Battleground

Joining Patrick and Saul this week, with the explosions of Russian fire in the background is friend of the show Askold Krushelnycky, who gives a fascinating dispatch of his recent trip into Ukrainian occupied Russian territory. They also discuss all the other latest developments from the past week. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: Ja...

To mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Paris, Patrick takes Saul through the events, the myths and the remarkable cast of characters that make up this remarkable story. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on...

In this episode of Battleground Patrick speaks to friend of the show - veteran war reporter Julius Strauss - about the conflict from the Russian perspective. But first they provide an update from Kursk Oblast in Russia where Ukraine’s military operation enters its third week and is still advancing. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: Ja...

In the second episode of our mini-series on the Warsaw Uprising, Saul speaks to friend of the show Clare Mulley who delves into the details of what happened once the uprising began. She takes us into the story of Agent Zo's uprising as well as the wider brutal horror’s inflicted upon Warsaw's population by Nazi forces. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@g...

With the drama of the Kursk invasion still unfolding as Ukraine continues its operations and no sign yet of co-ordinated counter attack from the Russians, we take listeners to Ukraine to find out what noises are coming from those on the ground. To help Saul and Patrick dive into the events of the past week, they are joined by old friends of the podcast Askold Krushelnycky and Julius Strauss, who s...

What was behind the Polish resistance's decision to launch the Warsaw uprising? In the first of a two part series on one of the most brutal and bloody events of the second world war, Saul is joined by friend of the show Roger Moorhouse who shares his vast knowledge on the subject. Together they discuss, the motivations, the reasoning, and the timing behind the uprising. Who some of the key figures...

In this special edition of Battleground Ukraine, Saul and Patrick look at the huge developments of the past few days, as against all expectations Ukraine has torn up the playbook and launched an operation that is extraordinary in its boldness and daring – but heavy as they discuss, with risk. In a move that has taken the Russians and indeed the rest of the world by surprise, they try to answer the...

This week Saul and Patrick look at the astonishing news that, at long last, Kyiv has launched a sizeable incursion into Russian territory. With the situation still unfolding the details are still a little unclear, but it seems that the attack began on Tuesday morning when an estimated 2,000 Ukraine troops, supported by armour, stormed across the border from their Sumy region into Russia’s Kursk ob...

The dramatic quarrel between the leader of the Free French forces - Charles de Gaulle and Philippe   Pétain - head of Vichy France, during the dark days of the 1940's, was in many ways a struggle for the very future of France. Joining Patrick to discuss what divided these two men, why they followed the paths they did, and also what they held in common, is leading historian on the subject Julian Ja...

Returning their focus to events on the ground, Patrick and Saul discuss the latest developments on the battlefield. With the F-16's finally arriving in Ukraine, Russia continuing costly assaults amid massive naval drills involving the majority of its fleet, and aspects of the war spreading to Mali in Africa. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Pr...

In the second of our two part series on the attempts to Assassinate Hitler, Saul and Roger discuss the most famous attempt on Hitler's life - the July bomb plot. Made famous in recent years with the success of the film Valkyrie, in which Tom Cruise stars as German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Together they discuss the key protagonists in the plot, as well as the wider plan to seize power i...

This week Saul and Patrick digest another week of drama in the world of US politics, with the tardy but sensible decision by President Joe Biden to withdraw from the US presidential race on Sunday in favour of his much younger Vice President, Kamala Harris. Which begs two questions. Can she beat Donald Trump to the presidency? And if she does, what will this mean for Ukraine? If you have any thoug...

In the first of two episodes on the attempts to assassinate Hitler, Saul is joined by close friend of the show, Roger Moorhouse. Together they discuss the numerous different discussions, plans, and attempts that were made to take out the Nazi leader. Ranging from derailing Hitler's train, to targeting him at his Bavarian Alpine retreat, they talk through the failed attempts and also look at the di...

This week to help Patrick and Saul assess what has been a dramatic past week, and to make some sense of it, they welcome back to the podcast veteran journalist and political commentator Robert Fox. They also take a look at Trump's choice for Vice President - should he be elected - J.D. Vance - and what his appointment could mean for European security. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can...

With the Allied armies now in France, the fate of Paris and it's inhabitants was in the air, for many residents, even those who had so far co-operated or even actively helped the occupying Germans, had tough decisions to make - keep their heads down or rise up. In this episode Patrick and Saul speak live from the Chalke History festival, taking the story of Paris onwards from where it was left las...

In this latest episode of Battleground Ukraine, Saul and Patrick take a look at the latest developments from the war in Ukraine and discuss what is likely to come out from Nato’s 75th anniversary conference in Washington D.C. They also look at responses to a question from last week, concerning the relationship between relatives in Ukraine and Russia and how the war has strained these family ties. ...

In the first of two episodes Patrick delves into the remarkable tale of the events in French capital Paris during the Second World War, a place at the time was one of the most significant cultural and political hubs in the world. Drawing on his knowledge from his new book Paris '44: The Shame and the Glory Patrick sets out the scene of the capital under occupation in the lead up to liberation. If...

This week Saul and Patrick will be concentrating on three elections whose outcomes will have profound effects on the war in Ukraine. The British general election which took place on Thursday, the French parliamentary elections, the second round of which will be held on Sunday and the US presidential elections where the balance has been tipped in Donald Trump’s favour following the televised presid...

The conditions for allied servicemen in Japanese prisoner of war camps were notoriously brutal, with the pow's having to deal with malnutrition, rampant diseases, and cruelty at the hands of their captors. Joining Patrick to discuss his farther's experiences after he was captured by the Japanese at Signapore is Simon de Wardener. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbat...

This week key Trump advisors revealed that if the Donald becomes president, he will threaten to cut weapons supplies to Ukraine as part of a plan to end the war. Meanwhile in Britain, Nigel Farage has doubled down on his comments after saying that the ‘ever-eastward expansion of NATO and the EU ‘ had given Vladimir Putin a reason to justify his invasion of Ukraine, by adding that he was "sceptical...

A matter of weeks after the western allies landed on the beaches in Normandy and began their offensive in the west of Europe, the Soviet Red Army began a larger and probably more significant offensive on the Eastern front - Operation Bagration. Joining Patrick to discuss the epic strategic offensive operation is broadcasting legend Jonathan Dimbleby, who has just written about it in his latest boo...

This week Vladimir Putin met with fellow autocrat - the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un in another public demonstration of what is being touted as another step in the construction of a new security block to challenge the dominance of the West. Patrick and Saul discuss what this means for the war in Ukraine and how worried should we be? To help them answer this they talk to Roger Boyes, veteran f...

In this episode of Battleground '44, Saul speaks to former SAS troop commander Tom Petch - author of the book Speed, Aggression, Surprise: The Untold Secret Origins of the SAS. Together they discuss the role the SAS played in the second world war and in particular the role they played in operation Overlord. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Pro...

In a special bonus episode Patrick and Saul speak to Russian-American Ilya Nuzov, who is the Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Ilya and his team have submitted a Communication under Article 15 of the Rome Statute to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), drawing the Court’s attention to the crimin...

This week Saul and Patrick look at the interesting developments that have emerged both on and off the battlefield. Noticeably the results of the relaxation of the use of western weapons by Ukraine inside Russia proper, and the success of far-right parties in the recent EU elections, particularly in Germany and France - which could potentially result in declining EU support for Ukraine. We also hav...