The Principles of War PME Podcast

My grandfather never talked to me about what happened after (he built railways in Thailand and Burma). When he returned home he was so thin that my mother how was about 10 when he returned refused to believe that he was her father. But he spoke highly of the sailors.

My grandfather told me his story of that night. He was a PO Telegraphist. As the ship continued to list he left the radio room to find out what was happening. Perth was abandoned. He returned to get his sailors out. He spoke highly of the Japanese sailors who fished them out of the water that night

3. #Logistics and the Falklands War to get an understanding of expeditionary logistics. Long distances, extended operations and attrition made this one of the decisive factors in the war.

2. Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations as we prepare to look at the Naval component of the #Guadalcanal Campaign and in preparation for our upcoming #Falklands series.

This years Christmas #PME reading.
1. The General looking at how the culture with the Senior Officer ranks impacted combat performance from WW2 through to Afghanistan.

What are you reading?

Will have a look. I haven't read anything of his yet. U-boats might be a great place to start!

How El Alamein Fooled Rommel: The Deception Plan That Blinded the Desert Fox at Second Alamein YouTube video by The Principles of War

youtu.be/rPnoj22I6Fs How did the capture of Unit 621 invert the information asymmetry between Monty and Rommel? How much of an advantage was the Sigint received by Rommel in his operational campaigning? All this and more as we look at Deception at 2nd El Alamein. #deception #pme #sww #strategy

Logistics, Artillery and Deception: The Real Reasons 2nd El Alamein Broke Rommel’s Army YouTube video by The Principles of War

#PME video now out! 2nd El Alamein. I never really understood how what lead to this important battle and how the British Army relearnt the lessons of the #FWW to fight a true #combinedarms battle. #deception, stonks, log and 1 1/2 million rounds fired in 13 days. 1st of 9 eps!
youtu.be/AvRXdLI_0H4

The Death of Mission Command? Getting Mission Command, HQs, Orders and Culture fit for combat. YouTube video by The Principles of War

youtu.be/gzKsjzaUP5g - Next PoW Youtube #PME with Dr Jim Storr. Is #MissionCommand broken? What type of culture enables MC to survive/thrive? How can exercises be fixed to promote MC? How are officer careers best managed and what has changed since the #SWW?
#Leadership

128 - Rebuilding an Army - Morale, Leadership, Training and Mission Command in the 14th Army with Slim | The Principles of War Podcast How did Slim's Leadership style, approach to lessons learnt and doctrine development enable the 14th Army to train to defeat the Japanese.

How did Slim rebuild 14th Army after Burma 1942? #Leadership, lessons learnt, #doctrine development, #morale and mission command all played a part. Great lessons for (re)building an Army for #LSCO. #pme #sww #podcast
theprinciplesofwar.com/leadership/1...

127 - The General who wouldn't quit: Slim and the longest retreat | The Principles of War Podcast Field Marshal William Slim's career offers insights into leadership, mission command, and optimism under pressure — important lessons for leaders in future combat operations.

Next #podcast is up, with Robert Lyman sharing the Wisdom of Slim. How did he maintain his optimism and resilience and how did he use Mission Command in 14th Army HQ? Great #Leadership lessons for #command in #LSCO.
#PME #SWW #milhistory
theprinciplesofwar.com/leadership/1...

How human and physical terrain doomed the British in Malaya - A military disaster explained. YouTube video by The Principles of War

This episode looks at the human and physical terrain in Malaya. At the tactical and operational level, terrain played a large role in the Japanese way of war and limiting the Allies ability to fight their style of combat.
#PME #JPME #SWW #history #milhistory #8thDivision
youtu.be/bmpsSTYDPfM

Definitely will next time we are there. I don't think my Grandfather spent anytime there - he only talked about building railways for the Japanese. He was on HMAS Perth, but I am interested to see how many of the soldiers of the 8th Division spent the rest of the war.

Thank you. This series is almost entirely focused on Malaya, but I am planning to look at Singapore in a lot more detail.
We haven't been to Changi, but next time we are there I am keen to visit.

The most manoeuvrist campaign the Australian Army has ever fought. YouTube video by The Principles of War

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6pa...
How did the IJA conquer Malaya in 1942 in 55 days when outnumbered 2:1? Many mistakes made, some lessons learnt, but how many have been forgotten? Our Youtube series has started. 14 more episodes to go! #pme #jpme #makepmefunagain #sww #history #milhistory

The Military Decision Making and Planning Processes | The Principles of War Podcast The new decision making and planning processes doctrine supports faster planning and better decision making for Commanders.

theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/the-...
MAJGEN Krause, the author of the new Decision Making and Planning Processes doctrine, DMPP, explains the changes to improve timeliness in orders and the changed role of the Commander in planning. Great new #doctrine for the ADF. #pme #jpme #oodaloop

125 - Medical care on the Kokoda Track | The Principles of War Podcast Medical care in the combat zone can be arduous and dangerous work. We look at the story of the medics on the Kokoda Track.

How were sick or injured soldiers on the Kokoda tracked care for? How was Casevac effected? We look at the medical planning considerations for Operations in the next #PME #Podcast. Listen today! #SWW #SWPA #milhistory #history
theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/koko...

114 - P40E Kittyhawk vs A6M2 Zero - Air Combat over Port Moresby in April 1942 | The Principles of War Podcast RAAF P40E Kittyhawks of No 75 Sqn vs the A6M2 Zero in April 1942 over Port Moresby. The RAAF vs the Imperial Japanese Navy.

In March 1942 the P40Es of No 75 Squadron, RAAF, deployed to Port Moresby to defend Papua.
How well prepared were they?
How did the P40E Kittyhawk compare against the A6M2?
A fight for air superiority over Port Moresby in early 1942. #SWW #SWPA #PME #history
theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/114-...

The Bailey Bridge | The Principles of War Podcast The Bailey Bridge played a key role in WW2, enabling manoeuvre where previous a river had had denied movement. This is the history of the Bailey Bridge.

Since ancient times, the interest in military #engineering has become a fascination once manoeuvrists want to cross f a river. It isn't easy and the Bailey Bridge played a key role in it. #Buildabridgeandgetoverit
theprinciplesofwar.com/military-eng...
#milhistory #sww #pme #history

A fascinating thread on USN actions in China in the #SWW which I had no idea about. Very interesting!

106 - Combined Arms Doctrine Development in the First World War | The Principles of War Podcast How did the British Army develop combined arms doctrine in the First World War and what was forgotten in the inter war period?

theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/106-...
A great discussion with Robert Lyman about advances in #FWW Combined Arms. The lessons for today are clear: With technology changing, once again, how can and should Combined Arms be generated? Important lessons for todays and tomorrow's battlefield. #pme

Terraine's book is excellent. Interesting how the development of tactics and the fortunes of war ebbed and flowed in each war and how they rhymed quite well.

123 - Jungle Warfare in Vietnam with Gary McKay | The Principles of War Podcast Retired LTCOL Gary McKay discusses his Officer training and training for the Jungle at Canungra as 4 RAR deployed to South Vietnam.

Excellent #Leadership 2 part #Podcast with LTCOL Gary McKay who fought in Vietnam. He describes how, as a Platoon Commander, he and his soldiers trained for Jungle warfare. Lessons well learnt from combat in 1942 #SWPA and #Kokoda.

theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/gary...

Top 10 Professional Military Education Podcasts for 2025 | The Principles of War Podcast Here is a list of the Top 10 Professional Military Education Podcasts for 2025. Get your Podcast PME here!

Looking for some #PME #podcasts to listen to, or planning your PME for next year?
Check out the Top 10 PME podcasts for 2025. @thekrulakcenter.bsky.social @rusi.bsky.social @warontherocks.bsky.social
theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/top-...
Did I miss any?
#makepmefunagain #intellectualedge

83 years ago today. Pearl Harbor, Philippines, Wake Island, Hong Kong, Malaya, Thailand, and Guam. Despite clear warnings, the Allies were unprepared, untrained and unequipped for the Japanese offensive. Have a listen to the #podcast to understand the costs. theprinciplesofwar.com/category/mal...

This is why I am using Google
less and less. It has clearly got our #Australian Prime Ministers mixed up. Unless there was some shenanigans in the War Council that I'm not tracking, this is not the PM you are looking for who was sans trousers. I was just doing some simple referencing!

122 - Japanese Lessons Learnt for Jungle Warfare | The Principles of War Podcast How did the Japanese lessons learnt process work? We look at the IJA reaction to Australian development of Jungle Warfare doctrine.

How did the IJA adapt to Allied improvements in jungle warfighting? We discuss Japanese innovation (or lack thereof) with Dr Adrian Threlfall.
theprinciplesofwar.com/podcast/122-...
Also Owen guns and the Jungle Division.
#podcast #pme #sww #swpa #history #milhistory

The Missouri. Laid down Jan 6, 1941. Iowa Class - the last class of BBs built by the US. At 58,460 tonnes, top speed of 32.5 knots and 3 triple 406mm (16 inch) guns. A monster, but overtaken by the Aircraft Carrier. How many platforms do we have or are building today that will soon be obsolete?

Good to know. The reading list is far too long with excellent books, we need to be picky about what we read.

Here we see the Australian Army starting to develop tempo and manoeuver in the SWPA at the operational level. Scarlet Beach was the Army's first opposed landing since Gallipoli. #pme #milhistory #history #sww