The search for Peace on Earth has spanned centuries, and involved the creation and dissolution of numerous treaties and organisations. So how does the United Nations fit into this story? Why was it created, and has it been successful in its task? Ian Johnson is a historian of war, technology and diplomacy at the University of Notre Dame. He returns to the podcast for a third time.

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Moored on the Thames, HMS Belfast has become a permanent fixture in the landscape of London, but since her initial launch over 80 years ago she has seen action at D-Day and during the Korean War. In this episode, James speaks to Robert Rumble, lead curator for HMS Belfast, about the ship and, in particular, her service in the Arctic Convoys during the Second World War. Listen to find out about HMS Belfast’s contribution to the Battle of the North Cape, the people on board and the strange (and sad!) story of Olga the reindeer.

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It's a special forces unit known largely for its secrecy, but Damien Lewis is on a mission of his own, to uncover everything about its beginnings. In this episode from the Dan Snow's History Hit archive, he tells us more about the formation of the SAS, starting in autumn 1940, two days after Dunkirk, with Colonel Dudley Clarke.

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If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

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During the Second World War the Netherlands fell to advancing German forces in just a few hours. The Dutch found themselves under Nazi occupation. Many men and women resisted, which took many different forms. Recently the story emerged of three young women who chose a particularly dangerous way in which to strike back against the German occupiers.

In this podcast from the History Hit archives, Dan Snow talks to the writer Sophie Poldermans about Hannie Schaft and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. With astonishing bravery these three young women seduced high-ranking Nazi officers, lured them into the woods and killed them. They also provided Jewish children with safe houses and gathered vital intelligence for the resistance. Sophie tells us their story.

When the USS Arizona was destroyed on 7 December 1941, it was the United States’ Navy’s single biggest loss of life. Producers Annette Hull and Warren Hull have worked tirelessly to tell the stories of some of those who were on board the ship. In this episode they tell us about the life of Lou Conter, one of the survivors of the USS Arizona, and the USS Arizona band, all of whom were among the more than 1,170 killed when a bomb exploded in a magazine.

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Credit to AnnWar productions for the interview with Lou Conter.