This week on History Happy Hour: Canada’s bloodiest battle of World War II. In September 1944, the Allies liberated Antwerp, Europe’s largest port. But Antwerp would be of little unless the 12-mile-long West Scheldt Estuary linking it to the North Sea was also captured. In his greatest blunder of the war, Field Marshal Montgomery turned his back on the port, leaving the First Canadian Army to fight its way up the long coastal flank. They faced a grueling seven-week battle against a tenacious enemy determined to make them pay for every foot.

In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Our guest is Mark Zuehlke, author of Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign: September 13 - November 6, 1944.

 

Mark Zuehlke is an award-winning author generally considered to be Canada’s foremost popular military historian. His award-winning Canadian Battle Series, which traces the Canadian Army through its battles and campaigns of World War II, currently numbers thirteen titles with the latest published in 2019. Mark lives in Victoria, B.C.

This week on History Happy Hour: Chris and Rick welcome back distinguished (and sometimes disruptive!) oral historian Peter Hart to talk about his new book Footsloggers: An Infantry Battalion at War, 1939-1945.

He’ll share the story of a single British infantry battalion during WWII. From North Africa to Italy and Greece, the 16th learned their military skills the hard way facing determined German opposition every step of the way.

Peter Hart is the author of numerous books on World Wars I and II. He was formerly the lead oral historian at the Imperial War Museum in London and now is the co-host, along with Gary Bain, of the hugely popular Pete and Gary's Military History Podcast. This will be Peter’s fourth appearance on the show – putting him neck and neck with Joe Balkoski for who will get to five appearances first!

This week on History Happy Hour: A close-up look at daily life in a small Bavarian village during the years of Nazi Germany.

Chris and Rick welcome Julia Mead, co-author of the new book, A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism. An intimate portrait of German life during World War II, shining a light on how people in this picturesque village were changed by the waves of hate and horror through the rule of Hitler and beyond.

Julia Boyd is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Everyday People. Her previous books include A Dance with the Dragon: The Vanished World of Peking's Foreign Colony, The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician and Hannah Riddell: An Englishwoman in Japan. As the widow of a former diplomat, she lived in Germany from 1977 to 1981. She currently resides in London.

This week on History Happy Hour:  Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. But he is often dismissed or left out when commentators discuss the great leaders of the Civil War.  Did he lead his troops to victory, or was he just along for the ride?  

This week Chris and Rick talk about Meade with Kent Masterson Brown, author of the recent book Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. We’ll explore Brown’s contention that Meade deserves far more credit than he usually receives for the way he handled the Army of the Potomac during and after this critical Civil War battle.

Kent Masterson Brown is the author of six Civil War history books for which he has received rave reviews and numerous national awards. He has also written, hosted, and produced eight award-winning documentary films for public and cable television.  He received his JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1974 and practiced law for thirty-seven years.  

This week on History Happy Hour: Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was the highest-paid female performer in Europe, renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she vowed to stay and fight. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy.

In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome renowned historian Damien Lewis to talk about his new book Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy. Lewis has spent ten years researching the story and unearthing new details about Baker’s wartime exploits.

Damien Lewis is a number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into over forty languages worldwide. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world’s major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East, winning numerous awards.

This week on History Happy Hour:  Last year we welcomed Kevin Hymel to talk about the first volume of his new Patton biography. Now we welcome him back to talk about the second volume, Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership, Volume 2: August–December 1944.  

We'll be covering the period starting when Patton took command of the 3rd Army. It includes his race against France, the closing of the Falaise pocket, and the successful effort to relieve Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

A deep dive into the most incredible six months of Patton’s career.

Kevin Hymel has served as a Historian for the U.S. Army and Air Force. He is the author of Patton’s Photographs: War as He Saw It and has served as a historian at the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also the Research Director for WWII History and Military Heritage magazines. Kevin leads the “In Patton’s Footsteps” tour for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and has appeared in numerous documentaries. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from LaSalle University and Master’s Degree from Villanova University, both in History.  

This week on History Happy Hour: It has been almost exactly 2,500 years since Athens, the birthplace of democracy, fought off the mighty Persian empire. What possible relevance does this have today?

Our guest this week is Stephen Kershaw, author of the new book Three Epic Battles that Saved Democracy.  A fun conversation exploring three epic campaigns - Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis - that may have saved democracy, and without which the history of Europe and the West would have been radically different.

Dr Stephen Kershaw has had a special interest in the world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans ever since being introduced to Homer’s Iliad by an inspirational teacher at his primary school. He has been a Classics tutor for some thirty years, teaching at all levels from beginner to PhD. He also created Oxford University’s online courses on Greek Mythology, The Fall of Rome and The Minoans and Mycenaeans. He lectures at the Victoria and Albert Museum and, as Professor of History of Art, runs the European Studies Classical Tour for Rhodes College and the University of the South. Previous books include ABrief Guide to the Greek Myths and A Brief History of the Roman Empire. He lives in the Oxfordshire village of Deddington with his wife, the artist Lal Jones.

This week on History Happy Hour:  A new book takes a sweeping look at the resistance movement that grew up in Europe against Nazi oppression. Chris and Rick welcome historian Halik Kochanski, author of Resistance: The Underground War Against Hitler, 1939-1945, to bring to life the thrilling exploits of fighters who risked everything to strike back against the tyranny of Hitler's regime.

Sir Max Hastings called the book, “the most comprehensive and best account of resistance I have read.” A tribute to the bravery and determination of those who fought for freedom in the darkest of times.

Halik Kochanski is a British historian, and the daughter of Polish parents disposed in World War II.  A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she has taught history at several universities and is the author of The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War. She lives in England.

This Week on History Happy Hour: During America’s War for Independence, nearly 30,000 German soldiers came to the Colonies to fight for Britain. Collectively known as Hessians, they served everywhere from Canada to Cuba and shared in every significant British triumph and defeat. What were their experiences and how did the war look to them?

Chris and Rick welcome historian Friederike Baer, who has written a groundbreaking book on the subject; Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.

Friederike Baer is an Associate Professor of History at Pennsylvania State University, Abington College. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Brown University, where she studied under famed RevWar scholar Gordon Wood. Her research focuses on the experiences of German-speaking people in North America from the Revolutionary period to the late nineteenth century.  Freiderike Baer's book Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War was recently awarded the 2023 Society of the Cincinnati Prize.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Recent archeological digs have uncovered the remains of two dozen soldiers who fought at the Revolutionary War battles of Camden, South Carolina, and Red Bank, New Jersey. British, American and Hessian soldiers have been unearthed nearly 250 years after the guns ceased.

Chris and Rick welcome Steven Smith, principal investigator on the Camden project, as well as Wade Catts and Jen Janofsky, co-directors of the Redbank Project, to talk about the effort to recover and remember these soldiers. What stories and secrets can their remains reveal?

 

Steven Smith -  Research professor, South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology

 Wade Catts -  Principal Archeologist, South River Heritage Consulting

 Jen Janofsky - Director, Red Bank Battlefield Park