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Last time we spoke about Operation Downfall. The Allies, under General Krueger, initiated a decisive campaign to clear the Japanese from Luzon. As they faced the entrenched Shobu Group, challenges included treacherous terrain and a resilient enemy. Simultaneously, Japan braced for an invasion, mobilizing reinforcements and devising defensive strategies to ward off the impending Allied assault. As July approached, General Yamashita's forces prepared to execute a final breakout, but progress was hampered by relentless guerrilla attacks and adverse weather conditions. With Operation Downfall looming, Allied troops focused on strategic landings in Kyushu and Honshu, driven by a relentless determination to defeat the Japanese militarily. The intense battles of Luzon became a precursor to this monumental operation, marking a turning point in the Pacific War.  This episode is The Siege of Japan Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Boy I have been waiting a long time to come to this point. One of the most significant events in human history that deeply affects us to this very day. Nuclear war is as much a threat today as it was during the cold war. The dropping of the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were deeply complicated events fraught with issues of morality. It goes without saying whether or not the bombs needed to be dropped, their actual impact on the surrender of Japan and so forth are still issues hotly debated to this very day. I have spoken on the issue countless times on my personal channel and podcast, but I figure to do this subject justice I will create a full episode for it. Thus in this episode we are going to just cover what happened, but rest assured I will come back to this later on. As we last explored, following the successful invasion of Luzon in the Philippines, along with the fall of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, American forces began preparing for the final invasion of the Japanese Home Islands. This operation was codenamed Operation Downfall. One key initiative leading up to this invasion was a comprehensive air-sea blockade and bombardment campaign against Japan itself. Previously, we detailed the extensive firebombing and precision bombing efforts executed by General LeMay's 21st Bomber Command. However, during this crucial period, the B-29 Superfortress bombers undertook a distinct operation under the codename Starvation. This single operation would be one of the largest factors that contributed to the surrender of Japan and its one most people have never heard of. In July 1944, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz proposed a bold plan to use B-29 Superfortress bombers to mine the waterways surrounding the Japanese Home Islands. Although Generals Henry H. Arnold and Walter Hansell expressed concerns that this mining campaign could distract from the B-29's primary role as a strategic bombardment aircraft, they eventually agreed to assign one bomber group to focus on aerial mining when conditions permitted. On December 22, Hansell's 21st Bomber Command was directed to formulate a naval mining program aimed at executing between 150 to 200 sorties each month, which was set to begin in April 1945. However, by this time, General Curtis LeMay had taken command of the 21st Bomber Command. LeMay was notably enthusiastic about the idea and successfully recommended to Washington an upgraded mining program that aimed to deploy up to 1,500 mines each month using a full B-29 wing. LeMay viewed aerial mining in a different light than Arnold or Hansell, seeing it as a vital extension of strategic bombing. He recognized that most of Japan's war production materials, as well as a significant portion of its food supplies, were imported from regions such as China, Southeast Asia, and the Dutch East Indies. Japan's industrial heartland is primarily found on Honshu, its largest and most industrialized island, while Shikoku, another island, also lacks essential resources such as iron ore and high-quality coal. These crucial materials were sourced from Kyushu and Hokkaido, both of which are other Japanese islands. All these resources were transported by sea, so without easy access to raw materials, Japan's industrial output would come to a grinding halt. The only aircraft capable of deploying mines effectively where they were needed were the B-29s. Areas such as the Inland Sea, the Sea of Japan, and the Korean Peninsula were out of reach for other Allied aircraft. Additionally, Allied submarines could only venture into these perilous waters with great risk. Notably, about 80% of Japan's merchant fleet utilized the Shimonoseki Strait, a critical waterway that separates Kyushu from Honshu. Understanding the strategic advantage of closing this strait, LeMay decided to allocate an entire wing of B-29s specifically to mine this vital route. Brigadier General John Davies commanded the 313th Bombardment Wing, tasked with deploying approximately 2,000 naval mines each month into Japanese waters. The primary goals of this operation were to prevent essential raw materials and food supplies from reaching the Home Islands, hinder the supply and mobilization of Japanese military forces, and disrupt transportation routes in the Inland Sea of Japan. Between March 27 and April 12, Davies' bombers targeted key enemy shipping bases located in Kure, Sasebo, and Hiroshima. They also focused on the Shimonoseki Strait, a narrow and strategically important waterway that links the Inland Sea with the Tsushima Strait. Notably, after these attacks, this strait was successfully closed for two weeks. On May 3 and 5, the 313th Bombardment Wing laid down a total of 1,422 mines in the waters surrounding the Shimonoseki Strait, as well as near major urban centers like Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe, and Osaka. These efforts aimed to severely disrupt maritime commerce between Japan's major industrial areas. Just a week later, the minefields expanded from the Shimonoseki Strait to include Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, and northwest Honshu, the largest island containing Tokyo. By the end of that month, these mines were proving remarkably effective, accounting for the sinking of more ships than Japanese submarines. In fact, within the Shimonoseki Strait alone, 113 ships had been sunk. Between June 7 and July 8, American forces expanded and fortified minefields along the western coast of Japan while also replenishing the existing minefields in the Shimonoseki Strait and the Inland Sea. During this effort, they successfully laid a total of 3,542 mines across 14 missions. The "total blockade" officially commenced on July 9 and continued until the end of the war. Throughout this period, American forces executed 474 sorties, dropping another 3,746 mines that replenished existing minefields and extended coverage to harbors in Korea. In total, Brigadier General Davies conducted 46 missions that laid down 26 minefields containing 12,135 mines. Remarkably, only 15 B-29s were lost during these operations. In turn, the mines accounted for the sinking or damaging of 670 Japanese ships, with a total loss of 1.25 million tons. This mining campaign effectively strangled Japanese industry, as the denial of essential raw materials to factories proved more disruptive than the direct bombing of the plants themselves.  Despite the clear vulnerability of Japan's economy to disruptions in coastal shipping, Japanese authorities were alarmingly unprepared to address the threat posed by air-dropped mines. By August 1945, Japan had committed 349 ships and 20,000 personnel to counter the Starvation campaign, but these efforts were overwhelmingly ineffective. The shipping crisis escalated to such a degree that searchlights and anti-aircraft batteries were redeployed from urban centers to defend expected mining targets. Additionally, suicide boats were employed in desperate attempts to clear the minefields. Royal Navy historian S.W. Roskill commented on the situation, stating, “The blockade had, in fact, been far more successful than we realized at the time. Although submarines initially played a critical role in enforcing the blockade, it was the air-laid mines that ultimately strangled Japan.” Japanese officials shared this assessment. A director from a Tokyo steel company reflected on the situation, noting that the denial of essential raw materials to factories caused far greater disruption than the direct bombing of the plants themselves. This contradicted the views of US Army Air Forces experts back in Washington. In a striking remark after the war, a Japanese minesweeping officer told American forces, “The result of B-29 mining was so effective against shipping that it eventually starved the country. You could have likely shortened the war by starting this campaign earlier.” Meanwhile, General LeMay continued his firebombing campaign against Japan. By the end of May, urban areas around Tokyo Bay had been devastated, prompting the 21st Bomber Command to shift focus westward toward the densely populated industrial complexes lining Osaka Bay. On June 1, 521 B-29s were dispatched to bomb industrial targets situated along the Yodo River, with an escort of 148 P-51 fighters. Unfortunately, an undetected thunderstorm struck en route, which meant only 27 P-51s reached Osaka, while another 27 crashed, and the remaining fighters had to return to Iwo Jima. Despite these complications, the B-29s bombed from altitudes ranging between 18,000 and 28,500 feet, successfully dropping 2,788 tons of incendiary bombs on Osaka. The attack resulted in the burning of 3.15 square miles, destroying 136,107 houses and 4,222 factories. Four days later, on June 3, 530 unescorted B-29 Superfortresses launched a bombing raid on the city of Kobe. Of those, 473 aircraft targeted the city, resulting in the destruction of 4.35 square miles. This devastating strike led to the demolition of 51,399 buildings, while another 928 suffered significant damage. The raid, however, came with losses, as 11 bombers were downed, and 176 were damaged in the operation. On June 7, 449 B-29s returned to Osaka. Despite facing heavy cloud cover that restricted visibility, they managed to burn an additional 2.21 square miles of the city, destroying another 55,333 buildings.  By the conclusion of General Curtis LeMay's maximum-effort area bombing campaign, the six most significant industrial cities in Japan, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, Yokohama, and Kawasaki, had been left in ruins. Major factories were either destroyed or severely damaged, while thousands of smaller household and feeder industrial units were consumed by flames. Casualty figures surged into six figures, leaving millions of people homeless. The evacuation of survivors further complicated efforts to secure labor for the factories that remained operational. Japan's air-raid protection system proved woefully inadequate to withstand a protracted siege by very heavy bombers. The system lacked sufficient organization, trained personnel, shelters, fire-fighting equipment, and facilities for relief and evacuation. Additionally, there was a significant deficiency in civilian indoctrination regarding emergency procedures. Under the relentless pressure of repeated major attacks, local Air Raid Precaution organizations collapsed, adding strain to an already overburdened imperial government. Japanese civilians, who had been conditioned by victory propaganda, displayed little of the discipline that helped German citizens endure years of aerial bombardment. As news of military defeats and the impact of B-29 precision strikes filtered into the great cities, residents began to lose confidence in their leaders' ability to protect them or care for the victims of the attacks. Abe Motoki, the Minister of Home Affairs at the time, later remarked, “I believe that after the raids on Tokyo on May 23-24, 1945, civilian defense measures in that city, as well as in other parts of Japan, were considered a futile effort.” Regarding the operational cost of this campaign for the 21st Bomber Command, it was not considered excessively burdensome. Over the course of 17 maximum-effort incendiary attacks, LeMay dispatched a total of 6,960 B-29s, which dropped 41,592 tons of bombs. The losses amounted to 136 B-29s, averaging only 1.9% of the sorties, a rate significantly lower than what had been endured in earlier months, and quite acceptable by the standards of conventional strategic bombing. Meteorologists predicted that the summer monsoon would keep Japan's skies covered with clouds for most of the upcoming months, from June to August. As a result, LeMay shifted strategies under what became known as the Empire Plan. This approach prioritized targeting industrial and military sites during daylight hours when the weather permitted, while secondary cities that had sufficient industrial capability became targets for nighttime area attacks. This change meant that since no single target warranted a full four-wing maximum effort, multiple missions could be scheduled in a single day. Accordingly, on June 9, 110 B-29s attacked three aircraft factories located in Narao, Atsuta, and Akashi. The strikes successfully destroyed the factories in Narao and Atsuta, but an unfortunate miscalculation led to the bombing of the town near Akashi. The following day, June 10, a force of 280 B-29s, escorted by 107 P-51 Mustang fighters, targeted six distinct sites in the Tokyo Bay area. The mission yielded significant results, with all targets sustaining heavy damage. Finally, on June 15, 516 B-29s were dispatched for one last firebombing raid against Osaka and the neighboring city of Amagasaki. In this combined assault, 444 bombers dropped over 1,350 tons of incendiary bombs, incinerating an additional 1.9 square miles in Osaka and more than half a square mile in Amagasaki. Starting on June 17, General Curtis LeMay's firebombing campaigns began to focus on medium-sized secondary cities across Japan. On that day, 477 B-29 Superfortresses targeted the cities of Omuta, Hamamatsu, Yokkaichi, and Kagoshima, burning a combined total of six square miles in these urban areas. The success of this initial multi-target mission ensured the continuation of the program, establishing an operational pattern that would remain standard during the final weeks of the war. In total, multiple incendiary attacks were conducted on sixteen occasions, averaging about two missions per week. Between June 17 and August 14, American forces carried out 8,014 sorties, dropping a staggering 54,184 tons of incendiaries across 58 secondary cities. On June 22, 446 B-29s were dispatched to strike six targets located in southern Honshu, including the crucial Kure Naval Arsenal. In this mission, 382 bombers released 2,103 tons of bombs, inflicting heavy damage to these essential manufacturing facilities. Just four days later, on June 26, a force of 510 B-29s, accompanied by 148 P-51 Mustang escorts, targeted locations in southern Honshu and the nearby island of Shikoku. However, dense clouds over much of the area complicated assembly and forced many aircraft to attack targets of opportunity individually or in small groups. As a result, adverse weather conditions would delay subsequent daytime raids until July 24.  In the coordinated strike program that commenced in June, the decision to focus on either the Empire Plan or urban industrial targets was largely influenced by weather conditions. As the program took shape, the 315th Bombardment Wing (VH) became available for combat operations. This wing operated somewhat independently from the other bomber units, with its activities significantly guided by the specialized equipment of its aircraft. Authorized for deployment in the Pacific in December 1944, the 315th settled at Northwest Field, Guam, during May and June. Its commander, Brigadier General Frank A. Armstrong, Jr., was a seasoned veteran of the strategic air offensive against Germany. The B-29s of the 315th Wing differed in two key respects from those of other units. They were equipped with the AN/APQ-7 (Eagle) radar, a sophisticated radar system designed for bombing, instead of the conventional AN/APQ-13 radar. The latter had primarily served as a navigational aid. While crews had become adept at using the AN/APQ-13 for night or poor-weather bombing, it lacked the precision necessary for accurate strikes. The Eagle radar, however, offered significantly greater definition and, although it required a long bomb run averaging seventy miles, this was not considered a serious hindrance in the tactical context of Japan. To further enhance its night-bombing capabilities, the Superfortresses had been stripped of all armament except for the tail gun. This modification, along with the Eagle radar, clearly marked the 315th as a dedicated night-bombing unit. There were various proposals for the use of these specially equipped B-29s, including high-altitude bombing, area bombing, and aerial mining. However, by the time the 315th Wing was ready for combat, the 313th Bombardment Wing had already gained proficiency in aerial mining, while all wings had become adept at area bombing using the AN/APQ-13. Training for the 315th had focused heavily on night radar tactics, with less emphasis on visual bombing and daytime formation flights. It was evident that if the Eagle radar was to undergo a thorough scientific evaluation, it should be tested against a specific set of targets that were preferably large in size and located along the coastline. In the view of the 21st Bomber Command, the oil industry met these requirements perfectly. The 315th Bombardment Wing initiated its specialized campaign on June 26 with a targeted strike against the Utsube Oil Refinery in Yokkaichi, the top-priority target. By August 14, the wing had conducted 15 additional missions against a total of 10 targets, which included various petroleum refineries and synthetic plants, such as the Maruzen Oil Company in Wakayama, Mitsubishi Oil Company in Kawasaki, and Nippon Oil Company plants spread across Akita, Kansai, Kudamatsu, and Amagasaki, as well as the Imperial Fuel Industry Company in Ube and Toa Fuel Industry in Wakayama. During the campaign, the 315th Wing dispatched a total of 1,200 B-29s, 1,095 of which successfully bombed their primary targets, dropping 9,084 tons of 500-pound general-purpose bombs deemed particularly effective against the scattered installations. The increase in bomb load capacity was made possible by stripping the planes of unnecessary equipment and conducting bombing missions individually at night. As the crews gained experience, they were able to increase the average weight carried from 14,631 pounds during the first mission to 20,684 pounds by August 9. Despite concerns about safety from removing most of the aircraft's armaments, only four planes were lost and 66 sustained damage throughout the campaign. The 20th Air Force estimated that the B-29 attacks led to the destruction of approximately 6 million barrels of tank storage capacity, and the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) reported that refining capacity had been reduced from 90,000 barrels a day in December 1941 to around 17,000 barrels. However, the strategic impact was more apparent than real, as many storage tanks were empty and refinery production had fallen to just 4% of capacity before the very heavy bomber campaign began. The lack of precise intelligence regarding the state of Japan's economy had justified the emphasis on the oil program as a form of reinsurance. Nevertheless, the blockade had effectively severed the nation's oil resources, resulting in tankers remaining idle at the docks. On July 1, Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet departed San Pedro Bay to initiate the first preliminary strikes in preparation for Operation Olympic. This operation involved battleships and heavy cruisers conducting surface bombardments of industrial targets in eastern Japan, while lighter forces performed anti-shipping sweeps along the coast. Additionally, a fleet of submarines advanced ahead of Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 to eliminate picket boats and establish lifeguard positions. At 18:15 on July 9, the force began its 25-knot approach toward the Home Islands, launching its first strikes against the Tokyo area at 04:00 on July 10. A total of 1,732 sorties were executed, targeting locations from Koriyama to Hamamatsu, dropping 454 tons of bombs and 1,648 rockets over Honshu with negligible opposition. American airmen reported the destruction of 109 enemy aircraft and damage to 231 during these strikes.   Following this, Halsey's fleet moved north to bombard Hokkaido and northern Honshu, which were beyond the effective range of the B-29s and had previously evaded attack. At 05:59 on July 14, Rear-Admiral John Shafroth's Bombardment Group Able, consisting primarily of three battleships and two heavy cruisers, was tasked with attacking the Kamaishi Works of the Japan Iron Company. By midday, Shafroth's forces had opened fire on Kamaishi, marking the first surface bombardment of Japan by a hostile fleet in over 80 years. Between 12:10 and 14:19, a total of 802 16-inch shells, 728 8-inch shells, and 825 5-inch shells were expended, setting the town ablaze as key industrial and residential targets were hit and resulting in the sinking of one oil tanker, two barges, and one small ship in the harbor. Simultaneously, McCain's carriers closed to within 80 nautical miles of Japan, launching 1,391 sorties against Hokkaido and northern Honshu to target railways, shipping, and airfields, again facing only light resistance. In the ensuing strikes, American planes sank over 50,000 tons of shipping and naval craft, including the destroyer Tachibana, four minesweepers, eight naval auxiliaries, and around 20 merchant vessels, with significant losses occurring at Muroran and Hakodate. In addition, 25 enemy planes were destroyed, while American losses totaled 24 aircraft and 17 airmen, about half of whom were lost in combat. Task Force 38 launched another assault on July 15, executing 966 combat sorties that dropped 355 tons of bombs and expended 2,093 rockets. This operation resulted in the sinking of 65 vessels and damaging 128 others, as well as the destruction of 48 locomotives and damage to 28. Widespread destruction was inflicted on several facilities, particularly the Aomori–Hakodate railcar ferry system, which transported 30% of the coal between Hokkaido and Honshu. The strikes devastated the ferry system, sinking eight ferries, beaching eight more, and damaging two. In total, 70 auxiliary sailing colliers were sunk, and 11 were damaged, along with 10 steel freighters lost and 7 damaged. The ferry strikes were the brainchild of Halsey's operations officer, Captain Ralph “Rollo” Wilson. “When the first action reports began to sift in,” Halsey related: He snatched them up and pored over them; the ferries were not mentioned. Later reports also ignored them. Rollo was sulking and cursing when the final reports arrived. I heard him whistle and saw him beam. “Six ferries sunk!” he said. “Pretty soon we'll have ‘em moving their stuff by oxcarts and skiffs!”  Additionally, 20 city blocks in Kushiro were razed. The most significant outcome of these operations was the virtual severance of Hokkaido from Honshu. By the end of the raids, Halsey's 3rd Fleet had achieved the sinking of 140 ships and small craft, damaging 235 others, and destroying 38 planes while damaging 46. Meanwhile, Rear-Admiral Oscar Badger's Bombardment Group Baker, composed of three battleships, two light cruisers, and eight destroyers, was assigned to bombard Muroran. Between 09:36 and 10:25, this group fired 860 16-inch shells at the Nihon Steel Company and the Wanishi Ironworks, targeting both the coal liquefaction plant and coke ovens. This bombardment inflicted severe damage on those facilities and resulted in the destruction or damage of 2,541 houses in Muroran. As Hasley recalled “These sweeps and bombardments accomplished more than destruction. they showed the enemy that we made no bones about playing in his front yard. From now on, we patrolled his channels and shelled his coast almost every night that the weather permitted.” Additionally, Rear-Admiral James Cary Jones' four light cruisers conducted a sweep along the east coast of Honshu to hunt for Japanese shipping; however, they reported no contacts during their mission. Early on July 16, Task Force 38 retired east of Honshu to begin refueling and rendezvoused with Admiral Rawlings' Task Force 37, which agreed to operate closely as an additional task group for Admiral Halsey. At 03:50 on July 17, the two task forces began launching strikes against central Honshu despite adverse weather conditions. The American forces executed 205 sorties targeting the Mito area, while British aircraft flew 87 sorties against airfields and railyards along the northwest coast of Honshu. Despite the bad weather, several small craft and locomotives were destroyed, though the operation resulted in the loss of nine aircraft and four airmen. Later that afternoon, Halsey detached Badger's augmented Bombardment Group to attack Hitachi, a significant industrial and electronics-producing city. The 53-minute bombardment commenced in fog and rain at 23:14, during which 1,207 16-inch shells, 267 14-inch shells, and 292 6-inch rounds were expended against the Tago and Mito Works of the Hitachi Manufacturing Company, as well as the Yamate Plant and copper refining facilities of Hitachi Mine, resulting in severe devastation. On July 18, McCain's two leading carriers launched a total of 592 sorties against Yokosuka, specifically targeting the heavily camouflaged battleship Nagato at the naval base. The attacks resulted in the sinking of one old cruiser, one minesweeper, one submarine, one incomplete destroyer, and three patrol vessels, in addition to damaging one subchaser, one old destroyer, and one old battleship. Although Nagato was hit multiple times and suffered heavy damage, it managed to stay afloat. Meanwhile, three carriers also targeted airfields and other opportunities in Tokyo, while Task Force 37 attacked a seaplane base at Kitaura and airfields at Nobara, Naruto, Chosi, Kanoike, Natori, and Kitakawa. The recent raids resulted in the destruction of 43 enemy planes and damage to 77 others on the ground, along with the destruction of three locomotives and the derailing of four electrified train cars by rockets. However, the American forces incurred losses of 14 aircraft and 18 aircrew, as the 3rd Fleet flyers reported encountering the fiercest anti-aircraft fire they had yet experienced. Additionally, Rear-Admiral Carl Holden's four light cruisers were detached during the night to sweep shipping off Sagami Bay and to target the radar site at Cape Nojima. On July 21, Captain Thomas Hederman's Destroyer Squadron 61, consisting of nine destroyers, was assigned to conduct another anti-shipping sweep off Sagami Bay. Pursuing four radar contacts, the destroyers engaged targets at midnight on July 22, firing guns and torpedoes from 7,000 yards. This action resulted in the sinking of the 800-ton freighter No.5 Hakutetsu Maru and damaging the 6,919-ton Enbun Maru. In response, Japanese coastal artillery, the minesweeper W-1, and subchaser Ch-42 returned fire, but Hederman's squadron successfully retired without damage. Although minor in scale, the Battle of Sagami Bay would ultimately be the last surface action of the war. Meanwhile, as part of Operation Barney, a planned submarine penetration of the Sea of Japan, nine submarines succeeded in sinking 27 Japanese merchant vessels and one submarine, totaling 54,786 tons.  On June 8, the submarine Barb commenced her twelfth patrol, tasked with terrorizing the Sea of Okhotsk using her newly installed 5-inch rocket launchers. Over the following weeks, Skipper Commander Eugene “Luckey” Fluckey executed successful rocket bombardments on Shari, Hokkaido, and targets in Shikuka, Kashiho, and Shiritoru on Karafuto (southern Sakhalin), also employing the submarine's deck guns to destroy 35 sampans in the town of Kaihyo To. Observing Karafuto trains transporting military supplies to ports, Fluckey devised a plan to intercept these trains. Engineman Third Class Billy Hatfield recalled how, as a child, he had placed nuts on railroad ties and watched as the weight of passing trains cracked them between rail and tie. Realizing this principle could be adapted, he suggested rigging an automatic detonator. Fluckey had many volunteers for the mission, including a Japanese POW, and carefully selected Hatfield and seven others, deciding against leading the shore party himself. Just after midnight on July 23, 1945, Fluckey maneuvered Barb to within 950 yards of the Karafuto coast. Led by Lieutenant William Walker, the team launched two rubber rafts at 00:30. Before they left, Fluckey instructed them, “Boys, if you get stuck, head for Siberia, 130 miles north, following the mountain ranges. Good luck.” Upon reaching the shore, the Americans located the tracks and buried a 55-pound scuttling charge and battery beneath the rails, positioning it under a water tower they planned to use as a lookout. As Motor Machinist's Mate First Class John Markuson climbed up, he unexpectedly found he was scaling a sentry tower, causing him to retreat without alerting the sleeping guard. When a train passed, the team dove for cover before resuming their work after it had gone by. Shortly after 01:30, Walker's team signaled their return to Barb, which was now just 600 yards offshore. Fifteen minutes later, while the boats were halfway back, Fluckey heard the rumble of an approaching train. He hoisted a megaphone and urged the crew to “Paddle like the devil, boys!” At 01:47, a 16-car Japanese train struck Hatfield's detonator, resulting in a massive explosion that sent debris soaring 200 feet into the air and reportedly killed 150 Japanese. Minutes later, all eight Americans were safely aboard Barb, which then slipped back into the night, having successfully executed the only amphibious invasion of Japan during World War II. Returning to the main action, Halsey aimed to eliminate the remnants of the Combined Fleet at the heavily fortified Kure Naval Base. Consequently, Task Force 38 began launching the first of 1,363 sorties against ships and airfields in Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu, ringing the Inland Sea at 04:40 on July 24. A total of 599 tons of bombs and 1,615 rockets were unleashed over Kure, resulting in the sinking or damaging of 22 warships, which totaled 258,000 tons. Among the affected vessels were the battleships Hyuga, Ise, and Haruna; fleet carriers Amagi and Katsuragi; the escort carrier Kaiyo; heavy cruisers Tone and Aoba; as well as light cruisers Oyodo and Kitakami. In addition, another 53 vessels amounting to 17,000 tons were sunk at various locations, including Hiroshima Bay, Niihama, Bungo Channel, and Kii Channel. At Kobe, the incomplete fleet carrier Aso was also attacked and damaged. American Hellcats and Corsairs effectively swept aside Japanese aerial opposition, shooting down 18 enemy planes while destroying 40 aircraft and damaging another 80 on the ground. Furthermore, around the Inland Sea, 16 locomotives were destroyed and five were damaged, while 20 hangars sustained damage. Three oil tanks were set ablaze at Kure and one at Tano. Additionally, four electric trains and a roundhouse were strafed at Hamamatsu, and various military installations, including barracks, warehouses, power plants, and factories around the airfields, received significant damage. Simultaneously, Rear-Admiral Rawlings' Task Force 37 conducted 257 sorties against targets in Japan and the surrounding offshore areas, sinking the escort carrier Shimane Maru in Shido Bay, along with a number of destroyers, small escorts, and coasters. Meanwhile, Jones' light cruisers swept through the Kii Channel before bombarding the Kushimoto seaplane base and airfields at Cape Shionomisaki during the night. Supporting these efforts, General LeMay dispatched 625 B-29s against seven targets in the Nagoya and Osaka areas, successfully inflicting heavy damage on all of them despite the spotty weather, marking this as the last major attack on the Japanese mainland during the war, as two weeks of cloudy weather ensued. In the early hours of July 25, McCain's aircraft carriers resumed launching strikes against airfields and shipping in the Inland Sea and the Nagoya-Osaka areas. During this operation, they executed a total of 655 sorties, expending 185 tons of bombs and 1,162 rockets, successfully sinking nine ships totaling 8,000 tons and damaging another 35 vessels. The strikes also resulted in the downing of 21 Japanese planes, with an additional 61 aircraft destroyed on the ground and 68 damaged. After refueling on July 27, Halsey's carrier forces moved to launch points located 96 nautical miles off Shikoku. At 04:43 on July 28, they resumed strikes over the Inland Sea, focusing on targets from northern Kyushu to Nagoya, as well as airfields across Honshu along the Sea of Japan. This resulted in McCain flying a total of 1,602 sorties, dropping 605 tons of bombs and expending 2,050 rockets. These attacks sank 27 ships, amounting to 43,000 tons, including the battleships Ise and Haruna, the fleet carrier Amagi, and the Combined Fleet flagship Oyodo. Additionally, 78 vessels totaling 216,000 tons were reported damaged, among them the fleet carrier Katsuragi, heavy cruiser Tone, and light cruiser Kitakami. American pilots reported the destruction of 21 Japanese aircraft in the air and claimed 115 destroyed on the ground across 30 area airfields. They also successfully destroyed 14 locomotives, four oil cars, two roundhouses, three oil tanks, three warehouses, one hangar, and a transformer station. In support of these efforts, Task Force 37 conducted 260 sorties against the eastern Inland Sea, targeting the dockyard at Harima and sinking or severely damaging four corvettes at Maizuru. Meanwhile, the 7th Air Force's 11th and 494th Bombardment Groups carried out a day-long raid on Kure, successfully sinking the heavy cruiser Aoba. By sunset that evening, the Imperial Japanese Navy had effectively ceased to exist, though the cost for the Americans was steep, with losses amounting to 101 planes and 88 men since July 24. As Halsey moved east to target the Osaka-Nagoya area, Shafroth's reinforced Bombardment Group was detached on July 29 to bombard Hamamatsu. During the night, they successfully unloaded 810 16-inch shells, 265 14-inch shells, and 1,035 8-inch shells, damaging the Imperial Government Railway locomotive works, igniting a blaze at the Japanese Musical Instrument Company, and wreaking havoc on infrastructure along the critical Tokaido main line. The following day, McCain's carriers conducted 1,224 sorties against airfields in Osaka, Kobe, Maizuru, and Nagoya, expending 397 tons of bombs and 2,532 rockets. These strikes resulted in the sinking of 20 vessels totaling 6,000 tons and damaging another 56 ships. The pilots also claimed destruction of 115 enemy aircraft on the ground, while inflicting severe damage on numerous industrial targets, including aircraft factories and naval docks in Maizuru. In Miyazu Bay, the destroyer Hatsushino struck an air-dropped naval mine, marking the final loss of 129 Japanese destroyers sunk during the war. That night, seven destroyers advanced deep into Suruga Bay, unleashing 1,100 5-inch shells on Shimizu within seven minutes, successfully destroying or damaging 118 industrial buildings. Typhoon weather would impede the operations of the 3rd Fleet for the next two weeks, as Admiral Nimitz ordered Halsey to steer clear of southern Japan, which was set to become the target of a new and deadly weapon: the atomic bomb. The U.S. Army had begun its project to develop an atomic bomb on August 16, 1942, under the auspices of the Manhattan Project. The project was directed by Major-General Leslie Groves and involved renowned scientists such as Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Niels Bohr, Richard Feynman, and Albert Einstein. Over time, it expanded to include a design center at Los Alamos and two production facilities at Hanford and Clinton. By August 1945, the teams at Los Alamos had successfully designed, developed, and built a gun-type atomic bomb capable of forcing five pounds of uranium-235 against another 17 pounds at high speed, thereby achieving critical mass and releasing immense heat, light, blast, and radiation. The team was also experimenting with an even more powerful device: the plutonium bomb, which utilized an implosion method whereby a sphere of plutonium was compressed by conventional explosives to reach criticality. By early August, scientists had managed to produce enough nuclear material to create only one uranium device, known as Little Boy, and one plutonium bomb, referred to as Fat Man. Each weapon had the potential to annihilate an entire city, and American leaders were prepared to use them if it could compel the Japanese Empire to surrender without necessitating an invasion of Japan. A Targeting Committee led by Groves, consisting of Manhattan Project and Air Force personnel, recommended Hiroshima, Niigata, Kokura, and Nagasaki as primary targets.  Groves' Targeting Committee employed several criteria to select sites for atomic bomb targets. The chosen targets had to possess strategic value to the Japanese and be situated between Tokyo and Nagasaki. Additionally, the target needed to feature a large urban area with a minimum diameter of three miles and must be relatively untouched by previous bombings, ironically spared for potential atomic destruction at a later stage. A crucial condition was that, to the best of their knowledge, these areas should harbor no concentrations of Allied prisoners of war. However, this requirement was challenging to ascertain accurately due to a lack of reliable information about the locations of prisoners. Initially, the committee considered 17 candidates and selected five primary targets: Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kokura, Niigata, and Kyoto. On May 28, they narrowed the list to three: Kyoto, Niigata, and Hiroshima. Hiroshima was significant as it housed Hata's 2nd General Army headquarters and featured a large shipyard, while Niigata was a major industrial city with an important port. Moreover, Kyoto held considerable cultural and religious significance for the Japanese. Secretary of War Stimson, having previously cautioned General Arnold about the humanitarian consequences of targeting cities with incendiary bombings, insisted on removing Kyoto from the list after intense discussions with Groves. On July 21, President Truman concurred with Stimson during their meetings in Potsdam, deciding that Kyoto should be spared. Subsequently, Kokura, known for its large arsenal and ordnance works, replaced Kyoto. Additionally, LeMay's staff reportedly included Nagasaki as an alternate target due to potential weather issues, as it was home to Mitsubishi's arms factories, electric production facilities, ordnance works, and extensive dockyards, making it a valuable target. Meanwhile, a high-level civilian Interim Committee, under Secretary of War Henry Stimson, ultimately advised President Truman on the use of nuclear weapons, reasoning that their deployment would be no worse than the current incendiary bombing campaigns against Japan. The committee also recommended that an atomic bomb be deployed as soon as possible, without warning, to maximize shock value and target a "war plant… surrounded by workers' houses." Following a successful operational test of the experimental plutonium bomb conducted at Trinity on July 16, President Truman authorized General Spaatz to prepare for the bomb drops before August 3. Colonel Paul Tibbets' 509th Composite Group had been specially organized in secret since September 1944 to deliver nuclear weapons, and by June, it had arrived at Tinian under the command of LeMay's 21st Bomber Command. General Twinning replaced LeMay as commander of the 21st on August 1, and he would ultimately issue the direct orders for Tibbets to drop the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb mission had a convoluted command structure. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were largely left out of the chain of command. LeMay was Tibbet's nominal commander; however, Groves still had extensive control over the operation through his deputy Brigadier General Thomas Farrell on Tinian. The 21st Bomber Command would determine when the atomic bomb mission was launched, based on suitable weather conditions. Even at this stage, General of the Air Force Henry "Hap" Arnold and LeMay were still skeptical about the Manhattan Project; they thought B-29 incendiary and high-explosive bombing operations would suffice to end the war soon. LeMay even questioned the 509th CG pilots' ability to conduct the mission; he wanted seasoned Pacific B-29 veteran crews to drop the nuclear cargo. While the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) prepared for an impending invasion, the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) continued its bombing campaign against Japan. The crews of the 509th Composite Group needed to acclimate to the navigational challenges, varied weather conditions, extensive distances, and the geography of the region, all while becoming accustomed to combat situations. Training commenced at Tinian on June 30, with conventional operational missions over Japan beginning on July 20. To prepare for their atomic missions, the crews trained with "pumpkins," which were specially constructed bombs designed to mimic the appearance and weight of nuclear weapons. This allowed them to practice handling and releasing the bombs. They also rehearsed navigational procedures, visual bomb release techniques, and dropping the weapon at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet. Following the drop, the crew conducted high-speed, radical turns to evade the nuclear effects after detonation. During their first mission, a B-29 from the 509th sought an alternative target in Tokyo. The crew aimed to drop their 10,000-pound "pumpkin" on the Imperial Palace, but unfortunately, they missed their target. Had they succeeded in killing the emperor, it could have significantly impacted Japan's decision-making process, potentially fortifying the Japanese people's resolve to continue the war. Military leaders might have seized control in the aftermath, pushing their forces to keep fighting. Throughout their training, the units of the 21st Bomber Command intentionally avoided targeting Hiroshima, Niigata, Kokura, and Nagasaki during these practice runs. In total, Tibbets directed his crews on numerous combat missions that targeted 28 cities and involved the dropping of 49 "pumpkins." Remarkably, the 509th lost no aircraft during these operations. While Tibbets focused on perfecting the delivery method, the weapons Little Boy and Fat Man were being transported to Tinian. Some weapon assemblies were delivered by C-54 and B-29 aircraft from Kirtland Field near Albuquerque, while the cruiser Indianapolis delivered the fissionable material for Little Boy from San Francisco on July 26. Four days later, the submarine I-58 unexpectedly attacked the Indianapolis with six torpedoes while the cruiser was en route to Guam, successfully sinking it. Of the crew, 850 Americans survived the sinking, and another 316 were belatedly rescued by August 8. By July 31, most of the assembly of Little Boy had been completed. However, a detonation expert would need to emplace the cordite charges to fire the uranium "bullet" through the gun device to the uranium core after take-off, minimizing the risk of an inadvertent nuclear explosion in the event of a B-29 crash. Additionally, the crew carrying the atomic bomb had to exercise caution when descending once Little Boy was armed because the primary radar or a backup barometric fuse could potentially trigger an explosion if the aircraft descended too rapidly with the fuses in place. On August 2, B-29 crews arrived at Tinian with the assemblies for Fat Man. On that same day, General Twinning and President Truman approved the plan to bomb Hiroshima. Two days later, Colonel Tibbets briefed the crews about the mission, confirming that he would pilot the aircraft carrying the atomic bomb. Tibbets' B-29 No. 82, later named Enola Gay, was supported by three weather reconnaissance aircraft that reported conditions at Hiroshima, Kokura, and Nagasaki, as well as two additional B-29s assigned to conduct scientific and photographic missions. At 02:45 on August 6, Enola Gay took off from Tinian, with diversionary attacks by 604 B-29s throughout Japan also scheduled for that day, as coordinated by Twinning. After passing through Iwo Jima at approximately 05:55, Captain William Parsons and Second-Lieutenant Morris Jeppson armed the bomb at 07:30. Throughout the journey, the B-29s ascended slowly, reaching an altitude of over 30,000 feet as they crossed Shikoku and Honshu, finally reaching Hiroshima at 31,060 feet. At 09:12, Tibbets executed his final approach from the 'initial point', flying east-west over the city towards the intersection of the Ota and Motoyasu Rivers. Approximately at 09:15, Little Boy was released, and Enola Gay immediately began its turn away to escape the impending explosion. However, the bomb mistakenly descended towards the Shima Surgical Hospital rather than the intended target, the Aioi Bridge. At 09:16, Little Boy detonated at an altitude of 1,890 feet, just as Tibbets was about six miles away from the blast point. As a result of the atomic blast, the immediate area around the epicenter was heated to an astonishing 1 million degrees Celsius, instantly incinerating or vaporizing all people, animals, buildings, and other items within that zone. Hiroshima police officials estimated that immediate casualties amounted to 71,379 individuals who were either killed or reported missing. In the surrounding areas, the blast effects crushed unreinforced structures before igniting them, resulting in an additional 68,023 wounded, with 19,691 of those injuries classified as serious. Subsequent assessments, potentially incorporating the impacts of radiation sickness or more precise accounting, recorded 30,524 individuals as seriously wounded and 48,606 as slightly wounded. Just two minutes after detonation, a growing mushroom cloud of highly radioactive dust and debris soared to a height of 20,000 feet. Within eight minutes, Tibbets' crew could observe the mushroom cloud from 390 miles away. Ultimately, the dust cloud peaked at approximately 60,000 feet in altitude. Soon after, a thick, black, radioactive rain fell upon the areas beneath the cloud. The center of the city was utterly devastated; over four square miles of the urban center, which encompassed seven square miles in total, were completely flattened, resulting in about 60% of the city's area being destroyed. An additional 0.6 square miles suffered damage, while more than 75% of the city's 90,000 buildings were obliterated. The ensuing fires compounded the devastation, contributing to countless deaths and injuries. Tragically, some American prisoners of war were present in Hiroshima and lost their lives in the explosion. Meanwhile, Enola Gay safely returned to Tinian at 14:58, where Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, while the rest of the crew received Distinguished Flying Crosses for their participation in the mission. 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. Japan was broken. To be perfectly honest she had been broken long ago. Her leadership had been spending months trying to figure out the best possible way to surrender, while the civilians and troops were suffering horribly. Aerial mining strangled her of food, high explosive and incendiary bombs, killed untold scores of people, and then the Atomic weapons were let loose upon her. It was over.

In this episode, Fergus Kennedy shares the profound journey of uncovering his family's history, particularly focusing on his father's harrowing experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II. The discussion delves into the emotional and physical struggles faced by POWs, the brutal conditions of the Japanese camps, and the resilience of the human spirit. Fergus reflects on the importance of storytelling in preserving history and honoring the legacy of those who endured unimaginable hardships. The conversation highlights themes of survival, family, and the quest for understanding one's roots.Buy the book here

Yes, I am aware I am being cringe in this episode, and I relish every moment of it. Welcome to Horrible Hauntings Vol.4, where we delve into the spine-chilling world of the supernatural. In this episode, we embark on a hair-raising journey across the globe to uncover some of the most terrifying hauntings ever recorded. From a famous ghostly apparition from one of England's aging Victorian mansions to the sinister spirits lurking in an old Japanese POW camp from World War 2, join me, and we will explore stories that defy explanation and send shivers down your spine. Join us as we navigate through eerie encounters and paranormal phenomena that have left witnesses petrified and skeptics questioning reality. So, dim the lights, settle in, and prepare to be haunted by tales that will stay with you long after the episode ends. BUY MERCH! https://httpscrypticchroniclescom.creator-spring.com/

Major Robert Prince served as an Army Ranger during World War II. He fought throughout the Phillippines, and helped plan the Raid on Cabanatuan, a Japanese POW camp.  With the help of Filipino civilians, the Rangers, Alamo Scouts and guerilla forces traveled 24 miles under the cover of darkness to launch a surprise attack on the camp. They successfully defeated the Japanese and liberated over 500  prisoners of war. Actor James Franco portrayed MAJ Prince in The Great Raid (2005), which tells the story of Cabanatuan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain Lawrence Savadkin served as a computer data torpedo operator on the USS Tang, a submarine, during World War II. During a battle with enemy Japanese ships in October 1944, the Tang was struck by a torpedo and sunk. 78 men were killed.  Savadkin narrowly escaped the sinking sub with his life. He and the 8 other survivors were rescued and captured by the Japanese. He spent the rest of the war as a POW in the Toyko Bay Area. In this interview, Savadkin describes the battle that sunk the Tang, how luck helped him escape the sinking sub, and the conditions of the Japanese POW camp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Rona Simmons joins us to talk about a single day in World War II: October 24, 1944. Those 24 hours were the deadliest for U.S. service members during World War II. This day, however, is not widely known in the same way as events like Pearl Harbor or D-Day. It was an “average” day in the vast scale of the war, yet for the 2,600 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who died, and their families, it was anything but average. In her book No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944, historian Rona Simmons meticulously chronicles the tragic events of that day, highlighting the personal stories behind the statistics. The title captures her main argument—that no day in war, especially for those who lost their lives, is truly “average.” She recounts how these individuals, from all walks of life and different parts of the country, were ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. They ranged from cooks to clerks, riflemen to machinists, who all perished in ways as varied as their backgrounds: in hand-to-hand combat, drowning, burning, being shot down in aircraft, or perishing in ship sinkings. One of the most notable tragedies of that day was the sinking of the Japanese “hellship” Arisan Maru, which was transporting American POWs. It accounted for two-thirds of the deaths, as hundreds of prisoners died when the ship was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine, unaware it was carrying Americans. The narrative of No Average Day emphasizes the forgotten or overlooked moments of war—those skirmishes and lesser-known incidents in which many perished, whose names and stories often didn't make headlines. Simmons underscores the human cost of these “small” deaths, which were part of the larger machinery of war but equally important in understanding its human toll. The personal stories, like those of Paul Miller, who died in a Japanese POW camp, and Wanza Matthews, killed in a submarine attack, are framed against a chaotic global war, yet these soldiers' final moments are intimately told, adding depth to their sacrifice. Simmons' account, through thorough research and personal artifacts, seeks to give voice to the individuals behind the numbers, reflecting on how each death rippled through their families and communities. Ultimately, Simmons argues that while October 24, 1944, might seem like just another day in the vast timeline of World War II, it was anything but average for the thousands who gave their lives. The title No Average Day captures this essence, illustrating how the personal costs of war transcend the statistics. We're grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event! #militaryhistory #veteran #interview #veterans #vet #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #virtualevents #virtual #zoom #zoomevents #liveevent #webinar #military #army #usarmy #navy #usnavy #marinecorps #marines #airforce #pilot #aviators #coastguard #nonprofit #501c3 #history  #militaryveterans #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteraninterview #veteranshistoryproject #veteransoralhistory #veteranowned #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #vietnam #vietnamwar #vietnamveterans #koreanwar #coldwar #greatestgeneration #wwii #ww2 #worldwarii #worldwar2 #war #americanhistory #oralhistory #podcast  #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #roundtable #breakfast #generation911 #happyhour

The 1990 Australian film Blood Oath (aka Prisoners of the Sun) is the harrowing true to life story of the military tribunal put together on the Indonesian island of Ambon to investigate the mass killings of Australian soldiers in a Japanese POW camp.  Leading the charge is Captain Cooper, played by stalwart Aussie actor Bryan Brown (FX, Cocktail, Anyone But You) and a whole battalion of great supporting turns from Deborah Unger, Terry O' Quinn, Russell Crowe, Toshi Shioya, Tetsu Watanabe, George Takei and John Polson.  Dan and Vicky look at the film along with a bevy of recently seen items like Max's Penguin, AMC's Breaking Bad, Strange Darling, My Old Ass, Humane, The Deliverance, 2024's Speak No Evil and Blumhouse's Afraid. Watch, like and subscribe to the pilot for Dan's web series West 40s below.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

In this weeks episode we're looking at David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai.Set during World War II, in a Japanese POW camp, Colonel Nicholson and his men are tasked with building a railway bridge over the River Kwai for the Japanese army. What might appear as a typical WWII film on the facade becomes a compelling psychological drama that explores the futility of war.Some of this episodes hot topics include; David Lean's controversial casting choices for Alec Guinness, Japan being sly during WWII, my love of hentai and yaoi, the characters of Nicholson and Saito and their respective journeys, if the film could be considered a satire of the British Empire and the class system.Follow us on Instagram & TikTok: @popcornheadpod

Three lives collide and transform in wartime: The Japanese fighter pilot, Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the attack on Pearl Harbor; the U.S. pilot Jake DeShazer, who bombed Tokyo in retaliation and became a Japanese POW; and Peggy Covell, an American woman who felt compelled to help the Japanese-Americans interned in the U.S., despite her missionary family having been murdered by the Japanese military.Though the two men never met Peggy, her generosity of spirit inspired both of them, and they ultimately became lifelong friends both publicly decrying the morality of war. DeShazer went on to write a book about his experience as a POW who befriended his jailer, and his unexpected love for the Japanese people—which became a bestseller in that country. Fuchida also wrote two memoirs, “For That One Day” and “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary.” Martin Bennett shares this unbelievable true story, as detailed in his book, “Wounded Tiger.”Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Reaction to the FDA advisory panel rejection of MDMA-asisted therapy for PTSD THE INTERVIEW Fans of the paranormal, the fantastical or the downright frightening will enjoy our visit with former Army Intelligence officer R.C. Bramhall who talks about his book, "Haunted War Tales: True Military Encounters with the Bizarre, Paranormal and Unexplained." He shares how he came to write his book, and we discuss everything from cryptid encounters to creepy hauntings - even the story of a ghost plane pulled from the pages of The American Legion Magazine. SCUTTLEBUTT Postal worker finds WWII era letters and drives hours to deliver them Down the Reddit Rabbit Hole: What makes the U.S. military so powerful and effective? Marine shielded student from grenade with his body...and survived Special Guest: R.C. Bramhall.

Today on Family Talk, you'll hear the dramatic conclusion of the story of the incredible journey of faith Darlene Rose was forced to walk through. Against all odds, she survived four years as a Japanese POW during WWII. Having lost everything and not knowing if her parents were still alive, Darlene continued to praise God, claiming Job 13:15 as her own. Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29

Athlete and Japanese POW survivor --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rocky-seale7/message

On this episode, we were joined by Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan to discuss his fascinating new memoir, 'Question 7', a meditation on the decisions that we make and the reverberating effects that these choices can have on the course of history.Richard spoke to us about why he feels that books must exist outside the moral grammar, and why good readers are as important as good writers.He shared amusing anecdotes about a life spent on the road promoting his work, and his dissatisfaction with living in cities – where value is placed on the man-made over the natural world. Finally, he contemplates the difficult question of whether he would even be sitting across from us had the atom bomb not been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, freeing his father after years of back-breaking work in a Japanese POW camp.'Question 7' has been chosen as the Hatchards Non-Fiction Book of the Month for June. Signed copies can be purchased across our three shops as well as on our website.

We celebrate seven years of the podcast with the amazing Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which has sold over 6 million copies worldwide. She returns with a new novel, Sisters Under The Rising Sun, which transports the reader to the women in Japanese POW camps in WWII and is another incredibly powerful story. Heather talks about the role of listening in her work, creating fiction from reality, and what she learned from screenwriting.

It may have all the aesthetics of a big, burly action epic, but don't get it twisted:  The Bridge on the River Kwai is a nuanced, character-based drama, and a philosophical rumination on the absurdities of human nature. In the end, this is a film that's unafraid to ask questions without obvious answers. We'll circle back to that in a bit. For anyone who's never experienced this cinematic milestone, let me give you the Reader's Digest version of the plot: As WWII rages, a battalion of British troops are herded into a Japanese POW camp.  As such, the camp commandant (Sessue Hayakawa) urges his captives to throw themselves into work. Conveniently, a rail bridge needs to be built across the Kwai River, thus linking Burma to Rangoon. Colonel Saito, the commander, promises the men they will be treated well, provided they complete the task on schedule.Almost instantly, a battle of wills springs up in the camp. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), the British commander, is aghast to learn that his officers will work manual labor alongside enlisted men. Not only is this against the Geneva Convention, it's just...uncivilized. His senior staff will do no such thing. In retaliation, Saito loads Nicholson into a hotbox, where he can broil until his spirit breaks. Only, Nicholson doesn't break, and days begin to pass. This puts Saito in an impossible situation: Does he simply give in and look weak? Or, does he risk that Nicholson dies in solitary, and possibly end up with a prisoner uprising?Meanwhile, Commander Shears (William Holden) watches this personality clash from his infirmary bed. He's a charming, shifty American, who manipulates Saito's system to ensure his own survival. If that means bribing the guards, faking illness, or digging graves for his fallen comrades, then so be it. As Nicholson goes in the cooler, Shears can only shake his head in disgust: What good is such fanatical devotion to duty if it no one lives to tell of it?The film's turning point comes when Shears makes a daring escape. Somehow, he navigates the jungle thicket, and gets rescued by Burmese civilians. They get him to a British army hospital, where he eventually gets strong enough to subsist on a diet of dry martinis and blonde nurses. Just as Shears is about to settle into this cushy existence, some British officers show up with a wacky plan. Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) proposes to lead a commando team back into the jungle to blow up the Kwai River bridge. As Shears recently stumbled across this terrain, he would be the perfect guide. At first, the American is nonplussed at the idea of traipsing back into that humid hellhole. Still, the Brits make an offer he can't refuse, and back in they go.A moral and philosophical quandary emerges when Nicholson overcorrects in the name of his troops' morale and safety. He resolves to construct the bridge as an enduring monument to British precision, thus ensuring his men will survive the war. As Clipton points out, Nicholson's sudden exuberance and perfectionism borders on treason. Still the colonel responds with a shrug: If they have no choice, why not give it their all?On a cinematic level, Kwai is a masterpiece on every front. Lean would begin a stretch of ambitious, masterful films (Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago would follow) that would feature many of the same hallmarks as this one: Lush cinematography (Jack Hildyard would win the Oscar), memorable music (ditto Malcolm Arnold, who would score a hit with "Colonel Bogey March), and legendary performances. Holden is perfectly cast as the casual, carousing Shears, who slowly runs out of angles to work. Donald, who would also memorably play another POW in The Great Escape, is also outstanding as the perpetually exasperated Clipton. Hayakawa gives depth to Saito, making him more than just a brutal, scowling monster. With all that said, Guinness would deservedly win the Oscar for his turn as Nicholson, a man whose pride, obsessiveness, and inflexibility point him to the same doom as Saito.Truth is, I can heap praise on Kwai for another 1000 words, but let me boil it all down for you. This is just one of those movies you have to see. Lean, working with blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, delivers an intricate masterpiece that was ahead of its time. On the surface, this looks like a straightforward war film, or maybe a thoughtful character study. Watch it a few more times, and you'll see that it's actually a lot more than either of those things.161 min. PG. AMC+.

Booker Prize-winning Tasmanian writer Richard Flanagan's new novel looks at the choices we make and the chain reaction that follows. By way of a literary love affair through nuclear physics to Flanagan's father's time as a Japanese POW, to Richard's own near-death experience, Question 7 explores the power of language, and of dreaming. Richard Flanagan's novels are published in forty-two countries. He won the Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the Commonwealth Prize for Gould's Book of Fish. A rapid on the Franklin River is named after him.

It's 1945, and as the war draws to a close, Rob Hutton and Duncan Weldon are just trying to stay alive in a Japanese POW camp by trading pieces of the podcast for food. We're watching King Rat, the 1965 film based on James Clavell's novel-memoir about his own years in a camp. It's a film about hunger, class, desperation and survival, but it's also a key moment in the James Donald Extended Universe. Ultimately, is it Not Bad, or Bloody Marvellous? A Pod Too Far was written and presented by Robert Hutton and Duncan Weldon. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Simon Williams. Artwork by James Parret. Lead Producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. A Pod Too Far is a Podmasters production. https://twitter.com/PodTooFar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Susan recounts (and Jack Quaid performs) how her father survived a nightmarish journey in a deadly ship to reach the POW camp. Japan expert Dr. Sam Coleman provides insight into the especially deadly low rates of survival of Japanese POW camps. Letters From My Father is a production of Voyage Media. The series is produced by Nat Mundel, Robert Mitas, Garrick Dion and Dan Benamor. Executive produced by Susan Hearn. Written and directed by Dan Benamor, based on the research of Susan Hearn. The novel cited in this podcast is "Guests Of The Emperor: The Secret History of Japan's Mukden POW Camp", written by Linda Goetz Holmes. Starring Jack Quaid as Charles and Jon Cahill as Earl. Edited, sound designed, and mixed by Nick Messitte. Original music by Derlis Gonzalez. If you are a veteran in need of mental health support, you can always text or call 988, for the nationwide suicide and crisis lifeline. If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you're listening, and subscribe now for future episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We celebrate seven years of the podcast with the amazing Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which has sold over 6 million copies worldwide. She returns with a new novel, Sisters Under The Rising Sun, which transports the reader to the women in Japanese POW camps in WWII and is another incredibly powerful story. Heather talks about the role of listening in her work, creating fiction from reality, and what she learned from screenwriting.  

Shot down over Formosa and facing a firing squad, Sgt. John Shott – radio operator and rear gunner of a B-25 Mitchell bomber – spent the remainder of World War II starving in a Japanese POW camp. Today we're deeply honored as he tells his inspiring story.Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Though rarely spoken about, love, lust and sexuality were key to many soldiers' experiences of the Second World War. Veterans might allude to them in their recollections, but what do we know about wartime experiences of sex and sexual identity? And how did this intersect with the soldiers' understandings of masculinity?For this episode that marks the beginning of Pride month, Dan is joined by Luke Turner, author of Men at War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering, 1939 - 1945. Luke has assembled a cast of fascinating characters, from a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp who later became an LGBT+ activist, to a gay RAF fighter ace; their stories help to demystify notions of sexuality and masculinity in the Second World War.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore.You can take part in our listener survey here.If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at ds.hh@historyhit.com, we'd love to hear from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sailors Alton Hall, Adolphus Hutchison, and Father Francis McManus each survived a vicious ship bombing and 2.5 years in a Japanese POW camp. But their enemies suddenly had new plans for them – transfers to different POW camps in The Philippines and in Japan. Wounded, weak, and starving, these men bravely faced their new fate. But...would they be able to survive their last transfers? Find pictures and maps about these 3 sailors at https://leftbehindpodcast.com/canopus-men/ 

Ayya Khema (born Ilse Kussel - 1923-1997) was the first Western woman to become a Theravadin Buddhist nun. She has served as a model and inspiration for women from all the Buddhist traditions who have sought to revive the practice of women's monasticism in modern times as well as founding women's Buddhist organisations. Her renown as a teacher is widespread. Born in Berlin of Jewish parents, Ayya Khema escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 with a transport of 200 children to Glasgow. She joined her parents two years later in Shanghai, where, with the outbreak of war, the family was put into a Japanese POW camp, in which her father died. Ayya Khema is noted for providing opportunities for women to practice Buddhism, founding several centers around the world. In 1987, she helped coordinate the first-ever Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women. She has written numerous books in English and German, including Being Nobody, Going Nowhere and When the Iron Eagle Flies.

-- Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/vBvWsuJhy3 -- We get into this perfectly cromulent movie about being held in a Japanese POW camp. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imaginarymoviepodcast/message

We back at it with another Real Talk Round Up. Reformed Perspective's editor, Jon Dykstra join us for this one to recap and discuss the last few episodes. We also discuss the cultural moment we find ourselves in and how to evangelize to those around us. Jon also shares some great book/biography recommendations and we've listed them here: "A reason to read biographies is to see, and be encouraged by what God has done in other people's lives. And then be challenged to consider, if He could use them, what could He do with you, if only you trusted Him to keep hold of you? You can find longer reviews of each book by clicking on their title." - J. Dykstra. Top 5 biographies for those who love to read Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken – WW II veteran Louis Zamperini survived enemy fire, being alone on a raft for weeks, and a Japanese POW camp, all the while being “unbroken.” But Who was keeping him so? Brother Andrew's God's Smuggler – Dutchman dares to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain, counting on God to blind seeing eyes Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place – Dutch woman and her family hide Jews during WWII, get caught and sent to concentration camps, and Corrie shows us how God was with her in it all Kara Tippets' The hardest peace – a pastor's wife starts a mommy blog, then uses it to share her journey when she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. She shows us how to die in the security, and to the glory, of God. Amazingly beautiful! George Van Popta's Man of the First Hour – for anyone with Canadian Reformed denominational connections this is a must-read. The story of the first pastor of the Canadian Reformed churches, and is as much a history of him and his family as of the founding of the denomination Bonus: Rosario Champagne Butterfield's The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert – lesbian university professor meets a pastor who asks her, have you considered you might be wrong? Top 5 accessible biographies to get a person started reading biographies  Susan K Leigh's Luther: Echoes of the Hammer – graphic novel yes; superficial? No! Todd Nettleton's When Faith Is Forbidden – 40 true stories from the front lines about God using miracles and persecution to gather His people Kim and Krickitt Carpenter's The Vow – after a car accident leaves a wife with no memory of marrying, or even meeting her husband, she remains committed to the marriage vow she made before God. Robertson McQuilkin's A Promise Kept – Christian college president leaves his position when his wife is struck by Alzheimer's.  Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey's Steal Away Home – a fictionalized biography of Charles Spurgeon and his friend, a former slave, Thomas Johnson – a pain-free way to learn about the “Prince of Preachers” Bonus: Douglas Bond's The Thunder – a fictionalized biography of John Knox, showing him to the be action hero, body guard, pastor that he was.   A BIG THANKS TO OUR OFFICIAL SPONSOR, TRIVAN! WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING US MAKE THIS CONVERSATION POSSIBLE. BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AT WWW.TRIVAN.COM  To keep up with the podcast, check out our website: https://www.realtalkpodcast.ca/ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, clips, and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReformedRealTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reformedrealtalk/ We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, or other feedback at reformedrealtalk@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please share this podcast with your family and friends!  

Pappy B was a member of the Flying Tigers, he was awarded of the Congressional Medal of Honor and he unfortunately got to experience detoxing in a Japanese POW camp after being shot down during WWII, he spent 20 months there. He is telling his story in San Francisco in Oct of 1958 at an unknown event. His WWII story was also made into a TV show back in the 70's. Repost from early 2020. This recording has a harsher tone to it as many older recordings do, I was able to get the background hum out but then again... 1958. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate If you have an AA roundup, retreat or convention coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit our Linktree, click "Submit An AA Event" and fill out the short form. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sobercast Sober Cast has 2100+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Bob and Brad continue their mini-series of three films by director David Lean, with his 1957 classic The Bridge in the River Kwai. This rousing epic about British and American soldiers in a Japanese POW camp may seem similar to films like The Great Escape, but Lean's anti-war streak and the film's focus on hubris and shame make this a much more nuanced experience. Our hosts discuss William Holden as an actor versus as a movie star, while heaping praise on the subtleties in Alec Guinness' brilliant performance Meanwhile, they try a whiskey-that-isn't-really-a-whiskey in Jameson Cold Brew. "Infused" with coffee beans, is this more of a liqueur, or a cordial, than a real whiskey? What will this mean for our hosts' scores? Film & Whiskey Podcast. New episodes every Monday. Film & Whiskey Instagram Film & Whiskey Facebook Film & Whiskey Twitter Email us! Join our Discord server! Theme music: "New Shoes" by Blue Wednesday --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/filmwhiskey/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/filmwhiskey/support

Dan Hampton brings us the action-packed story of an American hero, Lieutenant Bill Harris, who survived a harrowing imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. Through an unpublished memoir provided by Harris' daughter, military documents and personal photos Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed. William Frederick “Bill” Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.

Dan Hampton brings us the action-packed story of an American hero, Lieutenant Bill Harris, who survived a harrowing imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. Through an unpublished memoir provided by Harris' daughter, military documents and personal photos Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed. William Frederick “Bill” Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.

Dan Hampton brings us the action-packed story of an American hero, Lieutenant Bill Harris, who survived a harrowing imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. Through an unpublished memoir provided by Harris' daughter, military documents and personal photos Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed.William Frederick “Bill” Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.

Dan Hampton brings us the action-packed story of an American hero, Lieutenant Bill Harris, who survived a harrowing imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. Through an unpublished memoir provided by Harris' daughter, military documents and personal photos Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed. William Frederick “Bill” Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.

In this episode of Your History Your Story, we will be speaking with retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel Dan Hampton. Dan, who completed 151 combat missions as a fighter pilot in the Iraq War, Kosovo Conflict, and first Gulf War, is also a New York Times bestselling author. Dan will be discussing his most recent book, “Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit”, that tells the amazing story of U.S. Marine Lt. William “Bill” Harris. Harris was captured by Japanese forces in May, 1942 during the Battle of Corregidor (Philippines) but soon escaped, only to endure hardships including an eight hour swim in a shark infested bay, shipwrecks, guerilla fighting, re-capture and two years imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp, where he suffered beatings, torture and starvation. Bill Harris was a true American hero and this is his story. Photo(s): Courtesy of Dan Hampton & St. Martins Publishing Music: "With Loved Ones" Jay Man www.yourhistoryyourstory.com FB: https://facebook.com/yhyspodcast FB Page for Dan Hampton: Dan Hampton Author

A young filipino woman's account of faith, courage, and survival during and after World War II. In this multi-episode series, we'll hear the story of Marion Ghent (as told by her Daughter, Cindy Scott) as she experiences the death of her father, Japanese attacks during WW II, hiding among the feared Moros on Mindanao Island, becoming a Japanese POW, escaping and how she survived the war. Learn the miraculous story of how she reconnects with her father's American family, then migrates to the USA to live among the family and complete her education https://www.facebook.com/Never-Forsaken-105544414659721/

Robert Owens joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 16 by telling recruiters he was 18. Soon he would be joining the other young black men as part of the Montford Point Marines, a unit that was created after an order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt but still kept U.S. Marines segregated.In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Owens discusses why he joined the Marines at such a young age, why his first day of training made him wonder if he had made a big mistake, guarding Japanese POW's on Guam after World War II, and what he sees as the legacy of the Montford Point Marines.

Diederik was born in 1942 in a tiny village south of what now is known as Jakarta, Indonesia. The first three and a half years of his life were spent in Japanese POW camps and it was here that he formed most of his core beliefs, beliefs which he thought were his actual ‘character'. After some fifty years of self-loathing, alcohol, and drug abuse he decided there had to be a better way, it was time to ‘change his mind' at the deepest levels. Through a Course in Miracles and Attitudinal Healing, he developed a radical forgiveness process that allows him to transform the self he hated into a Self whose only function is to extend love. Choose Again, his charitable society, operates a healing center in Costa Rica and he gives talks and teaches workshops in many places around the world. Some main points discussed in this conversation. Everything happens for a reason. Diederik's work goes beneath symptoms to the core belief that ‘chooses' the symptoms. Most core beliefs are formed in the first 8 years of life, and sometimes even in utero. Diederik's birth and early life in a Japanese POW camp. His troubled background. Most children blame themselves when traumatic things happen to them. Their behavior eventually expresses that guilt. Reading this line in A Course in Miracles completely changed Diederik's life: “Sin is lack of love as darkness is lack of light.” Recognizing that the world is a dream and that we are its author enables us to write a different script. Whatever we do in life reflects who we think we are. Feelings are vehicles that can take us back to the moment when their underlying beliefs were formed. “Nothing outside of me can bring me anything I need and nothing outside of me needs to change for me to be happy.” The essence of all these teachings: I am the author of my experience and everything in my life is for me. If you decide that happiness and joy are your goals, then whatever happens will serve that goal. Bliss is the goal of this process. The importance of ongoing practice. It gets easier if you persist. Diederik's Six-Step Process: Step 1: I'm upset. Step 2: Me: It's about me. Step 3: Focus on the feelings. Step 4: Remember my ancient feelings. Step 5: Establish my judgment of myself. Step 6: Embrace the truth about me. “Discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction to awareness.” Programs available, remotely and in residence. Website: choose-again.com Book: Choose Again: Six Steps to Freedom Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Interview recorded June 12, 2021 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

This week we hear more of your war time family stories. Including the incredible details of an Australian soldier’s experiences in a Japanese POW camp and the Sandakan death marches, hiding an illegal printing press as part of the Danish resistance; and scavenger hunts in the desert minefields of North Africa.With thanks to Alyssa Braithwaite, Tom Campbell, Jan Johansson, Patrick Lees and Mark Wrycraft for sharing their stories.We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday evening. Join at Patreon.com/wehavewaysA Goalhanger Films productionProduced by Harry LinekerExec Producer Tony PastorTwitter: #WeHaveWays@WeHaveWaysPodWebsite: www.wehavewayspod.comEmail: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Over the course of world war two, over 22,000 Australians were taken by the Japanese as prisoners of war – and were scattered widely across south east Asia. C Company were 3800 Australians who were enslaved and sent all the way back to Japan.

This month, Team OLFC gather to discuss the Academy's fascination with East Asia, and the landmark moment in which the first film not in the English language took home Best Picture. The Bridge on the River Kwai is directed by Sir David Lean and stars Sir Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson, the senior British officer held with his troops in a Japanese POW camp tasked to build a bridge over the River Kwai in Burma, as Majors Warden (Jack Hawkins) and Shears (William Holden) attempt to prevent it. In Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, we follow the struggling Kim family as one by one they infiltrate the service of the wealthy Park family and their extraordinary home. But all is not as it seems, particularly when former housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang shows up unexpectedly one night. Thank you to Thomas Whitelaw for our intro music and Rachel Valentine Smith for our artwork. This episode was recorded remotely and so we apologise for any changes in sound quality present.

Sarah Kovner's Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps (Harvard UP, 2020) is a nuanced look at the experiences, narratives―and the popular/historical memories of those experiences and narratives―of World War II-era Allied POWs in Japanese custody, especially in the English-language world. While never denying the horrors of war and the POW experience, Kovner finds less systemic and intentional cruelty by the Japanese camp commanders and guards than she does poor planning and preparation, and often outright neglect when it came to the fate of internees.  Simultaneously, the book is sensitive to how POWs' experiences differed enormously due to their status in the eyes of the Japanese as well as the time and place of their captivity. In particular, Kovner contrasts the experience of white, mostly Anglophone POWs and Asians, who were more likely to be subjected to systematically poor treatment. In addition, Prisoners of the Empire also explores the ways that Japan “was present even when it was absent” in the twentieth-century history of international agreements on POW treatment and war crimes. Kovner has produced a significant and thought-provoking contribution to several different subfields of history. In addition to its obvious relevance to those interested in the history of modern Japan, World War II, and historical memory, because of its considerations of such issues as the Geneva conventions and war crimes trials, the book will also be of interest to readers interested in international law and relations. Nathan Hopson is an associate professor of Japanese and East Asian history in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Kovner’s Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps (Harvard UP, 2020) is a nuanced look at the experiences, narratives―and the popular/historical memories of those experiences and narratives―of World War II-era Allied POWs in Japanese custody, especially in the English-language world. While never denying the horrors of war and the POW experience, Kovner finds less systemic and intentional cruelty by the Japanese camp commanders and guards than she does poor planning and preparation, and often outright neglect when it came to the fate of internees.  Simultaneously, the book is sensitive to how POWs’ experiences differed enormously due to their status in the eyes of the Japanese as well as the time and place of their captivity. In particular, Kovner contrasts the experience of white, mostly Anglophone POWs and Asians, who were more likely to be subjected to systematically poor treatment. In addition, Prisoners of the Empire also explores the ways that Japan “was present even when it was absent” in the twentieth-century history of international agreements on POW treatment and war crimes. Kovner has produced a significant and thought-provoking contribution to several different subfields of history. In addition to its obvious relevance to those interested in the history of modern Japan, World War II, and historical memory, because of its considerations of such issues as the Geneva conventions and war crimes trials, the book will also be of interest to readers interested in international law and relations. Nathan Hopson is an associate professor of Japanese and East Asian history in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Sarah Kovner’s Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps (Harvard UP, 2020) is a nuanced look at the experiences, narratives―and the popular/historical memories of those experiences and narratives―of World War II-era Allied POWs in Japanese custody, especially in the English-language world. While never denying the horrors of war and the POW experience, Kovner finds less systemic and intentional cruelty by the Japanese camp commanders and guards than she does poor planning and preparation, and often outright neglect when it came to the fate of internees.  Simultaneously, the book is sensitive to how POWs’ experiences differed enormously due to their status in the eyes of the Japanese as well as the time and place of their captivity. In particular, Kovner contrasts the experience of white, mostly Anglophone POWs and Asians, who were more likely to be subjected to systematically poor treatment. In addition, Prisoners of the Empire also explores the ways that Japan “was present even when it was absent” in the twentieth-century history of international agreements on POW treatment and war crimes. Kovner has produced a significant and thought-provoking contribution to several different subfields of history. In addition to its obvious relevance to those interested in the history of modern Japan, World War II, and historical memory, because of its considerations of such issues as the Geneva conventions and war crimes trials, the book will also be of interest to readers interested in international law and relations. Nathan Hopson is an associate professor of Japanese and East Asian history in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Sarah Kovner’s Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps (Harvard UP, 2020) is a nuanced look at the experiences, narratives―and the popular/historical memories of those experiences and narratives―of World War II-era Allied POWs in Japanese custody, especially in the English-language world. While never denying the horrors of war and the POW experience, Kovner finds less systemic and intentional cruelty by the Japanese camp commanders and guards than she does poor planning and preparation, and often outright neglect when it came to the fate of internees.  Simultaneously, the book is sensitive to how POWs’ experiences differed enormously due to their status in the eyes of the Japanese as well as the time and place of their captivity. In particular, Kovner contrasts the experience of white, mostly Anglophone POWs and Asians, who were more likely to be subjected to systematically poor treatment. In addition, Prisoners of the Empire also explores the ways that Japan “was present even when it was absent” in the twentieth-century history of international agreements on POW treatment and war crimes. Kovner has produced a significant and thought-provoking contribution to several different subfields of history. In addition to its obvious relevance to those interested in the history of modern Japan, World War II, and historical memory, because of its considerations of such issues as the Geneva conventions and war crimes trials, the book will also be of interest to readers interested in international law and relations. Nathan Hopson is an associate professor of Japanese and East Asian history in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Sarah Kovner’s Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps (Harvard UP, 2020) is a nuanced look at the experiences, narratives―and the popular/historical memories of those experiences and narratives―of World War II-era Allied POWs in Japanese custody, especially in the English-language world. While never denying the horrors of war and the POW experience, Kovner finds less systemic and intentional cruelty by the Japanese camp commanders and guards than she does poor planning and preparation, and often outright neglect when it came to the fate of internees.  Simultaneously, the book is sensitive to how POWs’ experiences differed enormously due to their status in the eyes of the Japanese as well as the time and place of their captivity. In particular, Kovner contrasts the experience of white, mostly Anglophone POWs and Asians, who were more likely to be subjected to systematically poor treatment. In addition, Prisoners of the Empire also explores the ways that Japan “was present even when it was absent” in the twentieth-century history of international agreements on POW treatment and war crimes. Kovner has produced a significant and thought-provoking contribution to several different subfields of history. In addition to its obvious relevance to those interested in the history of modern Japan, World War II, and historical memory, because of its considerations of such issues as the Geneva conventions and war crimes trials, the book will also be of interest to readers interested in international law and relations. Nathan Hopson is an associate professor of Japanese and East Asian history in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Sarah Kovner’s Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps (Harvard UP, 2020) is a nuanced look at the experiences, narratives―and the popular/historical memories of those experiences and narratives―of World War II-era Allied POWs in Japanese custody, especially in the English-language world. While never denying the horrors of war and the POW experience, Kovner finds less systemic and intentional cruelty by the Japanese camp commanders and guards than she does poor planning and preparation, and often outright neglect when it came to the fate of internees.  Simultaneously, the book is sensitive to how POWs’ experiences differed enormously due to their status in the eyes of the Japanese as well as the time and place of their captivity. In particular, Kovner contrasts the experience of white, mostly Anglophone POWs and Asians, who were more likely to be subjected to systematically poor treatment. In addition, Prisoners of the Empire also explores the ways that Japan “was present even when it was absent” in the twentieth-century history of international agreements on POW treatment and war crimes. Kovner has produced a significant and thought-provoking contribution to several different subfields of history. In addition to its obvious relevance to those interested in the history of modern Japan, World War II, and historical memory, because of its considerations of such issues as the Geneva conventions and war crimes trials, the book will also be of interest to readers interested in international law and relations. Nathan Hopson is an associate professor of Japanese and East Asian history in the Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/japanese-studies

Very few Australian soldiers who fought in World War Two could say they managed to escape from a Japanese POW camp. Jock McLaren managed to pull it off twice.

Very few Australian soldiers who fought in World War Two could say they managed to escape from a Japanese POW camp. Jock McLaren managed to pull it off twice.

Faced with spending a lonely Christmas all alone at the Ilford South MP's Mansion, the luminous Cownadu, Mike Gapes vows to have the best Christmas of all time, as that'll show Corbyn and his Chinese communist friends, who created an entire pandemic specifically to inconvenience the most hard-done-by individual in the world, Michael Gapes. Cheerful reminiscences are shared about a Gapes child's Christmas in Wales, service as a guard at a Japanese POW camp in WWII and nights spent stealing milk from unsuspecting children, and visits are paid to Gapes Manor by friends-o-Gapes including Van Morison, Gorgeous Georgie and the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein. CAST: JFR as Mike Gapes, young Mike Gapes, Mike Gapes' father, Van Morrison, Welsh miner/Owen Smith, Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present & Future, postman, Gorgeous Georgie, Gorgeous Gilbert, David Bowie and burglar/Joe Pesci FFF as Richard Miller, Jimothy Baker, unnamed servants, unnamed child and the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation (Center Street, 2020) tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities. Paul Knepper was born and raised in New York and currently resides in Austin. His first book, The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers Who Almost Won It All is available on Amazon and other sites. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation (Center Street, 2020) tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities. Paul Knepper was born and raised in New York and currently resides in Austin. His first book, The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers Who Almost Won It All is available on Amazon and other sites. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation (Center Street, 2020) tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities. Paul Knepper was born and raised in New York and currently resides in Austin. His first book, The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers Who Almost Won It All is available on Amazon and other sites. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation (Center Street, 2020) tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities. Paul Knepper was born and raised in New York and currently resides in Austin. His first book, The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers Who Almost Won It All is available on Amazon and other sites. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation (Center Street, 2020) tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities. Paul Knepper was born and raised in New York and currently resides in Austin. His first book, The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers Who Almost Won It All is available on Amazon and other sites. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation (Center Street, 2020) tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities. Paul Knepper was born and raised in New York and currently resides in Austin. His first book, The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers Who Almost Won It All is available on Amazon and other sites. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her book "Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps," author Sarah Kovner explores why many Allied prisoners of the Japanese were treated so brutally while many others were treated quite humanely. Why the wide variance? And when it came to those situations where POW's were treated brutally, why was that the case? It turns out that some of the reasons are surprising.

At 2am on this day in 1944, the Cowra Breakout began. This episode looks at the man who blew the bugle that gave the signal for the mass escape – and how he wound up behind barbed wire as the first Japanese POW in the first place, courtesy of a Darwin Digger's odd angry shot and the bravery of an Aboriginal man from the Tiwi Islands. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of the best books I’ve ever read is called “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand. It’s a biography of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in the Pacific during World War II, spent 47 days drifting on a raft, and then survived more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war in several Japanese POW camps.

To celebrate Women's History Month, the ladies have a very special episode! We're honoring herstory hero and writer, Kathryn J. Atwood, who has written multiple books on women in war, by covering women from two of her books! First, Emily shares the story of Maria Bochkareva who got permission from the Tsar to serve in World War I and formed her own all-female battalion to shame men into fighting! Then, Kelley tells the harrowing survivor story of World War II nurse Vivian Bullwinkel who survived a ship sinking, a massacre, and a Japanese POW camp! Wake up early and step in pee, because we're wining about herstory!** Mornings with u by Barradeen | https://soundcloud.com/barradeenMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unportedhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/winingaboutherstory/overview)

Pappy B was a member of the Flying Tigers, he was awarded of the Congressional Medal of Honor and he unfortunately got to experience detoxing in a Japanese POW camp after being shot down during WWII, he spent 20 months there. He is telling his story in San Francisco in Oct of 1958 at an unknown event. This recording has a harsher tone to it as many older recordings do, I was able to get the background hum out but then again... 1958. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Sober Cast has 1000+ episodes available and many podcast players only list the last 100. Visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.

Cabanatuan POW Camp CemeteryThousands of United States Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and civilians were taken prisoners of war (POW) by the Japanese in the Philippine Islands between 7 December 1941 and 8 May 1942. The saga of the battle for the Philippines and the horrible treatment the survivors received in Japanese POW camps is the subject of numerous books and articles, but there are few resources that articulate graves registration operations, especially those focused on recovering and identifying the remains of U.S. servicemen who perished at the Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Camp. The details concerning the circumstances under which U.S. prisoners held at Cabanatuan lived and died were difficult and complicated, as were the attempts to disinter and identify their remains after the war’s end. 75 years later with the advancement in DNA the U.S. Government needs to reexamine the Cabanatuan unknown cases and look at using a DNA Lead Process to make these identifications.Please visit our website for more information about our services to POW/MIA families - https://www.uspowmiafamilylocating.comPlease visit our affiliate links that help support our Podcast. Bear in mind these are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.Flipside Canvas - Owned by Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer (USMC). At Flipside Canvas, we believe that art offers an opportunity to showcase your commitment to empowering yourself and others. High quality materials that will last 100+ years. All our art comes stretched and ready to hang on your wall. 100% Made in America using locally sourced and manufactured materials. https://flipsidecanvas.com/?ref=SOSPodcast The Home Depot - Not only for the Do It Yourself building and construction projects, you have access to over two million products ranging from small/large appliances to your everyday needs for the home to camping. Purchase online and pick up in your local Home Depot free of charge or ship it to your home! The sky is the limit on the products offered by the Home Depot! https://homedepot.sjv.io/SOSPodcast Please consider supporting our show - https://www.patreon.com/US_POW_MIA_Family_LocatingSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/US_POW_MIA_Family_Locating)

Jimmy Stewart stars in “Mission Completed,” an episode of Suspense about a veteran whose experiences in a Japanese POW camp left him paralyzed. When he sees the face of his former captor working across the street, his strength begins to return. Will he get the revenge he has longed for? Can he keep his newfound […]

The miraculous story of the Walkers, six siblings who survived Blitz, battle and internment and whose incredible experiences tell a new social history of WW2, told by historian and Walker descendant Annabel Venning. Harold was a trainee surgeon who spent a week in a coma after St Thomas's Hospital was bombed in the Blitz, burying him under the rubble. Glamorous Bee married an American airman and was widowed just weeks before the end of the war. Peter suffered terrible torture as a Japanese POW. Edward fought with 1 Jaipur Infantry against the Germans in Italy. Ruth worked on a plastic surgery ward, helping to construct skin grafts on severely burned servicemen. And Walter fought with the 8th Gurkhas against the Japanese in Burma. Together, the stories of these ordinary yet extraordinary siblings tell the story of WW2 from the home front to Italy, Burma, Malaya and Thailand.

Last year I got an email from Cole Gill, his grandfather had made a number of tape recordings recounting his experiences during the war serving on the Royal Navy ship HMS Exeter, then as a POW at the Fukuoka camp,where he witnessed the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Who wouldn’t be interested in that story?  Cole sent them over and after listening to them they’ve been languishing in my virtual bottom draw on my computer, awaiting for me to have some inspiration. Well I’ve got them out, dusted them down and what I have for you is the story of Raymond Fitchett. It’s a big thank you to Cole Gill for sharing these recordings.

Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess and The Greatest Story of the War in the Pacific Narrated by Dale Dye (Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, Band of Brothers) April 4, 1943, ten American prisoners of war and two Filipino convicts executed a daring escape from one of Japan’s most notorious prison camps. The prisoners were survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March and the Fall of Corregidor, and the prison from which they escaped was surrounded by an impenetrable swamp and reputedly escape-proof. Theirs was the only successful group escape from a Japanese POW camp during the Pacific war. Escape from Davao is the story of one of the most remarkable incidents in the Second World War and of what happened when the Americans returned home to tell the world what they had witnessed. 

Show Notes This week, we recap, review, and analyze Mobile Suit Gundam episodes 22 and 23 (21 and 22 in the US), "The Trap of M'Quve" and "Matilda's Rescue," discuss our first impressions, and provide commentary and research on: Japanese sentō (public bathhouses), all-plastic wristwatches, bauxite mining, gallium, the bombing of Darwin, a famous POW-camp escape-attempt, plastic explosives, Lt. Matilda's voice actress, and smoke bombs.- An overview of Japanese sentō.- Additional articles about the history of sentō (these include some great artwork and photographs).- a brief history of the Japanese "system-bath" - baths in private homes that for many people replaced regular use of the local sentō.- For the connotations of nudity in Japanese media, we consulted this paper:"Nudity in Japanese visual media: A cross-cultural observation." Downs, J.F. Arch Sex Behav (1990) 19: 583. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542467- And our source on the prevalence of indoor plumbing in the US as of 1940 is:Lutz, James D. “Lest We Forget, a Short History of Housing in the United States.” American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2004, aceee.org/files/proceedings/2004/data/papers/SS04Panel1Paper17.pdf.- the story of the ahead-of-its-time, "all-plastic" Tissot IDEA 2001 and its competition from Japan.- general information on the history, types, and uses of plastic explosives.- A map of Bauxite mining operations around the world.- Video of the gallium-spoon trick.- Overview of the Bombing of Darwin, and additional detail specifically about the Allies' strategy in the South Pacific.- The story of Matthias Ulungura, who captured Japanese Zero-pilot Toyoshima Haijame.- A photo of Aboriginal dancers at the ceremony to unveil the cairn to commemorate Matthias Ulungura. Plaque reads: "This memorial was erected by the Northern Territory Government in recognition of Matthias Ulungura 1921-1980 Who, unarmed, on 19th Feb. 1942 on Melville Island captured the first Japanese prisoner of war (a zero pilot) to be taken on Australian soil."- More about the Cowra Breakout, a Japanese-POW escape-attempt, which Thom parallels to Cozun's attempted escape from the White Base.- The history of smoke screens and an example of their use in a specific battle in the Mediterranean during WWII.- Toda Keiko (Lt. Matilda's voice actor), performing as Ayu Akemi - this is her first Enka single.You can subscribe to the Mobile Suit Breakdown for free! on fine Podcast services everywhere and on YouTube, follow us on twitter @gundampodcast, check us out at gundampodcast.com, email your questions, comments, and complaints to gundampodcast@gmail.com.Mobile Suit Breakdown wouldn't exist without the support of our fans and Patrons! You can join our Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus episodes, extra out-takes, behind-the-scenes photo and video, MSB gear, and much more!The intro music is WASP by Misha Dioxin, and the outro is Long Way Home by Spinning Ratio, both licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license. Both have been edited for length. Mobile Suit Breakdown provides critical commentary and is protected by the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. All Gundam content is copyright and/or trademark of Sunrise Inc., Bandai, or its original creator. Mobile Suit Breakdown is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Sunrise Inc. or Bandai or any of its subsidiaries, employees, or associates and makes no claim to own Gundam or any of the copyrights or trademarks related to it. Copyrighted content used in Mobile Suit Breakdown is used in accordance with the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. Any queries should be directed to gundampodcast@gmail.comFind out more at http://gundampodcast.com

Part 2 of Darlene's story of victory and answered prayer as a Japanese POW in World War 2.

This week is Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie! A film about an Olympic runner who is imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp, who survives on a stranded raft, beaten up, pestered by sharks and machine gun fire, with religious symbolism and a lot of sandwiched themes. Listen with Michael, Samantha and Randy and see if they managed to get through this 2hr 14min unbroken. After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Directed by Angelina Jolie. Starring: Jack O'Connell, Miyavi, Domnhall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock  Movie discussion starts: 13:42

Testimony of Hope and Courage

Ed Dyess was a smart, talented, athletic kid from Texas who had a passion for flying, movie star good looks, and a flare for acting. Thanks to a chance encounter on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he went on to become an ace fighter pilot, lead men with guns-a-blazing in America’s first amphibious attack during World War II, survive the Bataan Death March, and escape a harsh Japanese POW camp. All the while, Dyess kept quietly inspiring and leading everyone he encountered. Today on the show, I discuss this real life GI Joe with writer and filmmaker John Lukacs. John is the author of Escape From Davao and made a documentary about Dyess called 4-4-43 (narrated by past AoM podcast guest Dale Dye). John shares how Dyess started his military career as fighter pilot during World War II, but ended up leading men on the ground in the earliest infantry battles in the Pacific. We then dig into Dyess’ experience during the Bataan Death March and how he continued to support his men during this crucible. John then shares how Dyess, along with nine other men, escaped from one of Japan’s harshest prison camps and how he fought his way out of the jungle to let the world know of the atrocities going on in the Philippines. We end our conversation with a discussion of why Ed didn’t win the Medal of Honor despite his heroic actions, his tragic death, and the leadership lessons we can all take from him.  Get the full show notes at aom.is/dyess.

While our abilities and offerings to God may be broken and inadequate, God delights in using them to extremes by displaying his extravagant strength and faithfulness to the world. This is beautifully displayed throughout the ages, including: His display of authority in choosing Aaron as head priest of the Israelites, feeding over 5000 people with a small offering of 5 loaves and 2 fish, and answering the prayers of a missionary imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp by not gifting her just 1 banana but 92. As we start digging deeper into understanding how God's faithfulness is true in all life circumstances, not just the happy ones, we need to have these foundations: That God is the same past present and future, and that he takes our broken ashes and multiplies them exponentially into beautiful representations of his vast and abundant faithfulness.

Viveka Melki talks about her art exhibition War Flowers, our human tendency toward war, and the importance of telling the story. War Flowers is a multi-platform exhibition that will provide visitors with a unique immersive experience. It draws on letters written during World War I. Each letter home included a flower, poppies from Flanders and daisies from the Somme, picked from a battlefield and pressed between the pages. The letters written by Lt Col. Cant lie to his wife and children in Montréal, link to nine other key figures and provide perspectives on the Canadian contribution to the war effort. It is the story of humanity’s unfailing ability to find beauty in war. War Flowers: A Touring Art Exhibition curator Viveka Melki  is a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter. She has lived, worked and traveled in cultures where repressive regimes are dominant. From these experiences are born her projects around conflict - and the capacity of the human spirit for resilience. Reflecting on the subject of war, she says: “I dislike war because it runs in our blood and then our blood runs. My goal as an artist is to tell history in our time, with our voice as artists in this era. I bring my film experience into all my work so, in the end, I am a storyteller. I always ask one question when looking at Canadian history - what did it feel like? And if we can capture a fraction of that and bring you into that experience, then we have succeeded.” Born in The Gambia, West Africa of Brazilian/Lebanese descent, and educated in the UK before immigrating to Canada, Melki sees the world through a multi-cultural lens. In 2014, she directed the two-part series War Correspondence (Radio-Canada, RDI). Her feature-length documentary After Circus (2015) received acclaim after screenings at several North American film festivals, including Hot Docs in Toronto and the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal, as well as at the prestigious Sunny Side of the Doc Festival in La Rochelle, France. It was broadcast across Canada on CBC’s documentary Channel in June 2016. In April 2017, Viveka’s new documentary, Carricks: In the Wake of the Irish, aired on Radio-Canada & RDI. It is the tragic story of the Carricks shipwreck in 1847 and one family’s quest to find the truth – a quest that becomes the journey of the Francophone-Irish in Quebec. Viveka is currently working with the New Chapters Canada Council for the Arts on her new film, Alouette, about the Japanese POW camps during the Second World War. http://vivekamelki.com/ ---------- For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here or check out the site of his podcast on film, social change and much more. With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. Image Copyright: Viveka Melki. Used with permission. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI After settling his differences with a Japanese POW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a railway bridge for their captors - while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it. Alan and Craig discuss the great Alec Guinness, misguided heroics, the perils of pride and the movie masterpiece The Bridge on the River Kwai on this week’s Matinee Heroes! Show Notes 0:49 An update on various upcoming events! Including seeing "The Bridge on the River Kwai" on August 5th at the Museum of Fine Arts - Houston.  4:26 Discussion of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" 31:28 Recasting 40:46 Double Feature 48:38 Final Thoughts 54:22 First impressions of "Miller's Crossing"   Next episode, to celebrate Alan's birthday on August 8th, we discuss "Miller's Crossing"

In the morning service, Pastor Dale Thornton preached on -The Deportation of Jewish POWs- from Daniel 1. In the afternoon service, he interviewed Jack Bateman. Jack had an American father and Chinese mother. His father died of TB and when strong political and social tensions arose in China, his mother sent Jack and his sister with a missionary back to the United States. But, the three were captured on the way, and interned into a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines during WW2. Jack spent his teen years growing up in the POW camp. Despite the circumstances, Jack always found ways to be happy. Other POWs were physically fit, but died because they lost hope. When the Japanese saw that they were about to lose the war, they decided to execute all the POWs. As they were preparing for that task, American troops parachuted behind enemy lines and liberated the POW camp. Only a few POWs perished. In this video, Jack is 89 years old. He is still a bit of a comic as you will see. And he finds it easy to stray from topic once in a while. His face still lights up when he talks about his wife who has been with the Lord a few years now. What a treat it was to record this rare type of interview on film.

Set Apart - Forgiveness What makes the Christians different from the rest of the world? Those same things make the church unique - and irresistible. God has always people apart for himself and for his purposes from OT to NT. 1 Peter 1:1-2 "God's elect, strangers in the world" When Christians act like Christ in the midst of tragedy or injustice, the world takes notice. Reuter's news agency report: In the most remarkable moment [of the events], relatives of the shooting victims told Dylann Roof at his first court hearing... that they forgave him despite the hurt they were feeling. In a time that has seen anger and upheaval from Baltimore to Ferguson, Mo., over how police deal with black Americans, Charleston’s reaction to last week’s crime stood out. That spirit of forgiveness even in the face of the worst imaginable crime owes much to a Christian tradition that is especially strong in the South. Video - Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church - can be stopped after 1:24 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/in-charleston-hatred-is-countered-with-forgiveness/article25049385/ "Since Dylann Roof allegedly shot dead six women and three men at a local church on Wednesday, [June 17]; Charleston, S.C., has responded with a grace and unity that has left the country, and the world, in awe." -Reuters Matthew 5:38-39 NIV "Resist" - to set one's self against, to withstand, resist, oppose. Do not oppose or stand against an evil person. We want to take revenge, we want to make it right, but Jesus taught, "Show grace, and trust Him with justice." Matthew 5:43-48 NIV Love people who love you and hate those who hate you - that's how unbelievers live. There's nothing divine about that. The world acts like that. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Is there someone in your life who stands against you? Talks about you? Jesus calls on you to love them and pray for them. How is that possible? Louie Zamparini was a track star that represented America in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. When America became involved in WWII, Louie enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a bombardier on a B24. Louie's plane crashed in the Pacific and he and the pilot, the only survivors drifted in the ocean for 47 days on a raft. A Japanese ship rescued them and of course captured them and they were put through several POW camps. They were tortured physically and psychologically. Because Louie was an American Olympic athlete, he became the target of the Japanese POW camp leader. This man, was known by the POWs as the Bird. The Bird would fly off into psychotic rage and cruelty, especially against Louie. When the war ended, Louie returned home. But he was Scarred by his ordeal, suffered from alcoholism, and he and his wife, Cynthia, came close to divorce. What brought Zamperini back from the brink was hearing a Billy Graham sermon in Los Angeles in 1949, a sermon that inspired Zamperini and began the healing process. In Matthew 18, Jesus told a parable about forgiveness. That a master was owed millions of dollars by a debtor, but the master showed him mercy and forgave his debt. The debtor then went to a man who owed him a few dollars and had him put in prison. The point being, we have been forgiven of so much, there is nothing that we cannot forgive. Christians forgive because they have received extraordinary forgiveness. Christians show grace because they have received extraordinary grace.

ESTER BENJAMIN SHIFREN is a published author, artist, musician, and dynamic international speaker. In 2005, she was featured in the British BBC1 program “We’ll Meet Again,” and was a guest lecturer for several days at the Imperial War Museum.Ester’s book “Hiding in a Cave of Trunks” details all facets of Shanghai’s colorful multi-ethnic population as she relates the saga of her family’s century-long existence in China. In 1943 their privileged lifestyle was abruptly terminated by internment in a Japanese POW camp. In 1948 they relocated to Hong Kong, where the Korean War embargo eventually caused their financial collapse. Ester will also discuss the techniques she used to weave history into her fascinating memoir. Endorsed as a “must read” by authorities on Shanghai’s Jewish history, Chinese Professors Pan Guang and Xu Xin, and Jerusalem Professor Yitzchak Kerem, authority on Sephardic and Eastern Jewry.

On today’s show, our guest is Robert Weintraub, author of No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII (Little, Brown and Company, May 2015). This is the story of Judy, a pointer dog who was a Japanese POW. She befriended Frank Williams, a British POW, and the two…

This month, the Book Talk panel has been discussing the 2014 Man Booker Prize winner, Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Taking its title from one of the most famous books in Japanese literature, written by the great haiku poet Basho, Flanagan's novel has as its heart one of the most infamous episodes of Japanese history, the construction of the Thailand-Burma Death Railway in World War II.In the despair of a Japanese POW camp on the Burma Death Railway, surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his love affair with his uncle's young wife two years earlier. Struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, from cholera, from beatings, he receives a letter that will change his life forever. Joining Sasha de Buyl are Literature Manager at Creative Scotland, Jenny Niven, and former Booker prize judge and literary critic, Stuart Kelly.The panel discusses the many different facets of a novel called ‘graceful and unfathomable' by the Telegraph, including its many scenes of torture and violence and the stripping back of concepts of traditional masculinity.Through the podcast, they explore what sort of book deserves to win a Booker prize and whether Flanagan's Narrow Road has earned its weighty title. Despite winning the Man Booker Prize, the novel was nominated for a Bad Sex award. Were Flanagan's descriptions jarring for the panel?Flanagan is seen as a powerhouse of literary fiction in today's market – does he mark a turn in the tide for the ‘Culture Cringe' generation of Australian culture?If you're reading, or have read, the book, what did you think? How do you think it compares to Flanagan's previous books? Book Talk is produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions.

Zach is forced to make a podcast as he talks Bridge on the River Kwai. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a railway bridge for their captors - while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers VIP. It will help ensure Zach on Film continues far into the future! A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends about the podcast, get them to subscribe and, be sure to visit the Major Spoilers site and forums.

Zach is forced to make a podcast as he talks Bridge on the River Kwai. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a railway bridge for their captors - while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers VIP. It will help ensure Zach on Film continues far into the future! A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends about the podcast, get them to subscribe and, be sure to visit the Major Spoilers site and forums.

Ask yourself: What is the worst attitude that you can have? The attitude that will sabotage basically every plan, every hope, and every dream that you have? I talk about this in step #67 in the 67 steps, watch it here https://www.tailopez.com/product.php?id=FS-0998&source=pc&aff=ben&ad=640034 Today's book of the day is "Devil at My Heels: A Heroic Olympian's Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II" by Louis Zamperini.   I would say it's probably being a victim.   That's where we can learn a lot from Louis Zamperini.    Louis is a man's man.    After representing the United States at the Olympics, he fought in World War II where he became a POW, survived the Japanese shooting at him, fought off a Great White Shark for 2 days and lost 100 lbs surviving in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for 47 days with no water.    In fact I'm super sad he recently died at 97 about a week after we set up an interview with him here in L.A. I really missed out on a legend.   Pick your friends wisely, become the kind of friend you want.   Don't be a victim. Keep it in check my friend.   What's your end game goal? Write it right here.   Tell me about your victimhood and how your'e going to get rid of it.   Write it right here on the page whether it's Youtube or Tailopez.com.   If you're listening on my podcast, leave it as a review.   Remember: Never be a zombie. Never chase a mirage. Be like Louis ZamperiniLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Anne McElvoy. Curator Frances Spalding and Dr Alexandra Harris discuss what portaits of Virginia Woolf convey of her character as a new exhibition opens at the National Portrait Gallery. Richard Flanagan's father was a Japanese POW on the "Death Railway". The Australian novelist's new book The Narrow Road to the Deep North was inspired by this.New Generation Thinker Alun Withey looks back at medical history. Stella Rimmington, former director general of MI5 and diplomat Alan Judd discuss turning their experiences of the security services into fiction.

Colonel Glenn Frazier ran away to join the U.S. Army at age 16 and was stationed in the Philippines during the Second World War. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the war came to him. In April 1942, Colonel Frazier and the Philippine and American troops were forced to surrender to the Japanese, beginning Frazier's experience as Prisoner of War in several Japanese POW camps. Frazier marched north in the Bataan death march and spent three years of his life as a prisoner of war. His story is one that reminds Americans of the challenges and sacrifices faced by U.S. servicemen, and demonstrates the pride he has for his country.

In 1945 Sheila and Bridie were freed from a Japanese POW camp deep in the jungles of Sumatra where thousands of women and children had lived and died virtually forgotten by their own governments. Now, after being separated for half a century, the filming of a television documentary forces them to relive the past, contact the present and question the future.--After working as a solicitor, John Misto changed direction; he decided to become a writer. That career change eventually led to The Shoe-Horn Sonata. It is dense, shocking and poignant - a piece of narrative non-fiction that depicts real life events with a solicitors’ attention to factual detail and a storyteller’s understanding of how emotional truths must be drawn out through narrative construction. The play won the 1995 NSW Premier’s Literary Award, but John was (perhaps) more satisfied that it had rung true for the WWII nurses whose story he was sharing with the world.

Here's an outline of my main points in response to this question from Bobby: "Some pro-life people oppose 'incrementalist' pro-life laws because they always end with '... and then you can kill the baby.' What are your thoughts? Note: Many of my arguments and thinking on these issues comes from conversations I had with Scott Klusendorf and Dr. Francis Beckwith, who both graciously spent time with me while I was working through these issues in 2007. I'm not sure now who said what and how many of these arguments are really my own, nor would I want to source any of these arguments directly to Scott or Frank without their permission. (These were all private conversations.) It's probably a fair assumption that the really smart talking points came from one of them though. This was supposed to be a video but we had technical difficulties with the recorded video, so I'm posting the audio only. Common ground: I agree that we don't want to communicate to people that we only care about babies that feel pain, are a certain age, not conceived in rape, etc. I disagree that most forms of incremental legislation send that message. I think most people know how politics works. It's one thing to endorse something, it's another thing to say what is allowed under the law. I offer a clear example of this from Gonzales vs. Carhart. My argument is not that we should do evil that good may come. My argument is that when we pass incremental bills that will have a positive impact for the unborn, we are not actually doing evil. We are doing a good thing. What's implicit in these bills is that we want to save all, but we know we can't, so we're going to save the most we can, and go from there. That's called graduated absolutism. Why I'm not utilitarian: I'm not saying 'We'll kill one baby if you let another go.' It's more like if in a Japanese POW camp, the Japanese soldier tells a prisoner, 'We'll let you go, and you can either take two with you and we'll kill the other eight, or you can go alone and we'll kill all ten.' It seems like some pro-life people that support personhood amendments would say that by taking the two I'm implicitly saying you can kill the other eight. 'As long as you give me these two, THEN you can kill the POW's.' No, we value life, and we're trying to save as much as we can. The Bible doesn't say that if you can't save all, you can't save any. The midwives in Exodus 1 weren't able to save all the babies, but they saved as many as they could, and they are praised for it. When the Pharaoh confronted them, they didn't make a pro-life argument or statement; they lied about it so that they could continue saving some! It could be argued that they were implicitly telling the leader of the land that it's okay to kill infants. They never to his face say 'You shouldn't do that.' They lied, and saved as many as they could. William Wilberforce helped pass a bill, the Foreign Slave Trade Bill of 1806) that you could have ended with, 'and then you can sell the slave.' Do you think it's more important to make an impact or to make a statement? I don't believe that passing a bill with a rape exception tacked onto it at the last minute sends a message to pro-choice people that we don't care about the babies conceived in rape that are sometimes killed in abortions. Are there some pro-life bills that don't directly save many lives after they pass? Yes. (Parental notification with judicial bypass; the partial-birth abortion ban.) Yet both had educational value, especially the PBA ban.

POW, Al Church, tells his experiences serving on Guam and the 45 months he spent as a Japanese prisoner of war. Part of a lecture series held at the Salt Lake City Public Library. World War II veterans tell their experiences.

With us again 20:00EST Sunday 30th is Rudy Rudenski, joining us later at 22:00 our special new guest Gerard Sijbers, Japanese POW survivor interred by the Japanese on the island of Sumatra in the years 1942-1945 at that time only a 9 year old child. It is our very great privilege that Gerard shall come to share a story of so incredible proportions of survival, adversity, atrocity, overcoming, where we will all draw strength, courage, inspiration, from this wonderful man of God no doubt to drive us forwards in our own life goals. Those who listened last week get a second bite of Rudi Rudenski and will remember he died in a car accident, then learned 'God' didn't hate the people he thought 'God' hated. "the light" Rudi encountered didn't hate anyone. After Near Death Experiences, Rudi returned to his body to learn more about love returning to Earth with broken neck changed, and spending over a year in traction, surgeries, even body casts. He discovered that because of his new understanding about the "Light” that he could no longer perform his soldierly duties. Today, Rudi Rudenski travels across the State of Texas, teaching blind individuals how to reclaim their lives. Rudi now has a Blog called Apple Cider Vinegar Cure by “Rising Sun”, with over 1 million views You can read more about Near Death Experience at http://ndespace.org blogtalkradio.com/caribbeanRadioshow Call-In 661-467-2407

This week Libby Purves is joined by Nina Conti, Anne Downie, John Stewart and Ann Martin-Davis. Ventriloquist Nina Conti returns to London's Soho Theatre, following a sell out run at this year's Edinburgh Festival, with her new solo show, 'Talk to the Hand'. Familiar favourite, the incorrigible Monk is joined by a host of new characters, including poetry penning Owl, mischievous Granny and vodka swilling Lydia. 'Talk to the Hand' is at the Soho Theatre. Anne Downie is a Scottish actor and writer who has worked in many of the major Scottish theatres. She is currently performing in Ena Lamont Stewart's 'Men Should Weep', a moving and funny portrayal of impoverished 1930s Glasgow, written in 1947. It was voted one of the top hundred plays of the 20th century in the NT2000 millennium poll. 'Men Should Weep' is at the Lyttelton Theatre. John Stewart began his career in photography in the 1950s, having previously served in the British army during WWII, including three and a half years as a Japanese POW. His first ever portrait was of Picasso, followed by Matisse. His photographs have appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Life and Esquire and in museums and major collections around the world. Now in his nineties, he has his first major retrospective in London at the Wilmotte Gallery at Lichfield Studios, Notting Hill, which will feature forty never before seen still life images, spanning his 60 year career. Pianist Ann Martin-Davis and her duo partner, soprano Susan Legg, discovered previously unheard, unperformed and unrecorded music by lost composer, Peter Pope. For the next two years they played musical detective, eventually discovering that Pope gave up his promising composing for love and religion. They've released an album 'Heaven-Haven - The Songs of Peter Pope' (on Nimbus records), and will be touring with Pope's song-cycle 'Five Landscapes'; a setting of the T.S. Eliot poetry of the same name, as part of their latest programme Landscape which they will be performing in extreme locations throughout next year.