Warfare

William Arkin, a bestselling author, military expert, and former intelligence analyst, delves into the evolution of warfare from the World Wars to modern conflicts. He discusses how the battlefield has transformed with technology and volunteer armies, leading to a disconnect between civilians and the military. Arkin highlights the shift from total war tactics to high-tech innovations like precision bombing, and questions the effectiveness of ongoing military operations. His insights reveal the complexities of contemporary warfare and changing public perceptions.

Over one hundred years after the end of the First World War, Dr Priya Atwal and George Morton-Jackare working to shed new light on the vital role that the Indian Army held during the combat. In this episode from Dan Snow's History Hit, they share their insight into the neglected roles of these servicemen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ‘Shining Sword’ of Bomber Command. They flew nearly 300 thousand sorties and dropped over 1 million tonnes of explosives. But of the 7,377 Avro Lancasters built, more than half were lost. To find out more about this legendary aircraft, Dan Snow was joined by veteran of the first Gulf War, John Nichol. John has since become one of our most successful aviation historians, and has written a book exploring the Avro Lancaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2018, the British city of Salisbury crashed into newspaper headlines worldwide when former Russian military officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with nerve agents there. This was the first time that many people had heard of these deadly, yet invisible and odourless weapons being used, but the history of nerve agents goes much further back, to the interwar period and an unprofitable discovery in pesticide production. In this engrossing discussion with James Rogers, Dan Kaszeta explores the development of nerve agents under the Nazi Regime, the figures and institutions pushing them, and the reasons behind the Third Reich’s restraint from using these chemicals, despite being the only country to possess them. He also reveals the post-war continuation of nerve agent research on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and the weapon’s gradual dissipation around the world. Dan Kaszeta is a securities specialist and world expert on chemical weapons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the first day of the Somme, French forces were more successful than those of the British. In this episode, Stephanie Trouillard spoke to Dan about the way in which the Battle of the Somme - remembered in Britain as brutal and bloody - is looked upon in France. Stephanie is a journalist at France 24, specialising in sports and international history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many Burmese people resisted the Japanese occupation of their country in World War Two. Filmmaker Alex Bescoby has made a film celebrating those who the Empire left behind, despite the hardships they endured to serve Britain during the war. For this episode, he spoke to Dan about the people from Burma, whose fight is often overlooked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Their name carries an aura of prestige and mystery - the British Army’s most renowned special forces unit - the best of the best. For this incredible episode, James spoke to author and filmmaker, Damien Lewis, about the story of the Special Air Service. They explore the birth of the unit, the selection of the brightest recruits, all day training in the North African desert with just one container of water. Next, we are taken through some of the unthinkable missions undertaken during the Second World War and Damien takes us in for a closer look at Operation Gain, when men were dropped behind enemy lines after D-Day. Damien and James discuss the consequences for SAS troops captured by the Nazis, and the SAS War Crimes Investigation Team - set up in May 1945 - which was responsible for bringing Nazis to justice and for the continuation of the SAS. Damien’s book, SAS Band of Brothers, is out now. This episode will have you on the edge of your seat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Doan discusses love and lesbianism during the First World War, from the way women were treated to popular reaction to lesbians in the media and elsewhere. Laura is professor of cultural history and sexuality studies at the University of Manchester. Her book, Disturbing Practices, refocusses the history of sexuality away from continuation and discontinuation, normality and abnormality. Laura takes us through a number of individual cases which demonstrate attitudes to female sexuality during the First World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arthur Spencer was a navigator during World War Two, completing two tours of operations with 97 Squadron at RAF Woodhall Spa and RAF Bourn. He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur for providing air support for the Resistance in Italy. Dan met him in his house to discuss the life during the war, the hardship of losing friends and whether he feels guilt about the bombings.Photo Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harsh living and working conditions, poisonous chemicals and explosions. For 10,000 navvies, hundreds of chemists and engineers from across the empire, and 12,000 women, this was the reality of mixing the 'Devil's Porridge', cordite, in munitions factories on the Home Front. In 1915, an extreme shortage of munitions on the front line was reported back to Britain. In response Lloyd George was made the Minister of Munitions. His greatest project: HM Factory Gretna, the largest munitions factory in the world on the quiet Anglo-Scottish Border. Judith Hewitt curates the Devil's Porridge Museum, which is found on the 9 mile site of the former factory. In this episode of the World Wars, she told James the stories of the unknown men and women brought to work in this crisis: how they came to be here, how they lived and how they left or, for the unfortunate few, how they died. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.