Why We Fight ~ 1944

By Sasha Lehtonen (MoT)History

Why We Fight ~ 1944 episodes

August 15, 2023 Patton's Leadership in Sicily 1943
Joining me in this episode is retired US Army Colonel John Antal, author of some of my favorite books and also appeared in the documentary series Patton 360. COL Antal talks with us about Patton in Sicily, with emphasis on Patton's leadership and what made Patton a great leader and what makes the Sicily Campaign worth studying.

"Every battle that Patton fought was a case study in how to fight combined arms and Joint operations."

Links

Next War: Reimagining How We Fight (https://amzn.to/3YzYlnD)

Infantry Combat: The Rifle Platoon - An Interactive Exercise in Small-Unit Tactics and Leadership (https://amzn.to/3QDzPA4)

Armor Attacks: The Tank Platoon - An Interactive Exercise in Small-Unit Tactics and Leadership (https://amzn.to/3OWmotX)

Combat Team: The Captain's War - An Interactive Exercise in Company Level Command in Battle (https://amzn.to/3OuWT1k)

7 Leadership Lessons of D-Day (https://amzn.to/3QFFJAO)

http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/
39 min
August 14, 2023 Lieutenant General George S. Patton Jr. (Part I)
TW: This episode includes mention of someone taking their own life and also mention of the accusing of Black French soldiers of sexual assault. These are not graphic in nature, just adding a trigger warning in case anyone is sensitive to these topics.
Historian and author Kevin Hymel joins me in this episode to talk about George S. Patton Jr. This is marked a "Part I" as Kevin has promised to come back and continue the story. He will also talk about the "Six-Triple-Eight" Postal Battalion, about which he wrote an article that inspired an upcoming Netflix film made by Tyler Perry. Kevin is also an Ambrose Historical Tours guide leading the "In Patton's Footsteps" tour.
Links
Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership Vol. 1 (https://amzn.to/459qGUg)
Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership Vol. 2 (https://amzn.to/3OCx2V8)
Patton's Photographs: War as He Saw It (https://amzn.to/3YxSbV2)
Historian Kevin Hymel's Article on the 6888th Being Made into a Movie (https://stephenambrosetours.com/historian-kevin-hymels-article-on-the-6888th-to-be-made-into-a-movie/)
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (https://armyhistory.org/6888th-central-postal-directory-battalion/)
"No Mail, Low Morale": The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/Jan-Feb-2019/Warrington-Mail/)
http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/
1 hr 19 min
August 13, 2023 The 56th Medical Battalion (Corps) in Sicily 1943
Joining me in this episode is Dr. Grant Harward to share the story of the US Army's 56th Medical Battalion, also ironically known as "The D-Day Medics" -- ironic because they were in Morocco, Sicily, Italy, and southern France... but not Normandy.
Links
Romania's Holy War: Soldiers, Motivation, and the Holocaust (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3qulStG)
http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/
1 hr 1 min
August 06, 2023 The Relief of Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen
Following the Battle of Troina on Sicily, MG Terry Allen is relieved of command, along with his Deputy, Teddy Roosevelt Jr. In this episode, Dr. Greg Hospodor helps share the story of "Terrible Terry" de la Mesa Allen, along with some controversies surrounding the decision to relieve him on 6 August 1943. We also touch on leadership and professionalism and the politics among General Officers.
Links
Terrible Terry Allen: Combat General of WWII – The Life of an American Soldier (https://amzn.to/3Oniadq)

A Soldier’s Story – Omar Bradley (https://amzn.to/3qt2LQB)

A General’s Life: AN Autobiography by General of the Army Omar N. Bradley and Clay Blair (https://amzn.to/3KwFowi)
http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

1 hr 38 min
August 06, 2023 Operation Tidal Wave
In this episode, Dr. Luke Truxal joins me again to talk Air Power in 1943 – this time we talk about Operation Tidal Wave, an air raid against Romanian oil refineries. The operation was not just a failure on many levels but it had a negative impact on our ability to employ our air assets during the remainder of the Sicily Campaign and going into Italy as a result of significant losses and damage to the bombers.
Links

Uniting Against the Reich: The American Air War in Europe – Dr. Luke Truxal (https://amzn.to/3Qp2I31)

Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler’s Oil – LTC Jay Stout, USMC Ret. (https://amzn.to/3DNyuzb)
(Jay A. Stout https://www.jayastout.com/)

Enlisted Personnel of Operation Tidal Wave (https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AFEHRI/documents/WarsConflicts/fodor.pdf)

The Airmen Heritage Series: Operation “Tidal Wave” (https://media.defense.gov/2016/May/18/2001540805/-1/-1/0/AFD-160518-001-011.PDF)

1943 – Operation Tidal Wave: The Low-Level Bombing of the Ploesti Oil Refineries (https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/459003/1943-operation-tidalwave-the-low-level-bombing-of-the-ploesti-oil-refineries-1/)

Operation Tidal Wave (https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/mission/operation-tidal-wave)

On Thie Day (1 Aug 1943): Operation Tidal Wave (https://www.mightyeighth.org/operation-tidal-wave/)

Romania’s Holy War: Soldiers, Motivation, and the Holocaust – Dr. Grant Harward (https://amzn.to/3Kwp4vI)

Quest for Decisive Victory: From Stalemate to Blitzkrieg in Europe, 1899-1940 – Dr. Robert Citino (https://amzn.to/3Oqv1v7)

For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012 (https://amzn.to/45jsSbp)

http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

1 hr 46 min
July 27, 2023 The Biscari Massacre
In this episode Major Darren Johnson, an Active-Duty Infantry Officer teaching history at West Point, joins me again and he graciously volunteered to share the story of the Biscari Massacre for this year's series. It is important when looking at our history that we see when things go wrong and how those situations were handled so that we can learn from this and continue to do better.
This is the second part of a two-part episode. The first part discusses using Operation Husky to teach West Point cadets and some of the hard lessons the Allies learned while fighting in Sicily. This is one of about 30 episodes on the Sicily Campaign.
46 min
July 27, 2023 Studying Operation Husky & Learning Hard Lessons in Sicily
In this episode, MAJ Darren Johnson, an Active-Duty Infantry Officer teaching history at West Point, tells us about using Operation Husky to teach cadets, as well as some of the hard lessons the Allies learned while fighting in Sicily.
There is a second part to this episode in which Darren talks about the Biscari Massacre. This is one of about 30 episodes on the Sicily Campaign.
37 min
July 25, 2023 Complicated Relations and Mussolini Gets Sacked
In this episode I'm joined by Giulio Poggiaroni to talk about the Italians in Sicily in 1943 and Mussolini getting fired. Giulio's accounts are linked below - he offers an excellent array of WWII history content in both Italian and English, and he will join us again in a few weeks to talk about the Allied invasion of Italy and things getting even more complicated for the Italian people.
This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943.
Links

Giulio Poggiaroni, Author at Comando Supremo (https://comandosupremo.com/author/giulo-poggiaroni/)

Italian Military Archives on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@ITM_archives)

Italian Military Archives on Instagram (http://instagram.com/italian_military_archives)

Italian Military Archives on Twitter (http://twitter.com/@ITM_archives)
58 min
July 24, 2023 The Thunderbird Division in Sicily
Joining me in this episode is Dr. Denise Neil, Executive Director of the Oklahoma National Guard Museum. Dr. Neil helps share the story of the 45th Infantry Division, the "Thunderbird" Division, which was trained but not yet combat-tested when they landed in Sicily on 10 July 1943. We do touch on the Biscari Massacre, but there will be a dedicated episode for that coming up soon.
This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943.
Links
Oklahoma National Guard (https://ok.ng.mil/)
Oklahoma National Guard Museum (https://www.facebook.com/45thInfantryDivisionMuseum)
The Rock of Anzio: From Sicily to Dachau, A History of the US 45th Infantry Division by Flint Whitlock (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3Y58VCS)
Citizen Soldiers: Oklahoma's National Guard by Kenny Franks (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3QifjES)
http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

57 min
July 23, 2023 Combat Action and the Impact of Terrain in Sicily in 1943
Joining me in this episode is Steven Clay who works with the Army University Press Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team. Steve talks to us about the terrain in Sicily and how that terrain impacted operations including Operation Husky and throughout the Sicily Campaign. He also talks about the combat experiences of the 16th Infantry Regiment and 1st Infantry Division throughout the campaign.

Steve created some really cool animated maps for this talk, but since this is an audio podcast I will put the maps on Twitter and paste the link here: https://twitter.com/Mother_of_Tanks/status/1683146971098370049

I will also link to the thread on my website on the Podcast page.
This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943.

Links

Blood and Sacrifice: The History of the 16th Infantry Regiment from the Civil War Through the Gulf War (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3rBdLf3)

Army University Press Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/educational-services/staff-ride-team-offerings/)

http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/
1 hr 20 min

About Why We Fight ~ 1944

From the publisher's feed

Season two of the largest Combined, Joint, Multinational Military History effort focuses on American and Allied Forces in Europe and the Pacific through 1944.