Battleground

In this latest episode of Battleground '44, Patrick tells us of the heroic stand made by American airborne forces at the small Normandy village of Graignes, in the often forgotten and overlooked Battle of Graignes. However, there is a darker side of the story with the sobering details of the brutal reprisals that the German SS division son inflicted on the innocent villagers and injured American s...

This week Saul and Patrick discuss the recent and significant escalation in the Ukraine conflict, that is the decision by the US and other Nato countries to allow the long range weapons they have given Ukraine to be used to strike Russia inside its own territory. Joining them to look at the emerging consequences of this, Saul and Patrick speak to friend of the Podcast Askold Kruchelnycky from Kyiv...

This week as we hit the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Patrick is joined by friend of the podcast Tim Butcher. Tim tells the story of the capture of Pegasus bridge by D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, who were lead by a friend of his farther Major John Howard. The successful capture of the bridges played a crucial role in limiting German counter-attac...

This week on Battleground: Ukraine, Saul and Patrick discuss the big news from this past week - that the NATO Parliamentary Assembly has called on members states to lift prohibitions against Ukraine using Western-provided weapons to strike targets in Russia proper. Additionally, they dive into new information about the foiled assassination plots on leading members in Ukraine's government and armed...

The assault phase of D-Day - Operation Neptune, was one of the most complex amphibious operations in history, involving 7,000 ships and nearly 200,000 men. But despite this immense effort, the wider naval campaign has been broadly forgotten. In this episode of Battleground '44 Saul speaks to Naval historian Nick Hewitt and author of the fantastic new book, Normandy: the Sailors' Story: A Naval His...

In this episode of Battleground: Ukraine Saul is again joined by Roger Moorhouse to discuss the latest set of intriguing developments emerging from the war in Ukraine in the last week. They discuss the frustration that is rising as the US refuses to allow its donated weapons to be used in strikes on targets inside Russia’s borders and answer some fascinating listeners questions including - could G...

In our latest edition of Battleground '44 Patrick turns to the world of espionage, looking at the extraordinary story of British MI6 agent of Wilfred Biffy Dunderdale. To help Patrick he speaks to his Biographer Tim Spicer who tells his story of the complicated intrigues of the world of intelligence, and the remarkable achievements he managed to achieve in the Second World War. If you have any tho...

With all eyes on Kharkiv and the battle to the east of Ukraine’s second city, Saul and Patrick assess this latest development as it takes on huge political, military and symbolic significance. They also look at the recent shake up at the top of the Russian military hierarchy with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu being replaced with a relative unknown Andrei Belousov. If you have any thoughts or ques...

On this episode of Battleground '44 Saul speaks to friend of the show Evan Mawdsley about the subject of his new book -The Battle of the Philippine Sea. The often overlooked battle was one of the major naval battles of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana...

This week Saul is joined by Roger Moorhouse who is stepping in for Patrick to discuss this week's news coming from the war in Ukraine. The big story is that Ukraine’s intelligence service has foiled a Russian-led plot to assassinate President Zelensky by arresting two colonels in the president’s security team. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com...

In our latest instalment of our Warlords series, Saul speaks to good friend of the show expert historian and occasional co-host of Battleground Roger Moorhouse about the most infamous of all the war leaders from the Second World War - Adolf Hitler. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn mor...

A week after the US Congress finally voted to release £61 billion in military aid for Ukraine, Patrick and Saul take a look at the latest news from the war in Ukraine. Positively there are signs that Russia’s recent advances on the battlefield are slowing down. but less encouraging are reports in the Western media that US officials have resumed discussing the idea of “freezing the lines”. Patrick...

In this episode of Battleground 44' we return to our warlord series to look at the figure who many historians consider the greatest American president of the 20th century - Franklin D. Roosevelt. To help Patrick and Saul look into perhaps one of the important figures of the second world war they speak to award winning American historian Evan Mawdsley. If you have any thoughts or questions, you ca...

On this week's Battleground: Ukraine, Saul and Patrick assess the significance of Ukraine finally receiving the US package of 61 billion dollars worth of military aid. They’ll also be talking to Canadian investigative journalist Justin Ling who will be talking to us about the extraordinary technological developments he found on his recent trip to Ukraine and how they are shaping the battlefield an...

In this special edition of Battleground ’44, to coincide with the publication of Saul’s new book - Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War , we thought we’d devote a special episode to discussing the book and, more specifically, the role British Airborne played in the D-Day landings which took place 80 years ago. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - p...

What is the significance for Ukraine of Iran's attack on Israel? In this episode Saul and Patrick discuss how the war in Ukraine is inextricably linked to what is happening in the Middle East where the the shockwaves of the Israel Palestine war ripple outwards to stoke regional conflict. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson...

In the latest instalment of our warlord series, where we look at the great leaders of the Second World War, we look into the titanic figure of Sir Winston Churchill. Patrick is joined by probably the historian best placed to discuss the great man, Andrew Roberts - Author of the acclaimed biography - Churchill: Walking with Destiny. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podb...

In this episode of Battleground: Ukraine Saul speaks to friend of the show Julius Strauss, veteran journalist, Russian speaker and former bureau chief for the Daily Telegraph in Moscow, who has just returned to Kyiv after touring Eastern Ukraine. Patrick and Saul also look into the the latest news surrounding the war in Ukraine, including Russia and China looking to strengthen their strategic part...

In this episode of Battleground 44' we kick of our warlords series - first up perhaps the most complex character of them all - Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. To gain insight into this remarkable figure Patrick speaks to internationally bestselling historian Giles Milton, who has just written the book The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance That Won the War. If you have any thoughts or questions,...

In this episode of Battleground Saul and Patrick speak to distinguished reporter, author and political analyst Tim Judah, who has just returned from a month in Ukraine. They also dive into the latest news from the war in Ukraine including the significant news that Volodymyr Zelensky has succumbed to the inevitable and signed a bill to lower the mobilisation age for combat duty from 27 to 25. If yo...

In this episode of Battleground 44' Saul and Patrick take a deep dive into a host of fascinating listeners questions, anecdotes, and family stories from the Second World War. 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 Acas...

In this episode of Battleground Saul and Patrick discuss what the ramifications of the deadly terror attack that happened last Friday at the Crocus concert hall in Moscow. Patrick also speaks to veteran journalist and Russia expert Alan Philps, asking does Putin need to worry about ISIS K, and does his leadership face questions as the FSB failed to prevent this deadly terrorist attack. If you have...

This episode of Battleground 44' explores the incredible story of Polish resistance fighter Elzbieta Zawacka, who ended the second world war as one of the most highly decorated women in Polish history. To delve deeper into her experieces Saul speaks to historian and author Clare Mulley who has recently written the book Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Fearless WW2 Resistence fighter Elzbieta Zawacka....

In this episode of Battleground - in the wake of Putin's "re-election" - Patrick Bishop and Saul David, ask how much that support is actually genuine and just how solid are the foundations of Putin’s rule? They also take a look at the cyber warfare scene, accusations by Russia that NATO troops are operating in Ukraine, and the effectiveness of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory. Plus, Sa...

In this episode of Battleground 44' Saul takes us through the extraordinary but relatively unknown story of the heroic stand made by the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade at the Battle of Shangshak. This crucial battle took place in the mountainous frontier between India and Burma, as Japanese forces sought to invade India, in the lead up to the battle of Imphal 80 years ago. If you have any thoughts...