MovieChat Forums > They Were Expendable (1945) Discussion > Irony of the movie

Irony of the movie

posted 14 years ago by CmdrCody
14 replies | jump to latest

As we know, the movie was made during the spring and summer of 1945 and then released to the theaters in the fall...after the War was over. Originally conceived by Spig Weid and John Ford to remind American movie audiences how far the US Navy had come...from a handful of PT boats in the Philippines and a few aircraft carriers to a massive 2 ocean armada with 24 aircraft carriers, new fast battleships and hundreds of cruisers and destroyers. All in a few short years.

But the irony of the movie, known only to a few in the Navy and the Pentagon at the time, was that after the war was over...and probably when this movie was first screened in theaters...that the US Navy brass had decided that the celebrated PTs were obsolete. Worthless. The boats in the Western Pacific theater were brought to Samar in the Philippines, stripped of salvageable equipment...and burned. A few were left Stateside and some were saved there...but the combat vessels, used against the Japanese, were obliterated.

A pity.

CmdrCody

[–] rwsmith29456 13 years ago

I wonder what made the PT boat so suddenly obsolete? WWII proved that battleships were outmoded but they hung around for a while. I guess it's not easy to just can a fleet of capital ships and the PT boats were 'expendable'.

[–] mikekrit62 13 years ago

It's my understanding that because the PT boats were mostly made of plywood, they were never intended to be used long term. The cost of bringing them back to the States far exceeded what it would take to build new ones.

By the end of the war, it was clear that the carrier and submarine were to be the primary naval weapons of the future.

[–] joegerardi-1 13 years ago

War materiel is often like that. Look at the Grumman F-6F Hellcat: arguably the best fighter in the Second World War, shot down more planes than any other plane in the war, (>5200) had the best kill ratio of any plane in the war, (19:1) and was, by a couple of years after the war's end, being used as unmanned target drones for other planes to shoot down.

..Joe

[–] Kimo46 12 years ago

Joegerardi, this may be off the main thread a little, but I'd like to take exception to your views on the F6F. The F6F was a great plane, but the F4U stayed in service with the US Navy until at least after the Korean War, while the Hellcats were all about gone by 1947. I do agree that war materiel is often considered expendable, especially stuff that does not have an obvious civilian application. There are probably hundreds of aviation buffs out there who are kicking themselves for not buy a handful of P-51's at near scrap value. A restored Mustang goes for well over a million bucks today.

[–] joegerardi-1 11 years ago

Problem with the F4U was the gear. They couldn't get it right for a long time, and the sucker kept bouncing off carrier decks. The long nose made it very hard to land, and combined with the gear, earned it the nickname "The Ensign Eliminator."

It was a very capable, fast plane, and a great fighter. It just didn't have the bugs worked out (carrier operations didn't happen until 1944) until too late in the war to make its name.

..Joe

[–] highwaystar50 12 years ago

There was a squadron of PT boats in Subic Bay when I was there during the Vietnam war. They weren't called PT's (PTM's I think) but they were pretty much the same 60+ footers seen in this movie. They traded the three aircraft engines in for diesels though but they were still plenty fast. They had an assortment of 20mm, 40mm and .50 guns. I really wanted to take a ride on one of them.
KS

[–] highwaystar50 12 years ago

They were PTF's though the "T" didn't stand for torpedo. http://www.ptfnasty.com/
KS

[–] anghmho 12 years ago

When I was a little kid, I spent my summers on the Jersey Shore. While the war was still going, Navy blimps could be seen at all times, guarding New York harbor, Immediately after the war, I remember refurbished PT boats with rows of seats offering people rides in Barnegat Bay. Thrilling stuff. Fast as stink.

There were also DUKWs (Ducks) offering people rides right off the beach. Also very appealing.

My father had a chance to buy an AT-6 for $600 (big money in those days) but passed on it. A more adventurous friend of his bought it.

And now it's all gone. Pity, indeed.

[–] foster1234 12 years ago

They were'nt made totally of plywood.

The hulls were made of hardwood planks (2+) layers crossed diangely, a layer of glued canvassed inbetween then screwed, about a gazillion times, both directions.

The superstructures were made of plywood, marine plywood, somewhat different than other plywood, 1/2 inch equals 6-7 layers, tuff stuff, very heavy, very durable

I don't doubt that some were destroyed after the war, but many were brought back to the states, and sold as surplus.

[–] rpartrid-2 11 years ago

this has to be one of the most informative threads I have ever read on IMDB - this is what a forum should be. Too often it devolves into personal attacks; petty judgements and side issues.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 11 years ago

The PT boats became obsolete towards the end of the fighting, but the concept of small, highly maneuverable, heavily armed Navy craft lived on. Note the use of PBR's in Viet Nam (shown extensively in the movie "Apocalypse Now"), as well as Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), also known as Swift Boats, used in Viet Nam. Not as big as the WWII PT boats, for sure, but still used effectively.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_boat,_rigid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Patrol_Craft

[–] highwaystar50 10 years ago

Must not forget the PG (Patrol Gunboat) when referring to Vietnam era patrol boats.

http://gunboatriders.com/theboats/general_spec.html

Bigger than the PT's but more akin to them in the fire power and propulsion departments as they included an aircraft engine (GE LM 1500) which was a J-79 (used in F4 Phantom) modified for marine use for high speeds along with a couple of diesel engines for lower speed cruising.
KS

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 10 years ago

Wow, interesting craft, and highly maneuverable. Never even heard of those before. Thanks for posting.

[–] highwaystar50 10 years ago

I saw them all the time off the coast of Vietnam during the war.
KS