Category: WW2 Podcast
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The Original Jeeps
During the interwar years the US army had worked to develop a light weapons carrier, but by 1940 the ‘perfect’ vehicle had not been found. The war in Europe focused minds in the American army and in June it compiled a list of requirements for a revolutionary new truck to replace the mule as the…
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Rome
Rome, the ‘Eternal City’, had a peculiar war. With Italy an axis nation it was a target for allied bombers but in the centre is the Vatican, home of the Pope. A neutral state within the capital of a belligerent nation. In deference to the Pope allied bombing operations were curtailed, perhaps more than they…
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The 746th Far East Air Force Band
Richard Burt was part of the the 746th Far East Air Force Band, based in the Philippines. At the end of WWII just before the band were split up, using a single microphone they recorded a final performance to magnetic wire. Richard Burt brought these recordings home and had them transferred to 78rpm discs. Burt…
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Economists at War
Any long protracted conflict is reliant upon the resources that can be brought bear, in which case war is not just about military success. In this episode of the podcast we’ll be looking at economics and the economists who shaped the second world war and the post war world. This story goes beyond simply looking…
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The Texel Uprising: Night of Bayonets
In this episode we’re going to be discussing the Georgians who came over from the Russian army to fight with the Wehrmacht. A large number of these men would eventually be posted to the Dutch island of Texel to man the Atlantic war. When the war in Europe ended on the 7th May 1945 the…
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The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign November 1942–March 1943
In episode 64 Angus discussed the start of the Guadalcanal-Solomons campaign with Jeffery Cox. They left that discussion of the campaign unfinished, the Americans were in control of the airfield on Guadalcanal but the Marines had no way secured the island. The US navy had suffered a number of serious losses, including the carrier Hornet…
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The Longest Campaign: The Battle of the Atlantic
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said there was only one campaign of the Second World War that gave him sleepless nights, that was the Battle of the Atlantic. The Battle began on 3 September 1939 and lasted 2074 days until 8 May 1945, when Germany surrendered. With over 70,000 allied seamen killed, lost on 3,500…
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The River Battles: Canada’s Final Campaign in Italy
After D-Day, the spotlight on the allied fighting was focused on North West Europe, yet the fighting in Italy carried on often overlooked. In this episode we’re going to be looking at the Canadians battling across what should have been good tank country at the end of 1944. Angus is joined by Canadian military historian…
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Mechanisation of British Cavalry Units and Tank Doctrine
In episode 107, Angus talked to Ian Mitchell about the Battle of the Peaks and Longstop Hill in North Africa. Ian subsequently emailed him suggesting he talk to Sam Wallace, a post graduate researcher at Leeds University, who is working on some interesting stuff; Sam’s PhD is titled The Allied Sandbox: The Tunisian Campaign and…
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Kais: Downed airmen in New Guinea
In 1944, Ira Barnet took off from an airfield in New Guinea. Flying a B-25 Mitchell, from the 48th Tactical Fight Squadron, Ira and the crew were on a regular mission to harry any Japanese shipping they came across. Attacking a barge the Japanese managed to get some luck shots on Ira’s plane. Attempting to…