Category: WW2 Podcast
-
Armour in the Pacific
We do not think of armour being widely used in the Pacific campaign, and compared to other theatres, that is a reasonable assumption. However, it was utilised by both the Japanese and Americans from the island campaigns, such as Tarawa and Guadalcanal, through to the Philippines. Joining me today is Mike Guardia, who is the…
-
The Battle of Britain, July 1940
In this episode, I’m joined by Patrick Eriksson. If you cast your memory back, Patrick has previously joined us to talk about the Luftwaffe and his Alarmstart trilogy of books (episodes 60, 85 and 104). This time, he is back to discuss the opening few weeks of the Battle of Britain, covered in his book Tally-Ho: RAF Tactical Leadership in the Battle…
-
Lenningrad, 1941-42
From September 1941, the Germans surrounded Leningrad, laying siege to the city for 900 days. Over 2 million Russians were trapped, and thousands would die through starvation. As the winter closed in, Lake Ladoga froze, allowing trucks to cross the ice. Dubbed ‘Road of Life’, it would bring vital supplies and eventually evacuate over a…
-
The Japanese American Experience in WWII
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, over 125,000 Japanese Americans living in the continental United States were incarcerated in prison camps. The majority of these were born in America and US citizens. This was authorised by an Executive Order from President Roosevelt. The Japanese Americans complied and spent years in the camps. Even though incarcerated,…
-
The Life of Mrs George S Patton
Few wives of prominent men are more than a footnote in many histories, but they were often central to their husbands’ lives. The classic well-known example is the relationship between the wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine (see episode 116). For months Angus has been sitting on Stefanie van Steelandt’s biography…
-
Patton, August – December 1944
General Patton from the campaigns in Mediteranean in 1942 to just before his activation as commander of third army in 1944. Kevin is back. This time we will discuss Patton’s arrival in France through to the Battle of the Bulge. Kevin has worked as a historian for the US Army and is currently doing work…
-
Kesselring
In episode 144, Angus chatted to Andrew Sangster about Alanbrooke.
-
Kohima
Fought between 8 March and 18 July 1944, the battles of Imphal and Kohima were the turning point of one of the most gruelling campaigns of the Second World War (1939-45). The decisive Japanese defeat in north-east India became the springboard for the Fourteenth Army’s subsequent re-conquest of Burma. Joining Angus for this episode is…
-
196 – Winthrop Bell: Cracking the Code
In public life, Canadian Dr Winthrop Bell was a Harvard philosophy professor and wealthy businessman. As MI6 secret agent A12, he evaded gunfire and shook off pursuers to break open the emerging Nazi conspiracy in 1919 Berlin. His reports provided the first warnings of right-wing conspiracies in the German establishment, eventually leading to Hitler and…
-
Their Finest Hour Project
With the Second World War slipping from living memory, the University of Oxford has launched Their Finest Hour. The project aims to empower local communities to digitally preserve these stories and objects before they are lost to posterity. For this episode, I am joined by Dr Joseph Quinn to explain how the project works and…