The Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the Battle of Shanghai - Episode 503

Bill will be missed but he's doing an Impt Job so i guess we understand ...

I predicate Bill will be back soon. Dealing with Hegseth, Trump, big ship admirals and the big profit military industrial complex will send any rational person around the bend pretty quickly. I will happily welcome him back.

I appreciate your very informative podcast. Best wishes to Bill and success in his new endeavor, he will be missed.

Waiting for the Biopic on Captain Toti Father of our new and Modern Navy

This is this administration’s Plan Z moment

Welcome aboard John! Now you’re just not an occasional stowaway.

Good luck and Godspeed, Capt. Toti. Welcome to Jon as the regular shirt guy on the podcast. Love both and Seth, of course!

Captain Toti, there is no finer way to honor the lives of the American men and women who fought WW2 in the Pacific than to rebuild the Navy which made that victory possible. I salute your service to our county and wish you success with the task ahead. M.A.N.G.A. (Make America's Navy Great Again). Godspeed!

Bill, thank you for again answering the call.

God bless you, Captain Toti. The work you are now doing is critical. The state of the fleet and its status vs potential adversaries has brought me great concern for the future of our world. I know you cannot possibly solve all the problems, but I feel better knowing that you are playing a part. On behalf of Americans and others who desire a peaceful and open world, I wish you the best of luck in those endeavors. I hate to see you leave the show, but it is obviously a worthwhile sacrifice.

We’re going to miss you Captain Toti but I think it’s great that you’ve been called upon to help our Navy. I’m sure you’ll do a great job!

thanks for another great show !

What? Captain Toti left the ship? Sad news. Hope the Navy will release him soon.
Wish you the best for your new assignment, Captain.

Super!! Jon Parshall is the number one 👏👏👏👏

Commodore Toti,

Fair winds and following seas. You will be missed.

The good Captain was really good with maps. Seth, someone needs to furnish maps.

No...he probably didn't spell "center" wrong...LOL. He probably spelt it the correct British way as in how it is spelt in the Oxford Dictionary. It never tires me as to how the US citizenry learn to spell how ENGLISH words as they think and as a result have come up with the WEBSTERS dictionary...words like...TYRE, which is only the rubber part of a WHEEL ASSEMBLY, and not the whole wheel....I could go on. And on. I harbour no ill will...LOL
Capt B. Toti, Sir....From one retired defence member to another: Do we ever really retire? We served with a whole bunch of like minded people who want the best for our countries and are proud to serve along with them. Yes, your country has declined significantly in recent years with its ship building, and I wonder how it is going to manage building Subs at the rate that it needs to, especially as it now also has AUKUS Subs to be built...and then there is the problem of your other ships like the Ticonderoga class...and others. Yes, we will miss your outstanding contribution to this wonderful podcast, but your country needs your expertise. I for one, have thoroughly enjoyed all of your efforts, but I'm sure that you leave this podcast on good hands for it to carry on.

Come on back Capt

We're going to miss you Capt Toti, good luck in your new mission!

So WW2 started because Pvt. Shimura had the drizzlies? The jokes on humanity.

To Capt Toti - I wish you the well with your new job improving navy shipbuilding. Keep America Great, because the current administration sure as h*ll seems determined to make it weak. It's guys like you that give me hope that you'll - we'll - all make it through. Maybe we'll see you sometime on the Podcast as a very special guest, and even if we don't, we'll be thinking of you. Wishing you, Capt Toti, all the best from a proud 51st Stater.

Churchill said ww1 never ended and that ww2 was a continuation

One wonders what the outcome would have been had the U.S. introduced the sanctions of 1941 at this time (or threatened them if Japan had not withdrawn.
Parallels with the U.S. responses to Russian invasions into Ukraine since 2014.

So you’re telling me that World War Two started with a case of the shits

Best of luck in your new role! Bill, Make the navy great again!

There is an interesting point that I did not know (among many) from Tully and Parshall’s book Shattered Sword. In it they talk about the Japanese’s “tar baby”- China. I did not know things were so bad for the Japanese in China until I read it. Or in other words, in this podcast, they predict it to be an “endless bog.”

God speed Bill!

I find myself saddened to hear a founding member of my favorite military history family is leaving us for a time. At the same time I find myself incredibly proud to see you off to such momentous opportunity to help our navy in a way I believe only you can. Sorting out domestic shipbuilding is essential for the future of the west. Hearing you answer the call of our country, to help rebuild something so important to our nation makes me proud to have known you and associated with you, sir, even if only vicariously via the inter webs. Your never-ending, passionate, patriotism, and dedication to country is inspiring. Thank you sir, for all you have brought us thus far, and your service yet to give. Godspeed brother!

Fair Winds and Following Seas in your new assignment, Capt. Toti!
Thank you for all you have done, for your nation, our Navy and being a true Plank Holder for the USS UNAUTHORIZED!
BRAVO ZULU, SIR!!!
Corpsman Out.

Love this. I know almost nothing about the war in China.

If this IS the start of WW2 could it be said Muduchi started WW2?

Good luck Capt. Bill, our country needs good men like you!!

Congratulations Admiral Toti! Will miss you. I love this podcast.

While we all lament the stepping away of America’s Commadore, remember that he is taking on a higher calling. I wish Bill the very best and earnestly hope that he has tremendous success, because frankly it helps our country immeasurably. Jon and Seth work well together and the conversation between them and pulling us, the viewers/listeners, into it does indeed flow like a Well-educated pub chit chat over a glass of bourbon. Good episode and I really like where this season is heading. A deeper dive into the events of the war. I can’t wait for the Wake Island episode to air ( Hint, Hint, -Wink Wink) I can’t recommend this channel enough. I have seen/heard every episode and most of them multiple times..

As one who is disgusted with 95% of what the current administration is doing, I'm very heartened to hear that there are bright spots of hope. Having followed the issues of the Navy for decades and being despondent for years about the state of US shipbuilding and Navy organization, I'm very hopeful that Bill manages to affect some serious reforms. Godspeed and good luck Bill.

Fair winds and Following Seas Capt. As much as i am sad to see you leave this pod cast, you have been called to a higher duty. As a former USN sailor with 1 son on active duty and another set to ship off in 18 months i can't think of a better man to get the current USN where it needs to be. When your duty is done we hope you return.

You guys are the best. I had 4 uncles in ww2

I would like to thank Captain Toti for sharing his insights over the years. His naval experiences added so much to the podcast. Thanks also for your continued selfless service to the country.

Didn’t know any of this stuff, thank you!

It was only the present generation's grandfathers, ( OK great grandfathers for you kids ) both Japanese and German, that foisted such atrocities on the world. It was not some 'one off' , some strange thing. If you pay attention . . . it's ramping up again right now.

Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus said "Si vis pacem, para bellum," or "If you want peace, prepare for war." An even greater and more disastrous Pacific war is looming on the horizon. The only way to prevent it is to rebuild the Navy.

Good luck and Godspeed Captain Toti.

Wow!!! Best possible wishes to Captain Toti in his new role in service to our country.
I will hold my comments on the current administration in power knowing fully that the good Captain’s motives are far purer than serving any politician.
I have thoroughly enjoyed and been educated by the efforts of you three gentlemen and know that Seth and John will have a reunion with their partner when the time is right.

is it true Adolf Hitler sent a Swastika flag "Blood Flag" (the size of a entire neighborhood)to shanghai to stop the IJA bombing of civilians in Shanghai......supposedly, the Japanese Pilots would not bomb the huge Swastika Flag.....and the flag sent by The Fuhrer stopped civilian bloodshed.....is this true????

Congratulations and best wishes Captain Toti. You will be missed.

Wishing Bill the best in his next quest hopefully he can stop by a time or two. Seth and Jon are awesome together glad the show goes on.

JON ,YOU ARE NOT JUST "SHIRT GUY"!

Thank you for all of your contributions Bill: May God richly bless you Sir! You will 🐝 sorely missed.

For Bill Toti- THANK YOU... your work on these videos with Seth and Jon is in itself a truly worthwhile and valuable service to the people of not just the USA but the world, and not just in the present time but rather for decades to come. It is with heavy hearts that we bid you adieu as you go to give further time to the USN, and hopefully you find that endeavor is time well spent.

For Seth and Jon, THANK YOU BOTH, for not simply stopping at that which one might find in a book on the Pacific War, for continuing on to begin to dig further and to seek an ever more complete picture of the war, including what led to it and what happened in the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps you might find yourselves able to finally answer the questions as to just how did Japan's intentions and plans arise and evolve, and at what point(s) did their intentions and plans increase in scope from small scale ambitions to ambitions more in-line with conquest of the entire Pacific- discussion of such plans often go unaddressed in historical review, yet declassified intel (diplomatic coms intercepts, etc?) fairly clearly establish that Japan did in fact have plans for establishment of an empire spanning the entire Pacific, and was actively working toward that end while trying to "feel out" how they might be able to go about achieving the various steps necessary to do so in such a manner as to deceive and lull adversaries into false senses of security for various periods until it was too late for those adversaries to stop Japan from seizing each and every one of their land interests in the Pacific rim. Perhaps you might also find ways to connect that past to the world of the present day, and the Pacific of the present day, with China, Japan, Russia, and the US all yet again embroiled in war in the Pacific over territorial concerns and economic considerations, since all of the death and millions upon millions of lives lost in the 1930's and 1940's seem too distant a thing to the peoples of today to take as overwhelmingly serious cause for pause and deep introspect regarding motives, desires and actions at present day and in the near future.