Marines go Underground

[imntxs554]

These battle tried Marines about to search a Cave dugout by Japanese on Tinian Island. These men are veterans of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and are now fighting on Tinian Island. 6-'44

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[browningautorifle]

I guess they tired of that quickly and just started blasting caves closed. I would too, why waste my men to ferret out guys that don't want to come out anyway?

[Sentryduty]

I guess they tired of that quickly and just started blasting caves closed.

I wonder how many buried Japanese future archaeologists will unearth? I have seen photos from a few WWI digs that have found groups of Germans in collapsed tunnels, somewhat similar situations.

However, neither case is how I would want to go if a fellow had a choice about it.

[CINDERS]

A good book to read is Beneath Flanders Fields about the the WWI tunneling war the excavation and exploration of them however of the Messines mines that were detonated that day 2 failed to explode one did a long time later after the war when a chance lightning bolt set it off but of the other it is lost in the schwim sands of that salient scary stuff.
Also locked in there is a mechanical tunneling machine the brits used but they the soldiers had a break and whilst away the clay gripped the machine never to release it so it remains to this day along with the poor beggars of both sides killed by cave ins, camouflettes and breaking into each others tunnel and fighting it out in total darkness now that is courage of a different kind.

[browningautorifle]

2 failed to explode one did a long time later after the war when a chance lightning bolt set it off

I was well aware of this fact, one went off about the time I was born. I didn't know a chance lightning strike did it though...also was aware of the digging machine lost to time.

[imntxs554]

Look at the Size of those Marines...It looks like if they did survive they would take turns. You had to be Thin to move about in those Tunnels and Caves. If you haven't read this book this a GREAT read worth the time. Maybe some or all of you have, but if you haven't look it over there is a great section about Tunnel Warfare and other Fascinating Facts with some Nice pictures of WW2.



Battle Stories The WWII 3-Book Bundle: El Alamein 1942 / Arnhem 1944 ... - Google Books