Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops

In   August 1945, Japan signals its official surrender, setting off   an urgent   mission to find the highest-ranking   American prisoner of war   along with thousands of other POWs. In this episode,   we explore Operation Cardinal, the future of the OSS, and the legacy of World War II on American intelligence.      Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Jeffrey   Rogg and Nichol...

By spring of 1945, Allied forces are closing in on Nazi Germany. In this episode ,   we explore a secret operation to convince one of Hitler's last armies to   surrender. Meanwhile, the OSS   becomes involved   in securing evidence for the   upcoming   Nuremberg Trials, and   on the other side of the world, agents work to keep rival factions in China in the war.  Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by...

In the Pacific theater, the Allies take  Iwo Jima , where   Navajo Code Talkers play   an integral   part in this success.   Meanwhile, Allied commandoes and guerilla fighters   in the Philippines   go on a covert   nighttime   raid to free prisoners of war in Cabanatuan   before it might be too late.  Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Mike Bell, John Curatola, Jeffrey   Rog...

By December 1944, troops are fighting through the Ardennes Forest in the Battle of the Bulge, where Allied and Axis forces both  employ deception tactics in efforts to change the course of the campaign — and the war .       Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by historians and authors Mike Bell, John Curatola, Jeffrey Rogg, and Nicholas Reynolds.  

After D-Day on June 6, 1944, the global race is already underway to build the first atomic bomb.  In this episode, we explore the efforts happening in complete secrecy to stop Nazis from doing it first .     Host Bradley W. Hart is joined by guests Nicholas Reynolds, author of  Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence ; Jeffrey Rogg, author of  The Spy and the State ; and C...

M any  WWII spies  carried out  their  missions  behind enemy lines with no support. Other  intelligence agents  provided   advance d  research and analysis that helped make  covert  operations possible.   In this bonus episode,  you'll  hear stories  of American  operators' training for  clandestine  duty — told  by  the se  men and women themselves.   These  firsthand accounts   are  a part  of ...

A massive b uild -up of troops and equipment in the United Kingdom was a clear indicator to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi high command that a n attack against Occupied Europe was imminent, but a sophisticated Allied deception plan leaves the Germans guessing where D-Day will truly take place .   Operation Fortitude successfully obscures true Allied intentions while Operation Jedburgh helps reduce Germ...

In November 1942, the Allies make their first major move against Adolf Hitler's empire with Operation Torch , an amphibious assault in French North Africa . Operatives from the OSS are already on the ground gathering intelligence to lay the groundwork for a successful operation, but the complex dynamics between occupied and unoccupied France thwart many of their efforts . Meanwhile, British spies...

A new type of American warfare is about to begin , combin ing intelligence with guerrilla operations in the Pacific. Under the command of Carl F. Eifler, OSS Detachment 101 links up with local fighters to help tie down Japanese forces in B urma , but at a heavy co st . Th ousands of miles away , t he Germans continue their efforts to infiltrate Britain and the United States using an operative name...

Six months after Pearl Harbor, the U nited S tates makes an important advance in understanding the Japanese n aval c ode ahead of t he Battle of Midway , which becomes a major turning point in the Pacific war. Meanwhile, President Franklin Roosevelt establishes the country's first intelligence agency, the Office of Strategic Services, and German agents target the United States in a bold sabotage p...

On December 7, 1941, a surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stuns the nation . In this episode, we explore the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and its impact on the American intelligence community, the creation of a new spy organization , and the extent of Nazi e spionage in the United States .   H ost Bradley W. Hart is joined by gu ests Nicholas Reynolds, author of N eed to Know: World War II and...

World War II was fought on battlefields all over the globe. But it was also fought in the shadows—in covert operations that didn't make the headlines, both at home and overseas. The National WWII Museum presents  Secret WWII: Spies & Special Ops , a new podcast series exploring wartime tales of espionage and intrigue .  Hosted by Museum Senior Historian Bradley W. Hart, PhD, tune in to hear from e...