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PODCAST

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

Seth Paridon, William Toti

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast is the creation of Seth Paridon and Bill Toti. Seth is a World War II historian with over 20 years experience who"s many roles also was serving as a chief historian for The National WWII Museum for 15 years. Bill is not a historian, but is a retired submarine commodore and military planner with a special interest in the Pacific War. Bill has a unique perspective to offer as one who spent more than a decade sailing those same waters where the

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All Episodes

01:25:26

January through March 1942 in Pearl Harbor Archival...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/06/24

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a look at some really, really cool National Archives archival footage. The guys dig into the records of Hollywood director John Ford's Field Photographic Unit that operated on Oahu, mainly at Kaneohe and Pearl Harbor from February-May 1942. In a startling, but super cool, discovery, the guys find footage of VB6's SBD B-15 in flight, one of two SBDs still in Yorktown's hangar to this day. A major portion of this episode focuses on footage that Ford shot of

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01:21:29

The Battle of Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol - Episode 507

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/06/17

This week Seth Paridon and co-host Jon Parshall dig into a little-known event that had massive implications on the future progression of the Pacific War. In 1939, the renegade Japanese Kwangtung Army decided, on their own, to launch an offensive against Soviet and Mongolian forces near the small village of Nomonhan. Initial Japanese successes were later destroyed when the Soviets launched a massive counter-offensive led by the one and only Georgy Zhukov. In a series of battles that lasted over

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01:34:07

The War in China 1937-1940 - Episode 506

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/06/10

This week Seth Paridon and co-host Jon Parshall take a look at the war in China from 1937-1940. Major clashes occurred in 1937, most notably at Nanking, where the guys get into both the battle and the Rape of Nanking, both catastrophes that grabbed the world's attention with both hands. Following that, we get into the negotiations, such as they were, between Chiang Kai Shek's China and Imperial Japan, looking to bring an end to the war that would have no clear end for several years. Next, the guys

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01:34:23

Exploring the Wreck of USS Yorktown - Episode 505

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/06/03

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take you guys on an exclusive look at the remarkable footage taken by NOAA during their recent dive on the wreck of the USS Yorktown (CV-5). Seth and Jon tour the wreck and focus in on some of the highlights of the footage, explaining what some of the material is, why it looks like it does, the state of the wreck, and obviously, the history of the ship and her demise during the Battle of Midway. Using archival footage shot on June 4, 1942, as well as archival

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01:16:05

Pearl Harbor Attack Archival Footage...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/05/27

As promised, this week Seth and Jon Parshall take a dive into the world of WWII archival footage from the US National Archives. The team focuses their attention on a few reels of footage from the early part of the Pacific War, namely, captured Japanese footage from Hong Kong, and the Pearl Harbor attack. The guys go through the shots step by step and Jon pours his knowledge of Kido Butai into the talk while interpreting some of the most famous shots taken by Japanese photographers during the attack

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01:53:24

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the Battle of...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/05/20

This week Seth and co-host Jon Parshall take a look at...yes you read that correctly. More on that later. Seth and Jon take a look at what some historians say is the beginning of World War II, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The team dives into the lead-up to the shots being fired and then what happens next. Both Japan and China, especially Chiang Kai Shek, push for war against one another and by the end of the summer of 1937, both nations HAVE to fight, springing what was already a touchy situation

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01:27:53

The Mukden Incident: Planting the Seeds of...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/05/13

This week Seth and Bill take a deep look at where it all began...the Mukden Incident and the following Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Contrary to popular belief, World War II did not begin on September 1, 1939 when the Germans invaded Poland--it all started right here. In an absolutely fascinating episode, the guys break down the contrived incident that sparked conflict and take a deep examination of the internal Japanese views on nationalism and militarism in the 1930's. Don't miss this

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01:09:48

Deadly Effective: US Subs vs the Imperial Japanese...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/05/06

This week Seth and Bill welcome Season 5 into the world with very special guest, the "Grand Poo-bah" of Asia-Pacific War historians and very dear friend, Rich Frank. Rich delivers and absolutely fascinating presentation on the effectiveness of US Navy submarines against---the Imperial Japanese ARMY! Yes, you read that correctly. In a way that only Rich can, he lays out the numbers and analysis of the US submarine attacks against Japanese shipping and the catastrophic, almost unbelievable, losses

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01:03:37

The Fighting Lady

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/04/29

This week we are feeding you guys another wartime documentary. This one is called The Fighting Lady. A so-called "news drama" of the day, the Fighting Lady focuses on the exploits of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) from her commissioning through many of the Navy battles and campaigns of the Pacific war from 1943-late 1944 including the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Narrated by Hollywood star Robert Taylor, who himself was a Naval Aviator, the film is a time capsule view into life aboard

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00:22:16

To The Shores of Iwo Jima

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/04/22

As Bill and I prepare and record episodes for Season 5, we wanted to make sure you guys had something to check out, so here you go. This is a US Govt produced film of the campaign for Iwo Jima. Produced using footage shot from US Navy and US Marine Corps photographers, including Bill Genaust, this film was made to show the American citizenry what their boys lived through in the hell of Iwo Jima. All of the footage is authentic, all of it was shot on Iwo, or at least offshore. Enjoy and we'll see

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04:29:19

The Invasion of Iwo Jima (Both Episodes Combined)...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/04/15

As wed prep for Season 5, we thought that maybe you guys would like both of our Iwo Jima episodes we did with Jon Parshall combined into one massive episode. We wanted to make sure you guys had something to look at/listen to this week as we record for next season. Hope you enjoy the re-run.#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy

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02:05:01

Season 4 Finale Audience Q&A with Jon Parshall -...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/04/08

This is the last episode for Season 4, and as such, we wanted to do a Q&A to wrap up another great run of episodes. Seth and Bill are joined by good buddies Jon Parshall and Shawn Bergstrom as the foursome goes through some of your questions to wrap up the season. Radar directed naval gunfire, Admiral Ernest King, oral histories, racism in the Pacific war, the American Home Front and much more are talked about this week in the lively discussion. It's always fun when you mix friends and a little

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01:34:04

Surrender aboard USS Missouri: The End of World War...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/04/01

This week Seth, Bill, and third amigo Jon Parshall wrap up the Pacific war with the surrender ceremony aboard the battleship USS Missouri. The conversation doesn't start there, however. The guys get into the details of the early occupation, how American troops got to Japan, how many, how often, and all the stipulations in between. Before we get to the surrender ceremony we take a fascinating look at the rescue of General Jonathan Wainwright at the hands of the OSS in Sian, Manchuria. The guys

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01:41:10

Japan's Decision to Surrender with Jon Parshall -...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/03/25

This week Seth, Bill and amigo Jon Parshall take a deep dive into Japan's decision to surrender and all the intrigue that goes with it. You probably think that after the atomic bomb on Nagasaki Japan just threw in the towel and it was over right? Wrong. It was NOT that easy--no way. You will not want to miss this absolutely fascinating episode as the guys go over the ins and outs of the internal deliberations going on within the Japanese government from August 9 through August 14, 1945 including

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01:55:13

The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/03/18

This week Seth, Bill and good buddy Jon Parshall, take an in-depth look at the two atomic bombing missions that helped end World War II. The guys go into the deep details of the mission to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the complete mess of a mission to Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 by taking you through each mission in high detail.#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals

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01:13:31

What Were the Alternatives to Dropping the Bomb? with...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/03/11

This week Seth, Bill and good buddy Jon Parshall take a look at the moral decision to drop the atomic bombs. Was there a viable alternative? Why did we drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Did the dropping the bombs help end the war? Did the bombs save lives? All these questions and more are answered on this very important episode.

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01:50:15

Indy-Maru: the Final Mission of USS...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/03/04

This week Bill and Seth take a deep look at the final mission of one of the most storied warships in naval history, USS Indianapolis. Bill goes through each and every step of Indy's final mission, destroying myths and highlighting the many survivors he came to know as friends. You don't want to miss this one as our Captain dishes on his favorite ship and her heroic story.#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii

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01:18:51

US Submarine Special Operations off WWII-Episode 436

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/02/25

This week Seth and Bill take a look at United States Navy submarine special operations in the Pacific during World War II. Beginning during the fall of the Philippines in 1942, American subs carried in ammunition and supplies while simultaneously ferrying out military and civilian personnel. Until October 1944, submarine special ops in the Philippine area kept the local Filipino guerillas in supply and retrieved invaluable intel. The guys also talk about USS Trout's famous "gold run" and the

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01:46:07

Halsey's Carrier Raids on Kure Naval Harbor with Jon...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/02/18

This week Seth and guest co-host Jon Parshall (Bill had tech issues) dig into the final major US Naval action of World War II. In July 1945, Admiral William F. Halsey brings his 3rd Fleet to the very shores of Japan to destroy infrastructure, shipping, airfields, ad the remnants of the once mighty Imperial Japanese Navy. Over a period of two days, July 24 and July 28, 3rd Fleet aviators pummel what is left of the IJN right at its home base--Kure. Carriers Amagi, Katsuragi, battleships Ise, Hyuga

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01:15:04

Parade of Destruction-The Naval Bombardments of Japan...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2025/02/11

This week Seth and Bill take a look at an oft-forgotten, but strategically important, episode of the Pacific War. In July 1945, Admiral William F. Halsey took his mighty 3rd Fleet to the very shores of Japan. Sending his carriers into the harbors and towns to wreak havoc, Halsey then detached his surface forces, specifically his battleships, to shell steel mills and infrastructure facilities along the eastern coast of Honshu. Over the final weeks of the war, battleships like USS South Dakota, USS

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