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Last time we spoke about the Japanese offensive at Changsha. In late September 1941, fighting in China had become a brutal struggle of endurance. Japanese forces kept pushing forward, but China—though battered by heavy losses—refused to yield. Help from abroad was slowly beginning to matter. American aid reached China through groups like the Red Cross, and volunteers later associated with the Flying Tigers offered crucial support to Chinese operations. Against this backdrop, Changsha in Hunan became the center of a dangerous autumn campaign. Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist leadership treated the city as strategically vital, knowing that its fate could influence the wider course of the war. In the end, the resistance at Changsha showed China's key advantage: resilience. The city's defense helped slow the Japanese advance, break up momentum, and create uncertainty as the campaign continued.   #212 The Autumn Battle of Changsha, 1941 Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In late September 1941, the war in China had already entered its fifth year. By then the conflict had lost whatever remained of novelty and had settled into something harsher and more exhausting: a long war of attrition fought across enormous distances, under conditions of chronic shortage, strategic uncertainty, and repeated local catastrophe. Japan still possessed formidable military strength. Its armies could strike hard, move fast, and exploit superior firepower, air support, and communications in individual campaigns. Yet the larger shape of the war had begun to change. China had not collapsed. The Nationalist government still stood. Chinese armies, however battered, still held the field. The line between survival and defeat remained dangerously thin, but it had not broken. This was the situation in which the autumn campaign in Hunan and Hubei unfolded.   The struggle around Changsha did not occur in isolation. It belonged to a wider military and political moment. In Europe, the war had already expanded into a continent-wide convulsion. Germany and the Soviet Union were locked in a massive struggle after the German invasion in June. Leningrad was under threat, Kiev had become the scene of disaster, and the approach of the battle for Moscow suggested that still greater bloodshed lay ahead. Stalin had pressed Churchill to open a second front in Europe and had been refused. The global balance of war was shifting, but not yet in any way that guaranteed relief to China.   In Asia, Japan continued to press forward. The pressure on China remained immense. Yet by mid-1941 China's position, though still precarious, no longer looked quite as desperate as it had in earlier years. International sympathy had grown. Material aid, however limited, was beginning to take more concrete form. In July, the American Red Cross sent China medical supplies worth millions of dollars. In August, more than a hundred retired American pilots and mechanics came together to aid China against Japan. The air unit they formed, later celebrated as the Flying Tigers, meant more than aircraft and personnel alone. It signaled that China's war was no longer quite so isolated. That change in atmosphere did not produce calm in Chongqing. It sharpened urgency.   For Chiang Kai-shek, the possibility that the international situation might slowly improve for China carried with it a hard implication: China had to endure long enough to benefit from it. That meant surviving not in abstract terms, but in particular places, against particular offensives, at moments when a local defeat might have consequences far beyond the immediate battlefield. In the autumn of 1941, one of those places was Changsha. Changsha had long occupied an outsized place in the military geography of the war. It stood as the capital of Hunan, a hinge between regions, and a vital position in the defense of central China. Its security affected the Xiang River basin, communications across the province, and the broader defensive posture shielding approaches toward the wartime capital. To lose it, even temporarily, would be more than a symbolic blow. It would threaten the larger balance of the front in south-central China and test whether Japanese offensives could still force dramatic strategic results.   At the same time, the battle for Changsha was not a simple contest between one Chinese army and one Japanese army facing each other across a fixed line. It was part of a larger operational struggle linking the Ninth War Zone with supporting actions from the Third, Fifth, and Sixth War Zones. It involved frontal resistance, hurried reinforcement, mobile defense, rear harassment, and the constant effort to turn Japanese momentum into Japanese overextension. Chinese commanders were trying not merely to survive a blow, but to absorb it, stretch it, and eventually strike back against an enemy whose speed could become a liability once supply lines lengthened and formations dispersed. This was the burden resting on the Military Commission in Chongqing.   There, while reports arrived in fragments and maps were revised hour by hour, Chiang Kai-shek spent long stretches in the operations room watching the situation in Hunan and Hubei develop. He had already ordered the various war zones to support the Ninth War Zone's operations, and now he followed the campaign with intense concentration. His attention moved repeatedly toward reports from the Sixth War Zone and Chen Cheng's counteroffensive toward Yichang, for Yichang was tied not only to local fighting in Hubei but also to the defense of the Yangtze approach and therefore to the security of Chongqing itself. In his mind, Hunan and Hubei had become the focal point of China's war effort in that season.   Meanwhile at the front, the situation was deteriorating fast. Japanese forces pressing into northern Hunan had already imposed severe strain on the Chinese defense. Blocking units had been battered back. Communications were uncertain. Some formations fought stubbornly but could not hold; others dissolved more quickly than hoped. The Japanese advance toward Changsha created exactly the kind of crisis Chinese commanders feared most: one in which the enemy moved with enough force and speed to threaten a major city before a coherent defensive response could be reassembled. Chinese units had to be thrown into action as they arrived, often after exhausting marches, often with incomplete knowledge of the situation, and often under immediate pressure from artillery, aircraft, and aggressive infantry assaults. Yet even at this dangerous stage, the campaign contained an opportunity as well as a threat.   The deeper Japanese units pushed into Hunan, the more exposed their rear became. Supply depots, transport lines, and communications stretched farther behind the spearhead. Chinese formations that had been driven aside were not always destroyed; some remained capable of reappearing to strike roads, depots, and isolated detachments. If Changsha represented the visible center of the struggle, the enemy rear represented its hidden vulnerability. The Chinese aim, therefore, was not simply to defend passively around the city. It was to combine stubborn resistance in front with harassment and disruption behind, so that Japanese advance would become increasingly difficult to sustain. The battle that followed unfolded under these pressures: a threatened city, a strained but unbroken defense, commanders forced to improvise under severe danger, and a wider international war that made every local decision feel heavier than the ground on which it was taken.   This subtle improvement in China's larger situation did not mean safety. China was still battered, under-resourced, and vulnerable. Japanese forces still possessed enormous advantages in mobility, firepower, and air power in many sectors. Large parts of the country remained occupied or threatened. Yet by mid-1941 something in the atmosphere had changed. In July, the American Red Cross sent China medical supplies worth millions of dollars. In August, more than a hundred retired American pilots and mechanics came together to aid China in its struggle against Japan. The air unit they formed would become famous under the name by which China knew them: the Flying Tigers. Their significance exceeded their immediate tactical value. They represented a visible sign that China was not entirely abandoned to isolation.   For Claire Chennault, romantic, aggressive, and optimistic by temperament, the new situation encouraged increasingly bold thoughts. For the first time he included in his planning the idea that Japanese home territory might one day be bombed from bases in China. Such schemes were ambitious and perhaps premature, but their very existence reveals an altered horizon of possibility. A country that imagines striking back is already psychologically in a different position from one concerned only with preventing collapse.     Yichang mattered directly to the fighting in Xiangbei, but it also mattered independently. It was tied to the security of the Yangtze approach and therefore to the defense of Chongqing. It belonged not only to the immediate problem of battlefield maneuver but to the larger question of whether China could do more than absorb Japanese offensives. Could Chinese forces exploit enemy overstretch? Could Japanese advances be turned into liabilities? Could local counterattacks and rear harassment generate effects greater than the raw size of the forces involved? By September 1941, these questions were no longer hypothetical. They were urgent. In Chiang's mind, Hunan and Hubei had become the focal point of China's war effort in that season.   The struggle around Changsha was central to that effort. From Chongqing, Chiang telegraphed Commander Xue Yue of the Ninth War Zone with instructions that made both the danger and the opportunity plain. The message emphasized that the enemy in northern Hunan, though still pressing hard, had already been bravely intercepted by Chinese units and was now exhausted, with lines of advance increasingly difficult to sustain. This, Chiang argued, created an excellent opportunity for Chinese forces to strike at the enemy's rear and seek annihilation rather than mere delay. He urged officers and soldiers alike to remain determined to destroy the enemy. Even if Japanese troops advanced to the vicinity of Changsha itself, Chinese forces were to renew their efforts, maintain their confidence in victory, and prevent the enemy from establishing a foothold.   The telegram also pointed to the broader operational picture. Japanese troops drawn from the sectors of the Fifth and Sixth War Zones had been committed to the invasion of northern Hunan, leaving their rear areas dangerously exposed. The Third, Fifth, and Sixth War Zones had launched supporting offensives on the twenty-third. Therefore, the Ninth War Zone had to strike resolutely and fiercely, preventing the Japanese from coordinating their forces and frustrating any attempt to occupy Changsha. The message was at once exhortation and operational logic. It reflected the core Chinese problem in the campaign: the Japanese thrust was dangerous and had to be blocked, but the very speed and depth of that thrust could also expose the attacker. Yet by the time Chiang sent his instructions, the danger around Changsha was already severe. After the 74th Army had been beaten back, there was no major Chinese force north of the city that could confidently block the Japanese advance in a straightforward, stable line. The Japanese 4th Division, together with the Hayabuchi Detachment, had defeated the 95th Division of the Chinese 37th Army and pushed toward Changsha. The prospect that the city might fall, at least temporarily, was no longer remote.   In response, Xia Chuzhong's 79th Army from the Sixth War Zone was ordered to move toward the city. Its vanguard was Wang Jiaben's 98th Division. That movement was a forced march in the literal sense. It was not a flourish of language but an admission of emergency. Troops were pushed beyond ordinary endurance because there was no time to gather strength under favorable conditions. Changsha could not wait for convenience, rest, or ideal concentration. Either reinforcements arrived in time to fight immediately, or they arrived too late to matter. Wang Jiaben was no stranger to battle. A veteran officer from the Yunnan Army, he had fought the Japanese repeatedly—more than twenty times since the outbreak of the War of Resistance. He belonged to that generation of commanders who had been shaped by the fragmented military politics of Republican China but whose careers were now being rewritten by the national emergency of the anti-Japanese war.   During the First Battle of Changsha, he had already distinguished himself. He led troops in a counterattack along the Tongcheng line in southern Hubei and intercepted retreating Japanese forces at Longmenchang and Changshoujie, killing more than a thousand enemy soldiers. He had experience, reputation, and a sense of what it meant to fight in the Changsha theater. This time he marched from Changde, driving his division forward with all possible speed. By noon on September 26 the 98th Division reached a position about two kilometers northeast of Changsha. There was scarcely time to settle the men. No careful preparation was possible. They had arrived because the city was in danger, and battle began almost at once. At dusk the division engaged the Hayabuchi Detachment.   The fighting continued until late in the night without decisive result. That in itself was costly enough. Troops who have just completed a punishing march are already close to the limits of their endurance. To be thrown immediately into combat magnifies every weakness: thirst, fatigue, confusion, and the difficulty of building fieldworks under pressure. What the soldiers of the 98th Division could do that night, they did with their hands and whatever tools they had. They scraped positions out of the earth. They assembled makeshift cover. Officers moved along the line trying to impose order on terrain that had become a battlefield almost as soon as it was occupied. At dawn on September 27 the Japanese intensified the pressure from the air.   More than twenty aircraft bombed the 98th Division's positions, tearing apart the earthworks that officers and soldiers had spent the night constructing. Bombing had a double effect. Physically, it damaged positions, wounded men, and disrupted preparations. Psychologically, it reminded defenders that they were being observed from above and struck by an enemy against whom they could often do little in the sky. Immediately after the bombing came a fierce infantry assault. Wang Jiaben and several other commanders went down to their respective regiments to supervise the fighting personally. This was dangerous, but under such circumstances commanders often believed that presence itself mattered. When fieldworks are collapsing, shell bursts are continuous, and communications are unreliable, authority must sometimes be carried by a body rather than a wire. The defenders held.   Again and again the Japanese attacked. Again and again they were repulsed only to reorganize and come on once more. Every minute the Chinese line remained in place was bought with blood. Fallen and wounded men were carried rearward in what seemed an endless stream. The cost of resistance accumulated visibly before the eyes of those still fighting. By noon even water could no longer be delivered to the front. That detail reveals the intensity of the battle more clearly than many grander statements could. A line that cannot be supplied even with water has reached a condition of severe strain. During brief pauses in the fighting, officers and soldiers pulled out dry rations and chewed them slowly, swallowing with difficulty while they waited for the next attack. Such moments are among the most characteristic in battle: not the long, smooth continuity imagined in peacetime rhetoric, but brief interludes of miserable necessity between explosions. At two in the afternoon the crisis deepened sharply.   A unit of the Japanese 4th Division worked its way behind the 98th Division's position and attacked from the rear. This was the kind of tactical development every defending commander dreads. A force can endure heavy frontal pressure if its line remains coherent and its rear reasonably secure. But when enemy troops appear behind a position, the entire structure of defense begins to dissolve. There, behind the line, were more than a hundred Chinese wounded awaiting evacuation. Japanese soldiers attacked them with bayonets. One of the wounded Chinese soldiers, already beyond ordinary capacity for resistance, rushed forward and detonated a grenade against a Japanese attacker. It was an act of desperation, but also of defiance. The episode captures something essential about the tone of the battle around Changsha. This was not a neat engagement between organized lines alone. It was a desperate collision in which even the badly wounded were drawn into last resistance. For Wang Jiaben, however, the tactical reality was impossible to deny. If he stayed where he was, the division might be annihilated. Personal courage could not alter encirclement. Resentfully, bitterly, and under the kind of pressure that leaves permanent scars on a commander's memory, he ordered retreat. When he led the survivors off the battlefield, fewer than half his men remained.   Reinforcements from another direction now entered the struggle. The Provisional 2nd Army of the Seventh War Zone dispatched the Provisional 8th Division under Zhang Junsong. At seven in the evening on September 27, Zhang's force arrived at Zuojiatang on the eastern outskirts of Changsha. Personnel of the Ninth War Zone waiting there reported grim news: a Japanese detachment had already entered the city that afternoon, and another detachment was only three kilometers away. The situation invited rashness. A commander arriving near a threatened city at dusk, with reports that the enemy is already inside, may feel compelled to hurl troops forward immediately in a gesture of resolution. Yet night fighting in an urban approach without adequate reconnaissance can turn courage into waste. Zhang Junsong considered the matter carefully. He concluded that to rush blindly into the city at night would likely produce confusion and heavy losses. Instead he first sought to strike the enemy outside the city. His troops deployed quietly and crept forward through the darkness, launching a probing attack. But they soon discovered that the Japanese were fully prepared and not vulnerable to easy surprise. The line could not be broken. With no prospect of success, the force withdrew.   The moment is revealing because it shows how narrow the margin had become. Chinese commanders were trying to recover initiative while still groping through uncertainty. Reports were incomplete, Japanese dispositions difficult to fix, and every hour dangerous. On the evening of September 28, the 79th Army's 6th Provisional Division occupied Yuelu Mountain west of Changsha. From that height officers and soldiers looked across the Xiang River toward the city. Changsha, for the first time, was in Japanese hands. The emotional force of that sight can only be imagined. Changsha had lived for years under threat. It had been defended, contested, prepared, and feared. The possibility of its loss had hovered over military planning and public consciousness alike. Now the danger had become fact. A city that had stood as an object of effort and anxiety was visibly occupied by the enemy. No single feeling could have governed the men who saw it. There must have been anger, shame, weariness, and dread—but also stubbornness. For in war a city seen in enemy hands is not always simply lost. Sometimes it is a summons.   Late that night Zhao Jiping, commander of the 6th Provisional Division, received a telegram from Xue Yue. He read it and then stood before the map for a long time. Days of anxiety began to lift. He was not alone in that reaction. Many Chinese generals involved in the campaign had felt that they were fighting a confused and chaotic battle. Japanese movements had been broad, rapid, and difficult to pin down. The Ninth War Zone had thrown numerous units into blocking actions, yet both well-regarded formations and weaker, improvised units had repeatedly failed to hold. After ten days of combat, Chinese losses were heavy. But Japanese forces too had been worn, stretched, and damaged. Only now, as the Japanese reached the apparent culmination of their advance, did the Ninth War Zone begin to recover rhythm. Chaos did not disappear, but it became more legible. The possibility of a more ordered counteroffensive emerged.   In the early hours of September 29, Zhao Jiping issued the order to force a crossing of the Xiang River and attack the enemy in Changsha. The preparations consumed the entire day. River crossings under combat conditions are among the most delicate operations in war. Boats must be assembled or found. Units must be organized into waves. Timing matters. Surprise matters. The location of landing points matters. The men themselves matter most of all, because they must sit exposed in fragile craft knowing that the real test will begin not in the middle of the river but at the far bank. Late that night the division crossed secretly by boat in six groups. The crossing itself went well enough. The river did not betray them. The groups made progress in darkness. Yet everyone involved understood that smooth movement on the water did not guarantee success. The crucial question was what waited at the landing points. It was expected that the troops going ashore at Daximen would be first to meet the Japanese. Once battle began there, the rest of the crossing accelerated.   Chinese soldiers landed, attacked fiercely, and drove the enemy back from the riverbank. The momentum of the assault mattered. In such moments hesitation on shore can doom an entire crossing, but aggression can seize a foothold before the defender fully stabilizes. By the time Chinese forces entered the city, dawn was breaking. Then came street fighting. Changsha had ceased to be an objective on a map. It became again what cities become in war: a place of corners, walls, alleys, debris, smoke, and sudden death. Fighting in a city strips away much of the abstraction through which campaigns are often remembered. Streets channel movement. Buildings become cover, obstacles, or traps. Distances shrink but danger multiplies. A few men behind masonry can delay many more. Noise magnifies confusion. The city itself seems to fragment into a hundred separate battlefields. For Changsha, the long season of anxious anticipation ended in direct flame.   Yet to understand the campaign only through the struggle at Changsha would be incomplete. While the city drew attention as the central prize, another set of operations was unfolding across Hunan and Hubei—less dramatic in appearance perhaps, but strategically significant. These were the actions of the 27th Army Group under Yang Sen. If the fighting around Changsha demonstrated the pressure of frontal battle, Yang Sen's operations illustrated another principle entirely: the stubborn, opportunistic use of weaker forces to harass, sting, and trouble a stronger enemy from behind. The 27th Army Group was composed largely of Sichuan troops. Their presence speaks to one of the larger political transformations of the war. Republican China had long been fractured by regional militarism. Armies had often owed stronger loyalty to commanders, provinces, or local power structures than to any unified national command. Yet the anti-Japanese war compelled a partial reordering of those loyalties. Many warlord forces, however imperfectly integrated, now turned their weapons outward under Nationalist command.   There were exceptions. Some men, like Han Fuqu, had preserved their own strength at the cost of military responsibility and lost both opportunity and honor in doing so. But in the main, especially among middle and lower-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers, the imperative of national survival overrode provincial identity. Men from distant regions marched and fought in terrains not their own because the war no longer permitted a narrow conception of interest. Yang Sen himself was an old warlord soldier, one of those figures formed in the fractured military world of earlier decades. By 1941 he was deputy commander of the Ninth War Zone and commander-in-chief of the 27th Army Group. Along the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border he had long been cautious in his operations.   At the beginning of the northern Hunan battle, his troops proved unable to withstand the force of the Japanese offensive and retreated in disorder into mountains and forests. That fact should not be softened. They were pushed back. But retreat did not mean disappearance. This is where Yang Sen's role became important. Once the main Japanese force had advanced far ahead, the troops that had scattered began to reemerge. They knew the terrain. They knew the roads, villages, passes, and wooded approaches. If they could not defeat the Japanese in a grand collision, they could search for openings behind the advancing columns.   On September 20, as the Japanese main force drove into the heart of northern Hunan, Yang Sen led elements of the 4th, 58th, and 20th Armies in pursuit for an entire day. The main body of the 4th Army had already been badly beaten at the Xinqiang River line, and only the 60th Division, recently transferred from the 37th Army, remained relatively intact. That single fact sharply defined the weakness of his means. He was not pursuing with fresh and powerful forces prepared for a decisive encounter. He was pursuing with fragments, survivors, and such units as still retained some offensive potential. But the Japanese, intent on rapid advance southward, paid too little attention to what followed behind them. That was the opening Yang Sen needed.   On the morning of September 21, the 60th Division acted on information supplied by an old beggar. Such details often sound almost literary, but they remind us that war in China was never fought by armies alone. Villagers, refugees, peddlers, guides, boatmen, and the destitute all participated in the circulation of military knowledge. A beggar could see what a reconnaissance officer had missed. On the basis of that tip, the 60th Division launched a surprise attack on the supply depot of the Japanese 40th Division at Zhangjiayuan. Division Commander Dong Yu led the action.   The Chinese quickly overwhelmed the more than three hundred Japanese troops guarding the depot. Once they broke in, they discovered an astonishing quantity of matériel: shell boxes, ammunition, food, medicine, gasoline, explosives, protective clothing, telephone wire, body bags, stretchers, and more, all stacked beneath heavy canvas. For men accustomed to scarcity, it must have seemed almost unreal. Dong Yu, delighted, is remembered as exclaiming to his deputy commander, "It's practically a department store!" The line has a momentary comic brightness in the middle of war, and that is part of why it survives. But its deeper significance lies in what it reveals. A modern army advancing deep into hostile territory is sustained by accumulation—ammunition, fuel, wire, medicines, rations, transport materials. To seize such a depot is not merely to take objects. It is to grasp the hidden skeleton of movement. Dong Yu then issued a one-word order: "Move."   At once the whole division became a swarm of carriers. Officers and soldiers grabbed whatever they could and began hauling the captured supplies away. The scene must have been one of extraordinary improvised energy—riflemen transformed into laborers, war reduced for a moment to the brute physical act of lifting, dragging, and carrying. They moved like ants dismantling a storehouse. But there was too much to remove and too little time. Before even two regiments had completed the work, the Japanese returned in force. Enraged, they sent more than a dozen aircraft to bomb the troops carrying off the captured crates, while over a thousand infantrymen rushed in on the ground. Dong Yu immediately ordered the men to abandon what remained and destroy it. Amid deafening explosions, the 60th Division withdrew from Zhangjiayuan. The Japanese pursued hard, driving them back into the mountains before finally stopping. Measured purely in terms of territorial occupation, the action changed little. The Chinese did not hold the depot. They were forced back again. But judged in operational terms, the raid mattered. Supplies had been captured, destroyed, or disrupted. Japanese rear security had been embarrassed. Time and energy had been consumed in response. In a campaign where the Japanese were racing south and depending increasingly on stretched lines, such harassment was not trivial.   After September 23, Yang Sen expanded these efforts. He sent whole divisions to harass the Japanese rear while also dispatching battalions and companies to ambush supply columns and disrupt transport lines. This was not the kind of warfare that produces neat dramatic maps in conventional military histories. The actions were scattered, local, opportunistic, and often inconclusive. Yet precisely for that reason they can be misunderstood. Not every useful military action ends in the destruction of an enemy division. Sometimes its value lies in forcing a stronger opponent to spend attention where he had hoped to spend only momentum. These operations were costly and uncertain. Small Chinese units striking roads and depots risked encirclement or aerial punishment. Yet they possessed one advantage: they did not need to win a grand battle to matter. They needed only to make movement harder, supply more precarious, and the rear less secure.   On September 25, even after the 26th and 37th Armies had suffered defeat elsewhere, Yang Sen gathered the troops that still retained some offensive capacity and launched another attack. In these actions, the 90th Division captured Wukou; the 59th Division reached the north bank of the Miluo River; the 60th Division advanced to Donggang; and elements of the 58th Army controlled the Yuanba–Zheyangqiao highway line by the twenty-sixth. These gains were not the dramatic centerpiece of the campaign. But they formed part of the cumulative pressure on Japanese operations. Every road contested from the rear, every convoy threatened, every depot exposed, and every forced diversion of troops weakened the enemy's ability to convert tactical advance into stable success.   The battlefield was fluid enough that Yang Sen's headquarters itself had to keep moving—from the Miluo River northward to Pingjiang. Mobile headquarters in such conditions lived under constant uncertainty. Reports arrived late or contradictory. Rumors outran facts. The front could bend in unpredictable ways. A command post that seemed safely behind the line in the morning might by afternoon lie only a few kilometers from enemy forces. Years later Mao Jiuyin, who had then served as an operations staff officer under Yang Sen, recalled the old commander's outward behavior in those dangerous days. Yang Sen, Mao remembered, was always joking with the people around him and could still laugh and talk during battle. On one occasion he even joked with his bodyguard about putting chili oil in his tea. To younger staff officers, such behavior appeared almost absurd.   Yet they knew how dangerous their situation often was. Sometimes they were only a few kilometers from the main Japanese forces. There is more than anecdote in this memory. Old commanders often cultivated a style of ease under danger not because they felt no fear, but because they believed visible calm itself was part of command. Men take emotional bearings from those above them. A commander who panics spreads panic faster than any enemy breakthrough. Yang Sen was sixty years old during the Second Battle of Changsha, and he liked to remark that he was five years older than Chiang Kai-shek. Age had not removed him from the front. His function in the campaign was not to shatter the enemy in one decisive frontal blow. It was to persist, reappear, sting, and remain troublesome. The 27th Army Group followed the Japanese nearly all the way to the outskirts of Changsha.   They did not fight many large set-piece engagements. That was never their main value. But the Japanese could not ignore them. If Japanese units turned and tried to hit them directly, they tended to dissolve into the landscape. If the Japanese pushed on and ignored them, they reappeared to sabotage roads, hit supply lines, and create alarms in the rear. Even Japanese official histories later described them memorably. They called them "like a swarm of annoying flies." The phrase was meant as contempt. But as so often happens in war, an insult became an accurate description of effect. If these Chinese troops could not be tigers in formal battle, they could still become intolerable as flies. And under certain conditions—fatigue, heat, uncertainty, stretched supply, shaken morale—flies can become more oppressive than an enemy would like to admit.   When later generations look back on campaigns, they often search for a single explanatory image. But the fighting of September 1941 resists reduction to one symbol alone. What gives the campaign its force in memory is not one isolated episode, but the convergence of several pressures at once: a city under threat, a command trying to coordinate multiple fronts, exhausted reinforcements thrown directly into battle, Japanese forces advancing quickly but becoming increasingly vulnerable the farther they pushed, and Chinese troops in the rear refusing to disappear after defeat. Seen from Chongqing, the campaign was a matter of telegrams, maps, and the management of strategic risk. Seen from the front, it was a matter of thirst, mud, broken fieldworks, sudden bombing, exhausted marching, and the uncertainty of whether the next order meant reinforcement, retreat, or death. Seen from the Japanese side, it was initially an aggressive advance toward an important objective, but one increasingly troubled by stretched supply, difficult terrain, and the persistent reappearance of Chinese forces behind the line of movement.   At the same time, the campaign reveals a Chinese war effort that had become more resilient than in the earliest years of the conflict. The Japanese advance toward Changsha was dangerous and at moments appeared close to success. Chinese blocking forces suffered severe defeats. Units arrived exhausted and were hurled into action at once. Commanders lost men at devastating rates. Changsha itself briefly fell into enemy hands. And yet the city was not simply surrendered as an accomplished fact. Chinese forces regrouped. Orders were coordinated across war zones. Reinforcements marched at desperate speed. Counterattacks were mounted. Forces west of the Xiang prepared and crossed back into the city. Elsewhere, troops under Yang Sen gnawed at the Japanese rear and made advance more costly than a map of front lines alone might suggest. This combination of desperate frontal resistance and incessant rear harassment was one of the characteristic strengths of China's resistance in this stage of the war. China could not always match Japanese power in one concentrated blow. But it could absorb, delay, fragment, and trouble that power across space and time. That is why the struggle around Changsha in late September 1941 deserves to be remembered not merely as a sequence of engagements, but as a layered event in which tactical battle, morale, logistics, political endurance, and international context all converged.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In late September 1941, Japan pushed deeper into China, but Chinese forces—supported gradually by international help—kept resisting. Changsha in Hunan became the central point of the conflict, seen as vital to strategic control in south-central China. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Hunan and Hubei, Yang Sen's 27th Army Group—often using smaller, opportunistic actions—reappeared behind Japanese lines to disrupt depots and convoys. Even when Chinese gains were temporary, the cumulative pressure delayed Japanese momentum.       

Husain Haqqani and Bill Roggio. Experts argue maximalist positions prevent resolution as Iran views survival as victory while the U.S. relies on ineffective bombing. Roggio emphasizes that despite pressure, the regime remains capable of striking ships, functioning as its version of a nuclear weapon. Both analysts suggest building an effective resistance takes time and secrecy, elements currently lacking in the noisy political environments of Washington and Israel. (2)1894 YEMEN

You've heard of Love Bombing, well now there's a new term...that we invented...called Friendship Bombing. Most of the same principles apply. We debate how to feel when someone comes in hot and heavy! Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's episode, we talk about the tragic loss of American service members in the past few days as fighting with Iran has taken hold again. And ask the unfortunate question... what is their sacrifice really for?? Doesn't seem like those nuclear capabilities are going anywhere just yet. But on the other side of the globe, much closer to home, Cuba seems to be the next target of Trump's 'no foreign wars' campaign. The State Department, led by Marco Rubio who we all know is salivating to try and 'save' his motherland, claims that Cuba has infiltrated 'left wing terrorist groups' in the United States. Sounds a little to MAGA-good to be true, but we'll see. So tune in, get your foreign policy on, and try not to worry (too much) about the end of the world! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Crime and Science Fiction on a TuesdayFirst,  a look at this day in History.Then, Dragnet starring Jack Webb,  originally broadcast  July 21, 1949, 77 years ago, City Hall Bombing.  Vernon Carney is threatening to blow up City Hall with a bomb if his brother isn't freed from jail by nine o'clock.  The story would be reused a year later and on the Television show. Followed by The Big Story, originally broadcast July 21, 1948, 78 years ago, The Lottery Racket. The "big story" of Keeler McCartney of the Atlanta Constitution, who attempts to clean up a lottery racket and nearly gets killed for his efforts. Then, Calling All Cars,  originally broadcast  July 21, 1937, 89 years ago, Alibi.  A dangerous hold-up man is wanted. He has held up a streetcar motorman. Followed by The CBS Radio Workshop, originally broadcast July 21, 1957, 69 years ago, Green Hills of Earth starring Everett Sloan.   The beautiful Robert Heinlein science fiction story about Reisling, the blind poet of the spaceways.  Perhaps the best adaptation of the story. Finally, Claudia, originally broadcast July 21, 1948, 78 years ago, You've Seen One Baby, You've Seen Them All.  Kathryn Bard and Paul Crabtree star. Thanks to Bill B for supporting our podcast by using the Buy Me a Coffee function at http://classicradio.streamFind the Family Fallout Shelter Booklet Here: https://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/the_family_fallout_shelter_1959.pdfhttps://wardomatic.blogspot.com/2006/11/fallout-shelter-handbook-1962.html

AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on ongoing US-Iran strikes.

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports U.S. bombing of Iran is expanding as another American troop is killed and Tehran retaliates.

Hour 3 of the Chris Hand Show | Aired Monday 07-20-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest Ron Stein, CO2 Coatlition and author "Clean Energy Exploitation", joins to discuss the future of reliable energy in the US. Discussion of the ending of the "alternative" energies with wind and solar, and the future of oil and nuclear. How much of a demand will we see with evolving technology? Where are we with the conflict in Iran? Bombings continue while regime pretends to negotiate. Discussion of VP Vance conversation on the complications, and the potential for one of the most successful negotiations of all time? 

In this Marketing Over Coffee: Learn about Feature Engineering, Hubspot Gaffes, Pervert Glasses and more!! Direct Link to File Under the yellow glow of Canadian fires Feature Engineering Leica Camera App Context Bombing 9:17 – 11:16 Use Framer to get websites up and running effortlessly and leave the design tool paywall behind. Ready to design, iterate, and […] The post Now with More Bionics and Context Bombing! appeared first on Marketing Over Coffee Marketing Podcast.

"Context Bombing" flips the script on prompt injections Pentagon suspends CMMC Phase II requirements Old tech, new problems Get the show notes here: https://cisoseries.com/the-department-of-know-cmmc-suspended-sharefile-shutdown-context-bombing-strikes-back/  This week's Department of Know is hosted by Rich Stroffolino, with guests Tom Hollingsworth, networking technology advisor, Futurum Group, and Mark Eggleston, former CISO, CSC. Missed the live show? Check it out on YouTube. The Department of Know is live every Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET. Join us each week by registering for the open discussion at CISOSeries.com. Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker Every security leader is being asked the same question right now: How do we enable innovation without creating unnecessary risk? That's the challenge behind cloud adoption. Behind AI. Behind automation. And behind every major technology decision. ThreatLocker helps organizations take a Zero Trust approach to that challenge—giving them greater control over what can execute, what can access their environment, and what users and applications are allowed to do. That's why ThreatLocker is proud to support Cyber Security Headlines.  Because security works best when innovation and control move together.

Fifty years ago this month – 19 July 1976 – Australia's first act of environmental terrorism was directed at the Bunnings-owned wood chip export facility in Bunbury. Who were the bombers? What had they hoped to achieve? What was the fallout for the growing green movement?Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month for ad-free early and exclusive bonus episodes and the chance to win prizes.Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.comCheck out my books!They'll Never Hold Me:https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.htmlThe Murder Squad:https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.htmlHanging Ned Kelly:https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.htmlAustralia's Sweetheart:https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Send us Fan Mail Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Subscribe to Greg Fitzsimmons: https://bit.ly/subGregFitz Mark Normand returns for one of the funniest conversations we've ever had. This episode is sponsored by Kalshi, the largest prediction market in America. Trade on everything from sports and politics to entertainment and more. Download the Kalshi app and use code SOCCER10 to get $10 when you trade $10, or visit https://kalshi.com/r/soccer10. We get into bombing on stage, bad gigs, marriage, dating after divorce, having kids, growing older, comedy careers, Catholic school, vacations, Bob Dylan, cockfights in Puerto Rico, breast milk, ED, abortions, and the weird realities of life as a stand-up comedian. Mark also talks about his new material, life after Netflix, why he's back in comedy clubs, and why YouTube might be a better path than Hollywood. This one goes completely off the rails—in the best way possible. Mark's tour dates: https://marknormandcomedy.com Follow Greg:https://www.instagram.com/gregfitzsimmons https://twitter.com/gregfitzshow Subscribe for new episodes every week. This show is produced by Gotham Production Studios and part of the Gotham Network. https://www.gothamproductionstudios.com/studios/ Follow Greg Fitzsimmons: Facebook: https://facebook.com/FitzdogRadio Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregfitzsimmons Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregfitzshow Official Website: http://gregfitzsimmons.com Tour Dates: https://bit.ly/GregFitzTour Merch: https://bit.ly/GregFitzMerch “Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons” Book: https://amzn.to/2Z2bB82 “Life on Stage” Comedy Special: https://bit.ly/GregFitzSpecial Listen to Greg Fitzsimmons: Fitzdog Radio: https://bit.ly/FitzdogRadio Sunday Papers: http://bit.ly/SundayPapersPod Childish: http://childishpod.com Watch more Greg Fitzsimmons: Latest Uploads: https://bit.ly/latestGregFitz Fitzdog Radio: https://bit.ly/radioGregFitz Sunday Papers: https://bit.ly/sundayGregFitz Stand Up Comedy: https://bit.ly/comedyGregFitz Popular Videos: https://bit.ly/popGregFitz About Greg Fitzsimmons: Mixing an incisive wit with scathing sarcasm, Greg Fitzsimmons is an accomplished stand-up, an Emmy Award winning writer, and a host on TV, radio and his own podcasts. Greg is host of the popular “FitzDog Radio” podcast (https://bit.ly/FitzdogRadio), as well as “Sunday Papers” with co-host Mike Gibbons (http://bit.ly/SundayPapersPod) and “Childish” with co-host Alison Rosen (http://childishpod.com). A regular with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, Greg also frequents “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Lights Out with David Spade,” and has made more than 50 visits to “The Howard Stern Show.” Howard gave Greg his own show on Sirius/XM which lasted more than 10 years. Greg's one-hour standup special, “Life On Stage,” was named a Top 10 Comedy Release by LA Weekly. The special premiered on Comedy Central and is now available on Amazon Prime, as a DVD, or a download (https://bit.ly/GregFitzSpecial). Greg's 2011 book, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons (https://amzn.to/2Z2bB82), climbed the best-seller charts and garnered outstanding reviews from NPR and Vanity Fair. Greg appeared in the Netflix series “Santa Clarita Diet,” the Emmy-winning FX series “Louie,” spent five years as a panelist on VH1's “Best Week Ever,” was a reoccurring panelist on “Chelsea Lately,” and starred in two half-hour stand-up specials on Comedy Central. Greg wrote and appeared on the Judd Apatow HBO series “Crashing.” Writing credits include HBO's “Lucky Louie,” “Cedric the Entertainer Presents,” “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher,” “The Man Show” and many others. On his mantle beside the four Daytime Emmys he won as a writer and producer on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” sit “The Jury Award for Best Comedian” from The HBO Comedy Arts Festival and a Cable Ace Award for hosting the MTV game show "Idiot Savants." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pentagon suspends CMMC Phase II requirements US troop location data under attack in Iran "Context Bombing" flips the script on prompt injections Get the show notes here: https://cisoseries.com/cybersecurity-news-cmmc-phase-ii-suspended-tracking-troops-in-iran-defenders-turn-to-context-bombing/  Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker Every security leader is being asked the same question right now: How do we enable innovation without creating unnecessary risk? That's the challenge behind cloud adoption. Behind AI. Behind automation. And behind every major technology decision. ThreatLocker helps organizations take a Zero Trust approach to that challenge—giving them greater control over what can execute, what can access their environment, and what users and applications are allowed to do. That's why ThreatLocker is proud to support Cyber Security Headlines. Because security works best when innovation and control move together.

What prosecutors finally revealed in the Charlie Kirk case, why Lindsey Graham's sister is carrying on his work, and the surprising myth about fathers in unexpected pregnancies. Plus, the hidden aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Janie B. Cheaney on air conditioning's greatest legacy, peanut butter art, and Tuesday morning news.Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Dordt University, where students are invited into God's story of restoration; to live, learn, and work together with joyful purpose in all of life - until all is made new.From Equip by Unbound. A skills-focused, project-based coaching program for high schoolers. More at BeUnbound.us/worldAnd from Cedarville University—a Christ-centered, academically rigorous university located in southwest Ohio, equipping students for Gospel impact across every career and calling. Cedarville integrates a biblical worldview into every course in the more than 175 undergraduate and graduate programs students choose from. New online undergraduate degrees through Cedarville Online offer flexible and affordable education grounded in a strong Christian community that fosters both faith and learning. Learn more at cedarville.edu, and explore online programs at cedarville.edu/online.

MMI interviews don't have to feel intimidating or unpredictable—in this episode, we'll break down the two types of MMI questions and exactly how to strongly answer each one with confidence! Mock Interview - don't blow your big day because you didn't 100% prepare for the most important interview of your life - do a Mock Interview before your first interview so you know exactly how to answer PA school interview questions strongly so you can get accepted and start your dream career!Keep up the great work!Katie + Beth

Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and founding director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, examines why modern military superiority so often fails to produce lasting political success. Drawing on decades of research into coercive air power, he argues that precision-guided warfare has fundamentally reshaped public expectations by creating the illusion that wars can be won quickly, cheaply, and with few casualties. Revisiting the lessons of Vietnam and the arguments developed in his landmark book Bombing to Win, Pape explains why tactical achievements frequently strengthen an adversary's political resolve instead of compelling surrender. The conversation explores his concept of the “escalation trap,” in which battlefield successes steadily weaken a state's broader strategic position by deepening political resistance and encouraging further military escalation. Applying this framework to the recent confrontation with Iran, Pape analyzes the strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz, the limitations of coercive diplomacy, shifting regional power dynamics, and Washington's declining credibility in the Middle East. He argues that effective strategy depends not on the destructive power of modern weapons but on understanding how military action interacts with political objectives, public opinion, and national resolve. Rather than viewing conflict through the lens of technological superiority alone, Pape contends that contemporary wars are ultimately decided by political outcomes, making strategic judgment far more important than tactical victories. The discussion offers a timely assessment of air power, deterrence, escalation, and the changing character of warfare in an increasingly unstable international system. Get full access to Savage Minds at www.savageminds.co/subscribe

On January 24, 1975, six young businessmen were enjoying lunch in lower Manhattan's historic Fraunces Tavern when a bomb placed inside the restaurant exploded, tearing through the building. It had been planted by a group claiming support for Puerto Rican independence known as the “FALN,” the most active domestic terrorist organization in American history. Four of the young businessmen died and 50 others were injured, many horrifically. Among the four victims was Frank Connor, a son of immigrants and the father to two young sons – the youngest of whom was Joe Connor, who was 9 years old at the time. Joe Connor's book, Shattered Lives, co-authored by Jeff Ingber, chronicles the origins of the Puerto Rican independence movement, its transformation into a Cuban-led Marxist cause, the FALN's decade-long reign of murder and destruction that was a precursor to future domestic terrorism, the hunt for the perpetrators by a group of dedicated FBI agents, the inexplicable escape from prison by the FALN's chief bombmaker who eventually received asylum in Cuba, and the political maneuvering that led to Presidents Clinton and Obama granting clemency to FALN members. Our guest, Joe Connor, talks about the devastating impact of the Fraunces Tavern bombing on the families of its many other victims, uniting them in their struggle to move forward while seeking justice for their loved ones. Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

This is an excerpt from my podcast This Week in Geopolitics. I record new episodes every Monday so give me a follow if you would like to see more!

This week we talk about Martine Wright. She works for a media company and was out late celebrating the news of London hosting the 2012 Olympics. The next day she was running late and took a different train to get to work. As she is reading the paper, a bomb goes off! Listen to how she survived now! Drink of the Week: Iced Butter Beer Latte 

Send us Fan Mail Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Is there a bomb warning on Facebook for travelers to Iran? US military action continued this weekend, striking Iran targets near the Strait of Hormuz after Pres. Trump ended the ceasefire last week over frustration that shipping was interrupted. The US declared the Strait is open...while Iran is attempting to retain an image of strength with their public. Perspective and commentary on keeping America secure and safe, and all of Friday morning's biggest stories

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon examines the major patterns of coercive control in Natalie's survivor story. The debrief explores how intense love bombing created a powerful attachment before the relationship shifted into criticism, emotional punishment, and isolation. Brandon discusses how Natalie's children, friendships, family relationships, and independence were treated as threats to her abuser's control. He also examines the cycle of explosions, silent treatments, and false repair that kept Natalie focused on restoring peace while gradually shrinking her world. The episode concludes with a look at the post-separation smear campaign that isolated Natalie from members of her LGBTQ community and portrayed her as the dangerous one. Brandon also explains why survivors should not feel ashamed of the choices they made while living under constant pressure, manipulation, and fear of emotional punishment. If you are in search of therapy from professionals dedicated to dealing with TRAUMA - Narcissist Apocalypse recommends REBOUND THERAPY and they can be reached at  hellorebound.com/na Click if you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Love bombing is a courtship strategy that overwhelms partners with attention and affection before effort inevitably declines. In today's episode, I explain the economic logic behind romance, revealing how dating operates through the two budgets of recruitment and maintenance. Understanding these dynamics can protect you from manipulation and lead to more realistic relationship expectations. Join my community: The Captains' Quarters. Attend bimonthly group consultations where I answer members' questions and work through their problems in real time. Participate in AMAs with notable guests, access nearly 100 hours of unpublished content, receive discounts on individual consultations, gain a community of supportive, like-minded individuals, and much more. Use this link to learn more: https://orion-taraban.com Access me 24/7 with Orion AI: Trained on my entire body of work, Orion AI allows me to weigh in on your situation in real time. Bridge the gap between theory and execution with actionable, personalized advice. Text or talk in over 70 languages. Available on Telegram. Start your free trial today: https://oriontaraban.ai Buy my book, "The Value of Others" Ebook: https://amzn.to/460uGrA Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3YfFwbx Paperback: https://amzn.to/3xQuIFK Buy my book, "Starry Night" Ebook: https://amzn.to/4qJrh9U Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3LuUJRS Paperback: https://amzn.to/4sGcqOY Book a paid consultation: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Subscribe to my newsletter: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com Social Media TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oriontaraban Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090053889622 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orion-taraban-070b45168/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/psyc.hacks Twitter: https://twitter.com/oriontaraban Website: https://oriontarabanpsyd.com Orion's Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrXBzQ2HDEQ Thinking of going to grad school? Check out STELLAR, my top-rated GRE self-study program based on the world's only empirically-validated test prep system. Use the code "PSYCH" for 10% off all membership plans: https://stellargre.com. Become a Stellar affiliate and earn a 10% commission for every membership purchased by a new student you conduct into the program: https://stellargre.tapfiliate.com. GRE Bites: https://www.youtube.com/@grebites4993 Become a Psychonaut and join PsycHack's member community: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSduXBjCHkLoo_y9ss2xzXw/join Sound mixing/editing by: valntinomusic.com Presented by Orion Taraban, Psy.D. PsycHacks provides viewers with a brief, thought-provoking video several days a week on a variety of psychological topics, inspired by his clinical practice. The intention is for the core idea contained within each video to inspire viewers to see something about themselves or their world in a slightly different light. The ultimate mission of the channel is to reduce the amount of unnecessary suffering in the world. #psychology #dating #love

The connection between the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and Craft International stems from a prominent internet conspiracy theory claiming that the private military contractor carried out the attack as a "false flag" operation. In reality, official investigations confirmed that Craft International personnel were present at the marathon as hired security, and they had no involvement in the bombings. [1, 2, 3, 4]Who was Craft International?Craft International was a tactical training and private security firm founded in 2009 by legendary U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. The company provided tactical weapons training, corporate risk assessment, and specialized security services. Its employees frequently wore distinctive gear, including black shirts, tan tactical pants, and baseball caps featuring a skull logo—an image heavily adapted from the Navy SEALs and Marvel's Punisher character. [1, 2]Why did they become part of a conspiracy theory?Immediately following the April 15, 2013 bombings, amateur sleuths on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and 4chan began analyzing crowdsourced photos from the finish line. They noticed several heavily built men wearing uniform tactical clothing, earpieces, and black backpacks. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]The Visuals: Photos captured these men standing near the fBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

The global agenda is spinning out of control!

Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent, reports on the latest US military strikes on Iran.

Ryan talks with ABC News Correspondent Jordana Miller about Iran launching strikes against neighboring countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar following U.S. attacks on Iran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love Island or Red Flag Island?  How To Tell The DifferenceIn this spicy episode of Quality Queen Control, Asha Christina breaks down Love Island vs Red Flag Island.  the exciting butterflies and chemistry vs. the sneaky manipulation, love bombing, inconsistency, and toxic behaviors disguised as “passion.”You'll learn how to spot the difference early using real psychology, protect your peace, and stop romanticizing red flags just because the vibe feels good in the moment. Asha shows you how to choose connections that actually feel safe and high-value instead of just exciting.No more confusing drama for destiny. Time to pick the right island.

It's been 30 years since a back pack bomb rocked the Summer Olympics in Atlanta killing one person and injuring over 100 others. The bomb had been left under a bench in the middle of Centennial Olympic Park on the eighth day of the games. Security Guard Richard Jewell discovered the bomb and helped to start clear the area before it went off. Jewel was hailed a hero until he became the number one suspect.In this previously aired episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the tragedy that struck the 100th games and the police investigation that followed. Show Contact: Instagram: @that90spodcastEmail: 1995podcast@gmail.comGuests:Kent Alexander, former US Attorney for the Northern District of GeorgiaTwitter: @KentbaleKevin Salwen, JournalistTwitter: @KevinSalwenThey co-authored: The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, The FBI, The Media and Richard Jewell, The Man Caught in the Middle.www.TheSuspectbook.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Howie Kurtz on President Trump's declaration that the U.S. ceasefire with Iran is officially over, the total unraveling of Graham Plattner's Senate campaign in Maine amid gripping misconduct allegations, and the legal dismissal of Trump Media's $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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#154: On today's episode, Han sits down with the creator and dating coach behind The Daddy Academy, Niko Emanuilidis, for the first-ever dating conversation with a man on the podcast. The girls wanted to know about modern dating, relationships, red flags, what men actually think, and what women should be looking for in a healthy partner... and Niko unapologetically gets into it.Han and Niko explore the male perspective on dating so women can better understand the other side, while also breaking down what it actually looks like to date a healthy, emotionally mature man. This episode covers why so many of us keep repeating the same relationship patterns, why healing doesn't always stop you from attracting unhealthy partners, and why the real work is learning to recognize and reject what no longer aligns with you.Niko and Han get into:How childhood wounds shape who you're attracted toWhy healing doesn't stop you from attracting unhealthy people—you simply have to stop choosing themWhy a healthy man can embody both masculine and feminine energyWhat emotional regulation actually looks like in a relationship, especially when looking for a boyfriend/long term partnerWhy women are evolving emotionally faster than menWhy relationships often become the next stage of healingThe five conversations every couple should have within the first few datesHow to know if someone is dating intentionallyThe difference between chemistry and compatibilityWhat men wish women better understood about datingWhat women should actually look for in a healthy partnerThe biggest red flags women consistently missHow to recognize love bombing before it's too lateWhy healthy love feels calm instead of chaoticThe importance of pacing and boundaries in early datingFinding your core wound and breaking unhealthy dating patternsWhat it actually takes to attract the relationship you deserveThe importance of being seen& MORE!This episode is for anyone who feels stuck in unhealthy dating patterns, struggles with attachment wounds, or wants to build a secure, emotionally healthy relationship. If you're navigating dating anxiety, love bombing, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, emotional unavailability, or the fear of being fully seen, this conversation will completely change the way you think about love.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Introduction01:02 – Meet Niko from The Daddy Academy02:53 – What healthy masculine energy actually looks like04:45 – Why emotionally available men are the most attractive07:06 – Why women are evolving emotionally faster than men08:57 – Do you have to heal before entering a healthy relationship?10:10 – Why you date your unfinished business10:26 – Why healing doesn't stop emotionally unavailable people from showing up17:02 – What women are really looking for in men today20:27 – The five conversations every couple should have early on23:24 – How to know if someone is dating intentionally25:33 – Why talking about past relationships matters29:09 – Learning to be fully seen in relationships32:45 – Identifying your core wound and attachment patterns33:16 – What men wish women understood about dating39:02 – The biggest dating red flags women miss39:23 – How love bombing starts with high chemistry and obsession40:00 – Why you can't rush the dating process40:58 – The difference between calm love and anxious chemistry41:22 – What healthy obsession actually looks like42:33 – Why pacing and boundaries matter in early dating46:26 – Why you should never date someone's potential48:10 – Why your time is your greatest asset while dating53:05 – How to attract the healthy relationship you deserve54:50 – Why being fully seen helps you find your person1:00:24 – Stop chasing your future spouse and start loving your own lifeCONNECT BELOW:Follow Niko hereFollow the Daddy Academy hereJoin his Dating program herefollow Han ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠follow HOW I SEE IT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠follow Han on Substack ⁠here⁠

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports a woman wanted in connection with the Monaco bombing has been found dead.

AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on an update to a bombing incident in Monaco last week.

Content Warning & Disclaimer Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is part one of two parts with Kayleigh. Kayleigh was in a relationship for 15 years. In fact, it ended only weeks ago. She wanted to bring us her story as soon as she could. And it is worth your time and attention. Her upbringing included abuse from her mother and father. She also had abusive relationships in her dating years. She thought she had found the right guy when she met Jesse. To her, he was the equivalent of a big cuddly teddy bear. So she fell for him completely. In the beginning, they spent every waking hour together. Everything seemed just perfect. But once he knew he had her, things changed rapidly. Once again, you might want to take notes while listening to this one. Because you will find red flags throughout. Stories like this should be considered practical exercises in what can and does happen all over the world. Abusers know how to put on the mask of nice people so they can gain control. When everything seems just about right, they become angry controllers that we hear about way too often on this podcast. Today, Kayleigh is a survivor, who is still getting used to having her freedom back. She is a much happier person, and she encourages those who are being victimized by abusers to figure out how to break free and do it. See information below and find your freedom! Bill Mitchell Keywords & Themes: Trauma bonding, divorce, overcoming domestic abuse, single parent family struggles, women's empowerment, and resilience. Host: Bill Mitchell If you're experiencing intimate partner abuse, coercive control, or narcissistic abuse—or if you suspect someone you care about is—Riel's story offers critical perspective on spotting red flags early, breaking free, and finding support. You're not alone, and recognizing the patterns can be the first step toward safety and recovery. Domestic violence resources are available 24/7—reach out if you need help. Are you a survivor ready to speak out? Email Bill Mitchell at BillMitchell@WhenDatingHurts.com to share your experience on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the WHEN DATING HURTS Book:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Explore more through the WHEN DATING HURTS book by Bill Mitchell, available on Amazon in paperback, eBook, and audiobook formats. It's an essential resource for understanding domestic violence and dating safety. Bill Mitchell NOTE: If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BillMitchell@WhenDatingHurts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WHEN DATING HURTS book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon. HELPFUL RESOURCES: • National Domestic Violence Hotline – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hotline.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠– Call 800-799-SAFE • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LoveIsRespect⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Call 866-331-9474 • RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RAINN.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Call 800-656-4673 • SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988 Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast, Bill Mitchell ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WhenDatingHurts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ DISCLAIMER: The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor William Taubman, guest author, recounts how, in March 1945, Robert McNamara served on Guam as a statistical advisor to General Curtis LeMay, where he played a pivotal role in shifting B-29 bombing tactics to low-altitude strikes. This strategy led to the devastating firebombing of Tokyo, killing approximately 100,000 civilians and prompting McNamara to later admit that they would have been condemned as "war criminals" had the U.S. lost. This early career highlighted his psychological compulsion to serve strong, demanding men—a trait forged by a cold, distant father and a driving mother who worshiped his brilliance while simultaneously infantilizing him. McNamara at War: A New History (1)1920 HANOI

In this powerful relationship advice podcast episode, Chris and Peaches return from their travels to tackle a deeply emotional listener submission about love, manipulation, self worth, boundaries, and the difficult decision to walk away from a relationship that no longer aligns with your future. They break down the warning signs of love bombing, emotional manipulation, control, mixed messages about commitment and children, and the importance of recognizing when someone's actions don't match their words. If you've ever questioned whether you're overreacting, ignoring red flags, or struggling to trust your intuition in a relationship, this episode offers a raw and honest perspective.Throughout the conversation, Chris and Peaches explore topics such as self respect, emotional healing, attachment, nervous system responses, dating compatibility, personal growth, trauma recovery, relationship standards, and learning to choose yourself. They also discuss soul contracts, purpose, fulfillment, and why loving yourself is the foundation of every healthy relationship. Whether you're navigating a breakup, questioning your current relationship, healing from emotional abuse, or looking for practical dating and relationship advice, this episode delivers actionable insights, tough love, and real-world wisdom designed to help you build a healthier and more fulfilling life.Disclaimer: We are not professionals. This podcast is opinioned based and from life experience. This is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions helped by our guests may not reflect our own. But we love a good conversation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/2-be-better--5828421/support.

Why do abusers and controlling people suddenly start to despise the exact same things they claimed to love about you at the beginning of the relationship? In this video, Lee Hammock exposes the psychological bait-and-switch behind why a toxic individual turns your greatest strengths into your biggest sins. You'll learn how traits like your independence, financial success, vibrant social life, or deep empathy are initially treated as a prize to be won during the love-bombing phase, only to be treated as a direct threat during devaluation. We break down the fragile ego structures that cause an abusive person to resent your light, why they try to extinguish the qualities that made you special, and how to spot this systematic erosion before it destroys your self-esteem and mental health.Book a Coaching Session: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.me/mentalhealness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠]

Revisited: Q&A - Success in Bombing Narco Terrorists 

In the final part of this three-part series, retired FBI agent Scott brings us to the end of one of the most significant domestic terrorism cases in American history. Justice is served for the people of Oklahoma City. But for Scott, closing a case like this doesn't mean leaving it behind. Some cases stay with you. This is one of them. Retired FBI agent R. Scott Crabtree was born in Herington, KS and raised in Omaha, NE. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps before getting his college degree in accounting, aconomics, and business. During his nearly 25 years career with the Bureau, Scott was assigned to five different field offices, including New York City, their largest office, and the Salina, KS, Resident Agency, a one-person office, as well as two tours at FBIHQ in Washington D.C. Scott was the lead Kansas investigator of the Oklahoma City Bombing. He later led the Cyber Crime Squad in New York where he worked cases including the "I Love You" virus. After that, he led a rapid task force in Seattle that helped capture the D.C. snipers. After his retirement, Scott was recruited by a non-profit contractor firm where he was able to continue his work supporting and enabling operational, intelligence and information-sharing functions in numerous law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Scott's book about his work with the Oklahoma City bombing case, called Under 80 Hours, was published in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump going mute and avoiding all public appearances after backing down yet again and manipulating the markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Mea Culpa, Michael Cohen is joined by legal analyst Dave Aronberg to discuss the latest escalation in the Middle East as the bombing continues and tensions show little sign of easing. Together, they examine the legal, political, and geopolitical implications of the ongoing conflict, the Trump administration's response, and what these developments could mean for the United States and the wider region in the days and weeks ahead.

When you finally speak your truth to a covert narcissist, you expect relief. What you don't expect is what comes next. In this episode — the follow-up to Covert Narcissist Relationships: When You Can't Live the Lie Anymore — Renee Swanson walks through what actually happens in the aftermath of confronting a covert narcissist. Why love bombing feels like hope but is really about control. What a smear campaign looks like and why the people around you believe it. How to recognize when escalation and rage are designed to make you feel like the confrontation was your mistake. Renee also covers the internal experience of the aftermath — the emotional whiplash, the second-guessing, the particular loneliness of telling the truth and still not feeling heard — and what your body is doing while all of this is happening. Plus what you actually need in this season: how to find safe people, stay grounded in the chaos, and begin moving forward without making permanent decisions in the eye of the storm. If you are in the middle of the hardest season of a covert narcissistic relationship, this episode will help you understand what is happening — and remind you that you are not losing your mind. To work with Renee Swanson and address the specifics of your situation, visit her website at www.covertnarcissism.com The information provided by Renee Swanson, Covert Narcissism Podcast, and CNG Life Coaching is for educational purposes only and is not to be used for diagnosis purposes and not intended to be a substitute for clinical care. Please consult a health care provider for guidance specific to your case. This material discusses narcissism in general. Renee shares stories from her personal experiences as well as from those she has talked with for several years. Her material does not claim that any specific person has narcissism and should not be used to refer to any specific person as having narcissism. Permission is not granted to link to or repost this material to support an allegation or support a claim that any specific person is a narcissist. That would be an unauthorized misuse of the material and information provided. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part two of this three-part series, retired FBI agent Scott comes face to face with a key second suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing. What follows is an hours-long interview that requires as much patience as it does skill. The suspect's story shifts and changes, and Scott has to navigate every contradiction carefully, pushing just enough without pushing too far. One wrong move and it all falls apart. Scott needs this to hold up in court.Retired FBI agent R. Scott Crabtree was born in Herington, KS and raised in Omaha, NE. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps before getting his college degree in accounting, aconomics, and business. During his nearly 25 years career with the Bureau, Scott was assigned to five different field offices, including New York City, their largest office, and the Salina, KS, Resident Agency, a one-person office, as well as two tours at FBIHQ in Washington D.C. Scott was the lead Kansas investigator of the Oklahoma City Bombing. He later led the Cyber Crime Squad in New York where he worked cases including the "I Love You" virus. After that, he led a rapid task force in Seattle that helped capture the D.C. snipers. After his retirement, Scott was recruited by a non-profit contractor firm where he was able to continue his work supporting and enabling operational, intelligence and information-sharing functions in numerous law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Scott's book about his work with the Oklahoma City bombing case, called Under 80 Hours, was published in 2025. 

A listener called out Eddie on his recent trip on a boat with another dad and their son. Eddie reveals something he left out of the story that we are surprised by. In the Anonymous Inbox, a listener needs advice after her new boyfriend has bought her a piece of expensive jewelry way early on in their relationship. Is it love bombing or just proof that he's serious? Bobby plays everyone a clip of a famous TV Dad, they just have to name the character.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Oklahoma City Bombing was one of the most devastating attacks in American history, and its story has been told many times. But never like this.Retired FBI agent Scott was on the case in the chaotic hours after the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. In part one of this three-part series, Scott takes us through the turbulent days immediately after the bombing, as he races to pin down a suspect.Retired FBI agent R. Scott Crabtree was born in Herington, KS and raised in Omaha, NE. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps before getting his college degree in accounting, aconomics, and business. During his nearly 25 years career with the Bureau, Scott was assigned to five different field offices, including New York City, their largest office, and the Salina, KS, Resident Agency, a one-person office, as well as two tours at FBIHQ in Washington D.C. Scott was the lead Kansas investigator of the Oklahoma City Bombing. He later led the Cyber Crime Squad in New York where he worked cases including the "I Love You" virus. After that, he led a rapid task force in Seattle that helped capture the D.C. snipers. After his retirement, Scott was recruited by a non-profit contractor firm where he was able to continue his work supporting and enabling operational, intelligence and information-sharing functions in numerous law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Scott's book about his work with the Oklahoma City bombing case, called Under 80 Hours, was published in 2025.