Battlecast

In May 1968 the nation of France came apart at the seams. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators flooded into the streets. Strikes across the nation brought production to a standstill. Veteran politicians fled the country. Protestors met police in the streets: club versus bat, stone versus grenade. This is the story of the month France… Continue reading May 1968: The Month France Exploded //...

Today we’re diving back into a war that has touched all our lives – the Mexican Drug War. It’s the deaths behind so many parties across the length and breadth of North America – the sin behind the fun – the endless pain that birthed endless euphoria. It’s a war that lays bare our true… Continue reading El Narco: The Mexican Drug War /// 41

Tonight we’re going back to Scotland – back to the front line where Robert the Bruce  is going to roll the dice and gamble it all – facing down the gathered strength of England. He traded wine and women – a comfortable chair by the fire – for the bitter cold of water-drenched journeys, bloodshed… Continue reading Outlaw King: Robert the Bruce /// 40

William Wallace is an enigmatic figure – most of what we know about him was written by his enemies but tonight we go deep down the rabbit hole to find every shred of evidence that we know about his life. It’s an epic tale complete with guerilla warfare, vicious torture, and the making and breaking… Continue reading Braveheart: William Wallace and the Battle for Scotland /// 39

Dunkirk. It’s a battle that has inspired countless filmmakers, novelists, and historians – a battle that saved a nation, and quite possibly, the modern world as we know it. As a direct result of the actions of the men you will hear about in this episode, Great Britain survived to fight another day. The cornerstone… Continue reading The Battle of Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo /// 38

During the Boer War the British laid waste to huge swaths of South Africa. Homes were burned. Children starved. Battle raged across the countryside. Entire populations were imprisoned in concentration camps. Thousands died. This is the story. This is part 2 of a two part series. You can find part one here: Boer War part… Continue reading Scorched Earth: Concentration Camps and Guerilla Confl...

The Boer War was fought across the length and breadth of modern-day South Africa. It started as a conventional fight but degenerated into a protracted guerilla war that cost the British people 230 million pounds, approximately 27 billion pounds in today’s money. But the war left another legacy in South Africa – a legacy of… Continue reading The Boer War /// 36

The war for the Holy Land – the First Crusade. On today’s show, we’re taking the besieged crusaders all the way from Antioch to Jerusalem. It’s an epic story filled with war, savagery, and even ghosts the whole way. It’s the story of the Holy Lance of Christ and the bloody conquest of Palestine. It’s… Continue reading The First Crusade and the Conquest of...

The First Crusade was a watershed moment in both Islamic and Christian history – influencing history across Africa, Europe, and Asia for centuries to come. This is the story. It’s all here and it’s all for free on Battlecast – the world’s foremost podcast on war and it’s sociopolitical impact. I also want to give… Continue reading The First Crusade and the...

The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine in human history to effectively engage and destroy an enemy. The story of the Hunley is equal to the story of the Wright brothers’ first flight or Armstrong’s moon landing – a first step with dire repercussions for the future of the world. This is the story. It’s… Continue reading The H.L. Hunley: First Combat Submarine /// 33

The September 11 attacks. Almost 3,000 died. Hundreds of millions of dollars of property was destroyed. 15 pregnant women lost their babies – their bodies spontaneously aborting their children as their fellow citizens fled from the crashing towers in absolute terror. But behind all these figures – these faceless, nameless numbers – there are tens… Continue reading 9/11: The...

The battles for Hue and Khe Sanh were some of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. Hue was the third largest city in South Vietnam and its capture by Communist forces led to the first urban conflict of the Marine Corps since the Korean War. Khe Sanh was the battlefield where classical encirclement strategies… Continue reading The Tet Offensive part 2 / Hue and Khe Sanh /// 31

The Tet Offensive. It’s not a battle – it’s a campaign, a campaign that would change the course of American history. Tet combined major set-piece battles with guerrilla strikes up and down the length of South Vietnam, there was fighting everywhere. One Colonel said his situation map lit up like a pinball machine. With this one stroke, General Giap… Continue reading The Tet...

Lone Survivor.  It’s the deadliest day for United States special forces since World War II. Four Navy Seals, cut off and alone, fought for their lives on a literal mountain of pain – in terrain so hostile it actually fought against the men. I mean this literally, the terrain cut them, smashed them – foiled… Continue reading Lone Survivor: Operation Red Wings /// 29

Simo Häyhä was the greatest sniper that ever lived. Using only iron sights and the normal equipment of the Finnish soldier in the Russo-Finnish Winter War, he carried out a 90-day reign of terror on the Soviet invaders of his homeland. They called him “The White Death.” He had over 200 confirmed kills. He gave… Continue reading Simo Hayha – the Greatest Sniper of all Time /// 28

Waterloo. It’s a battle that’s on the top of every list of decisive battles in human history. It’s a day that changed the world forever. It’s the nail in the coffin for one of the greatest military leaders in human history and it’s all covered on Battlecast, the world’s foremost podcast on war and its… Continue reading Waterloo /// 27

In 1956 the Hungarian nation revolted against their Soviet masters. The Soviets responded with massive force – columns of tanks that went on for miles, like an interminable death train. The rest of the world looked on dumbfounded. They did nothing. The Hungarians fought against overwhelming odds – in the teeth of air strafing, tanks,… Continue reading The Hungarian Revolution of&...

This is the second part of our series on the Paraguayan War, the bloodiest war in South American history. It’s a war of waste, of burned cities and child soldiers. It’s a war of tyrants and monarchs. It’s a war to the knife. It’s all here and it’s all for free on Battlecast – the… Continue reading Show 25: War to the Knife – the Paraguayan War I...

The Paraguayan War. It’s the bloodiest inter-state war in South American history. It’s the bloodiest war in modern history on a per capita basis. Because of this war, the Paraguayan people, an entire culture, almost ceased to exist. And how many of you even knew about it before you read this? But it’s not just… Continue reading Show 24: The Paraguayan War and the Battle of&...

Christmas, 1944. The weakest sector of the American line is getting ready to celebrate the Yuletide when Nazi Germany, like a second-Mordor, disgorged multiple armies no one knew Hitler even had into the green American troops. The tide of steel was overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands of men would die. Hundreds of thousands of mothers would… Continue reading Show 23: Christmas at the Battle o...

Dracula. He’s a legend who will appear at innumerable parties on Halloween. Children will wear capes and not understand why. Adults will watch movies about vampires sucking blood and never know why they do it. As Armand said in Interview with the Vampire: “I know nothing of God, or the Devil. I have never seen… Continue reading Show 22: The Real Dracula

On May 29, 1453 Constantinople fell. This is the story of the fall. Check out the first part of the story here: Fall of Constantinople part 1 The beer this episode is Mythos, 3 bullets out of five. http://media.blubrry.com/429895/archive.org/download/BC21_2034/BC21.mp3 Download link: download Illustrations Contemporary depiction of Constantinople Battle map. Notice the shape of the walls. A modern...

It’s a holy war between Islam and Christianity. It’s a battle known the world over. It’s the last outpost of Christian Europe in the Near East facing down a Turkish onslaught. It’s a battle that has profound and lasting implications for our modern world: from debates about Turkish entry into the European Union to the… Continue reading Show 20: Total Jihad – Fetih 1453 and the Last Batt...

What can you write to describe this battle? It’s Stalingrad. It’s a scar on all ethics – all morality – all outlooks that men are basically good. Were men good when they massacred each other, starved each other, shot and stabbed and exploded one another at Stalingrad? Homo homini lupus – Man is a wolf… Continue reading Show 19: The Last Hell is Never the Very Last – S...

Stalingrad. It’s a name we’ve all heard before. It’s a showdown between two totalitarian systems and a battle that sent millions of people to the grave. Can you even imagine millions upon millions of men at war? Think about it. In our show today, this tragedy will take place in your ear drums, will desecrate… Continue reading Show 18: Enemy at the Gates: The Battle of Stalingrad part 1