Category: Podcasts
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3604 – The Siege of Belgrade 1456
‘Twelve years have passed since the disastrous Crusader Battle of Varna and three years since the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. Europe is reeling under the relentless pressure of Ottoman advances: Serbia fell in 1455, and Sultan Mehmed II had now amassed his forces for an invasion of the Kingdom of…
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The Battle of Midway
In April 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet was at the height of its power, having delivered a crushing blow to the US Navy at Pearl Harbor just months earlier. This fleet spearheaded Japan’s aggressive expansion through Southeast Asia and unleashed havoc across the South Pacific. However, the tides of war were soon to…
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Making A Bridge Too Far
Released in 1977, A Bridge Too Far stands as the last grand-scale WWII film produced by the Hollywood studio system. The film ambitiously sought to bring to life Operation Market-Garden, the bold but ultimately doomed Allied campaign of September 1944, culminating in the failed attempt to capture the Arnhem bridge. Producer Joseph E. Levine gathered an incredible ensemble…
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3603 – Italian Invasion of British Somaliland
“The Italian invasion of British Somaliland is an often-overlooked action of the Second World War. Although small and a backwater of the British empire, the region would see several significant firsts of the Second World War. The loss of the colony in mid-1940 was the first significant loss of British colonial territory during the war.…
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6th Airborne Division: Generating Combat Effectiveness
In this episode, Angus examines the 6th Airborne Division and its combat effectiveness, focusing on how its commanding officer, Richard Gale, meticulously trained and developed the unit. The 6th Airborne was the second British airborne division to be formed, and it would first see action during the Normandy invasion. Gale’s leadership and the culture he…
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AW322 – The Persian Wars
‘Once the Persians had been defeated at Salamis and Plataea, they withdrew from the Greek mainland. But the war was far from over, and the Greeks went on the offensive.’ For this episode, the team discuss issue XVII.4 of the magazine Finally Finishing The Fight: The Greco-Persian Wars, part II.
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3602 – Heroics of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
‘Among the many brave acts of the Second Anglo-Afghan War (November 1878-September 1880), sixteen were awarded the Victoria Cross. Among this relatively small collection of awards, however, are several remarkable circumstances. The war saw the last Victoria Cross awarded to a civilian and the same award was the first to a clergyman (Reverend James Adams).…
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WSS91 – New Editions
In this episode, the team reunites to catch up on all the exciting things they’ve been up to during the summer. Chris has had a sneak preview of Bolt Action 3. He shares his exclusive first look at the updated rules, and the team dives into a discussion about the pros and cons of new…
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From the Soviet Gulag to Arnhem
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, it wasn’t the Germans who first uprooted Stanislaw Kulik and his family—it was the Russians. Deported to a Siberian Gulag, Stanislaw’s fate took a dramatic turn in 1941 when the Germans launched their invasion of the Soviet Union. Suddenly, the Russians released their Polish captives, and Stanislaw embarked on…
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Tank Warfare in Burma
When we think of the fighting in the Far East between Britain, her allies, and the Japanese, we often picture thick jungles, impossibly steep hills, and dense terrain. This has led to the common perception of it being an infantryman’s war. However, armour played a crucial and often overlooked role in this theatre of war.…