The Second World War

Previously, the Germans had attacked through Holland and Belgium, exactly what the Allies expected. Now, the Germans turn to their unexpected real plan, a thrust through the Ardennes Forest.

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In this episode, I talk to Graham Hurley, author of Last Flight to Stalingrad. Our talk ranges from the role of propaganda to the battle of Stalingrad. Make sure to visit Graham' website and find more on Military History here. 

The conflict in Norway between the Axis and Allies was only a taste of what was to come. France must fall. But how? The first (but not only) part of the invasion would come through the low countries of the Netherlands and Belgium. The French and British came to their aid but things didn't go the way of the Allies.

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The Second World War started with the invasion of Poland. But who was next? And what would the French and British do about it? This episode looks at the German invasion of Danish and Norway.

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In the episode, I interview author Clare Mulley. Clare has written a couple of biographies related to the Second World War, telling stories that many of us have not heard before. You will enjoy our conversation.

Please visit Clare at her website.

Some of Clare's books:

The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb: Founder of Save the Children

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville

The Women Who Flew for Hitler: A True Story of Soaring Ambition and Searing Rivalry

For more resources on the Second World War, visit my blog.

Before there was the Battle of France, before there was the Battle of Britain, there was the Winter War. Just months after the start of the Second World War, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. But it didn't go quite the way they had hoped.

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In this episode, we look at the events of the first month of the Second World War. We take a snapshot of September 1939 and see the seeds for much of what would happen throughout the rest of the war.

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The beginning of the Second World War is generally understood as being at the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September, 1939. Hitler created an excuse for invading and unleashed his forces on an outdated Polish army. Even knowing that Britain and France would not accept this, Hitler took this step, confident in the weakness of his enemies and the protection of his non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union.

The world would never be the same.

My recommended audiobook is:

The Nazi Invasion of Poland: The History of the Campaign That Started World War II

"The object of the war is...to physically destroy the enemy. That is why I have prepared, for the moment only in the East, my 'Death's Head' formations with orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of Polish descent or language. Only in this way can we obtain the living space we need." (Hitler, August 1939)

Throughout 1938 and 1939, conflict broke out across Europe after the social and economic disorder brought about by World War I helped the Nazis rise to power in Germany. In 1937, Adolf Hitler declared the Treaty of Versailles void and began aggressively annexing parts of the European continent. Europe's attempts to appease him, most notably at Munich in 1938, failed as Nazi Germany swallowed up Austria and Czechoslovakia by 1939. Italy was on the march as well, invading Albania in April of 1939. The straw that broke the camel's back, however, was Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1 of that year. Two days later, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany, and World War II began in earnest.

Of course, as most people now know, the invasion of Poland was merely the preface to the Nazi blitzkrieg of most of Western Europe, which would include Denmark, Belgium, and France by the summer of 1940. The resistance put up by these countries is often portrayed as weak, and the narrative is that the British stood alone in 1940 against the Nazi onslaught, defending the British Isles during the Battle of Britain and preventing a potential German invasion.

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The Second World War really starts with the German invasion of Poland. But what were Japan and Italy up to as Germany was preparing to invade? This episode looks at what was happening in China and Ethiopia in the mid to late 1930s.