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This episode focuses on the decision-making strategies that President Bush used in December of 2006 before choosing to commit the troop surge.  Things discussed include: the release of the Iraq Study Group Report, the 2006 midterm elections, Bush's meeting with Generals Keane and Downing, and Bush's relationship with General Petraeus and Secretary Gates.  At the end of the episode is a recap on the success of the troop surge, as well as an analysis of President Bush's leadership during December 2006 and January 2007. For more background information on Iraq, listen to: Iraq Study Gr

Welcome to military history podcast.  My name is George Hageman.  I donāt have an episode for you today: only an announcement.  I graduated from high school in June and in August, I will attending Harvard.  I will no longer have the time to write and can no longer afford to voluntarily produce Military History podcast episodes.  So, I am here to announce that I taking an extended leave from Military History Podcast.  I intend to return periodically whenever I am offered another contract or whenever I feel inspired.  The good thing is that I just signed a contr

Whether they are seen as acts of God, or as simple climate-related occurrences, natural events have always had a sizeable impact on military operations. At the small end of the scale are the little changes in terrain or weather that may affect a battle or a small war. For example, many armies have postponed their campaigns due to inclement weather conditions, and many militaries have suffered from rampant disease. On the other end of the scale are the times when nature has so much of an impact that the fate of an entire nation or civilization is decided upon it. In the words of Char

Whether they are seen as acts of God, or as simple climate-related occurrences, natural events have always had a sizeable impact on military operations.   At the small end of the scale are the little changes in terrain or weather that may affect a battle or a small war.   For example, many armies have postponed their campaigns due to inclement weather conditions, and many militaries have suffered from rampant disease.   On the other end of the scale are the times when nature has so much of an impact that the fate of an entire nation or civilization is decided upon it.  

This episode covers the period between Bush's declaration of "Mission Accomplished" and the change in coalition leadership (from General Casey to General Petraeus).  The following major events and topics are discussed:

2003: Deaths of Saddam's two sons (Qusay and Uday), capture of Saddam, Baathist Purge, National Museum looting, and Bremer's disbanding of the Iraqi Army. 2004: Sectarian violence and displacement, Operation Vigiliant Resolve (1st Fallujah), Battle of Ramadi, Battle of Husaybah, Battle of Mosul, Operation Phanton Fury (2nd Fallujah), Blackwater USA, medals

According to Lawrence Keeley, "90-95% of known societies engage in war". Why? What compels homo sapiens to kill each other? Why do we fight? Part one will describe two hypotheses. > War is Necessary: Aristotle says in Nicomachean Ethics that "we fight war so that we may live in peace". This notion is echoed by many other famous thinkers including Marx (an advocate of a final proletarian revolution in order to establish a worker's paradise) and Zoroaster (the first monotheist to discuss the final battle of judgment between good and evil). > War is Logical: Using Darwin'

According to Lawrence Keeley, "90-95% of known societies engage in war". Why? What compels homo sapiens to kill each other? Why do we fight? Part one will describe two hypotheses. > War is Rational: Sun Tzu argued that political struggles would eventually lead to armed conflict. Clausewitz took this one step further by saying that "war is a mere continuation of policy by other means". Machiavelli completed this entire line of thought by saying that war was the most efficient means of attaining any political goal. > War is Inevitable: Hobbes argued that humans are inher

Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was a poor peasant girl from Lorraine. One day, she had a vision in which three saints urged her to lead the French to victory over the English in the Hundred Years' War. She traveled to Charles VII's court and was appointed head of the French Army (headed to relieve the besieged city of Orleans) because her unlikely presence would inspire hope in the French forces. Upon arriving in Orleans, Joan launched several counterattacks against the English and broke the siege in only eight days. Then, she led a campaign to clear the English out of the Loire River Valley, eventua

Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, is considered the best commander of the European Enlightenment.  Despite possessing relatively few people and resources, he transformed the tiny Prussian state into a great military power (which arguably wouldn't be brought down until 1945).  Strategically, he modernized the Prussian military into a well-trained, well-disciplined unit.  He taught them to fire faster, march with more precision, and deploy artillery quicker.  Tactically, he employed oblique tactics which massed all units on one side of the battle line in order to sweep thr

President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a southern sympathizer and a self-proclaimed modern-day Brutus, on April 14th, 1865 (five days after the end of the Civil War). Booth snuck into Lincoln's viewing Booth at the Ford's Theater while Lincoln was watching "Our American Cousin" and shot him in the back of the head. Booth then jumped down onto the stage and ran out the back door. The ensuing manhunt eventually caught up with him in the swamps of the Potomac River. He was shot, and his co-conspirators were hanged. > The event has many interesting stories ass

Crassus was the wealthiest man in Rome.  Before he joined the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Caesar, he struggled to make a name for himself.  His big break came with the outbreak of the Third Servile War, when Spartacus led a slave rebellion throughout the Italian Peninsula.  Spartacus and his men wreaked havoc throughout the region, defeating several Roman legions.  Although his original plan was to escape to Gaul and head home, Spartacus decided to head south towards Sicily.  However, his transport (the Cilician Pirates) failed to arrive in time, and Crassus was a

Today's episode's script was written by Andrew Tumath of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.  To submit your own script, please send them to me at militaryhistorypodcast@gmail.com The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of the distinct conflicts waged between England and the United Provinces (modern-day Netherlands) in the middle years of the 17th-century. Fought for different reasons, alongside different allies, and with different results, the wars pitted the two great maritime powers of the period against each other, until both came to realise that the real threat came from the France of Louis XIV. A

This episode is an analysis of the environmental impacts of the current war in Iraq.  There are several major categories, each of which will be discussed.  This episode is meant to be an overview of the rarely-discussed ecological situation in Iraq, rather than a persuasive piece towards one viewpoint or another.  The entire episode will revolve around environmental issues--political and strategic issues and biases will not be included.

Negative Effects:
Oil Fires: Saddam lit oil wells on fire, resulting in extreme air pollution. Oi

John McCain Sr: Admiral, Commander of Fast Carrier Task Force in South Pacific during WWII John McCain Jr: Admiral, Commander of Pacific Command during Vietnam War John McCain III: Navy aviator, shot down in Hanoi, tortured as a prisoner of war for 5.5 years, currently running for Republican nomination for President of the United States Other presidential candidates with military experience are:

Chris Dodd: Army Reserve Mike Gravel: Lieutenant, Counter-Intelligence Corps (West Germany) Ron Paul: Captain, Flight Surgeon (US Air Force) Duncan Hunter: Lieutenant, US Army Rangers

The title of this episode comes from the following George Orwell quote: āSerious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard for all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting." This is meant to be a fun episode on the similarities between football, chess, and war. Please take each analogy with a grain of salt. > > Football (two armies fighting t o reach the opposing camp/end zone) :

Kick-off Team: Skirmishers Quarterback: Tactical Commander Head

This episode is written by Russell Holman of Merrimack, New Hampshire.  If you would like to submit a script to Military History Podcast, please send me an email at militaryhistorypodcast@gmail.com The mighty American military during WWII would have been nothing without its surprisingly-important rationing system.  Food kept the United States going, so therefore, it is well worth studying.  Throughout WWII and the years beyond, the US entered/exited several "eras" of rations:

A Rations B Rations K Rations C Rations LRRP Rations MREs

Aircraft Carriers are the ultimate tool of modern power projection.  They are symbols of both naval strength and air superiority.  This episode covers their history and their future:

1840s: Balloon Carriers are invented 1900s: Seaplane Carriers are invented 1910s: Modern aircraft carriers are invented 1930s-1940s: WWII (five major carrier battles)
Pearl Harbor: Japan's six carriers surprise the United States Navy Coral Sea: Japan's three carriers engage America's two carriers (both lose one carrier) Midway: America's three carriers engage Japan's four carriers and

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavian countries began to divide along ethnic lines.  Of the five states (Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia), three of them began waging war:

Serbia (Orthodox Christians) under Slobodan Milosevic Bosnia (Muslims) under Alija Izetbegovic Croatia (Roman Catholics) under Franjo Tudjman

Operation Downfall was the proposed invasion of mainland Japan by Allied Forces near the end of WWII.  It was canceled because the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered, thereby removing the need for a military conquest.  It would have been the largest amphibious invasion in history, and it would have been the first time that a foreign power had set foot on mainland Japanese soil (in the country's 2500 year history).  Operation Downfall had two parts: Operation Olympic (Nov 1945) and Operation Coronet (March 1946).  Both were commanded by MacArthur and supporte

The Peloponnesian War was fought by Athens and Sparta in the late 5th century BC.  It was an epic war between two superpowers, and the similarities to the Cold War are numerous.  Since most people know about the Cold War, since it was so recent, I will summarize this episode via comparisons between it and the Peloponnesian War. This second episode covers the Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis to the surrender of Athens. The Participants:

Athens/United States: wealthy, democratic, powerful navy, supported by numerous smaller states (Delian League/NATO)
Initi

The Peloponnesian War was fought by Athens and Sparta in the late 5th century BC.  It was an epic war between two superpowers, and the similarities to the Cold War are numerous.  Since most people know about the Cold War, since it was so recent, I will summarize this episode via comparisons between it and the Peloponnesian War. This first episode covers the beginning through the Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis. The Participants:

Athens/United States: wealthy, democratic, powerful navy, supported by numerous smaller states (Delian League/NATO)
Initially led by

This episode is the 101st episode of Military History Podcast. It is a compilation of 100 MHP clips, tidbits, and funfacts. It is split into two parts: this is part two.  Feel free to post any clips that I failed to mention in the episode. > Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine

This episode is the 100th episode of Military History Podcast.  It is a compilation of 100 MHP clips, tidbits, and funfacts.  It is split into two parts: this is part one. Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and the US Navy Reserve

The Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 1917) was a turning point in WWI.  It was the first great allied victory.  It also continues to be the greatest event in modern Canada's military history. The 100,000 Canadians of the Canadian Corps were commanded by Arthur Currie.  Currie began numerous preparations including:

Giving maps to all Canadian troops, not just the officers Training all Canadian troops on a replica of Vimy Ridge Building an elaborate tunnel system underneath no man's land in order to carry men to the enemy front lines more quickly Use air support (including t