Warfare

Join James for this special episode as we take an exclusive look at an astonishing discovery made at the Waterloo battlefield in Belgium.Watch History Hit's exclusive documentary on the Waterloo Uncovered discovery here.This episode was edited by Aidan Lonergan.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

NATO is expanding and enlarging. With the number of rapid response troops set to increase to 300,000, and Sweden & Finland in line to gain membership, the organisation has truly awoken to the evolving threat posed by Russia.In this episode James is joined by Dr Sten Rynning from the University of Southern Denmark to examine the full history of NATO to see when it has expanded and enlarged before.Follow Sten on Twitter at @stenrynning and keep an eye out for his book in late 2022/early 2023.This episode was edited by Annie Coloe.

With the range to sail anywhere in the world and the supplies to facilitate it, HMS Belfast served a crucial role in the Korean War.Once again aboard HMS Belfast, in the second episode of Warfare's miniseries on the Korean War, James is joined by the director of Belfast, Rob Rumble, to answer this question.With post-war Britain on the brink of financial collapse - and the once pre-eminent Royal Navy overtaken by the US amidst the Cold War - the UK had to find its place in the new world order. Did the Korean War provide Britain with an opportunity to step back into an imperial role, and why were they so desperate to do so?Produced by Elena Guthrie and Sophie Gee. Edited by Annie Coloe.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

It's exactly 80 years since Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Perhaps the most well-known Jewish victim of the Holocaust, Anne achieved posthumous fame with the 1947 publication of The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal in which she documented her life in hiding from 1942-1944.But fewer of us know much about what the Netherlands was like under German occupation, the brave people who hid the Franks and others in the Secret Annex, or indeed the numerous fates of those involved. The Anne Frank story didn’t start when she went into hiding in July 1942 and began writing her diary, nor indeed–given a recent controversy over the ‘traitor theory’–is it done.In this episode James is joined by Dr Gertjan Broek, Senior Historical Researcher at the Anne Frank House, to hear what his extensive research has uncovered about the life of Anne Frank.Produced by Aidan Lonergan. Edited by Annie Coloe.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

Millions dead. A higher proportion of civilian casualties than in World War Two. America, Britain, Russia & China all involved in a conflict that—technically—remains active to this day. So why is the Korean War of 1950-53 nicknamed The Forgotten War?In this first episode of Warfare’s miniseries on the Korean War, James is joined by Dr Ian Johnson onboard the HMS Belfast—one of six Royal Navy vessels that provided fire support in the summer of 1950—to find out why the mighty British ship was there in the first place.Helping to prevent further North Korean incursions in the peninsula, the Belfast played a vital role in the Korean War—with its famed six inch guns succeeding in slowing down enemy advancements. So why was there a war in Korea? And which individuals defined this most overlooked of wars?Produced by Elena Guthrie and Sophie Gee. Edited by Annie Coloe.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

2022 marks the 80 year anniversary of the White Rose resistance against Nazism. The White Rose was made up of 5 students and an academic in Munich, who saw the atrocities of the Nazi regime and knew that somebody had to stand up against it. At great personal risk, they typed up anti-nazi rhetoric and disseminated it across universities in the hopes of stopping World War 2, and preventing the Nazi party from further bloodshed. Eventually giving their lives, this important story is being shared by Alexandra LLoyd from Oxford University, providing a detailed explanation of what happened, and what lessons can be learnt from this remarkable sacrifice.The Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie. The Assistant Producer was Aidan Lonergan.Edited and mixed by Annie ColoeExtracts performed by Sophia FabianFor more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

With 300,000 US troops stationed in Northern Ireland between 1942 and 1945 - Northern Ireland soon became overrun. Known as the 'Friendly Invasion', why was Northern Ireland chosen as the site of the first US deployment in Europe during WW2? Poitín, information pamphlets, and lasting social impacts - what happened when the Americans came to stay?For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

The Cold War wasn’t just limited to nuclear tensions and competition between the great powers. What’s often overlooked is that major transformations took place in the 1950s and 60s across West Africa, as power transferred from colonial powers such as Britain & France to independent African nations.In this episode, James is joined by Professor Marco Wyss from Lancaster University to discuss the fascinating postcolonial story behind West Africa’s Cold War.Marco's book Postcolonial Security: Britain, France, and West Africa's Cold War is available via Oxford University Press.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

It's easy to forget there was a time before the special relationship, when the United States might never have gotten involved in the First World War.Three figures, two presidents and a social reformer - Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jane Addams - were key in shaping American foreign policy as the Great War commenced.In this episode James is joined by Neil Lanctot to find out why the US entered the European theatre of WW1 when so many of its citizens were against the idea back in the heyday of American isolationism.Neil's book Approaching Storm, The: Roosevelt, Wilson, Addams, and Their Clash Over America's Future is available on Amazon here.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

Russia has been accused of using food as a weapon of war in Ukraine, pushing up to 49 million people into famine.Further afield, Putin's war has affected food supply and prices around the world - as the 'breadbasket' region is vitally important to global grain production in particular.Sadly this is nothing new, as our guest knows all too well. Today James is joined by Oxfam's Marc Cohen to explore the evolving yet ever present relationship between food, famine and warfare.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.