Warfare

On the night of 24 March 1944, 200 allied prisoners of war attempted to escape Stalag Luft III, a camp in Germany. 76 escaped, but 73 were recaptured and of those, 50 were killed. So was the Great Escape as great as its name suggests? Guy Walters isn't so sure. In this episode he spoke to Dan about the possibility that the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III actually helped the German war effort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Tim Snyder is an expert in authoritarian regimes and how they develop. As the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University, he spoke to Dan about Russia, the USA, Europe and what the lessons of the past tell us about where power lies in the world today, and how we can change that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a fascinating discussion, Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German Foreign Minister who famously signed the pact with the Soviet Union, and Vyacheslav Molotov, his Soviet counterpart, delve into the complexities of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. They explore the motivations behind this unlikely alliance and its implications for World War II. The duo also discusses missed opportunities for Britain and France to counter the partnership and re-examines the narrative of Nazis forcing Stalin into an alliance, offering fresh insights on their strategic ambitions.

On 16–17 May 1943, Royal Airforce Squadron 617 succeeded in Operation Chastise to use bouncing bombs to breach the Möhne and Edersee dams, flooding the Ruhr valley. This very special episode was recorded for the 75th anniversary of the Dambusters raid. Dan talks to Paul Beaver, then Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson MP, and Wing Commander John Butcher, from today's 617 squadron.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Ruane, a Professor of Modern History, delves into the pivotal moment when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. He explores the motivations behind targeting these cities and the debate over the necessity of the bombings to end World War II. Ruane discusses Japan's military decline, the scientific breakthroughs leading to the atomic bomb, and the complexities of the decision-making process. He also reevaluates historical narratives, highlighting the profound human cost and the lasting implications for the Cold War.

Espionage. The word brings to mind the Cold War - Stasi informants and surveillance bugging in East Berlin. Or today’s media promoted anxieties about Chinese infiltration. But for this episode, Calder Walton came onto the World Wars podcasts to talk about spying during the Second World War. Calder researches History that is relevant to the policy making of today’s governments and intelligence communities. He talks to James about the depth of the Soviet spies’ permeation of their allies, and its effect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of the Somme is remembered in Britain as one of the bloodiest events of the First World War, and perhaps all time. There were over a million casualties once the battle was through. Robin Schäfer is a German military historian. He spoke to Dan about the German perspective of this momentous battle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They may even have helped Adolf Hitler to reach power in 1933, but at the very top of the German hierachy some brave insurgents had begun, by 1936, to recognise the danger he posed. They began to plot against him, first by hindering his war effort, and then by attempting to kill him - up to 10 plots to assassinate Hitler were mounted during his leadership. Paddy Ashdown, who lead the Liberal Democrats for over a decade, was a member of the Special Boat Service and a Royal Marine, wrote a book about the assassination attempts on Hitler. He spoke to Dan about the people behind these plots and their outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maximization of damage. That’s the purpose of the cluster bomb. These weapons, which can be traced back to the First World War, when the Kaiser would not give permission for their use, are still being dropped today. Not only that, but duds, unexploded during their deployment during the Second World War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War still litter the earth. The cluster bomb is a paradox. A force will drop them to gain the advantage in a war, but will then not be able to move forward into the spaces where they have been dropped, or engage in post-war reconstruction. John Ismay is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served as the gunnery officer aboard a destroyer in the Pacific before becoming a Navy special operations officer. He is qualified in deep-sea diving and salvage, parachuting and bomb disposal, and completed a number of overseas deployments, including one to northern Iraq during the 2007 surge. Now working at the New York Times Washington Bureau, he joined James to talk about his research into the development of the cluster bomb, its impact and his personal experiences of this lethal weapon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Bouverie, a historian renowned for his expertise on World War II and appeasement politics, dives deep into the controversial Munich Agreement. He discusses why British leaders chose to appease Hitler, analyzing the critical missteps like the response to the Rhineland reoccupation. Bouverie highlights the illusion of peace that clouded judgment and questions whether these actions delayed the inevitable. He also explores the lasting implications of this period on modern political discourse regarding authoritarianism.