Jim Downey

speaker

621 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Jul 2026 last heard 13 Jul

Jim Downey’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.

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History That Doesn't Suck · 208: The Pacific War, 1942–43: Guadalcanal, the Aleutians, and Operation Vengeance · 13 Jul 2026 podcast

And speaking of this episode, we'll now shift from the Aleutian Islands, which, with the Japanese withdrawal from Kiska in July, will see no more fighting, and take our attention to the Americans' first major step in the Pacific since we saw the tide turn at Midway, to the fight for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. matched

We'll witness the inter-conflict brewing between the American brass of the two major branches, the Army and the Navy, then join the nation's intrepid Marines as they storm the beaches of Guadalcanal. matched

There, we'll see one young sergeant by the name of John Bassalone become a living legend. matched

We'll also experience a lot of death. matched

Indeed, we'll understand perfectly the deadly logic behind the Americans renaming the waters just north of the island as Iron Bottom Sound. matched

And speaking of death, we'll end with a particularly noteworthy one. matched

But we'll just leave it there for now. matched

No need to give it all away. matched

So, ready to return to the Pacific Theater? matched

Excellent. matched

Now let's head back one year to where we left off in episode 198, the summer of 1942. matched

Rewind. matched

shaking off the mental cobwebs with a little refresher. matched

Let me start by reminding you that, although Japan's strike against the United States in June 1942 gets off to a solid start on the Alaska Territory's Aleutian Islands, the real target, the Midway Atoll, is another story. matched

The Japanese First Fleet, aka Bikido Butai, doesn't just retreat with its tail between its legs. matched

It's devastated. matched

Combined Fleet Commander, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, currently bedridden with roundworms, if you believe it, sits through a conference aboard ship as his officers offer apologies and explanations. matched

He rejects all of them, holding only himself responsible. matched

I am the only one who must apologize to his majesty. matched

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