History Book Club

David Stirling was a great salesman, and so have we been seduced into thinking he's not really responsible for the founding of the SAS, and it was instead his brother?

We have two distinguished historians join Ollie to debate the question. Both are previous guests of the pod, so this is your opportunity to find the truth or is the question more complicated?

Links Discussed

David Stirling: The Phoney Major, by Gavin Mortimer

2SAS: Bill Stirling and the forgotten special forces unit of World War II, by Gavin Mortimer

Speed, Aggression, Surprise, by Tom Petch

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This month's Film Club is Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. Links are in the shownotes, including an article on 6 of the best books on napoleon that Ollie has written, as well as other links. We also have a bonus episode coming up when we get Napoleonic historian Adam Zamoyski’s reaction to the film, so do subscribe so as not to miss out.

Links

Six of the Best: Books on Napoleon - Aspects of History

Historians & Hollywood by Adam Zamoyski - Aspects of History

Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon Screenplay

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At the age of 17 in 1891 whilst at Harrow School, Winston Churchill learned that his mother was sending him to stay with a French family for Christmas. He wrote to her, ‘My darling Mummy, never would I have believed you would haave been so unkind. I am utterly miserable..I can’t tell you how wretched you have made me feel. Oh my Mummy. I expect you were too busy with your parties and arrangements for Christmas. I comfort myself by this. Your loving son, Winny.'

That letter shows there is more to Churchill than the titan of World War Two.

My guest today is David Reynolds who has written a book about the great figures who influenced him - Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him so we discuss Gandhi, Attlee and Clementine as well as Winston himself.

Since it's Christmas I have an offer of half price on an annual subscription using the code HISTORY50% at our website: Annual Subscription to Aspects of History Magazine - Aspects of History

**Gift Subscriptions available**

David Reynolds Links

Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him

Ollie Links

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On the 6th November 1966 Paul McCartney died in a car crash, and he was replaced in the Beatles by William Shears Campbell. Now that’s not actually true, but it hasn’t stopped many people to believe that it is. This theory is just one of many conspiracies that I discuss with Jonn Elledge, co-author (with Tom Phillips) of a book on their history. We talk about whether we’re living in a simulation, JFK and Abraham Lincoln’s assassinations, crop circles and many more - but it’s not always internet obsessives who push these ideas.

Jonn is a journalist and author and you'll find his work in The New Statesman, The Guardian and he has a great Substack.

Jonn Elledge Links

Conspiracy: A History of Boll*cks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them, by Jonn Elledge & Tom Phillips

The Newsletter of (Not Quite) Everything - Substack

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Links Discussed

Abbi Richards' brilliant Conspiracy Chart

Do We Live in a Simulation? Chances Are about 50–50

1234: The Beatles in Time, by Craig Brown

Ollie Links

6 Books on Napoleon

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In November 1969 news broke of a massacre of Vietnamese civilians by US troops in the village of My Lai in the So Tonh district of Kwang Nai in the South Central coast region of Vietnam. The killings themselves had taken place more than a year earlier on the 16th March 1968. It’s difficult to know how many deaths there were – the US army puts the figure at 347, and there are estimates of around 500.

Marshall Poe joins to discuss the build up, the massacre itself and the events of that day, the cover up, and we try to answer why it happened.

Marshall Poe Links

The Reality of the My Lai Massacre

New Books Network

Massacres in Vietnam

The Vietnam War

Ollie Links

Ollie on the NBN - Entrepreneurship & Leadership

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In the early 1930s, a new movement threatened to smash the established ruling party, the Conservatives, as well as the Labour party. Led by a charismatic leader, capable of brilliant oration, the British Union of Fascists attracted many to their cause, most notably aristocrats and even royalty.

Joining our editor today is Alec Marsh, journalist and author of Rule Britannia, along with historian of the period Martin Pugh, author of Hurrah for the Blackshirts. They discuss it's causes, the great counter-factual of whether they could have take control, and whether there are modern day fascists around.

Martin & Alec Links

Hurrah for the Blackshirts

Rule Britannia

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Ollie Links

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James Holland joins to discuss the Allied campaign in Italy in the autumn of 1943 as they sought to capitalise on the capture of Sicily and head up the boot of the Italian peninsular, to both knock the Italians out the war, and to reach the Nazi factories of southern Germany and Austria.

James is the author of The Savage Storm, his new book on the campaign, as well as a myriad of other titles so he is certainly Mr World War Two.

James Holland Links

The Savage Storm: The Heroic True Story of One of the Least told Campaigns of WW2

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Previous episode: The Second World War with James Holland

Oliver Webb-Carter Links

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Antonia Senior, Roger Moorhouse and Richard Foreman join Ollie to discuss their books of the year, as well as current events.

Please Note:

Episode Recorded 17th November 2023

One guest does curse..

Get in touch:

[email protected]

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Books of the Year

One Fine Day, Matthew Parker

Adama, Lavie Tidhar

Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad, Daniel Finkelstein

Conflict, General David Petraeus & Andrew Roberts

Homer & His Iliad, Robin Lane Fox

The Temple of Fortuna, Elodie Harper

The Weimar Years, Frank McDonough

The Forgers, Roger Moorhouse

The Glutton, AK Blakemore

A Nasty Little War, Anna Reid

Sharpe's Command, Bernard Cornwell

Operation Chiffon, Peter Taylor

Episodes Referenced

Israel Palestine Podcast Episode with Roberto Mazza

Nazi Soviet Pact with Roger Moorhouse

Conflicts Post War with General David Petraeus & Andrew Roberts

The Troubles with Peter Taylor

Other Books Mentioned

1923, Mark Jones

A Splendid Little War, Derek Robinson

Sword of Bone, Anthony Rhodes

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When Charles Stuart was born in 1600 it was his older brother Henry who was expected to get the top job. Charles was a sickly child, suffering terribly for the first few years of his life. Tragedy then struck and he became Prince of Wales. In today's podcast we hear about his illnesses, his attempts at marriage, and a sympathetic treatment of Charles' dealings with Parliament. We also discover who was responsible for declaring war in 1642.

Mark Turnbull is the author of Charles I's Private Life and the host of CavalierCast

Mark Turnbull Links

Charles I's Private Life

CavalierCast

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Ollie Links

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On the 22nd November 1963 President John F Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas Texas. The assassination shocked the world. In 1991, Academy Award winner Oliver Stone, a Vietnam veteran, directed JFK starring Kevin Costner. In it he argues a conspiracy and the movie has helped lead to more than 60% of Americans believe him.

Director Tim Hewitt joins our editor Ollie to talk the movie, the allegations of conspiracy, their favourite actors, best scene, as well as most inaccurate, and finally the legacy of the film.

*Please note it was in fact the Assassination Records Review Board that was established in the wake of the movie, not the House Select Committee on Assassinations

Links Discussed

Libra, by Don Delillo

American Tabloid, James Ellroy

Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, by Norman Mailer

Hollywood & History: The Debate Over JFK

JFK: Director's Commentary

Umbrella Man, Errol Morris

Oswald Photograph

Bullet Theory

Get in Touch

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[email protected]

Tim on X/Twitter

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