The WW2 Podcast

In 1938, Europe was once again facing the prospect of a major war.

The immediate crisis centred on Czechoslovakia, a new state created at the end of the First World War. It was a country with a substantial industrial base, a significant arms industry and, importantly, a heavily fortified frontier with Germany.

Hitler was determined to destroy Czechoslovakia. The German military had drawn up an invasion plan known as Fall Grün, or Case Green. But there was a problem. The German armed forces were not yet ready for the kind of major European war that Hitler seemed to be risking.

So what exactly was Case Green? How did the Germans intend to defeat Czechoslovakia, how good were the Czech defences, and how did Hitler's ideas differ from those of his own generals?

And perhaps most importantly, what might actually have happened if Britain and France had refused to compromise and Germany had gone to war?

Today I'm joined by Robert Forczyk, whose book 'Case Green: The Birth of the Wehrmacht' examines the German plans for the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938.

Case Green is also available on Audible and Spotify.

In this episode, we're going to look at one of the most recognisable American generals of the Second World War: George S. Patton.

Patton has become almost a character in his own right. The aggressive general with the famous speeches, the polished boots and the determination to keep his tanks moving. His reputation as one of America's great battlefield commanders has only grown since his death.

But how much of that reputation is actually deserved? Was Patton really the military genius his reputation suggests, or a talented but flawed commander whose legend has outgrown his achievements?

To help me answer that question, I'm joined by James Ellman, author of Patton Reconsidered.

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In February 1942, as Japanese forces closed in on Singapore, Alexandra Hospital found itself caught in the final days of the British defence of the island.

The hospital was still treating wounded soldiers and civilians when Japanese troops entered the grounds. What followed was a massacre in which patients, medical staff and others were killed, despite the hospital being clearly marked with the Red Cross.

The events at Alexandra were among the most shocking episodes during the fall of Singapore, yet they remain relatively little known.

In this episode, I'm joined by Stuart Lloyd, author of A Bleeding Slaughterhouse, to tell the story of what happened at Alexandra Hospital, the events that led up to the massacre, and what happened afterwards as the survivors and investigators sought to establish who was responsible.

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The C-47 Dakota, or Skytrain as it was known in American service, was one of the most important aircraft of the Second World War. It carried paratroopers into battle, towed gliders packed with men and equipment, flew vital supplies to surrounded troops, and crossed some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth. Yet the crews who flew these missions are often overshadowed by the fighter aces and bomber crews.

Their job demanded a different kind of courage. Flying unarmed, often at low level and in tight formation, they were expected to stay on course, arrive on time and, even under heavy fire, resist the instinct to take evasive action. Whether over Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne or the Himalayas, they played a vital role in Allied victory.

Joining me today is Scott McGaugh, author of 'Into the Firestorm: The Allied Heroes Who Flew World War II's Most Daring Missions', to tell the story of the transport pilots who flew these extraordinary missions.

You can also find Into the Firestorm on Audible and Spotify.

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The war on the Eastern Front was fought on a scale unlike anything the world had ever seen. Stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, it consumed millions of soldiers, saw entire armies destroyed, and ultimately decided the fate of Nazi Germany.

When we tell the story of this campaign, we often focus on a handful of famous names: Zhukov, Manstein, Guderian, Model. But were they really the men directing the war throughout its four brutal years? Behind these household names stood dozens of army and army group commanders whose decisions shaped the course of the fighting, yet whose contributions have largely been overlooked.

In this episode, I'm joined by Robert Forczyk, author of Generalship on the Eastern Front, 1941–45: A Study in Command. Together we'll explore what made an effective commander on the Eastern Front, compare the German and Soviet approaches to leadership, and shine a light on some of the remarkable generals who have slipped from popular history.

Generalship on the Eastern Front is also available on Audible and Spotify.

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The tank first appeared on the battlefields of the First World War as an experimental weapon designed to break the deadlock of trench warfare. Within a generation, it had become the defining weapon of modern land warfare, playing a central role in campaigns across Europe, North Africa and beyond.

In this episode, I'm joined by Hamish de Bretton Gordon, former tank commander and author of Tank Command: How the Tank Changed the Face of Battle. We explore how the tank evolved from the lumbering machines of 1916 into the formidable armoured vehicles that dominated the Second World War, and how the lessons of those early decades shaped the development of the Chieftain and the tanks that followed.

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The British Army in the Second World War is often judged through the lens of manpower shortages and a sense of being overstretched. Critics point to a force spread across too many theatres and suggest that this inevitably limited its effectiveness.

But is that a fair assessment of an army that expanded from a few hundred thousand men into a global fighting force of over eight million, operating across Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Far East?

In this episode, I am joined by Brian Walter to explore his argument that the British and Commonwealth armies emerged from the legacy of the First World War as a reduced force, entered the Second World War underprepared, but went on to adapt, expand, and ultimately play a decisive role in defeating Germany, Italy, and Japan across multiple theatres of war.

Brian is the author of The Thin Khaki Line: An Operational History of the British and Commonwealth Armies during World War II.

In early September 1944, as Allied forces raced across France and Belgium, the German occupation of Brussels was beginning to collapse.

On 2 September, around 1,500 prisoners, including members of the Belgian Resistance, Allied airmen, SOE agents, and political prisoners, were taken from Brussels prisons and loaded onto a train bound for Germany.

For many, it seemed certain they were heading for concentration camps. But over the next two days, a remarkable series of delays and acts of resistance by Belgian railway workers and prison officials prevented the train from reaching its destination.

The convoy became known as the Ghost Train.

Joining me to discuss this extraordinary story is Greg Lewis, author of The Nazi Ghost Train.

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1942 was a year of extraordinary contrasts for Nazi Germany.

As the year began, Hitler's armies appeared unstoppable. German forces dominated much of Europe, Rommel was advancing across North Africa, and a new offensive in the Soviet Union promised the prospect of victory in the East.

Yet by the end of the year, Germany's fortunes had changed dramatically. Defeat at El Alamein and the encirclement of the Sixth Army at Stalingrad marked major setbacks. What had seemed a year of opportunity had become a year of crisis.

How did this transformation occur? What was Hitler hoping to achieve in 1942? And to what extent did the events of that year shape the remainder of the conflict?

Joining me to discuss this is Richard Hargreaves, author of 1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory, which is also available on Audible and Spotify.

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In June 1944, as the Allied armies fought to break out from the Normandy beachhead, attention turned to a series of heavily defended German positions west of Caen. Among them was Rauray Spur, a vital piece of high ground that overlooked much of the surrounding countryside and offered the Germans an excellent observation point.

Before the launch of Operation Epsom, the British needed to secure this area and protect their exposed flank. The result was Operation Martlet, a hard-fought battle that has often been overshadowed by the larger operations that followed, but was crucial to the wider campaign in Normandy.

In this episode, I am joined by John Delaney, co-host of WW2 Road Trips on YouTube and Content Lead and Senior Curator at the Imperial War Museum.

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