The "We're Not Lost, Private" Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes interesting history topics develop out of nothing more than a quick conversation. In this case, an offhand comment from his father-in-law led Joe to an amazing story of how a Tuskegee Airman, shot down during his 64th mission, found refuge in two small villages in northern Croatia. Check out the area where Robert Martin was sheltered and cared for by the people of the sm...

Send us Fan Mail It was a battle that was never meant to be. Two Robert’s, Ballard and Wolverton, each commanded a battalion in the 101st Airborne, and each was tasked with capturing bridges over the Douve River. But before the battalions could accomplish their missions, they’d have to clear the area around their drop zone of enemy troops. Les Droueries was located near the drop zone and the flood...

Send us Fan Mail Second time’s a charm. Join Joe as he deep dives some of the currently circulating myths and misconceptions created and promoted by an unscrupulous YouTuber. It’s all about educating and informing folks as to the truth about Easy Company and not someone’s interpretations of it. Part 1 of what will likely be a multi-part series was wildly popular, and the WNLP followers have asked...

Send us Fan Mail Kasserine Pass. The fighting for that geographic novelty has an almost mystical aura around it as it was the US Army’s first large-scale battle against the Germans in North Africa. And they fared poorly. But did you know about the smaller, yet no less important battle for Sidi Bou Zid? It essentially set the stage for Kasserine, and those two battlefield setbacks would result in t...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered if you have a famous relative? We all have at some point thought about the possibility, especially if you ran across someone with a similar last name. In this episode, Joe examines the cases of three members of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and runs down the myths and urban legends associated with them and their possible famous relati...

Send us Fan Mail It happens more often than most fans of Band of Brothers would like. YouTube channels and podcasts pop up with poorly contextualized, subpar content designed as clickbait. It’s frustrating for both real historians and genuine fans of the book and miniseries. In this episode, Joe works through a number of sensationalized Easy Company-related topics in order to separate the wheat fr...

Send us Fan Mail I was able to bookend visits to the Museum of the Mighty 8th and the UDT/Navy SEAL Museum during a recent vacation. I had previously visited the Mighty 8th, but had never done so with the the SEAL Museum. Both are high quality with wonderful displays related to World War II. Masters of the Air has kickstarted the popularity and pending expansion of the Mighty 8th, and the Naval Co...

Send us Fan Mail Stop by the pod for a quick tribute to the D-Day warriors on this 81st Anniversary of the attack on “Fortress Europe.” In this episode Joe reads a tribute to the men of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment describing their wait to launch Operation Overlord. He discusses their activities as well as their equipment loads, wrapping it up with a paratrooper’s account of landing in No...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 36 of The "We're Not Lost, Private" Podcast drops today!  A lot of time is given to D-Day…in the press, on TV shows, on pods…you name it. But far less time is spent examining what happened during the run up to that momentous day. Join Joe as he discusses the accounts of numerous Allied veterans…those of the UK and Canada, and the US, to include the 1st, 4th,...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered what the connection might be between World War II and your hometown? Join Joe as he looks at his hometown of Fredericksburg’s role during the war and how it served as a training ground for operative trainees of the fledgling Office of Strategic Services. How did the OSS Chief, Bill Donovan’s operational philosophy shape the organization? Where did the operat...

Send us Fan Mail Join Joe as he revisits EP21 in light of new information provided by the daughter of Bob Cahoon, a C/502 veteran of the fighting in and around Ravenoville on D-Day. He also discusses his personal correspondence and time spent with A Company, 506th PIR veterans, related to Ravenoville. In addition, Joe looks back at a recent trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, and a couple of World...

Send us Fan Mail Two brothers from Wisconsin, separated by geography and service. William and Anthony Hitztaler would meet once before D-Day and never see each other again. Join Adam Berry and I as we discuss what happened with each brother on D-Day and how fate destined that they would end up so close to each other, but it would end with tragic consequences for one of them.  You can check us out...

Send us Fan Mail “2-F’23” as the Fox Company veterans used to describe themselves, fought at Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. Join Steven McCloud and I as we discuss the formation of the Company, and trace its actions during World War II, including its capstone performance on Iwo. Learn about the unique individuals who, ‘manned the rails’ during this time, many of which formed the backbone...

Send us Fan Mail During Operation Villain, the 2nd Battalion, 509th PIR conducted the first combat parachute assault in the history of the U.S. Army in Algeria, as part of a larger action of Operation Torch. But the lead up to their jump was fraught with poor planning, a rush to deploy, and was followed up by a series of almost too-crazy-to-believe events after they made their jump. In this episod...

Send us Fan Mail Two of the most under-reported units to take part in the D-Day assaults on Omaha and Utah Beaches were the Navy Combat Demolition Units and the Gap Assault Teams. Join Dev Ramsamy and I as we discuss the weapons & equipment, composition & performance of, and, most importantly, the men that comprised these units. While the infantry units get the lion's share of the att...

Send us Fan Mail We've all seen the Capa D-Day photos. They appear like locusts every time there's an anniversary of that momentous day. They capture and hold our attention because of what we think they represent. But did you ever wonder about the circumstances in which they were taken? I mean the actual circumstances, not the ones we self-generate. Join Chuck Herrick and I was we deep d...

Send us Fan Mail Despite the swift reaction of the US Army to the German attacks during the Battle of the Bulge, some German units made good headway towards their objectives. The Das Reich Division was one of those divisions. Join me as I sit down with Bulge historian and tour guide Bob Konings to examine how units of the US 3rd Armored Division, 75th Infantry Division, and the 82nd Airborne Divis...

Send us Fan Mail The 1st Ranger Battalion is one of the most storied units in the US Army, and it had its roots in World War II. From the stand up of "The Originals" to its training with the British Commandos, the Rangers were destined to be the spearhead of actions throughout the war. But how did it all start? Who were the key players? And how were they first blooded? This episode aims...

Send us Fan Mail Just a cracking episode. Two hours of all things Operation Pegasus (and a bunch of stuff that isn't!)...just a tour-de-force...everything you ever wanted to know about the rescue of the Red Devils that was featured in Band of Brothers Episode 5 "Crossroads," all in one place. It was more complex than shown in the miniseries. So many moving pieces, and so many times...

Send us Fan Mail The first US GIs landed in the UK on January 26, 1942. Join Joe as he looks into the arrival of those troops, their acclimation to being stationed on the British islands, how Allied strategy influenced their deployment, and the enduring legacy of the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. You can check us out on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WereNotLost...

Send us Fan Mail D-Day morning...so many violent clashes between groups of US paratroopers and German defenders. Holdy was no different. Join me for a deep dive on the fighting in and around the small Norman hamlet. Possessing an artillery battery not unlike Brecourt, the fighting between elements of the 502nd and 506th Parachute Infantry and German troops manning the Holdy position on D-Day was b...

Send us Fan Mail Join Joe as he provides a field report from his Ardennes battlefield tour during the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail There's a lot of misinformation out there as to what Herbert Sobel did on D-Day. Join Joe as he debunks the myths!  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Join me as I answer a slew of viewer/listener questions about several members of Easy Company. Nothing was off the table. Portrayal in Band, peculiarities, actions during the war, and legacies. I try and cover it all. I hope you check it out, and hopefully learn something new about these men.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail On D-Day, Ravenoville was the nexus point of activity for several units of the 101st Airborne Division. Join Joe as he examines the D-Day drop in the area and what happened to all the units that fought there.  Support the show