Doss spent a grueling 12 hours on Hacksaw Ridge, saving the lives of 75 people, including his captain, with his acts of bravery as a combat medic. Doss deflected enemy grenades and sustained injuries but remained at the top of the cliff, refusing to leave until all injured soldiers were brought to safety.

How accurate was the movie Hacksaw Ridge?

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.

How many survived Hacksaw Ridge?

The film switches to real photos and footage showing that Desmond was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman for rescuing 75 soldiers at Hacksaw Ridge, as well as real-life footage of Desmond just before his death, recounting his experiences during the war.

Did the Japanese surrender at Hacksaw Ridge?

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.

What was left out of Hacksaw Ridge?

Undoubtedly one of the bigger omissions from Hacksaw Ridge is that Desmond Doss served in two other battles before Japan. In reality, Doss was at the Battles of Guam and Leyte, both in 1944. The Battle of Okinawa was not until 1945, meaning the film omits Doss' role in the prior two conflicts.

Hacksaw Ridge Protected by the Constitution

How many Japanese died on Hacksaw Ridge?

As usual on Okinawa, Japanese casualties were many times greater than the number of American lives lost. Upwards of 3,000 Japanese are believed to have died in the fight for Hacksaw Ridge.

How many died at Hacksaw Ridge?

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. Is this portrayal accurate? Not only captured military prisoners, but also civilians.

Why didn't they cut the rope at Hacksaw Ridge?

Originally Answered: After watching "Hacksaw Ridge", my question is why didn't the Japanese just cut that rope ladder? This question has been answered in a documentary starring the actual Desmond Doss. The japanese didn't cut the rope because that was the only entrance to the battlefield.

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.

How many Japanese were saved by Desmond Doss?

He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions on Guam and in the Philippines. Doss further distinguished himself in the Battle of Okinawa by saving an estimated 75 men, acting on his own, becoming the first of only three conscientious objectors to receive the Medal of Honor for this and other actions.

Did the Japanese target medics?

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.

Did Desmond Doss really help a Japanese soldier?

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.

Did Desmond Doss have PTSD?

born 1946. Still living. Did Desmond's PTSD effect his relationship with his son? Yes.

Who was the soldier who refused to carry a gun?

[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.

How did Desmond Doss save 75 lives?

Doss successfully rescued 75 men trapped at the top of the escarpment by lowering them with a special knot he knew. He had miraculously not been wounded and stayed in the fight with B Company. On May 21, Doss was wounded several times by grenade fragments and a sniper's bullet through his arm.

Did the US lose Hacksaw Ridge?

Eventually, the Americans took Hacksaw Ridge. Okinawa was captured inch by bloody inch. Several days later, during an unsuccessful night raid, Desmond was severely wounded.

How big was the cliff in Hacksaw Ridge?

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.

Is Hacksaw Ridge unrealistic?

"[Mel Gibson and I] were very accurate with Desmond and what happened to him," veteran producer Bill Mechanic tells PEOPLE. But, he admits "we were not accurate on some of the details around it," like the exact backstory of Doss's father, or the chronological details of his marriage to his wife, Dorothy.

Is there anything bad in Hacksaw Ridge?

The violence is very intense, graphic, violent and gory. The movie has 3 main war scenes that are around 5-15 minutes each.

Is Hacksaw Ridge disturbing?

I really liked how realistic and sad this movie can be at times but the downside is that it is really bloody and to the point where you see open flesh, people in half, and people missing limbs. You will also see a soldiers backside.

How long did the Japanese hold Hacksaw Ridge?

The battle on Hacksaw Ridge took place on a 400-foot cliff and lasted 11 days. The Japanese soldiers utilized underground tunnels and bunkers across the ridge which forced American troops to scale the cliff-like terrain to get to the enemy.

Why did Desmond Doss remarry?

Following his tenure in the military, Doss continued working part-time while raising a farm with his wife and son in Rising Fawn, Georgia. After his wife tragically passed away in a car accident in 1991, Desmond Doss got remarried to Frances May Duman in 1993.

What is the bloodiest battle in history?

The Most Deadly Battle In History: Stalingrad

The figures for the Battle of Stalingrad battle are shocking even by the standards of the other campaigns on this list. Running from August 23, 1942 to February 2, 1943, Stalingrad led to 633,000 battle deaths.

What was the worst place to fight in WWII?

Two US Coast Guardsmen pay homage to their comrade killed in the Ryukyu Islands. The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.

Who was the highest ranking soldier killed in ww2?

Among the dead was the Tenth Army's commander, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., killed on June 18 by enemy artillery fire during the final offensive. He was the highest-ranking American general killed in action during World War II.