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The WW2 Podcast

Angus Wallace

300 episodes

A military history podcast that looks at all aspects of WWII.

More about the show

With WW2 slipping from living memory I aim to look at different historical aspects of the Second World War.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. 324 - Poles in Exile

    · 48 min · Episode 324

    Thousands of Polish soldiers, refugees and civilians came to Britain after the fall of Poland, expecting eventually to return home. But as the war ended, victory brought a very different reality: Poland was now under…

  2. 323 - Hap Arnold and the B-29

    · 44 min · Episode 323

    When the United States entered the Second World War, American air power was still developing. Four years later, the United States was operating thousands of aircraft, supported by an enormous industrial and…

  3. 322 - Warsaw: A City at War, 1939–45

    · 58 min · Episode 322

    Today we're going to Warsaw, a city caught between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and a city whose people endured occupation, persecution, resistance and ultimately almost total destruction. From the invasion of…

  4. 321 - Case Green: The Invasion of Czechoslovakia

    · 51 min · Episode 321

    In 1938, Europe was once again facing the prospect of a major war. The immediate crisis centred on Czechoslovakia, a new state created at the end of the First World War. It was a country with a substantial industrial…

  5. 320 - Patton Reconsidered

    · 1 h 14 min · Episode 320

    In this episode, we're going to look at one of the most recognisable American generals of the Second World War: George S. Patton. Patton has become almost a character in his own right. The aggressive general with the…

  6. 319 - The Alexandra Hospital Massacre: The Fall of Singapore

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 319

    In February 1942, as Japanese forces closed in on Singapore, Alexandra Hospital found itself caught in the final days of the British defence of the island. The hospital was still treating wounded soldiers and…

  7. 318 - Transport Pilots of WWII

    · 37 min · Episode 318

    The C-47 Dakota, or Skytrain as it was known in American service, was one of the most important aircraft of the Second World War. It carried paratroopers into battle, towed gliders packed with men and equipment, flew…

  8. 317 - Generalship on the Eastern Front

    · 52 min · Episode 317

    The war on the Eastern Front was fought on a scale unlike anything the world had ever seen. Stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, it consumed millions of soldiers, saw entire armies destroyed, and ultimately…

  9. 316 - The Tank

    · 37 min · Episode 316

    The tank first appeared on the battlefields of the First World War as an experimental weapon designed to break the deadlock of trench warfare. Within a generation, it had become the defining weapon of modern land…

  10. 315 - The Thin Khaki Line

    · 1 h 12 min · Episode 315

    The British Army in the Second World War is often judged through the lens of manpower shortages and a sense of being overstretched. Critics point to a force spread across too many theatres and suggest that this…

  11. 314 - The Nazi Ghost Train

    · 46 min · Episode 314

    In early September 1944, as Allied forces raced across France and Belgium, the German occupation of Brussels was beginning to collapse. On 2 September, around 1,500 prisoners, including members of the Belgian…

  12. 313 - 1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory

    · 1 h 00 min · Episode 313

    1942 was a year of extraordinary contrasts for Nazi Germany. As the year began, Hitler's armies appeared unstoppable. German forces dominated much of Europe, Rommel was advancing across North Africa, and a new…

  13. 312- Normandy 1944: Operation Martlet

    · 47 min · Episode 312

    In June 1944, as the Allied armies fought to break out from the Normandy beachhead, attention turned to a series of heavily defended German positions west of Caen. Among them was Rauray Spur, a vital piece of high…

  14. 311 - Patton, 1945

    · 45 min · Episode 311

    In this episode, we turn our attention to the final months of the war in Europe and one of the Allied armies' most famous and controversial commanders, General George S. Patton. At the start of 1945, Patton's Third…

  15. 310 - Great Escapism at Stalag Luft III

    · 48 min · Episode 310

    When we think of Allied prisoners of war in German camps, we often picture barbed wire, watchtowers, tunnels, and the constant urge to escape. Stalag Luft III is remembered above all for the Great Escape, one of the…

  16. 309 - SOE Special Duties Flights

    · 46 min · Episode 309

    When people think about the secret war in occupied Europe, they often picture agents, resistance fighters, and acts of sabotage carried out behind enemy lines. But those networks depended on a hidden air bridge that…

  17. 308 - Mers El-Kébir: The British Attack on the French Navy

    · 43 min · Episode 308

    In the summer of 1940, Britain stood alone. France had fallen, invasion seemed possible, and Winston Churchill faced a grave question: what should be done about the powerful French fleet? Fearing it might fall under…

  18. 307 - Percy Herbert: From POW to Hollywood

    · 43 min · Episode 307

    Before he became a familiar face on screen, appearing in over 70 films like 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', 'The Cockleshell Heroes', 'The Guns of Navarone' and 'The Wild Geese', Percy Herbert survived one of the most…

  19. 306 - The Battle for Berlin

    · 42 min · Episode 306

    The final battle for Berlin in 1945 was not just the end of the war in Europe, it was the violent collapse of Nazi Germany, and the moment the shape of post-war Europe was decided. As the Red Army advanced from the…

  20. 305 - A Boy Soldier in Hitler's Army

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 305

    In the final months of the Second World War, as the Third Reich collapsed in on itself, boys were sent to the front to hold back the Red Army. Among them was fourteen-year-old Willi Langbein. He had grown up under…

  21. 304 - Eisenhower and Churchill

    · 1 h 01 min · Episode 304

    The partnership between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Winston Churchill was one of the defining relationships of the Second World War. At the heart of the Anglo American alliance, they worked closely to plan major…

  22. 303 - The Link Trainer

    · 43 min · Episode 303

    Before the Second World War, learning to fly by instruments was one of the most difficult and dangerous skills a pilot had to master. Training had to be done in real aircraft, often in poor weather, and accidents were…

  23. 302 - Task Force Hogan

    · 40 min · Episode 302

    My guest today is William Hogan, and we are going to be talking about the remarkable story of his father, Sam Hogan, and the men of Task Force Hogan. At just twenty-eight, Sam was one of the youngest lieutenant…

  24. 301 - A Canadian in Stalin's Army

    · 38 min · Episode 301

    How does a Canadian end up fighting in the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War? My guest today is Scott Bury, and we're going to tell the remarkable story of his relative, Maurice Bury — a Canadian citizen who…

  25. 300 - Exploding Rats and the Devices of SOE

    · 41 min · Episode 300

    James Bond may have Q Branch supplying him with ingenious gadgets, but during the Second World War the agents of the Special Operations Executive had something just as remarkable — the SOE Camouflage Section. This…

  26. 299 - Berlin, 1939-45

    · 46 min · Episode 299

    In this episode, I am joined by Ian Buruma to talk about life in Berlin during the Second World War. Rather than focusing on the regime at the top or the battles fought far from the city, we look at how ordinary people…

  27. 298 - The Long Death of Adolf Hitler

    · 55 min · Episode 298

    In April 1945, as the Third Reich collapsed around him, Adolf Hitler died in the Führerbunker in Berlin. It is one of the most famous deaths in modern history and yet, in many ways, one of the least securely witnessed.…

  28. 297 - Pearl Harbor: Japan's Greatest Disaster

    · 45 min · Episode 297

    Pearl Harbor is often remembered as a stunning Japanese success, a perfectly executed surprise attack that changed the course of the Second World War. But what if that familiar story is wrong? In this episode, I am…

  29. 296 - British Brigadiers, 1940

    · 49 min · Episode 296

    For this episode, I am joined by Philip McCarty to discuss his book Point of Failure: British Army Brigadiers in France and Norway, 1940 . It is a study of the brigadiers who served in France and Norway in 1940.…

  30. 295 - Inside the Siege of Warsaw

    · 51 min · Episode 295

    In September 1939, during the German invasion of Poland, American photographer and film-maker Julien Bryan became the only foreign journalist to remain inside Warsaw during the Nazi siege. While other correspondents…

  31. 294 - Churchills Forgotten Generals: Slim, Auchinleck & Savory

    · 50 min · Episode 294

    Today, we are heading back to the Burma campaign, but through a slightly different lens. Rather than focusing on a single battle or operation, we examine three men who shaped how the war in Burma was fought and…

  32. 293 - Allied POWs in WWII

    · 51 min · Episode 293

    This episode looks at a very different side of the Second World War. Not the battlefield, but captivity. It focuses on the experiences of Allied prisoners of war held in German camps and how they tried to survive,…

  33. 292 - The War Chest of Colonel Kreps

    · 45 min · Episode 292

    In this episode, I talk with Erik Kreps about a remarkable family mystery. Erik's grandfather, Colonel Kenneth Ray Kreps, served in the Second World War, and after returning home, he sealed his wartime belongings in a…

  34. 291 - Far East RAF Liberators

    · 49 min · Episode 291

    RAF Liberator bombing operations in India, Burma, and Thailand remain one of the least explored air campaigns of the Second World War. Flying long-range missions from Bengal, RAF crews attacked Japanese targets across…

  35. 290 - Your WWII Questions Answered

    · 1 h 17 min · Episode 290

    For this episode of the podcast, we are doing something a little different. Rather than focusing on a single subject, we open the floor to your questions. Over the past few weeks, podcast patrons were invited to…

  36. 289 - Charles De Gaulle

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 289

    Charles de Gaulle remains one of the most distinctive figures to emerge from the Second World War. Soldier, writer, leader in exile, and later the creator of the Fifth Republic, he played a central role in reshaping…

  37. 288 - Beyond Burma: The Forgotten Armies

    · 24 min · Episode 288

    The fighting in Burma during the Second World War was among the most demanding of the entire conflict. Soldiers faced dense jungle, monsoon rains, disease, and a determined enemy — conditions that made the campaign…

  38. 287 - Tunisgrad: The Battle for Tunisia and the Fall of Tunis

    · 40 min · Episode 287

    By late 1942, after the success of Operation Torch, the Allies had finally gained a foothold in North Africa. What followed was a hard-fought and often overlooked campaign in Tunisia. For six months, British, American,…

  39. 286 - Rhineland, 1944-45

    · 54 min · Episode 286

    By the autumn of 1944, the Allies had driven across France and Belgium and reached the borders of Germany. Ahead of them lay the Rhine — a vast natural barrier and the last line of defence protecting the heart of the…

  40. 285 - The Nuremberg Psychiatrist

    · 36 min · Episode 285

    In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Allies brought twenty-four of Hitler's most senior figures to justice at Nuremberg. Among them was Hermann Göring — once Hitler's designated heir and still a commanding…

  41. 284 - Renault FT Tank

    · 1 h 02 min · Episode 284

    In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I'm joined by Robby Houben from the Belgian Royal Military Museum to discuss the Renault FT. This small but revolutionary French tank changed armoured warfare. Designed during the…

  42. 283 - General Lucian Truscott

    · 42 min · Episode 283

    General Lucian K. Truscott was one of the United States Army's most capable commanders of the Second World War. Known for his aggressive leadership and determination, Truscott led American forces in North Africa,…

  43. 282 - The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945

    · 37 min · Episode 282

    In early 1945, the Allies were advancing in Burma after their hard-won victories at Kohima and Imphal. The focus shifted to the Arakan, a region of dense jungle, mangrove swamps, and unforgiving terrain. For the men…

  44. 281 - Canada at War

    · 1 h 07 min · Episode 281

    When we think of the Second World War, the story is so often told through an Anglo-American lens: Britain holding out alone in 1940, the United States joining the fight in 1941, and the combined Allied effort that…

  45. 280 - MacArthur and the Philippines

    · 48 min · Episode 280

    Douglas MacArthur was one of the most prominent — and controversial — generals of the Second World War. As Field Marshal of the Philippines, he withdrew to Australia in 1942, famously declaring, "I shall return." That…

  46. 279 - The Vistula-Oder Offensive 1945

    · 49 min · Episode 279

    By January 1945, the war in Europe neared its final phase. In the west, the Allies had repelled the Ardennes offensive. In the east, the Red Army prepared the Vistula–Oder offensive, a huge strike that pushed German…

  47. 278 - The Maginot Line

    · 50 min · Episode 278

    The Maginot Line was one of the most ambitious defensive projects of the 1930s. Built along France's eastern border, this vast system of underground forts, tunnels, and bunkers included hospitals, kitchens, telephone…

  48. 277 - The People's War

    · 33 min · Episode 277

    In 2005, the BBC launched an ambitious public history project called The People's War. It aimed to collect and preserve the memories of those who lived through the Second World War, inviting the public to share their…

  49. 276 - The Malay Regiment

    · 1 h 02 min · Episode 276

    In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, we explore the remarkable history of the Malay Regiment during the Second World War. Formed in the 1930s as an experiment with just 25 local recruits, the regiment quickly grew into…

  50. 275 - War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World

    · 40 min · Episode 275

    In this episode, we're turning our attention to British India during the Second World War. While the war in Europe and the Pacific often dominates the narrative, the role India played—both as a military contributor and…

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