Key Battles of American History

In February 1945, Major Rosenthal's plane is shot down over Berlin; he parachutes into no man's land and is rescued by the Red Army. The Germans evacuate Stalag Luft III, forcing the prisoners to march in freezing conditions; they are taken via train to Nuremberg before being interned at Stalag XIII. Cleven and two other officers escape, and Cleven makes it to Allied lines. Egan and the other pris...

In this episode, James and Sean McIver briefly tell the story of the Manhattan Project, the history-changing effort to develop an atomic bomb and end the Second World War. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James discuss Part 8, which introduces the heroic Tuskegee Airmen into the story. In June 1944, Captain Crosby conducts operational planning for two hundred bombing missions against Wehrmacht positions in France in preparation for Operation Overlord. Working for three straight days, he passes out and sleeps through D-Day. There is virtually no resistance from the Luftwaff...

In this episode, James welcomes historian, author, and YouTuber Jared Frederick back to the podcast. James and Jared discuss Jared’s exciting new book Into the Cold Blue, coauthored with WW2 veteran John Homan, who flew 35 missions as copilot of a B-24 bomber crew during 1944. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Spring of 1944, the men of the 100th are upset to learn that the number of missions required for a crew to be discharged is being increased to twenty-eight. Captain Rosenthal completes his twenty-fifth mission, but decides to reenlist. Rosenthal is placed in command of the 350th. Captain Crosby begins an affair with ATS officer Westgate. Sgts. Quinn and Bailey return to base and are exempte...

In this episode, James interviews Carl Archer, an attorney, history buff, and Colonel in Early’s Raiders, about the war crimes tribunals that occurred after the Second World War. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James discuss Part 6, which takes us with Egan and Cleven into a German POW camp. October 1943; Major Egan is taken prisoner and almost dies after he and other downed pilots are attacked by civilians while being marched through a bombed town. He is taken to Dulag Luft for interrogation before being transferred to Stalag Luft III. There, he meets other comrades from the 10...

When you think about key centers of code breaking activity in the Second World War, what places come to mind? How about Bermuda? It has been said Bermuda was Britain’s number-one listening post during World War II.  In this episode, commissioned by Early's Raiders Major Joan Bellfort, James discusses the British Imperial Censorship Station on Bermuda, whose censors (many of whom were women) reveal...

The 100th returns from the Bremen mission after taking heavy casualties. Lt. Crosby replaces Captain Payne as the lead navigator and is promoted. Major Egan leads another bombing raid to Münster just days after the Bremen mission. The mission ends disastrously for the 100th after they are intercepted by swarms of fighters. All but one B-17, piloted by Lt. Rosenthal, are shot down. Having bailed fr...

In this episode, commissioned by Early's Raiders Col. Matt Schaper, James gives an overview of the 1832 U. S. Army war with Sac and Fox leader Black Hawk and his band of warriors. This war is little known, but it had a major impact on the history of the midwestern states and on the United States as a whole. Three future American presidents participated in the war. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

In this episode, Sean and James discuss Part 4, a transitional episode. In October 1943, fresh B-17 crews, including Lt. Robert Rosenthal, arrive. The 100th bombs Bremen once again. Feeling the effects of combat exhaustion, Major Egan is sent on leave to London, where he has a one-night stand with a Polish war widow. Learning that Major Cleven did not return from Bremen, Egan returns to duty early...

In 1911, the U. S. Navy opened the Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, on the shore of Lake Michigan.  During the First World War, about 125,000 sailors trained there.  Later, during the Second World War, approximately one million naval personnel learned their skills at Great Lakes.  These included thousands of aviators, who practiced takeoffs and landings on three aircraft carriers that floated...

Discover the intricate balance between tradition and vulnerability in America's presidential succession process with legal scholar Roy E. Brownell II in this compelling bonus episode from "This American President" Stay informed and engaged with thought-provoking content from "This American President." Subscribe now to ensure you never miss an episode and follow on Apple or Spotify for updates, ins...

In August 1943, the 100th participates in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission to destroy aircraft manufacturing plants deep within Germany before traveling to meet the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa. Lt. Biddick and his co-pilot are killed when they crash trying to make an emergency landing in a forest clearing. Sergeant Quinn parachutes to safety after his B-17 is destroyed; he lands in Belgium...

On April 25, 1945, the U. S. 15th Air Force conducted the final major bombing run of an Axis-controlled city. The target was Linz, Austria. Linz was one of Nazi Germany's most vital assets. Not only was it a crucial transportation hub and communications center, it was also claimed by Hitler as his home town.  Linz was also heavily defended, making the raid hell for the American air crews.  In this...

Sean and James continue their discussion of Masters of the Air, this time reviewing Part 2, in which the 100th copes with its first combat losses. At a pub, RAF members challenge the American tactic of daytime raids; feeling disrespected, Lieutenant (Lt.) Curtis Biddick defeats a British pilot in a bare-knuckle boxing match. When Major Marvin Bowman is incapacitated by illness, Major Cleven is tas...

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the Battleship Texas’ service in World War II, its brief postwar service, its conversion to a museum ship, and the many efforts to refurbish it and keep it alive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the initial episode of the recently-released Apple TV+ series,  Masters of the Air , which tells the story of the 100th Bomb Group, part of the Eighth Air Force that bombed Germany during World War II. In June 1943, the 100th, comprising four squadrons of B-17s from RAF base Thorpe Abbots, is sent on a daytime bombing mission to destroy targets in Bremen, Ge...

In this two-part topical episode, Sean McIver returns to the podcast!  Sean and James discuss the origin of modern battleships, the history-making introduction of the HMS  Dreadnought , the first ships called Texas, and the modern USS  Texas ’ service prior to World War II. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this epilogue to the Guadalcanal series, Dave and James discuss the human and material costs of the battle for Guadalcanal.  They also evaluate the performance of both sides and the short-and long-term significance of the campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During a war, combatants often ponder the deep existential questions of life. These questions form the basis of Terence Malick’s 1998 war drama The Thin Red Line. On one level, The Thin Red Line is about a U. S. Army division’s attempt to take a hill on the island of Guadalcanal; however, the film also explores many age-old questions, including “How did evil enter the world?”, “Why are humans at w...

In January 1943, American forces began slowly but surely pushing west as the Japanese mounted an effort to deceive the Americans into thinking another major offensive was coming.  In reality, the Japanese were executing Operation KE, a plan to retreat westward and evacuate all survivors from Guadalcanal. In early February, American forces reached the northwestern tip of the island, only to find th...

In this episode, Dave and James discuss the 1943 World War II war film Guadalcanal Diary , directed by Lewis Seiler. The film is based on the book of the same name by Richard Tregaskis. The film recounts the fight of the United States Marines in the Guadalcanal Campaign, which occurred only a year before the movie's release. While the film has notable battle scenes, its primary focus is on the cha...

In this episode, Dave and James discuss the Battle of Tassafaronga, the final major naval battle of the Guadalcanal Campaign. They also narrate the Americans’ November Matanikau offensive (yes, another one!) and the beginning of the final American ground offensive. Finally, your intrepid hosts discuss the Japanese December 1942 decision to…well, listen, and you will find out what! See omnystudio.c...

Undeterred by the failure of their October attempt to capture Henderson Field, the Japanese high command ordered that yet another, still bigger, attempt be made in November. This resulted in two massive ship-to-ship battles between November 13 and 15, in which dozens of warships and planes, plus over 3500 soldiers, sailors, and airmen were lost. Join Dave and James as they tell the exciting story...