Most characters in Hacksaw Ridge are real as it is a biographical film. Desmond is the central figure and his life experiences are faithfully depicted. Other characters in the movie are composites or represent multiple people.
Real-life hero Desmond Doss saved 75 soldiers in WWII without firing a shot, as depicted in the 2016 biographical war film Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson. Despite some minor changes to the story, Hacksaw Ridge was praised by Doss's son for its historical accuracy.
There was hand-to-hand combat on Hacksaw Ridge, but not the way it was depicted in the film. In the film, American and Japanese troops charge at each other with bayonets, knives, and the like as if they were on a medieval battlefield, and did not have accurate high powered rifles and machineguns at their disposal.
The secret to a hacksaw's effectiveness is its ability to keep the blade extremely taut, using a built-in tension system that pulls the ends of the blade after being installed. While reciprocating saws are more productive and require less effort, a hacksaw is preferred for performing slower, precise cuts.
History Professor Breaks Down "Hacksaw Ridge" / Reel History
How brutal was Hacksaw Ridge?
At around the halfway mark, the fighting comes, and the film explodes into a kaleidoscope of horrors. To put it bluntly, Hacksaw Ridge contains some of the most gruesome and brutally violent mass battle scenes I've ever seen on the big screen.
[1]Desmond Doss is credited with saving 75 soldiers during one of the bloodiest battles of World War II in the Pacific — and he did it without ever carrying a weapon. The battle at Hacksaw Ridge, on the island of Okinawa, was a close combat fight with heavy weaponry.
About 2,500 Americans lost their lives and nearly twice as many Japanese troops. In the movie Hacksaw Ridge, they show Japanese soldiers killing wounded American soldiers.
The Japanese liked to target corpsmen and Army medics, as well as doctors. They knew if they hurt or killed someone with medical training, they wouldn't be able to help other wounded Marines or soldiers.
On May 4, 1945, Doss spent 12 hours single-handedly retrieving and lowering wounded soldiers from the battlefield to safety, down the edge of the cliff at Hacksaw Ridge. He tried to rescue both American and Japanese soldiers, though no Japanese soldiers survived.
In doing so, the Allied forces had a foothold for the planned invasion of mainland Japan. However, the development of the atomic bomb led to the surrender of Japan, meaning the war ended only a few months after the successful capture of Hacksaw Ridge.
Summary. In "Hacksaw Ridge," changes are made to Desmond Doss's reasoning for refusing to bear arms, adding drama to his character and upbringing. The film dramatizes Desmond's marriage to Dorothy by creating a storyline where he misses their wedding due to being imprisoned, unlike real life.
Why didn't the Japanese cut the ladder in Hacksaw Ridge?
If the US took the time to put a mesh rope ladder up, they would leave enough forces to defend it. Any Japanese soldiers that came close enough to the ridge to attempt to cut it would have been gunned down.
Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006) was an American United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. Due to his religious beliefs, he refused to carry a weapon.
Both sides bore heavy losses, but on May 6, 1945, the Americans gained control of Hacksaw Ridge. Over 73 years later, U.S. Marines and Sailors revisited the battleground to pay their respects and learn the history of Hacksaw Ridge.
There are well-documented cases of temporary ceasefires for retrieving and treating wounded soldiers throughout WW2 in the European theatre. German regular troops would avoid shooting medics, whereas the SS (who were, remember, not Army as such) would not only shoot medics but use wounded soldiers a.
One such medic was PFC Desmond Doss of Lynchburg, VA, who refused to carry arms due to his religious faith, but who wanted to serve his nation in a noncombatant role. On Okinawa in May 1945, Doss single-handedly saved the lives of some 75 men by braving enemy fire to rescue them.
Hacksaw Ridge was a very enjoyable (based on) true story, but almost two different movies. The first half focused of family and love and the second half was a bloody war scene depicting true bravery by a determined idealist. I would recommend seeing it on the big screen for the sound and cinematography.
Using cargo nets, Doss' battalion was tasked with climbing a treacherous, 400-foot-high jagged cliff, nicknamed Hacksaw Ridge, to get to a plateau. Waiting for them were thousands of heavily armed Japanese soldiers entrenched in hidden caves and holes.
Visit Hacksaw Ridge, Battle of Okinawa Historical Society Museum on Camp Kinser, explore the Japanese Naval Underground Headquarters and end the day at Peace Prayer Park. *Bring dollars for your lunch and admission (¥750). MCCS Tours+ reserves the right to cancel the tour if minimum reservations are not met.
Hacksaw Ridge, a 500-foot-high plateau, is in southern Okinawa. The plateau on top stretched about 4,200 yards from east to west. Its face was a crest consisting of a sheer rock wall that could only be scaled with ladders or special climbing gear.
The battlefield, located on top of a sheer 400-foot cliff, was fortified with a deadly network of Japanese machine gun nests and booby traps. The escarpment, nicknamed Hacksaw Ridge for the treacherously steep cliff, was key to winning the battle of Okinawa.
How many conscientious objectors won the Medal of Honor?
There have been three conscientious objectors who were awarded the Medal of Honor – the highest military honor in the US – without ever firing a weapon. One of those men is Desmond Doss, who has had his story translated to the silver screen in “Hacksaw Ridge,” a new movie directed by Mel Gibson.
