Historian and author of Empire of Ashes: Truman, Hirohito and the Descent into Total War

James Scott’s latest book, Empire of Ashes, describes in detail the flights that brought nuclear bombs to Japan in August 1945. It also draws intimate portraits of the two leading antagonists on those days, U.S. President Harry Truman and Japanese Emperor Hirohito, from their earliest days through the personal transformations that ushered in a new era of warfare. 

In July and August, the leaders and delegations from the “Big Three” victors of the Second World War reshape the borders of Europe and set up a new world order.

The USA, UK and USSR have defeated nazi Germany. The Allies control Europe. In July 1945, the leaders Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin meet outside Berlin to decide what to do with it.

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For the 85th anniversary of the launch of the Eastern Front of World War 2, a replay of the first episode of Beyond Barbarossa.
Video, graphics and maps now available to all! https://youtu.be/rrnoEgVcRvE

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The fighting has ended in Europe—but with millions of displaced people surging in all directions across Europe, it cannot be called peace. While millions of POWs look forward to going home, forced labourers and people of eastern Europe know they have no home to return to. And try to escape the communist yoke. 

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When Berlin surrendered, the war in Europe continued for another week—in Czechoslovakia and its capital, Prague.

Sources

Antony Beevor, The Fall of Berlin 1945. New York, NY, USA: Penguin Random House, 2002.

Antony Beevor, The Second World War. New York, NY, USA: Little, Brown and Company, 2012. 

Evan Mawdsley, Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War, 1941–1945. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016. 

Morse code by Thane Brown

Music composed and recorded by Nicolas Bury

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David Sumner of the Europe at War podcast joins to provide deeper insight into the last major battle in the European Theatre of the Second World War.

Two huge Red Army fronts, the 1st Belorussian and the 1st Ukrainian, crush the nazi capital between them, and bring an end to the Second World War in Europe.

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In the 99th episode of the first English-language podcast that focuses on the full story of the Eastern Front of World War 2, Stalin’s top Marshals, Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Konev, race to be the first to raise the Red Banner over the Reichstag. Who will get there first?

Maps

Map 1: The Red Army’s Vistula to Oder operation

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"From the moment Stalin heard that the Americans were across the Rhine, he knew that the race for Berlin was on.”—Antony Beevor. 

WIth the Allies on the Elbe, and the Red Army on the Oder, nazi Germany was being terminally squeezed by April 1945. But before they can drive on the prize, Berlin, the Red Army must take Vienna. 

Map 1: The Red Army’s advance, 1944–1945

Map 2: The Red Army on the Oder and Niesse

Map 3: Advance into Vienna

Map 4a: European front line, 1 April 1945

Map 4b: European front line, 15 April 1945

Historical photos

Georgy Zhukov, Marshal of 1st Belorussian Front

Ivan Konev, Marshal, 1st Ukrainian Front

Rodion Malinovsky, Marshal, 2nd Ukrainian Front

Fyodor Tolbukhin, Marshal, 3rd Ukrainian Front

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The #6 Top World War 2 podcast continues following the Red Army’s advance into Hungary and Germany—and the expensive failure of the German Operation Spring Awakening. 

Map 1: Front lines in Europe, 1 March 1945

Map 2: Operation Southwind/Sudwind 

Map 3a: German plans for Operation Spring Awakening 

Map 4: The Soviet counter-attack, The Lake Balaton counter-offensive   Map 5: Following Operation Spring Awakening

Map 6: Upper Silesian locations in 2026 

Map 7: The front lines, Europe, 1 April 1945

People

Rodion Malinovsky

Fyodor Tolbukhin 

Heinz Guderian

Friedrich Schorner

Walther Nehring (right)

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