History with Mark Bielski

Mark has a conversation with Vince Dooley about his book, The Legion's Fighting Bulldog: The Civil War Correspondence of William Gaston Delony. Through the letters of Delony and his wife Rosa, we get human insights into the struggles of the war both on the battlefield and at the home front. Coach Dooley is an avid student of history, and well-known for his legendary career as head football coach at the University of Georgia for 25 years. Vince won Six SEC titles, the National Championship in 1980 and served as Athletic Director until 2004.

Mark's guest is Steve Bourque, whose new book: Beyond the Beach: The Allied War Against France takes on a subject often ignored in historical accounts. Bourque explores the effects of Allied air attacks on French towns and infrastructure in 1944 as part of the D-Day Invasion and war with Nazi Germany. In discussing the book, they examine the different operations, the destruction of military and civilian targets and casualties, as well as the results and aftermath of the bombings.

General Jack Mountcastle joins Mark to discuss the battle of Second Manassas, the major Confederate victory in August 1862 that gave Lee the thrust to invade Maryland that September. He also details the extensive tour he leads for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours that covers Manassas as well as the other key events in the Eastern theatre. We explore the strategies, leaders on both sides and specific actions in the battle and leading up to the fight. It's the closest thing to going to the battlefield itself.

A look at some August events in WWII and the Civil War, including the Siege of Leningrad, the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, the infamous Quantrill's Raiders and Nathan Bedford Forrest's raid on Memphis. We also preview upcoming fall episodes that cover Antietam, the Allied Bombing of France in 1944, and a new WWI book by one of Britain's foremost WWI experts.

Repeat of episode from October 11, 2017 about General George S. Patton, the early years and WWII.

In this redux of a prior episode, combat veteran Mort Sheffloe continues discussing his WWII experiences in Normandy and Brittany in 1944. Mort talks about Operation Cobra and being shot by a German sniper near Brest.

We revisit Mark's interviews with WWII veteran, Mort Sheffloe, done on location in France. Mort discusses his WWII experiences in Normandy and Brittany in 1944. Some of the interviews took place while walking the sands and in cafés at Utah and Omaha Beaches.

Mark's guest is Ted Edwards, whose new book, Seven at Santa Cruz, is a riveting biography of WWII pilot, Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa. It is an up-close look at the battles of Santa Cruz and Coral Sea and how Vejtasa became a naval hero fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. He flew from aircraft carriers Yorktown and Enterprise and became the only dive-bomber pilot to be awarded Navy crosses for both bombing and aerial combat.

Some cursory and analytical looks at a few key July historical events. We discuss WWII, including the Einsatzgruppen SS mission in the Soviet Union, as well as the Civil War battle of First Manassas (Bull Run). We also take a look on the lighter side—how Louisiana took an innovation from the 1930's and raised it to a higher level.

Nic Clark of Civil War Tours New Orleans, feels that he gives guests a "great way to see the city." He discusses the intriguing people and places that he includes in guiding tours about the Civil War. From the French Quarter to the famous cemeteries, we see how guests can experience history in New Orleans.