History Happy Hour

This week on History Happy Hour:   The amazing story of American women who flew for England in WWII. They were crop dusters and debutantes, college girls and performers -all trained as pilots. When war broke out, they were denied the opportunity to fly for their country. But Great Britain, desperately fighting for survival, would let anyone - even American women - transport warplanes.  T...

This week on History Happy Hour: It sounds like an episode of “Foyle’s War” come to life: murder and violence in wartime London, carried out under the cover of the wartime blackout imposed to protect against Nazi bombings. Chris and Rick tackle the real story of murders carried out as Nazi bombs blew the city apart with our guest, Amy Helen Bell, author of “Under Cover of D...

This week on History Happy Hour: In June, 1944, sailors from the mysterious 10th fleet boarded an enemy warship at sea for the first time since the War of 1812.  What’s more, it was a submarine: The U-505. Chris and Rick have visited the sub together. Now we bring you the swashbuckling tale of its capture with our guest Alexander Rose, author of Phantom Fleet: The Hunt for Nazi Submarin...

This week on History Happy Hour: Decades after the end of World War II, the name Ravensbrück, the all-women’s concentration camp, still evokes horror.  Among the prisoners were a tight-knit group of women who had been active in the French Resistance. They banded together not only to survive, but to make sure the story was never forgotten. We’ll be talking about this with HHH...

This week on History Happy Hour: The invasion of Normandy was one of history’s greatest military triumphs. As we approach the 81st Anniversary of D-Day, Chris and Rick explore the stirring events of June 6th with Garrett M. Graff, author of When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day. It’s a book built that looks at D-Day through the eyes of those who experienced it—from so...

This week on History Happy Hour: On June 6, 1944, 4126 specially designed landing craft carried 132,000 Allied troops to the D-Day Beaches.  In this episode, we take a deep dive into why so many different types of landing craft were, how they were built, and how well they did in the hour of crisis. Chris and Rick welcome Andrew Whitmarsh, author of   D-Day Landing Craft .   Andrew W...

This week on History Happy Hour: Sir Richard Dannatt, former commander of the British Army & Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Center, have teamed up to write a book capturing emotional turmoil and epic decision-making before, during, and after the world-defining action of D-Day. Chris and Rick welcome them to discuss that book, Churchill’s D-Day . The invasion of Norman...

This week on History Happy Hour: She led a gang of horse thieves. She participated in stickups and robberies across Texas and Oklahoma. She was romantically involved with two of the west’s most feared outlaws. Many considered this extraordinary woman the most dangerous female in the west . Chris and Rick explore her fascinating story with Dane Hucklebridge, author of a new bio on Belle Starr...

This week on History Happy Hour: When people think of fighting in the Pacific, they often think of the epic battles involving the Navy and the Marines. But it was the Army that did most of the fighting and dying in the war against Japan. Chris and Rick welcome acclaimed historian John McManus to dig into this three volume series on The U.S. Army the Pacific in World War II. Volume One, Fire and Fo...

This week on History Happy Hour: Chris and Rick are back live and celebrating five years as Hosts of HHH. And it’s a History Happy First - for the first time in five years they will be in the same place with their guest! Podcasting from Lexington, Massachusetts, on the day after the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, Chris and Rick will talk to Joel Bohy, author of Bullet Strikes...

This Week on History Happy Hour : No Guest – Just Us! Due to a scheduling issue, we will be sans guest on Sunday! What would you like us to talk about. FDR’s leadership? Our favorite WWI books?  Who should have won the War for Independence? Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions / topics / suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we’ll have so...

This Week on History Happy Hour : The story of a National Guard unit at the forefront in the Pacific during World War II. The 32nd Division came out of the Midwest and played a crucial role in the Pacific, eventually logging more combat hours than any other U.S. Army division during the war. Chris and Rick explore the history of this unit from mobilization in 1940 until the occupation of Japan, wi...

This Week on History Happy Hour : In 1881, the first Buffalo Soldiers arrived in Arizona, serving in both the cavalry and infantry to pursue the elusive Apaches. For more than six decades, through border battles with Mexico to WWI and WWII, Black soldiers served with honor in Arizona, all the while facing an ever-present, persistent enemy: racism. Fellow Ambrose Historian John P. Langellier return...

This Week on History Happy Hour : In 1915 Winston Churchill resigned as Lord of the Admiralty in the wake of the Dardanelles disaster. Struggling to deal with the fallout, he accepted a commission and headed for the front lines – where he began the most extraordinary comeback in political history. Chris and Rick will discuss this pivotal year in Churchill’s life with J. Furman Daniel,...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris create a daring escape line that rescues dozens of Allied servicemen. With one still in a German prison camp, the other returns to America and writes a bestselling book about it that also became a sensational movie. But there is far more to the story. Our guest, Matthew Goodman, author of the book Paris Undercover , has dug up mili...

This Week on History Happy Hour : One day in World War II. One day, around the globe. That’s what author Rona Simmons has written about in her new book No Average Day.  The day she picked was October 24, 1944, when more than 2,600 Americans perished—more than on any other single day of the conflict. Chris and Rick will talk with Rona about the vastness of World War II as seen thro...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Why did Axis countries go to war against America? Given America’s industrial base, what was the rationale that underpinned their decision? And when did they realize they couldn’t win? Chris and Rick will dive into this topic with historian Harry Yeide, who drew on his experience as an intelligence analyst to write the book Betting Against America : The...

This Week on History Happy Hour : The inspiring true story of Company E, 14ist Infantry, 36th Division, comprised entirely of Mexican Americans—the only such unit in the entire U.S. Army. The division landed at Salerno, Italy, in 1943, among first American soldiers to set foot in Europe. At the Rapido River, Company E would face its greatest challenge. We’ll talk with David Gutierrez,...

This Week on History Happy Hour : There are few names in the annals of military history that evoke such emotion, as the small Belgian town of Bastogne. The 101st Airborne are the best-known defenders of Bastogne, but they only constituted one third of the eventual force that saved the city from total annihilation. Chris and Rick discuss the heroic defense of the city with historian Martin King, le...

This Week on History Happy Hour : In January 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge was coming to an end, the 29th Division readied itself to be at the point of the fourth Allied offensive in eight months. There, along the banks of the Roer River, is where volume five of Joe Balkoski’s epic series on the 29th gets under way. Joe will join us on his sixth History Happy Hour to talk about that book,...

This Week on History Happy Hour : Tyler Perry’s new WWII movie Six Triple Eight is out on Netflix. It tells the story about the only predominantly all-black US Women's Army unit sent overseas during World War II. Their mission: raise soldiers morale by improving the disastrously backed up mail. The movie was based on an article written by HHH Alum Kevin Hymel, and we welcome Kevin back...

This Week on History Happy Hour : From his first visit in 1941 to his last one eighteen years later, Churchill made himself at home in the White House, sometimes staying for weeks at a time. These extended stays at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue changed the course of history. We will explore this story with Robert Schmuhl, author of Mr. Churchill in the White House: The Untold Story of a Prime Minister...

This Week on History Happy Hour : No Guest – Just Us! We’re bringing back another edition of History Happy Talk! What would you like us to talk about. The Battle of the Bulge? Recent trips you have been on?  Who should have won the War for Independence?  Send an email to info@historyhappyhour.net with your questions/topics/suggestions. Get us going! And when you tune in, we&r...

This Week on History Happy Hour : It is one of the most famous and controversial battles the British fought in Normandy.  On June 13, British forces were ambushed at Villers Bocage by Waffen SS German Panzers, including one commanded by German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann. This kicked off a two-day battle that resulted in a major British withdrawal. Chris and Rick dig into this story with Dani...