Pacific Progression: Peleliu September 1944

[@gregcollins7602]

Seeing Seth twice in one week makes my day.

[@dave3156]

Any program with Seth Paridon is a must watch!!!! Very interesting to listen to and very knowledgeable. Peleliu sure was a sad campaign that it wasn't avoided and ADM Spruance's recommendation on Iwo wasn't taken. Thanks Seth and Woody--great job!!!!

[@robert506007]

ITS SETH!!!!!!! Free unauthorized Podcast of the Pacific War Episode!!!

[@PalleRasmussen]

It is not, no Bill Toti Commander of US fast Attack submarine Indianapolis, and Attack Squadron 3 in Pearl Harbour.

[@garyaugust1953]

As expected Seth was brilliant. In depth knowledge, honest summarising of individuals and decision making. Another fantastic presentation.

[@jimwatts914]

Two of my favorite historians describe the lead-up to Peleliu and the grinding down of 1st Marine Division for little gain. Seth knows his Pacific War and co-hosts the second best WW2 KZbin channel after Woodys. Learned a lot about war in the biggest ocean on Earth.

[@buonafortuna8928]

Great guest. He just came across as totally candid. Refreshing to hear a new perspective on Macarthur and a little criticism for Nimitz. Though, as you have said, its 80 years ago and these were, largely, ordinary blokes in extraordinary circumstances, trying to do their best. Great show Paul

[@PalleRasmussen]

Notice that Bill and Seth hates Douglas McArthur.

[@conocoex]

Enjoy both podcasts so the two of you together is a treat!

[@Pam_N]

Excellent show. Strips the veneer off the Peleliu myths.

[@georgecooksey8216]

Excellent presentation and discussion. Thank you Paul and Seth.

[@lewistrott417]

Great episode. Mr Paridon has a lot of energy and passion which I appreciate. I also appreciate historians who are not afraid to challenge the prevailing historical record in an effort to get the story accurate and I think he does a great job in this episode of that. Really enjoyed this, thanks to both of you.

[@Nyllsor]

Well said!

[@v.mwilliams1101]

Excellent as usual Paul. Really enjoy Seth and his and Cpt. Bill's show. Thank you for this.

[@stevej8005]

Brilliant discussion of an amphibious assault that will continue to raise questions regarding it's tactical/strategic value. This should NEVER detract from the performance of the 1st Marines who lost their lives in trying to achieve the objective. Seth always presents a learning experience, so thank you Paul for getting him on to your channel again !!

[@standyl2268]

Thoroughly compelling and informative program by one of the best Pacific War historians out there. I knew absolutely zilch about Peleliu until I watched this program. Thank you Seth and thank you Woody!

[@v.mwilliams1101]

Thanks!

[@cameronsimpson-ld8nk]

Wow, what a brilliant presentation with Paul and Seth. As usual I’m learning more and more.

[@jaywhite38]

I saw Seth and Bill's coverage of Pelelui on their channel. It was great. What improved it was the inclusion of the audience and questions answered. Thanks! Seth is great and knows his stuff

[@davidlavigne207]

Although I had to leave a bit early I did finish watching the full discussion. It was a joy to listen to Seth and Woody tackle this one. What a great collaboration by two excellent historians.

[@markpurington8659]

Great to see two experts on both the ETO and PTO working together. Yes, they were very different theaters, but, as Paul points out, there were a lot of similarities. Well done!

[@StylinandProfilinBBsandBBQ]

Great show Woody! Seth is always a great listen.

[@bruceday6799]

Not sure if I should rate this most excellent or better than that. Great teaser on future presentations at the very end. Thanks to you both!

[@MrFrikkenfrakken]

Well done Paul and Seth, interesting discussion on a truly heartbreaking destruction of a division.

[@therampanthamster]

Great to see you have Seth on - i only discovered his podcast a couple of months ago but have listed to most of them. Certainly knows his stuff on the Pacific theatre!

[@ethanmckinney203]

Great episode, despite a total lack of telling us what happened on Peleliu! (Love the mic left on at the end of the episode.)

[@TheBurr75]

Seth is always fascinating and superb

[@american_cosmic]

Nice! I love Seth's youtube channel, WELL WORTH THE VISIT for anyone who's interested in the Pacific theater.

[@timbrown1481]

Always enjoy listening to Seth

[@Nyllsor]

This was such a good episode :) Thank you Seth, and thank you Paul!

[@Na808Koa]

Another superb show about from yourself and Seth regarding the Peleliu invasion 80th anniversary, thank you both.

[@cenccenc946]

my two favorite WWII Channels merged.

[@misterbaker9728]

My favorite podcast period. Much love and respect from Cleveland

[@gagamba9198]

Terrific discussion. Happy to see two greats together.

[@diamonddroog1]

glad to hear inauthorized podcast has more in the pipeline

[@briancooper2112]

Great episode. Great hosts!

[@WW2TV]

Thanks Brian

[@kevinmavrick3925]

Dad was in 7th Marines at Peleliu. Was wounded. Never heard him blame Rupertus or Nimitz before his passing.Often bitched about Mcarthur. Of course his wound was loss of thumb which he mistakenly dangled over working end of 81mil mortar tube so Gen Mac was hardly to blame

[@mjinoz1677]

Fascinating episode! I shall have to go and check out Seth’s podcast!

[@mikemerritt1443]

Always a great presentation by Seth.

[@johnlucas8479]

Excellent presentation on a tragic operation

[@tomtruax6775]

Another great discussion

[@philbosworth3789]

That was good from Seth. Will have to catch a few of his shows.

[@american_cosmic]

You definitely should, he has a great youtube channel -- especially when Bill Toti (also hosts the podcast) or Jon Parshall is on the episode. Well-studied experts on the Pacific theater. I think Bill was also a Navy sub captain at one point.

[@ErrolGC]

Nice discussion of higher-level issues, avoiding the tactical detail in order to look at bigger things. Very useful comparison with other theaters.

[@WR25_JL22]

Fantastic stream Paul, Seth was brilliant again just he was in the turkey shoot stream. its hard to imagine head space the 1st marines would have been in the aftermath if taking the island didn't provide any strategic importance 😢

[@PalleRasmussen]

Only popped by the chat mid-episode to say hi. Back to say; this will be good. Seth is a nice guy and good storyteller with much knowledge, and The Pacific War was always interesting to me, but I did not know the details Seth does and tells. Missing Bill though.

[@KrisV385]

The Pacific theatre is such a contrast to the ETO. Different issues and problems however the bravery and sacrifice is the same.

[@HG_NL]

Cool pacific show

[@bobleicht5295]

Enjoy watching Seth and Bill Toti on their show; deep divers.

[@blueboats]

it's jarring to hear that Nimitz never relented from saying that Peleliu "was necessary" - however it occurs to me he had no choice even if he eventually believed otherwise because he could not ever say anything else to the survivors of such a deadly fiasco

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Exactly.

[@robertmoffitt1336]

Seth!!! Where's Bill?!?! 😳😳 😉 Just kidding, another great show Paul!!🍻

[@OpusXtr]

Comparing Peleliu to Market Garden. We won at Peleliu, so the “what ifs” surrounding the outcome aren’t a debate so it’s easier to pass it over in the discussion.

[@WW2TV]

Hmmm. I get your point, but is the winning of a battle that didn't need to be fought not worthy of discussion?

[@MegaBloggs1]

The best thing to come out of pelelui is the diving-its superb scuba diving with lots of wrecks-direct flights from brissy once a week

[@TerryDowne]

Damn, sorry I missed this live...the FB group said 7 PM, must have meant 7 PM European time, not eastern US.

[@ethanmckinney203]

Well ... the official history covering MACV (Vietnam) is almost entirely generals saying, "Yeah, we completely screwed it up" in interviews. And that's barely a paraphrase: they say things like, "We got it wrong." McNamara also accepted that he failed in numerous dimensions.

[@timbrown1481]

My dad was under MacArthur’s command in the SWP. Held low opinion of him.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

The Japanese were experts in building defences that's for sure, makes you wonder what they would have done instead of the Germans in Normandy.

[@wadeenyart9676]

Paul in case I am AWOL during mr. Gambles presentation could you please find out if his rebaul trilogy has any plans of being available in audiobook form. I am no longer able to read for long periods of time but have fallen in love with audio books. stragley i checked for his books on amazon last night and they were only in print form. TY

[@gagamba9198]

There are three applications I know of for books w/o audio. You'll need to check if they support the format(s) you use. Voice Dream Reader, Speechify, and NaturalReader. The three are subscription-based, with pricing from $80 to $140 per annum. All are available as free to try. If you're able you obtain a medical certificate for visual impairment, the Internet Archive's library or Project Gutenberg's LibriVox may have older, out-of-print titles available once you qualify for access. Sites have info how to apply. Hope one of these options helps or leads you finding one even better.

[@effbee56]

In more revent times, would a reconaidsance team of special forces have been snuck onto Peleliu to gain intelligence prior to the main invasion? Would this have made a difference to the strategy employed?

[@joshclark1047]

I think the narrative of MacArthur being responsible for Peleliu comes from talk among Marines at the time. Sledge writes in his book that to his knowledge the reasoning was defending MacArthur's flank. Seems like it was a story that circulated amongst veterans and then became gospel over the years. Very common in studying history.

[@therealuncleowen2588]

My admiration for Admiral Nimitz is vast and that will never change. He made many decisions during the war, and got most of them right. His mistake about Peleliu proves he was human. The lives it cost are a tragedy. To the men of the 1st Marine Division who bled and died on that damn island that wasn't really needed after all, I am so sorry. Ack Ack Haldane always springs to my mind, because he steadied the young Eugene Sledge during those terrible days. I won't pretend to give a damn about the Japanese who died there, other than to remark that most of them would have survived the war as well had we bypassed Peleliu. I tink the only good thing to come out of that battle was Sledge's incredible memoir. The Almighty spared his life during the landing, so he could survive and tell his story. Some small good often arises out of great sorrow.

[@therealuncleowen2588]

I should add my disclaimer that Japan today is wonderful. The change in their society and their behavior toward the rest of the world from during the war to after the war is admirable and they have my respect today. On the other hand, during the war, their reprehensible and evil behavior strains the ability of language to describe it. I won't ever pretend to give a toss about Japanese war dead. If that makes me an a-hole, then I'm guilty as charged. One of the things that makes me proudest as an American is the mercy we showed Japan from the moment they finally surrendered. We know that during WW2, the Japanese were not capable of showing the same amount of mercy.

[@mindbomb9341]

What's the best book (and/or video on WW2TV) I can find on the logistics of Island Hopping?

[@WW2TV]

Check our Island Hopping playlist for author suggestions

[@mindbomb9341]

@@WW2TV Hi Paul. I am looking through the list. But I am not sure I see anything specifically about the logistics of Island Hopping. I think it would be cool to see this all in one talk. With how American logistics (and Japanese) changed over the war. For example, the increasing American ability to keep their big carriers at sea as the war went on. Instead of having to bring them home for refits, etc after each operation. How the "escort carriers" moved planes to forward carriers as the war went on. Instead of the carriers returning to base for that. Etc. And it seems there should be one video for each side. US and Japanese. Again. Great channel. Thanks for your service. An invaluable record of WW2. I don't know if you have seen the book, "Sustaining the Carrier War" (I THINK you have). But a big show about all of that on a MAJOR scale (not the nuts and bolts of training etc).

[@WW2TV]

Yep Stan Fisher has been a guest on WW2TV

[@mindbomb9341]

@@WW2TV So. Here's ONE question on Island Hopping logistics. WHY was Guadalcanal so important -- I always hear, because it threatened the US to Australia supply line. However, I measured tonight and it is 5080 miles from Pearl Harbor to Sydney. That straight line passes 900 miles east of Guadalcanal. IF one takes a detour EAST around Samoa (now 1800 miles from Guadalcanal), this distance increases to merely 5300 miles or so. I see no real difference. There are 6000 MILES of open ocean between Samoa and Peru to skirt Guadalcanal. A logistics show would cover, for example, WHY these are issues. When it seems, shifting a 5080 mile supply route to a 6000 mile supply route may not be such a big issue. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. WHO DOES? I think a good answer to this question may also answer other questions on Island Hopping logistics.

[@mindbomb9341]

@@WW2TV By the way, I have Fisher's good book. But it doesn't answer ENOUGH of these questions.

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

Peleliu was a Killer of Hopes & Dreams of young men, a Time Stopped Frozen Point of a moment. Everything they ever was, Their current position and all they will ever be is but a Nano-moment amongst thousands of others, each their own story, whose Sole Commonality is they were all Cut Down way too early, many in the most violent of ways, for no real purpose.

[@exharkhun5605]

So many great episodes this summer. Loved this one too. I just hope we are going to get closure on this new historical question you unearth here: Douglas MacArthur, was he a d1ck or was he an @ss? 🤔😁😜

[@danielbackley9301]

Both

[@sulevisydanmaa9981]

Since Mr. New Media Pioneer is a 🇫🇮 Winter War buff (= i.e. big ugggly fat fellow ...=B-52 during Linebacker II ...) suggest dig up new feature on it called KOLLAAN KARJUT (=the gnd-hugging GROUNDHOGS OF KOLLAA = one of the 5 tuffest battle areas of the war; others :TAIPALE, SUMMA, SUOMUSSALMI, KUHMO). It is not a big prod value film, but has only 1 mistake : the Suomi konepistooli (=submachine gun by AIMO LAHTI) didn t have muzzle-break during the Winter War, but from 1942 onwards only ; also attaching an empty clip-drum and starting firing w it is an oxymoron ... VERTA PAKKIIN (our battle cry = drain their blood into our canteens, lit transl.) - Nov the 30th almost here while the kraut-chase in Lappland still continuing in 44. Merry WW3 !!! .. btw = new future show material 4 the survivors, how plentiful they/we may reappear ...(?).

[@timbrown1481]

Vegetation hid all the jagged coral!

[@MegaBloggs1]

So if Halsey goes off chasing the carriers east of Luzon-WHO WAS GUARDING SURIGAO STRAIT???.Yes Kincaid was guarding San Bernardo strait at the SOUTH end of the Leyte invasion fleet-but not the North

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Sorry but, no

[@MegaBloggs1]

broad front was disastrous Paul because they RAN OUT OF SUPPLIES-they out ran their logistics and lost focus-i.e. the Scheldt should have been top priority-there was no way a single corps thrust through central france into the rhineland would have not been cut off

[@WW2TV]

Hard disagree from me

[@timbrown1481]

Terrible waste of American youth.