Hank and Bindu go to the jungles of Southeast Asia to complete the Peter Kemp Trilogy that they began all the way back in Episode 12.

Peter Kemp (1919-1993) was a British adventurer who served in the Spanish Civil War in both the Carlist milita and the elite Spanish Foreign Legion. He later served during WW2 in the British SOE as a commando leader in Axis-occupied Albania and Poland. Finally after VE and VJ day, Kemp was sent by MI6 to Vietnam and Bali to help protect civilians and support the UK's interests in post-war Southeast Asia. This last part of his military journey is covered in "Alms for Oblivion".

Bindu and Hank explore Kemp's long and storied career, and use this book to talk about the chaotic military and political situation in post-war Vietnam and Indonesia. Two countries filled with communists, colonialists, independence fighters, Japanese troops awaiting demobilization and many other power players stepping into the vacuum left by the Second World War.

Join us as we complete the Peter Kemp trilogy with this thrilling story of spies and guerrillas.

Hank and Bindu return to Italy for the memoir of the founder and commander of the first company of what was to become known as the Arditi - "The Daring Ones.” 

Cristoforo Baseggio was a junior officer long history of military service in the Italian and British armies prior to the Great War. At age 46, Baseggio commissioned again in 1914 as a member of the Alpini ("Alpine Troops"). From there, Baseggio created the 1st Exploratori Company as a small company strength unit to raid deep into Austro-Hungarian lines. Utilizing "Arditi" tactics, which emphasized speed and close quarters combat, the unit saw incredible successes despite the notoriously rugged terrain of northern Italy. Pioneering "Arditi" tactics would revolutionize trench warfare on the Italian Front, long before the advent of the German Stormtroopers. Baseggio's unit would be ultimately disbanded in 1916, they would be the catalyst for the development of larger Arditi units with the same tactical prowess and unique equipment innovations. 

First published in 1929, Baseggio's "The Death Company" was written entirely in Italian. For Anglophones, the book was only translated and republished for the first time in 2020. Join us as we explore a book that has been called “The Italian ‘Storm of Steel” and the origins of the legendary Italian Arditi units.

Get ready to return back to the front lines as Bindu and Hank return from their podcast hiatus. Join us as we unravel the memoir of Canadian Sergeant Fred Cederberg, who served during during the Italian Campaign with the Cape Breton Highlanders and the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish.

Brace yourself for an intense exploration of Canada's often-overlooked involvement in the war-torn landscapes of Italy during the Second World War. Fred Cederberg's chronicles paint a vivid tapestry of courage, duty, brotherhood, and love, showcasing the metamorphosis of a young boy into a hardened man amidst the relentless chaos of battle.

This episode is not just a podcast; it's a dedication, a tribute to the indomitable spirit of our late friend Kyle "Ndlovu" Porter. Join us as we honour his memory and embark on a journey that transcends time, resonating with the echoes of valour and camaraderie.

Bindu and Hank explore the “other side” of the Rhodesian Bush War and the other Cold War conflicts with a political treatise from African revolutionary leader Kwame Nkrumah. A perpetual activist, Nkrumah went from a minor Marxist and pan-Africanist thinker to the first president of an independent Ghana. While he never commanded troops in the field, he wrote a field manuel that would inspire Robert Mugabe and a generation of African guerrilla fighters. Join us as we go over the ideas and ideals of Nkrumah and the soldiers of ZANU, ZAPU, SWAPO and ANC that he inspired with his work.

Bindu and Hank depart from our usual format to bring you the incredible stories of three fallen members of the legendary Rhodesian Selous Scouts: Major John Kendrick Murphy Jr., Sergeant Head Wuranda SCR, BCR, and Lieutenant Edward Piringondo SCR.

We discuss the exploits of these men on pseudo-operations for the Rhodesian cause, and the circumstances of their deaths. We also explore the shady dealings of Rhodesian CIO chief Ken Flower and his connection to the tragic end of Lieutenant Piringondo and the collapse of Rhodesia. Join us as we pay tribute to these gallant men, who rightly deserve their place as some of the most legendary COIN warfare operations in history.

Bindu and Hank go off the beaten path and into uncharted territory with an interview with Nick from “Tales From The Grid Square”. Together we discuss encounters of soldiers with ghosts, cryptids, UFOs and other weird and creepy phenomena. Hank, Nick and Bindu revist Will R. Bird’s encounters with the ghost of his brother and explore the Ariel School UFO sighting, the U-28 Sea Serpent and Hank and Nick’s own encounters with unusual phenomena in the Canadian and American militaries respectively. Join the three of us for a look into the weirder and spookier side of military life and military history, and have a Happy Halloween!

Hank and Bindu showcase the sequel to the legendary Rhodesian war memoir “Fireforce” with this episode on “Survival Course”. The book follows Chris Cocks’ journey through BSAP-PATU, and the confusing and vicious combat that unit went through as conventional military operations became interwtined with police actions. The book also explores Chris’ own “war of self” as he struggled with mental health issues and drug dependency. Hank and Bindu talk about all that and more, including the end of Rhodesia and its transformation into Zimbabwae; as we share Chris’ incredible story of the end of the Rhodesian Bush War and his own personal battles.

Hank and Bindu explore General Sir Charles "Gurkha" Reid's memoirs of the Siege of Delhi, during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The urban combat at Delhi can easily be compared to the intensity of Alesia, Rourke's Drift or Stalingrad, but is not as widely explored in then English speaking world. The battle also cemented the legend of Nepalese Gurkha, as "Gurkha" Reid's Simoor Battalion would earn their most distinguished battle honour at the defence of the Hindu Rao's house - an honour still carried on by the Royal Gurkha Rifles on the Queen's Truncheon, in modern times. Hank and Bindu use the combat diary of "Gurkha Reid" to navigate the events of the siege, the Indian Mutiny more broadly, and the history of the legendary British and Indian Army Gurkhas.

Hank and Bindu take on the memoirs of one of the most controversial and eccentric soldiers of the 20th century. Siegfried Müller was born in 1920 in Germany to an old Prussian millitary family and served with the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. After the war, Müller left his homeland for a fresh start in Africa and after a stint clearing mines in Libya, found himself in the Congo during the early 1960s. He used his previous military experience to serve as a mercenary under the legendary “Mad” Mike Hoare on behalf of the Congolese government against the brutal Simba rebels.The German soldier wearing his Iron Cross proudly in the jungle became an icon of this conflict. Hank and Bindu share the incredible story of a man who fought in some of the fiercest battles in Africa during the Cold War and gained worldwide infamy because of it.

Hank and Bindu travel back further in history than they have ever done, with this autobiogrpahy of a late 15th Century/ early 16th Century knight. Sir Götz von Berlichingen, better known as Götz of the Iron Hand; was a German knight who served as a mercenary leader in many of the conflicts both inside and outside the Holy Roman Empire. Despite losing his right arm to a cannonball early in his millitary career, Götz served as an esteemed knight and a capable military leader for almost five decades of wars and feuds. Using this memoir as a reference, Hank and Bindu explore late Medieval and Renaissance warfare and the revolution in military tactics and technology that this period experienced.