“These are the times that try men’s souls”

“In time of crisis when the future is in the balance, we come to understand, with full recognition and devotion, what this Nation is, and what we owe to it.” 75 Years ago the nation found itself in a very bad state. This is a copy of President Roosevelt’s Address over the radio in celebration […]

Gunfighters on the Java Sea – May 28 1945

I have been chronicling the actions of the US Forces in the Pacific fleet for a number of months and in doing so have found some really great stories with a lot of detail about how the war was progressing in mid 1945. One of those stories started with a small footnote about a wolf […]

Silent Service: Submarine Warfare in WW2

As Memorial Day 2015 approaches, I am once again reminded that submarine sailors paid a heavy price during the second World War in a way that is vastly more expensive that nearly any other type of war fighting based on a per capita measurement. This video certainly captures many of the issues they faced.

225,000 Visits… Nicely done!

The leansubmariner just went over 225,000 visits today. That’s pretty cool. I can’t tel you how much I appreciate your visits and those that come back for a second and maybe even a third look. Live has been pretty interesting lately. The place where I have been working is in the process of mothballing due […]

An inglorious end… sinking of the Yamato

Seventy years ago today (April 7 1945) marked the end of the Japanese battleship Yamato and her escorts. By this time in the war, ceaseless American bombing and submarine attacks had decimated the Japanese fleet and support activities. As the battle for Okinawa raged, the Yamato set sail with just enough fuel to make […]

Submarine Operations During World War 2 – Great Footage

Mister Mac Just a reminder: The USSVI Convention for 2015 is in Pittsburgh PA this year from September 7-12. Visit their web site at http://www.ussviconventionsteelcity2015.org/

CINCPOA PRESS RELEASE NO. 34, MARCH 15, 1945 Taking Possession Of Iwo Jima

The capture of Iwo Jima was supposed to take ten days. It would take 36. It was the bloodiest assault the Marines had ever been involved with. Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, Mar. 14.‑(Delayed)‑With the rattle of musketry to the north, where the remnants of the Japanese garrison force were being exterminated by Marines, faintly […]

Hakko Ichiu (“Eight corners of the World under one roof.”)

Hakko Ichiu. (“Eight corner of the World under one roof.”) Japanese World War II slogan alluding to the Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan. In an 8th Century literary collection, his words are recalled that the “eight corners of the world be united under one roof” creating a brotherhood of races. In AD […]

War in the Pacific – February 1945

The war in the Pacific was raging at full force in February of 1945. The battles in the Philippines were brutal and costly for the warriors and the people who lived there. Iwo Jima was about to be invaded costing the lives of many brave American Marines and Japanese defenders. Back home, citizens were still […]

December 10 – The Loss of the First Sealion

The attack at Pearl Harbor was barely finished when the predicted attacks in the Philippines began. In order for the Japanese empire to complete their planned establishment of a Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, the Philippines would have to be “liberated” from the American’s influence. A casual study of that part of the world shows […]