The Solomons, the Gilberts, and the Marshalls
In June 1943, American forces kicked off Operation Cartwheel, an attack on additional islands in the Solomons chain and parts of New Britain and New Guinea, under the command of General Douglas MacArt...
18 Aug 202151min
The Tide Turns: July 1942 - August 1943
Between August 1942 and June 1944, no “Key Battles” (at least in James’ reckoning!) occurred...but that of course does not mean that nothing happened! During the time between the Guadalcanal and Saipa...
11 Aug 202152min
Japanese and American Sailors
The Pacific War was dominated by the navy. Without the hundreds of thousands of sailors who manned the thousands of ships on both sides, there would have been no land battles. In this episode, written...
4 Aug 202145min
Soldiers, Marines and Aviators
In this and the next episode, James and Scott take a break from the military narrative to zoom in and take a look at the lives and experiences of common soldiers, marines, and pilots on both the Japan...
28 Juli 202155min
Guadalcanal (Key Battle 4), Part 4
After the failed October Japanese attack on Henderson Field and the American fleet’s repeated prevention of Japanese efforts to reinforce and resupply the island, the Japanese army on Guadalcanal beca...
21 Juli 202147min
Guadalcanal (Key Battle 4), Part 3
In October and November of 1942, the Japanese fleet near Guadalcanal kept trying to bring supplies and reinforcements to the island, while the American navy tried to stop this. As a result, no fewer t...
14 Juli 202140min
Guadalcanal (Key Battle 4), Part 2
In the first week after their landing, the Americans seized the Japanese airstrip and constructed a perimeter around it. But in the next month, the Japanese launched two attacks to try to regain it. T...
7 Juli 202142min
Guadalcanal (Key Battle 4), Part 1
After overwhelmingly defeating the Japanese fleet at Midway, American military leaders decided to go on the offensive. The first major target would be a group of islands in the eastern part of the Sol...
30 Juni 202146min
