In this episode, Dave and James discuss the 1943 World War II war film <i>Guadalcanal Diary</i>, directed by Lewis Seiler. The film is based on the book of the same name by Richard Tregaskis. The film recounts the fight of the United States Marines in the Guadalcanal Campaign, which occurred only a year before the movie's release. While the film has notable battle scenes, its primary focus is on the characters and back stories of the Marines.

In this episode, Dave and James discuss the Battle of Tassafaronga, the final major naval battle of the Guadalcanal Campaign. They also narrate the Americans’ November Matanikau offensive (yes, another one!) and the beginning of the final American ground offensive. Finally, your intrepid hosts discuss the Japanese December 1942 decision to…well, listen, and you will find out what!

Undeterred by the failure of their October attempt to capture Henderson Field, the Japanese high command ordered that yet another, still bigger, attempt be made in November. This resulted in two massive ship-to-ship battles between November 13 and 15, in which dozens of warships and planes, plus over 3500 soldiers, sailors, and airmen were lost. Join Dave and James as they tell the exciting story of this epic naval clash, which has come to be known simply as the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

On October 26, American and Japanese naval forces clashed northeast of Guadalacanal in the fourth carrier battle of the war. Soon after this, General Vandegrift ordered offensives designed to extend the Marine perimeter both eastward and westward. And on November 4, the Second Marine Raider Battalion landed on the northeastern part of Guadalcanal and soon began chasing a Japanese force of 3000 that was trying to march to the west side of the island. The Raiders’ march, known now as the “Long Patrol,” would make Carlson’s Raiders legendary in the annals of war. In this episode, Dave and James narrate the thrilling stories of the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the fourth Matanikau offensive, the Battle of Koli Point, and the Long Patrol.

In this episode, Dave and James discuss the second episode of HBO’s The Pacific. This episode deals primarily with the Battle of Henderson Field, especially Sgt. John Basilone’s role in the battle. Basilone and the Seventh Marines land on Guadalcanal to bolster the defenses around Henderson Field. During the Japanese attack on the Marine perimeter, Basilone, attempting to relocate his machine gun to a better position, bare-handedly cradles the hot barrel and severely burns his arms. Despite this, he continues fighting and kills scores of Japanese troops. Later, Basilone is awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct during the battle.

Have you ever wondered if there was a group to reach North America before Christopher Columbus? Find out more in today's bonus episode from another Parthenon podcast "History of North America." Join host Mark Vinet as he discusses the search for the first non-indigenous explorers to reach the North American continent prior to Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage. If you like what you hear, subscribe to "History of North America" on Apple or Spotify and look for it on Parthenonpodcast.com

The Japanese defeat at the Battle of Edson’s Ridge did not deter the Japanese high command, who immediately began planning an even bigger effort to retake Henderson Field and to remove the Americans from Guadalcanal. The new operation was christened “Plan X” and would include massive air, sea, and land attacks on American positions. On the ground, this time an entire division would assault the American perimeter. The American defenders were spread thin and outnumbered. Would the heroic efforts of Col. Chesty Puller, Sgt. John Basilone, Sgt. Mitchell Paige, and countless other Marines and soldiers be enough to stop the Japanese onslaught? Join Dave and James as they tell this exciting story.

After the American victory at Edson’s Ridge, the Marines on Guadalcanal were reinforced by the 7th Marine Regiment, which brought the total US strength on the island to about 20,000. The American ground commander General Alexander Vandegrift decided to expand the Marines’ perimeter westward by attacking Japanese positions at the Matanikau River. In addition, an American naval force met a Japanese fleet at Cape Esperance, near the site of the disastrous American defeat at Savo Island. How did these engagements turn out? Dave and James will let you know!

On September 12, a Japanese force of several thousand attacked the Marines’ perimeter from three directions. The most effect assault occurred south of the perimeter, near a position that became known as Edson’s Ridge. The Marine defenders, including the First Raider Battalion under Col. Merrit Edson, were greatly outnumbered but were on good ground and were supported by highly effective heavy artillery. Join Dave and James as they discuss this latest chapter in the struggle for control of Guadalcanal.

After the disaster at Alligator Creek, the Japanese decided to launch a larger effort to recapture Guadalcanal. The objective of this combined air, sea, and land operation was to wipe out the US carrier fleet and the Cactus Air Force and to land enough soldiers to defeat the Marines on the island. In this episode, Dave and James discuss the ongoing Japanese attempts to regain control of Guadalcanal in late August, including the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, which delayed, but did not prevent Japanese reinforcement efforts.

Learn more about the Alabama Unionist soldiers in the Civil War with this exclusive interview from History Unplugged, hosted by Scott Rank. Continue listening to History Unplugged: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Ysc7Zg Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3j0QRJy Parthenon: https://www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-unplugged-podcast

In this episode, Dave and James discuss and review Part 1 of the epic 2010 HBO miniseries <i>The Pacific</i>, which follows the lives and wartime actions of three well-known Marines who served in the Pacific Theater: John Basilone, Robert Leckie, and Eugene Sledge. In Episode 1 of <i>The Pacific</i>, we are introduced to the three main characters and we witness the initial Marine landing on Guadalcanal, the Battle of Alligator Creek, and the Battle of Savo Island.

The Japanese realized that if the U. S. were able to hold and utilize the airfield on Guadalcanal, Japan’s strategic objectives in the South Pacific would be foiled. Consequently, Japanese air, naval, and land forces immediately began trying to retake the airfield, recently renamed Henderson Field by the Americans. In August, Japanese bombers began conducting daily bombing raids on the field, an effort that the Americans called “Tojo Time.” In addition, an infantry battalion launched an aggressive attack on the Marine perimeter in an effort to retake the field. But would it work? Listen, and Dave and James will let you know!

On August 7, 1942, elements of the First Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal. They met little opposition and quickly captured their initial objective, an airfield that the Japanese had recently built. The Marines got to work establishing a perimeter and preparing for the inevitable Japanese counterattack. Soon after, Japanese and American naval forces clashed in the first major naval engagement of the Guadalcanal campaign, the Battle of Savo Island. Join Dave and James as they narrate the exciting opening of the epic struggle for Guadalcanal.

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 helped change 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 accurate? Is it a quality film? In this episode, James and Sean McIver answer these and other questions.

In early 1942, Japan’s leaders decided to capture the key Allied port of Port Moresby on the southern coast of New Guinea, in an attempt to threaten American shipping lanes to Australia. But on its way to the port, at the Coral Sea, the Japanese fleet arrived encountered an American naval force. A month later, a large Japanese naval and air force attempted to capture the American base at Midway, but again, they ran into a powerful American fleet. Join Dave and James as they discuss the crucial battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, American victories that made the Guadalcanal Campaign possible.

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 <i>Tora! Tora! Tora!</i> which after more than 50 years still remains the definitive Pearl Harbor film. Join James and Sean McIver as they discuss the film’s story, its historical accuracy, its quality, and its legacy.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese air and naval forces attacked the American naval and air base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing 2400 Americans and heavily damaging the US Pacific Fleet. Over the next 5 months, Japan conquered several European and American possessions in southeast Asia, including Guam, Malaya, Wake Island, Hong Kong, Burma, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines. In this episode, James and new cohost Dave Holland narrate this period of rapid Japanese expansion, including the famous “Doolittle Raid.”

In this episode Sean and James discuss Band of Brothers Episode 10: Points. Easy captures the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden without resistance, and the end of the war in Europe is announced. Finding a collection of 10,000 bottles of liquor, wine and champagne in a cellar at Hermann Göring's house, Winters allows the company to celebrate before they travel to Austria to become an occupying force. It is then announced that the division will be redeployed to the Pacific Theater, but those with enough points will get to go home. Winters applies for a transfer to the Pacific, but the officer in charge tells him his men have earned the right to keep him around. Despite the peace and the relative ease of life in Salzburg, men continue to be injured and die. Together with the rest of the battalion, Easy oversees the surrender of 25,000 German troops in Zell am See. Over a company baseball game, Winters narrates the fates of some of the men playing in it. He interrupts the game to announce the surrender of the Empire of Japan, which ends the war, and then narrates Nixon's fate and finally his own. The episode concludes with interviews with actual surviving Easy Company members.

In this special episode, commissioned by Early's Raiders Colonet Daniel Fisher, James discusses John F. Kennedy's service in the Second World War.