Historian Saul David discusses the intense Battle of Okinawa during WWII, highlighting Kamikaze tactics, British Fleet involvement, and the tragic impact on civilians. The podcast delves into the strategic significance of Okinawa, high casualties, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb.

Explore the evolution of the British Army from the 17th to 19th centuries, focusing on military commanders like the Duke of Marlborough. Learn about the rivalry between British and French armies, financial reforms, and the transition from redcoats to khaki uniforms.

Saul David and Patrick Bishop discuss the intensification of Russian operations in Ukraine, a car bomb attack by Ukrainian partisans, and the potential consequences for Ukraine due to the situation in Israel. They also touch on topics like the Gaza crisis, cyber attacks, pipeline damage, and the parallels between Ukraine and Northern Ireland.

In this archive episode from 2021, we hear from a panel of historians, authors and broadcasters – Hallie Rubenhold, Natalie Livingstone, Dan Jones and chair Saul David – about how women's stories and female historians have been marginalised throughout history. The conversation recorded at The Cliveden Literary Festival also discusses how historians today can help redress the imbalance.We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com. At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, it's hard to go very long without hearing about special operations forces like the Army's Green Berets and the Navy's SEALs. But before special operators became an ingrained part of the military's strategy and established a prominent presence in the public eye, they existed as experimental, now largely forgotten units that were launched during the Second World War. One of the primary predecessors of today's commandos was the 1st Special Service Force, which was known simply as the Force, and is described in a book of the same name by military historian Saul David. Today on the show, Saul explains how he came across the little known story of the Force and traces its origins to an idea formulated by a British civilian scientist and championed by Winston Churchill which envisioned a unit that could accompany a fleet of snow tanks into enemy territory. Saul details how the Force was composed of men from both America and Canada, how members were recruited from the rough-and-ready ranks of explorers, miners, lumberjacks, and hunters who were physically strong and used to cold temperatures and rugged terrain, and the rigorous training that turned these recruits into what was arguably the military's fittest and best disciplined fighting force -- a unit which would become known as the "Devil's Brigade." We then turn to the action these elite commandos saw during the war, which included scaling the sheer cliffs of a mountain to secure a Nazi stronghold. We end our conversation with why the unit was disbanded before the war was even over and how its legacy continues to live on in the special forces of today. Get the show notes at aom.is/theforce.