In October 1942, as Field Marshal Rommel's Afrika Korps prepared for one final push towards Cairo, Australia's 9th Division and New Zealand's 2nd Division stood ready at El Alamein for what would become the decisive battle of the North African campaign. Author Tom Gilling joins Mat McLachlan to explore how Montgomery's meticulously planned offensive depended on the tenacity of these Anzac forces to break through Rommel's formidable defences. From the initial barrage that lit up the desert night to the grinding attritional warfare that followed, this is the story of how Australian and New Zealand forces helped deliver the victory that Churchill called "the end of the beginning" - a triumph that saved the Middle East and marked the true turning point of the Second World War.

Tom Gilling's new book on the Battle of El Alamein, Start Digging You Bastards!, is available now.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Guest: Tom Gilling

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

On July 1st, 1916, 800 young Newfoundlanders climbed out of a trench and walked into history at Beaumont-Hamel. In twenty minutes, an entire generation was lost. This is their story - from fishermen's sons volunteering in St. John's to seasoned soldiers facing the German lines on the Somme. Through the actual words of Lieutenant Owen Steele, Private Frank Lind, and others who were there, Mat McLachlan tells how a small island's fierce loyalty to the Empire led to unimaginable sacrifice. A tragedy that shaped Newfoundland's identity forever, commemorated by a bronze caribou that still stands guard over the fields where so many gave everything.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

Billy Sing was a living contradiction - an Australian of Chinese and English descent, who went on to become Australia's deadliest sniper of all time. In this episode Mat explores Billy's life, his deadly work at Gallipoli and his sad decline once the war was over.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

This week marks the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, the epic battle that resulted in the defeat of Napoleon and the rewriting of European history. But recent research has revealed that one man who fought at the battle had a fascinating connection with Australia. Lieutenant Andrew White of the Royal Engineers had been born in the fledgling colony of NSW, the son of a convict. His journey from colonial child to gentleman officer serving on the staff of the Duke of Wellington is one of the most remarkable tales of early Australia. Join Mat as he tells the story of Andrew White, Australia's first returned serviceman and only Waterloo veteran.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

It's been 60 years since the first Australian combat troops were deployed to Vietnam. In this episode Mat discusses the political situation that led to their deployment, their early actions and the lessons learned that helped shape our commitment to the war.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

This week marks the anniversary of the Battle of Messines, in June 1917. At the time, it was considered the greatest Allied victory of the war, and Australian and New Zealand troops played a vital role. In this episode Mat breaks down the battle, what innovative tactics helped to win it, and the huge Anzac sacrifice required to bring victory.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

May 8 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the day the Germans surrendered in the Second World War. Mat is joined by historian Lachlan Grant from the Australian War Memorial to discuss what this important day meant for Australians, both at home and overseas.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Guest: Lachlan Grant

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

Mat is joined again by legendary London battle guide, Steve Hunnisett, to explore more sites that tell the story of London's wartime past.

Sites visited:

- Salvation Army HQ, where an amateur photographer captured iconic images of London in flames during the Blitz

- The Royal Exchange, where a direct bomb hit created 'the largest crater in England'

- Two extraordinary war memorials - one from the Napoleonic Wars and one from the First World War - that tell the stories of Londoners who volunteered to fight

- An unassuming jewellery shop, where a hero lost his life trying to foil a robbery in the dark days of WW2

- The Merchant Navy Memorial, that remembers more than 35,000 sailors lost during both world wars, and tells the story of some of the most remarkable ships to ever take to sea.

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/ZmtMluJtB74?si=3tH0bepMXPvGwSO1

To book a tour of London's wartime sites with Steve, visit https://www.blitzwalkers.co.uk/

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Guest: Steve Hunnisett

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

Although Australians were actively involved in the Burma campaign throughout the Second World War, this vitally important theatre of the Asia-Pacific War has fallen through the cracks of history. Mat speaks with historian Daryl Moran to reveal the service and sacrifice of Australians in this forgotten campaign.

In the Fight: Australians and the War in Burma, 1942-1945, edited by Andrew Kilsby and Daryl Moran, is available now.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Guest: Daryl Moran

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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

Lambis Englezos is well-known as the man who discovered a mass grave containing 250 Australian soldiers on the 1916 battlefield of Fromelles. This battle had been an unmitigated disaster, with more than 5500 Australians killed, wound or captured in only 20 hours of fighting. It is still remembered as the greatest military disaster in Australian history.

In July 2025 Lambis will return to the Western Front to lead a special group tour, which will commemorate the anniversary of Fromelles and Pozieres, and also visit all the key Australian battlefields. In this episode he joins Mat to talk about the experience of walking the ground where the Anzacs fought, and why the French and Belgian battlefields continue to hold a special place in his heart.

Join Lambis on this exclusive tour! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/fromelles-pozieres-anniversary-tour-2025/ for details.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Guest: Lambis Englezos

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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