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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

history courses

All Episodes

01:41:52

Yamato: The Ship, The Myth, The Legend with Alex...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/10/06

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome a new guest to the show, author Alex Wooley, to discuss Alex’s new book about the legendary Japanese battleship Yamato. The guys get into the conversation with Alex about the deep ties that the Japanese people have with the legendary ship even to this day and how the ship has morphed into symbols of both peace and war and places beyond. Starting with the massive construction project of the ship, her short combat history, her destruction, and how people

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01:37:51

The Siege of Corregidor – Episode 618

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/09/29

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall Take a look at the Siege of Corregidor. One of the main linchpins and the American planned defense of Manila, Corregidor was built to be an impregnable fortress that guarded the coast of Luzon from all attackers. While that plan may have been effective in the early part of the twentieth century, by 1942, Corregidor surrounded by Japanese captured territory and lacking in modern weapons, was obsolete. Beginning in December 1941 and stretching all the way until

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01:33:26

Filipinos in the Guerilla Movement 1942-45 with...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/09/22

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall along with a new guest, their good friend, Filipino historian Desiree Benipayo, Guerrilla movement that began in 1942 almost immediately after the Japanese invaded. Desiree gives a unique perspective into the legacy of the movement, as well as some of the more important Filipino figures within the guerrilla war. Desiree discusses some of the local leaders, and the importance of women in the guerrilla movement and the vital roles that they played. From spies,

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01:23:24

USS Princeton and Taffy 3 Archival Footage – Episode 616

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/09/15

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a break from the Philippines to look at some archival footage. First, The guys take a look at footage from the USS Birmingham, a Cleveland class light cruiser that saw a tremendous amount of action in the Pacific. Daily life aboard a light cruiser such as loading ammunition and other mundane activities are highlighted, along with, Birmingham's shore bombardment of Tinian Town in June 1944. After that we take a look at some archival footage from the Battle

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01:26:09

Sunday Scuttlebutt 01 with James Scott

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/09/08

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall are joined by the very good friend author and historian James Scott for the first episode of our new series called Sunday Scuttlebutt. In this once a month, maybe, series Seth and John and a guest we'll tackle recent listener/viewer questions and talk about recent topics to keep you guys up to date with what's going on. As most of you know the majority of our episodes are recorded weeks in advance and by the time we get questions and or comments we've moved

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01:37:18

Birth of the Philippine Guerilla Movement with John...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/09/01

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome back their good friend author and historian John Bruning to the show To discuss the birth of the Filipino guerrilla movement. John gets into some of the more polarizing figures of the movement, including Harry Fenton, James Cushing and his brothers, Chick Parsons and more. John gets into the dark side of the movement and talks about the intrigue, the backstabbing, the murder, the betrayal, the torture, and the overall seediness that actually was the

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01:49:47

The Bataan Death March - Episode 614

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/08/25

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01:41:57

Empire of Ashes-Truman, Hirohito and Total War with...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/08/18

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome there good buddy author and historian James Scott to the show to discuss James's new book, Empire of Ashes. In this week's episode the guys dig into the other American president of World War II, Harry S Truman and his decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan and all the intricacies therein. The conversation then shifts to that of the Soviet intervention in the Pacific war its actual effects, versus the myth, and the reasons behind the usage of the

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01:31:41

The End on Bataan: April 1942 - Episode 611

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/08/11

This week Seth Paridon and John Parshall take a look at the unfortunate, but inevitable, end of the defense of Bataan. After months of defending the peninsula valiantly, and short on everything but guts, the defenders finally capitulate under the guns and relentless assault of the Japanese army. Sick, exhausted, demoralized, and flat worn out, the Americans and Filipinos do the best they can against the fresh troops of General Homma’s 14th army. Unfortunately for General Jonathan Wainwright's men,

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01:44:57

The Battle of the Pockets and MacArthur’s Departure –...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/08/04

This week Seth Paridon and John Parshall dig into the Battle of the Pockets on Bataan in February 1942. As the Japanese continue to try and push their advantage along the rear battle position, after having forced the Fil-American forces to retreat from their main line of resistance, the month before, The previously victorious Japanese run into a buzz saw of defensive lines. The Japanese continue to try to push their advantage but make absolutely no headway, and before long, begin to run out of men

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01:26:04

Episode 612 – Guadalcanal’s Forgotten Fight: The US...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/07/28

This week, Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome back their good buddy author and historian Dave Holland to the show to talk about Dave's new book. In his second book, Dave takes on the underappreciated and largely misunderstood role of the United States Army on Guadalcanal. For years, the narrative history of Guadalcanal always states that the United States Marines were the only ones ashore, and fought and won the battle single-handedly. That could not be farther from the truth. Coming ashore in

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00:43:48

Shooting the Breeze Between Shows and Future Ideas

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/07/26

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall get together to shoot the breeze in between shows, talk about future ideas and just generally hang out. The guys get into some new books that are coming out or are already out, talk about Jon's new book that just got released, Seth's new book that is at the publisher currently. and a rather startling revelation about a personal injury and the story that goes with it. Next week, we will return to our regularly scheduled programming, but we wanted to just hang

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01:40:36

The Last Charge and The Battle of the Points: Jan-Feb...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/07/21

This week Seth Paridon and John Parshall dig deep into the actions of I Corps on the western coast of Bataan in January 1942. The guys discuss the tactical and strategic situation facing Wainwright's men and discuss the heroic, if not romantic, death of the American horse cavalry with the 26th Cav’s last horse charge at Morong. Following the end of the cavalry, the guys get into what has become known as the Battle of the Points. Towards the end of January in an effort to wrap up the campaign on

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01:37:59

The First Attacks on the Bataan Peninsula: January...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/07/14

This week, Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take up the topic of the first Japanese attacks on the Fil-American lines in January 1942. With Manila now in his hands, Japanese General Homma feels that an end to the campaign on Luzon is in sight and feels that an attack with the units he has on hand will bring the Fil-American line crashing down. The valiant defense put up by American General Parker’s II Corps proves just how wrong Homma was. In a series of sharp fights along the Abucay Line, Parker’s

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01:08:23

Japanese Archival Footage from the Philippines 1942 –...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/07/07

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a look at some fairly rare and very important archival footage from 1942. While scenes of the Fil-American disaster on Luzon are few and far between, there are some shots of the campaign, and as one would suspect, they are from the Japanese point of view. This week we look at footage from the final Japanese assault on Bataan in April 1942, as well as some eerie footage of the Bataan Death March as it began near Mariveles and made its way through the

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01:37:49

Holding the Door Open: The Battles Towards Bataan –...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/06/30

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a deep dive into the withdrawal actions fought by General Jonathan Wainwright’s troops of the Northern Luzon Force from December 24, 1941 through January 1, 1942. The guys get into the actions of some of the men who, quite literally, held the door open so that General Parker’s Southern Luzon Force could escape into Bataan during the latter portion of 1941. Wainwright’s battered troops of the 11th and 91st Filipino Divisions as well as the American tankers

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01:11:40

The Withdrawal to Bataan with John McManus – Episode 605

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/06/23

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome back their buddy John McManus to discuss the situation facing Douglas MacArthur’s troops from Christmas Eve, 1941 through the New Year as Wainwright and his beleaguered men begin the phased withdrawal from their fighting positions to the Bataan Peninsula. Among the many topics the guys get into is the leadership of General Jonathan Wainwright and how so very important he was to the overall plan in late 1941 in the Philippines. The logistics situation

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01:10:53

Japanese Landings on Luzon-December 1941 with John...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/06/16

This week Seth Paridon, Jon Parshall and their buddy, John McManus, talk about the initial Japanese landings on Luzon in December 1941. The guys get into the very real panic that was in Manila following the debacle at Clark Field and how the citizenry reacted to the news that the Japanese were indeed going to invade. The landings at Aparri, Legaspi and Vigan are discussed as are the main Japanese landings at Lingayen Gulf and MacArthur's response to those landings and the actions that follow. The

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01:52:47

Disaster at Clark Field: Air Raid Philippines 1941 -...

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/06/09

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a deep dive into the debacle that occurs at Clark Field in December 1941 as war comes to the Philippines and General Douglas MacArthur. The series of missteps from General Lewis Brereton, to Dick Sutherland all the way to MacArthur himself all lead down the road to disaster as the Japanese catch Mac's major defensive/offensive assets with their pants down. In one of the most humiliating performances by the American Army Air Corps in the entire war, the

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01:44:56

Intro to the Philippine Campaign of 1942 - Episode 602

The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War ·

2026/06/02

This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a deep dive into the realm of the pre-war Philippines. The guys dig into the ever-revolving question that flew through defense circles in the 1920’s and 30’s as to whether or not the US should defend the Philippines in any way. Then, with defense a definite, the guys get into War Plan Orange, WPO-3, and Douglas MacArthur’s own plan for defense and the preparations for said defense. All of these topics set us up for the in-depth series of videos coming up

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