The WW2 Podcast

The Green Howards landed in the first wave on D-Day. With them was Company Sergeant Major Stan Hollis, who had seen action in France in 1940, being evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk. He fought in North Africa and took part in the invasion of Sicily. It is fair to say Hollis was a seasoned soldier. He is also the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions on the 6th of June 1944. I have made a field trip to the Green Howards Regimental Museum in Richmond, Yorkshire. In this episode, Steve Erskine joins me to discuss Hollis and the Green Howards on D-Day. The museum is hosting a special 80th D-Day anniversary event on the 6th of June, 2024. This is a unique event to be held at the museum in Richmond. Those attending will have the chance to explore items from the museum collection relating to this crucial phase of the Second World War. Hear accounts of the day itself and understand more about the impact of the events of 6 June 1944. You can find out more on the museum website greenhowards.org.uk. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

Brian Walter, author of Forgotten War: The British Empire and Commonwealth’s Epic Struggle Against Imperial Japan, discusses the significant contributions made by the British and Commonwealth forces in the war against Japan. They explore the shared defense with the US, the challenges faced in Singapore and Burma, the activation of Seaac, the Japanese attack into India, and the Royal Navy's involvement in the war. The British Pacific Fleet's formation and contributions are also discussed.

When President McKinley turned down Benjamin Oliver Davis for a place at West Point due to the colour of his skin, Davis joined the army as a private. Davis soon worked his way through the ranks to receive his second lieutenant commission in 1901. It would be over 30 years before another black officer would receive his commission, and that would be Benjamin Oliver Davis's son, Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. In theory, black troops would be barred from combat, but Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. would lead the first Black flying squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen, to success during WWII. For this episode, I'm joined by Doug Melville, a direct relative of Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. and Sr. When George Lucas's film 'Red Tails' (2012), celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen, was released, Doug was shocked when he realised that Ben Jr.'s name had been omitted and replaced by the fictional Colonel A. J. Bullard. And Ben's father, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., America's first Black general who helped integrate the military, was left out too. The film inspired him to rediscover his family's story, which spans five generations, and write Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

The convoy HG-76 sailed from Gibraltar to Britain in December 1941. The Royal Navy commander in charge was 'Johnnie' Walker, an anti-submarine expert who had developed new, aggressive U-boat hunting tactics. Accompanying the escorts was HMS Audacity, the Royal Navy's first escort carrier - a new type of warship purpose-built to defend convoys from enemy aircraft and U-boats. Aware of the departure of HG-76, a wolfpack of U-boats was sent against it, and the Luftwaffe was heavily committed to, in a rare example of German inter-service cooperation. German intelligence agents in Gibraltar and Spain also knew every detail of HG-76 before it sailed, seemingly stacking the odds in favour of the Kriegsmarine. Joining me on this episode is Angus Konstam. Angus is a naval historian and author of The Convoy: HG-76: Taking the Fight to Hitler's U-boats For patrons of the podcast, Osprey Publishing has given us a discount code to be used on their website, ospreypublishing.com. If you are not a patron of the show, you can sign up at patreon.com/ww2podcast. Patrons can get advert-free listening and extra WWII chat. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

Hot on the heels of victory in Sicily, the Allies crossed into Southern Italy in September 1943. They expected to drive the Axis forces north and be in Rome by Christmas. Although Italy surrendered, the German forces resisted fiercely, and the swift, hoped-for victory descended into one of the most brutal battles of the war. I am joined by James Holland, author of The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943 and co-host of the We Have Ways podcast. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

From the middle of the 19th century, the railways had an integral role in warfare. Trains brought food, ammunition and essential supplies. They also transported troops into the combat zone, and then trains would be used to bring men home. Hospital trains were not a new concept in WWII, but their development moved the carriages away from being ambulances for evacuating the wounded to mobile hospital units with operating theatres. Joining me is Alexandra Kitty, author of A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was, in fact, Bill Stirling, David's eldest brother. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. Joining me is Gavin Mortimer. Gavin is the author of several books focusing on the SAS, including a biography of David Sterling. His latest book is 2SAS: Bill Stirling and the forgotten special forces unit of World War II. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

If you cast your mind back to episode 187, I discussed the war in the North African desert in 1940-41 with Robert Forczyk. The war in the North African desert was pure mechanised warfare and, in many respects, the most technologically advanced theatre of World War II. It was also the only theatre where, for three years, British and Commonwealth, and later US, troops were in constant contact with Axis forces. Robert's follow-up book has just been released, 'Desert Armour: Tank Warfare in North Africa: Gazala to Tunisia, 1942-43'. In this episode of the show, Robert joins me once more. This time, we discuss the fighting in the desert in 1942 through to Mongomery's victory at El Alamein. Robert Forczyk has a PhD in International Relations and National Security from the University of Maryland. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the US Army Reserves, having served 18 years as an armour officer and is the author of numerous books focusing on WWII. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

Journalist Wallace Carroll had a career that spanned 45 years as a journalist. His first foreign posting, in 1929, was to London with the United Press newswire service. Throughout the 1930s, he covered the major events in Europe and witnessed the Spanish Civil War first-hand. Posted back to London, he dictated his early reports of the Blitz from his office rood top. Carroll had a knack for being in places at the right time. His talents and connections got him noticed, and he finished the war working for the US government with the Office of War Information. Here, he was tasked with counteracting German propaganda and conducting 'physiological warfare'. Joining me is Mary Llewellyn McNeil. Mary has written the biography of Carroll, Century's Witness: The Extraordinary Life of Journalist Wallace Carroll. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast

As some of you may know, I am also a First World War historian, and the academic history of the war can be very different from the public perspective, which dwells on the first two years of the war. Forgetting the victories of 1917 and 1918 is not new; it is something the British army did during the inter-war period. Added to this corporate amnesia, there was very little discussion in Britain on who the army might be expected to fight. All this culminated in 1939 with a British army unprepared for war and the defeat in France in 1940. Joining me once more is Robert Lyman, who, with Richard Dannatt, has written Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1939-40. The book is a compelling account of the mismanagement of the British army from the end of the First World War to the start of the next war. Patreonpatreon.com/ww2podcast