Episodes
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
- 36 - Pacific War - The battle of Kokoda, July 19-August 2, 1942
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
In the last couple of weeks, we have covered both the American and Japanese general plans for the future, delving into the minds of important figures like General MacArthur, Admiral King, General Hyakutake or Admiral Yamamoto. Although the American plans haven’t quite gotten in motion yet, the Japanese had started their Kokoda Track campaign in the last episode; and today, we are going to cover the continuation of the Japanese advance on Kokoda, as well as the resistance offered by the Maroubra Force and the plans that were brewing in Burma for future operations in the region.
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
- 35 - Pacific War - The invasion of Buna-Gona, July 19-26, 1942
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Three weeks ago, we delved for the first time into the American plans for their future offensives, as the Army and Navy factions clashed for control of the operations that were going to unfold in the Pacific. But thanks to the efforts of General Marshall, by early July, the matter of command had been resolved and a compromise between General MacArthur and Admiral King had been reached. Now, we turn to cover the plans of the Japanese commanders for the region of New Guinea, as well as MacArthur’s response and the aid that the British were planning to give to the Americans in the Pacific.
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
- 34 - Pacific War - The War on the North American Coast, July 12-19, 1942
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
The Aleutian islands were not the only territories in North America to be attacked by Japan. About a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 9 submarines of the Japanese 6th Fleet arrived off the North American Pacific coast. They were tasked with performing reconnaissance and disrupting shipping lanes. Some of these submarines would go a step further and carry out attacks on the mainland of North America. This episode will be the War on the American Pacific Coast.
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
- 33 - Pacific War - Biological Warfare in China, July 5-12, 1942
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Last month, we covered the start of the violent and unforgiving campaign that took place in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi as the Japanese invaders hunted down the American pilots that had taken part in the Doolittle Raid. In their ensuing struggle to curb down the Chinese air power in the region, the natives of Zhejiang and Jiangxi suffered the abuse and savagery of the Japanese troops, who caused such devastation on the land that around 90% of the market towns and its homes were destroyed. In many cities, the streets were left void and one could only see ruins and burning houses on the horizon. Yet this was just the beginning, with the invaders now preparing to withdraw from the area with the employment of biological warfare, thus leaving only death and misery in their wake.
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
- 32 - Pacific War - First raids on New Guinea, June 21- July 4, 1942
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
After the small break of the last couple of weeks, we return to the main theater of the Pacific War, where the astounding consequences of the Battle of Midway continued to resonate in the minds of the key figures of the war. Yamamoto had been outmaneuvered, outsmarted and he had suffered terrible losses in the battle, from which the IJN may never recover. But worst of all, he had finally surrendered the initiative to the American commanders, who immediately began to plan the first Allied offensives of the Pacific War. Join us as we delve into Admiral King’s and General MacArthur’s plans for the future, as well as the first incursions into the region of New Guinea.
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
- 31 - Pacific War -Douglas MacArthur and Philippines disaster SPECIAL
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Douglas MacArthur was one of the US military’s most celebrated and controversial commanders. His military service career is one of the most extensive and impressive in history, but it did not go unblemished. This episode will look specifically into one of the blemishes, that being Douglas MacArthur’s blunder of the defense of the Philippines at the offset of the Pacific War. If you would like to learn more about the the Philippines campaign, please check out our episode on the “Defense of the Pacific”.
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
- 30 - Pacific War -Attack on Sydney Harbour, June 14-21, 1942
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
During the attack on Pearl Harbor the Japanese dispatched 5 Type A midget submarines[1], each carrying two men and two torpedoes[2]. The night before the attack at 6:45am the destroyer USS Ward came across 1 of 5 midget submarines trying to enter the harbor and opened fire on it sinking it, this was the first official shot of the Pacific War. One midget submarine shot a torpedo at Seaplane tender Curtiss missing and another, Ha-19 was captured on December 8th. These failures led the IJN to upgrade their midget submarines in the hopes of attempting another strike on a harbor. This episode will be about the attack on Sydney Harbor
[1] I-16,I-18,I-20,I-22 and I-24, Ko-hyoteki-class
[2] They also had swords and pistols to commit suicide with if caught
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
- 29 - Pacific War -Operation Al Invasion of Alaska, June 7-14, 1942
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Last week, we covered one of the most important battles of the Pacific War, the milestone that stopped the expansion of the Japanese Empire and allowed the Americans to go on the offensive for the first time in the war. But concurrent to the Battle of Midway and the death of the 1st Kido Butai, Admiral Yamamoto had devised a plan to strike Dutch Harbor and invade the first territory in North America: the Aleutian Islands. With huge resources allocated to this operation, the American defenders in Alaska were about to meet one of the most significant invasion forces this soil would ever see, so join us as we delve deeper into the struggle for Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
- 28 - Pacific War - Battle of Midway, May 31 - 7 June, 1942
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Almost six months have passed since the devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that gave birth to the Pacific War. In this half-year, the Japanese Empire proved to be the one that was better prepared for war and the one that held military superiority over its foes, as they rapidly steamrolled across the Pacific, capturing key points like Malaya, Burma, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies and the island of New Britain; putting high pressure on important countries like Australia and India; and even making a big power like the US feel threatened over a possible invasion. The Empire of the Rising Sun was at its zenith, but things would quickly go downhill from this point forward. The surprising and fierce Doolittle Raid, as well as the carrier battle at the Coral Sea, had shown the weaknesses of the Japanese, and this forced Admiral Yamamoto to seek a decisive battle with his main enemy. Yet unbeknownst to him, he was sailing into a trap… a trap that would forever change the course of history. Welcome to our video on the Battle of Midway, the event that finally put a stop to the expansion of the Japanese Empire.
Tuesday May 24, 2022
- 27 - Pacific War - Operation Sei-Go, May 24-31, 1942
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Almost six months have passed since the start of the war, and the Japanese behemoth had proved to be almost unstoppable across the Pacific. Last week, we saw them complete their invasion of Burma, another victory in a long string of triumphs; yet we also saw there a huge participation by one of the most forgotten allies of World War Two: Nationalist China. Today, we are going to see war resume in the Chinese mainland as the Japanese prepare for a new offensive in retaliation for their participation in the Doolittle Raid.