Warfare

This week marks the 22nd anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) coming into effect, a crucial development in the Northern Ireland peace process that ended most of the violence of The Troubles. In today's episode, we commemorate the GFA signed in 1999, marking an important day in UK history, not only for the country and the people but in terrorism and peace. James is joined by Counterterrorism expert Tom Parker, as they examine the IRA and its impact. From personally falling victim to a terror attack to his involvement in the Bishopsgate bombing investigations, Tom takes us through his extensive knowledge and first-hand experience of the IRA. We delve into era-defining cases, monumental rulings, and life-changing acts of terror. How did we progress and get to where we are today?World Scientific Press is offering a special promotional discount on new purchases of Avoiding the Terrorist Trap: Why Respect for Human Rights is the Key to Defeating Terrorism. Go to www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/p995 for 55% off the hardback (use code P995PARKERHC), 30% off the eBook (use code P995PARKEREB), and 20% off the paperback (use code WSSOC20).

Between September 1940 and May 1941, the German Luftwaffe relentlessly pounded British cities with bombs in an attempt to force the British to surrender. Ultimately whilst killing thousands and causing extensive damage the bombing offensive failed. The morale of the British public was largely undimmed and war production was never seriously impacted. The Blitz has become a key part of the British national psyche with many celebrating the 'Blitz spirit' with people coming together and helping one another during the crisis. But, as with much of history, the reality was much messier and complex. Spivs and looters profited from the chaos, people explored new ideas and sexualities, and there were new opportunities for women. In this interview from the archive of Dan Snow's History Hit the author of The Secret History of the Blitz, Joshua Levine, discusses the myths and realities of the Blitz and the social and political changes it brought about.

2 December is a special date for those fascinated by Napoleon Bonaparte. Not only is this the date he crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, but also the date of his greatest victory a year later, the Battle of Austerlitz. James Rogers is joined by world-leading historian Andrew Roberts to dissect the conditions, tactics and aftermath of Napoleon's greatest battle.If you’re enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating Warfare content then subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.Passages read by Matt LewisMusic:Not My Taste (a) - Doug B Rossi, Tony PhillipsMajesty (a) - Bradley Andrew Segal, Haim MazarForce of Nature (a) - John Christopher Lucas Lemke

About one in six of the men who served in the First World War came from undivided India. However, unlike those who hailed from Britain and the rest of Europe, records of their service can be difficult to access. After almost one hundred years of being left unread in the archives of Lahore Museum in Pakistan, however, the files of 320,000 troops from the Punjab have now been digitised. In this special episode, James speaks to Gavin Rand from the University of Greenwich about the experiences of men from the Punjab during the First World War. Why they signed up and what they received in return. Next, James speaks to Dr Irfan Malik who, using these new records, has finally been able to understand the roles of not one, but two of his ancestors.

The Battle of Prokhorovka was one of the largest tank battles in military history. Taking place on the Eastern Front, it was fought on 12 July 1943 as part of the wider Battle of Kursk. Two elite SS divisions were obliterated, and about 300 panzers were destroyed as the Red Army began to turn the tide for Hitler. Prokhorovka has always been notorious, but British historian Ben Wheatley has challenged the traditional myths surrounding the battle by fine-combing through the evidence. In this episode from Dan Snow's History Hit, he joins Dan to reveal his findings, and argue how it was impossible for the German's to have suffered the major losses which have been marked out in history books.

During the Second World War, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa left her usual position in the Louvre, Paris. From 1939 to 1945, the portrait was moved between five different hiding places in the French countryside, and she was not alone. In this episode, Laura Morelli guides us through the twin stories of the Nazis who were tasked with finding and seizing treasured artworks from across Europe, and the curators, archivists and others who risked their lives to prevent this from happening. Laura is a USA Today bestselling historical novelist and an art historian. She is the author of ‘The Stolen Lady: A Novel of World War II and the Mona Lisa’.

Whilst battles were fought across the globe, in Britain, the anti aircraft gun sites acted as the British frontline. From 1941, they were also the first operational war zone women were allowed to work on. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the National Service Act, James Rogers is joined by Tessa Dunlop, author of 'Army Girls', an intimate look at the lives of the final few women who served in World War Two, and the first women called up to serve both king and country.

On 20 November 1945 the Nuremberg Trials began. In the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, a tribunal set about prosecuting prominent members of Nazi Germany for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. In this episode from the archives, Tom Bower joined Dan Snow to discuss the history and legacy of the Nuremberg Trials.

You might know Raj Bisram best as a TV antiques expert, but he actually started his career by joining the military in the 70s. From becoming an expert skier, to navigating racism, and later becoming a patron for “Tommy Club”, a charity supporting Armed Forces Veterans, it’s a fascinating and frank conversation.  To find out more information on “Tommy Club”, or to donate, make sure to check out tommyclub.co.uk.

At the end of the First World War, around one million citizens of the British Empire had been lost, and the whereabouts of about half of these was unknown. Families could be waiting weeks, months or years to hear whether their loved ones were imprisoned, wounded, missing or dead, if they heard at all. This was the task of the searchers. In the years following the war, these volunteer investigators conducted 5 million interviews, finding answers for around 400 thousand families. Robert Sackville-West is on Warfare to bring us the stories of those looking for news of their fathers, brothers and sons, and the evolution of the search to this day. Robert’s book ‘The Searchers: The Quest for the Lost of the First World War’ is out now.