The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.

How did the Imperial Japanese Army evacuate 10,652 starving survivors from Guadalcanal without the Americans realising until it was over? This episode examines Operation KE's masterful deception — from the Emperor's face-saving "strategic move" decree to Admiral Tanaka's three destroyer lifts at Cape Esperance. While Major General Collins drove the 25th Division toward Kokumbona, Japanese planners exploited Magruder's principle to make withdrawal look like reinforcement.

Key learnings:
• How Japanese cipher changes on 1 January 1943 forced US analysts back to traffic analysis, blinding them to evacuation intent
• Why the cruiser Tone transmitted fake radio traffic while carriers and battleships massed...

Major General J. Lawton Collins watched Captain Charles Davis earn the Medal of Honor from just 300 yards away — and that proximity defined his entire command philosophy. This episode examines the January 1943 reduction of the Gifu strongpoint and the battles for Galloping Horse and Seahorse ridges, revealing how Collins's cross-branch artillery expertise and forward leadership style shaped American jungle warfare doctrine.

Key learnings:
• How the 25th Infantry Division executed the first American time-on-target artillery mission of the Second World War
• Why Captain Teddy Deese's single M3 Stuart tank succeeded where repeated infantry assaults had failed against the Gi...

The US Army's 132nd Infantry Regiment walked into one of the strongest Japanese defensive positions of the Guadalcanal campaign — and didn't know it until they'd already lost their battalion commander. This episode traces the Americal Division's assault on the Gifu, a horseshoe of 45–50 log bunkers at Mount Austen that artillery couldn't crack and terrain made impossible to flank.

Key learnings:
• Why American commanders mistook the Gifu's main defensive belt for a rear-guard delaying action
• How a Piper Cub revving its engine over Hill 27 guided infantry through jungle ravines to seal the Japanese perimeter
• What forced Pat...

Major General Patch had a simple plan: send the fresh 132nd Infantry Regiment to clear a company of sick Japanese from Mount Austen before the January offensive. Intelligence estimated perhaps 100 defenders. The actual Japanese force was far larger, dug into complex terrain with observation over Henderson Field, and Hyakutake had deliberately positioned them to draw American combat power away from the coastal thrust.

Key learnings:
• Why Japanese 38th Engineer Regiment demolition teams were conducting SAS-style raids on Fighter Field Two from Mount Austen
• How Hyakutake's defensive strategy used dispersed strongpoints to fragment American offensive power

The US 182nd Infantry Regiment crossed the Matanikau on 18 November 1942 and within 48 hours all three companies of 1st Battalion had broken under Japanese mortar and flanking fire. This episode examines how green National Guard troops faltered in their combat debut, why a four-hour artillery delay negated the prep fires, and what the six-week Point Cruz stalemate reveals about the cost of transitioning from defence to offence.

Key learnings:
• Why the 182nd's thousand-yard overnight gap invited the Japanese counterattack that shattered 1st Battalion on 20 November
• How pulling back 300 yards on 23 November allowed Japanese screening forces to reoc...

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal cost the US Navy two rear admirals and six warships — yet it stopped 11 Japanese transports carrying 10,000 troops and the supplies needed to take Henderson Field. We discuss the critical 12–15 November 1942 engagements where Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan's cruisers intercepted a battleship bombardment force, and Willis Lee's radar-directed gunnery from USS Washington sank the Kirishima in the war's only battleship-versus-battleship duel in the Pacific.

Key learnings:
• Why Henderson Field functioned as the decisive terrain controlling both sides' ability to resupply by day or by night
• How only 2,000 Japanese troops landed from the convoy —...

Colonel Shoji landed 1,500 Japanese troops east of Henderson Field — and the Americans needed three battalions and a week of manoeuvre to trap just 450 of them at Gavaga Creek. This episode unpacks the Koli Point "Rat Race," the pursuit by Carlson's Raiders, and the fire team tactics that would reshape Marine infantry doctrine for decades.

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 Bat...

Forty percent of Australian trade flows through the South China Sea — and if conflict erupts near Taiwan, that route becomes uninsurable overnight. Maritime strategist Mark Bailey argues that Western continentalism has left island nations dangerously unprepared for the Indo-Pacific's return to its ancient strategic shape, where China and India once again compete for influence over Southeast Asia. This keynote address traces how Beijing treats the South China Sea as sovereign territory to be garrisoned, why Tokyo has quietly reorganised its navy for convoy escort, and what the Taiping Rebellion's 20–80 million dead reveal about Chinese internal fractures.

This is a...

Australia spent 20 years preparing for a war most politicians refused to discuss publicly — and that systematic industrial strategy may be the nation's greatest governance success story. Dr. Mark Bailey traces how bipartisan policy from 1919 built the secondary industry that would have annihilated Japanese forces had they landed at Port Stephens in 1942, while Major General Jason Blake connects those lessons to today's Army transformation through HIMARS, PrSM missiles, and the AS9 Huntsman.

This is a special seminar presentation in conjunction with the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company's Firepower Seminar Series, "Firepower: Lessons from World War II"  Our presenter is...

Forty percent of Australian trade flows through the South China Sea — and if conflict erupts near Taiwan, that route becomes uninsurable overnight. Maritime strategist Mark Bailey argues that Western continentalism has left island nations dangerously unprepared for the Indo-Pacific's return to its ancient strategic shape, where China and India once again compete for influence over Southeast Asia. This keynote address traces how Beijing treats the South China Sea as sovereign territory to be garrisoned, why Tokyo has quietly reorganised its navy for convoy escort, and what the Taiping Rebellion's 20–80 million dead reveal about Chinese internal fractures.

This is a...

Australia built a coherent defence industrial strategy in the 1920s and 30s that actually worked when tested by total war — yet we've forgotten most of what made it succeed. This seminar recording pairs Dr Peter Layton's analysis of the interwar Munitions Supply Board with Major General Jason Blake's discussion of current Army modernisation.

This is a special seminar presentation in conjunction with the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company's Firepower Seminar Series, "Firepower: Lessons from World War II"  Our presenter is Dr Peter Layton and it is followed by our Panel Discussion with Major General Jason Blaine, DSC, AM...

After the defeat at Henderson Field, Japanese 17th Army headquarters remained confident — fresh divisions and hundreds of aircraft were promised within weeks. But Vandegrift had no intention of letting them regroup. This episode traces the Fourth Battle of the Matanikau and the emergency pivot to Koli Point, revealing how interior lines and improving logistics let the Marines mount the largest US Marine land attack in history to that date.

Key learnings:
• How Vandegrift assembled 12 battalions for an offensive while his perimeter forces were already exhausted after two and a half months
• Why Japanese logistics could delive...

This episode is the 14th episode in our Guadalcanal series.  We look at the Battle of Henderson Field, which is the decisive terrain for the campaign.  Had the airfield been lost, it is likely that the US would not have been able to hold Guadalcanal.

We discuss:

How do you defend critical terrain against a numerically superior force?
How should defensive positions exploit terrain to maximize effectiveness?
How do you integrate combined arms in the defense?
How does poor communication affect tactical coordination? 
How do you integrate unfamiliar units into ongoing ope...

This episode looks at the Sumiyoshi's tank attack across the Matanikau - an attempt to draw defenders away from the perimeter of Henderson Field.  We also discuss why Muryama coundn;t synchronise his forces and the dysfunction within the Japanese Headquarters.  

We look at - 

What are the consequences of relieving a subordinate commander on the eve of battle? (And what role did Tsuji play in Kawaguchi's dismissal?)
What happens when multiple attacking elements operate independently without coordination?
How should armour, infantry, and artillery be coordinated in an assault?
What is the valu...

This episode looks at the defensive and offensive planning undertaken by the IJA and the USMC. It also looks closely at Vandegrift's meeting with Halsey and the outcome of the meeting. This is a pivotal moment in the campaign. Halsey has taken over from Ghormley and he prepares to back Vandegrift with everything the Navy has to help defend Guadalcanal.

How does intelligence fusion enable a commander to choose the time and place of battle? The combination of coast-watchers, aerial photography, signals intercepts, prisoner interrogation, and traffic analysis gives Vandegrift sufficient warning to disengage from the Matanikau...

This episode looks at the IJN and IJA combined planning for the assault on Henderson's Field, including the naval gunfire from the Kongo and Haruna under Rear Admiral Kurita where 973 14-inch rounds were fired in 83 minutes.  We also discuss the development of the Maruyama Trail for the approach march of the 2nd Sendai Division.

This episode discusses:
What happens when commanders visualise terrain from a distance rather than conduct ground reconnaissance?
How does poor mapping degrade operational planning?
How does confirmation bias infect intelligence assessment?
What is the relationship between terrain and combat p...

USMC 1st Marine Division vs the IJA 2nd (Sendai) Division in the fight to control the Matanikau River.

The 3rd Battle of the Matanikau Part II - This is the tenth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland.

This episode discusses:

Maruyama vs Vandegrift in the fight to control the Matanikau River.

The 3rd Battle of the Matanikau Part I - This is the ninth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland.

This episode discusses:

How did the Japanese plan to exploit the Second Battle of the Matanikau to set up their October 1942 offensive to retake Guadalcanal?
Why was the Matanikau River "key terrain" in the Guadalcanal Campaign for both the IJA and the US Marines defending Henderson Field?
What was Japan's concept for suppressing Henderson Field before...

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 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...

The 2nd Battle of the Matanikau - This is the seventh episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland.

This episodes discusses:

How did the arrival of the 7th Marines transform Vandegrift's Guadalcanal strategy from survival to aggressive "active defence"?

What was Japan's Operation Ka, and how was it meant to crush the Marines and recapture Henderson Field in one decisive blow?

How did the sinking of USS Wasp and the escorting convoy turn Guadalcanal logistics into a day-to-day survival crisis for the 1st Marine Division?

...

This is the sixth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland.

This episodes discusses:

How close did Japanese forces come to capturing Henderson Field in September 1942?
Why was Edson's Ridge the key terrain for defending Guadalcanal's airfield?
How did pre-registered artillery fire shape the outcome on Edson's Ridge?
What command decisions did Edson make when his defensive plan began to unravel?
How did the Marines adapt to Japanese infiltration tactics during the night attacks?
In what ways did Edson's Ridge save the Cactus Air Force?
...

This is the fifth episode of our Guadalcanal series with historian and author Dave Holland.

This episodes discusses:

Why was Henderson Field the single piece of decisive terrain on Guadalcanal?
How did Edson know the main Japanese attack would come over the ridge, not the beach?
What went wrong in Kawaguchi's three-pronged night attack on the Marine perimeter?
How did fragile Guadalcanal logistics shape the tempo in September 1942?
What made Edson's Ridge a natural avenue of approach to the airfield?
How did the Tanambogo/Gavutu raider actions tip the Marines...

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 as...

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 rapid combat buildup.
Modern littoral operations: enduring...

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 aut...

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...

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...

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 show notes 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.

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 show notes 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.

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 ea...

How did Field Marshall Slim innovate in the Burma Campaign?  This is a look at military innovation through necessity that developed key capabilities for the 14th Army to defeat the Japanese forces in the Burma theatre.

We discuss:

Slim's innovation overcame critical resource shortages in Burma.
Developed aerial resupply, air evacuation, and improvised naval logistics.
Used teakwood barges to cross rivers with tanks.
Created monsoon-proof airfields with hessian and tar.
Strong advocate of Special Forces—mobilized Force 136 and Karen levies.
Outmanoeuvred Japanese by leveraging terrain and logistics.
Fought against Gen...

How did Slim rebuild the 14th Army after it's 1,000 mile withdrawal from Burma?

We look at how lessons were learnt and doctrine was developed to forge an Army capable of taking on the Japanese.  We discuss the important question - what makes an Army officer a good trainer of soldiers.

This interview is the second part of a 3 part series with Dr Robert Lyman, the expert on the Burma Campaign and Field Marshall Sir William Slim.

Check out the  show notes for the podcast for all of the information that we cover in th...

The withdrawal from Burma was almost 1,000 miles in 100 days and yet Slim, as commander of Burma Corps, maintained his optimism throughout the operation.

We look at Slim's early career and background to study his optimism and resilience in the face of an overwhelmingly poor tactical situation.

This interview is the first part of a 3 part series with Dr Robert Lyman, the expert on the Burma Campaign and Field Marshall Sir William Slim.

Check out the  show notes for the podcast for all of the information that we cover in this episode as well as the i...

This episode looks at the care of the wounded on the Kokoda Track.

What level of care did sick and wounded soldiers receive?
Why was the medical planning still being conducted whilst the Battle of Isurava was in progress?
What was the issue with medical logistics and how were casualties to be casevaced from the battlefield?

We listen to the story of CAPT Stan Bissett as he describes how his brother Butch was wounded just north of Isurava and later died of his wounds. 

Medical care was provided under the most d...

This episode is a cross-post from The Cove Podcast.  This is a recording of MAJGEN Mick Krause, AM - the author the new ADF-I-5 doctrine - Decision Making and Planning Processes.  He presented a PME session at Holdsworthy Barracks to discuss the new doctrine.

ADF-I-5 Decision Making and Planning Processes replaces the Joint JMAP (Joint Military Appreciation Process) doctrine along with the Army LWD 5-1-4 The Military Appreciation Process.  It covers in role of the Commander in the planning process and the importance of timeliness in the decision making and production of orders process.

Che...

What 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.

This episode is the second of a two part interview with retired LTCOL Gary McKay, who was a Platoon Commander in Vietnam, in D Coy, 4 RAR.  He fought in Op Ivanhoe at the battle of Nui Le, where he was wounded.  For his awarded the Military Cross for his performance during the battle.  He was later the Commanding Officer of 8/9 RAR between 1988 and 1990.

This episode continues our Kokoda Campaign Podcast series. The training, doctrine and tactics used in Vietnam are a legacy of the expensive lessons learnt in the jungles of New Guinea.

Gary discusses the...

This episode is the first of a two part interview with retired LTCOL Gary McKay, who was a Platoon Commander in Vietnam, in D Coy, 4 RAR.  He fought in Op Ivanhoe at the battle of Nui Le, where he was wounded.  For his awarded the Military Cross for his performance during the battle.  He was later the Commanding Officer of 8/9 RAR between 1988 and 1990.

This episode continues our Kokoda Campaign Podcast series. It specifically looks at how Australian soldiers were prepared for combat in the jungle and also looks at what makes jungle combat one of the most dif...

This episode continues our Kokoda Campaign Podcast series.

This episode is Part 5 of our interview with Dr with Dr Adrian Threlfall, an expert in how the Australian Army learned to learn about combat in the jungles of Malaya, Singapore, Papua, New Guinea, and many other islands to the north of Australia.

This episode looks at the introduction of the Jungle Scales Division into the Australian Army, the development of the Owen Gun and finally how the Japanese adapted to Australian tactically improvements in Jungle Warfare.

Check out the  show notes for the podcast f...