Tag: battle
ep 96: Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu was a legendary military strategist who lived during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. He was a native of the state of Wu, and his teachings on warfare, strategy, and leadership would go on to influence military leaders for centuries to come. As a young man, Sun Tzu was already known…
ep 95. Leonidas of Sparta
Leonidas of Sparta was a legendary figure in ancient Greek history, known for his bravery and leadership during one of the most famous battles in history, the Battle of Thermopylae. He was born into the Agiad dynasty, one of the two ruling dynasties of the Spartan city-state. He was the son of Anaxandridas II and…
87. Winning Battles, Losing Wars
Among the basic distinctions in warfare is the difference between tactics and strategy. Tactics deal with the form of individual engagement, while strategy deals with its use. So, tactics are the operational techniques military units employ to win battles. Strategy addresses the broader political objectives for which a war is fought and the ends, ways,…
ep 74: Bloody Peleliu
In the autumn of 1944, the U.S. landed on Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands of the western Pacific. Some 28,000 Marines and soldiers hit the tiny island and immediately faced stiff resistance from the Japanese. The brutal, difficult battle lasted more than two months. The island garrison put up a particularly tough defense along…
ep 26: The Protest Episode
In the aftermath of George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, what may have begun as peaceful protests against racism quickly turned violent, as riots and looting broke out throughout the city, then rapidly moved across the country. The military was not unaffected by this turmoil, as National Guard troops were…