S8 Ep258: SURVIVAL STORY: WOMAN OUTLASTS SNAKE TRAPPED IN HER SHOE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. In Southwest Sydney, a woman survived a bite from a deadly eastern brown snake that became entangled in the loop of her trainer shoe. Displaying remarkable calm, she remained

S8 Ep258: ENGLAND SECURES SURPRISE VICTORY AMIDST ASHES CONTROVERSY Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis reports that England unexpectedly won the fourth Ashes test despite playing poorly earlier in the series. The match ended quickly, causing controversy regarding the Me

S8 Ep258: DALLAS THE DOG TEAMS UP WITH MAGPIES TO FIGHT COCKATOOS Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis recounts how his dog, Dallas, successfully chased destructive cockatoos off their property. While usually friendly, Dallas identified the birds as enemies, aided by terr

S8 Ep258: SUN, SAND, AND SANTAS IN BOARD SHORTS: AN AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Jeremy Zakis describes Christmas in Australia as the polar opposite of the Northern Hemisphere, featuring clear skies and temperatures in the mid-80s ideal for outdoor

S8 Ep257: THE ATOMIC BOMB AND POST-WAR LEADERSHIP Colleague Craig Symonds. Nimitz and King believed a naval blockade could force Japan's surrender without a costly invasion, which they feared would result in millions of deaths. Nimitz was informed early about the

S8 Ep257: TYPHOONS, KAMIKAZES, AND UNFORGIVING WARFARE Colleague Craig Symonds. Halsey's aggression led to disaster when he twice steered the fleet into typhoons, causing significant loss of life and ships. Despite inquiries recommending Halsey's removal, Nimitz re

S8 Ep257: THE TURKEY SHOOT AND THE WORLD WONDERS Colleague Craig Symonds. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Spruance prioritized protecting the Saipan beachhead, resulting in the "Turkey Shoot" that decimated Japanese air power but allowed enemy ships to esc

S8 Ep257: AMPHIBIOUS LESSONS AND INTERNAL RIVALRIES Colleague Craig Symonds. The Central Pacific drive began with the bloody assault on Tarawa, revealing the difficulties of amphibious warfare against coral reefs and the temper of Marine General Holland "Howlin' Ma

S8 Ep257: HALSEY'S AGGRESSION AND STRATEGIC DEBATES Colleague Craig Symonds. Fearing the loss of Guadalcanal, Nimitz replaced the cautious Ghormley with Bill Halsey, whose aggressive "Kill Japs" attitude boosted morale. While Nimitz valued Halsey's pugnacity for "c

S8 Ep257: THE GUADALCANAL SHOESTRING AND COMMAND STRESS Colleague Craig Symonds. To preempt a Japanese airfield, King pushed for an offensive at Guadalcanal despite inadequate resources. Nimitz managed this "shoestring" operation while balancing the needs of his st

S8 Ep257: INTELLIGENCE AND CALCULATED RISK Colleague Craig Symonds. Nimitz employed the concept of "calculated risk"—weighing potential benefits against losses—to manage his inferior forces. Although he viewed the Doolittle Raid as a risky stunt, he allowed it to p

S8 Ep257: TAKING COMMAND OF A WRECKED FLEET Colleague Craig Symonds. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on Christmas 1941, Chester Nimitz faced the immediate task of bringing stability to a devastated command while the harbor was still burning. Selected by President Roosevel

S8 Ep256: COLD WAR RISE AND POLITICAL FALL Colleague James M. Scott. After the war, LeMay rose to lead the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and became Air Force Chief of Staff. However, his blunt, non-political nature caused friction with figures like Robert McNamara an

S8 Ep256: AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND AND THE PATH TO VICTORY Colleague James M. Scott. LeMay was relieved when reports indicated light opposition, validating his gamble. By dawn, 16 square miles of Tokyo were reduced to ash, and 105,000 people were dead—four times th

S8 Ep256: THE HORROR ON THE GROUND IN TOKYO Colleague James M. Scott. The raid began just after midnight, catching families asleep. The napalm bombs were designed to puncture roofs and spray fire inside homes, turning the wooden city into kindling. The resulting fi

S8 Ep256: STRIPPING THE GUNS FOR A SUICIDE MISSION Colleague James M. Scott. For the March 9th raid, LeMay ordered bombers stripped of all guns and ammunition to carry more incendiaries and prevent friendly fire in the dark. Crews viewed this low-level entry into a

S8 Ep256: A RADICAL SHIFT TO LOW-ALTITUDE NIGHT BOMBING Colleague James M. Scott. LeMay concluded that high-altitude precision bombing would never work over Japan. He devised a secret, perilous plan to switch to low-altitude night bombing, dropping the B-29s from 3

S8 Ep256: CURTIS LEMAY TAKES COMMAND AND TESTS INCENDIARIES Colleague James M. Scott. After Hansel was fired for a lack of results, Curtis LeMay, a pragmatic problem-solver from a hardscrabble background, took command in January 1945. LeMay realized the existing ta

S8 Ep256: JET STREAMS, BAD WEATHER, AND THE FAILURE OF EARLY RAIDS Colleague James M. Scott. Hansel's precision strategy failed due to Japan's adverse weather and violent jet streams, which blew at 230 mph and ruined bomber accuracy. The B-29, which cost $3.7 billi

S8 Ep256: THE ARRIVAL OF THE B-29 AND THE PRESSURE ON HAYWOOD HANSEL Colleague James M. Scott. In November 1944, Brigadier General Haywood Hansel arrived in the Pacific with a mission to destroy Japan's ability to wage war using the B-29 bomber. Hansel, a pioneer o