209: The Pacific War 1943: Operation Cartwheel, Tarawa, & Eleanor Roosevelt's Pacific Tour
Summary
Host Greg Jackson recounts the harrowing survival of Lt. John F. Kennedy after his PT-109 was destroyed in the Solomon Islands. The episode then covers the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, US submarine warfare strategies, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s morale-boosting tour of Guadalcanal. Finally, it details Allied strategic shifts toward the Central Pacific, culminating in the brutal Battle of Tarawa.
Topics discussed
Promo for the film Young Washington
Instacart sponsorship ad
The sinking of PT-109 and JFK's survival
Pacific Theater strategy and unrestricted submarine warfare
USS Wahoo and the controversy of attacking lifeboats
The Battle of the Bismarck Sea and skip bombing
Allied strategy debates: Europe First vs. Pacific pressure
MacArthur's leapfrogging strategy in New Guinea
Alma sponsorship ad for therapists
Eleanor Roosevelt's morale tour in the Pacific
Japanese Imperial Conference and defensive perimeter plans
The Battle of Tarawa: assault, casualties, and lessons learned
Credits and patron acknowledgments
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