that with combat losses there were more crews than running tanks, so a tank would return to the supply point, the exhausted crew would climb out, the tank was resupplied and a fresh crew would drive it back into combat.

Gary B.

Hi Gary. Interesting about the tanks. I wasn't aware of the crew switching. Conditions in the tanks must have worn those men out, fast. I knew about the fuel drum-water plans and problems. Good intentions aside, the whole idea seems dangerous. A little thought should have revealed what a problem contamination would have been. I believe that with the belief that the campaign would be short, the water problem probably just didn't seem a major problem until too late. Like I said, SNAFU. The fighting for the fresh water supply was quite viscious from what I have read. Not hard to figure that one. Peleliu was just tragic. -- Al