US Submarine Rescue of Aussie and British POW's in WW2 (part 1)

[iainmac2]

Great video - thanks for sharing. Your commentary was excellent too.

[1947TonyF]

I break my heart watching these videos. My father was one of the men being taken out of the water, and he features in several of the shots. I've posted on these films on YouTube previously, I don't watch them for ages and then come back to them, so many of the British soldiers who returned were treated so badly by the government, for a good written account of this event read 'Return from the River Kwai' by Clay Blair, it lists all the survivors.

[Bronco46tube]

Amazing video! I'm glad these moments have been preserved. Hopefully future generations will see the price that's been paid for liberty; and that they will come to better appreciate it; and then do what's necessary to pass it on. Thank You for this footage.

[xxMapSyrxx]

@MrMonkeyman2121

There are always new things to learn.

There are so many things during WWII that were so much worse than concentration camps. Please take some time to read them.

[jeffrey19621]

Thank you for posting this.

[amdag1]

i do wonder where the second part is though

[hayseed1957]

@amdag1

Thanks for the nice comment. Please see an entire other channel I have put together concerning this incident. It is called simply subrescue. That is where part 2 is and some other stuff.

Regards,

Hayseed.

[amdag1]

i give you a wireless hug and kisses on the cheek because they are not much words to give to be able to keep something like this i don't know its incredible ah i think im speechless

[hayseed1957]

@amdag1

Thanks so much. It was a pleasure putting this tribute together for these men. They need to be remembered, honored, and never forgotten.

[TigerDover]

i am Chinese and i want to thank you for your part in the fight against terror.

The Japanese committed terrible atrocities that were not as well known as Nazi Concentration camps.

[hayseed1957]

@TigerDover

Thanks for stoppping in and commenting. I know the Chinese suffered horribly during the war.

Take care,

Hayseed1957.

[YaBudala]

Cheerz fa bein there ta hlp our ozi blokes out n aslo helpin the poms all respect ta the yanks!

[tormentor24074555]

thanks fo showing this moving film, I met a 92 year old gentleman a gordon Highlander on the 4th june 2011 who survived the sinking of jap ship the Kachidoki Maru which was sunk by the USS Pampanito , he was rescued by a jap fishing boat and was near Nagasaki when the bomb went off, he is Alistair Urquhart who wrote the book called The Forgotten Highlander .

[hayseed1957]

@tormentor24074555

Thanks for commenting. Alistair is a remarkable man. His book is wonderful and I think it should be required reading in our High Schools. I have an autographed copy of "the Forgotten Highlander." It is a great read, and I recommend it to everyone.

[Sevensixseven78]

Wow thanks for showing these videos. They are a priceless and full of wisdom for the rest of us. Its nice to see something that is raw and not edited together.

[chookfeather]

I found this after watching the channel 9 show In Their Footsteps. It tells the story of an aussie and his mates who were POWs. They were picked back up by the Japanese, one later died a month before the war and the other 2 survived. The story as is this video was inspiring....Thank you for posting and thankyou to Joe and Bob Bates

[Flickchaser]

Thank you. Our respect for your service and for taking us back in time. Well done.

[Maz3324]

Thank you for showing this and helping our Aussie men...

[GreGar07777]

Tnx For saving are world!!

[G4PMY]

Personal account like this one means more than all the official movies put together. My uncle George was born in a small village in Scotland, and was on his way to Singapore when the garrison their surrendered. The ship he was on did not have enough fuel to go anywhere else, and so it had to dock in Singapore. The whole lot of them including ships company went through Changi goal, then off onto the Burma railway. We know he died along the railway, but there is no record of where or how. thanks

[avagriffon]

I have just read the book Cruiser - The life and loss of the HMAS Perth and her crew. Some of these guys being rescued were part of that crew when it sank in The Battle of Sunda Strait. 353 were killed, while all but 4 of the 328 survivors were captured as prisoners of war. 106 died in unimaginably cruel captivity, only 218 were repatriated after the war's end. The story of these men and their ship is one of the most heroic and tragic in the history of the Royal Australian Navy.

[zackthewiseguy86]

++ God bless America ++

[peckerwood57]

Videos like this need to be archived forever.

This is part of history not usually talked about.

[toms1197]

where are the reparations payments? where is the truth of their atrocities written in their own history books? as the older filipina's said - we didnt drop enough bombs on their heathen country.

[toms1197]

and it's about time we demand an accounting from them and an admission that their evil culture produced these monsters and that the orders came down from the emperor who should have been hung along with his cabinet. the extent of the japanese holocaust in the far east is just now coming out in it's full horror and breadth.  far greater and disastrous and methodical than the germans could even dream about.

[toms1197]

just finished reading Urquhart's book "The Forgotten Highlander". The atrocities of the japs is unfathomable and that anybody survived is a testament to the true power of human will. Funny how all we ever hear about is the jewish holocaust. We hear little about the Jap atrocities unless we stumble across such a website or video or book. The jews really do control the enmedia along with the major manufacturers who dont want to "offend" the japanese. Well, it's about time we offend them

[TheWicksy1971]

God Bless America!!!!!!

[mrtonyis]

hayseed1957 you are a legend for putting up this video. Absolutely fantastic.

[kevjay777]

Your narration is so eloquent and moving. This is WWII footage without the propaganda and hype. Thanks for this video going to watch Part 2 now.

[TheGeekful]

Thanks for shearing this mate.

[bitobully]

Are these survivors from the Kachidoki Maru and Rakuyo Mura.I had an uncle who was recued by the Queenfish but sadly died.

[TheJeffro85]

Thank you for being there to pick up our boys, we would have done the same for you , Brothers in arms !!!!!

[hayseed1957]

@TheJeffro85

You're welcome. And I am comfortable knowing, that if the shoe was on the other foot, you guys would have been there for us. Thanks.

[futuregodd]

@TheJeffro85

If you didn't know it was the Yanks that sunk the vessel these aussies were on.

[futuregodd]

@TheJeffro85

If you didn't know it was the Yanks that sunk the vessel these aussies were on., albeit in unmarked Japanese POW vessels.

[DJRTMUM]

From a modern day Aussie Digger - Thanks.

Sorry but I am a bit lost for words right now.

[hayseed1957]

@DJRTMUM

That is how I felt the first time I saw these images.... Speechless.

Thanks for commenting Mate,

Rgds, Hayseed1957

[292x1]

Thanks for sharing your film. The comments were very touching. I owe so much, which can never repaid, to the guys from WWII. Amazing film.

[hayseed1957]

@292x1

We ALL owe an incredible debt to the brave men who saved our hinies in WW2.

Thanks for dropping by and commenting.

Regards, Hayseed1957 (SubRescue)

[292x1]

@292x1 glad to comment. We indeed....owe so much to so few for so much..to paraphrase Mr. Churchill...thanks Rgds. 292x1

[bloodloveU]

I felt sad watching this video. thanks for sharing this. i remember my father telling me a story when the Japanese come to the Province my grandfather family they abandon they house and they hide in the mountain so the Japanese will not Slater or rape them. THANKSSS.......

[hayseed1957]

@bloodloveU

Thanks for commenting. A big thanks goes to Bob Bates for giving me this incredible video that was both filmed and narrated by his Father Lt jg (ss) Joe (Shorty) Bates. It is a pleasure to tell the story of all of these incredible men of the Allied Forces.

[4everUSNavy]

Japanese POW camps was just as bad as the Holocaust. countless exicutions, Starvation, harsh treatment.

japan needed to be bombed 3 more times just for these POWS

[hayseed1957]

@4everUSNavy

Thanks so much for stopping in and commenting. There have been a lot of books written about the horrible and inhumane torture that the Japanese wrought upon the Allied POW's and others during WW2.

"The Forgotten Highlander" is a recently published book by former British POW, Alistair Urquhart. He survived the sinking of this Hellship, but was unfortunately picked up by the Japanese and sent to Japan. It is an incredible story, and I highly recommend it.

[4everUSNavy]

@hayseed1957

ill have to check that out

[nachospole1]

thanks for this video mate i think that some of the poor guys got recaptured by the japs. war shows u how evil humanity can be but also how kind and carrying i guess you would say i had family members served with the australian army in ww2 one was navy the other was a cook in army he was at the bombing of darwin and i had members fight with the welsh division of british army ww1 he died and the other navy what u guys did was remarkable to those who served less we forget

[hayseed1957]

@nachospole1

Thanks so much for your comments,

Regards

[MoonXxXFlower]

My Dad Robert Ernest Arthur Howland, was one of the English guys rescued by the Sealion. He died 20 March 1982. Thanks for publishing this film.

[MrJimmyboy1972]

i love both the yanks and the aussies, you are just like us scots. being hard done to only makes you harder to deal with. no one, but no one. will ever get the better of us. the determination and joy on the faces of the usn guys and the rescued aussie pows was a joy to behold. i would like to think of myself as an honorary aussie as i lived and was educated in australia in the early 1960s. "rise australia fair" and "god bless america"

[hayseed1957]

Thanks Mate,

Very Well Said.

Take 'er easy.

[MrJimmyboy1972]

@hayseed1957 cheers! cobber, (still got it).....Haaa!

[hayseed1957]

@MrJimmyboy1972

Well said, and thanks for commenting.

Cheers, Mate.

[1wikki]

Thank you my Dad was in Borneo. So sorry for the ones that did not make it. Just traced a family member who died on the railway

[hayseed1957]

Thanks for commenting. Sorry for your loss.

[deminashotgun]

Thank you for this incredible video. My Grandfather was one of the luckyAustralians who's ship was not hit and it diverted down the Saigon River to safety in Saigon. He was liberated by French Paratroopers at the end of the war instead of reaching the Japanese Coal mines as intended.

[hayseed1957]

My pleasure indeed.

So glad your Grandpa made it out alive.

Thanks for commenting.

[k2wi]

Wonder if that bunker oil was a blessing in disguise, saving them from sunburn.

Great piece of history.

[hayseed1957]

Hey Ki2wi, Thanks for dropping by. I am sure this oil helped prevent them from sun burning. This fact is mentioned in several reports of the incident. It did however get into thier eyes, and lots of them could not see a thing, or very limited eyesight. Good Observation......

[bernoulli1971]

Great video! I always see clips of WWII on History channel and wonder if it's just random stock footage or really relates to the events described. This video is the real deal and it's amazing how good the narrator's memory is. Anyone with a WWII vet relative should try to document their experiences like this before they pass on.

[hayseed1957]

From the US Navy, You are Welcome.

I also lost an Uncle, he was on the USS New Orleans when 200 foot of her bow was blown off by the Japanese, off of Guadalcanal. Several Mens partial remains were buried in Sidney in Dec of 1942. They gave the men a wonderful funeral, I've been told the whole town turned out to attend it, so, Thank You as Well.... HaySeed

[MandJSchecter]

My husband and I are currently living in Guam. He's currently attached to the USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705). He's been in the Silent Service for over 16 years and loves it.

Thanks for all of your service in the Navy and thanks for your great videos and narration.

[hayseed1957]

Well, you're certainly welcome. I only did 5 years on a Boomer. The thanks here really needs to go to Lt Joe Bates for shooting this incredible video, and to his Son Bob for giving it to me. And to the rest of the crew of Sealion II. They, like your Husband, are TRUE unsung heros. Give him my regards. God Bless.....

[jesusismyruler]

Simply amazing!

[Spitfirerulzyou]

what a brilliant part of history! If only this story was shown on the history channel or something.

Gob bless those men

[hayseed1957]

I agree, Please see a whole YouTube Channel I put together on this incident. It is simply SubRescue. It has the entire Show called "The Crossing", it follows two survivors as they meet the Sub Sailors that rescued them. Thanks to Joe Bate's son Bob for giving me all this tremendous Video.

[tialeetull]

'he was a nothin doctor' - what a great comment. it's sad to hear his voice fall when he adds, 'i was never so disappointed in a man'. this is a great piece of submarine history. this is very cool - thanks ever so much for posting!

[fleshtheworld]

interesting, must have been a different world then