Historical events turn into movies

[Thumpalumpacus]

The Battle off Samar, 1944.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar

[The Valkyrie]

I can't remember his name, but the Finnish sniper who killed several hundred Russians in WW2.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The Battle off Samar, 1944.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar

[Gawdzilla Sama]

As the Japanese battleships cut off the fight and started to retire a chief on a rapidly sinking destroyer escort shouted "Damn it, boys, they're getting away!"

Shit like this is why I'm a naval hysterian.

[Anomalocaris]

Kurita didn’t really want the fight, he thought the fight would be pointless waste of lives as in the larger picture of Japanese strategic situation it could accomplish nothing. He was just going through th motions for appearance sake. However, even the degree to which he could pretend to fight is circumscribed by the fact that his destroyers were very near bingo fuel.

[Thumpalumpacus]

The Battle off Samar, 1944.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar

Finished rereading this about two weeks ago. That battle has all Hollywood wants.

[Thumpalumpacus]

As the Japanese battleships cut off the fight and started to retire a chief on a rapidly sinking destroyer escort shouted "Damn it, boys, they're getting away!"

Shit like this is why I'm a naval hysterian.

"We're sucking 'em into 40mm range!"

USN's finest hour. For those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AdcvDiA3lE&t=2s

[Anomalocaris]

Keep in mind the strategic picture at the time of the battle of Samar is the entire imperial Japanese navy only had 68 ocean going surface combatants of all types remaining in its order of battle at the beginning the battle of Leyte gulf, and that fleet had already taken very serious further losses before the Samar engagement itself, including kurita’s own command, and kurita himself had to be fished out of the sea because his original flagship had already been sunk from under his ass.    Kurita understood that by the time his force sighted taffy, what remains of the entire imperial Japanese navy could never exploit any opportunity that might arise from any degree of immediate tactical success in phillipines.

Kurita didn’t really want to fight at Samar because he thought his remaining fleet would likely be completely annihilated in the aftermath if he pressed the attack, while even success in the attack itself could serve no strategic purpose,  So he aimed to put on a show for appearance sake but really focus on withdrawing as soon as it was seemly in order to save his ship to save his men.   But even the degree to which he could make the pretense of engaging in earnest convincing was circumscribed by the fact that his destroyers were nearing bingo fuel, due to unexpected amount of maneuvering and counter marching and then doubling back during the engagements on previous days, and he did want these destroyers make it back as well.

So it is not the tin cans beat off a greatly superior force, rather it is the greatly superior force’s commander had made up his mind to not fight, although some of his subordinate commanders were eager, they obeyed orders.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The tin cans were all the Taffy 3 had to protect the baby flattops. Halsey was ... Well, the world wonders.

[Anomalocaris]

Yes, Halsey decided to leave the 7th fleet to go after the Japanese carriers long after the Japanese carriers have become a total strategic irrelevance, mainly because he wanted to match Spruance’s score at Midway when Japanese carriers were all important,  and he failed to ensure even that the appropriate staff work was done to keep relevant commands informed.  

And this wasn’t his last exhibition of total lack of strategic perspective embarrassing in such a senior officer

He learned nothing and then repeated the same mistake in 1945 when he led the 3rd fleet on a wild goose chase after the shadow of 2 remaining Japanese battleships in Indochina long after any surviving Japanese battleships have also become total strategic irrelevancy, while forgoing the opportunity to destroy one of the last few major Japanese convoys from the Indochina and Dutch East indies , upon which Japan war industry depended to strengthen anti-invasion defenses of the home islands.

To say thing of taking his command through the middle of damaging typhoons without strategic necessity on 2 separate occassions, resulting casualties to his fleet greater than the Japanese were able to inflict in any major sea battle. 

That Halsey should have been given his 5th star while Spruance was denied his just goes to show how much more Important self promotion and having friends in congress is compared to flawless competence and consistently unerring strategic judgements