In today’s episode, we have the honour of speaking with Max Lauker and Antonio Garcia about their collaborative work—a captivating book that details Max’s experiences as a Swedish special operations soldier. Max was deployed as part of Sweden’s contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014, and later, the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) until the final Swedish withdrawal in 2021. Max, a highly trained soldier and ranger, specialising in reconnaissance, intelligence, and covert operations, shares his journey in uniform through his autobiography. Together, we…

British Army officer Sean Scullion talks about his forthcoming book Churchill’s Spaniards. This book examines the service of former Spanish Republican soldiers who served in the Spanish Civil War and their subsequent experience in British and French forces during the Second World War. The interview explores what motivated these individuals to enlist in foreign armies and fight for the allies during the conflict. Sean’s book is published by Helion.

In today’s podcast, I talk to historian, lecturer, and author Dr. Richard Baxell about his research into motivation and morale of British volunteers who served in the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. During the Spanish Civil War, around 2, 500British volunteers joined the International Brigades to fight alongside the Spanish Republicans against General Franco’s Nationalist forces. Motivated by ideological convictions, solidarity with the Spanish people, and opposition to fascism, these volunteers saw the conflict as a crucial battle between democracy and totalitarianism. Despite the British government’s non-intervention policy,…

Canon Professor Michael Snape, the Michael Ramsey Professor of Anglican Studies at Durham University, talks about religion, God and the British soldier in the Great War. Drawing from a treasure trove of newly unearthed materials from military, ecclesiastical, and civilian archives, Michael paints a vivid portrait of the experiences of Britain’s citizen armies and the vital role played by the various religious organisations that ministered to them. Michael reveals the often-underestimated significance of religion in British society during the war years. This enlightening conversation underscores how faith held a prominent…

Dr. David Stahel from the University of New South Wales, Canberra, discusses his latest book, “German Panzer Generals,” and explores the motivations and morale of these soldiers who played pivotal roles in Germany’s military effort on the Eastern Front. While the significance of figures like Heinz Guderian is widely acknowledged, this discussion focuses on the lesser-known panzer commanders serving on the Eastern Front, offering a perspective derived from their unpublished wartime letters to their wives. The discussion delves into their private fears, public pressures, and the complex moral dilemmas that…

Prof Ed Coss talks about the motivation of the British soldier fighting in the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars, 1808-1815. Ed is Emeritus Professor of History at the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and was named the Army’s Civilian Educator of the Year in 2010. He is also the author of All for the King’s Shilling: The British Soldier under Wellington, 1808-1814.

Tobias Kelly, Professor of Political and Legal Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, talks about the motivations of British conscientious objectors (COs) in the Second World War (SWW). He explores their reasons for not fighting and is based on his recent book Battles of Conscience: British Pacifists in the Second World War.

Author and historian Jane Gulliford Lowes talks about her interest and research into ‘lack of moral fibre’ in RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War.

Scholar, soldier, anthropologist, author and academic Eyal Ben-Ari, talks about morale and motivation in mission formations. Mission formations may be defined as ad hoc groups of individuals drawn from different occupational and skill backgrounds drawn together for a bespoke task focused mission. Mission formations may function in military organisations, business environments and international humanitarian relief missions. Eyal discusses the nature of motivation in these groups and how they function.

Prof. Peter Stanley outlines the military ‘crime’ that members of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) committed as part of their war service in the Middle East, Britain and Flanders during the Great War.