125 - Medical considerations on the Kokoda Track
The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
Release Date: 03/12/2025
140 - Battle of Edson's Ridge: How the Marines saved the Cactus Air Force
The 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.
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139 - Guadalcanal - Edson and the defence of Bloody Ridge
The 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 .
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138 - Guadalcanal - Battle of the Tenaru: How the Marines stopped Ichiki's night assault on the Alligator Creek
The 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...
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137 - The Marines' Assault on Guadalcanal
The 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...
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136 - Marines vs Japanese: Brutal Battles for Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo
The 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 -...
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135 - How the Marines Prepared for Guadalcanal | Operation Watchtower Explained
The 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...
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134 - Preparing Today's Armies for Tomorrow's Wars: Battlefield Innovation and Disruption
The 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...
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133 - Kill webs and super swarms - building survivable CPs for decision superiority
The 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.
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132 - Ten Battlefield Disruptors for Tomorrow's Wars
The 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.
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131 - Amphibious Ambitions and Island Defeats - How Kinman and Hainan shaped China's Navy
The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
This is the second of a two-part series looking at the origin story of the PLA Navy. This episode looks at the crucial Kinmen and Hainan Islands campaigns. This is an interview with Dr Toshi Yoshihara, an expert in the history of China's Navy. How was each campaign planned and executed? What were the results for the Chinese Navy? What did the PLA Navy learn from these campaigns? How have these early littoral manoeuvre campaigns shaped the PLA today? We discuss the roles of Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Xiao Jinguang, in these early important battles for China. Check out the for all...
info_outlineWhat medical treatment was avaiable for the soldiers fighting on the Kokoda Track. How were ill and injured soldiers cared for and what were the difficulties in providing surgical and medical care in the austere conditions of the Jungles of Kokoda?
This episode continues our Kokoda Campaign Podcast series.
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.