The Pacific War - week by week

- 21 - Pacific War -Doolittle Raid , April 12-19, 1942

Last week, the Japanese had scored an amazing victory with the ultimate fall of the Bataan Peninsula. For three months, those Battling Bastards had resisted against the full might of a Japanese army, successfully holding their ground and inflicting heavy casualties on the invaders. But now, with the peninsula firmly under his control, General Homma finally started to look south towards the Manila Bay and the Southern Islands. On the Indian Ocean, there was also a great concern because of the Japanese raid that took place in the last two weeks, which left the British afraid of a possible follow-up invasion of Ceylon. But this week, it was the turn of the Americans to launch a devastating raid against the heart of the Japanese Empire, an operation that would foreshadow the key cooperation of the US Army and Navy in the future. So join us as we take a look at the Doolittle Raid, the first Japanese incursions against the Visayas, and more.

- 20 - Pacific War - Fall of Bataan & the Bataan Death March , April 5-12, 1942

Four months have passed since the start of the Pacific War, and of all the initial objectives of the Japanese Empire, only one remained unachieved. The invaders had up until now conquered the Dutch East Indies, advanced down the Malayan Peninsula to capture Singapore, expanded through a series of islands in the Pacific Ocean, and achieved important air and naval attacks that caused havoc on the Allied fleets. Furthermore, with the fall of Rangoon, the Burma operation was on good track, so Tokyo was planning to shift to phase two of operations, looking east towards Midway and the US, south towards Australia and New Guinea and west towards Ceylon and India. But despite the early capture of Manila, still there was a huge thorn on the Japanese side that hadn’t been vanquished by the invaders. Thus, today we’ll continue to cover the Battle of Bataan as the Japanese get reinforced and prepare for a final assault against the Filipino defenders.

- 19 - Pacific War - Indian Ocean Raid, March 15 - April 5, 1942

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been covering some special topics about the Pacific War since there wasn’t much happening during this time. But today, we come back for the main series with an episode looking forward towards the Indian Ocean. After the fall of the Dutch East Indies, Malaya, Singapore, Manila and Rangoon, the Japanese Empire had achieved all of its initial objectives for the start of the war. Now, they seek to probe the strength of the Allies outside of the Pacific with a deadly raid aimed towards the island of Ceylon and the coast of India. Brace yourselves as we plunge into the Indian Ocean Raid and other Japanese offensives in the waters south of the Indian subcontinent.

- 18 - Pacific War Special - The Battle of Hong Kong with Brad St Croix

This interview featured Brad St Croix a Canadian Military historian who did his PhD dissertation on the Battle of Hong Kong. The podcast explains why the battle occurred, what happened during the battle, dispels many misconceptions and myths about the event and its long lasting effect on Canadian veterans. Brad St Croix also runs the Youtube channel OTD Canadian Military History

- 17 - Pacific War Special - Interview on General Rupertus

This interview is about General William Henry Rupertus, a commander during the Pacific War and author of the Rifleman's creed. Craig is speaking with Amy Rupertus Peacock, granddaughter of General Rupertus and her co-author Don Brown (author of over 15 books, including the Last Fighter Pilot) for their new book "Old Breed General". General Rupertus is one of the longest-serving members of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) at 37 years of service. General Rupertus served during WW1, the Haiti occupation, commanded the China Marines during the Battle of Shanghai, and commanded USMC forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of Cape Gloucester, the Mariana, and Palau Islands Campaign, and the battle of Peleliu.

- 16 - Pacific War - Fall of Rangoon, March 8-15, 1942

Last week, we witnessed one of the most pivotal moments of the Pacific War: the Fall of Java. The surrender of the Dutch island not only brought the total collapse of the ABDA Command and the Malay Barrier, which had failed in every one of its missions; but also consolidated the position of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific, having achieved supremacy over the two main resource hubs of the East: Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. With the completion of the Malayan campaign and the Dutch surrender, new objectives appeared for the Japanese on the horizon… And today, we are going to focus on one of them: the British colony of Burma, with its key port of Rangoon, and the last of the Chinese lifelines, the Burma Road.

- 15 - Pacific War - Fall of Java, March 1-8, 1942

Twelve weeks ago, the Pacific War started with the critical attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of the Japanese invasions across East Asia. Now, the first phase of their expansion is near its end and the desired prize is within reach of the Japanese Empire. Last week, we covered the start of the First Battle of the Java Sea and the failure of the ABDA Command to stop the invasion of Java from taking place. Today, we’re going to see its disastrous conclusion and the final surrender of the Dutch East Indies, as the Japanese finally land on the island of Java.

- 14 - Pacific War -Invasion of Timor, February 22 - March 1, 1942

Two weeks have passed since the fall of Singapore, and the situation looks hopeless for the Allied nations: the Malaya Barrier has been pierced; the island of Java is almost completely open for an attack; Burma is being invaded; and the Filipino defenders have been cornered at the Bataan Peninsula. It seems that the Allied command has failed in its mission to stop the advance of the invaders across the Pacific, and now we are reaching the climax of the first few months of the Pacific War. The short-lived ABDACOM, after proving their incompetence at containing the Japanese forces, now seeks desperately to stop the complete loss of the Dutch East Indies. But alas, their desperation would only cost them more than they could possibly afford. Join us as we cover the invasion of Timor, the disaster at the Sittang Bridge and the beginning of the crucial Battle of the Java Sea

- 13 - Pacific War -Invasion of Sumatra , February 15-22, 1942

Two weeks ago, we covered the fall of the last key cities and airfields in Borneo, the Celebes and the Moluccas. From the airfield of Kendari II alone, the Japanese had already achieved their goal of having the necessary range to successfully conduct air operations over Java; yet to be completely certain that their most important offensive was going to come into fruition, the Japanese commanders had decided that they first wanted to take southern Sumatra and the important airfield of Palembang. Last week, we also saw the Japanese pierce the Malay Barrier for the first time with the capture of Singapore; and today, they turn to Burma to start their advance on one of the most important British ports in Southeast Asia: Rangoon. Join us as the Empire of the Rising Sun commences the invasions of Burma and Sumatra.

- 12 - Pacific War -Fall of Singapore , February 8-15, 1942

Since the start of the Pacific War, we’ve been following one of the major theaters of the Japanese offensive: the Malayan Campaign. Two weeks ago, the campaign came to its near-end with the final retreat of the Allied soldiers towards the British fortress of Singapore. The Malayan Peninsula had been invaded back on December 8, and the defense of the colony had shown a total lack of readiness on the side of the British government. Suffering defeat after defeat and making a critical string of blunders, the Allied forces had rapidly been conceding territory; and only after two months since the invaders first landed at Kota Bharu, they had been thrown back to the island settlement, which had been transformed into a fortress. But the British would see that their belief that Singapore was an impregnable fortress was as much a lie as their idea that they could intimidate the Japanese by employing a small naval force in the Pacific. Now, the campaign is finally coming to its end, as the Japanese prepare to execute one of their most important operations of the war.