History of Southeast Asia

Today we return to Burma, now called Myanmar, to hear about the efforts of the Allies, especially the British, to take back this land during World War II. Also, the Ledo Road will be finished, and the Burma Road will be recovered. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Ledo-Burma_Road.jpg) A map of the Far East during the war, showing the two roads mentioned above. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/FtDufferin1945.jpg) A British soldier at Fort Dufferin, during the battle of Mandalay. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Burma121944.jpg) This map shows where the units were located before the real fighting started, in December 1944. The Allied units are blue, while red marks the Japanese units. Source: warfarehistorynetwork.com. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Manadalay-Meiktila-MAP.jpg) And here is a map to follow the battle of Mandalay and Meiktila. Again the Allies are blue and the Japanese are red. Source: warfarehistorynetwork.com. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

With this episode, the podcast narrative about World War II in the Philippines is concluded. Here is the story of how the US 8th Army, with the help of Filipino guerrillas, took back the central and southern Philippines, also known as the Visayas and Mindanao, from the Japanese in 1945. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/6thand8thArmy.jpg) This map shows the entire Philippine campaign. The red arrows show the movements of the US 6th Army, which we already covered in Episode 50, 52 and 53. What the US 8th Army took in this episode is shown with the blue arrows. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)

The American campaign in the Philippines continues into 1945 with this episode. Now that the Japanese fleet has been mostly destroyed, and the Americans have taken back Manila, they and the Filipino guerrillas go on to free the rest of the main island, Luzon. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/JapaneseonLuzon.jpg) Here is a map of Luzon, showing how Japanese forces were distributed across the island when the Americans arrived. Source: a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/project66/posts/1789090507774190) dedicated to the 66th US Infantry Regiment. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

This episode continues, but doesn't quite finish, what we started in Episode 50, the American campaign to liberate the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur's troops take the central islands of Leyte and Mindoro, then land on the main island, Luzon. The campaign culminates with the terrible battle for Manila in February 1945. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Map_of_Philippines_(en).png) And I have reposted the map of the Philippines that was used with Episode 14, so listeners can see the locations for most of the places mentioned here. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/? code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

Today we take a break from the usual routine, and you will hear me answer the questions which you the listeners sent in over the past month or two. Listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

This episode begins a series on the battles fought in the Philippines during 1944 and 1945, pitting the Americans and Filipinos against the Japanese. Here we will see General Douglas MacArthur land the US 6th Army on the island of Leyte, thereby keeping the promise he made two years earlier. Then the entire Japanese Navy will gather in the waters around Leyte to stop the landing, resulting in the biggest naval battle in all of World War II. Finally we will see the first use of Japan's desperate last tactic, kamikaze planes. Here is the famous photo of MacArthur wading ashore at Leyte. Today on the spot where this happened, you can see a war memorial with seven bronze statues of MacArthur and his associates, re-enacting the landing (second picture). The man wearing the pith helmet is Sergio Osmena, the Philippine president at the time. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/macarthurreturns.jpg) (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Tacloban7.jpg) To understand the battle of Leyte Gulf you will need a map. This one comes from a 1959 Time Magazine article, which commemorated the 15th anniversary of the battle. You are looking at a thumbnail; click on it to see the map full size in a new tab. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/leyte_gulf_th.jpg) Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

Today we look at the climax of World War II in the China-Burma-India theater. Here in 1944, Japan invaded India, and launched its last offensive in China, while the American general Joseph Stilwell led a campaign to take back northern Burma. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)

With this episode the podcast returns to Southeast Asia during World War II. This time we look at what happened in Burma, modern-day Myanmar, from the middle of 1942 until early 1944. Orde Charles Wingate (1903-44) led British guerrilla units in Ethiopia and Burma during World War II. He is my favorite WW2 hero because he was a nonconformist who "thought outside the box" constantly. During the war he grew a nonregulation beard and wore a pith helmet, as you can see here. Source: WarHistoryOnline.com. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Wingate1943.jpg) Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

With today's episode, the podcast finishes covering World War II in New Guinea. Although the war turned in the Allies' favor in 1942, the struggle here would go on until the war ended everywhere else. The Allies find out that in every territory occupied by Japan, it is at least twice as hard to drive the Japanese out, as it was for them to invade the territory in the first place. Also, today is the second anniversary of the podcast's launching. Happy birthday, podcast! This map of New Guinea shows where General MacArthur landed troops in 1944, to liberate the island and establish an advance base before moving on to the Philippines. Source: History.army.mil. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/pacific/NGmap3.jpg) Since World War II, The Phantom, one of the oldest comic book super heroes, has been a popular art subject in Papua new Guinea. Here he has been painted onto a wooden shield. The last part of this episode explains why Papuans are crazy for him. Source: Wikimedia Commons. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/pacific/Phantom_image_on_Papua_New_Guinea_shield.jpg) And for your websurfing pleasure, Here are some photos from the New Guinea campaign: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/pacific/new-guinea (https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/pacific/new-guinea/) Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

The podcast is back, after a month-long break! Here we continue the coverage we started in the previous episode, about World War II in New Guinea. This time we will see the crucial turning point in the conflict between the Japanese, Australians and Americans. This map of New Guinea gives you an overview of the island during World War II; most of the cities and towns I mention in Episodes 45 and 46 are shown here. Before the war the western half of the island was part of Dutch-ruled Indonesia, while the two territories in the east, N.E. New Guinea and Papua, were ruled by Australia. The mountains running through the middle, the Owen Stanley Range, also roughly mark the front line in the second half of 1942; the Japanese captured most of what was north of the mountains, while the Allies held on to everything south of the mountains, as well as Milne Bay on the island's eastern tip. Source: www.historyofwar.org. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/pacific/new_guinea_ww2.gif) Here is the first of two maps that show in detail the course of the battles covered in the next podcast episode. This map shows southeastern New Guinea, the "tail" of the island. The rectangles enclose the areas shown on the second map. Also visible is Milne Bay on New Guinea's eastern tip. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/pacific/papua_new_guinea_1942.jpg) This map (or "maps" if you prefer) shows six closeups of the Kokoda Track and the Buna beachhead. I found this map and the previous one on two websites: www.EmersonKent.com and www.WestPoint.edu. Unfortunately I don't know which of them had the maps first, so I am listing both as my sources here. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/pacific/papua_new_guinea_1942_detail.jpg) Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

The next episode is going to be late.  Originally I was planning to record and upload it by June 1, but now it looks like I will have to aim for a release date in the middle of June.  Listen in to find out more.

This is another episode that is not set in Southeast Asia, but next to it. Today we begin the long jungle war in New Guinea, as the Japanese stage their first invasions of the world's second largest island. Meanwhile to the southeast, in the Coral Sea, Japanese and American aircraft carriers meet. The result is a crucial battle, halting the Japanese advance toward Australia from the sea. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)

Today a new podcast has been launched that I think you're going to love. It is called "American Innovations," and it combines science and history with a dramatic presentation. Check it out on iTunes, listen and enjoy! I know I'm going to. American Innovations by Wondery  

Today marks a new month, and you know what that means -- it's time for a new episode! This time we have an overview of what life was like for those in Southeast Asia, during the years when Japan ruled the region (hint: most of it is bad.) A Ten Peso bill, printed by the Japanese for use in the Philippines. Inflation soon made them nearly worthless, and because the Filipinos had been exposed to Hollywood movies, they scornfully called this "Mickey Mouse money." (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Mickey_Mouse_money.jpg) The Axis leaders in Asia only met once, at the Greater East Asia Conference, held in Tokyo on November 5-6, 1943. No big announcements or decisions were made, the conference just presented an image of solidarity among the participants. Shown here from left to right are Ba Maw (Burma), Zhang Jinghui (Manchukuo prime minister), Wang Jingwei (China Proper), Hideki Tojo (Japan), Wan Waithayakon (Thailand prime minister), José P. Laurel (Philippines), Subhas Chandra Bose (India). Not attending: Prince Teh (Demchugdongrub) of Inner Mongolia. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Greater_East_Asia_Conference.JPG) Between 1,200 and 1,300 German and Austrian Jews escaped the Holocaust in Europe by going to the Philippines. Here is a crowd of them at the house of Alex Frieder, the most prominent Jew in Manila. This photo was taken on April 30, 1940. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/seasia/Philippine_Jews.jpg) Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)  

Today we have a diversion from the narrative the podcast has been following lately. When Japan conquered Southeast Asia in early 1942, it gained access to the Indian Ocean, and the Japanese ventured into that ocean afterwards. This episode will look at what followed: the invasion of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the bombing of Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), and a battle between the British, French and Japanese for Madagascar. Although this area is not in Southeast Asia per se, I believe you will find the stories interesting, because they are really obscure to those people who don't live around the Indian Ocean. That includes the host; I did not hear any of this in school! Now listen and enjoy. During World War II, the Japanese had an Indian nationalist on their side, Subhas Chandra Bose, and after they conquered the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, they put Bose in charge of them. This picture was taken during the first and only time he visited the islands, at the end of 1943. Bose saw the islands as the first province of a future independent Indian state, but in reality he was nothing more than a Japanese puppet. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/india/1403895196-882_bose.jpg) This map shows three of the places in the Indian Ocean that will be discussed in Episode 43. The place I called Ceylon in the narrative has been called Sri Lanka since 1972. The Maldives, Andamans and Nicobars are flyspeck islands; you will have to look closely to see the dots marking them. Madagascar is off the left edge of the map, near Mozambique and South Africa. (http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/india/maldives-on-worldmap.jpg) Here is the only map I could find for Madagascar in World War II. Unfortunately I just broke one of my own rules. In the recording I used the present-day name of Antananarivo for the capital, while the map uses the old French name of Tananarive. I should have known better! Source: Simon Goodenough, "War Maps (World War II from September 1939 to August 1945, Air Sea and Land, Battle by Battle: World War II from September 1939 to August 1945, Air, Sea, and Land, Battle by Battle)", ISBN-10: 0312051786, St. Martin's Press, 1982.(http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/africa/images/MadagascarWW2.jpg) Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. (http://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/?code=HSEASIA) Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! (https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif)