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The WW2 Podcast is a history show looking at all aspects of the Second World War; military history, social history, the battles, the campaigns, tanks, guns and other equipment, the politics and those who ran the war. What sets the WW2 Podcast apart is the in-depth interviews with experts on various subjects. No topics are off-limits (yet), and I delve into both the military history aspect of the war, and the home front. This format allows for a thorough exploration of each topic, making for ...
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The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast is the creation of Seth Paridon and Bill Toti. Seth is a World War II historian with over 20 years experience who's many roles also was serving as a chief historian for The National WWII Museum for 15 years. Bill is not a historian, but is a retired submarine commodore and military planner with a special interest in the Pacific War. Bill has a unique perspective to offer as one who spent more than a decade sailing those same waters where th ...
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In this special 4th of July episode, Bill takes a handoff from Seth and records his first ever oral history. The subject is 102-year-old World War II veteran Cam Pelletier, a Seabee at Guadalcanal, the Russell Islands, the Green Islands, and most notably on Peleliu.#seabees; #history; #worldwar2; #pacific ; #peleliu; #usmc; #firstmarinedivision…
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This week Seth and Bill welcome back pal John Bruning to the show to talk about his new book, and always a fascinating subject, the Cactus Air Force. John's new book, 53 Days on Starvation Island is an absorbing look into the first two United States Marine Corps squadrons to land on Henderson Field in August 1942, VMF-223 and VMSB-232. The guys get…
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Just two days before D-Day, Captain Gallery's US antisubmarine Task Group 22.3 managed to force the German U-boat U-505 to the surface. In a bold move, a boarding party secured the submarine before it could be scuttled, capturing an Enigma machine and the current Kriegsmarine code books. This remarkable operation earned Lieutenant Albert David the …
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This week, Seth, Bill and good friend John McManus take a look at the the battle for the Filipino capital of Manila. The team dissects the incredibly violent and horrific fight for General Douglas MacArthur's beloved Pearl of the Orient. The fighting in Manila was one fo the most violent combat areas of the entire war and the team breaks the fighti…
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To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I attended a special event at the Green Howards Museum. We started at the regimental war memorial in Richmond (Yorkshire) at 6.30 a.m., which was when the Green Howards landed on Gold Beach. The day was packed with discussion about the regiment and their role on D-Day. It closed with us having the privi…
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In the first episode of Season 4, Seth and Bill welcome good buddy John McManus as the trio takes on the topic of the Liberation of Luzon in 1945. The guys discuss the initial landings and successes while also getting into Douglas MacArthur's personal feelings and courage displayed on the island during the campaign. The guys then dig into some of t…
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More than 132,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944. Through their efforts, the tide of the war turned for the final time to favour the Allies. But how did the Allied army get to the shores of Normandy? The contribution of Landing Craft to D-Day is often overlooked. Andrew Whitmarsh joins me to correct this oversight. Andr…
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Again, due to popular request, we have combined both Samar episodes with Jon Parshall into this long-form version. This is both parts 1 and part 2 combined. Hope you enjoy.This week Seth, Bill and good pal Jon Parshall get into the much anticipated Battle off Samar! The guys get into the background of the epic fight, the commanders on both sides, E…
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Due to popular request, I have combined both parts of the Surigao Strait shows and released them as one, here. As Bill and I prepare for Season 4, please enjoy the long-form version of Surigao Strait with our buddies Jon Parshall and Tony Tully.By William toti, Seth paridon, Jon parshall
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Captain Bill Toti talks about what led him to write his book, "From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership." The book is available here: https://www.amazon.com/CO-CEO-Practical-Transitioning-Leadership/dp/1637630638/ref=sr_1_1?crid=323AAEQTQ2XJZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hpvYz2JpfclBGK_hqITNxCgAXH0a7JJFfYxQNXVDWy…
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This week, Seth, Bill and new guest, retired US Army Major Shawn Bergstrom return to answer another round of your questions. In this final episode of season 3, we get into some cool topics that include, the fate of battleships, the morality and necessity of liberating the Philippines, and more. Tune in and see if your question is one of the ones we…
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6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne assault in human history: D-Day. While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas. For this episode, I am joined by Stephen Fisher. Stephen is a historian and archaeologist wh…
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This week Seth and Bill answer your questions in this first part of our Q&A session. The team welcomes new guest retired Army Major Shawn Betgstrom to the crew to moderate the questions and lead the team as we go through the many fantastic questions sent in by our audience. We hope you guys enjoy this episode, and we will definitely do this again.…
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As the Allied forces prepared for the monumental invasion of Normandy, concealing the massive build-up of troops in Britain from the Germans became increasingly challenging. To mislead German intelligence about the timing and location of the invasion, the Allies devised a series of elaborate deception plans. The most audacious of these schemes aime…
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This week Seth and Bill wrap up 1944 in the Pacific as we near the end of Season 3. The guys go through the reasons why 1944 was the tipping point in the war in the Pacific with Bill's Top 4 List. We discuss leadership, training, logistics, industrial base and much more. Tune in as we wrap up the most pivotal year in World War II in the Pacific.#ww…
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On the morning of May 20, 1941, the Germans launched Operation Mercury. The invasion of Crete was the largest airborne operation yet attempted during the war, with thousands of Fallschirmjäger deployed. Key to the operation's success would be the capture of the airfield at Maleme. Outnumbered and having suffered horrendous casualties, when the airb…
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Seth joins Bill at his alma mater, the US Naval Academy, on April 24, 2024, along with Captain Stan Fisher, USN and Lt. Col Pete Owen, USMC (Ret), at the Legacy oof Valor event. Hosted by the US Naval Academy Alumni Association. Copyright US Naval Academy Alumni Association.By Pete owen, Stan fisher, Seth paridon, William toti
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This week Seth, Bill and John McManus wrap up the liberation of Leyte by talking about the fights at Breakneck Ridge, the Japanese landings and the subsequent US counter landings at Ormoc Bay. The guys get into the stories of the 11th Airborne Division, 77th Infantry Division and the bravery and actions of one General Douglas MacArthur. Tacked into…
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In this podcast episode, we will discuss the different approaches to command and control of the British Army and the German Army. From a management point of view, both organisations developed different doctrines to deal with the 'fog of war' or 'friction', which affected how commanders responded as a battle unfolded. We'll do this by delving into t…
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Thhis week Seth and Bill welcome back good friend and fantstic historian John McManus to talk about GEN Douglas MacArthur's long-anticipated return to the Philippines. Mac and the 6th Army land on Leyte on October 20, 1944 to liberate the first portion of the archipelago as MacArthur's crusade to liberate the place he called home finally takes off.…
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This week Seth, Bill and good buddy Jon Parshall wrap up the Battle of Leyte Gulf with the final carrier battle of World War II, the Battle off Cape Engano. Halsey takes the cheese and chases Ozawa's decoy carrier force north, away from San Bernadino Strait, to destroy what is left of the Imperial Japanese Navy's once mighty aircraft carrier task f…
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In this podcast episode, I'm looking at the work of LCI's, Landing Craft Infantry. These are not the smaller Higgins Boats we see storming the Normandy beaches in Saving Private Ryan but large beaching craft intended to transport and deliver fighting troops, typically a company of infantry or marines, to a hostile shore once a beachhead was secured…
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This week Seth, Bill and buddy Jon Parshall wrap up the epic clash off Samar during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The guys get deep into the weeds about the legendary destroyer charge of USS Johnston, USS Samuel B. Roberts, USS Hoel and USS Heerman as well as the other destroyer escorts of Taffy 3. The guys dispel a few of the myths about the battle an…
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Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid on the coast of France, was a disaster in 1942. However, it did highlight the need for more reconnaissance before any other amphibious operations were mounted. In London, a small group of eccentric researchers, experimenting on themselves from inside pressure tanks in the middle of the London air raids, explored t…
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This week Seth, Bill and good pal Jon Parshall get into the much anticipated Battle off Samar...Part1! The guys get into the background of the epic fight, the commanders on both sides, Ernest Evans, Ziggy Sprague, and others as they start to break down some of the myths surrounding one of the most well-known naval battles in all of history. The guy…
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This week Seth and Bill welcome back grat buddy Jon Parshall and Tony Tully to wrap up the conversation about the Battle of Surigao Strait during the Battle for Leyte Gulf. The foursome gets deep in the weeds discussing the destroyer action in the strait and, of course, the gunfire portion of the battle. American battleships West Virginia, Tennesse…
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The Indian Army was the largest volunteer army during the Second World War. Indian Army divisions fought in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy - and went to make up the overwhelming majority of the troops in South East Asia. Over two million personnel served in the Indian Army. In this episode, I am joined by Dr Alan Jefferys to discuss how th…
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This week Seth and Bill are joined by great buddy Jon Parshall and Jon's co-author and new guest, Tony Tully! The foursome breaks down the early stages of the Battle of Surigao Strait during Leyte Gulf and get into the commanders, the ships and the PT attack before breaking for next week's showdown of the big guns. Tune in and get into the weeds wi…
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From late 1944, an ungainly piece of equipment was introduced into service in the British and Canadian armies. Referred to at the time as the ‘Valentine 17-pounder SP’, and later as the ‘Archer’, it was a tracked vehicle with an open compartment at the front and a large gun facing to the rear. Joining me to tell the story of the Archer's developmen…
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This week Seth, Bill and great pal Jon Parshall tackle the first "official" fight in the greater Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. The first in our four-episode series on the largest naval battle in human history sees the trio taking a deep dive into the submarine actions of USS Darter and USS Dace, as well as some of Halsey's de…
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This week Seth, Bill and Tommy take a look at the final episode of Masters of the Air Part 9. The guys go into the POW march to Moosburg, Gale "Buck" Cleven's escape, Johnny "Bucky" Egan's days as POW, Rosie Rosenthal's final mission, and much more. Join the team as they wrap the final episode and give their thoughts on the series as a whole.Image …
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While at We Have Ways Fest, I caught Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV, giving an excellent talk on D-Day tourism. I thought I would ask him on the show to discuss tourism, how it has changed and what to see. Base in France, Paul has been a battlefield tour guide for over 20 years. More recently, he launched WW2TV and became a Second World War YouTu…
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This week Seth, Bill and Tommy take a look at Masters of the Air Part 8. The team discusses the accuracy, tropes and history behind some of the scenes in the penultimate episode of the Apple TV series.Image courtesy Apple TV#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihist…
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This week Seth, Bill and great buddy Jon Parshall get together to discuss one of the more unknown events of the Pacific war, the Air Battle of Formosa. In early October 1944, Admiral William F, Halsey's Task Force 38 launched a series of devastating air strikes on the Japanese bastion of Formosa in preparation for the liberation of the Philippines …
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This week Seth and Bill take a very deep dive into the decision to either invade Formosa or liberate the Philippines in the fall of 1944. The two options were both on the table for the JCS in 1944, and the favored option isn't the one you are thinking of. The team takes a look at the roots of the Philippine obsession by MacArthur and the desire to …
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This week Seth, Bill, and Tommy take a look at Masters of the Air Part 7. The team dives into actual POW life in Europe during WWII, discuss the P-51 Mustang and its importance in the Allied aerial effort over Europe in 44 and 45 as well and dig into some of the personalities of the real men portrayed in the episode and even get into a few unknown …
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In January 1945, Admiral Halsey, with the third Fleet, conducted a raid into the South China Sea. This was designated Operation Gratitude. The raid was to support the landings on Luzon, in the Philippines, with the aim of destroying the Japanese navy, supply convoys and any air assets in the area. As part of this operation, Hong Kong would be attac…
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This week Seth and Bill are rejoined by good friend Dave Holland to wrap up the bloody Operation STALEMATE II, the fight for Peleliu. This week the team gets into the stories of Eugene Sledge's K-3-5, the story of Medal of Honor recipient Arthur Jackson, more of the bloody fighting for Bloody Nose Ridge, and the tragic death of Sledge's company com…
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This week Seth, Bill and Tommy discuss Masters of the Air Part 6. The guys get into the nuts and bolts of escape and evasion, the POW interrogations of John "Bucky" Egan and Allied prisoners, Flak Houses, and the emotional toll taken on the airmen of the 8th Air Force and others in the skies over Europe.Image courtesy Apple TV#wwii #wwiihistory #ww…
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Starting with small raids at the start of the war, the aerial offensive grew into a massive operation. Huge air armadas would eventually pulverise Germany, with the Mighty Eigth Airforce flying by day and the Lancasters of Bomber Command by night. This 24-hour campaign seriously damaged Germany’s ability to make war and killed hundreds of thousands…
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This week Seth, Bill and Tommy take a look at Masters of the Air Episode 5. The trio breaks down the episode and get into the historical detail regarding the October 10, 1943 8th Air Force mission to Munster, Germany. The third in a row for the Mighty Eighth, Munster was the worst of them all for the 100th Bomb Group and a new emerging hero, Robert…
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This week Seth and Bill welcome back an old friend from Season 1, Dave Holland to talk about the 1st Marine Division's tragic fight for Peleliu. The trio gets into the fight starting at D Plus 1 and goes through the bloodletting and destruction of the 1st Marines on Peleliu. Tune in and see what the boys have to say about the end of the fight for T…
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'In Arctic blizzards between January and March 1945, the Latvian 15th SS Division - a core of Russian Front veterans but most raw teenage conscripts from Nazi-occupied Latvia - tried to stop the Red Army sweeping across Pomerania, now Poland. One in three died: the majority never returned home.' In this episode, I'm joined by Vincent Hunt, and we d…
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This week Seth, Bill and Tommy take a look at Masters of the Air Episode 4. The team gets into the nuts and bolts of the episode diving into topics such as the ground crews, leave in London, the American Red Cross, morale within the 8th Air Force and the beginning of the infamous Black Week in October 1943.Image courtesy of Apple TV#wwii #wwiihisto…
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In this first of three episodes on Peleliu, Seth and Bill tackle the opening stages of the infamous invasion of Peleliu on September 15, 1944. The veteran 1st Marine Division is assigned to invade the coral bastion of Peleliu in what was promised by their commanding General to be a "tough quickie" of an operation. The fighting on the beaches and at…
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This week Seth, Bill, and Tommy take a look at Masters of the Air Episode 3. The guys dive into the 100th Bomb Group's role in 8th Air Force Mission 84, the infamous Regensburg/Schweinfurt Double Strike of August 17, 1943. We look into the actual history of the mission, and the roles of Gale "Buck" Cleven, Curtis Biddick, Harry Crosby, and more.Ima…
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This week Seth and Bill fulfill another viewership request as they sit down and give a list of some of their top WWII Pacific theater-related books. This list is not in any order, nor is it comprehensive, but off the top of our heads. Hopefully, this will help some of you guys fill up your libraries. Next week we get back to the war.Here is our lis…
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