Episode list

10 Facts about the Battle of Midway everyone should know. In the week of the 80th anniversary of the battle we look at various factors concerning this turning point of the war. Henry J. James is the author of The Man Who Won World War II which cane out in April 2022. He is a political scientist and author.

The Men of Pointe du Hoc (Behind the Weapons) In today's show, JoAnna McDonald will talk about the men of Pointe du Hoc: James Earl Rudder, Frank South, James Eikner, George Kerchner, Herman Stein, Lou Lisko, Jack Kuhn and Len Lomell etc. JoAnna M. McDonald, Ph.D., is a historian, writer, and public speaker. She grew up a stone's throw from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a military historian for the History Channel's acclaimed documentaries, Vietnam in HD and World War II in HD; civilian Marine Education Director with the U.S. Marine Corps; civilian Army Archivist at the Military History Institute, Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA; and, Research Historian for the State of Pennsylvania. She is the author of eleven books on the Civil War and WWII, as well as numerous journal and newsletter articles.

Smashing Hitler's Guns - Part 2. New Perspectives - The Rangers at Pointe du Hoc Steven Zaloga joins us again for the second of a two part discussion about Pointe du Hoc. He will talk about the planning and execution of the Ranger assault on June 6th 1944.

Operation Goodtime and the Battle of the Treasury Islands, 1943 Part of New Zealand at War Week on WW2TV Today's guest is Dr Reg Newell from Upper Hutt, a small city to the north of Wellington. He did his doctoral degree through Massey University on 3 NZ Division in the South Pacific in WW2 and has written several books about the Pacific Theatre and especially the role of New Zealand's forces. On October 27, 1943, a force of New Zealanders and Americans invaded the Treasury Islands in the South Pacific, retaking them from their Japanese occupiers. Codenamed Operation Goodtime, the action marked the first time New Zealand forces took part in an opposed landing since Gallipoli in 1915. In an unusual allocation of troops in the American-dominated theater, New Zealand provided the fighting men and America the air, naval, and logistical support. Confronting extreme risks against a determined Japanese foe, the Allies nevertheless succeeded with relatively few casualties. Due to the needs for operational security, Operation Goodtime received little publicity and has been relegated to a footnote in the history of the war in the Pacific.

From Pilsen to Buchenwald - Phil Lamason RNZAF Part of New Zealand at War Week on WW2TV Our guest today is Mike Harold, Chairman of the Phil Lamason Heritage Centre Trust At the outbreak of World War II Phil Lamason volunteered for service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF. During his training he was identified as 'having leadership potential,' which saw him directed into the RAF Bomber Command on his arrival in England, in July, 1941. Over the next three years Phil became a skilled pilot of heavy bomber aircraft, completing 44 successful operations over enemy held territory. During that time he was awarded the DFC and Bar for his leadership, bravery and courage under fire, and he also served for over a year as an RAF bomber crew instructor. Military life for Phil changed dramatically on June 8, 1944, when his Lancaster bomber was shot down by a German night-fighter while bombing a target near Paris, France. Surviving the crash Phil successfully evaded capture by the Nazis with help from members of the French Resistance organisation. Regrettably Phil and others were betrayed by an infiltrator into the hands of the Gestapo, and after a time in Fresnes Prison, Paris, he was transported to the infamous Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany. There, aged just 25 years and as a Squadron Leader and senior officer responsible for 168 Allied Airmen in the Camp, Phil displayed "very strong traits of single-minded determination, selflessness, cold courage and forcefulness in the face of the very real threat to him of execution by the camp authorities."

General Freyberg and the 2nd New Zealand Division Part of New Zealand at War Week on WW2TV Matthew Wright is an award-winning New Zealand writer with over 35 years hands-on professional experience as a published author and in publishing. He holds multiple post-graduate degrees in history and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society at University College, London.

Rebels to Reels - Combat Cameraman Daniel A. McGovern. Europe, Hiroshima and beyond Having witnessed the Irish War of Independence as a boy, Dan McGovern later became a designated Cameraman/Photographer to US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt before training the very first combat cameramen of WW2 for the then US Army Air Forces. McGovern himself filmed on perilous B-17 bombing missions in Europe and survived two crash-landings. Most significantly, he later lead the filming of the aftermath of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki but struggled for decades to save that historical footage of devastation and human suffering from US government suppression. After the war McGovern was involved in the 1947 Roswell UFO Incident and filming rocket test experiments with former Nazi scientist Wernher Von Braun. 'Big Mack' worked with some of the best known celebrities of his day including actors Ronald Reagan and Clarke Gable and Hollywood director William Wyler. In today's show Joseph McCabe joins us to tell McGovern's remarkable story. Joseph has worked in many different and varying aspects of the news media industry for almost thirty years. He is a native of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland which was originally also the hometown of McGovern. As a journalist he has contributed to national, international and local publications as well as to the broadcast and online media. He is a long-standing member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Having a lifelong interest in military history and particularly that of World War 2 he has travelled to many historical battlefields across the world. He has also interviewed many veterans of World War 2 and later conflicts.

The Battle of Sidi Rezagh - Operation Crusader 1941 Part of New Zealand at War Week on WW2TV Sidi Rezegh, fought during Operation Crusader in Libya over November and December 1941, has been described as 'the forgotten battle of the Desert War'. The Eighth Army's objective in Crusader was to retake Cyrenaica, the eastern region of Libya, and ultimately drive the Italians and Germans out of North Africa. The campaign was partially successful, and did achieve the badly needed relief of Tobruk, where Australian and other Allied troops had been trapped. The New Zealand Division played a major role in Crusader, a campaign that was important in ultimately achieving British victory in North Africa. Despite this, it is a battle that has largely been neglected by historians, failing to receive as much attention as Crete, El Alamein or Cassino. Yet more New Zealand soldiers were killed or taken prisoner during Crusader than in any other campaign fought by 'the Div' during the war. Today's guest is Peter Cox. His father fought at Sidi Rezegh with 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion, and Peter will draw on his experience of twice visiting the battlefield to tell the story of this complex and costly campaign. He will set the scene for the fighting in Libya, describing the unforgiving and inhospitable desert landscape. He will explain the stages of the action and recount the often moving and heroic stories of the soldiers who fought there.

The Evolution of Vernichtungskrieg: The German Army and the Occupation of the Soviet Union Part of Germans at War Week Part 2 Jeff Rutherford is Associate Professor of History at Wheeling Jesuit University, West Virginia. In addition to publishing many articles on the German army and the war on the Eastern Front, he is co-editor, with Alex J. Kay and David Stahel, of Nazi Policy on the Eastern Front, 1941: Total War, Genocide and Radicalization and the author of Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front: The German Infantrys War, 1941-1944.

The British Anti-Locust Campaign in the Arabian Peninsula 1942-45 The British army's Middle-East Anti-locust Unit (MEALU) Today we look at the previously little-known, large scale 1943-1944 anti-locust campaign in the Arabian Peninsula. The threat of locusts impacting local food crops in the middle east, might have lead to valuable shipping space being used to import food. So a special British Army unit was created, and tasked with waging war on locust. Dr. Athol Yates is Assistant Professor at Institute for International and Civil Security, at the Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates. He has recently published the paper The British Military and the Anti-Locust Campaign across the Arab Peninsula including the Emirates, 1942-45. He teaches on civil security, security technology, internal security, disaster management, public policy and research methods.

Goering's Boys in Blue - The Luftwaffe Field Divisions 1942-1945 Part of Germans at War Week Part 2 By September 1942, the German army had suffered immense casualties on the Eastern Front and were already running out of ready replacements. In response, the army tried to arrange a transfer of excess personnel from the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe to replenish their losses. Not wanting to lose his men to the army, Hermann Goering took 200,000 men from the Luftwaffe and reorganizes them into twenty-two Luftwaffe Field Divisions. These units were poorly trained and poorly equipped, but still ended up serving in almost every front of the European Theater. The saga of these units has largely been overlooked in the vast historiography of the Second World War, and this show will go through the general history of the divisions - why they were formed in the first place, their general role in the German war effort, and their significance to the war itself. Michael Stout is a historian specializing in European history, the World Wars in particular, as well as the history of Nazi Germany. He received his PhD from the University of North Texas in 2022 and currently works as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas-Arlington as well as Tarrant County College and Dallas College.

Recycling the Panzers - Managing Germany's obsolete tanks Part of Germans at War Week Part 2 Our guest today is 'Armour Enthusiast' Pete Blanchard, who's primary interest is in armour from 1920 to 1945, covering design, development, deployment, usage, maintenance, doctrine, etc. His Twitter account: @RivetsAndPins. In today's show Pete will touch on how Germany had unique circumstances (comparatively limited resources, taking on hundreds of captured tanks, etc), how it managed those tanks as they passed their sell-by date and using the PzKw 38(t) as the key vehicle to demonstrate the lengths the Nazis went to make the most out of their tank park.

War Commemoration in Germany from 1945 to today. How Germany has remembered and commemorated the Wehrmacht. Part of Germans at War Week Part 2 Lisa Marie Freitag is a PhD Candidate at the University of Potsdam and KAS Awardee. She is Tutor at the Chair of War Studies.

An English G.I. - A Yorkshire Schoolboy in the U.S. 26th Infantry Division "The English GI is a charming and indeed moving graphic account of Bernard Sandler's wartime experience." Sir Max Hastings, author and historian In September 1939, Britain declares war on Germany. Bernard Sandler, a 17-year-old schoolboy from Yorkshire, is on a school trip to the United States and consequently finds himself unable to return home, separated from his close-knit Jewish family in Britain. Stranded in cosmopolitan New York for an unknown duration, he must grow up quickly. He discovers the pleasures and excitement of Broadway theatre and jazz while developing his own social circle at New York University. But just as he finds his independence, the United States declares war in December 1941, which changes his life once again. Bernard is drafted into the United States Army, joining the 26th Infantry "Yankee" Division. Eventually, he returns to Europe, serving on the front lines alongside General Patton's Third Army during the brutal Lorraine Campaign in Northern France in the fall of 1944. In today's show, Jonathan Sandler, Bernard's Grandson joins us to share this story and how he turned the remarkable story of Bernard's family in England, his war in Europe and the fate of his wider family in Latvia, during this period into a Graphic Novel.

Liberté - A short film about Noor Inayat Khan (Interview with writer/star) "Britain's first Muslim war heroine in Europe is tested to the limit as she faces her brutal Nazi captors for the last time. Can she hold on to London's secret plans as the Allied forces finally start advancing through France?" Liberté is a short film written by and starring Sam Naz (a British broadcaster/actress) about Noor Inayat Khan, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent. WW2TV is thrilled to be joined by Sam Naz to discuss the film, Khan's wartime exploits and how she has been written about in the past.

Operation Aerial was an audacious plan to bring home the disparate units of the BEF that were cut off south of the River Somme or isolated near the Maginot Line as the Germans - and Rommel's tanks in particular - advanced in May and early June 1940. This evacuation was also to include thousands of British citizens who were trapped in France and given little guidance beyond instructions to head to ports on the west coast. Dunkirk had been a military evacuation and civilians had not been catered for. The Royal Navy, supported by a fleet of merchant navy ships, worked its way down the western coast of France trying to keep one step ahead of the Germans. As one port was captured they moved down the coast to the next from Cherbourg, to St Malo, to Brest, to Saint-Nazaire, to Lorient, to La Rochelle, to Bordeaux, to Bayonne and finally Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Operation Aerial is almost unknown alongside Operation Dynamo partly because it doesn't have the romance of the little ships but also due to controversies, disasters and accusations of a cover-up. Amid these controversies are stories of incredible resourcefulness, simple courage and remarkable heroism, underpinned by largely excellent organisation and command. There were the nurses on board the hospital ships who returned time and time again despite being attacked, the demolition teams that stayed until the Germans were breathing down their necks and took their chance when it came to being evacuated, and the many ordinary soldiers and civilians who struggled through the chaos, confusion and disintegration of France to get back home so they could continue the battle against Hitler. David Worsfold is an award-winning financial journalist and commentator. During his 35 year career, he has written for The Guardian, Observer, Independent and other national newspapers, as well as a wide range of specialist publications, and has appeared as a financial services commentator on television and radio in the UK and around the world.

80th Anniversary of the Raid on Salamaua - New Guinea 1942 The Raid on Salamaua was conducted by Australian commandoes during the New Guinea campaign 28 June 1942. It has been called the first offensive action on land against the Japanese of the war and was undertaken by 2/5th Independent Company under the command of Captain Norman Winning. According to one account, "The raid has been acclaimed as a copybook action for its diligent scouting, meticulous planning and audacious, multi-pronged attack against an enemy force 10 times the attackers' strength. All without loss of life." Phillip Bradley is a leading Australian military historian. His extensive research on the battlefield, in the archives and with the veterans of the campaign has given him an intimate knowledge of the the commando raid on Salamaua. We are thrilled that he is joining us to talk about this dramatic and important battle. Hell's Battlefield is Phillip Bradley's book that tells the whole story of the Australians against the Japanese in New Guinea during WWII, from invasion in 1942 to the brutal end game in 1945.

Stützpunkt Vierville - WN74, 73, 72 and 71 - (Omaha Beach) Normandy Our guest today is Michael Akkerman, an artist and filmmaker whose primary focus is war history, and particularly WWII history. His most notable work is his forthcoming film about Audie Murphy. His other interest is the bunkers and fortifications on Omaha Beach in Normandy and today we look at the defences at the western end of the beach around Vierville-sur-Mer. In this live chat we discuss his research and show lots of period photos and aerials. We also use HD footage from inside the bunkers. Subjects covered: The lack of information about WN74 and its Skoda guns WN73 - the mortar tobruks, the markings inside them, the trench system and the "Fortified House" WN72 - the R677 casemate and how it was built inside the existing Eden Hotel. The houses around the position and the sea wall. We also talk about the twin-embrasure bunker for the 5cm gun, the interesting use of MG34 brackets and an observation opening in the wall. WN71 - We talk about the machine gun bunker on the east side of the draw.

Roles and Research - The Royal Army Veterinary Corps in WWII Part of Animals at War Week - co hosted by Lucy Betteridge-Dyson. Our guest today is Damian Valle. Damian is a Veterinary Clinical Teaching Fellow at the University of Surrey. He studied his Veterinary Medicine Degree in Spain and Italy and currently he is studying for a Masters in Military History. In his spare time he volunteers as an archivist at the Museum of Military Medicine (RAVCs archives) and collaborates regularly with one of the top History podcast in Spain, Casus Belli, covering Italian doctrine and equipment during WW2.

"Bloody Well Cry, Mate!" Ron Stone's Memoir and the Conflict Against War Neurosis. Ron Stone fought in North Africa and Italy including crossing the River Garigliano and on the Garigliano Front. He was taken PoW and held in Stalag IVB where he was made to mine copper. He survived the war but was traumatized for the remainder of his life. A history of the treatment of Trauma and PTSD will also be given. Dr Victoria L. Humphreys is a writer and historian who's first novel will be out in 2023.

The Invisible Army - Horse drawn armies in the age of the motor vehicle Part of Animals at War Week - co hosted by Lucy Betteridge-Dyson. In today's show we will actually go right back to the earliest uses of powered vehicles and look at how Armies in the 19th Century tackled the problems of logistics. From Wellington to the Army of the Potomac we will look at how horse-drawn transport has been developed and utilised. We will then continue to the prolific use horses by the Third Reich and Soviet Red Army, as well as looking at Lend-Lease and the universal themes of speed and reliability when comparing methods of transport. Our guest is H.G.W. Davie from the Department of History, Politics and War Studies at University of Wolverhampton. His current area of study is Supply and Transport in the Soviet Army during the Russo-German War 1941-5 and has drawn on Russian and German sources. H. G. W. Davie - Studies in Military Transport, Supply and Logistics.

Pigeons have traditionally demonstrated reliability as messengers and in 1944, the Army reported pigeon-delivered tactical message rates at 99 percent. After success with combat operations in Europe in World War I, the U.S. military employed pigeons in the Pacific, Europe, and North Africa in the second war. Messages evolved from small pieces of rice paper to sections of map grids to eventual exposed photographic film. In World War II, pigeons served everywhere with everyone. They took part in Operation Overlord with paratroopers in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, and were carried up the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc with the Rangers in special containers. Other birds parachuted into Burma with members of the Office of Strategic Services, carrying messages behind enemy lines, while others found a home inside the confines of Sherman tanks. Thousands of birds found work aboard the heavy bombers of the Army Air Forces in raids over Europe. In the Italian campaign, pigeons proved invaluable in transmitting messages over rugged terrain to coordinate fire missions for aircraft or artillery. Our guest today is Dr. Frank A. Blazich, Jr. a Curator of Modern Military History for the Division of Armed Forces History at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History. He is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, and specialises in the American military experience in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he holds a doctorate in modern American history from The Ohio State University.

Pet Dogs in WWII - Spot and Hurry Go to War. Part of Animals at War Week - co hosted by Lucy Betteridge-Dyson Hannah Palsa is a PhD student at Kansas State University. She received her MA in History from Northern Illinois University and her BA in History from Purdue University in 2014. Today she will share her research on Dogs for Defense Inc., which was formed during World War II by civilian dog fanciers. The organization convinced civilians to enlist their pet dogs for the war effort. Using the lens of moral obligation, and patriotism, she will explain why dog owners participated in Dogs for Defense Inc. by donating their animals, even if they did not want too, or participated in raising money for the War Dog Fund.

Top 5 Weird Animal Weapons of WWII Today we will look at the pigeon guided missile, the bat bomb, the kitsune plan of operation Fantasia (glow in the dark foxes!), and Soviet anti-tank dogs. Dr Kit Chapman is an award-winning science journalist. Formerly an editor for Chemistry World, Kit's byline can be seen in Nature, New Scientist, The Daily Telegraph, Chemist+Druggist and BBC Science Focus among others. Kit appears regularly on radio, TV and podcasts, and has given talks to thousands of students around the world on science, writing and history.

General Lesley McNair - Unsung Architect of the US Army and his death in Operation Cobra The first of three specials about Operation Cobra George C. Marshall once called him "the brains of the army," and yet General Lesley McNair, a man so instrumental to America's military preparedness and Army modernization, remains little known today, his papers purportedly lost, destroyed by his wife in her grief at his death in Normandy. In today's show Mark Calhoun will look at McNair;s career up to his death at the beginning of Operation Cobra. Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Mark T. Calhoun served as a US Army aviator and war planner for twenty years. After retirement, he earned his PhD in History from the University of Kansas, and began working as an associate professor of history at the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies, where he still works, teaching military history and advanced military operational art and science.

Bloody Verrières - The I. SS-Panzerkorps defence of the Verrières-Bourguébus Ridges South of Caen, the Verrières and Bourguebus ridges were key stepping stones for the British Second Army in late July 1944 - taking them was crucial if it was to be successful in its attempt to break out of the Normandy bridgehead. To capture this vital ground, Allied forces would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armored formation in Normandy: the I. SS-Panzerkorps "Leibstandarte." The resulting battles of late July and early August 1944 saw powerful German defensive counterattacks south of Caen inflict tremendous casualties, regain lost ground and at times defeat Anglo-Canadian operations in detail. Viewed by the German leadership as militarily critical, the majority of its armored assets were deployed to dominate this excellent tank country east of the Orne river. These defeats and the experience of meeting an enemy with near-equal resources exposed a flawed Anglo-Canadian offensive tactical doctrine that was overly dependent on the supremacy of its artillery forces. Furthermore, weaknesses in Allied tank technology inhibited their armored forces from fighting a decisive armored battle, forcing Anglo-Canadian infantry and artillery forces to further rely on First World War "Bite and Hold" tactics, massively supported by artillery. Confronted with the full force of the Panzerwaffe, Anglo-Canadian doctrine at times floundered. In response, the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery units pummeled the German tankers and grenadiers, but despite their best efforts, ground could not be captured by concentrated artillery fire alone.

Middleton's VIII Corps in Operation Cobra - Normandy 1944 The third of three specials about Operation Cobra WW2TV regular Kevin Hymel will talk about General Troy Middleton's dramatic advance south through the Cotentin Peninsula towards Avranches and the gateway to Brittany in July 1944. This involved the 4th and 6th Armored Divisons.

Moro Warrior: Philippine Muslim Resistance Fighters Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week When the soldiers of the Empire of Japan invaded their homeland, the Moros, sometimes with swords as their only weapons, bravely fought on alone after the rapid American surrender of the Philippines. They later joined the American-led guerrilla movement that emerged in 1943 and served with distinction, but their exceptional contribution to the defeat of the Japanese occupiers and the liberation of the Philippines has never been properly acknowledged. Today's show tells the story of Mohammad Adil, a sword-wielding warrior chieftain commissioned as a junior officer in MacArthur's guerrilla army while still a teenager. Confident in his secret protective powers learned from a Sufi master, Adil roamed the highland rainforests with a price on his head, attacking Japanese outposts, surviving ambushes, and gaining a reputation as a man who could not be killed. Our guest today is Thomas McKenna, an anthropologist who has lived and worked for years in Moro communities in the Philippines and has spent decades writing and conducting research on their culture and history. As an academic, he has won writing and teaching awards and has been invited to present his work on the Moros at Oxford University, the U.S. State Department, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

The Battle of Sangshak: 19 to 26 March 1944 Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week The Battle of Shangshak took place in Manipur in the forested and mountainous frontier area between India and Burma in March 1944. The Japanese drove a parachute brigade (fighting as infantry) of the British Indian Army from its positions with heavy casualties, but suffered heavy casualties themselves. The delay imposed on the Japanese by the battle allowed British and Indian reinforcements to reach the vital position at Kohima before the Japanese. Our guest Keith Hathaway graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a degree in history. I served 31 years in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Serving in several units within the State retiring as a First Sergeant (OR8). Including a 5 year term as a Staff NCO in the 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade "26th Yankee Brigade". Currently working for a Major Financial Institution in Boston Massachusetts.

Visiting Saipan, Guam and Tinian: Operation Forager 1944 Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week In this special show, my friend J.D. Huitt from History Underground will talk about his recent visit to the islands of Saipan, Guam and Tinian. He will talk about the terrain, the conditions and his research. Before we get to the videos of his trip, JD takes us through the background to Operation Forager and the history of the Marianas up until the Second World War.

Devil Dogs: King Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines: From Guadalcanal to the Shores of Japan Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week The "Devil Dogs" part of the legendary 1st Marine Divisio, were among the first American soldiers to take the offensive in WWII - and also the last. They landed on the beaches of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in August 1942 - the first US ground offensive of the war - and were present when Okinawa, Japan's most southerly prefecture, finally fell to American troops after a bitter struggle in June 1945. In between they fought in the "Green Hell" of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain, and across the coral wasteland of Peleliu in the Palau Islands, a campaign described by one King Company veteran as "thirty days of the meanest, around-the-clock slaughter that desperate men can inflict on each other." Saul David is a Sunday Times bestselling military historian, novelist and broadcaster. He lives outside of Bath, England, where he is a professor of military history at the University of Buckingham.

Leaving Mac Behind: The Lost Marines of Guadalcanal Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week Between 1942 and 1944, nearly four hundred Marines virtually vanished in the jungles, seas, and skies of Guadalcanal. They were the victims of enemy ambushes and friendly fire, hard fighting and poor planning, their deaths witnessed by dozens or not at all. They were buried in field graves, in cemeteries as unknowns, or left where they fell. They were classified as "missing," as "not recovered," as "presumed dead." And in the years that followed, their families wondered at their fates and how an administrative decision could close the book on sons, brothers, and husbands without healing the wounds left by their absence. In today's show, Geoffrey Roecker, the creator of the Missing Marines project joins us to talk about his work.

The U.S. Army in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea 1942 Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week Today our friend John joins us again to talk about the Solomon Island Campaign and where the Pacific war was generally in August 1942. Morale is discussed, logistics, MacArthur and many other aspects of the Pacific campaign.

The Cowra Breakout: The only WWII battle fought in Australia Part of Footsteps in the Pacific 2 Week Today we will hear the riveting story of a missing piece of Australia's history. In the town of Cowra in central New South Wales, Japanese prisoners of war were held in a POW camp. By August 1944, over a thousand were interned and on the icy night of August 5th they staged one of the largest prison breakouts in history, launching the only land battle of World War II to be fought on Australian soil. Five Australian soldiers and more than 230 Japanese POWs would die during what became known as The Cowra Breakout. Our guest is Mat McLachlan, one of Australia's leading war historians and battlefield guides who appears regularly as a historian on the ABC, The History Channel, Channel 7's Sunrise and Radio 2GB.

Whirlwinds of Flame - The Bombing of the Japanese mainland Part of Aviation in the Pacific Week 2 Our guest today is John Curatola, a US military historian and retired Marine Corps officer. He is now a full time historian at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Previously he has taught at the US Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). John will talk about the development of strategic bombing from the interwar period right up to 1945 with a focus on the bombing of Japan.

Exploding the idea that the Atomic Bombs were justified Part of Aviation in the Pacific Week 2 Japan 1945. In one of the defining moments of the twentieth century, more than 100,000 people were killed instantly by two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US Air Force B29s. Hundreds of thousands more succumbed to their horrific injuries, or slowly perished of radiation-related sickness. American leaders claimed that the bombings were 'our least abhorrent choice' and fell strictly on 'military targets'. Even today, most people believe they ended the Pacific War and saved millions of American and Japanese lives. In today's show, Paul Ham will challenge this deep-set perception, revealing that the atomic bombings were the final crippling blow to the Japanese in a strategic air war waged primarily against civilians. Paul Ham is a historian specialising in war, conflict and politics. Born and raised in Sydney, Paul has spent his working life in London, Sydney and Paris. His books have been published to critical acclaim in Australia, Britain, the United States and many other countries, and have won several literary awards.

The Manhattan Project - The Development of the Atomic Bomb Part of Aviation in the Pacific Week 2 Dr Kit Chapman is an award-winning science journalist. Formerly an editor for Chemistry World, Kit's byline can be seen in Nature, New Scientist, The Daily Telegraph, Chemist+Druggist and BBC Science Focus among others. Kit appears regularly on radio, TV and podcasts, and has given talks to thousands of students around the world on science, writing and history.

VMF-114 Death Dealers on Peleliu Part of Aviation in the Pacific Week 2 VMF-114 squadron arrived on Peleliu on September 17, 1944 and provided most of the close air support for the Marine Corps forces during the course of the battle. They also provided the preparatory bombing for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines when they assaulted Ngesebus during the battle. The terrain on the island, earlier judged unsuitable for anything but the costliest and most difficult advances, was made passable with the aid of preparatory fire-scouring by napalm bombs from 114. General William H. Rupertus, the Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division on Peleliu would say following the battle that the air support provided during the campaign was, "executed in a manner leaving little to be desired."

The All American Crew - A B-24 Liberator lost in New Guinea Part of Aviation in the Pacific Week 2 On January 23, 1943, a B-24 Liberator and its crew of ten men disappeared without a trace in New Guinea, leaving ten families wounded permanently and without closure. Now, after 80 years of silence, using long-forgotten letters and dusty photographs from another era, the lives and loves of these ten men are brought to life by our guest Russell N Low. This crew did not intend to be heroes and would not welcome the description. They were the sons of farmers, oil company engineers, cotton brokers, garment industry workers, and Chinese laundrymen. Many were descendants of the oldest families in America, who first set foot on the soil of Colonial Virginia in the 1600s. Others came from families that migrated to America in the 1800s from Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Austria, and China during the tremendous immigration wave that built America. In truth, this group of young men could only have been formed in America. They were the best that America had to offer. Each was willing to sacrifice everything for the country he loved, driven by a patriotic fervor that was only matched by his love of flying. Russell N. Low is a physician with a passion for discovery and storytelling. He frequently lectures on Chinese-American history, and his family's story has been featured on the History Channel, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, the Voice of America, the California State Railroad Museum, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Normandy Myth Busters - A Korean on Omaha Beach? First in a new occasional series called - Normandy Myth Busters Marty Morgan is the author of Down To Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy and The Americans on D-Day: A Photographic History of the Normandy Invasion. Martin contributes frequently to World War II Quarterly and The American Rifleman, along with many other magazines. He has appeared in television programs relating to historical subjects on the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, History, The Military Channel/The American Heroes Channel. In today's show Marty examines the story of Yang Kyoungjong, a Korean soldier who, according to some historians, fought in the Imperial Japanese Army, the Soviet Red Army, and later the German Wehrmacht during WWII, notably on Omaha Beach on DDay.

80th Anniversary of the Makin Island Raid - 1942 The Raid on Makin Island (17-18 August 1942) was an attack by the USMC Raiders on Japanese military forces on Makin Island (now known as Butaritari) in the Pacific Ocean. The aim was to destroy Imperial Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area, and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Only the first of these objectives was achieved, but the raid did boost morale and provide a test for Raider tactics. Jonathan Bernstein is the currently serving Arms and Armor Curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, but he has spent the better part of the last three decades as a museum professional, aviation historian and author. Jon has focused on the evolution of tactical airpower throughout history, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean and European theaters during World War II and his sixth book, Osprey Publishing's "P-47s vs German Flak Defenses" was released this October. He also spent six of his eight years in the US Army as an AH-64 pilot, working on putting historic lessons into practice as well. Jonathan's previous show about the 9th Airforce in the Ardennes.

Bandenbekämpfung: Hitler's Anti-Bandit Order 1942/45 An 80th Anniversary Special Dr Philip Blood returns to talk about one of Hitler's most infamous initiatives of the war. In August 1942, Hitler directed all German state institutions to assist Heinrich Himmler, the chief of the SS and the German police, in eradicating armed resistance in the newly occupied territories of Eastern Europe and Russia. The directive for "combating banditry" (Bandenbekämpfung), became the third component of the Nazi regime's three-part strategy for German national security, with genocide (Endlösung der Judenfrage, or "the Final Solution of the Jewish Question") and slave labor (Erfassung, or "Registration of Persons to Hard Labor") being the better-known others.

The Dieppe Raid - 80th Anniversary - Commemoration and Understanding An 80th Anniversary Special The Dieppe Raid is Canada's darkest day of the Second World War. It is shrouded in controversy, mystery, and tragedy. This one-day, Canadian-led assault was meant to destroy German defences, collect intelligence, and test new equipment. However, the reality of the Dieppe Raid was much different. On the morning of August 19, 1942, over 6,000 Allied troops began the assault on Dieppe. Nearly 5,000 of these men were Canadian. Despite extensive planning, the raid quickly descended into chaos. Of 4,963 Canadians, only 2,210 returned to Great Britain, including 586 wounded. Eight hundred and seven Canadians lay dead. One hundred more would succumb to their wounds or die in captivity. The Germans captured 1,946 Canadians.

Fighting Back: The Jewish Brigade Group on the Italian Front 1944/45 Dr Gianluca Fantoni is a senior Lecturer in Modern History, History, Heritage and Global Cultures at the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University In today's show we will chronicle the period of bargaining between the Jewish Agency of Palestine and the British Government that eventually lead to the decision of creating a unit formed of Jewish of Palestine, and the importance that this unit has in the history of Zionism and in the Jewish memory of WWII. We will then go on to examine their role in the Italian campaign in 1944 and 1945. Gianluca is the author of an Italian language book on the Jewish Infantry Brigade called: Storia della Brigata ebraica: Gli ebrei della Palestina che combatterono in Italia nella Seconda guerra mondiale.

British Armour in Normandy - July and August 1944 John Buckley is Professor of Military History at the University of Wolverhampton. He teaches and publishes on twentieth-century military history and strategic studies, especially on air power and the final year of World War II. In this show John will talk about the development of 21st Army group's armoured forces in the aftermath of Operation Goodwood through to Totalize. What was going wrong? Why were armoured forces struggling to impose themselves? What were the lessons learned by late July 44? How did the armoured arm develop and adapt in August?

The Cavendish Road Operation - Monte Cassino 1944 Jeffrey Plowman is a research biochemist by profession who has had a keen interest in military history for over thirty-five years. He has made a special study of New Zealand armour and armoured units and has published nineteen books as well as many articles and chapters on the subject. Early morning, 19 March 1944. Tanks manned by New Zealanders, Indians and Americans launch a daring attack along a narrow mountain track on German positions north of Monte Cassino. So began one of the most audacious Allied attempts to break through the Gustav Line and advance on Rome - and it almost succeeded. We will learn about the construction of Cavendish Road and the course of the operation that followed. We will include then and now photos from along the length of Cavendish Road from the village of Caira to Massa Albaneta. We will also share video taken by WW2TV regular Gareth Davies.

Tank Restoration - To Run or Not to Run? That is the Question Although WWII retreats further and further into the past, the appeal of the hardware from the conflict is increasing. People flock to air shows to see Spitfires and Mustangs and to tank shows to see running their "favourite" armoured goliath, be that a Tiger, Sherman, Churchill or T--34. The idea for this show came from my guest Sofilein, and is about whether tanks and armoured vehicles should be restored to running condition or left in their original state as static exhibits. Restoring a tank to running condition obviously includes the use of all sorts of reproduction parts and maybe adapted engineering to make the vehicle safe in 2022. But what about the financial aspect? For the cost of getting one single tank to run, might it be possible to recover several tanks for static display.

Soviet casualties and losses during Operation Barbarossa - Part 1, 3 and 3 Part of Eastern Front Week (3) on WW2TV This is what will be covered in today's show: 1. Introduction. Important terms and definitions used in Military Operations Research (OR). 2. A brief history of the Soviet Great Patriotic War 'casualty story'. 3. The current Russian Federation's position on Soviet WWII casualties, - Some of the data inconsistencies and contradictions relating to low 1941 loss estimates, - Some words on the NKVD (strength and probable losses in 1941). Nigel Askey was born in South Africa and now lives in Australia. There, his work has mainly been in the area of information technology (computers) and data warehousing - the information technology term commonly applied to organising, storing, cataloguing and querying a very large amount of often disparate data to obtain specific statistical information. This training has proved useful in designing and building the large database of information incorporated into Operation Barbarossa: the Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis. He is also a wargamer and creator of tactical-operational military simulations. In 2003, he began working on the various volumes of Operation Barbarossa: the Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis, and Military Simulation.