History Undone

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Nigel Jones to discuss the German wunderwaffe or 'wonder weapons'. Hitler's Germany was responsible for some remarkable advances in military engineering, from long-range ballistic missiles, to the world's first ever jet powered fighter plane. However, Nazi ambition far outweighed the country's wartime capacities and many of these weapons we...

For this episode of History Undone, James is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historian Roger Moorhouse to discuss one of the most significant moments at the beginning of the Second World War. Despite their huge differences and animosity, in August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression treaty otherwise known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Yet with Operation Barbar...

Today we're going back into the History Undone archive, as James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the YouTuber and naval historian Drachinifel to discuss the Battle of Jutland. It was the largest naval battle of the First World War and the only time the British and German fleets went head to head. So just how significant was it and should it have ended differently? This is Histo...

James is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss a much debated historical sliding doors moment: Britain's decision to enter the First World War. Was it the right one, or would Britain and her Empire have been better off focusing on its own concerns. Those are questions for our experts as they examine the alternate timeline, had Britain not have m...

On this episode of History Undone, James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historian Jonathan Walker, author of ‘Operation Unthinkable: The Third World War’. They discuss this daring, controversial and top secret plan by Winston Churchill to attack the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War. Of course, the plan was never put into action and perhaps was nev...

We've delved back into the History Undone archives, as James is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and one of Britain's most renowned Medieval experts Professor Robert Bartlett, to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Yet how did this day-long conflict become one of the most consequential battles in history, and why are we still talking about it nearly 1,000 years later? This is History Undone. Host...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Nigel Jones to discuss one of the most important events in the lead up to the Second World War: the Nazi annexation of the Sudetenland and eventual invasion of the entirety of Czechoslovakia. This provocation was met with appeasement by the allies and approved by the signing of the Munich Agreement. Yet what if Britain & France had inst...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and former British Foreign Office diplomat Tim Dowse to discuss one of the most remarkable military operations of modern times: Desert Storm. The Gulf War was a war of firsts: high tech weaponry, 24-hour news broadcasting and lightning speed efficiency from the Americans. The ground offensive was over in a matter of 100 hours to liberate Kuwait...

James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the naval historian and YouTuber Drachinifel to discuss one of the more forgotten campaigns of the early Second World War: Norway. Yet while it might seem inconsequential in the long run, this period between Spring and Summer of 1940 helped set the tone for the next few years of the entire conflict. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the military historian Andrew Robertshaw to discuss a battle which shaped the future of Europe for years to come: Blenheim. This day long conflict was part of the War of Spanish Succession, which saw the Grand Alliance of England, the Dutch Republic & Austria try to prevent Louis XIV from uniting the thrones of France & Spain. Yet t...

James Hanson is once again joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Jonathan Parshall, this time to discuss military campaign that never happened. Operation Downfall was the ambitious allied plan to invade Japan at the end of WW2, yet this was never put into action because of the atomic bomb. Yet what if the bomb wasn't available? The end of the war and the rest of the 20th century would have loo...

The Six-Day War of 1967 was a historic victory for the state of Israel. Surrounded by hostile neighbours, the Israelis launched a preemptive strike and routed the combined forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria, seizing vast territories including the Sinai peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Join James Hanson, Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Matthew Hughes, as the...

On July 20, 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg led one of World War II’s most daring resistance plots: assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime. But what if the bomb had worked? What if the coup had succeeded, and the resistance had taken control of Germany? Join James Hanson, Rear Admiral Dr. Chris Parry, and historian Nigel Jones as they uncover the bold plan that could have changed the...

The Battle of Hattin, a pivotal conflict during the Crusades, unfolded on July the 4th 1187. It happened at the crossroads of three continents, in some of the most fought over terrain in history, near the Horns of Hattin in modern-day Israel. Join James Hanson, Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry - and for the first time on the show, Professor of the History of the Crusades at Royal Holloway University Jo...

James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War: the Somme. The first day is infamous for being the deadliest day in British Army history, but after months the allies did achieve a semi-strategic victory of sorts. The costs were heavy however, and can the battle really be cons...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss one of the most enduring, yet heavily mythologised stories of military history. It is of course the Christmas truce. Yet among the myth busting, they pose a separate question: what if the war had been over by Christmas as many thought in 1914? This is History Undone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the naval historian & YouTuber Drachinifel to discuss one of history's most storied naval fleets and failed conquests. The Spanish Armada set sail for England with the hope of invading, removing Queen Elizabeth I and reinstating Catholicism. Yet the English were ready - engaging and pursuing them in the Channel. It meant the...

Welcome to History Undone with James Hanson, a channel that looks back at pivotal moments and asks 'What if?'. We'll be looking at key battles, strategic decisions and political outcomes with leading historians and current military experts and tacticians to see what might have happened differently, and more importantly, what impact those differences might have had on the world today. Hosted on Aca...