Category: WW2 Podcast
-
Harold Alexander and the road to Supreme Command
For this episode, I’m joined by Matthew Hough, and we discuss Harold Alexander and his road to supreme command in the Mediterranean Theatre. Matthew is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Leeds whose research examines Alexander and ideas about Supreme Command in the Mediterranean Theatre toward the end of the war.
-
Borneo
Borneo, the third-largest island in the world, held immense strategic value during WWII and quickly became a top priority for Japanese control. With its vast reserves of oil and rubber, the island was essential for fueling the Japanese war effort. But Borneo would also become a tragic battleground, claiming the lives of countless prisoners of…
-
The Good Allies: Canada and the USA
When World War II began in 1939, it sparked a deadly conflict between the Axis and Allies, while also creating tense negotiations among the Allies. Diplomacy, military power, and economic decisions determined the fate of nations. In North America, the U.S. and Canada worked to build a military alliance to protect their coasts from German…
-
Leningrad 1943–44
During the Second World War, the people of Leningrad endured a brutal 900-day siege, facing relentless bombing, shelling, and starvation. In early 1943, the Red Army broke through the blockade, marking a crucial turning point. Despite setbacks, the Soviet forces and civilians held firm, and by late 1943, the Germans, weakened by harsh conditions, began…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…