Warfare

Despite declaring itself neutral at the outset of the Second World War, Denmark’s experience of the war years is identifiable by its internal division. Rune Edberg is a Danish historian who specialises in the history of the many Danish resistance groups that fought to make life as difficult as possible for the occupying Nazis. In this conversation, he tells James how much of the resistance against the Nazis was directed at Danish collaborators.Book a tour of Copenhagen with Rune at www.copentell.com and watch out for our new documentary about the Atlantic wall on access.historyhit.com

Michael Williams, a professor of International Relations and Security, unpacks the American approach to warfare throughout history. He discusses the evolution of military strategy from Ancient Greece to modern drone warfare. The dual nature of military technology is explored, revealing how innovations aimed at reducing suffering often exacerbate brutality. Additionally, Williams examines the cultural influences on military tactics and the moral implications of targeting civilians, offering a critical lens on America's current warfare strategies.

From fighting on the front line as a Junior Officer in the first days of the First World War, to commanding Allied ground forces on D-Day, the life of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery presents an individual perspective on the major conflicts of the first half of the Twentieth Century. At Chalke Valley, comedian and history graduate Al Murray spoke about his history hero, 'Monty' - his life, career and legacy.© PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Almost 80 years after the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942, David O’Keefe has uncovered the secret mission to pinch Enigma related material which took place under the cover of the six-thousand strong landing force. In this second part of David’s conversation with James, he tells us about the outcomes of the raid and how his research has answered the long held questions of veterans of Dieppe.© Library and Archives Canada

On 19 August 1942, a six thousand strong combined Allied landing force took part in a raid on Dieppe, Northern France. Sixty-seven percent of these became casualties. The raid has gone down in history as a catastrophe conceived by Lord Mountbatten. With the help of 100,000 pages of classified British military files, however, David O’Keefe has uncovered a pinch mission undertaken at Dieppe, concealed by the raid, to steal one of the new German 4-rotor Enigma code machines. In this first of two episodes, David tells James about the main raid, undertaken in the majority by his fellow Canadians, and explains the evidence which supports the theory that this was a pinch raid, not just by opportunity, but by design.©INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo

On the night of 14 November 1940, a Luftwaffe air raid devastated the city of Coventry. Over 500 people were killed, more than 4,300 homes were destroyed and around two-thirds of the city's buildings suffered damages. David McGrory is a local historian based in Coventry, he joined Dan to discuss the bombings, and their impact on Coventry.© Bundesarchiv

During the Second World War, Bletchley Park was the home of a top-secret code breaking centre. Only in the 1970s did people begin to discuss what had occurred there. In the intervening years, however, three quarters of the workforce would rarely have been asked to describe their experiences during the war: because they were women. Dr Tessa Dunlop has spoken with fifteen of these veterans, and in this episode she tells James about the women of Bletchley Park: their backgrounds, work, and memory of their important duty.Book 'An Afternoon in Conversation with the Bletchley Girls' with Tessa at https://www.fane.co.uk/bletchley-girls© National Archives

‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.’ These words - spoken by Winston Churchill on 5 March 1946 to an audience including President Truman in Fulton, Missouri - can be seen as both a symptom and a catalyst of the collapse of relations between the western allies and the Soviet Union. But what drove Churchill to make this speech? What can it tell us about the relationships between Churchill, Stalin and Truman? How did it intertwine with the fates of countries such as Iran and Turkey? And what impact does its shadow have today? Dr Warren Dockter is the author of ‘Winston Churchill and the Islamic World’, and editor of ‘Winston Churchill at the Telegraph’. In this anniversary episode he speaks to James about this remarkable speech.© PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

As many as 10,000 members of the Nazi party and the SS are estimated to have moved to the United States after the Second World War, legally and illegally. In the intervening years, around 150 of them have been subject to investigations reaching the stage of deportation or criminal proceedings. This includes Friedrich Karl Berger, who was deported from Tennessee to Germany on 21 February 2021 to face trial for his part in ‘Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution’ as a Camp Guard at Neuengamme. In this episode, Pulitzer Prize winner Eric Lichtblau speaks to James about how America came to be seen as a safe haven for Nazis, and the efforts to bring them to justice.

During the Second World War, Luftwaffe fighter pilot Hugo Broch claimed 81 victories in 324 missions on the Eastern Front. At Chalke Valley History Festival, the Iron Cross recipient spoke to Paul Beaver and Rob Schäfer about his experiences fighting for Germany.