Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops

In August 1945, Japan signals its official surrender, setting off an urgent mission to find the highest-ranking American prisoner of war along with thousands of other POWs. In this episode, we explore Operation Cardinal, the future of the OSS, and the legacy of World War II on American intelligence.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Jeffrey Rogg and Nicholas Reynolds.

By spring of 1945, Allied forces are closing in on Nazi Germany. In this episode, we explore a secret operation to convince one of Hitler's last armies to surrender. Meanwhile, the OSS becomes involved in securing evidence for the upcoming Nuremberg Trials, and on the other side of the world, agents work to keep rival factions in China in the war.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Jeffrey Rogg, Nicholas Reynolds, and Sara Castro, author of Mission to Mao: US Intelligence and the Chinese Communists in World War II.

In the Pacific theater, the Allies take Iwo Jima, where Navajo Code Talkers play an integral part in this success. Meanwhile, Allied commandoes and guerilla fighters in the Philippines go on a covert nighttime raid to free prisoners of war in Cabanatuan before it might be too late.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Mike Bell, John Curatola, Jeffrey Rogg, and Nicholas Reynolds.

By December 1944, troops are fighting through the Ardennes Forest in the Battle of the Bulge, where Allied and Axis forces both employ deception tactics in efforts to change the course of the campaign — and the war.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Mike Bell, John Curatola, Jeffrey Rogg, and Nicholas Reynolds.

After D-Day on June 6, 1944, the global race is already underway to build the first atomic bomb. In this episode, we explore the efforts happening in complete secrecy to stop Nazis from doing it first.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by guests Nicholas Reynolds, author of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence; Jeffrey Rogg, author of The Spy and the State; and Clare Mulley, the author of The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville.

Many WWII spies carried out their missions behind enemy lines with no support. Other intelligence agents provided advanced research and analysis that helped make covert operations possible. In this bonus episode, you'll hear stories of American operators' training for clandestine duty—told by these men and women themselves.

These firsthand accounts are a part of The National WWII Museum's Oral History Collection.

A massive build-up of troops and equipment in the United Kingdom was a clear indicator to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi high command that an attack against Occupied Europe was imminent, but a sophisticated Allied deception plan leaves the Germans guessing where D-Day will truly take place.

Operation Fortitude successfully obscures true Allied intentions while Operation Jedburgh helps reduce German defenses ahead of the Normandy landings by putting OSS operatives at the heart of the European war. William "Wild Bill" Donovan lives up to his nickname by joining the battle personally -- over the strong objections of his superiors.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Peter Crean, Mary Kathryn Barbier, Jeff Rogg and Nick Reynolds.

In November 1942, the Allies make their first major move against Adolf Hitler's empire with Operation Torch, an amphibious assault in French North Africa. Operatives from the OSS are already on the ground gathering intelligence to lay the groundwork for a successful operation, but the complex dynamics between occupied and unoccupied France thwart many of their efforts. Meanwhile, British spies and operatives increasingly work alongside their American allies, including several who will go on to prominent postwar careers.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by Peter Crean, Michael Bell, John Curatola, Mary Kathryn Barbier, and Nick Reynolds.

A new type of American warfare is about to begin, combining intelligence with guerrilla operations in the Pacific. Under the command of Carl F. Eifler, OSS Detachment 101 links up with local fighters to help tie down Japanese forces in Burma, but at a heavy cost. Thousands of miles away, the Germans continue their efforts to infiltrate Britain and the United States using an operative named Duško Popov—who turns out to be one of the most effective double agents of the war.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by authors Nicholas Reynolds and Jeffrey Rogg, and historian Mary Kathryn Barbier, author of Spies, Lies and Citizenship: The Hunt for Nazi Criminals. Plus, hear firsthand accounts from the Oral History Collection of The National WWII Museum.

Six months after Pearl Harbor, the United States makes an important advance in understanding the Japanese naval code ahead of the Battle of Midway, which becomes a major turning point in the Pacific war. Meanwhile, President Franklin Roosevelt establishes the country's first intelligence agency, the Office of Strategic Services, and German agents target the United States in a bold sabotage plot—Operation Pastorius.

Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Michael Bell, John Curatola, Nick Reynolds, Jeff Rogg, and John Fox.