The Unconventional Soldier

CONTENTThe guest today is Andrew Long  a Cold War historian and author whose book “The story of BRIXMIS and the secret Cold War:  Intelligence gathering operations behind East Germany” was released on 30 July 2024.The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was a focal point during the Cold War, with Soviet and East German forces stationed along the 1,400 km Inner German Border. Due to the repressive police state, the West had limited intelligence on these forces. NATO, stationed in West Germany, needed up-to-date intelligence on potential threats from the East.BRIXMIS (British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany) played a key role in gathering this intelligence. Established through a 1946 agreement, BRIXMIS allowed British military observers to operate in East Germany, gathering intelligence from 1946 until 1990. Their missions involved using modified vehicles and photography equipment to document Soviet and East German military activities, despite constant risks from secret police and counterintelligence. Alongside their French and American counterparts, BRIXMIS provided vital intelligence that helped maintain peace during the Cold War.Andrew's book choice is the Carla trilogy consisting of: "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", "The Honourable Schoolboy" and "Smiley's People" by John Le Carre. The teams choices are "Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990" by Katja Hoyer and "Falklands Gunner: A Day-by-Day Personal Account of the Royal Artillery in the Falklands War" by Tom Martin.WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy McNab, a former special forces soldier, author, and businessman, shares insights from his tumultuous childhood and military journey. He discusses the psychological impacts of combat and touches on the intriguing concept of functioning psychopaths, highlighting their traits and impact on performance. Additionally, McNab introduces his latest initiative, a platform for veterans' support, emphasizing the need for community and resources. He also reflects on his literary connection to Charles Dickens, revealing how storytelling shapes resilience and identity.

CONTENTThe guest today is Dr Helen Fry. Helen has authored and edited over 25 books covering the social history of the Second World War, including British Intelligence and the secret war, espionage and spies, and MI9 escape and evasion. She is the foremost authority on the 'secret listeners' who worked at special eavesdropping sites operated by British Intelligence during WWII. Her groundbreaking research and extensive media coverage have shed light on one of the greatest intelligence deceptions of the war: the bugging of Hitler’s generals at Trent Park in North London, and thousands of prisoners of war at Latimer House and Wilton Park in Buckinghamshire.On this podcast we discuss her book "MI9 - A History of the Secret Service for Escpe and Evasion in World War Two". When Allied fighters were trapped behind enemy lines, one branch of military intelligence helped them escape: MI9. The organisation set up clandestine routes that zig-zagged across Nazi-occupied Europe, enabling soldiers and airmen to make their way home. Secret agents and resistance fighters risked their lives and those of their families to hide the men. Drawing on declassified files and eye-witness testimonies from across Europe and the United States, Helen Fry provides a significant reassessment of MI9's wartime role.​​Thanks to her expertise, Helen has appeared in a number of documentaries, including David Jason’s Secret Service (Channel 5), Spying on Hitler's Army (Channel 4), and Secrets of the Spies (Britbox). She has provided advisory services for TV and drama, something that she particularly enjoys. Helen has covered the major D-Day commemorations in live BBC broadcasts from Normandy, and she regularly appears in media interviews and podcasts.​WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this captivating discussion, Patrick Crowley, an author and chief executive of the South East Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association, shares insights into the history of the British Army's citizen soldiers. He dives into the evolution of the Army Reserves from their 16th-century roots, highlighting the sacrifices and challenges faced by military volunteers. Patrick reflects on the significant reforms that shaped modern military structures and the importance of reservists in military operations during both World Wars. His anecdotes reveal a rich tapestry of military tradition and community support.

CONTENTThe subject of this pod is the Derryard action, a sustained IRA deliberate attack in December 1989 against an Army Permanent Check Point (PVCP) close to the border with the Republic Of Ireland a few miles north of Rosslea, County Fermanagh.  The checkpoint was manned by members of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers who fought off an Active Service Unit that considerably overmatched them with weapons. On this pod we discuss the motivation of IRA volunteers, how the IRA was financed and obtained its weapons, the attack on Derryard and its aftermath. My book choice on this podcast is "The IRA" by Tim Pat Coogan.WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Gunner Neale Smiles discusses the past, present, and future of drones in the British Army, covering topics like artillery air OPs in WW2, Watchkeeper and Hermes 450 drones, ISTAR processes, current and potential drone operations, the role of Royal Artillery, drones in Ukraine, and the future of drones in the British Army.

CONTENTOn this podcast we feature the British involvement in the Korean War which took place between 1950 - 1953. A war that is fairly unknown and overshadowed by WW2 and later the Vietnam war. It is considered forgotten but was as gruelling as any of the WW2 theatres of operations. We discuss the prelude to war, the opening engagements, the ferocious battle for Imjin against a determined and fanatical enemy alongside the bravery and fighting spirit not only of the Gloucester Regiment but the rest of 29 Brigade consisting of 1st Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles supported by the 25 pounder guns of 45 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, 4.2 inch mortars of 170 Independent Mortar Battery RA and the tanks of C Squadron 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars and by 55 Squadron Royal Engineers. We also talk about the retreat from the Chosin reservoir, a gruelling fight undertaken by 41 (Independent) Commando Royal Marines deployed alongside the United States Marines. We finish off with General Douglas Macarthur's nuclear strategy that would've reduced a large swathe of Korea to nuclear waste and was one of the reasons he was relieved of his command.WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTThe guest today is Chris Lincoln Jones. Chris is a retired Army Officer and worked for 17 years in the Defence Industry where he was an Intelligence Surveillance and Target Acquisition Specialist with a particular knowledge of Uncrewed Air Systems. He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of South Wales on an MSc course in Global Governance and  has contributed to the Birmingham University Advisory Group at the Institute for Conflict Cooperation and Security on their project: ‘Towards a global restraining consensus on the use of armed drones’.In 2017 he collaborated on the Ares Report for the ICRC: A Technical Analysis of the Employment, Accuracy and Effects of Indirect Artillery Weapons. His section dealt with the lawful use of lethal force and targeting procedures. Chris has also advised on two films, Eye in the Sky and Official Secrets and has just published  a book, Doctor Moore's Automaton, that looks at what could be achieved with current technology and AI if given enough money and will.On this pod we discuss his book, the military application of AI in targeting and on autonomous platforms, the morality of AI in warfare and use of drones in Ukraine.Chris's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "The Alignment Problem - Machine Learning & Human Values" by Brian Christian. My choice is Chris's Book "Dr Moore's Automaton".WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTThe guest today is Laurence Moore, known as Loz, who served in the Cheshire regiment and on this episode we discuss his time at Sandhurst and what it was like to deploy on operations as a young officer in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.  Loz also discusses the effect combat had on him personally and why he helped set up Cockleshell 22 with a group of serving and former service people from across the Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and British Army to provide funded expeditions based on historical military raids and ground-breaking mentoring programme to the military community in order to improve overall health of its beneficiaries. Loz's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "Dien Bien Phu " by Howard R Simpson. My choice is "Killing Thatcher" by Rory Carroll.You can contact Loz by email: cockleshell22@gmail.com. Cockleshell 22 website is at: https://cockleshell22.com and Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Cockleshell22/WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.  "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTThe guest today for our conversation on NATO Cold War "stay behind" operations is Tamir Sinai a political scientist and exercise professional. Tamir teaches Security Policy and develops Simulation Exercises for International Organisations, Governments, Private Industry and Universities with a focus on Security and Crisis Management. His customers have included US DoD, German MoD, Swedish MoD, Frontex, NATO, EU and the OSCE.Tamir's paper "Eyes On Target: 'Stay Behind' Forces During the Cold War" can be found here here - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0968344520914345"BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.