It’s October 3, 1993 and 160 soldiers of an American task force are making a routine raid into Mogadishu. It should have been just another minor skirmish. It became a battle that would cost the lives of thousands. On today’s show we’ve got a classic showdown of cutting-edge military technology and training versus the sheer numbers of the ill-led Somali militias. It’s a unique battle made famous in the epic war-film Black Hawk Down. It’s also our first show about modern warfare here on Battlecast – the world’s foremost podcast about war. We released this one a week early as a Christmas gift to you and want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year. To all of you traveling out there, stay warm and stay safe.

The beer this episode is Sam Adams Winter Lager – 4 bullets out of 5.

http://media.blubrry.com/429895/archive.org/download/the_BC12/BC12.mp3

Download episode 12 here: download

Maps and Illustrations:

Map showing the location of Mogadishu in East Africa and battlefield. Courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer / MATTHEW ERICSON.

Map of initial assault on target building. Courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer / MATTHEW ERICSON

Locations of crash sites and target building. Courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer / MATTHEW ERICSON

Initial deployment of Rangers around the first crash site. Courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer / MATTHEW ERICSON

Typical Street in Mogadishu

A US Marine helicopter flies over Mogadishu. Note, this is not a Black Hawk or Little Bird helicopter. Notice the unpaved streets.

General Garrison’s letter to President Clinton. Courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer / MATTHEW ERICSON

Audio Clips:

Survivors from the Battle and Radio Traffic: http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/audio.asp

References:

A Modern History of the Somali by I.M. Lewis

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden

Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney

In the Company of Heroes by Mike Durant

The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith

“Black Hawk Down: An American War Story” by Mark Bowden. Web. http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/sitemap.asp

Music References:

Kemper Crabb – “Es Kommt Ein Schiff”

http://www.kempercrabb.net/ 

Join Chris and Luke in the North Georgia bunker as they recount the Battle of the Alamo, the famous battle from the Texas Revolution. General Santa Anna, an opium addict and dictator, is bringing an army of 7,000 men to decimate the homes and firesides of Texas. Only 200 men stand in their way – more a citizen-militia than an army. Led by some of the most famous characters in American legend: William Travis, Davie Crockett, and James Bowie – the Texans will break the tide of Santa Anna’s legions on the rocks of the Alamo. Sit back and grab a beer as we tell you the story of a latter-day Thermopylae. It’s all here and it’s all for free on Battlecast – the world’s foremost podcast about the greatest battles in history.

http://media.blubrry.com/429895/archive.org/download/nameless1/BC11.mp3

Download this episode here: Download

The beer this episode is Lonestar – 2.5 bullets out of 5.

Map of Battlefield

Isaac Millsap’s letter to his family from the doomed Alamo garrison

The Alamo Today

Come and Take it Flag with Cannon

Book References

Texans in Revolt: The Battle for San Antonio, 1835 by Alwyn Barr

Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans by T.R. Fehrenbach

The Oxford History of Mexico by William Beezley and Michael Meyer

Fire and Blood: A History of Mexico

Music References

“Deguello” by traditional.

“Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.” — U.S. Navy Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, March 16, 1945

Join Chris and Luke as they guide you through one of the bloodiest battles in American history: the Battle of Iwo Jima. In this episode the marines will drive across the island in savage fighting, clearing the death-jigsaw of Japanese Mastermind Tadamichi Kuribayashi strongpoint by strongpoint. The planners in Hawaii had thought tanks would do the hard fighting. Kuribayashi anticipated this threat by creating a series of mutually supporting strongpoints in a position called the “Meat Grinder.” Tanks could hardly operate in the Meat Grinder. The Marines cleared it with hand grenades and flame throwers. They took heavy casualties. The Japanese fought to the last man. It was a fight through hell and we’re taking you there tonight on the world’s premier podcast about warfare: Battlecast. So grab a chair, grab a beer and get ready for battle.

Beer this episode is Kirin Ichiban, 3 bullets out of 5.

http://media.blubrry.com/429895/archive.org/download/noname10/bc10.mp3

Download link: Download

Map of Pacific Theater:

Map of Battlefield:

References:

Iwo Jima by Bill Ross

Into the Rising Sun edited by Patrick K. O’Donnell

Mishima by John Nathan

I was a Kamikaze by Ryuji Nagatsuka

Reaping the Whirlwind by Nigel Cawthorne

War without Mercy by John W. Dower

Hell in the Pacific by Jim McHenry and Bill Sloan

Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima

War at Sea by Marcus Faulkner

The West Point Military Atlas of Modern War edited by Thomas E. Griess

The West Point Military History of The Second World War Asia and Pacific edited by Thomas E. Griess

Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and William Scott Wilson (trans.)

A History of Japan by R. H. P. Mason and J. G. Caiger

The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 by John Toland

The Second World War by John Keegan

Contemporary Japan: History, Politics, and Social Change by Jeff Kingston

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

Music References:

Paint the Sky Red

“While we Sleepwalk”

https://painttheskyred.bandcamp.com/album/paint-the-sky-red

Powerglove

“Resurrection”

http://powergloveaudio.com/

Traditional

“Sakura, Sakura”

It’s February 20, 1945 and the United States Marine Corps has bisected the neck of the island of Iwo Jima. In this show, the Japanese will unleash the fearsome kamikaze and we’ll hear from a kamikaze who miraculously survived to tell the tale. Thousands of Navy personnel and hundreds of Japanese pilots won’t be so lucky. Meanwhile, Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi is decimating the Marines in the beachhead, slamming shell after shell into their positions from heavily fortified strong points, many of them imperceptible to the human eye. The shelling, flamethrowers, and constant bombing reduced the island to a hell-like pit of destruction. The marines are going to have to storm through this hell to attack the Japanese strong points. They said it was like storming hell.  And this is their story.

The drink this show is Sake, 3 bullets out of 5.

http://media.blubrry.com/429895/archive.org/download/BCfinal9/BCfinal9.mp3

Download link: download

Map of Battlefield

References:

Iwo Jima by Bill Ross

Into the Rising Sun edited by Patrick K. O’Donnell

Mishima by John Nathan

I was a Kamikaze by Ryuji Nagatsuka

Reaping the Whirlwind by Nigel Cawthorne

War without Mercy by John W. Dower

Hell in the Pacific by Jim McHenry and Bill Sloan

Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima

War at Sea by Marcus Faulkner

The West Point Military Atlas of Modern War edited by Thomas E. Griess

The West Point Military History of The Second World War Asia and Pacific edited by Thomas E. Griess

Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and William Scott Wilson (trans.)

A History of Japan by R. H. P. Mason and J. G. Caiger

The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 by John Toland

The Second World War by John Keegan

Contemporary Japan: History, Politics, and Social Change by Jeff Kingston

Music References:

Powerglove

“Warzone”

http://powergloveaudio.com/

Iwo Jima – an eight-square-mile island transformed into a death trap. Literally, every square inch of the island spewed death. The whole rock was a front line. Join Chris and Luke as they take you, like a second Virgil, on a trip through a Nightmare in Hell – the battle of Iwo Jima. For months, the Japanese mastermind Tadamichi Kuribayashi turned the island into a factory of hell the marines dubbed “the meat grinder.” For months, the Americans returned the favor by shelling and bombing the island with impunity. Over 200,000 men participated in this battle. This is their story. We’ve made every attempt to let them speak for themselves.

The beer this show is Sapporo, 3 bullets out of 5.

http://media.blubrry.com/429895/archive.org/download/BC8final/BC8final.mp3

Download link: download

Battle Maps:

Map of Battlefield:

Please note this is a map of the battle plan. The map below shows how the battle actually progressed.

The yellow line in the above map shows the positions of marines at the end of d-day. Arrows show the lines of attack during the subsequent week.

References:

Iwo Jima by Bill Ross

Into the Rising Sun edited by Patrick K. O’Donnell

Mishima by John Nathan

I was a Kamikaze by Ryuji Nagatsuka

Reaping the Whirlwind by Nigel Cawthorne

War without Mercy by John W. Dower

Hell in the Pacific by Jim McHenry and Bill Sloan

Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima

War at Sea by Marcus Faulkner

The West Point Military Atlas of Modern War edited by Thomas E. Griess

The West Point Military History of The Second World War Asia and Pacific edited by Thomas E. Griess

Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and William Scott Wilson (trans.)

A History of Japan by R. H. P. Mason and J. G. Caiger

The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 by John Toland

The Second World War by John Keegan

Contemporary Japan: History, Politics, and Social Change by Jeff Kingston

Music References:

Powerglove

“Warzone”

http://powergloveaudio.com/