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Hardtack

by Mike Ware

Here at Hardtack, I hope to increase your knowledge of Military History through open exploration and analysis of history’s armed forces, their conduct of war, leadership theory, and other topics integral to the field. Listeners are encouraged not only to consider the topics discussed, but to expand upon the material presented and contribute to the discussions through our socials. Thank you for tuning in, giving your support, and contributing your interests to the field of military history. See you in the trenches. https://linktr.ee/hardtackpod

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Latest Episodes

Sep 10, 2025 · 1h 4m
In this episode of Hardtack, I discuss the atrocities of the Pacific War with guest Quin Cho, an archivist at Pacific Atrocities Education. We explore the historical context of the Pacific War, the significance of the Burma Campaign, and the radicalization of the Kwantung Army. Quin shares insights …
Apr 23, 2025 · 41 min
Return with us this week as Jeff Ballard and I continue our journey in the Pacific Theater of World War II during 1942 and '43 . Here, Jeff and I look into the new naval tactics designed by Admiral Burke and explore the technological difficulties of American Naval firepower early in the war. Lastly,…
Apr 16, 2025 · 46 min
Visit the Pacific Theater of World War II during 1942 and '43 with Military Historian Jeff Ballard. Here, Jeff and I delve deep into an operational overview of the Pacific Theater, the Japanese response to American initiative after Midway, failures and successes in naval leadership, and new doctrine…
Mar 12, 2025 · 1h 3m
In this episode we have a very special guest, Dr. John McManus. He is a military historian with 15 books published and holds the position of Professor of Military History at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Some of his works include The Americans at D-Day: The American Experience a…
Dec 4, 2024 · 32 min
American military intervention in Korea at the end of June 1950 began with a clearly defined and just goal in response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) invasion of their sovereign rival below the 38th Parallel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s foreign policy goals in Southeast A…
Oct 30, 2024 · 24 min
Fueled by events that reflected Gilded Age American economic, cultural, and political interests in the preceding years, the presence and role of sensationalist styled news medium known as “yellow journalism” found its place into the fray and was woven into the fabric of America’s foreign affairs. “Y…
May 8, 2024 · 51 min
Tune in to this episode and pick up where Hardtack left off last week in our interview with the President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center, Dr. Mitch Maki. Sources:  Go For Broke National Education Center - YouTube Go For Broke – National Education Center nationalww2museum.org…
May 1, 2024 · 31 min
Shortly after Japan launched its surprise attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, resulting in over 100k West Coast citizens and residents of Japanese descent into incarceration camps. Racism against Japanese Americans rapidly incr…
Mar 6, 2024 · 1h 2m
Tune in to this episode of Hardtack for an interview with a special guest, the producer, director, writer, and editor of the five-part documentary series, War Movie: The American Battle in Cinema, Steve Summers. War Movie is a documentary series that examines not only the history of war in American …
Nov 22, 2023 · 1h 14m
Standing five feet six inches tall and weighing just 145 pounds, the hazel eyed Catholic man of Eastern European descent fit the profile the FBI and Army Intelligence department were looking for in 1966 for a “special assignment.” The brown haired, spectacled man spoke Czech and German, had an under…
Sep 13, 2023 · 33 min
The Battle of Tannenberg was one of the first major battles of World War I, fought between Russia and Germany in East Prussia. The early decisions of German leadership in World War I, and consequently the Eastern Front, resulted from the German war plan of 1914. However, Eighth Army’s operations in …
Aug 30, 2023 · 24 min
On November 7th, 1938, Ernst vom Rath, a Nazi Party member and German Foreign Office diplomat was assassinated by a 17 year old Polish-German Jew named Herschel Grynspan. Grynspan entered the German embassy in Paris on the morning of November 7th and requested to speak with an embassy official claim…
Mar 29, 2023 · 27 min
The Sengoku Period, or Warring States Era, of Japan began in 1467 with the Onin War. Feudal Japan was characterized by violence between warring states, where kinsmen cut each other down in bids for territorial superiority. Independent warlords among the domains unleashed their samurai and fighting m…
Mar 15, 2023 · 23 min
In 27 BCE, Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire. Emperor Augustus Caesar reinstated past political institutions and championed reform that enabled peace, prosperity, and targeted corruption. The rule of Augustus brought about the beginning of Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, a nearly 200-year p…
Mar 1, 2023 · 36 min
Historian Richard A. Gabriel neatly summarized Philip II’s legacy, “Had there been no Philip to bring the Macedonian national state into existence, to assemble the economic and military resources to unite Greece, to create the bold strategic vision of conquering Persia, and to invent the first moder…
Feb 15, 2023 · 29 min
The year was 9 CE. Autumn winds, rain, and cool air blew through the trees of western Germania’s forests. The waters of the Rhine River were beginning their annual swell in the wake of summer’s heat. Though the autumns of Germania were relatively moderate, the season was one of transition and marked…
Feb 1, 2023 · 35 min
The year was 1962. In February, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. The World’s Fair took place on April 21st in Seattle, Washington and the Space Needle, which stands at 602 feet tall and features a rotating SkyCity restaurant, was unveiled to the world. Black student John Mere…
Jan 25, 2023 · 32 min
Executing a plan developed and approved by the Eisenhower administration, President John F. Kennedy deployed a brigade of 1,400 Cuban exiles to overthrow Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro in 1961. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was terribly executed and a significant disaster for the Kennedy administration.  Y…
Jan 18, 2023 · 35 min
The Imperial Japanese Army was born of, and found its conclusion in, violent conflict. Westernization had come to Japan during the mid to late nineteenth century and divided the nation, for a time reversing the unification efforts of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Consisting of warring clans and provinces …
Jan 11, 2023 · 32 min
The year 1915 was a significant year for the participants of the Great War, and a great many memorable events occurred. The Gallipoli Campaign commenced, along with the Raid on the Suez Canal, the Second Battle of Ypres began, the RMS Lusitania passenger ship was sent to the seabed by a German U-Boa…