The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

In the first episode of Season 2 and transition into the war year of 1943, Seth and Bill welcome retired Admiral Thomas Fargo, an esteemed submariner, to introduce the topic of the US Navy's Silent Service. The trio goes over the overall strategy and effectiveness of the submarine force, prepping the podcast for deeper dives (pun intended) in this new season.

This week Bill and Seth "put a bow" on the Guadalcanal campaign, tying up loose ends, giving a brief overview of the Battle of Tassafaronga, while also giving the overall perspective of the tide-turning campaign in the Pacific war in this final episode of Season 1. Bill and Seth also give a preview of what's coming up next in Season 2 as the podcast, and the Pacific War, progress into 1943.

This week Seth and Bill welcome back historian Dave Holland to talk about the last few weeks on Guadalcanal as the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Raider Battalion and US Army attempt to wipe out the remaining Japanese on the island. The trio discusses the Long Patrol, Gifu, Sea Horse and Galloping GHorse as the campaign ashore winds mercifully down to a finale.

In this special episode, airing on the 82nd anniversary of Admiral Nimitz taking command of the Pacific Fleet, Bill and Seth go a bit deeper into the history of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz from his beginnings in Texas to his command of the Pacific Fleet and some other interesting stories in between.

The fight the night before, 13-14 November had beaten both naval forces down.   US forces had been beaten to a bloody pulp, as had the Japanese.  Yet despite the beating, the Japanese still held a significant numerical advantage. As Jon said last episode, the Japanese still held 3-4 BBs in reserve and had yet to commit them to the fight around Guadalcanal, for who knows what reasons. The US on the...

The hectic and high stakes month of October 1942 has finally wound down and passed into history.  And with it, the lives of nearly 400 Americans at The Battles of Henderson Field and Santa Cruz and an astonishing figure of nearly 3,500 Japanese lives at those same events.  The Japanese have thrown their very best efforts at Guadalcanal in October, both ashore and off shore, and have come up short....

This week Bill and I have a special guest with us, he’s been here before and we always love to have him, he’s the one, the only, my good buddy, Jon Parshall. This week we are going to take a step back from the battlefront, into the backwaters if you will, to discuss some of the leaders of WATCHTOWER, the men who made the decisions, for better or worse, that propelled, and sometimes didn’t propel t...

This week Bill and I have a special guest with us, he’s been here before and we always love to have him, he’s the one, the only, my good buddy, Jon Parshall. If you’ve been listening to the podcast as of late, you are well aware that we are making our way through the slug fest that was the Guadalcanal campaign.  While the fighting ashore has raged on and off between pitched engagements, the seas a...

This week we would like to welcome back Dave Holland.  Dave is a former United States Marine, owns and runs the facebook and youtube channel called Guadalcanal: Walking a battlefield, a Solomon islands battlefield guide, and most importantly, a Guadalcanal expert.  Welcome back, Dave.   We’ve been building up to this specific event for some time now, and so have the Japanese.  As you will recall,...

On the night of October 11, 1942, the Japanese sent two separate task forces heading in the direction of Guadalcanal.  The first task force was yet another troop/resupply convoy, the second task force, separate from the first yet in the same area at the same time, was a bombardment group assigned to shell Henderson field.     The Japanese, at this time, rulers of the seas around Guadalcanal, at le...

This week we will be talking about the early actions that occurred along the Matinikau river.  Now, as opposed to the land battles we have discussed before, Tenaru and Edson’s Ridge which each only happened one time, the Matinikau actions occurred several times from September through November 1942.  Today, we will be focusing on the September and October actions.     Following the battle at Edson’...

This week we would like to welcome back Dave Holland.  Dave is a former United States Marine, owns and runs the facebook and youtube channel called Guadalcanal: Walking a battlefield, a Solomon islands battlefield guide, and most importantly, a Guadalcanal expert.  Welcome back, Dave. It’s been over a month since the Marines landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo.  August has passed a...

The month of August 1942 has had its ups and downs so far as the campaign for Guadalcanal is concerned. The invasion of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Tanambogo and other outlying islands in the area initially went very well. Marines occupied the islands rather quickly and eliminated Japanese resistance to a man in most places.  On August 21, Marines from the 1st Marine Regiment utterly destroyed the first...

Prewar US Navy and IJN surface doctrine US Navy surface battle doctrine assumed, and planned for any major surface action against an enemy, specifically the Japanese, would be fought in broad daylight, in perfect weather, near the Philippines and at extreme range of the rifles of the US Navy’s battleship, battle line.   While night training did occur for the USN, it was not something that was prac...

H-Hour Guadalcanal   American intel assumed that the bulk of the Japanese were on Guadalcanal, specifically along Lunga Point Estimated 5,000 men 5th Marines secured the beachhead, 1st Marines passed through them and headed for “Grassy Knoll” It was assumed there would be heavy defensive fire on the beaches The landing on Guadalcanal could not have gone any better, as virtually no opposition was e...

A Rush to Action the beginnings of a “plan” On July 3, just after WATCHTOWER is approved (but not by the Joint Chiefs) King flies to Frisco to brief Nimitz Richmond Kelly Turner was told that 3 CVs would support the operation (CV3, CV6 and CV7) The name Guadalcanal had not yet been added to the operation list as a target as of July 3 On June 27, to follow King’s initial order to prepare to seize T...

Fleet Admiral Ernest King was Commander-in-Chief Fleet, or COMINCH, during most of World War II, and in 1942 assigned to also serve as Chief of Naval Operations or CNO.  As CNO he managed the Navy Staff, called OPNAV then (and still is), which allowed him to manage, among other things, all Navy investments in ships and aircraft, as well as all senior Navy officer assignments.    A funny aside befo...

Briefly describe the actions of June 6   Discuss the attempted salvage and eventual sinking of Yorktown     -How does this sinking lay on the future plans for the war   -Discuss why the perception exists that Spruance won the battle when Fletcher was the commander.   Let’s talk about Mitscher and his cover up…   -Discuss the Army’s claims and propaganda that they won the battle    -Discuss King’s...

Aboard the Japanese CVs What is the morning looking like at this point aboard the CVs? What are the Japanese briefed about? When do they launch? Who is the strike leader? Talk about the flight into Midway… Aboard the American CVs Reveille for US aircrews is at 0300, breakfast at 0400, ready rooms shortly after that Talk about the anticipation in the ready rooms Nervous energy   Aboard Midway islan...

Talking Points:   Sit Rep late May 1942 What does the Pacific War look like right now? Any major changes? Doolittle Raid What is the reasoning behind the raid? What happens (briefly) What effects does the Doolittle Raid have… On the targets (actual combat results of the raid) On US plans and ops US CVs high-tail it after launch to get back to Pearl On Japanese plans and ops…   Japanese Plans Becau...

While the hit and run carrier raids of February and March tested American carrier doctrine to an extent, and the Pearl Harbor raid as well as Indian Ocean raids tested Imperial Navy doctrine also to an extent, this is the very first time that both navies tested each other’s way of doing things, and in the process found things that worked, and things that well…didn’t work.  Let’s dig into it… Talki...

If Seth and I were to define the two main thrusts of our podcast “The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War,” it would be (1) to correct some of the mythology that has emerged over decades, and (2) to see what lessons might be gleaned that could be important were war to break out in the Pacific again. In my view, our subject for today falls into the second category, because it’s about the impact...

Sit Rep PTO late December 1941-January 1942 Japanese are on the offensive everywhere Philippines are already on the way out Wake Island, despite a gallant defense by the Marines has been captured and the planned relief had been called off December 22. The fact that Wake Island had been abandoned by Admiral Pye lit a fire under Nimitz to strike back. Morale was extremely low in the fleet due to the...

Nimitz Pre War Who was he and where did he come from? Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg Too poor to go to college, worked his tail off to go to Naval Academy Spent time in Japan before the war Nimitz was a submarine officer in his early years Commanded a DD in the Philippines Commanded a cruiser division and battleship division XO of SC, CO Chicago Highly experienced in the realm of command   Nim...

As you know, the nation is going through a process of reviewing Confederate leaders through a clearer lens, clearing away the mythology around them that emerged to justify their actions after the end of the Civil War.  I see this as right and appropriate. But I also think it’s time to contemplate General MacArthur through a clearer lens.  And if we do this, we realize: He was an unabashed liar, re...