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History Unplugged Podcast

Kangaroo Squadron: The Tip of the American Spear in the WW2 Pacific Theatre

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.23.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2019

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In early 1942, while most of the American military was in disarray from the devastating attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, a single USAAF squadron advanced to the far side of the world to face America's new enemy.

Based in Australia with poor supplies and no ground support, the pilots and crew faced tropical diseases while confronting numerically superior Japanese forces. Yet the outfit, dubbed the Kangaroo Squadron, proved remarkably resilient and successful, conducting long-range bombing raids, armed reconnaissance missions, and rescuing General MacArthur and his staff from the Philippines.

Today I speak with Bruce Gamble, author of Kangaroo Squadron: American Courage in the Darkest Days of World War II. He was inspired to write this story by his uncle, a navigator in the squadron. A footlocker contained his military papers and other memorabilia, including a handwritten dairy filled with day-to-day details of his tour.

And an artifact from this story lives on today to honor its veterans. When a B-17E bomber crashed in a swamp on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in February 1942, the nine-member crew survived, escaped to safety, and returned to combat. But until 2006, the bomber nicknamed “Swamp Ghost” remained submerged in water and tall grass. It has been restored and is now a main attraction in the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the History Unplugged Podcast.

0:05.4

The unscripted show that celebrates unsung heroes, Mythbust's historical lies, and rediscoveres

0:11.9

the forgotten stories that changed our world.

0:15.5

I'm your host, Scott Rank.

0:23.2

In early 1942, while most of the American military was in disarray from the devastating

0:28.2

attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, a single US Army Air Force squadron advanced

0:34.6

to the far side of the world to face America's new enemy.

0:38.6

Based in Australia, with poor supplies and no ground support, the pilots and crew faced

0:43.4

tropical diseases while confronting the numerically and technologically superior Japanese forces,

0:49.7

the outfit, which was dubbed the kangaroo squadron, proved remarkably resilient and successful.

0:55.2

They conducted long-range bombing raids, armed reconnaissance missions, and rescued General

1:00.2

Douglas MacArthur and his staff from the Philippines.

1:03.6

Today I'm talking with Bruce Gamble, author of kangaroo squadron, American Courage

1:08.4

on the Darkest Days of World War II.

1:10.4

He was inspired to write the book by his uncle, a navigator in the squadron.

1:16.1

A footlocker contained his military papers and other memorabilia, including a handwritten

1:21.2

diary with day-to-day details of his tour.

1:24.9

And there's all sorts of artifacts that live on from the kangaroo squadron.

1:29.0

On a B-17E bomber crashed into a swamp on the North Coast of Papua New Guinea in February

1:34.6

1942, on the first kangaroo squadron mission, the nine member crews survived, escaped the

1:41.1

safety, and returned to combat after traveling five weeks over land through the jungle.

1:48.2

This plane, called the swamp coast, remained submerged in water and tall grass until 2006

...

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