Part of the problem that the US Navy ran into when it went to war was that – like many military forces before or since – it had to learn some things for itself before it believed them. The British had over two years of experience fighting the Battle of the Atlantic at that point, but the Americans didn’t feel that they needed any advice from them on the matter. It didn’t help that Admiral Ernest J. King was an Anglophobe, in addition to having a generally abrasive personality. (His wife reputedly once said: “Ernie is the most even-tempered man I’ve ever met. He’s always in a foul mood.”) As a result, the Americans made mistakes in their early ASW methods of operations which could have been avoided. In fairness, the US Army had similar learning-curve problems in North Africa, notably at Kasserine Pass if I remember correctly.
New WWII Movie on the Way
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It seems Mel Gibson is set to direct “Destroyer,” based on the book, Hell From the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack. Reports indicate production should begin this fall or winter.
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Thank you for that.
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And as a nice tie-in to A&A, note that the USS Laffey which, almost incredibly, survived six kamikaze hits and four bomb hits (DD-724, which shared the name of its predecessor, DD-459) was an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer – the class which is the basis for the Allied destroyer sculpt in A&A 1941.
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I am hoping The Final Battle comes out and it wasn’t a joke.
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@Caesar:
I am hoping The Final Battle comes out and it wasn’t a joke.
That should be such a good movie!
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IMDb has it listed in pre production!
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It will be interesting to see how the world reacts to the Wehrmacht being seen as part of the good guys.
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There will be German baddies too so I doubt it will generate too much upset.
In truth there were goodies and baddies on all sides. Films have allowed dignity and humanity to some German and Japanese characters for some time. A notable recent example being Letters from Iwo Jima. The willingness to depict good Germans goes back to very soon after the end of the war in fact. One of the great facets of WW2 was the swift move to forgive across Europe. My aunt married a German POW. It is remarkable.
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USS Laffey Kamikaze Attack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP6TDSSMrxM -
@Caesar:
It will be interesting to see how the world reacts to the Wehrmacht being seen as part of the good guys.
Exactly what part did Wehrmacht play in the Japanese kamikaze attack on the US destroyer Laffey ? Please tell me…
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Two different films Narvik. Destroyer & The Final Battle.
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I mean according to the battle of Castle Itter, there was a SS officer that helped the allies out.