“It is necessary to act, to move, to fight and, if necessary, to die… It is blood which moves the wheels of history!” - Benito Mussolini, December 13, 1914

Updates

December 10, 2024

  • The Korean War Bonus Episode is now available on Patreon. This covers why I did a series on the Korean War, my experiences and reflections from three years stationed in Korea, an analysis of the sources I studied for the series, and a look at the MiG-15 and F-86 jet fighters that dueled over MiG Valley. Thank you for your support!

September 29, 2024

September 18, 2024

  • I’ve finished the research and script for The Korean War: Part 3. Thank you for your patience as my family has gone through a cross-country move to our new duty station and we’ve been getting settled in at home and at work. The episode should be published in the next week or so.

July 21, 2024

July 15, 2024

  • The first episode of the new series on the Korean War is live! The Korean War Part 1: Origins and Defeats.

  • The results of the first Patreon poll is complete! Series 4 is going to cover the Fall of France in 1940. Supporters at the $10/month tier are able to vote in Patreon polls and submit questions for me to answer in the Bonus Episodes.

May 30, 2024

Older News

Current Series

KOREA: THE FORGOTTEN WAR 1950-53

The Korean War from 1950-1953 was unprecedented in many ways. The first war conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, the civil-military tension over the scope of the war and use of nuclear weapons, and the only time in history the United States and People’s Republic of China has faced each other in battle. Yet the war is largely forgotten. Why is that? And how did the poorly equipped Chinese army drive the US and other UN forces out of North Korea? Why did the war end in stalemate instead of decisive victory?

This series covers the highs and lows of the war, from the initial North Korean invasion and South Korean collapse, to the drive to the Yalu River, and then Chinese intervention and stalemate.

Part 1: Origins and Defeats

Part 2: Incheon and the Drive to the North

Part 3: The Dragon Strikes

Part 4: The Frozen Chosin

Part 5: Stalemate and Ceasefire

Completed Series

JUNE ‘67: SIX DAYS OF WAR

In six days Israel attacked and defeated the armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, redrawing the map of the Middle East. Why did the war happen? Why did Israel win so decisively, despite being outnumbered and surrounded? How does this war impact the current state of affairs with Israel and its neighbors?

Part 1: Background - A History of Israel and Palestine from circa 2000 BC to 1956 AD

Part 2: The Road to War - Growing tensions lead to a crisis, 1956-67

Part 3: The Die is Cast - Israel attacks Egypt, Jordan and Syria attack Israel

Part 4: Victor and Vanquished - Israel triumphs over Egypt, Jordan, and Syria

Bonus Episode Preview (Full version available on Patreon)

Upcoming Series

THE NAVY’S FINEST HOUR: BATTLE OFF SAMAR 1944

In 1944, the US Navy reigned supreme in the Pacific Ocean. The industrial might of America produced an overwhelming naval force that the Japanese Empire could not hope to match. However, on the morning of October 25, 1944 the Japanese surprised the Americans off Samar in the Philippine Islands. A massive Japanese task force, led by the largest battleship ever built, surprised an escort carrier task force and its destroyer escorts. Massively outnumbered and outgunned, they would surely lose if they fought. Yet if they fled, the Japanese would destroy the landing ships and transports off Leyte, dooming tens of thousands of soldiers to starve and significantly delaying the liberation of the Philippines. The heroism exhibited in this battle was surely the US Navy’s finest hour.

THE FALL OF FRANCE: 1940

Germany shocked the world when it defeated France in only six weeks in the early years of World War II. Why were the Germans so much more successful than they were during the First World War? Was it the brilliance of their generals? The strength of their panzers? Newfound tactics that came to be called “Blitzkrieg?” We’ll dig into all of that, and more, in this analysis of the Fall of France, its origins and impact.

Photo Credit: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1994-036-09A / CC-BY-SA, CC BY-SA 3.0 de