Key Battles of American History

The Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater for both the Japanese and the Americans. James and Sean will be discussing three movies about Iwo Jima, the first of which is the classic 1949 John Wayne action film Sands of Iwo Jima. Despite its title, Sands of Iwo Jima only devotes 30 minutes to the battle; the rest of the movie shows the Battle of Tarawa, as well as...

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In this episode, James and Sean completely change gears, discussing the 1988 Japanese animated Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies, which tells the story of a young boy and his little sister who struggle to stay alive during the Allied firebombings of Japan that occurred in the last few months of the war. Grave of the Fireflies is a sad, hard-to-watch movie, but it is a must see for those wh...

In early 1942, the US Marine Corps began recruiting young Navajo men to serve as “codetalkers” who would transmit orders via radio using a code based on the Navajo language. The code was inscrutable to the Japanese, who were never able to crack it. John Woo’s 2002 film Windtalkers tells a slightly fictionalized version of their story. As usual, James and Sean attempt to sort through the Hollywood...

Based loosely on the 1955 novel of the same name, Run Silent, Run Deep tells the story of a submarine captain who disobeys orders in an attempt to get revenge against a Japanese destroyer that sank his previous command. In this episode, James and Sean share their thoughts about this exciting action film. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all World War II American naval personnel saw combat. Many spent the entire war in non-combat roles, including serving on the thousands of supply ships that were essential to the war effort. The classic 1955 drama/comedy Mister Roberts tells the story of one such supply ship and its crew, which is led by an eccentric captain but inspired by the executive officer Mister Roberts, who wants more...

Typhoons and other storms were a real danger for naval vessels during the Pacific War, and many ships were lost to them. The Caine Mutiny, based on the novel of the same name by Herman Wouk, tells the story of a tyrannical destroyer captain whose decision to sail right through a typhoon motivates his executive officer to relieve him of command, leading to a court martial. In this episode, James an...

During a war, combatants often ponder the deep existential questions of life. These questions form the basis of Terence Malick’s 1998 war drama The Thin Red Line. On one level, The Thin Red Line is about a U. S. Army division’s attempt to take a hill on the island of Guadalcanal; however, the film also explores many age-old questions, including “How did evil enter the world?”, “Why are humans at w...

On June 4, 1942, a Japanese naval task force launched an attack on the American naval and air base at Midway Island. The task force then encountered an American carrier fleet, leading to an epic naval battle that changed the course of the war in the Pacific. The 2019 action-war film Midway tells the story of the leadup to the battle, the battle itself, and the aftermath. Is it historically accurat...

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In April 1942, sixteen American B-25B bombers took off from the carrier USS Hornet and conducted a bombing raid over Japan that is known to posterity as the Doolittle Raid. After bombing Japan, the pilots’ intent was to land their planes in China…but things did not go as planned for many. In this episode, James and Sean discuss the 1944 film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, which dramatizes the preparat...

Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boats, while not as famous as battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and other large ships, nevertheless played a crucial role in the Pacific War. In 1942, author W. L. White wrote They Were Expendable, a book that tells the story of the work of PT boats in the American defense of the Philippines in 1941 and 1942. Three years later, MGM released the movie version directed...

In the late 1960s, a Japanese film production team joined forces with an American team in an effort to produce a balanced and accurate retelling of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The result is the classic 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, which after more than 50 years still remains the definitive Pearl Harbor film. Join James and Sean as they discuss the film’s story, its histor...

In this episode, James kicks off a new season of Key Battles of American History: “The Pacific War on Film.” In this season, James and returning co-host Sean McIver will discuss 17 specially selected films that deal with different aspects of the Pacific Theater of WW2. We will discuss the films themselves, including their background, themes, quality, and historical accuracy, as well as the histori...

James and Steve Guerra, host of the Beyond the Big Screen Podcast, discuss the 1943 war propaganda movie Gung Ho!, which is loosely based on the formation and first combat action of the elite World War 2 Marine unit called Carlson’s Raiders. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was President Harry Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary and justified? In this episode, James is joined by Richard Lim, host of the This American President podcast. James and Richard break down the various factors that figured into Truman’s decision in an attempt to answer this important question. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode (written by Sean McIver), James tells the story of the small but important CVE (or “Jeep”) aircraft carriers, which played an outside role in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This episode was commissioned by Major Bob McCullough of Early’s Raiders. For more information on supporting the podcast by becoming an officer in Early’s Raiders, visit https://www.patreon.com/user?u=1197...

In this episode, James, Scott Rank (host of History Unplugged), Steve Guerra (host of Beyond the Big Screen and History of the Papacy) and Richard Lim (host of "This American President") discuss the following question: "If you could go back in time and save one person who died prematurely, who would you save? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode James interviews Nathan Gorenstein, author of The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World. Nathan explains how Browning, son of a gun repairman in small-town Utah in the mid-nineteenth century, went on to design many of the most popular and widely used firearms in world history, including the Browning Automatic Rifle and th...

In this episode (James’ favorite), James and fellow podcaster Steve Guerra recreate an interview given in 1989 by James’ father Col. Cleland Early about his experiences as a young Marine who fought in the Battle of Tarawa. Listen all the way to the end for a special treat! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In this episode, James again interviews Air Force historian Evan Muxen. This time, we discuss how the geography of Okinawa influenced the battle that occurred there. While on active duty with the US Army, Evan lived on Okinawa and spent much time investigating sites critical to the battle. Evan’s personal knowledge of the terrain on which the bloodiest battle of the Pacific Theater was fought prov...

In this episode, James interviews Air Force historian Evan Muxen about how the geography of Iwo Jima influenced the battle that occurred there. Evan has visited Iwo Jima multiple times and even led tours there, and his expert knowledge of the terrain, as well as of the battle itself, provides invaluable perspective on the battle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, James interviews Gregory Jackson, Professor of Integrated Studies at Utah Valley University, host of the outstanding History That Doesn’t Suck Podcast, and the voice who introduces this podcast! James and Greg discuss Greg’s podcast, the disconnect between academia and history podcasting, and the state of history podcasting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, James concludes his two-part series about United States presidents who served in World War 2. In Part Two, James discusses the wartime service of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, as well as the near service of Jimmy Carter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.