The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War
The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast is the creation of Seth Paridon and Bill Toti. Seth is a World War II historian with over 20 years experience who's many roles also was serving as a chief historian for The National WWII Museum for 15 years. Bill is not a historian, but is a retired submarine commodore and military planner with a special interest in the Pacific War. Bill has a unique perspective to offer as one who spent more than a decade sailing those same waters where the action in “The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War” took place.
Each week, Bill and Seth dive deep into topics pertaining to the Pacific War during World War II. We dissect the battles, tactics, strategies, and personalities that drove the United States' victory on the largest battlefront in human history.
Seth and Bill bring out the hard facts about the war that resonates deeply today, some 80 years after the war was fought.
New episodes are released on this channel every Tuesday, and the audio versions of each episode are released at the same time everywhere you receive your podcasts. Make sure you subscribe to get notifications of every fresh upload and new show!
If you prefer an audio-only version of “The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War,” it can be heard here:
And for those of you interested in the transition from active duty to industry, Bill’s book “From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership” is available in hardback at Amazon and other resellers, in eBook format on Kindle and Apple, and in audiobook format on Audible.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 87 minutes
- Episodes
- 185
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Attack on Pearl Harbor: The Second Wave - Episode 519
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall wrap up the Japanese attack on Oahu with the second wave. As the first wave of Japanese attackers winged off and away from Oahu, the second wave followed them …
Attack on Pearl Harbor: The First Wave Part 2 - Episode 518
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall wrap up the First Wave of the attack on Pearl Harbor by covering what happens to USS California, USS Arizona, and other ships in the anchorage before they move…
Attack on Pearl Harbor: The First Wave Part 1 - Episode 517
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall finally get to the meat of the Pearl Harbor series with Part 1 of our discussion of the First Wave. We get into the nuts and bolts of 1st Air Fleet's run towar…
Prepping for Pearl Harbor: American Defenses - Episode 516
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a look at the American preparations, or lack thereof, for an attack on Pearl Harbor. The guys take a dig into Admiral Husband Kimmel and General Walter Sh…
Japanese Planning for Pearl Harbor - Episode 515
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall dig into the Japanese planning for the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. The guys get into the brain behind the idea, that being Admiral Yamamoto Isorok…
The Air War Over China 1937-40 with Justin Pyke - Episode 514
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome a new guest to talk about the air war over China. Justin Pyke joins us and delivers a masterful performance talking about an oft-forgotten aspect of th…
Countdown to Pearl Harbor-Diplomatic Warfare Part 2 with Rich Frank - Episode 513
This week Seth Paridon and co-host Jon Parshall welcome their good buddy Rich Frank back to the show to continue last week's conversation on the diplomatic road to Pearl Harbor. The guys pick up wher…
The Diplomatic Road to Pearl Harbor Part 1 with Rich Frank - Episode 512
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome their good friend, the "Grand Poo-Bah" of Pacific war historians, Rich Frank to the show to discuss the actions of Japan and the United States between …
Doolittle Raid Archival Footage Dissection - Episode 511
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a look at the archival footage from the famous Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942. There are several iconic moments in Pacific War history, or WWII for that…
Annapolis Goes to War: The Naval; Academy Class of 1940 with Craig Symonds - Episode 510
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall welcome noted author and historian Craig Symonds to the show to discuss Craig's new book. Annapolis Goes to War: The Naval Academy Class of 1940 is an excellen…
FDR and the Preparation for War 1933-1940 - Episode 509
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a really deep dive into the preparation for the war that no one in the US wanted to fight. We have always said that it isn't like flipping on a light swit…
January through March 1942 in Pearl Harbor Archival footage Dissection-Episode 508
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take a look at some really, really cool National Archives archival footage. The guys dig into the records of Hollywood director John Ford's Field Photographic …
The Battle of Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol - Episode 507
This week Seth Paridon and co-host Jon Parshall dig into a little-known event that had massive implications on the future progression of the Pacific War. In 1939, the renegade Japanese Kwangtung Army…
The War in China 1937-1940 - Episode 506
This week Seth Paridon and co-host Jon Parshall take a look at the war in China from 1937-1940. Major clashes occurred in 1937, most notably at Nanking, where the guys get into both the battle and th…
Exploring the Wreck of USS Yorktown - Episode 505
This week Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall take you guys on an exclusive look at the remarkable footage taken by NOAA during their recent dive on the wreck of the USS Yorktown (CV-5). Seth and Jon tour …
Pearl Harbor Attack Archival Footage Dissection-Episode 504
As promised, this week Seth and Jon Parshall take a dive into the world of WWII archival footage from the US National Archives. The team focuses their attention on a few reels of footage from the ear…
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the Battle of Shanghai - Episode 503
This week Seth and co-host Jon Parshall take a look at...yes you read that correctly. More on that later. Seth and Jon take a look at what some historians say is the beginning of World War II, the Ma…
The Mukden Incident: Planting the Seeds of War-Episode 502
This week Seth and Bill take a deep look at where it all began...the Mukden Incident and the following Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Contrary to popular belief, World War II did not begin …
Deadly Effective: US Subs vs the Imperial Japanese Army-with Rich Frank - Episode 501
This week Seth and Bill welcome Season 5 into the world with very special guest, the "Grand Poo-bah" of Asia-Pacific War historians and very dear friend, Rich Frank. Rich delivers and absolutely fasc…