Key Battles of American History

James and Sean discuss the 1981 Australian film Gallipoli, which tells the story of a group of Australian young men who are introduced to the horrors of war at the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James turn to the Eastern Mediterranean to examine the Ottoman Empire’s entry into the Great War and the tragic Allied attempt to seize the Dardanelles. We trace how Turkey joined the Central Powers, setting the stage for the Gallipoli Campaign—an ambitious plan to knock the Ottomans out of the war that instead ended in disaster and immense loss of life. The c...

James and Sean discuss the classic 1957 anti-war film Paths of Glory, starring Kirk Douglas. In this film, a French colonel tries to save three of his men who are sentenced to be executed for cowardice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James explore how World War I spread beyond the Western Front into a truly global conflict. They trace massive campaigns across Eastern Europe, where Germany and Austria-Hungary drove deep into Russian territory, and in the West, where repeated Allied offensives in Artois, Champagne, and Ypres failed to break the stalemate. The episode also covers the fall of Serbia, the...

James and Sean discuss the award-winning 2019 film 1917, in which two British soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission to save another unit from disaster. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James dive deep into the gritty realities of trench warfare on the Western Front. They explore the evolution of trench design, the brutal conditions soldiers endured — from mud, vermin, and disease to constant shellfire and psychological trauma — and the routines that defined daily life. The episode also highlights the technological shifts that favored defense...

James and Sean discuss the outstanding 2018 Peter Jackson documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, which combines interviews with British World War I veterans with colorized and slowed-down footage from the war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James step away from battles and politics to focus on the daily lives of the ordinary men who fought in World War I. They explore what soldiers from the major powers wore, ate, and carried into battle, as well as the terrifying wounds and diseases that claimed millions of lives. The episode traces dramatic advances in medical care, from battlefield triage and antiseptic s...

While the Western Front quickly descended into trench warfare, the fighting in the East remained highly mobile, spanning vast distances across Eastern Europe. In this episode, Sean and James discuss Austria-Hungary’s failed invasions of Serbia, Russia’s disastrous defeats at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, and the massive but costly Russian victory over Austria at Galicia. Listeners...

In this episode, Sean and James explore Jean Renoir’s The Grand Illusion (1937), a World War I masterpiece that examines class, nationalism, and the bonds that form even among enemies. They discuss the film’s unforgettable characters—from working-class Maréchal and aristocratic Boeldieu to the dignified German officer Rauffenstein—and the ways their relationships rev...

In August 1914, the German army launched an invasion of Belgium as a first step to their planned march through France and capture of Paris. As the Germans swept through Belgium and advanced on the French capital, the Allies made a desperate stand along the Marne River. The resulting “Miracle on the Marne” halted the German advance and ended hopes of a quick war. What followed was the g...

In this episode, James and special guest Sean McIver discuss the classic 1930 anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front. Based on the novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front set the standard for all future war movies, especially those which present war in a negative light. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James explore how Europe’s fragile balance of power unraveled in 1914 — from rival alliances and Balkan tensions to the assassination in Sarajevo that sparked a global catastrophe. Join us as we discuss how in just six weeks, the Great Powers turned a regional crisis into the First World War. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this kickoff to our new series on The Great War, James and Sean take a sweeping look at the state of Europe in 1914—just before the world changed forever. They explore the continent’s dominant empires, their military might, political tensions, and the fragile balance of power that had kept peace for nearly a century. From rising nationalism and colonial rivalries to the tangled web...

In this episode, Sean and James rank the top World War II fighter planes used by the Axis powers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, suggested by Early’s Raiders member Mark Porter, James discusses American military chaplains in the Second World War and the many important roles that they fulfilled. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, James interviews historian Richard Bell about his book  The American Revolution and the Fate of the World . Bell argues that the American Revolution was much more than a fight between Great Britain and 13 of its North American colonies. Instead, Bell asserts, the Revolution was part of a worldwide struggle, influencing the histories of many nations. See omnystudio.com/li...

Ten Years before Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, a powerful and increasingly autonomous military force had already pushed Japan down the path to war. That force was the Kwantung Army. In this episode, James interviews author Quin Cho about his new book  The Rise of the Kwantung Army: Japan's Empire in Manchuria to 1932 . In this excellent work, Cho provides in-depth insights...

In this topical episode, written by Sean McIver and commissioned by Early's Raiders Major Alisha-Smith Arthur, James tells the story of the American presence in the Philippines from 1898 to the granting of Philippine independence in 1946. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, the last of the Vietnam War series, Sean and James discuss the postwar lives and careers of top American and Vietnamese leaders. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the 1989 film Born on the Fourth of July, directed by Oliver Stone and based on the autobiography of Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise stars as Kovic, a patriotic young man who enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps, only to be paralyzed in combat and deeply disillusioned by the war and its aftermath. The film follows Kovic’s journey from idealistic...

In this episode, Sean and James reflect on the long-term consequences of the war for the Vietnamese people, the United States, and the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, James interviews author Bruce Jay Wasser about his book  90 : A Conscientious Objector’s Journey of Quiet Resistance . In this book, Wasser tells the story of his struggle to gain Conscientious Objector status during the Vietnam War. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the 2020 film The Trial of the Chicago Seven, a historical legal drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. Based on true events, the film dramatizes the trial of seven anti–Vietnam War activists charged with conspiracy and inciting riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the complex and multifaceted anti-Vietnam War movement in the United States and around the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.