Why We Fight ~ 1944

By Sasha Lehtonen (MoT)History

Why We Fight ~ 1944 episodes

May 28, 2024 The 38th Irish Brigade in Italy in Early 1944 and a Family Story
In this episode I'm joined by Richard and Eddie O'Sullivan to share more of the story of the 38th Irish Brigade along with their father's story of serving with this unit during the Second World War. You can follow and support Richard and Eddie on Twitter @irishbrigadeww as well as their own website, which are linked below.
Links
Irish Brigade: The story of the 38th (Irish) Brigade in the Second World War (https://www.irishbrigade.co.uk/)
@irishbrigadeww (https://twitter.com/irishbrigadeww)
MoT Website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Why We Fight Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)
Army University Press Podcast Dropzone (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Podcasts/#why-we-fight)
1 hr 45 min
May 22, 2024 The "One-Puka-Puka" (Part II): The Japanese-American 100th Infantry Battalion in Early 1944
Joining me again are LTC Ben Griffin and US Army veteran Daniel Kim to help continue the story of the "One-Puka-Puka" or the 100th Infantry Battalion, comprised of Japanese-Americans, fighting their way through Italy in early 1944.

Links

Why We Fight Bonus Content
(https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)

Asian-Pacific Americans in the U.S. Army: 442d Regimental Combat Team
(https://history.army.mil/html/topics/apam/442rct.html)

Go For Broke: The 442nd Regimental Combat Team
(National WWII Museum Article)
56 min
May 20, 2024 Controversies in Italy and the Failure of Allied Command
I'm joined again by COL Bryan Gibby, this time to discuss Operation Diadem and the breakout from Anzio, controversies during this period in Spring 1944 in Italy, and the failure of Allied command as LTG Mark Wayne Clark prioritizes an American-led liberation of Rome.
Links
The Will to Win: American Military Advisors in Korea, 1946-1953
Korean Showdown: National Policy and Military Strategy in a Limited War, 1951-1952
Cassino, The Hollow Victory: The Battle for Rome, January - June 1944
Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War
The Impossible Victory: A Personal Account of the Battle of the River Po
1 hr 20 min
May 20, 2024 Operation Chesterfield
Frank de Planta joins me again, this time to talk about Operation Chesterfield, an attack on the Hitler Line in late May 1944 carried out by Canadian and Polish forces in Italy.
Links
Cassino Battlefields (http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk/)
Valor Tours (https://www.valortours.com/)
42 min
May 20, 2024 Operation Diadem and the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino
Back to talk about Operation Diadem and the final battle of Monte Cassino is Frank de Planta. Frank talks about the options considered when planning this attack, some of the controversies that arose, and the outcome, as well as the focus on liberating Rome from Axis hands. There will be another episode that also talks about Operation Diadem with a focus on the failure of Allied command.
Links
Cassino Battlefields (http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk/)
Valor Tours (https://www.valortours.com/)

39 min
May 05, 2024 "Climb to Glory" (Part IV): 90-lb. Rucksacks, Mountain Warfare, and Type 3 Fun
In this episode, Dr. Lance Blyth, Command Historian for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and US NORTHCOM, and Adjunct Professor of History at the US Air Force Academy, joins me to talk about Mountain Warfare training 80 years ago, the infamous D Series exercises in early 1944, the uncertainty plaguing the men who will form the 10th Mountain Division (eventually), and other aspects of this important time in US Army history. This is the fourth in a series of episodes discussing the 10th Mountain Division.
Special thank you to the 10th Mountain Division Band for providing the music used in the intro to this episode.
Links
Follow Lance on Twitter/X (https://twitter.com/mtn_war)
Ski, Climb, Fight: The 10th Mountain Division and the Rise of Mountain Warfare - Available 5 NOV 2024 (https://www.amazon.com/Ski-Climb-Fight-Campaigns-Commanders/dp/0806194650/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UJ-Y9eVOf7eijBTQQ6cwetd5xG-VPoYyZMdiiVvSm8SGnS9fwCUG-L1JV9v2GYcu.nI6pVs9CiV7xAEFSroXPlOZL1-C4Tqtd084wmN8wyzU&qid=1714909122&sr=8-1)
Ninety-Pound Rucksack: The Story of the US Army's 10th Mountain Division and the dawn of outdoor recreation in America (https://christianbeckwith.com/)
10th Mountain Division & Fort Drum Museum (https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortDrum/index.html)
History Colorado (https://www.historycolorado.org/)
10th Mountain Division Resource Center (https://history.denverlibrary.org/research/western-history/10th-mountain-division-resource-center)
Why We Fight Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)
1 hr 26 min
April 28, 2024 "Climb to Glory" (Part III): The 10th Mountain Division is Tested
Returning to continue the story of the 10th Mountain Division are Doug Schmidt, Curator at the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum, and Dr. Chris Juergens, Head of Curatorial Services and Anschutz Curator of Military History at History Colorado. This time we talk about the Division heading into 1944, with an extremely challenge exercise to test their training.

Special thank you to the 10th Mountain Division Band for providing the music as a response to the challenge issued by Lt. Col. Brian Kerg in the Operation Flintlock episode.

Links

Building Camp Hale: A Deeper History of America's High-Altitude Army Training Ground (https://www.historycolorado.org/story/2022/10/07/building-camp-hale-deeper-history-americas-high-altitude-army-training-ground)

10th Mountain Division Resource Center (https://history.denverlibrary.org/research/western-history/10th-mountain-division-resource-center)

10th Mountain Division History (https://home.army.mil/drum/units-tenants/10th-mountain-division-li)

10th Mountain Division & Fort Drum Museum (https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortDrum/index.html)

Ninety-Pound Rucksack (https://christianbeckwith.com/)

History Colorado (https://www.historycolorado.org/)

Why We Fight Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)

1 hr 14 min
April 13, 2024 The Nuremberg Raid - March 1944
In this episode, Dr. Thomas Bradbeer talks to me about the Royal Air Force raid on Nuremberg at the end of March in 1944. He also details some of the tactics these pilots and aircrews used, as well as the challenges they faced with the Luftwaffe, and towards the end of the episode we talk a bit about his work with the US Army's Command and General Staff College in the Department of Command and Leadership.
Links
Books by Dr. Thomas Bradbeer (https://www.amazon.com/Books-Thomas-G-Bradbeer/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AThomas+G.+Bradbeer)
Army University Press SMEs (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Experts/)
Mother of Tanks website (www.motheroftanks.com)
Why We Fight Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)
One of the photos in the title graphic was downloaded from the British Imperial War Museum: ©IWM(CH12598)

1 hr 47 min
March 31, 2024The Battles of Imphal and Kohima
In this episode, Christopher Kolakowski returns to tell the story of the Battles of Imphal and Kohima in March-July 1944.

Links

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (https://wisvetsmuseum.com/)

Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945 by Field-Marshal Viscount (https://shorturl.at/BDWZ6)

Nations in the Balance: The India-Burma Campaigns, December 1943 - August 1944 by Christopher L. Kolakowski (https://shorturl.at/qtDPY)

"Is That the End or Do We Go On?": The Battle of Kohima, 1944 by Christopher L. Kolakowski (https://history.army.mil/armyhistory/AH-Magazine/2019AH_spring/AH111(W).pdf)

Road of Bones: The Epic Siege of Kohima 1944 by Fergal Keane (https://shorturl.at/uwKVX)

United States Army in World War II: China-Burma-India Theater:
Stilwell's Mission to China (https://history.army.mil/html/books/009/9-1/CMH_Pub_9-1.pdf)

Stilwell's Command Problems (https://history.army.mil/html/books/009/9-2/CMH_Pub_9-2.pdf)

Time Runs Out in CBI (https://history.army.mil/html/books/009/9-3/CMH_Pub_9-3.pdf)

Mother of Tanks website (www.motheroftanks.com)

Why We Fight Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)
32 min
March 17, 2024 The Third Battle of Monte Cassino
Frank de Planta joins me again to continue the story of the Allies fighting the Battles of Monte Cassino.
Links
Cassino Battlefields (http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk/about/)
US Army Center of Military History - Italy WWII Maps (https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/wwii/part03ETO/anzio/sec04.html)
US Army CMH Video - Anzio Landings in Italy, Monte Cassino, Russian Offensive in Romania WWII Newsreel 70842 (https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/wwii/part03ETO/anzio/sec05.html)
Anzio Beachhead (https://history.army.mil/html/books/100/100-10/CMH_Pub_100-10.pdf)
Anzio (https://history.army.mil/html/books/072/72-19/CMH_Pub_72-19.pdf)
Return to Cassino by Harold L. Bond (https://www.amazon.com/Return-Cassino-memoir-fight-Rome/dp/B0007DZTG0)
Cassino Battlefields Tours (http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk/)
Series Website (www.motheroftanks.com)
Bonus Series Content on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks)
28 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.