エピソード

  • How Six Bullets Turned Victory Into Rout at Miskel Farm

    How Six Bullets Turned Victory Into Rout at Miskel Farm
    2026/10/30
    Federal troopers close on Miskel Farm's fenced barnyard - one saber charge and six bullets change the morning. Did they make it in time?

    How Six Bullets Turned Victory Into Rout at Miskel Farm

    In this episode, we lay out the movements, decisions, and small accidents that set the stage for the skirmish at Miskel Farm on April 1, 1863. Listen to how preparations, a lone informant, and a string of choices create a do-or-die moment and ask whether the Federals could seize their advantage.

    Date: April 1, 1863
    Person: John Singleton Mosby
    Location: Miskel Farm, east bank of Broad Run
    Unit: Forty-Third Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Mosby's Rangers)
    Federal commander: Captain Henry Flint

    - A woman walks to Union Church around midnight and tells Major Charles Taggart where Mosby's Rangers are encamped.
    - Major Taggart sends Captain Henry Flint with five companies of the First Vermont Cavalry to envelop the barnyard before dawn.
    - Mosby quarters seventy exhausted Rangers in a fenced barnyard with water on two sides and only a single gate; no pickets are posted.
    - One Ranger, Dick Moran, is asleep at a roadside house instead of in the barn for reasons not recorded.
    - Flint orders a saber charge at the opening of the attack, setting off a chain of instantaneous decisions and accidents.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分
  • The tide table that stranded three ironclads - did they make it?

    The tide table that stranded three ironclads - did they make it?
    2026/10/29
    Confederate ironclads push down the James River toward City Point, but the tide at Trent's Reach could strand them - did they make it in time?

    The tide table that stranded three ironclads - did they make it?

    In this episode, we follow Commodore John K. Mitchell’s night operation on January 23-24, 1865, as three Confederate ironclads and supporting craft attempt to run the James River to reach and destroy City Point. The episode traces the plan, the river obstacles, and the ticking tide window that must hold - will timing and decisions carry them through?

    Person: Commodore John K. Mitchell
    Date: January 23-24, 1865
    Location: Trent's Reach, James River
    Objective: Reach City Point and destroy Union supply depot
    Opposition: USS Onondaga and river batteries including Fort Brady

    - Mitchell departs Chaffin's Bluff after sunset with three ironclads, gunboats, and three spar-torpedo boats aiming for a pre-dawn attack.
    - The squadron must thread Signal Hill battery, Fort Brady, a minefield, a loose-mine net, and four downstream shore batteries en route to City Point.
    - Fort Brady’s guns fire twenty-five rounds at the ironclads but cannot depress enough to hit targets moving downriver, creating a temporary blind spot.
    - Trent's Reach contains a shallow channel and a known obstruction of sunken hulks; pilots possess tide tables that define a narrow passage window.
    - The tide will ebb in the early hours of January 24; the squadron must pass Trent's Reach before that window closes or risk grounding.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分
  • The folded white cloth that held a general's final hour

    The folded white cloth that held a general's final hour
    2026/10/28
    A folded white cloth on a ledge above the East China Sea marks the moment General Ushijima prepares to end his life - did they make it in time?

    The folded white cloth that held a general's final hour

    In this episode, we trace the last days on Hill 89 and the decisions that shaped Okinawa's final stand, from Ushijima's samurai roots to the tunnel defense he accepted. What choices and orders governed those final hours, and who stepped forward when both men were set to die?

    Person: Ushijima Mitsuru
    Date: 22 June 1945
    Location: Hill 89, Okinawa (above the East China Sea)
    Event: Final hours and suicide preparation
    Topic: Defense of Okinawa and command decisions

    - A white cloth lay folded over a quilt on a rock ledge where Ushijima prepared his final act as American forces closed to within yards of the cave entrance.
    - Ushijima had been promoted to full general two days earlier while composing his farewell in the cave beneath Shuri.
    - Born 31 July 1887 in Kagoshima to a Satsuma samurai family, Ushijima carried samurai tradition and avoided factional politics in the Imperial Army.
    - As commander of the Thirty-second Army, he accepted Colonel Hiromichi Yahara’s defense-in-depth plan centered on tunnels beneath Shuri Castle rather than beach defenses.
    - His second-in-command, General Isamu Cho, favored mass attacks, creating a persistent strategic disagreement in the tunnel network during the battle.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分
  • The decoded radio intercept that put subs on the convoy-did they arrive in time?

    The decoded radio intercept that put subs on the convoy-did they arrive in time?
    2026/10/27
    A decoded radio intercept pins a Japanese troop convoy’s exact route to the Yellow Sea - can American submarines reach it in time?

    The decoded radio intercept that put subs on the convoy-did they arrive in time?

    In this episode, we follow the four-day movement of Convoy Hi-Eighty-One from Imari Bay toward the Philippines and the American response mounted after ULTRA decrypts revealed the convoy’s route. We trace the convoy’s makeup, the unusual anti-submarine measures sailing with it, and the two wolf packs of U.S. submarines positioned by Vice Admiral Lockwood - but did those submarines intercept the convoy soon enough?

    Date: November 14-15, 1944
    Location: Yellow Sea / departing Imari Bay, Japan
    Event: Convoy Hi-Eighty-One movement toward the Philippines
    Forces: Japanese Twenty-third Division aboard four transports; U.S. six-submarine wolf packs
    Intelligence source: ULTRA decoded Japanese naval traffic

    - Convoy Hi-Eighty-One departed Imari Bay on the morning of November 14, 1944, carrying the Twenty-third Division south toward the Philippines.
    - The convoy’s escorts included the escort carrier Shin'yō with 27 Nakajima torpedo bombers modified to carry depth charges for anti-submarine work.
    - Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood received ULTRA decrypts detailing the convoy’s departure date, composition, and intended track through the Yellow Sea.
    - Lockwood deployed six submarines in two coordinated wolf packs, placing them at specific coordinates to intercept the convoy’s expected path.
    - On November 15 at 11:50 a.m., one transport, Akitsu Maru, was struck and destroyed in three minutes after contact with American torpedoes.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • The thirteenth wooden step that counted down his last seconds

    The thirteenth wooden step that counted down his last seconds
    2026/10/26
    A sixty-year-old general climbs thirteen wooden steps in Manila as a military tribunal blames him for 100,000 deaths - did they make it in time?

    The thirteenth wooden step that counted down his last seconds

    In this episode, we follow the life, career, and courtroom fate of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, tracing the decisions and evidence that shaped his trial after the Manila atrocities. The narrative asks whether holding a commander accountable without proof he knew of specific crimes can be called justice.

    Person: Tomoyuki Yamashita
    Date: February 23, 1946
    Event: Military tribunal in Manila
    Location: Manila
    Casualties: 100,000 civilians in spring 1945

    - He rose from a rural village in Kōchi Prefecture to graduate sixteenth of 920 from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy.
    - Aligned with the Imperial Japanese faction and petitioned for leniency after the failed February 1936 coup, a choice that later sidelined him.
    - Commanded the Twenty-Fifth Army in the rapid Malayan campaign and accepted Singapore’s surrender on February 15, 1942.
    - Issued orders forbidding looting, rape, and arson at the campaign’s start, yet atrocities including the Alexandra Hospital killings and Sook Ching occurred during and after the fall of Singapore.
    - At his Manila trial, the prosecution did not allege he ordered atrocities, and key evidence showing another officer disobeyed his explicit orders was excluded.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分
  • The Yorktown's planes launched at 07:07 - did they reach Tulagi in time?

    The Yorktown's planes launched at 07:07 - did they reach Tulagi in time?
    2026/10/25
    Yorktown launches at 07:07 toward Tulagi - did her strike reach Tulagi before the Japanese seaplane base became operational?

    The Yorktown's planes launched at 07:07 - did they reach Tulagi in time?

    In this episode, we follow the decisions and movements around Tulagi in early May 1942, from Japanese landings to Yorktown’s lone carrier strike. Who had hours or minutes to act, and what risks did commanders accept as the clock ran down?

    Person: Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher
    Person: Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima
    Event: Tulagi landings and Yorktown strike
    Date: 3-4 May 1942
    Location: Tulagi, Solomon Islands

    - Two coastwatchers sighted the Japanese force and transmitted warnings that reached Yorktown on 3 May.
    - Shima’s invasion force anchored at Tulagi at approximately 0400 on 3 May after departing Rabaul on 30 April.
    - Allied garrison evacuated before the landings; remaining defenses were three Vickers and one Bren machine gun.
    - Gotō’s covering group, including the light carrier Shōhō, withdrew the afternoon of 3 May to refuel, removing local air cover.
    - At 07:07 on 4 May Yorktown turned into the wind and began launching aircraft with no nearby Lexington or carrier air support.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • Halsey's carrier report moved the invasion up - and the clock ran out

    Halsey's carrier report moved the invasion up - and the clock ran out
    2026/10/24
    An admiral’s carrier report moves the Leyte invasion up - can troops, supplies and guerrillas catch up before the clock runs out?

    Halsey's carrier report moved the invasion up - and the clock ran out

    In this episode, we follow how a single carrier report altered Allied plans and forced an accelerated invasion of Leyte. The episode traces the logistical scramble, guerrilla coordination, and shifting naval battles that turned a methodical timetable into a race against time.

    Person: Admiral William F. Halsey
    Date: October 20, 1944
    Location: Leyte, Philippines
    Event: Invasion of Leyte moved from Mindanao; Leyte Gulf naval battle
    Person: Colonel Ruperto Kangleon

    - Halsey’s carrier aircraft found little air opposition over the central Philippines and reported the area as more vulnerable than expected.
    - The Combined Chiefs scrapped a December Mindanao landing and shifted the first major assault 400 miles north to Leyte, advancing the date to October 20.
    - U.S. Sixth Army under General Walter Krueger landed on Leyte with roughly sixty days less preparation than planned.
    - Filipino guerrillas under Colonel Ruperto Kangleon had been supplied by submarines and parachute drops and were attached to U.S. forces for the landing.
    - The Battle of Leyte Gulf (Oct 23-26) sank four Japanese carriers, while Japanese convoys continued landing reinforcements at Ormoc Bay, forcing a prolonged fight.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分
  • The baggage train that marched off at eleven robbed Pleasant Hill of its men

    The baggage train that marched off at eleven robbed Pleasant Hill of its men
    2026/10/23
    A baggage train marched off from Pleasant Hill-did the missing Union brigades make it back in time?

    The baggage train that marched off at eleven robbed Pleasant Hill of its men

    In this episode, we walk the thirty-six hours around Pleasant Hill, showing how movements, orders and missing units shaped a battle that mattered for the Red River campaign. The episode follows the decisions, the march of a baggage train, and the critical timing that left a Union flank exposed - could those absent brigades have changed the outcome?

    Person: Major General Nathaniel Banks
    Person: Major General Richard Taylor
    Person: Brigadier General Cameron
    Date: April 8-10, 1864
    Location: Pleasant Hill, Louisiana

    - At 1:00 a.m. on April 10, 1864, Banks ordered his army to abandon Pleasant Hill after having held the field.
    - On April 8 at Sabine Cross Roads the Union line collapsed, and eighteen artillery pieces were captured by Confederates.
    - Major General Andrew J. Smith’s fresh detachments arrived at Pleasant Hill the night of April 8 and formed the Union anchor.
    - At 11:00 a.m. on April 9 General Franklin’s baggage train departed heading south, taking much of the artillery, most cavalry, the Thirteenth Corps and Corps d’Afrique.
    - Staff officers sent repeated recalls to Brigadier General Cameron as his column moved away, but he never returned and later claimed he received no written orders to come back.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分