Tigers by the Fire

Interview with Holy Cross students who visited Normandy, France, over Spring Break. Hear the students' thoughts on seeing the various sites of D-Day in person. 

In 1942, Reinhard Heydrich was at the height of his power. In charge of the SD and Ensetgruppen, he spearheaded the planning for the final solution and held a firm grip over the SS. His life would come to a dramatic end when he was ambushed in Prague by Czech resistance fighters who were airdropped into Europe by the British in what would be the highest-level assassination of the war. 

Unit 731 was an experimental unit in the Japanese occupation of China. Throughout the occupation, the group conducted human experiments on Chinese civilians and POWs. While not as widely known as events in Europe, Unit 731 is an example of the widespread atrocities committed by countries during WWII. 

In this episode, the students will discuss Auschwitz from various perspectives. One of our guests will explain the power of his visit there last November, and how it changed his views on the event. This episode presents a glimpse of a horrific topic as seen through the eyes of High School students. There are reflections on first-hand accounts, literature, and much more. 

In this episode, the group will discuss the fabled "Ghost Army" of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troop. Learn how a group of artists, authors, and other non-traditional combat personnel helped win the intelligence war for the Allies. 

In this episode, the students will talk about the Battle of Anzio in the Italian campaign. When most people think of invasions from the sea, they think of D-Day in Normandy, France. However, months before that, when the allies were stuck going up the "blood boot" in Italy, an operation was designed to break them free of a stalemate. Believed to be a move that would force the Germans into a quick retreat, Anzio was anything but easy. Stuck on the beach for weeks, Allied soldiers would have to fight for every foot to dislodge the German defenders. 

Season 6 kicks off with an episode on the Bataan Death March. In this episode, the boys will examine and discuss the struggles of soldiers captured by the Japanese in 1942 during the Philippine Islands Campaign. 

On Saturday, November 30, 35 members of the Holy Cross family, including 20 students, and I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland after spending the past six days in Berlin, Warsaw, and Krakow. Following a large group discussion, a few of the boys wanted to stay around and make this recording. This special episode, recorded less than 12 hours after our visit in Krakow, highlights the impact this visit had on the boys. 

Season 5 of Tigers by the Fire is here! In this episode, the boys will be talking about Pointe du Hoc. One of the members of the team, Josh Adams, visited Pointe du Hoc in June of 2024. He shares his thoughts on the experience. 

This episode looks into Double Cross and the various counterintelligence programs centered around the D-Day landings in 1944.