The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

This week Seth and Bill dig into the battle history of The Big E, USS Enterprise (CV-6) starting in 1943 until the end of the war. Tune in and see what the team has to say about the second half of the Galloping Ghost of the Oahu Coast's war record.

This week Seth, Bill, and frequent and always welcome Wingman Jon Parshall take a look at the recently released underwater archaeological video footage of the wreck sites of AKAGI, YORKTOWN (CV-5), and KAGA. The trio breaks down what we see in the footage, how the damage shown relates to the battle, what happened in these historic locations, and much more. Tune in and see what the team has to say about the incredible video footage and (we think) pretty cool commentary.

This week Seth and Bill welcome back guest John McManus to talk about the dual invasions of Hollandia and Aitape. The trio discusses the logistical issues that plagued the Americans once the initial successful assaults came off and the bitter fighting that occurred at and around Aitape after the operations were both "secure."

This week Seth and Bill take a look at the 1941-43 battle history of the Navy's most celebrated ship, the famous USS Enterprise (CV-6). The team breaks down some of The Big E's WWII battle history by diving into her actions from commissioning until 1943. Bill and Seth dive into her actions at Pearl Harbor, Midway, the Canal and others. Tune in and see the first part of a two-part mini-series this season on the most famous ship of WWII.

This week Seth and Bill welcome back guest and good friend Jon Parshall as the trio discusses Operation HAILSTONE, better known as the Carrier Raids on Truk. Following the opening portion of the Marshall Islands campaign, Admiral Spruance brings Marc Mitscher's fast carriers to Truk to absolutely wreak havoc on the supposed "Japanese Pearl Harbor". Tune in and see what the team has to say about the devastating raids.

This week Seth and Bill welcome a new guest, fantastic historian, John McManus to the show to discuss Operation FLINTLOCK-The Marshall Islands Campaign. The next step in the road to Tokyo follows the Central Pacific Drive as it leaves the Gilberts and acquires positions in the Marshall Islands. Utilizing the lessons learned from Tarawa, the V Amphibious Corps stretches its legs and wipes out the Marshall Islands with the Army's 7th Infantry Division and the new 4th Marine Division. Tune in and see what the trio discusses as they make their way through one of the most successful campaigns of the Pacific War.

This week Seth and Bill take a look at Operation BACKHANDER, better known as the battle for Cape Gloucester that was fought from December 1943 through early 1944. The team examines the short but sharp fight executed by the jungle veterans of the 1st Marine Division as they endured yet another miserable, rain-soaked, hell hole of an island. Tune in and see what the team has to say about this oft-forgotten fight.

In this first episode of Season 3, Seth and Bill dive into the topic of leaders and leadership during 1943 in the Pacific. The team breaks down the decisions, performances, and personalities of several of the leading figures that factored into the success of 1943 before we get into the climactic year of 1944.

In this special (short) episode, Bill brings you to the house at Treasure Island where Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz died. He visits with Ellen Spruance Holscher and David Bogart, Admiral Spruance's grandchildren, to hear personal recollections of Spruance the man. And he visits the Richmond Kelly Turner, Charles Lockwood, Raymond Spruance, and Chester Nimitz gravesites at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

This week Bill takes you on a tour of Pearl Harbor, to include USS Bowfin, the Pacific Submarine Force Museum, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. PS-- this is our version of "Operation Shoestring" where we try to do on location video podcasts on a shoestring budget, complete with audio problems! The good news is that we learned from this and future attempts will be better.

This week Bill takes you on a tour of Pearl Harbor, to include Admiral Kimmel's office (with a great revelation regarding Admiral Nimitz), the site of the HA-19 midget submarine grounding, the spot where midget submarine I-22 tau was sunk in Pearl Harbor, Lockwood Hall to include the Clean Sweep Bar and the Skipper's Lounge, the site of Station Hypo, USS Missouri, and various other sites at Pearl Harbor. Join us next week for Part 2 of Captain Toti's Pearl Harbor. PS-- this is our version of "Operation Shoestring" where we try to do on location video podcasts on a shoestring budget, complete with audio problems! The good news is that we learned from this and future attempts will be better.

This week Bill and Seth wrap up the bloody battle for Betio as they go through days 2 and 3 of the historic fight for Tarawa. Then the team goes into the significance of the Battle of Tarawa and what it's implications held for the remainder of the war and even today.

In this special episode of "The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War" podcast, Bill brings us to the house Admiral Nimitz "retired" to and died in, he visits with the grandchildren of Admiral Raymond Spruance, and he brings you to the gravesites of Admirals Nimitz, Spruance, Lockwood, and Turner.

This week Seth and Bill dive into day 1 on Bloody Betio as the 2nd Marine Division assaults Tarawa atoll as part of Operation GALVANIC. The team discusses the absolute bloodbath that was D-Day ashore at Betio, the mistakes, the successes and the heroism of the common Marine. The team takes a deep dive into the personal stories that offer countless moments of inspiration.

This week Bill and Seth dig into the preparations for the operation that kicks off the mighty Central Pacific Drive, that being of course, Operation GALVANIC, specifically the invasion of Tarawa atoll and Betio island. The team discusses the planning that went into the operation, the leaders who would take part, the equipment, the opposition and just what was at stake during the operation that we will cover in depth over the next several episodes.

This week we are stepping out of our chronological coverage of the war and jumping ahead to 1945 for this one episode as we acknowledge the 78th Anniversary of the day Japan surrendered, thus ending WWII. For this episode, Seth and Bill sit down with THE Pacific War historian Richard Frank to discuss the reasons why Japan surrendered in 1945. we often hear that watching or listening to our shows is like sitting in on a Master's course in WWII. Well, get ready for a doctoral course with this one...

This week Seth and Bill are recording the podcast together on July 6, 2023, from Benicia, California, in front of a live audience at the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Reunion. They discuss the peacetime and wartime record of the Indy, and include Q&A from the audience at the end.

This week Bill and Seth are joined once again by Naval History and Heritage Command Director, Rear Admiral sam Cox, to discuss the little-known and often-forgotten naval battle of the Komandorski Islands. The trio break down the 4-hour long old school naval gunnery duel in the frigid waters of the North Pacific during the Aleutian Islands campaign of 1943.

This week Seth and guest co-host Jon Parshall discuss the largely forgotten and relatively unknown campaign in the Aleutian islands in 1942 and 1943. The pair discuss the Japanese invasion in 1942 and the plans made by the US in the defense of the Aleutians and eventual recapture. The discussion wraps as the American 7th Infantry Division lands and recaptures sovereign American territory.

In this special episode airing on the release of the movie "Oppenheimer," Bill, Seth and guest Admiral Sam Cox examine the Navy's role in the Manhattan Project and the bombing of Hiroshima. The trio also discusses the controversial nature of the bombing and the reality of the situation as it was seen in 1945.

This week Seth and guest co-host Jon Parshall maneuver their way through the two aircraft carrier raids on the Japanese fortress of Rabaul. The team goes through the personal stories of some of those involved, discusses the impact of the raids on the almost mythical Japanese complex, and discusses the ships used in both raids. Tune in and see how these two raids impacted the overall campaign not only in the Solomons area, but the war as a whole.

This week Seth and Bill are again joined by naval historian Drachinifel and the trio discusses the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay that was fought as a result of the invasion of Bougainville on the night of November 1-2, 1943. Tune in and see what the trio has to say about the resounding American surface victory.

This week Seth and Bill tackle the invasion of Bougainville on November 1, 1943. With the noose around Rabaul growing ever tighter, ADM Halsey and the new 3rd Marine Division and veteran 37th Infantry Division land at Cape Torokina and establish airfields to further tighten the grip on the Japanese fortress at Rabaul. Tune in and see what the team has to say about the reasons for the invasion, the operation itself, heroism, and the end results.

This week Seth and Bill welcome special guest Chuck Merkel to the show to discuss the Medals of Honor awarded to those members of the Silent Service during World War II. Together the trio goes into the stories of Howard Gilmore, John Cromwell, Sam Dealey, Red Ramage, and George Street. Tune in and see what gallantry is really like.

This week Bill and Seth sweep up the remaining naval surface battles in the long and bloody road up the Solomons island chain. US Navy destroyers meet the Imperial Navy once again at The Naval Battle of Vella LaVella and a gentleman named Arleigh Burke sets the pace at Cape St. George.

This week Seth and Bill take a step back to 1942 and look at the somewhat audacious, somewhat foolhardy Makin Island Raid of August 1942. Colonel Evans Carlson and his 2nd Raider Battalion, Carlson's Raiders, launched an audacious, ferocious and extremely hazardous raid behind enemy lines on Makin Atoll in August of 1942. Hailed as a success by the American press at the time, the team breaks down whether or not it really was as successful as originally said to be.

This week Seth and Bill welcome first time guest, author and historian John Bruning to the show to discuss the ace race of New Guinea in 1943. The trio unpacks the stories of General George Kenney, the birth of his 5th Air Force, as well as Richard Bong and Tommy Maguire and their quest to become America's Ace of Aces.

This week Bill and Seth discuss one of the most famous pilots and famous squadrons in history, Pappy Boyington and his famous Black Sheep. Seth and Bill debunk some of the myths and lore about Pappy and his men, and in turn reveal the true stories of the professionals who flew the Corsairs of VMF-214 with their legendary skipper.

We wanted to drop a quick note in honor of Memorial Day this year. In this short video, Seth reads the famous "Dear Jackie" letter written by LCDR John J. Shea to his young son shortly before LCDR Shea was killed in action aboard USS WASP (CV-7) on September 15, 1942. Remember the Fallen. #memorialday

This week Bill and Seth break down the leadership and the war patrols of the incomparable Eugene B. "Lucky" Fluckey and his beloved USS Barb (SS-220). Tune in and see what the team breaks down as the ingenious, innovative and revolutionary skipper rewrites the tactics of submarine warfare in World War II.

This week Bill and Seth take a look at what one must consider a crime against American sailors in World War II, that is of course, the torpedo problems. Torpedo problems plagued the US Navy during the war, specifically from 1941-44, and Bill provides us with a deep dive into the issues, who is to blame and the way the problems were solved. Tune in and see what the team has to say.

This week Seth and Bill double dip and take a look at two battles that were fought during the New Georgia campaign, those two being the Naval Battle of Kolombangara and the Battle of Vella Gulf. Tune in and see what the team has to say about ADM Ainsworth's second chance at Kolombangara and the emergence of new US destroyer tactics at Vella Gulf.

This week Bill and Seth take a look at one of the lesser-known surface battles in the Pacific, the Battle of Kula Gulf. The team breaks down the gunfight and dissects the amazing survival story of the crew of the ship known as the "Machine Gun Cruiser", USS Helena (CL-50). Tune in and see what the fellas have to say.

This week Seth and Bill dig into one of the lesser-known, but no less important, campaigns of 1943...New Georgia. The island of New Georgia and its invaluable Munda airfield was considered a vital step in the march up the Solomons chain in 1943. Initial advances made good on plans, but stubborn Japanese defenses and ill-prepared American infantry turned the advance into a slog. New Georgia provided valuable lessons in training and tactics for the fights that would come soon.

Seth and Bill talk about the upcoming USS Indianapolis reunion in Benicia, California, July 6-9, 2023, hopefully to include a live stream of "The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War" podcast focused on the Indy.

This week Seth and Bill dissect the mission to assassinate the Japanese Commander in Chief Combined Fleet, Isoroku Yamamoto. The team digs deep into the codebreaking that led to the mission as well as the execution of the mission by pilots of the 339th Fighter Squadron in their P-38s.

This week guest co-host Jon Parshall joins Seth for a discussion on one of the more important, if not lesser known, events of the Pacific War in 1943, the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Seth and Jon break down the ins and outs of the epic aerial destruction of an entire Japanese convoy at the hands of the Royal Australian Air Force and GEN Kenney's 5th Air Force in New Guinea.

This week Seth and Bill welcome naval historian and YouTuber Drachinifel to the show to discuss the Silent Service's deadliest skipper, Dick O'Kane and his equally deadly boat, the legendary USS Tang (SS-306). Join us for a lively discussion that documents this legendary boat and her skipper's journey into history. @Drachinifel ​

This week Seth and Bill discuss the legendary Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal. In this episode the team breaks down some of the legendary men who flew from Henderson Field in the struggle for Guadalcanal, digging into the combat history of men like Joe Foss and John L Smith to name a couple. Tune in and see what the guys have to say.

This week Seth, Bill and Jon Parshall discuss the opening moves in the campaign for New Guinea. The trio breaks down the fighting along the Kokoda Track, the unbelievable human suffering in the Owen Stanleys and jungle and conclude with the fighting in Buna, Gona and Sanananda.

This week Seth and Bill discuss the patrols of the legendary US fleet boat, USS Wahoo (SS-238), and her equally legendary skipper, Dudley W. "Mush" Morton. Morton and Wahoo became tied at the hip and together, with Dick O'Kane and an unbelievable cast of officers and men, rewrote the "book" on how to conduct submarine operations against the Empire of Japan in 1943.

To prepare our viewers and listeners for the submarine stories we will be talking about in some of our upcoming episodes, we figured we would let our very own sub skipper, Captain Toti, give you guys a lesson on how to submarine. This week we will take a look at how WWII Fleet Boats operated, how attacks were conducted and the basic operations of the US Navy's most complicated vessel.

In the first episode of Season 2 and transition into the war year of 1943, Seth and Bill welcome retired Admiral Thomas Fargo, an esteemed submariner, to introduce the topic of the US Navy's Silent Service. The trio goes over the overall strategy and effectiveness of the submarine force, prepping the podcast for deeper dives (pun intended) in this new season.

This week Bill and Seth "put a bow" on the Guadalcanal campaign, tying up loose ends, giving a brief overview of the Battle of Tassafaronga, while also giving the overall perspective of the tide-turning campaign in the Pacific war in this final episode of Season 1. Bill and Seth also give a preview of what's coming up next in Season 2 as the podcast, and the Pacific War, progress into 1943.

This week Seth and Bill welcome back historian Dave Holland to talk about the last few weeks on Guadalcanal as the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Raider Battalion and US Army attempt to wipe out the remaining Japanese on the island. The trio discusses the Long Patrol, Gifu, Sea Horse and Galloping GHorse as the campaign ashore winds mercifully down to a finale.

In this special episode, airing on the 82nd anniversary of Admiral Nimitz taking command of the Pacific Fleet, Bill and Seth go a bit deeper into the history of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz from his beginnings in Texas to his command of the Pacific Fleet and some other interesting stories in between.

The fight the night before, 13-14 November had beaten both naval forces down. US forces had been beaten to a bloody pulp, as had the Japanese. Yet despite the beating, the Japanese still held a significant numerical advantage.As Jon said last episode, the Japanese still held 3-4 BBs in reserve and had yet to commit them to the fight around Guadalcanal, for who knows what reasons.The US on the other hand, quite literally were scraping the bottom of the barrel. That’s not to say that the battleships sent to IBS were scows, not at all, but Halsey was hesitant to commit his battleships to the close waters off Savo, but honest to God had no choice at this time BUT to commit them.Let’s talk about Halsey’s decision to send the battleships to IBS.BB56 was designed to be a long range sniper, not a close range brawler. She was designed in the 1930’s with limitations on armor and gunnery.The USN decided in the 1930’s to throw out their previous slow battleship designs, heavy on armor, heavy on firepower and low on speed, for more modern designs that emphasized gunnery, speed and cruising range.The culmination of this decision was the North Carolina class battleship, of which BB56 was the last of two. She was fast by BB standards, capable of bending on upwards of 28-30 knots with a breeze behind her, but did not have the armor to withstand hits from weapons of her own size, that being 16 inch rifles.Washington’s companion, the USS South Dakota BB57, carried the same rifles, but carried more armor, had a smidgen less speed, but had negligible torpedo protection in order to pack on more armor to withstand the hits from 16 inch rifles like she packed herself.All that being said, the decision to send his 2 BBs, literally all he had left, to deal with another heavy Japanese surface force in the claustrophobic, torpedo infested waters of IBS was incredibly ballsy…but did he really have a choice?ChingThe man who was in command of the battleships was quite honestly the perfect choice to be in that slot. Naval Academy Class of 1908, his fondness of asian culture and desire to serve in the asiatic theater earned him the nickname “Ching”.Ching was an avid shooter. He absolutely loved firearms of all sorts, even building a few of his own from scratch. He joined and shot on the Naval Academy rifle team multiple times, eventually competing in the 1920 Summer Olympics.In those games, Lee earned 5 (!) gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze in team events, consistently shooting in the top three in every event. His record of 7 medals for the olympics would not be topped until 1980. The majority of his early service was in BBs, Cruisers, including command of USS Concord, and a destroyer division command. In 1942 he was promoted to rear admiral.In the interwar years, Lee served on many Bureau of Ordnance boards, practicing naval gunnery, experimenting with powder calculations, windage, fire control systems theory and practical usage of heavy naval rifles. To say that he was an expert marksman and an expert regarding naval gunnery would be an understatement. In 1942, Lee was considered the US Navy’s foremost expert on anything regarding gunnery and accuracy. A fanatic for anything that aided in gunnery, Lee was a quick advocate and an even quicker study on the new radar sets entering USN service in the late 30’s early 40’s. He advocated that the Navy should start a new school for the instruction of radar and also was a very vocal advocate for the new technology’s installation aboard BBs, CA, and CLs.His subordinates absolutely adored him, and in a statement you will probably never hear again, so did Admiral King. Admiral Nimitz, upon sending him to Guadalcanal stated, “Now we’ll see what a real fighter can do.”Initially taking BB57 as his flagship, Lee was forced to transfer to what would become his “home” for the majority of the war, USS Washington when SoDak ran aground almost as soon as she got into theater. The move to “Big Wash” would be fortuitous for all the reasons we are about to see.USS WashingtonBB56 had a core crew that would have made any ship blush in envy. Her skipper Glenn Davis was absolutely loved by the crew, he was genteel, caring and whip smart. With him he had a core of officers that turned 56 into an absolute machine of efficiency.LCDR Edwin Hooper, a graduate of MIT, was the ship’s fire control officer and assistant gunnery officer. Like Lee, he was an advocate of superior marksmanship, dove head first into ballistics and trajectory of heavy rifles, and was a firm believer in radar’s abilities. He and ADM Lee got along like a pair of long lost cousins.The gunnery officer, CDR Harvey Walsh, LCDR Harry Seeley, main battery spotting officer, CAPT Jonas PLatt, secondary battery officer and even LCDR Ed Schanze, navigator and radar officer all routinely met with and discussed gunnery and radar with ADM Lee aboard BB56. The “Gun Club” as it was dubbed, was probably the foremost grouping of gunnery minded individuals in the US

The hectic and high stakes month of October 1942 has finally wound down and passed into history. And with it, the lives of nearly 400 Americans at The Battles of Henderson Field and Santa Cruz and an astonishing figure of nearly 3,500 Japanese lives at those same events. The Japanese have thrown their very best efforts at Guadalcanal in October, both ashore and off shore, and have come up short. The devastating defeat ashore was followed by a tactical victory, but strategic defeat off shore and has left the Japanese in no better position than they were in August…just thousands of lives shorter.As November dawns, Guadalcanal is still a hot bed of activity. Fighting on the ground has eased off in intensity, but is still a fairly constant struggle, although nowhere near as bad as the previous several months have been, but the Japanese aren’t done yet. At sea, however, the Japanese are also not through with their efforts to both smash the American fleet and destroy Henderson Field. The Japanese will try several more times this month, specifically twice in back-to-back nights.The first of these epic naval clashes occurs on, of all dates, Friday the 13th. The confused and chaotic melee that follows will be known as the Bar Room Brawl.Talking Points:The Set UpThe Imperial Army had planned to reinforce Guadalcanal yet again with a large troop convoy that consisted of nearly 7,000 well trained troops, 31,500 artillery shells, and food for 30,00 men for 20 days.The convoy was made up of 11 transport ships under reliable ADM Tanaka with a heavy escort of 12 DDs.Before the planned troop landing which theoretically would occur on November 14, the Japanese would send 2 fast BBs (Hiei and Kirishima) to shell Henderson with special frag shells that would destroy aircraft and supplies as well as men.The Japanese bombardment unit was commanded by ADM Abe and consisted of:2 BB’s Kirishima and Hiei1 CL11 DDsThese ships were timed to sail on November 12 and arrive off Lunga Point just after midnight on Friday the 13thIronically enough, at the same time, the Americans were also preparing a reinforcement convoy bound for Guadalcanal.2 separate convoys were to bring over 5,000 troops and much needed supplies to Guadalcanal, they were to be heavily escorted by American cruisers and destroyers.Thanks to intel, the US knew that the Japanese were preparing another reinforcement convoy and deployed this heavily escorted convoy to do 2 things.Deliver troopsDisrupt the Japanese planned troop delivery with the surface ships assigned as convoy escortKelly Turner was in command of the convoy and the 2 separate escorts were commanded by ADM Daniel Callaghan aboard USS San Francisco, and Cape Esperance victor ADM Norman Scott aboard USS Atlanta.The American convoy reached Guadalcanal on the morning of the 12th and unloaded the precious cargo and supplies.A Japanese scout named LCDR Mitzi observed the convoy unloading and sent a message to combined fleet HQ that also noted a surface force of 3 BBs, 3 CAs, 11 DDs off Lunga.Japanese ADM Ugaki surmised that the surface force would probably try and intercept the Japanese the following night, however in a staff meeting it was stated that the Americans would “go away as usual” and Abe’s force was not notified of the American’s presence.Despite this lack of warning, Japanese air assets decided to strike the Americans, sending 16 torpedo armed Bettys, and 30 Zeros to hit the forceWarned by coast watchers ahead of time, Turner got his ships underway as 20 F4Fs and 8 P39s scrambled to meet the Japanese inboundIn the ensuing air battle, the Betty’s missed their targets and were ravaged by the F4Fs who claimed 17 bombers and 6 fighters while actually downing 11 Betty’s and 1 Zero to the loss of 3 F4Fs and 1 P39.Turner was later rewarded with a very accurate sighting report of Abe’s force to which he decided to shred his transports of any sizeable escort and order these same escorts to intercept and attack Abe’s extremely powerful forceTurner assigned Daniel Callaghan as Task Force Commander, despite the fact that Scott had over 6 weeks sea time in these very waters and had won a night time naval fight. He assigned Callaghan because he was 15 days (!) senior to Scott.The stage was set. An American force that consisted of:2 CAs3 CLs 7 DDsWould intercept Abe’s bombardment force under the command of an Admiral who had virtually no experience in combat at all on board a CA that still fielded inadequate radar (USS SF)Let’s talk about the radar again here, Scott should have been in charge, but at the very least, Callaghan should have embarked aboard Helena with her SG radar and not Frisco.Collision in the DarkThe night was moonless, black in complete and total darkness…which dam sure didn’t help with ship ID in the fight that would come.The American battle line was laid out such:Cushing, Laffey, Sterett, O’Bannon, Atlanta, Frisco, Portland, Helena, Juneau, Aaron Ward, Barton, Monssen, FletcherCallaghan laid his

This week Bill and I have a special guest with us, he’s been here before and we always love to have him, he’s the one, the only, my good buddy, Jon Parshall.This week we are going to take a step back from the battlefront, into the backwaters if you will, to discuss some of the leaders of WATCHTOWER, the men who made the decisions, for better or worse, that propelled, and sometimes didn’t propel the all-encompassing campaign.Talking PointsGhormleyNimitz nominates Ghormley as COMSOPAC for future operations in April 1942Ghormley had previously acted as a special naval observer in Britain and desired to stay in the European theater.Highly intelligent and a savy negotiator, he had almost zero tactical command experience.He had never held an operational post despite being a Vice AdmiralGhormley was in over his head as COMSOPACGhormley receives word to prepare for what would become WATCHTOWER and immediately greets it with pessimism. Nimitz showed a lot of confidence in Ghormley initially. Essentially granting him free reign to establish himself and his operations to prepare for the offensive.The very next day, Nimitz received a copy of a letter from Ghormley to King that stated that the timeline for the operation was “unrealistic” and that both Ghormley and MacArthur were doubtful as to the success of the operation and had the “gravest doubts” about the plan.This had to have shaken Nimitz’s confidence in Ghormley as a leader.Regarding the July pre-invasion meeting: the sheer fact that Ghormley declined to attend this incredibly important meeting personally should have been a red flag.Despite being told by Nimitz to command “in person” Ghormley sends Callaghan.This pattern of non-personal leadership causes issues right away…The issue of Turner and Fletcher going after one another in the July meeting over how long the CVs should remain in the area is one example of how things turned to shit quickly.Ghormley “suggested” to Fletcher to leave 2 VF Squadrons on Henderson if the field is ready. BUT…if enemy CVs appear then they are the priority. As a result of this confusing memo, Fletcher thought he had the approval to maneuver independently and Turner thought that COMSOPAC had assured him that Fletcher would cover the landings until Henderson was operational. Had Ghormley been present, his intentions would have become known by his own voice. But alas, that was not to be…After Savo, which you could technically throw blame on Ghormley, Ghormley acted scared and ordered his surface forces all the way back to Noumea, 1000 miles away.He told Nimitz he could not protect the sea lanes requested air support.In truth, Ghormley had no fucking clue what was going on…In messages to Nimitz, Ghormley constantly pleaded for reinforcements, always stating that the forces on Guadalcanal were just barely hanging on…Consistently, Nimitz urged Ghormley to be more active…yet he sat on the Argonne and roasted in his hot quartersMost of his message stank of anxiety and near desperation, and he never seemed to know what was going on.Had he gone to Guadalcanal, maybe just once, he would have had a better understandingNimitz decided to visit Ghormley on September 25 he arrived 3 days later to find the logistics situation a complete mess.When Nimitz met with Ghormley, the latter’s physical state shocked Nimitz.He was pale, and gaunt, he had dental problems, lived aboard an old, cramped ship with no air circulation and refused to acquire land space for his HQ because of the French not wanting to give the land over to him.Nimitz flew to Guadalcanal the next day, returned to Noumea and told Ghormley how optimistic the men were, and urged him to be more assertive.When Nimitz got back to Pearl he asked some of his staff if Ghormley should be relieved. They all agreed.Halsey was preparing to reclaim his old position aboard CV6, when Nimitz nominated him to King to replace Ghormley. King replied with one word. Approved.Nimitz ultimately believed that Ghormley was too timid and out of touch. Not to say he was physically scared, but he was too timid to commit forces that were needed when they were needed at the right place.HalseyHalsey takes command on October 18. He reads the directive from Nimitz twice to make sure he is reading it right and then exclaims, “Jesus Christ and General Jackson. This is the hottest potato they’ve ever given me!”Morale amongst the fighting men ashore and at sea immediately goes through the roof once word gets out that Halsey is in command.Halsey enters the fray at the most critical time of the entire campaign. His leadership, fighting spirit and bull-headedness are exactly what the doctor ordered.Almost immediately, Halsey asserted himself. He seized land ashore and set up a permanent base of operations, which pissed off the French.Then, two weeks after he took command, he got in a plane and flew to Guadalcanal.The Marines ashore ate it up.Before his Guadalcanal vacation, however, his forces became engaged in what would bec

This week Bill and I have a special guest with us, he’s been here before and we always love to have him, he’s the one, the only, my good buddy, Jon Parshall.If you’ve been listening to the podcast as of late, you are well aware that we are making our way through the slug fest that was the Guadalcanal campaign. While the fighting ashore has raged on and off between pitched engagements, the seas around the Canal have been anything but quiet. Savo Island in August was a debacle for the US Navy, the carrier forces under Admiral fletcher landed some fairly significant blows on the Japanese carrier force at Eastern Solomons, and Admiral Norman Scott finally exacted some revenge for Savo at the Battle of Cape Esperance. The US Navy has seen it’s share of victories, as well as defeats in these bloody waters. And while the fighting has been significant at sea…it ain’t over. Not even close. The calendar now sits in October 1942, October 26 exactly. And ashore, the Japanese have launched a massive offensive to finally push the Marines and Army off Guadalcanal. The October offensive and the fighting that takes place ashore will be remembered as the Battle of Henderson Field. The fighting at sea that takes place only a day later, all coinciding with the offensive ashore, will be called the Battle of Santa Cruz.Talking Points:Japanese Preparations and Plans Pre-Battle:The combined fleet sorties from Truk on October 11. The force is very large, the largest Japanese force that has put to sea since Midway and consists of 4 CVs and 1 light CV3 Fleet CVs1 Light CV4 BBs8 CAs2 CLs24 DDsThe Japanese had planned that the naval force that was now at sea would not necessarily support the operation ashore, but would directly benefit from the success of the ground offensiveThat being said, once Hyakutake’s infantry had captured Henderson, the Japanese combined fleet would then be free from any attack from land based air.The pre-sailing plans called for the Japanese so-called Support Force to make a high-speed run into the Guadalcanal area to intercept and destroy any American fleet units that would come to the rescue of the infantry following the Japanese land-based offensive’s success.This is part of the reason why Kongo and Haruna blasted the shit out of Henderson on October 14-15. Both to soften the defenses, destroy the airfield and also, hopefully draw the Americans out to fight.Japanese intel, which we have not talked about very much, had deduced via traffic patterns that at least 1 US CV was in the Canal area.Based on traffic patterns, the Japanese had seen a large flurry of messages go out to a “powerful unit” south of Guadalcanal that would receive the messages and maintain radio silence.This of course is CV8Again, based on traffic patterns, the Japanese had deduced that another major fleet unit had sailed from Pearl Harbor on or about Oct 15.This is the newly repaired CV6The Japanese estimated that this task force was headed south as well to join up with the other “ghost” forceJapanese. Intel also read US newspapers and listened to the news, as US officials ignorantly declared on October 20 that US Naval forces off Guadalcanal were preparing for a “sea clash”The Land influences the SeaDelays ashore from the Japanese 17th Army (future Henderson Field offensive force) caused Y-Day to be pushed from October 19 to the 22nd. Incidentally, Hiyo suffers a fire in her engineering spaces that causes her to return to port and not take part in the planned upcoming action.17th Army again delays the offensive until the 24th further irritating the IJN.The delay by the Army forced the Navy to delay its attack which allowed CV6 to rejoin the American forces off Guadalcanal on October 24 and thus restoring some parity to any upcoming carrier battle.US Forces for battleUS forces are under the overall command of ADM Thomas Kinkaid TF 16 under Kinkaid has:CV61 CA1 CL 8 DDs 1 BB (SoDak)TF 17 under ADM George Murray has:CV82 CAs2 CLs 6 DDs Previous to CV6 returning from Pearl, CV8 was the only US CV in the area.CV8 was still, despite having been at Midway, an unexperienced CV.That being said, her aircrew was a mix of veterans and newbies.VS-8 skipper Gus Widhelm Veteran of Coral Sea and hit and run raids with VS-5Fantastic leaderVB-8 SBD pilot Clayton FisherVeteran of the Flight to Nowhere, June 4 afternoon raid and Mogami/Mikuma raid on June 6, but otherwise relatively fresh CV6 had just returned to the fleet after having been patched up after Eastern SolomonsCV6 still retained her well-trained deck crews, DC parties and the like. Battle tested, CV6 would need all the help she could get in the upcoming fightWhile a veteran carrier, she deployed a brand-new air group, AG 10.Air Group 10, although new, is rife with veterans of different engagementsVF-10, better known as the Grim Reapers, is led by the legendary Jimmy Flatley and hosts names like:Jack LepplaDon Flash GordonWhitey Feightner and most importantly, Swede VejtasaBucky Lee led VS-10, no