In late 1944, as a precursor to the invasion of the Philippines, U.S. military analysts decided to seize the small island of Peleliu to ensure that the Japanese airfield could not threaten the invasion forces.
It was estimated that the island would fall in a week or so. In fact, the fighting on Peleliu would go on for 74 days. The US would pay a heavy price for capturing the island with a higher casualty rate than the fighting on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
In this episode, I'm joined by Pacific War historian Joseph Wheelan, author of Bitter Peleliu: The Forgotten Struggle on the Pacific War's Worst Battlefield.
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87 - Hitler's Death
86 - The SAS in Italy, 1943-45
85 - Alarmstart East
84 - Shot Down
83 - Operation Crossbow
82 US Navy vs IJN Fleet Submarine, 1941-42
81 - Britain's Blockade of Europe & the response of the ICRC
80 - The Italian Army In North Africa
Last Man Standing: Geoffrey Rothwell
79 - The Forgotten Dead: Exercise Tiger
78 - Bones of My Grandfather
Hitler's Vikings
76 - RAF Flight Engineers
75 - The Rise of Hitler and National Socialism
74 - The M3 'Grant' Tank
73 - Ghost Riders: Operation Cowboy
72 - Mediterranean Strategy
USS Indianapolis
70 - Aerial Warfare
69 Interwar International Naval Policy
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