In this episode, historian and award-winning author Stephen Platt joins us to uncover the overlooked story of Evans Carlson, the bold and unconventional Marine officer who helped shape what would become U.S. Special Forces.

We follow Carlson’s remarkable path—from serving alongside Chinese communist fighters to forming the legendary Marine Raiders during WWII. Platt walks us through Carlson’s battlefield tactics, political ideals, and close ties to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, painting a portrait of a man who challenged military norms and paid the price for it.

If you're into WWII, unconventional warfare, or the stories behind military innovation, this episode is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

00:49 – Meet historian Stephen Platt

01:27 – Who was Evans Carlson?

03:00 – Early life and influences

04:58 – Time in China with the communists

13:21 – Founding the Marine Raiders

14:55 – Why his tactics caused friction

21:22 – What happened after the war

28:24 – Final thoughts + book info

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INTERVIEW: WWII Icon Evans Carlson & the Origins of U.S. Special Forces with Historian Stephen Platt

Hey guys, welcome back to the Why Wars Happened History Podcast, where you learn about the causes of wars and things like, why did it happen? Was it inevitable? Who was involved?

Sometimes I go back hundreds of years just so we can understand what happened in our narrative episodes covering the long course of a war and the background of the war. And if you want to talk more about war, we also have authors, historians, war generals, royalty, actors, filmmakers, a whole bunch of people come on as guests and we talk about everything about before, during, and after war. So let's go!

The Why Wars Happened History Podcast covers The American Revolution, World War I, World War II, Medieval Wars in England, The Habsburg Empire, The War in Iraq, Scottish wars, The War of the Roses, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Cold War, The Thirty Years War, The Hundred Years War, The American Civil War, and many others.

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