Puller, Munro, and Monssen - the daring resuce of 1/7 Marines - 2nd Battle of the Matanikau Part II
The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
Release Date: 02/01/2026
Puller, Munro, and Monssen - the daring resuce of 1/7 Marines - 2nd Battle of the Matanikau Part II
The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.
2nd Matanikau - Guadalcanal and Pullers rescue of the 1/7th Marines. The 2nd Battle of the Matanikau Part II - This is the eighth episode of our with historian and author Dave Holland. This episode discusses: What was the plan for 27 September, and why was it inherently risky? How did a breakdown in command-and-control affect the Marines’ river-crossing plan at the Matanikau River? How did the Japanese react so fast, and what trap did they set behind Chesty Puller? Why did the Raiders get stopped short of the One Log Bridge—and what happened to Ken Bailey? What role did comms failure play...
info_outline
141 - Chesty Puller, 1/7 Marines and 2nd Matanikau, Guadalcanal
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_outline
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.
info_outline
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 .
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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 -...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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.
info_outline2nd Matanikau - Guadalcanal and Pullers rescue of the 1/7th Marines.
The 2nd Battle of the Matanikau Part II - This is the eighth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland.
This episode discusses:
What was the plan for 27 September, and why was it inherently risky?
How did a breakdown in command-and-control affect the Marines’ river-crossing plan at the Matanikau River?
How did the Japanese react so fast, and what trap did they set behind Chesty Puller?
Why did the Raiders get stopped short of the One Log Bridge—and what happened to Ken Bailey?
What role did comms failure play once the fight started to go wrong?
How did the amphibious “end run” force end up trapped west of Point Cruz?
What made the situation worse once they were cut off—equipment and radios?
How did the “HELP” undershirt signal actually work, and what did the pilot do?
How was the rescue executed—who coordinated it, and what enabled withdrawal under fire?
What were the lessons learnt and why are they important today?
Who was Samuel B. Griffith?
Dave Holland is an ex-Marine and was posted to Guadalcanal 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 Guadalcanal's Longest Fight - The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front.
Check out the show notes for this episode.
https://www.patreon.com/cw/principlesofwar - if you've learnt something from this episode and you can afford it, please support the podcast at Patreon.
Great Professional Military Education for your Unit. This episode covers C2, Littoral Manoeuvre and naval support to land operations.