1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Let's hear it for our super producer, 4 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: Max the Great North Williams. What do you think that works? 5 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 2: It works? It all works. I am from the most 6 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 2: northern state out of the three of us. You're a Michigan. 7 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 2: That's the correct term, isn't it. 8 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: That's hilarious. 9 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 2: So it was good for the michig. 10 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: You're no Brown, I'm ben bowling today we are. We're 11 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: doing it with the help of a researchers social you, 12 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: Max Williams. 13 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 2: The Michigan Michigan Max and. 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: The Michigan or Williams doing some uh doing some double duty. Here. 15 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: We are continuing our weird mission, our don Quixote esque 16 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: qixotic mission, to do an episode about every single state 17 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: in these United States where punch and windmills whenever we 18 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: get the chance. Well, that's on them from punching giants anyway. Yeah, 19 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: jousting them. 20 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're all completely mad. We're insane people. 21 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: Anybody who says they're not completely mad is lying to 22 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 1: themselves or to you. 23 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 2: Correct. So where are we going Alaska. 24 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: Oh nice, nice, nice, I'm sorry, I'll ask her where 25 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: we're Oh Alaska, I don't even know. She's great, but 26 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: it's true. We are going to Alaska, which is huge. 27 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 2: It's mad, big, y'all mad, big giant land masks much 28 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 2: bigger than Vatican City six hundred and sixty three thousand, 29 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 2: two hundred and sixty eight square my else over a 30 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 2: fifth of the side of the entire contiguous these United States, 31 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 2: which is three million, one hundred and nineteen thousand, eight 32 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 2: hundred and eighty four point six nine miles. 33 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: Take a breath square six six nine. Nice. Let's let's 34 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: not forget Thiku. 35 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 2: Mex left the sixth nine of their own purpose man 36 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: for effect. 37 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: We're having a cloud outless moment. I feel so seen, 38 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,519 Speaker 1: you know what. By way of segue, max mentions was 39 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: also big. World War Two. World War two, as any 40 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,399 Speaker 1: history buff knows, began in nineteen thirty nine. 41 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 2: Also known as the Gnarly War. 42 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: Yes, also known as World War two the warranning. It 43 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: ended in nineteen forty five. As of now twenty twenty three, 44 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: as we record, World War two is currently the deadliest 45 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: and most destructive war in history. Full stop yeah, short 46 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: of like another nuke being detonated. It will probably you know, 47 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: hold that title simply because the nature of warfare has 48 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 1: just changed. It's a lot more targetable, it's a lot 49 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: more precise. Uh. 50 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 2: This was a ground conflict, you know, with people murdering 51 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 2: each other with with guns. And then of course you 52 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 2: know the big ones, the big boy, the little man. 53 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: Big man, little boy, uh fat fat boy, little man 54 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: fat Uh No, little little boy. 55 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 2: Of fat man. That's rat Man. Yeah, that's right. Big 56 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 2: ups to Robert oh Oppenheimer. Anyone seen Have you seen 57 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 2: it yet? Whether have you seen Oppenheimer? 58 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: I've read a lot about it. There's an excellent graphic 59 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: novel called Trinity. Yes that actually you remember this because 60 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: Matt Frederick and I. Matt introduced me to it and 61 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: we had we got a wild hair where we're going 62 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: to try to make a podcast out of it. But 63 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: from what I hear, Christopher Nolan basically nailed it. 64 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 2: There is a documentary that's available right now on the 65 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 2: Criterion channel called The Day After Trinity, and that refers 66 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 2: to something that Oppenheimer said in an interview when he 67 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 2: was asked about the idea from the president at the 68 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 2: time of stemming nuclear proliferation or you know, kind of 69 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 2: pulling back nuclear you know, armaments or whatever. And Oppenheimer said, 70 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 2: where many years too late? That should have begun, that 71 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: effort should have begun the day after Trinity, which of 72 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 2: course refers to the test of the nuclear bomb. 73 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: I want to shout out friend of the show, friend 74 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: of ours, Patrese, who lives in Australia, who had this 75 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: great suggestion talking about Oppenheimer movie, had this great suggestion 76 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: of doing an MCU approach to all these physicists and 77 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: nuclear related scientists. And I think stuff will get real 78 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: spicy when they get to Parsons, you know sex call 79 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: it guy. Well, moving on, right. War is hell. It 80 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: drives many innovations, but it also shows humanity the worst 81 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: of itself. More than fifty nations getting tangled in the conflict, 82 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: more than one hundred million souls are deployed. Books and 83 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: books and books have been written about World War Two, 84 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: not to mention the fact that films about World War 85 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: Two still come out continually every single year. Saving Ryan's 86 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: Privates no, sorry, the version Saving Private Ryane. 87 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, storming the beaches in Normandy. All of that good, Yeah, 88 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 2: is Dunkirk World War two? Is that World War One? Yep, 89 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 2: Dunkirk is two and also an excellent Christopher Nolan film. 90 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,559 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, a look at Christopher. So what we're saying 91 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: is it's easy for some of these conflicts and some 92 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: of these stories to get lost in the mix because 93 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: so many crazy, terrible things happened. And here is something 94 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: that you may not have known. I certainly didn't until 95 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: Max asked us about it. Noel, there were World War 96 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: two battles fought in Alaska, and of course, just to 97 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: be just so nobody else has to have this emotional 98 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: roller coaster that I had, Moose were not part of 99 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: the battles. 100 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. I've always would loved the idea of like moose, 101 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 2: which is its own plural of course, being you know, armored, 102 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 2: like some sort of attack bear. You know situation. 103 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: I told you when I got back because I had 104 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: to go to a producing show called Missing in Alaska 105 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: and spent like two weeks or a little more than 106 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 1: two weeks I think, in that state right as October 107 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: was coming, and Moose run the town. This is something 108 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: a lot of people who don't live in Alaska don't know. 109 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: Alaskans have a hard time celebrating Halloween because moose like pumpkins, 110 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: and they will just go and eat the jack of 111 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: lanterns and beat me here, Max, fucking no one can 112 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: stop them. 113 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, they're massive. Yeah. If you if you kill a 114 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 2: moose in Tears of the Kingdom Legend of Zelda, it 115 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 2: nets you three pieces of prime meat. 116 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 1: Oh how many? How many pieces of prime meat do 117 00:06:57,800 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: other animals? 118 00:06:58,320 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 2: Typically only one? 119 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: Okay, So Zelta gets it, Nintendo gets it. 120 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 2: Nintendo also got World War Two because it's always, I mean, 121 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 2: this is not really the point of today's episode, but 122 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 2: I always I think that both of us find it 123 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 2: fascinating how Japan is one country that had to just 124 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 2: reinvent itself entirely, you know, essentially after having its old 125 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 2: way of life annihilated by a nuclear weapon. And they 126 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 2: did so with Gusto and and and repurposed themselves as 127 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 2: this incredibly important cultural, pop cultural mecca, you know, for 128 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 2: for everything from toys to manufacturing to just culture, yeah, 129 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 2: design all of this. 130 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: Nintendo was a playing card company. That's that's a success story. 131 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 2: All right. 132 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: So what we're saying is history of World War Two. 133 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: It's just shock full of terrible battles, lots of place 134 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: names that become legendary. We mentioned Dunkirk, but what about 135 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: Omaha Beach, Guadalcanal, Okinawa. To your point, there are three 136 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: names you may not have heard of at all, islands 137 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: off the coast of Alaska, adat Atu and Kiska. They 138 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: are part of the story of what's called the Allusion Campaign. 139 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, the Elusive Allutian Campaign, a chain of small islands 140 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: known as the Aleutian Islands that separate the Bearing Sea 141 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 2: to the north from the main part of the Pacific 142 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 2: Ocean to the south. They form kind of an arc 143 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 2: to the southwest and then northwest for around eleven hundred 144 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 2: miles or eighteen hundred kilometers from the very tippity tip 145 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 2: of the Alaskan Peninsula to the Atu island that you mentioned. 146 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: Ben As the moose flies indeed, or. 147 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 2: As it you know, gallops. 148 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, the moose in Alaska can fly. If you have 149 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: never been to Alaska, just take that on. I think 150 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: you're thinking of Rocky as opposed to Bullwinkle. Oh maybe yet. 151 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: There are also a lot of costumes on the moose's 152 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: very popular. It's it's the it's the annual moose Cosplay festival. 153 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 2: That's what you go mainstay on the wall of hunting lodges. 154 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, oh gosh, yeah. So Americans, the American forces 155 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: starting nineteen forty two, they struggle to take control of 156 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: two of these islands, Atula and Kiska. And not only 157 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,959 Speaker 1: do they confront the Japanese, but they're really fighting two 158 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: different battles. Not only are you fighting human enemies, but 159 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: shout out to Jack London from to build a Fire, 160 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: you're fighting one of mankind's eternal enemies, the climate that 161 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 1: you were not evolved to exist in, the bitter bitter cold. 162 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: It is incredibly cold. And the story of this battle, 163 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: the series of conflicts, the defense of American soil. As 164 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 1: you point out, Max, it has largely disappeared from the 165 00:09:56,280 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: collective consciousness, which is why if you go to the 166 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: Library of Congress you're going to see titles like World 167 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: War Two's Unknown Campaign, because there hasn't been a film 168 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: about this yet. And this is making me think it's time. 169 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: It's time that we open up the pitch process for 170 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: ridiculous studios again. 171 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe we can bring in Nolan to the process. 172 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 2: He seems to be down for this type of content. 173 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,679 Speaker 1: So tell us a little bit about the Aleutian Islands. Man, what, 174 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: I've never been to those islands, but they're part of Alaska. 175 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 2: No, but you may have heard of a chain of 176 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 2: volcanoes in the Pacific known as the Ring of Fire. 177 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: Correct, Johnny Cash. 178 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:43,959 Speaker 2: Those are in fact a continuation of the Alaskan Allusian Range, 179 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 2: which are in fact underwater. 180 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: And of course, the Johnny Cash song Ring of Fire 181 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: is entirely about the likelihood of volcanic explosions and earthquakes 182 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 1: in the Pacific. 183 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 2: Think about it. Read the lyrics the very least, the 184 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 2: volcanic explosion of love. 185 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: There we go, and most of these islands do show 186 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: their volcanic origin. You can see evidence of that, and 187 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: some of the volcanoes on those islands remain active today, 188 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: thinking specifically of the Shishaldan volcano, which is near the 189 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: center of Unimak Island. The shores are not your typical 190 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:24,559 Speaker 1: tourist destination. 191 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 2: They're rocky. 192 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: It's dangerous to approach them by water because the land 193 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 1: rises abruptly from the coast to these big, big mountains. 194 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: There's not really a fun beach, is what we're saying. 195 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: Oh and for eight thousand years, nobody lived there except 196 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: for Aleutian people. 197 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 2: That's right, the Aluits also known as the Unangan. They 198 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 2: were the only occupants of these islands, and by the 199 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 2: time Russian explorers hit the scene around twenty five thousand, 200 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 2: Unang and indigenous people dispersed to occupy the whole of 201 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 2: the Aleutian Islands. 202 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, and in seventeen forty one, Russian forces send two 203 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: dudes to explore the area. One is a Danish guy, 204 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: Vitus bearing. 205 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:22,599 Speaker 2: Bearing Straight named after Hi might sound familiar. Yeah, I 206 00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 2: didn't look it up, but that hasen. 207 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, right there, It's like who invented the saxophone. So 208 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 1: there's another guy, Alexei Chirikov, and he is Russian, and 209 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: they're kind of doing like a maritime Lewis and Clark thing. 210 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: So their ships become separated in a storm, and this 211 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:50,719 Speaker 1: leads Cherikov to quote unquote discover several of the Eastern Islands. 212 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: I'm saying quote unquote discover because, of course, for almost 213 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: ten thousand years other people were living there and they 214 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:04,439 Speaker 1: were continually discovering where they lived. So Bearing quote unquote 215 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: discovered several of these Western islands. Things are well for 216 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: our buddy Vitas. He he dies during the voyage. The 217 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: crew survives. They come back to Russia. They say, you guys, 218 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:20,719 Speaker 1: you know, we love fur coats, and the Russians are like, yeah, man, 219 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:22,680 Speaker 1: we're Russian. Fur Coats are one of our you know, 220 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: they're one of our big things. And they say, there 221 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 1: are so many furry animals out there, we should go hunting. 222 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 1: So hunters come from all around Siberia flock toward these islands. 223 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 1: They move across the Aleutians to the Alaska mainland, and 224 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:42,319 Speaker 1: this is where Russia gets its foothold in North America. 225 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: And they do this in a bloody parallel of what 226 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: US colonists would later do. They slaughter the Anangun people. Yeah. Yeah, 227 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: that's sort of the vibe of, you know, folks coming 228 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,559 Speaker 1: into areas that they would like to think they discovered, 229 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: right and then just contending with the inconvenient fact that 230 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: they're already, like, you know, people hanging out there. Let's 231 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: tell Hey, let's tell Max. We hey, Max, we discovered 232 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: this studio. 233 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,440 Speaker 2: I'll slaughter you, I believe it. Yeah. The door locks 234 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 2: from the outside. Well, yeah, Max is a bloodthirsty conqueror. Yeah, 235 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 2: as well. As a crack producer. 236 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: Yes, and the first Nation's folks living there, the Unongun 237 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: who were not slaughtered, were enslaved or they were forced 238 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: to relocate. Eventually, Russia sells the islands and the rest 239 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: of Alaska to the United States in eighteen sixty seven. 240 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: And the street name for this was Seward's Folly or 241 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: Seward's ice box, because literally everybody else in America I 242 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: thought it was the dumbest idea. 243 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 3: Oh random history fact right here. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, 244 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 3: it was a three prong assassination attempt to get Lincoln, 245 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 3: Andrew Johnson, and Seward. Seward actually got the attack happened 246 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 3: john and the attack didn't happen, but Seward survived the 247 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 3: assassination ten So that's his other footnote in history. That's 248 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 3: a smaller one behind he bought Alaska, Max with the facts. 249 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 2: That seeking in the ponds backs and he's fallen. 250 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 3: Lol. 251 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: It's just for you right now here with the fact. 252 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 2: So in nineteen forty two, you might have heard of 253 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 2: a little thing called Pearl Harbor. Six months before that, 254 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 2: that fateful Japanese attack that really kicked off World War 255 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 2: two in earnest in Hawaii, the Japanese were eyeing the 256 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 2: Aleutian Islands. 257 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 1: They were Yes, this is very true. And once they 258 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: reached the island chain this archipelago, the Japanese started conducting. 259 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: Japanese forces started conducting airstrikes on Dutch Harbor, which was 260 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: the site of two US military bases. They started this 261 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: on June third and June fourth. Then they made landfall 262 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: at Kiska Island on June sixth, and then uh, just 263 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 1: a day later, they make landfall on Atu Island, about 264 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: two hundred miles away. They quickly establish pop up military 265 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: bases on both islands. Does it feel like some of 266 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: these indigenous names, you know, for these islands that obviously 267 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: descended from the people who lived there, were possibly inspiration 268 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: for some Star Wars things. Yeah, I know, that's a 269 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: good call. 270 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 2: It island just really feels very much in the Star 271 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 2: Wars universe. The Japanese garrison their forces there, established military 272 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 2: bases on both Kiska and Atu Islands, and very similarly 273 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 2: to other islands in the Aleutian chain, Atu and Kiska 274 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 2: didn't really represent much of a military stronghold strategically speaking, right. 275 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, I would agree with that. Man because they didn't 276 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: have a ton of resources. They're rocks in the far North. 277 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: They had a lot of harsh weather. It was they're 278 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:14,880 Speaker 1: out of the way, they're out of the way, they're 279 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: out of the main way of the conflict. That they 280 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: have a lot of crazy storms and fog and rain, 281 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: and you know, it snows a lot. If you ask 282 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: historians after the fact, you'll hear a lot of them 283 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 1: argue that Japan seized those two islands because they wanted 284 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: to divert attention during the Japanese attack on Midway Island, 285 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: which was occurrying June fourth through seventh in nineteen forty two, 286 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:45,200 Speaker 1: and so they were trying to get the US Navy 287 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaker 1: to misdirect its forces a diversion right right. And they 288 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: they also thought, apparently, and this makes sense, that holding 289 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: those islands could stop the US from invading Japan's home island, 290 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: because once you get to that top of the globe, 291 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: Japan is a lot closer to the Aleutian Islands than 292 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: we might assume. 293 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 2: Does it make sense maybe that the Japanese would have 294 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 2: targeted these island chains because it was something they were 295 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 2: kind of comfortable with in terms of you know, military operations, 296 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 2: you know, because it's similar layout to their home turf. 297 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's similar, it's easier to get to. It's also yeah, 298 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,919 Speaker 1: it goes into kind of the island hopping strategy. But 299 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: they are again the Bearing Sea and the Sea of 300 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: Altast separate them, but they're they're very close, you know 301 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 1: what I mean. 302 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, And jumping real quick, there is this interesting thread 303 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 3: that I've really been kind of pulling on in history, 304 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 3: and we've actually talked about it a number time. I 305 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 3: kind of think this is like part three or four 306 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 3: of a series that we have, which spoiler there's another 307 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 3: part or in works where it's like this fear of 308 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 3: Japanese invasion on the West coast of America. It was 309 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:05,880 Speaker 3: never really a thing that was ever actually that close. 310 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 3: But you know, we have the fire balloons, we have 311 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 3: the guy who tried to fire bomb Oregon. Japan was 312 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 3: always trying to keep this narrative going like, hey, America, we're. 313 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,000 Speaker 2: Not that far away, watch out, yeah, which is like. 314 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 3: I mean, there's not really any proof that they ever 315 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,640 Speaker 3: got to the point where they thought invading the US 316 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:24,360 Speaker 3: was feasible because it's so far. 317 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:28,880 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, and we should draw a differentiation there between 318 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: US the whole thing and continental US because Hawaii is 319 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: in the middle of the ocean. So from a strategic standpoint, 320 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:44,479 Speaker 1: Pearl Harbor, the Pearl Harbor attack makes sense for Japan. 321 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,199 Speaker 1: It would have been much more feasible than attacking SA 322 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: San Francisco anyway. 323 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 2: But it was a big deal to have the Japanese 324 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 2: occupying any portion of American soil, no matter how out 325 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 2: of the way. 326 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: One hundred percent. Like philosophically speaking, yes, how dare the 327 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: uh so? They know it's remote, they know it's barren, 328 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 1: but they're saying Japanese troops are on US soil, they're 329 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:15,520 Speaker 1: occupying US land, and they stoke this fear amongst themselves, 330 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 1: not without some justification. They say, look, these forces might 331 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: this might be the first step in an attack on 332 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 1: Alaska or you know, even the entirety of the Pacific Northwest. 333 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: And the press is drumming up a lot of bloody 334 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: headlines about this. But the people in charge of the 335 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: American war effort, from what I understand, man, they're still 336 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to survive Pearl Harbor exactly. 337 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: That's that's you know, mission critical, that's like item number 338 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,199 Speaker 1: one on the to do list, right right, and so 339 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: their attention is already kind of in a couple of 340 00:20:54,520 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 1: different places. Japan occupies these islands for months, and for 341 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,440 Speaker 1: a while for the first few months, all the US 342 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: military does is sort of fly by and bomb stuff occasionally, 343 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: sort of an effort to show that they are doing something. 344 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 2: In the meantime, the Japanese soldiers who have garrison on 345 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 2: these islands are doing a bang up job of getting 346 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,679 Speaker 2: very cozy, relatively as cozy as you can get in 347 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 2: these very harsh climates. The Japanese Navy is keeping them 348 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:32,239 Speaker 2: stocked with you know, snacks of their war snacks, and 349 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 2: also you know, arms. 350 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:35,919 Speaker 1: Of cose and ammunition and fuel. 351 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 2: And all that kind of stuff. So by January of 352 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 2: nineteen forty three, the US has sort of beefed up 353 00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 2: its Alaskan Command to the tune of around ninety four 354 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:51,160 Speaker 2: thousand soldiers. They've set up several bases around and on 355 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 2: other Aleutian islands, and on January eleventh, troops from that 356 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 2: Alaskan Command make landfall on Amchitka Island, which is about 357 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 2: fifty miles from Kiska Island, one of the two main 358 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 2: ones that the Japanese are occupying. 359 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is where we have to introduce US 360 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,399 Speaker 1: Navy Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kincaid, And I want to 361 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: stop and say, you know, thank you to all our 362 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: veterans to Nina. And yes, we have not ever been 363 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: members of the Navy. And I will never not think 364 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,400 Speaker 1: Rear Admiral is low key hilarious. 365 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 2: It's funny, yeah, Ian. Yeah, A lot of a lot 366 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 2: of military terms associated with leadership do kind of have 367 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 2: a little bit of a teh quality to them. So 368 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 2: you guys cool by jumping real quick. 369 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 3: I got some pretty intense facts right here. The temperature 370 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,120 Speaker 3: currently on ODD two station in Alaska, yeah, is fifty 371 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:44,880 Speaker 3: three degrees. 372 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 2: We're recording this in August. 373 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 3: Fifty three below, just fifty three degrees, and in Kiska 374 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 3: it is supposed to get up to fifty five today. 375 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,360 Speaker 1: Boiling global boiling. 376 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh right, but that's not insane, right, that's what 377 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 2: we're talking, Like fifty three it's cold, but it's not like. 378 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 1: It's the height of August. So it's the heighth of August, 379 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:08,959 Speaker 1: so it'd be one of the warmest months in the 380 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: Northern hemisphere. That's about as hot as it gets, even 381 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: with all the hard work we've done throwing all those 382 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: pollutants in the air. Everybody get back to the coal 383 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: exactly because it's still it's still too chilly in Alasco anyway. Sorry, so, 384 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 1: US Navy Rear Admiral Kinkaid, No, why are we introducing 385 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: this guy? 386 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 2: Well, because he set up a blockade of Atu and 387 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:36,919 Speaker 2: Kiska to help kind of stem the flow of those supplies, 388 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 2: those snacks and armaments and all the other goodies that 389 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,199 Speaker 2: the Japanese are supplying to the occupiers there. And on 390 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,480 Speaker 2: March twenty sixth of nineteen forty three, the Japanese ships 391 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 2: that are afloat in the Bearing Sea try to get 392 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 2: around the blockade and deliver some supplies. In real this 393 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 2: is very Star Wars he too, remember that whole Star 394 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 2: Wars movie that's just about the blockade. Oh yeah, really 395 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 2: really powerful stuff. You know. No, it's not that movie 396 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,159 Speaker 2: has always eluded me as so like talky you know, 397 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 2: government ye stuff. Which movie is? I think it was 398 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:11,919 Speaker 2: the Phantom Menace that starts. 399 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: Off with with like all the alien guys talking about 400 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,719 Speaker 1: in the brockade a brockadeh. I barely remember the fanom 401 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: did you ever hear this theory that and this is 402 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: this really interesting fan theory. 403 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:24,399 Speaker 2: That it was attack of the Clones. Actually that was 404 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,680 Speaker 2: broad attack of the Clones. 405 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 3: Sounds like that because they go get the clones because 406 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 3: they need to break the blockheads. Okay, hello, this is 407 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 3: future Max here, I the guy producing the episode, not 408 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 3: on the recording. Yeah, I led Noel Stray He's correct. 409 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 3: It is the Phantom Menace, not Attack of the Clones. 410 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 2: Uh. To be completely honest, I don't know the plot 411 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 2: of either of those movies. I've seen them. 412 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 3: I've definitely seen them, but I don't know. I don't 413 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 3: know if you really remember anything else about the movie. 414 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 3: But I want to add this a dendem in here. 415 00:24:56,359 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 3: So there's that solved it that way was terrible to remember. 416 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 1: Here's the question. Have you guys ever heard the theory 417 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: that Lucas originally wanted jar Jar Binks to be revealed 418 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: as a Sith lord? 419 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 2: Yep? Is that true? Yeah? That's well, that's it's true. 420 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 1: That's a theory. Okay, but it's like one of those things, 421 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,400 Speaker 1: you know, wait until two am watched the YouTube documentary, Right, 422 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: it's way too long. 423 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,879 Speaker 2: Maybe maybe he pivoted because the character was just so 424 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,399 Speaker 2: blasphemously unpopular. 425 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, and coded in some really racist boy howdy was it? Ever? 426 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 2: And poor guy, there's a whole thing where the guy 427 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 2: that played the voice of jar Jar Binks. I believe 428 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,239 Speaker 2: he's the voice, and he also was the model that 429 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,400 Speaker 2: they based the CGI movements out of. That guy kind of. 430 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:44,840 Speaker 1: No fault of his own, sort of got canceled because of, 431 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: you know, because of George Lucas's ill informed attempts at 432 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:50,359 Speaker 1: making that character. 433 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 3: By the way, if you go into Google, because I 434 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 3: was gonna kind of look up who the actor was, 435 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 3: but he type jar jar Binks. 436 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 2: First. 437 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 3: First suggestion is jar Jar Binks is not a sith. 438 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 3: Second suggestion, jar Jar Banks is a Sith lord. Coo Oddly, 439 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 3: number three is jar jar Binks is a Sith lord, 440 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 3: et cetera. 441 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 2: Crossword It's like history. 442 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:14,640 Speaker 1: It rhymes you know, ye dancers theory or fan theory. 443 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 1: Anyway for the crossword anybody's playing. 444 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 2: That, can we just say that that this look at 445 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,880 Speaker 2: the blockade he's attempting to The Japanese ships are trying 446 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,880 Speaker 2: to break through the blockade, but they are spotted by 447 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 2: some US ships that are patrolling the area, and a skirmish, 448 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,639 Speaker 2: I guess you could call it begins, you know, a 449 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,440 Speaker 2: sea battle. I don't know if it was big enough 450 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 2: to call it. Well. I had a name was the 451 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 2: Battle of the Common Door Ski Islands, which is a 452 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 2: fun name. But as we know, the Japanese have have 453 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 2: had a little bit of a head start. So there 454 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 2: already you know, out gunning and outnumbering. Yes, they're dug 455 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,679 Speaker 2: in real good uh. And the US fleet has a 456 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:55,120 Speaker 2: hard time matching their forces, and they are seriously hobbled, 457 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 2: you know, by the Japanese, the Japanese ships, So the 458 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,920 Speaker 2: American side suffers some serious casualties. After quite a few 459 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,480 Speaker 2: hours of fighting, the Japanese ships then suddenly decide to withdraw. 460 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:13,200 Speaker 1: Why is that, you know, it's because they were worried 461 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 1: the heat was around the corner. They thought bombers were arriving, 462 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,240 Speaker 1: because they were estimating how long it would take for 463 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 1: American forces to contact each other and how long from 464 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: there it would take for US bombers to come and 465 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: just rain fire on the islands. 466 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:32,959 Speaker 2: Oh okay, okay, got it its own kind of ring 467 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,280 Speaker 2: a fire there. So after the battle, the Japanese soldiers 468 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 2: that are garrison there on Atsu and Kiska are incredibly 469 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:45,880 Speaker 2: isolated because they aren't. That flow of supplies they were 470 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 2: had grown accustomed to has stopped. It was more successful. 471 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 2: No more snacks, the no more snacks in the break 472 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 2: room exactly. They're having to kind of fend for themselves. 473 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:59,920 Speaker 2: Their supplies are diminishing significantly. They do get intermittent delivery, 474 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 2: secret submarines delivering to them, but you can only go 475 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 2: so far with that, right because they're not huge. 476 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 3: You know, you can't the submarines coming up and it's 477 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 3: throwing like a twenty four pack of chips out. 478 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: Zero. These aren't even lays chips. This is what I want, ruffles? 479 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:18,520 Speaker 2: Right? Where are my ruffles? 480 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: Okay? I suspect that the three of the three of 481 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 1: us might have the same hierarchy of chip oh. 482 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 3: I think that's gonna have the Freedo's in there like 483 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 3: damn it and there. 484 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: Also ran anyway, that is not they do with it. 485 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 1: Because you're making a very important point. The whatever submarine 486 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: can deliver is probably going to be survival rations. 487 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 2: Yep. Are we talking like mr type things on the 488 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 2: Japanese side too? Or you know they have been different, 489 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:49,360 Speaker 2: I wondered, and I'm just conjecturing here, Like you know, 490 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 2: obviously the Japanese when did like dry like ramen noodles 491 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 2: and things become invented after. 492 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: World War it was after World War two, that's right, 493 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: and we can we talked about that recently. 494 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 2: But I'm wondering what those rations might have looked like 495 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:07,760 Speaker 2: because we know about mries. We talked about that pretty extensively. 496 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 2: I just have curious as to what Japanese rations looked like, 497 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 2: if there was any parallel thinking there. 498 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 1: They had something called imperial Japanese rations that were served 499 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 1: in these little tin boxes and you had to cook 500 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,560 Speaker 1: them yourself. There's actually there are a couple of articles 501 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: and sources you can find. They usually had rice and 502 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: then some kind of protein and then vegetables, pickled vegetables 503 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 1: most likely, and green tea. Sometimes you would get barley 504 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 1: instead of rice, and then you were sort of expected 505 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: to forage for other stuff. So these guys, if they're 506 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,520 Speaker 1: getting Imperial, they might be getting those rations. They might 507 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: just be getting rice and being told, hey, get water, 508 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: cook the rice. It's definitely not ideal, and the American 509 00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: forces are thinking, all right, This is our opportunity to 510 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: to storm the beach to land troops on the islands 511 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: and take the combat to these Japanese garrisons. This is 512 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: the origin of something with the unfortunate name Operation land Crab. 513 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,360 Speaker 2: Have I told you that my nickname for my girlfriend 514 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 2: is the crab? 515 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: No? 516 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 2: Not. I often refer to as the crab, like, not 517 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 2: just my little crab or my crab. I say hello 518 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 2: the crab, and it's sometimes when I text her, I'll 519 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 2: just say the crab question mark, how is an emoji 520 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 2: that is a crab? She described herself as a bit 521 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 2: of a recluse early on in our relationship, so I 522 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 2: call it hermit crab. But it's become a term of affection, 523 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:40,400 Speaker 2: so I often refer to her as the crab. So 524 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:45,720 Speaker 2: our home is also littered with crab plushies and crab. 525 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 2: I have like a pair of crocs with crab. What 526 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 2: do you call those little dingles that go on? Yeah, 527 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 2: you know the little the decorative flare for for crocs. 528 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,000 Speaker 2: Do you guys do you have a name based on 529 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 2: I'm the butterfly because she thinks I'm a bit of 530 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 2: a she's a shut in. I'm a social butter. Oh okay, 531 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 2: but these terms have taken on their own meanings. 532 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, what, Every relationship creates its own language. 533 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 2: My girlfriend would approve of Operation land Crab, and then 534 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 2: I hear that, I immediately think of her with affection. 535 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 1: That's what that one's for you day. Did she listen 536 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:16,000 Speaker 1: to the show? 537 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 2: Nope. 538 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: So, like we said, American ships have been sporadically bombing 539 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: the islands for a while. On May eleventh, nineteen forty three, 540 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: the US enacts Operation land Crab. Eleven thousand US troops 541 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: land on Atu, which is again not the world's biggest island. 542 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: The Americans are a little schuffed about this. They're a 543 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,640 Speaker 1: little optimistic. They say, we're gonna bedone in like a 544 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: couple of days, you guys, because they didn't know how 545 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,479 Speaker 1: bad the weather was going to be, they didn't know 546 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: how terrible the terrain was. Their short mission ends up 547 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: lasting more than two weeks. I love military like like 548 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 1: like classic military men terms of phrase, you know, when 549 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: describing conflicts, and Lieutenant Donald E. Dwindle, which is another 550 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,760 Speaker 1: great military man name, described it as such. 551 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,320 Speaker 2: It was rugged. The whole damn deal was rugged, like 552 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:21,840 Speaker 2: attacking a pill box by way of a type rope 553 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 2: in winter. I don't quite get it, attacking a pill 554 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 2: box by way of a tight rope. 555 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, so like you know what pillboxes you've got that 556 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: it's like a concrete enclosure with a little slit where 557 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:36,080 Speaker 1: people can shoot. 558 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 2: Oh not actually a pill box of pills. Okay, sorry 559 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,920 Speaker 2: the visual wasn't working on me, but I get it now. 560 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: But yeah, but still that is a beautiful turn of language. 561 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 2: Uh. 562 00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 1: They also so, now that's what we talked about the 563 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 1: very beginning. So they have two enemies. Now, they have 564 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 1: the Japanese forces who are already entrenched and dug in, 565 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,239 Speaker 1: and then they have the just terrible, terrible weather. Or 566 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 1: it turns out that the weather was responsible for more 567 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:09,680 Speaker 1: US casualties than any actual enemy combatant. 568 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,720 Speaker 2: That's right, more than twenty one hundred American soldiers were 569 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 2: removed from the conflict. Taken out of action is how 570 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:20,239 Speaker 2: the National Park Service refers to this as in their 571 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 2: article Battle of att Tu sixty years later, which we 572 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 2: highly recommend giving a read. So that means killed or injured, right, 573 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:33,160 Speaker 2: taken out of combat right due to the horrible conditions. 574 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, they are no longer operators. 575 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 2: Things like disease would have come into play, you know, 576 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 2: right exactly, so these would would have been also referred 577 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:47,160 Speaker 2: to as non battle injuries, while around seventeen hundred were 578 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 2: killed or injured by Japanese forces. 579 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:55,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, it turns out when they were thinking through operation 580 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,200 Speaker 1: land craft, despite the fact that they were familiar with 581 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: the islands, despite the fact that people in general understand 582 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: Alaska's cold Uncle Sam and not taking the weather into account, 583 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 1: so they didn't have the right kind of gear to 584 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:13,160 Speaker 1: operate there. They were falling victim to frostbite exposure. Trench 585 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 1: foot is thankfully something I hope no one's ever experienced. 586 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 2: This is it like gang green. 587 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,840 Speaker 1: It's super nasty. It can become gang green. It's like 588 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 1: you have your imagine you're walking through wet, crappy environments 589 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 1: for weeks and you never get to change your socks, 590 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:33,680 Speaker 1: so it basically your foot starts to rot, yeah essentially, 591 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:37,720 Speaker 1: or just like oh god, yeah. If you don't treat it, 592 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:40,919 Speaker 1: it can become gangrenous and result in amputation. 593 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 2: Lots of bacteria and things can form in this nasty 594 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,960 Speaker 2: kind of fetid, closed situation, you know, and. 595 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:53,440 Speaker 1: You're turning your foot into a terrarium. For bacteria. 596 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 2: Right. 597 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,400 Speaker 1: Even more so, think of it as like really advanced 598 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: athletes foot terrible, terrible stuff, and you know, we have 599 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: to exercise humanity. Realized that a lot of these Japanese 600 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: soldiers are laboring under the same brutal conditions. They're not 601 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: having a good day either, just like any war. I'm 602 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: sure there are a lot of soldiers on either side 603 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:13,280 Speaker 1: who are going. 604 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:17,719 Speaker 2: Oh why, why, why do I have to be here? 605 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:24,000 Speaker 1: But because these guys weren't dressed warmly enough, the US 606 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,160 Speaker 1: soldiers had to keep moving to keep their circulation going, 607 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:30,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes that meant they would expose themselves to enemy fire. 608 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 1: Some of them were too beat up to walk, so 609 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 1: they crawled around and when they killed Japanese soldiers, they 610 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: stole their clothing to stay warm. And that leads to 611 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:48,960 Speaker 1: friendly fire, because now you are dressed as an enemy soldier. 612 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,239 Speaker 2: A term friendly fire always kind of cracks me up. 613 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:54,279 Speaker 2: It's the least friendly thing you can imagine it just 614 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,680 Speaker 2: of course that to say the obvious, but it refers to, 615 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 2: you know, accidentally shooting someone that's on your team. 616 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 1: Right, right, And it is a very real thing, like 617 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: an own goal. Yeah, it has happened in every single 618 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:12,760 Speaker 1: modern conflict, so this battle has already kind of been decided. 619 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:15,680 Speaker 1: The fate of the Japanese is sealed as soon as 620 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: the Americans establish air and naval supremacy, which despite Pearl Harper, 621 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:23,399 Speaker 1: is still only a matter of time because the US 622 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:27,279 Speaker 1: is much closer. They cut those supply lines. They made 623 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:32,200 Speaker 1: it unlikely for reinforcements to arrive, and by May, the 624 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: last remaining Japanese troops were starving. Yeah, give it, run 625 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:37,280 Speaker 1: it out of bullets. 626 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 2: Give a quick read or a long read too. It's 627 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 2: not particularly long article, but to the Battle of the 628 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:45,880 Speaker 2: Aleutian Islands from history dot Com from back in two 629 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 2: thousand and nine. It is actually updated as recently as 630 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,000 Speaker 2: twenty twenty, so lots of good resources there for this 631 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,800 Speaker 2: chronology that we're pulling from. The commander of the Japanese 632 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:59,239 Speaker 2: force is a Colonel at Yasuyo Yamasaki, decides to give 633 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:04,560 Speaker 2: it one last tarah, one last push, and right before 634 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:10,000 Speaker 2: morning on May twenty ninth, he and he leading his forces, 635 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 2: they execute what's referred to a Bonzai charge, which is 636 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,360 Speaker 2: a term that I was not intimately familiar with. This 637 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:23,240 Speaker 2: was apparently a tactic that was employed during the war 638 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 2: in the Pacific, of course. 639 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: Overwhelming numbers. That's right, everybody runs. 640 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:32,160 Speaker 2: It once and so Yamasaki's troops do the big charge. 641 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,920 Speaker 2: It really is kind of like just a murderous rampage essentially, right. 642 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, it really is, and it's a dangerous tactic as well. 643 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 1: This becomes one of the largest bondsi charges of its time. 644 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,760 Speaker 1: From where you're not worried about people dying, you're putting 645 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,800 Speaker 1: all your cards on the table, cannon fodder city, You're 646 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,680 Speaker 1: literally throwing bodies at a problem. And they did this 647 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: out of desperation. So they charge into the American lines. 648 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:03,360 Speaker 1: They sweep through the combat outpost, they get all the 649 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:06,800 Speaker 1: way to the support troops in the rear of the camp. 650 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: They almost succeed, but after a final attack on May thirtieth, 651 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:16,520 Speaker 1: the US soldiers win. The day, they've counted more than 652 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 1: two thousand Japanese casualties, including the commander they lost around 653 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:26,880 Speaker 1: The US lost around one thousand men retaking Atu, and 654 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: then within two days they had secured the island and 655 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:33,400 Speaker 1: the Battle of Atu, the only land battle ever fought 656 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 1: on American soil, and World War Two was over. Shout 657 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,080 Speaker 1: out also to the National Park Service right there. 658 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 2: Articles They truly do you know, just what we just 659 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 2: described Ben sounds more like an episode of Game of Thrones, 660 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:48,759 Speaker 2: it really does modern warfare. And then that's why it 661 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:52,000 Speaker 2: makes sense this is such a deadly war because these 662 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:55,759 Speaker 2: types of tactics, they just don't make sense anymore, you know, 663 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 2: because of the nature of combat has just changed. So 664 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,360 Speaker 2: this type of land charge, I just picture men on 665 00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:05,439 Speaker 2: horses with lances or something, you know, but instead it's people, 666 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:08,600 Speaker 2: you know, running while firing machine guns and bayoneting people 667 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:10,280 Speaker 2: and stuff. But it's not that different. 668 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: And honestly, to give you a sense of the desperation 669 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:15,319 Speaker 1: when people are starving and you want them to make 670 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 1: a suicide run like this, sometimes all you have to 671 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:21,240 Speaker 1: do is tell them that there's food in the enemy camp. 672 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,359 Speaker 2: Jesus right, that level of desperation is just mind boggling. Well, 673 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 2: this might sound like the end of the story. There 674 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,400 Speaker 2: is one more operation of note that I think is 675 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:32,839 Speaker 2: worth the very least kind of breezing through without for 676 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 2: fear of giving short shrift to literally the loss of 677 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:41,680 Speaker 2: human lives and just the vast, overwhelmingly deadly nature of 678 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:44,800 Speaker 2: this entire conflict. This one actually was not so bad. 679 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 1: This is the ridiculous one. 680 00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:46,520 Speaker 2: It is. 681 00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 1: This is the ridiculous one. So remember we said there 682 00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:53,880 Speaker 1: were two islands that were that form the setting or 683 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:58,840 Speaker 1: the theater for this conflict. The eleventh Army Air Force 684 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: and the Navy Patrol Wing four get their assignment to 685 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:07,799 Speaker 1: take back Kiska Island in something called Operation Cottage, which 686 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 1: is not as creative. They're told, literally, push the enemy 687 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:14,280 Speaker 1: into the sea, get the island back. And this after Atu. 688 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:17,840 Speaker 1: Literally push them into the sea, push them into the sea. 689 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:21,920 Speaker 1: And so they said, look, we've got lessons learned. We're 690 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:23,879 Speaker 1: going to give you the right clothing. We're gonna give 691 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: you the right gear and equipment, and you are going 692 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:32,960 Speaker 1: to encounter way Or troops and we face at Atu. 693 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:36,719 Speaker 1: And so on August fifth, nineteen forty three, they arrive 694 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,080 Speaker 1: at Kiska. They've already been told the weather's going to 695 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,040 Speaker 1: be horrible. This is going to be way harder than 696 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:44,840 Speaker 1: the other island. The weather is nice, the sea is quiet, 697 00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:46,879 Speaker 1: and there's no one there. 698 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, they have themselves a little beach chill. Now they don't. 699 00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:55,320 Speaker 2: But there's certainly probably surprised, you know, in the positive direction, 700 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,759 Speaker 2: because they've been prepared for the absolute worst, and they 701 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:03,000 Speaker 2: get there and it's an absolute kikawalk. And there is 702 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,799 Speaker 2: an actual reason for this. The Japanese forces had abandoned 703 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:09,120 Speaker 2: their post on July twenty ninth, nineteen forty three. The 704 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 2: Japanese forces stationed on Kiska decided to hide tailor out 705 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:18,440 Speaker 2: of there. Kiska City, which is what they were referring 706 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:26,160 Speaker 2: to their outpost as was wired with explosives and demolish 707 00:41:26,239 --> 00:41:30,839 Speaker 2: including all of their supplies, ammunition and outposts. Yeah, booby trap, 708 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,120 Speaker 2: yeah exactly. But then they did as an advance of 709 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,759 Speaker 2: the Americans arriving though, right, Yeah, they just like they 710 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,239 Speaker 2: didn't want to leave them anything that would be of use. 711 00:41:38,719 --> 00:41:43,479 Speaker 1: Yeah. We have a statement from Carl Kosokobek, who was there, 712 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:48,239 Speaker 1: is a Japanese veteran, and said, quote, we threw our 713 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,720 Speaker 1: rifles and bayonets into the water and then we went away. 714 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:55,480 Speaker 1: They never saw us. So in fifty five minutes, the 715 00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 1: entire Japanese force there over five thousand people boarded the vessel. 716 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:04,560 Speaker 1: They drifted off silently into the night. And the word 717 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:08,560 Speaker 1: for that is noctificant, which we recently learned, Oh wow, 718 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:09,799 Speaker 1: to go about in the night. 719 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:13,080 Speaker 2: That's a good one. What makes sense nocturnal in the root. 720 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,680 Speaker 2: I imagine the Allies had a hard time believing that 721 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:18,120 Speaker 2: this wasn't some sort of rouse. 722 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, imagine running, Okay, they're gonna pop out any minute, 723 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,600 Speaker 1: there's somebody, because it's ridiculous, right. Imagine you're you're running 724 00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:29,120 Speaker 1: full bore onto the shore. You've got your uh, you've 725 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:31,800 Speaker 1: got farm locked and loaded. You might be yelling. You 726 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 1: might just be like, ah, how long do you keep 727 00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: yelling until you notice that no one's there except maybe 728 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:40,759 Speaker 1: maybe there's a moose who is like, come on, man. 729 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:43,040 Speaker 2: I just picture it's like that scene in Spinal Tap 730 00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:45,239 Speaker 2: where they're like lost and can't find the stage and 731 00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:48,440 Speaker 2: they're just pumped up like rock and roll, and then 732 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,239 Speaker 2: they turn a corner and I realized that they're not 733 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,480 Speaker 2: there yet, so they kind of like get flustered and 734 00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:54,760 Speaker 2: then okay, okay, let's get back, let's get the energy back. 735 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:57,680 Speaker 2: I picture them like screaming and then they turn a corner. 736 00:42:57,760 --> 00:42:59,759 Speaker 2: No one's there. Okay, Okay, they're definitely gonna be around 737 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:01,320 Speaker 2: this next Okay, let's get up, let's get up the 738 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 2: energy again, and then no on after you know, again 739 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,920 Speaker 2: in our version of events, several of these highs and lows, 740 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:11,840 Speaker 2: they finally accept the fact that there truly is no 741 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:12,400 Speaker 2: one around. 742 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:17,160 Speaker 1: Yes, and they are still fighting the weather. So there 743 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:21,080 Speaker 1: are unfortunately fatalities. Twenty four Allied troops are killed by 744 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:26,640 Speaker 1: again friendly fire. Four die due to Japanese booby traps. Yeah, 745 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:32,240 Speaker 1: seventy one die when one ship hits a floating mine. 746 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:36,360 Speaker 1: And then a lot of other guys one hundred and 747 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:40,240 Speaker 1: sixty eight either get wounded or they fall ill, probably 748 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:42,200 Speaker 1: do at least in part to the weather. 749 00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:45,120 Speaker 2: That's right, We're around eight days of this, looking around 750 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:48,520 Speaker 2: and realizing that finally no one was there. This was 751 00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:51,080 Speaker 2: at the end of the day. On paper, I guess, 752 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,960 Speaker 2: perhaps to save face, I would imagine written off as 753 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:56,319 Speaker 2: a training exercise. 754 00:43:56,360 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 1: Okay, sure, yes, that's like I have a bad habit. 755 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,560 Speaker 1: Noel and Max both know this. I have a bad 756 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:08,720 Speaker 1: habit of doing something klutzy and then just immediately look 757 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:12,520 Speaker 1: at yeah whomever has seen it, making eye contact and 758 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:13,800 Speaker 1: yelling on purpose. 759 00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:16,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, I've borrowed that tactic from you. It's a good one, Ben, 760 00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:19,320 Speaker 2: It's a good one. So yeah, at the end of 761 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,719 Speaker 2: the day, this represents a defeat of the Japanese forces 762 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:27,839 Speaker 2: at the Aleutian Islands, and very interesting story. It's got 763 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:31,000 Speaker 2: some you know, the intense the intensity of this conflict 764 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:34,000 Speaker 2: is represented. We got a little ridiculousness thrown in there. 765 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:36,439 Speaker 2: I mean, obviously, at the end of the day, none 766 00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,000 Speaker 2: of this can be seen as purely ridiculous, although the 767 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:43,279 Speaker 2: foibles and follies of man are nothing if not ridiculous 768 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:46,720 Speaker 2: at times. But I think this is a really interesting 769 00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:50,600 Speaker 2: kind of little encapsulation of the entire conflict. And I'm 770 00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:53,880 Speaker 2: surprised that it hasn't been dramatized, you know, because it 771 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:56,040 Speaker 2: seems like exactly the kind of story that would really 772 00:44:56,239 --> 00:44:57,600 Speaker 2: play well on on screen. 773 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:00,879 Speaker 1: I want to at least see the moment where they 774 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:04,280 Speaker 1: run onto the abandoned island. Yeah, I want that definitely. 775 00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:07,640 Speaker 2: How it went down, there's no question, and you. 776 00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:10,000 Speaker 1: Know, you describe it well. It is a microcosm of 777 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:14,080 Speaker 1: a larger, horrific conflict that fundamentally altered the course of 778 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:18,560 Speaker 1: the world, and the consequences of World War Two continue 779 00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:25,960 Speaker 1: to echo and resonate today. The war continues for two 780 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:29,440 Speaker 1: years after the Battle of the Aleutian Islands, Japan finally 781 00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:33,080 Speaker 1: surrenders to the Allies on September second, nineteen forty five. 782 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:38,000 Speaker 1: This basically ends World War Two. And now if you 783 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:42,400 Speaker 1: go to these islands you'll see the battlefields there have 784 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:48,920 Speaker 1: become national historical landmarks in recognition of this singular, unique 785 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:52,160 Speaker 1: conflict that again a lot of people don't know about, 786 00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:54,680 Speaker 1: and that's why we aller big big thanks to our 787 00:45:54,840 --> 00:46:02,400 Speaker 1: research associate and super producer Max the the Great North Michigan, 788 00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:07,120 Speaker 1: the Michigan Goose, all of this things, it contains a 789 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:08,759 Speaker 1: multitude Williams. 790 00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:12,360 Speaker 3: And also there are moose in Michigan. Also, do you 791 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:13,840 Speaker 3: guys know what the plural of moose is? 792 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:16,040 Speaker 2: Moose? You already talked about that. It was the first 793 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:18,160 Speaker 2: thing I said. It's plural. Yeah, it's one of my 794 00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:21,080 Speaker 2: favorite things about the humble moose. But yeah, also huge 795 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:22,120 Speaker 2: thanks to the to the to. 796 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:25,640 Speaker 1: The elder Williams Alex who composed this banging track that 797 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,200 Speaker 1: you're listening to right this very second. 798 00:46:28,560 --> 00:46:31,799 Speaker 2: Jonathan Strickland are a human booby trap if ever there was. 799 00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:35,120 Speaker 1: Oh, he'll like that one aka the quizt And of 800 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: course big big thanks to Eves Jeffcoat, who, unlike Tipper Gore, 801 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,600 Speaker 1: has a show coming out on our network. 802 00:46:41,640 --> 00:46:44,040 Speaker 2: Sure we cleared that one up. Yeah, that was a 803 00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:44,480 Speaker 2: good save. 804 00:46:44,560 --> 00:46:48,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, and thanks of course to Christopher Hasiotis who just 805 00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:50,960 Speaker 1: I was talking with Christopher earlier and he hipped me 806 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:55,000 Speaker 1: to some amazing facts about the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, 807 00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:56,360 Speaker 1: specifically famine. 808 00:46:56,480 --> 00:46:58,319 Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, it's a hungry boy. 809 00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:00,880 Speaker 1: He's that kind of dude's next time, folks. 810 00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:11,520 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 811 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:13,720 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.