208: The Pacific War, 1942–43: Guadalcanal, the Aleutians, and Operation Vengeance
About this episode
This episode covers America's first major offensive in the Pacific during World War II, focusing on the battles of Guadalcanal and the Aleutian Islands.
“Guadalcanal is not the name of an island. It is the name of the graveyard of the Japanese army.” This is the story of America's first major offensive in the Pacific since Midway. Amid hard fighting among the frozen peaks of Attu at the tail end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, the Americans are gaining ground. But the cost is steep. Carrying out banzai charges, Japanese soldiers are prepared to fight to the last man. This is the case in the Solomon Islands as well, where US Marines—or "Uncle Sam's Miserable Children," as they call themselves—are storming the beaches of Guadalcanal. The island is only barely held, largely thanks to the almost unbelievable bravery of Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant John Basilone. Meanwhile, American codebreakers have obtained Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku's flight plans. The man who surprised America at Pearl Harbor is about to get a surprise of his own. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and order Prof. Jackson’s book go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for…
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