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In this episode, historian Taylor Downing joins me to explore the remarkable work of reconnaissance pilots and photo interpreters during the Second World War. These daring aviators flew perilous missions over Occupied Europe, risking life and limb to capture the detailed aerial photographs crucial to the Allied war effort.
But capturing the images was only half the story. On the ground, a team of brilliant and inventive photo interpreters worked tirelessly, pioneering a completely new science to decode these pictures. From developing 3D photography techniques to uncovering enemy positions and movements, their work provided invaluable intelligence that shaped the course of the war.
Taylor is the author of 'Spies In The Sky: The Secret Battle for Aerial Intelligence during World War II', and if you cast your mind back, he joined me in episode 226 to discuss allied deception plans for D-Day.
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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.
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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 war, internees, locals, and even Japanese forces.
Joining me today is John Tulloch.
John served with the Royal New Zealand Artillery before transferring to the British Royal Artillery, gaining experience across the globe and instructing on the British Army’s Jungle Warfare course. He is also the author of The Borneo Graveyard, 1941-45, which tells the story of Borneo’s occupation and the deployment—and eventual capture—of five Royal Artillery air defence sections sent to Southeast Asia.
To order your copy The Borneo Graveyard, 1941-45, email [email protected].
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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 U-boats and the threat of Japanese invasion. Their economies became intertwined to supply weapons for Britain and other allies, and defending North America was crucial before sending forces abroad.
Joining me is Tim Cook.
Tim is the Chief Historian and Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum. He has penned numerous bestselling books which have won multiple awards. His latest being The Good Allies: How Canada and the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism During the Second World War.
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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 to retreat.
In episode 202, we discussed the siege up until 1942. I'm joined once more by Prit Butar to pick up the story of the siege being lifted, which is covered in his latest book 'Hero City: Leningrad 1943–44'
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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 change. By June 1942, the US Navy achieved a decisive victory over this formidable force at the Battle of Midway, shifting the strategic momentum in the Pacific Theater to the Allies.
Midway stands as the most renowned naval battle of the Pacific War and one of the most storied in military history. The traditional narrative, shaped immediately after the conflict and enduring to this day, portrays an outnumbered American fleet snatching victory against overwhelming odds. While this depiction has become deeply ingrained, it oversimplifies the true nature of the battle.
Joining me is Pacific War expert Mark Stille, whose new book is Midway: The Pacific War’s Most Famous Battle, where he contends that a Japanese defeat was not only possible but likely. This perspective redefines the engagement not as a miraculous American triumph or a mere stroke of luck but as a complex confrontation where the factors at play heavily favoured the United States.
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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 cast, featuring legends like Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford, Sean Connery, James Caan, Michael Caine, Elliott Gould, Dirk Bogarde, and Laurence Olivier. The movie was shot on location in Holland, with the town of Deventer doubling as Arnhem to recreate the intense and chaotic battle scenes.
In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I’m joined by Simon Lewis, author of Making 'A Bridge Too Far.'
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In this episode, we'll examine 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 instilled were crucial in shaping the airborne soldier’s capabilities and forging the division's cohesive fighting force.
Joining me is Andrew Wheale.
Andrew is the author of 'Ham & Jam: 6th Airborne Division in Normandy - Generating Combat Effectiveness: November 1942 - September 1944'.
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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 an arduous journey across thousands of miles. He eventually joined the Polish army in Uzbekistan, a path that would lead him to Britain and ultimately to the frontlines in Holland, where he fought with the Polish Parachute Brigade at Arnhem.
Joining me is Nicholas Kinloch, the grandson of Stanislaw Kulik. Nicholas has chronicled his grandfather's extraordinary wartime experience in his book, From the Soviet Gulag to Arnhem: A Polish Paratrooper's Epic Wartime Journey.
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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.
In this episode, I'm joined by Jack Bowsher, author of Forgotten Armour. His book begins with the interwar Indian Army's struggle to fully mechanise, then traces the evolution of armoured training, logistics, and tactics.
We explore how, once tanks arrived and bunker-busting methods were developed, armoured units became decisive in their encounters against the Japanese, saving countless Allied lives.
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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 Middle East Commandos. We found a supposedly quiet corner to chat, though it turned out to be less quiet than anticipated.
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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 Nagasaki during World War II.
The story of this decision is complex, marked by intense debates, ethical dilemmas, and immense geopolitical stakes. As the war in Europe concluded with the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Pacific Theater continued to rage with brutal intensity. American forces faced fierce resistance from Japanese troops, and the prospect of a prolonged and bloody invasion of Japan loomed large.
In this episode, we'll explore the multifaceted considerations that influenced Truman's decision. We'll examine the military strategies, the political pressures, and the moral questions that weighed on the shoulders of the 33rd President of the United States.
I'm joined by Edward Aldrich, the author of The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration That Won World War II. To learn more about Marshall and Stimson, go back to episode 164.
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In this episode of the WW2 podcast, we'll explore the Royal Navy from 1918 to the end of the Second World War and one man's career. Not an officer, but a regular sailor: Herbert Leeder, who chalk up 27 years of service. Following the career of one sailor is an interesting way to view the Royal Navy. It gives us a slightly potted history, but Herbert took part in a number of major actions during the Second World War, and it brings home how one man can be a witness to many great events.
I’m joined by James Carter. After working as a volunteer researcher for a local history project during the centenary of the First World War, James was inspired to seek out the history of his own great-grandfather when his mother handed him a four-page summary of Herbert Leeders's career. The outcome of that research is Hearts of Steel, which tracks Herbert's career and the Royal Navy in which he served.
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In March 1941, 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops were rushed to Greece in a desperate attempt to support the Greeks against the looming threat of a German attack. Although the operation was ultimately doomed to fail, the Aussies and Kiwis managed to hold up the German advance long enough to evacuate thousands to Crete, where Hitler then set his sights.
Joining me today is Craig Collie, author of ‘Where the Flaming Hell Are We? The Story of Young Australians and New Zealanders Fighting the Nazis in Greece and Crete’. We’ll be delving into these often-overlooked, disastrous operations in the Mediterranean.
I want to extend a big thank you to David Phillipson from the History Guild, who suggested our guest today and connected me with Craig. The History Guild has a project focusing on Australians in the Mediterranean theatre during WWII. For more articles and posts on this topic, visit historyguild.org.
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In this episode, we discuss the development of US tanks from the end of the First World War through to the end of the Second World War.
I am joined by renowned historian and author Steven Zaloga, who has penned numerous works on military technology and history, and his latest book is 'US Battle Tanks 1917–1945’.
It is a comprehensive and richly illustrated examination of the development and combat performance of US battle tanks; Stephen delves into the history of tanks in American service, tracing their journey from the initial experiments with armoured vehicles in the early 20th century through the significant battles and innovations up to the end of World War II.
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Just two days before D-Day, Captain Gallery's US antisubmarine Task Group 22.3 managed to force the German U-boat U-505 to the surface. In a bold move, a boarding party secured the submarine before it could be scuttled, capturing an Enigma machine and the current Kriegsmarine code books.
This remarkable operation earned Lieutenant Albert David the Medal of Honor for his leadership. However, it could have had catastrophic consequences. If the Germans had suspected that their cyphers were compromised, it might have jeopardised the Allied operation Ultra, which was already deciphering German signals. The Chief of US Naval Operations, Ernest King, was so incensed about the capture of U-505 that he threatened to fire Admiral Gallery.
Joining me to discuss this operation is Charles Lachman, author of Codename Nemo: The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and the Elusive Enigma Machine.
If you are interested in seeing the 1945 newsreel Now it can be told, you can find it here.
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To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I attended a special event at the Green Howards Museum. We started at the regimental war memorial in Richmond (Yorkshire) at 6.30 a.m., which was when the Green Howards landed on Gold Beach. The day was packed with discussion about the regiment and their role on D-Day. It closed with us having the privilege of getting up close to the only Victoria Cross, which was won on June 6th.
If you find yourself in the Yorkshire Dales, visit the museum; it is a cracking afternoon out.
To round off my look at D-Day, I’m joined by Steve Erskine from the Green Howards Museum and Paul Cheall (from The Fighting Through Podcast), whose father landed on Gold Beach with Stan Hollis, who received the Victoria Cross for his deed that day.
In theory, we sat down in the museum on June 5th to discuss what D-Day meant to us. In practice, we had a rather wide-ranging discussion. We never got as far off the beaches as we anticipated…
I hope you find our war waffle interesting.
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More than 132,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944. Through their efforts, the tide of the war turned for the final time to favour the Allies.
But how did the Allied army get to the shores of Normandy? The contribution of Landing Craft to D-Day is often overlooked. Andrew Whitmarsh joins me to correct this oversight.
Andrew has worked as a curator in military history museums for over 25 years, latterly as the curator of The D-Day Story in Portsmouth. Outside of work, he is also the author of D-Day Landing Craft: How 4,126 ‘Ugly and Unorthodox’ Allied Craft made the Normandy Landings Possible.
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6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne assault in human history: D-Day. While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas.
For this episode, I am joined by Stephen Fisher.
Stephen is a historian and archaeologist who specializes in military history. He is also the author of Sword Beach: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Forgotten Victory.
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As the Allied forces prepared for the monumental invasion of Normandy, concealing the massive build-up of troops in Britain from the Germans became increasingly challenging. To mislead German intelligence about the timing and location of the invasion, the Allies devised a series of elaborate deception plans. The most audacious of these schemes aimed to convince the Germans that the Normandy landings were merely a diversion. This ruse featured a fictitious army led by General Patton, complete with hundreds of realistic dummy landing crafts, tanks, and aircraft.
Joining me to delve into the intricate web of D-Day deception is Taylor Downing, author of The Army That Never Was: D-Day and the Great Deception.
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