In this special D-Day 80th anniversary episode of History Rage, host Paul Bavill is joined by historian Dr. Joseph Quinn to delve into the surprisingly wide access to the plans for Operation Overlord at the time. As the project coordinator for the "Their Finest Hour" initiative, Dr. Quinn shares insights into the extensive digital crowdsourcing efforts aimed at preserving Second World War heritage.

Key Points:

Introduction to "Their Finest Hour" Project:

• Overview of the digital crowdsourcing model developed by Dr. Stuart Lee.
• Efforts to recover and digitally conserve personal recollections and object heritage from the Second World War.

Democratisation of Operation Overlord:

• The widespread sharing of the invasion plan among junior and mid-ranking officers.
• Examples of officers like Major George Stidwell who were briefed as early as July 1943.

Operation Fortitude:

• The grand deception plan to mislead the Germans about the invasion location.
• Critical roles played by double agents like Juan Pujol Garcia and Duško Popov.

Secrecy and Leaks:

• Instances of leaks and measures taken to prevent them, such as mail censorship and securing sensitive documents.

Guest Information:

• Visit the "Their Finest Hour" project at theirfinesthour.org.
• Follow the project on Twitter @WW2FinestHour and Instagram @their_finest_hour.

You can follow History Rage on Twitter @HistoryRage or Paul individually @PaulBavill and let us know what you wish people would just stop believing using the Hashtag #HistoryRage.

You can join our 'Angry Mob' on Patreon as well. £5 per month gets you episodes 3 months early, the invite to choose questions, entry into our prize draws and the coveted History Rage mug. Subscribe at www.patreon.com/historyrage

To catch up on all the rage from bygone times go to the website www.historyrage.com

If you want to get in touch with History Rage then email [email protected]

Follow History Rage on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryRage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryRage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyrage/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/historyrage.bsky.social

Stay Angry, Stay Informed - History Rage

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.