WW2 Nation Podcast

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Peter served in 1 Troop, B Squadron of the 1st East Riding Yeomanry as a gunner on a Sherman Tank during the Second World War. He had originally enlisted with the RAF as a wireless operator but then transferred to the Army who at that moment had been desperately short of W/O’s. Having landed on D-Day, he and his crew fought all the way through to VE Day where they finished up in the area of Biesbosch. They were incredibly lucky as despite suffering several glancing blows – ‘Bandit’ – Peter’s tank was never knocked out.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Stuart joined the 13/18th Royal Hussars as a newly commissioned officer in late 1942 and was assigned to HQ as the units Signals Officer.

During 1943 – early 1944 the 13/18 Hussars were preparing for their part in the invasion of Europe, equipped with Sherman DD Tanks they were destined to take on a specialist role on D-Day by helping to spearhead the landings on Sword Beach with their tanks swimming ashore to support the infantry being landed.

Stuart fought with the unit throughout the bitter-fighting in Normandy during the summer of 1944, witnessing the horrors of the Falaise Pocket as the Allied forces broke-out into France and attempted to surround the remaining German forces during their retreat. He also took part in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands with XXX Corps, saw service in the Ardennes during the Winter of 1944-45 before the final push into Germany.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Called-up in late 1943 aged 18 when he was working in York, Ken joined the Green Howards 7th Battalion.

On the morning of 6th June 1944, Ken landed in one of the initial waves on Gold Beach. When Ken waded ashore the greatest thought which preoccupied his mind was not the enemy fire going on all around him, but that of his socks being thoroughly soaked through. His unit quickly pushed in-land in the proceeding hours and were in fact told to hold in case they got cut-off from adjacent units who had met stubborn resistance. The reality of the situation quickly dawned on Ken when the next day when the names of a few of his mate were posted as wounded or killed in action.

Caught up in the proceeding grinding fight through Normandy, Ken was wounded by shrapnel from an air-burst on 4th July 1944 where he was evacuated back to Blighty. It took several months in hospital for Ken to recover from his wounds. ‘Fit’ once more, he was sent back to the North Western European Theatre as a replacement and posted to the Highland Light Infantry, battling through Germany and ending up at Bremen.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Len landed on Gold Beach late on D-Day. As a despatch rider, his job was to carry messages between units and to escort columns of vehicles to get them to their destination.

In mid-July, he was leading a column of lorries containing ammunition to the front line. As he reached the crossroads behind him in the photograph, he stopped to get his bearings. Beside the road, a sign read ‘Dust Kills’, a warning to take care not to kick up any dust whilst driving because if it were to be spotted by the Germans it would make you an immediate target. But it was a very dry time of year and trying to move a column of lorries around without creating any kind of telltale sign was a near impossibility. Unbeknownst to Len, the Germans had the crossroads marked as a target for their artillery and they were watching them.

Suddenly, a shell landed just yards away from them. Len knew it was a ranging shell and the next one wouldn’t miss. They had to move at once.

He got the convoy moving away from the crossroads as quickly as he could but it was too late. Another shell came over and this time hit one of the trucks, causing all the ammunition it was carrying to go off. The resulting explosion was enormous.

Len was badly wounded. He has no idea how long it was until someone got to him or what happened in the aftermath, as he didn’t regain consciousness until he was in a casualty clearing station about ten kilometres back from the crossroads. When he eventually came round, he saw a woman all in white and thought he was facing an angel. The nurse he had seen offered him a cigarette, and he realised then he wasn’t dead ‘because I knew you couldn’t smoke in heaven!’

Len awoke to find he was temporarily deafened by the blast and he had to have shrapnel removed from his spine.

However, after just six weeks recovery time he rejoined his unit to take part in the liberation of Brussels.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

As soon as he was able to do so, Danny volunteered to become a paratrooper going through the all the rigorous training that this entailed to wear the famous maroon berry. Posted to the 8th Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne Division which had cut its teeth in Normandy and in the Ardennes already. Danny was keen not to let the war pass him by due to his age, so when the opportunity came to fill the boots of a comrade who could no longer jump because of medical grounds, he jumped at the chance to volunteer for his first overseas operation and first combat jump. This was to be the largest Allied airborne drop of the war to date – Operation Varsity – with the Rhine Crossing in March 1945. Once on the ground, Danny and his comrades battled through Germany helping spearhead the thrust towards the River Elbe. Only a few days before the war officially ended, Danny had been wounded by a German aircraft attack on his position. He was evacuated out of the line to Belgium and was in hospital on 8th May 1945 for VE Day. In typical Airborne style, that did not stop him breaking out of the hospital to join in the celebrations and have a few drinks.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Peter landed on Juno Beach on D-Day and remained there with the 7th Beach Group for 4-5 weeks before it was disbanded and he went on to join the 9th Parachute Battalion, as a replacement helping to fill the gaps in the ranks following weeks of hard fighting on the left-flank. Following his involvement in Operation Paddle – the 6th Airborne’s advance towards the Seine and break-out of Normandy – Peter went on to play his part in the Battle of the Bulge before making his his first combat jump with the 6th Airborne Division as part of Operation Varsity – the Rhine Crossing into Germany.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Tom served in General Bill Slim's 'Forgotten' Fourteenth Army. Brought up in Liverpool, witnessing the Blitz here as he worked in the city's air-defence before joining up where he was posted to India for his training with the Royal Artillery. He went on to become a wireless operator for a Forward Observation Officer with the 33rd Jungle Field Regiment battling through Burma against the Japanese. He was still fighting the Japanese in the jungle when the ending of the war in Europe on VE Day was announced.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Len served with the 6th Airborne Division during the War. Initially gaining some experience with his local Home Guard unit, Len was called up in 1943 and was posted to the Royal Warwick’s camp of Budbrook Barracks for training, where as luck would have it a few Parachute Regiment recruitment team were also visiting. Fancying the challenge or as Len would say why not give it a go, he volunteered to join the Paras. And was whisked away to Hardwick Hall for 2 weeks of intense physical training before going on to Ringway / Tatton Park to do jump training and gain his wings following 8 successful practice jumps. Eventually Len was posted to 8th Battalion under the command of the renowned veteran CO Alistair ‘Jock’ Pearson. He joined the Mortar Platoon and arrived as a reinforcement in Normandy in August just in time to take part in the breakout towards the River Seine as part of Operation Paddle.

Following this, Len was involved in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes with 8th Bn, then took part in Operation Varsity in the jump across the Rhine. It was in this that Len was wounded as he was advancing up a road they came under fire from a German anti-aircraft gun which was being used in a ground role and he was caught by a piece of Shrapnel from one of its shells just above the left eye and still has this memento from Krupp to this day. Following the end of the war Len went onto see service in Palestine as well as other parts of the Middle East. 

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

In Episode 24 on the WW2 Nation Podcast, it is our final part looking at Moonlight Sonata with Frederick Taylor. Coming up in this instalment we hear all about the aftermath of the Luftwaffe’s infamous raid and its consequences not only for the city and its inhabitants, but also the fall out for Germany on the international stage, as well as its influence on future operations by both the Luftwaffe and also the RAF Bomber Command.

Music Featured: Hearts & Flowers by Jeff Kaale (SoundCloud/Instagram)

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

In Episode 23 on the WW2 Nation Podcast we are diving right back into our discussion with Frederick Taylor to discover more about the infamous raid on Coventry on the 14th November 1940 by the Luftwaffe.

Music Featured: Hearts & Flowers by Jeff Kaale (SoundCloud/Instagram)

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*