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The following podcast contains moments of violence, profanity, and uncensored racism. It may not be suitable for all audiences.

Episode 5. Absolutely No Mercy.

10,000 United States Marines, most of them kids in their teens and early 20s were transported to a steaming rock in the far

Pacific in the latter days of World War II. The island of Pelelu was only about six miles long

and two miles wide, but somehow these three regiments of Marines would confront 11,000 soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army.

The battlefield arithmetic, get this, that's more than 20,000 combatants on an island.

They could walk across in less than an hour.

Daytime temperatures reached 115 degrees. There was no water.

There was no rest. The moment the Marines landed, they took devastating casualties from an

enemy that was dug in and waiting for them. Corpses of friends and enemies began to pile up and in the blazing sun to rot.

The overwhelming stench of death mixed in the air of Pellilu with the accurate smell of cordite

from the near constant discharge of rifles, machine guns, mortars, field artillery.

More battlefield arithmetic. Nearlyars, field artillery. More battlefield arithmetic.

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