History

The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership.

by James Eling

HistoryGovernment

Is this your show? Claim it

Listen on Apple Podcasts RSS feed

Recently ranked · United States

Last recorded placements from this show’s chart history. These are not current rankings.

Not on the United States charts we track today.

If you like The Principles of War - Lessons from…, try…

A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

Also in History

Once a Warrior: Life Beyond the Uniform

Also in History

Beyond Mount Rushmore

Also in History

Presidential

Also in History

The EI Podcast

Also in History

Government That Doesn't Suck

Also in History

Latest episodes

156 - Operation Ke: The pursuit and evacuation - How deception planning helped the Japanese Amry withdraw from Guadalcanal

October 25, 2026 · 40 min

How did the Imperial Japanese Army evacuate 10,652 starving survivors from Guadalcanal without the Americans realising until it was over? This episode examines Operation KE's masterful deception — from the Emperor's face-saving "strategic…
155 - Guadalcanal - Combat Innovation and leadership Lessons from Lawton Collins at the Battle of Mt Austen

October 18, 2026 · 50 min

Major General J. Lawton Collins watched Captain Charles Davis earn the Medal of Honor from just 300 yards away — and that proximity defined his entire command philosophy. This episode examines the January 1943 reduction of the Gifu…
154 - Guadalcanal's Battle of the Gifu - Cannabalism in the jungle

October 11, 2026 · 34 min

The US Army's 132nd Infantry Regiment walked into one of the strongest Japanese defensive positions of the Guadalcanal campaign — and didn't know it until they'd already lost their battalion commander. This episode traces the Americal…
153 - Guadalcanal - Battle of Mount Austen - Hyakutake vs Patch, intelligence failures, sabotage raids and crippling casualties.

September 27, 2026 · 36 min

Major General Patch had a simple plan: send the fresh 132nd Infantry Regiment to clear a company of sick Japanese from Mount Austen before the January offensive. Intelligence estimated perhaps 100 defenders. The actual Japanese force was…
152 - National Guard vs Imperial Japanese Army on Guardalcanal - Lessons Learnt for employing green troops at 5th Matanikau

July 19, 2026 · 41 min

The US 182nd Infantry Regiment crossed the Matanikau on 18 November 1942 and within 48 hours all three companies of 1st Battalion had broken under Japanese mortar and flanking fire. This episode examines how green National Guard troops…

Show 7 more episodesShow fewer episodes

151 - How Sea Control doomed the 17th Army to Starvation on Guadalcanal: The failure of the Tokyo Express

June 19, 2026 · 33 min

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal cost the US Navy two rear admirals and six warships — yet it stopped 11 Japanese transports carrying 10,000 troops and the supplies needed to take Henderson Field. We discuss the critical 12–15 November 1942…
150 - What new tactics did Carlson's Raiders use to hunt Shoji's Regiment during the Long Patrol on Guadalcanal?

May 24, 2026 · 1 hr 0 min

Colonel Shoji landed 1,500 Japanese troops east of Henderson Field — and the Americans needed three battalions and a week of manoeuvre to trap just 450 of them at Gavaga Creek. This episode unpacks the Koli Point "Rat Race," the pursuit by…
How do you defend an island nation when 40% of your trade flows through contested waters?

May 13, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min

Forty percent of Australian trade flows through the South China Sea — and if conflict erupts near Taiwan, that route becomes uninsurable overnight. Maritime strategist Mark Bailey argues that Western continentalism has left island nations…
Strategic Context for Australia's WW2 mobilisation

May 10, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min

Australia spent 20 years preparing for a war most politicians refused to discuss publicly — and that systematic industrial strategy may be the nation's greatest governance success story. Dr. Mark Bailey traces how bipartisan policy from…
Australia's Road to War - 1936 to 1941 - Dr Peter Layton

April 27, 2026 · 1 hr 25 min

Australia built a coherent defence industrial strategy in the 1920s and 30s that actually worked when tested by total war — yet we've forgotten most of what made it succeed. This seminar recording pairs Dr Peter Layton's analysis of the…
149 - Why did the Marines stop 1,000 yards short of victory at 4th Matanikau - Guadalcanal

April 26, 2026 · 35 min

After the defeat at Henderson Field, Japanese 17th Army headquarters remained confident — fresh divisions and hundreds of aircraft were promised within weeks. But Vandegrift had no intention of letting them regroup. This episode traces the…
148 - The Battle of Henderson Field - Guadalcanal 1942

April 5, 2026 · 56 min

This episode is the 14th episode in our Guadalcanal series. We look at the Battle of Henderson Field, which is the decisive terrain for the campaign. Had the airfield been lost, it is likely that the US would not have been able to hold…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

Professional Military Education in 30 minute sessions. Historic Battles study through current doctrine to gain lessons learned. Tactics, Strategy, Combined Arms, Military Leadership in a format for Unit PME programs. We study the great battles to draw the lessons on strategy, tactics and leadership. Get your lessons learned here rather than in AAR format.