Units of History - Marine Raiders (1942): Birth of the USMC Spec Ops DOCUMENTARY

Video Description

Witness the birth of the USMC Special Operations Force with the Marine Raiders of WW2! Play War Thunder for FREE on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS®5. Use my link (https://playwt.link/invicta ) to download the game and get your exclusive bonus: multiple Premium Vehicles, Premium Account, Boosters and more! See you on the battlefield! In this Units of History episode we explore the vaunted story of the US Marine Raiders which emerged in WW2 to act as the tip of the spear for offensives against Japan in the Pacific War. We begin the episode with an overview of the state of the US Marine Corps following the Great War. It was in these years that the forces slowly came into play which would eventually birth the Marine Raiders. One major factor was the development of Amphibious Operations Doctrine which increasingly called for the use of special first wave units meant to soften enemy defenses prior to a landing. To this end, the Marine Corps would begin allocating time and resources towards this effort as war loomed on the horizon in the Pacific. Key to these efforts would be two commanders who ended up leading the First and Second Raider Battalions, namely Merritt Edson and Evans Carlson. We spend time familiarizing ourselves with the careers of both these men and how their particular personalities would end up shaping their units. Our history documentary then covers the equipment, training, and tactics of the Marine Raiders as the came into being in the months immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. We then cover the service history of the US Marine Raiders from the raid on Making Island to the Battle of Bloody ridge on Guadalcanal. In part 2 we will continue this story with the long raid and their continued operations through 1943. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:40 Origins 07:41 Merritt Edson 09:07 Evans Carlson 11:52 Creation 17:36 Equipment 20:25 Organization 23:56 Tactics 25:45 Service History 27:55 Makin Island Raid 32:28 Battle of Tulagi 34:04 Battle of Bloody Ridge 38:59 Aftermath Credits Research = Eric Myers Script = Invicta Narration = Guy Michaels Art = Penta Limited #history #documentary #military