This week on History Happy Hour: The Ranger attack on the German gun batteries at Pointe-du-Hoc in the early morning hours of D-Day is the stuff of legend.

In an encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome vaunted D-Day historian Stephen Zaloga to the show to talk about his new book, Smashing Hitler’s Guns: The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944. We’ll walk through the legends, and the questions, and see what Zaloga has been able to unearth in this most recent account of the Rangers’ fateful mission.

This week on History Happy Hour: More than one million Black men and women served in World War II. Black troops served in segregated units and performing unheralded but vital support jobs, only to be denied housing and educational opportunities during and after the war. Without their crucial contributions, the United States could not have won the war. And yet the stories of these Black veterans have long been ignored, cast aside in favor of the myth of the “Good War” fought by the “Greatest Generation.”

This week Chris and Rick welcome historian Mathew Delmont, author of the new book Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad. A wide-ranging look at the African-American experience in World War II, fighting for America abroad while simultaneously fighting for their rights here at home.

This week on History Happy Hour:  How has how Germany's Nazi past shaped its responses to the genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, and Rwanda—and further, how have these foreign atrocities recast Germans’ understanding of their own horrific history.

Chris and Rick will launch a discussion on this topic with Andrew Port, author of Never Again: Germans and Genocide After the Holocaust.

This week on History Happy Hour: We'll examine the most transformative year in American history -- when a battered nation would emerge from the Great Depression and reinvent itself under the skilled leadership of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But that’s only one thing that happened in a year cram-packed with fascinating characters and happenings.

Chris and Rick welcome is Scott Martelle, author of the brand-new book 1932: FDR, Hoover and the Dawn of a New America.

This week on History Happy Hour: No Guest – Just Us! By popular demand, Chris and Rick reserve the hour on this Sunday after Thanksgiving to just chat with each other – and you! What would you like us to talk about. FDR’s leadership? Our favorite WWI books? Who should have won the War for Independence?

Send an email to [email protected] with your questions, topics and suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we’ll have some questions for you as well. A free-flow, interactive, fun time on HHH. Just make sure you have your cocktail in hand – we sure will!

This week on History Happy Hour:  According to US Secretary of War Henry Stimson, the "most shocking single event" of World War II was not the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but rather the fall of France in the spring of 1940. In recognizing Vichy, the US not only demonstrated panic and moral ineptitude but also nearly ruined the alliance with Britain.

Chris and Rick will explore this topic with Michael Neiberg, author of When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Face of the Anglo-American Alliance.

This week on History Happy Hour:  Did submarines play a bigger role in the Battle of Midway than is generally believed? That's the argument from naval historian Mark Allen, author of Midway Submerged: American and Japanese Submarine Operations at the Battle of Midway, May–June 1942.

Chris and Rick will talk to Mark about what each side expected from their submarines, and how well these vessels fulfilled the expectations placed on them by their respective naval planners. A story that brings a whole new dimension to the discussion of the battle of Midway.

This week on History Happy Hour:  From 1792-1815, Europe was consumed by the Napoleonic Wars. But their impact reverberated around the world, altering the political and military landscape on six continents.

To explore this global story, Chris and Rick welcome Alexander Mikaberidze, author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History. Why the Napoleonic Wars may have been the most important thing to have taken place between the Reformation and World War I.

This week on History Happy Hour: The gripping true story of a group of American paratroopers who were dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day, only to disappear without a trace.

In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Stephen Rabe, author of The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy. His book brings to life the harrowing struggles and ultimate fate of these forgotten heroes – one of whom was his father. A story that involves not only Americans and Germans, but also French citizens who played a key role.

This week on History Happy Hour: The most remarkable journey any president’s wife has ever made.  In August 1943, under a veil of secrecy, Eleanor Roosevelt began a risky five week tour to the South Pacific to experience what American GI’s were experiencing...and report back home. Her journey soon became front page news, as she visited, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Guadalcanal.

Chris and Rick welcome author Shannon McKenna Schmidt to talk about her new book, The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back.