Category: Podcasts
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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.…
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3601 – The Italo-Turkish War
‘At the turn of the nineteenth century, Italy, a newly unified upstart Great Power, was looking to expand its political and economic influence into neighbouring North Africa. Just a few years earlier, France had taken effective control of the North African coast from Tunisia to Morocco, while Egypt was a British protectorate. Just two areas…
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The Middle East Commandos
I recently attended the We Have Ways Fest, where I ran into Séan Scullion, a friend of the podcast. You might remember him from episode 135, where we discussed Spaniards in the British army. His book, “Churchill’s Spaniards,” is about to be released. At this year’s We Have Ways Fest, Sean was scheduled to speak about the British…
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Truman and the Decision to Drop the Bomb
It was only as Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd president of the United States that he was told of the Manhattan Project. In this episode, we embark on a journey through one of the most controversial and consequential decisions in modern history: Truman’s choice to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and…