104 - The 39th Battalion on the Kokoda Track
The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
Release Date: 10/25/2023
The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
The 2nd Battle of the Matanikau - This is the seventh episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland. This episodes discusses: - The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front. Check out the show notes for this . - if you've learnt something from this episode and you can afford it, please support the podcast at Patreon.
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the sixth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland. This episodes discusses: - The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front. Check out the show notes for this . - if you've learnt something from this episode and you can afford it, please support the podcast at Patreon.
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the fifth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland. This episodes discusses: - The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front. Check out the show notes for this .
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the fourth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland. This episodes discusses: How did the Marines employ the 37 mm gun firing canister at Alligator Creek? Why did Colonel Ichiki attack without heavy weapons— trading firepower for speed and what was the cost? What are the myths about scout Jacob Vouza? How did barbed wire obstacles and coconut-log bunkers employed for to create an engagement zone? How did pre-registered fires shape the Battle of Tenaru? What early warnings did coastwatchers and patrols provide before the assault? How did Marine tanks...
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the third episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland. This episodes discusses: How the Marines seized conducted the landing and seized Guadalcanal’s decisive terrain. Red Beach landing bypasses IJA fortifications at Lunga Point. Vandegrift prioritizes tight perimeter, airfield defense. Carriers withdraw; logistics halved, myths debunked. Japanese forces surprised and how they reacted. Combined arms landings: infantry, artillery, engineers. What really happened with the Goettge Patrol? Logistics speed amphibious resupply. Amtracs and beachmasters enable...
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the second episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland. Shoestring invasion planning Koro rehearsals fiasco Risking the aircraft carriers vs time to unload the convoy Crutchley’s covering cruisers Rupertus leads Tulagi Blue Beach landing Fighting at “the Cut” Improvised cave tactics Gavutu–Tanambogo battles Tanks combat Dave is an ex-Marine and was posted to Guadalcananal with the Australian Federal Police. He regularly leads battlefield study tours through the area. He is a world-leading expert on the battles of Guadalcanal and author of -...
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the first in a major series of podcasts looking at the Battles of Guadalcanal. This is an interview with Dave Holland. This episode looks at: Guadalcanal's strategic significance Terrain and Climate of Guadalcanal Development of Marine Amphibious Doctrine Combat experience within the 1st Marine Division Strength and structure of a Marine Division US intelligence preparation before the landings Japanese intelligence and intentions US decision to land on Guadalcanal and Tulagi Operation Shoestring Dave is an ex-Marine and was posted to Guadalcananal with the...
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the final episode of three in our series from our interview with Retired Colonel John Antal discussing his research into contemporary combat and how technology is changing the modern battlefield. John makes a series of great points during the interview: Modern War Is Fought in a Transparent Battlespace Visibility through drones, sensors, and AI means traditional massing of forces is now lethal. You must deceive and disrupt enemy sensors or be destroyed. Masking Should Be a Principle of War Masking = multi-domain deception to confuse enemy ISR. Use decoys, optical/thermal...
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the second episode of our interview with Retired Colonel John Antal discussing his research into contemporary combat and how technology is changing the modern battlefield. We discuss the lessons learnt from 2nd Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine and recent Israeli battles and how technology is changing the modern battlefield. Check out the for all of the information that we cover in this episode as well as the images and other details that didn't make it into the podcast.
info_outlineThe Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
How is the modern battlefield changing? What role is technology like Artificial Intelligence, drones, precision strike and electronic warfare changing command and control, ISR and combined arms? This is the first of 3 episodes with retired Colonel John Antal, who has studied 2nd Nagorno-Karabakh, recent Israeli battles and the war in Ukraine. Check out the for all of the information that we cover in this episode as well as the images and other details that didn't make it into the podcast.
info_outlineThis is Part 9 of our series looking at the Kokoda Campaign, looking at the combat performance of the 39th Battalion.
This episode discusses the formation of the 39th Battalion, it's preparation for combat and how it performed on the Kokoda Trail. The 39th Battalion is one of the Australian Army's most famous Battalion, a militia battalion that bore the brunt of the Japanese attacks down the Kokoda track. What enabled it to fight so well?
Have a listed Dr David Cameron, an expert on the Kookoda Campaign as he discusses the history and performance of the 39th Battalion.
Check out the show notes for the podcast for all of the information that we cover in this episode as well as the images and other details that didn't make it into the podcast.
Dr David Cameron Biography
David Cameron received first class Honours in Prehistory, University of Sydney and a PhD in Palaeoanthropology, Australian National University. He has written over twenty books covering Australian Military History, Colonial History, and Evolutionary Science with over 70 internationally peer reviewed papers published in various journals and book chapters. He is a former Australian Research Council Post Doctoral Fellow, School of Archaeology, Australian National University; and an Australian Research Council QEII Fellow in the Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Sydney. He has conducted and led several international fieldwork projects in Europe (Hungary), Asia (Vietnam, India, and Japan), and the Middle East (Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates) and conducted extensive museum studies and conferences (United States, Europe, and Asia). Before retiring in 2023, he was a senior analyst in the Australian Intelligence Community.
Books on the Papua Campaign by Dr Cameron:
Cameron, D.W. (in preparation – December 2024.) The Battle for Milne Bay, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (in preparation – August 2024) Sanananda, Bastard of a Place: The Battle for the Beachhead, 1942-43, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (in press – November 2023) Bloody Buna: The Battle for the Beachhead, 1942-43, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (2023) Gona’s Gone: The Battle for the Beachhead 1942, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (2022) Retaking Kokoda: The Australian Advance Across the Owen Stanleys, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (2022) Saving Port Moresby: Fighting at the End of the Kokoda Track, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (2022) The Battle for Isurava: Fighting on the Kokoda Track in the heart of the Owen Stanleys, Big Sky Publishing
Cameron, D.W. (2020) The Battles for Kokoda Plateau: Three Weeks of Hell Defending the Gateway to the Owen Stanleys, Allen & Unwin Australia