Echoes of War (Formerly The Pacific War Channel Podcast)

The Pacific War Podcast🎙️ The Opium Wars

➡️This episode on the history of China is looking at the international trade disaster that led to the first Opium War. The Opium wars humiliated an empire that still holds wounds grievances for China today. How the exchange of tea, opium and silver led Great Britain and the Qing Dynasty to war. This episode will explain the rigid Canton tributary system, the economic trade network of the 19th century, how the Qing Dynasty operated, how the industrial revolution impacted trade, the actions of key individuals from both nations, a clash of cultures and how two empires became addicted and corrupted by each other.

➡️ This episode will explain the rigid Canton tributary system, the economic trade network of the 19th century, how the Qing Dynasty operated, how the industrial revolution impacted trade, the actions of key individuals from both nations, a clash of cultures and how two empires became addicted and corrupted by each other.

➡️ The first Opium war was a devastating west meets east story that holds grievances that are still significant today.

➡️Reflecting on the history of China, we’ll be taking a look back at the first opium war of 1839-1842. By the early 19th century over 90 percent of the Qing Dynasty court and many members of the army were opium addicts, whilst Britain was economically and literally addicted to tea. 🌱 When China tried to ban the use of opium and stop Western smugglers from bringing it through its gates, England decided to fight to keep open China's ports for its importation causing the first opium war of 1839-1842.

➡️ Britain was economically and literally addicted-to tea, primarily grown in China, and ended up paying for it with profits made from the illicit opium trade. When China tried to ban the use of opium and stop Western smugglers from bringing it through its gates, England decided to fight to keep open China's ports for its importation.

➡️ The Second Opium War of 1856-1860 occurred for a large part because of the unequal treaty of Nanking that was signed after the first opium war of 1839-1842. The Qing Emperor, Xianfeng had to deal with the British Empire, France and the Taiping Rebellion being led by Hong Xiuquan.

➡️The end result was the Qing dynasty losing the war and the great tragedy that was the burning of the old summer palace. As one of the contributing factors of the Pacific War, we’ll be exploring how the Second Opium war contributed towards the beginning of some of the biggest history of China.

The Ramree Island Massacre🎙️ Did it really happen? ft Justin

This episode covers the Ramree Island Massacre Myth: did Saltwater Crocodiles really kill hundreds of Japanese soldiers during WW2?

There is a myth that during Operation Matador, the battle for Ramree Island in 1945, that hundreds of Japanese soldiers were attacked and eaten by Saltwater Crocodiles. But is there any real evidence of this occurring?

The battle for Ramree Island occurred from 14 January – 22 February 1945 and was fought between forces of the XV British Indian corps against the 2nd Battalion, 121st Regiment, 54th Division led by Kan'ichi Nagazawa. The British-Indian forces defeated the Japanese, forcing them into the interior of the island which was a 10 mile mangrove swamp. The Japanese were encircled and faced a horrible fate as they marched through the swamp. Many Japanese attempted swimming for the mainland only to be attacked by allied boat crews and sharks.

The story of the Japanese who died within the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island are now full of myths and tall tales, but some have it hundreds of Japanese died to saltwater crocodile attacks. In reality the Japanese succumbed to starvation, dehydration and disease, but perhaps a few did face a gruesome fate against saltwater crocodiles.

Bloody Sunday 🎙️ The Russian Revolution of 1905 ft Ian

This Pacific War Podcast is on the Russian Revolution of 1905 featuring guest host Ian.

Craig and Ian explain the four longterm factors that caused the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the two short-term or "triggers" that unleashed it. The Russian Revolution of 1905 was caused mostly by an agrarian crisis, poor working conditions for the urban working class, a new radicalized educated class and ethnic-religious discrimination.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and Bloody Sunday both unleashed the revolution that rocked the Russian Empire in 1905. Though this event might seem to have little to do with the Pacific War, you might be surprised how involved the Japanese were in it, and how it would effect Japan afterwards!

General Ishiwara Kanji: How to Build a Puppet State 🎙️ Episode 2

This Podcast about General Ishiwara Kanji, the mastermind behind the Mukden Incident of 1931 and author of the Final War Theory.

Ishiwara Kanji was a fascinating person and one whose actions changed the entire world. It could be argued Ishiwara Kanji single handedly caused World War Two. Ishiwara Kanji is known predominantly for two things, his role in the Mukden Incident and his Final War Theory.

Ishiwara Kanji sought for Japan to invade Manchuria to acquire her natural resources to build up the Japanese military in preparation for his theorized conflict against the United States.

Ishiwara Kanji performed the Mukden Incident, a false flag operation kicking off the invasion of Manchuria. The Japanese first seized Mukden, then expanded to places like Kirin, Jinzhou, Jiangqiao, Harbin, until all of Manchuria was now under Japanese control.

Yet Ishiwara Kanji did not seek a real war with China, his ultimate goal was simply to seize the resource rich part of Manchuria to build up Japan to face the United States. He sought an alliance with China and that of Asia in general. He began a campaign of racial harmony, Manchuria was to be called "Manchukuo". He had a vision for a East-Asian league and began lecturing all in the IJA about his grand schemes. Yet he would never see them come to be, for he had indeed ushered in a 15 year war with China instead.

Blood, Blizzards & Banzai 🎙️ The Battle of Attu ft Ian

This Pacific War Podcast is on the full battle of Attu featuring guest host Ian.

Craig and Ian tell the horrifying tale of the entire battle of Attu, codenamed Operation Landcrab which took place on 11–30 May 1943. The US 7th division of Major General Albert Brown faced off against the 2nd District, North Seas Garrison led by Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki. The men would face combat alongside mother nature. 

Attu was the only land battle in which Japanese and American forces fought in snowy conditions, in contrast with the tropical climate in the rest of the Pacific. The more than two-week battle ended when nearly all of the Japanese defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat after a final banzai charge broke through American lines.

Pacific War Podcast 🎙️ History Questions with Justin & Ian?

In this Pacific War Podcast, Craig and Ian are asked random and rather bizarre history questions from their friend Justin. The boys share a few drinks, some laughs and ask questions like, why were tanks pulling men in little sleds during WW2?

General Ishiwara Kanji: The Man Behind The Mukden Incident 🎙️ Episode 1

This Podcast about General Ishiwara Kanji, the mastermind behind the Mukden Incident of 1931 and author of the Final War Theory.

(Please note this episode was originally a Patreon exclusive!)

Support me on Patreon where I create exclusive content by using this Link ⤵️ https://www.patreon.com/pacificwarchannel

Ishiwara Kanji was a fascinating person and one whose actions changed the entire world. It could be argued Ishiwara Kanji single handedly caused World War Two. Ishiwara Kanji is known predominantly for two things, his role in the Mukden Incident and his Final War Theory.

Ishiwara Kanji was a member of the Imperial Japanese Army and performed numerous military attaché appointments in countries like China and Germany. His education and nichiren buddhist beliefs led him to develop his Final War Theory, the idea a apocalyptic war was going to happen that would allow Japan to usher in a new world. To prepare for the final war, Ishiwara Kanji argued it was necessary for Japan to acquire natural resources to build up their military and the most appropriate place to acquire these were in Manchuria.

Ishiwara Kanji sought for Japan to invade Manchuria to acquire her natural resources to build up the Japanese military in preparation for his theorized conflict against the United States. Ironically Ishiwara Kanji did not seek a war with China and actually sought a pan-Asian alliance. Ishiwara Kanji joined the Kwantung Army and grew a cult of followers to enact the Mukden Incident in 1931.

Pacific War Podcast 🎙️ The Doolittle Raid with Flashpoint History

This podcast is about the Doolittle Raid, the bombing of the Japanese home islands in 1942 with  @FlashPointHx  Craig and  @FlashPointHx  discuss everything about the Doolittle Raid of 1942.

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor with the simultaneous invasions of Malaya, Thailand, Malaya, the Philippines, Singapore, Guam and Wake, allied morale as at a all time low. America needed to do something to increase morale, to hit Japan back in a significant way. Famous pilot Jimmy Doolittle was chosen to lead a secret operation to hit the Japanese home islands. The USS Hornet would launch 16 modified B-25s to hit Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya.

The planning and training for the operation was done in utmost secrecy and it would be a very risky venture lest the Americans lose two aircraft carriers in the process. The Doolittle Raid was a success, though three pilots died in action and 8 would be captured by the Japanese of whom 3 were executed and 1 died of disease.

The Japanese in retaliation unleashed operation Sei-Go against Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces killing an estimated 250,000 Chinese. This podcast was originally done on the  @FlashPointHx  history channel. What you are seeing is some unseen and raw footage from the podcast.

Pacific War Podcast 🎙️The USS Hornet and making of Midway (2019) with Chuck Myers

This podcast is about the history of the USS Hornet CV-8 & CV-12 and the making of the movie Midway (2019) with Chuck Myers.

Craig and Chuck talk about the history of the USS Hornet CV-8 and CV-12. They covered the pre-war history, how the USS-Hornet came to be and developed over time; the USS-Hornet's role in the famous Doolittle Raid; the USS Hornet's involvement in the battle of Midway; and the USS Hornet's contribution to WW2 until it was sank at the battle of Santa Cruz. After the sinking of the USS Hornet CV-8, she was replaced with the USS Hornet CV-12 that took part in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, battle for the Philippines, Volcano and Ryukyu islands campaign and Operation Ten-go.The USS-12 would carry on during the cold war notably taking part in the space race.

Craig and Chuck also speak about what actually was the turning point of the Pacific war, what were the significant events that if changed would have dramatically changed the outcome of WW2. Chuck Myers is a retired member of the US Navy having served aboard USS Yorktown, Hornet’s sister ship and now works as a Docent at the USS-Hornet Museum.

Chuck Myers has also worked as a naval movie consultant for the movie Midway (2019) and discusses how the process was and how involved he was in the making of the movie. Chuck also worked on the film Devotion (2022) and speak a bit about the experience.

Please check out the USS Hornet Museum:

https://uss-hornet.org/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoeemBhCfARIsADR2QCur4usIylbas2ltu34L9ei0Lm18R0tCAsNq9-7XvVppWhwSUIBdeiMaAiqYEALw_wcB

Pacific War Podcast 🎙️The Guadalcanal Campaign Part 2 with Dave Holland

This podcast covers the Guadalcanal Campaign Part 2

After the battle of Bloody Ridge, also known as the battle of Edson's ridge, the US Marines were able to perform some limited offensives known as the Matanikau Actions. There was mixed results for the Americans, but it did lead to the creation of the Whaling group.

After the Matanikau adventure the Japanese tossed a major counter attack to try and seize back Henderson Field. It was a colossal failure as the Japanese became lost in jungles and showed up in piecemeal to attack the US Marine defensive perimeter. The Marines were able to repel the Japanese attack sending them on a long and horrifying journey back to the western portion of the island.

After defending Hendersonfield the US Marines went on the offensive, performing operations against the Matanikau area and Koli point. Then Carlson's Long Patrol occurred seeing the death of nearly 500 Japanese. Meanwhile US infantry arrived to the scene and performed a campaign to take Mount Austin.

The campaign consisted of the battles of the galloping horse, battle of the sea horse and the battle of the Gifu. After this the Japanese tossed the towel and began Operation KE: the evacuation of Guadalcanal.