Tigers by the Fire

In this episode, the students take a look at the treatment of African American and LBGTQ Soldiers during the war. 

In this episode, the group looks at Axis propaganda and its role in the racial policies of both Japan and Germany. Throughout the 20s and 30s, propaganda facilitated public sentiment and allowed for atrocities to take place during the war. 

In 1942 the SS began Operation Reinhard, the systematic killing of all Jews in Poland. This new phase to what would be known as the Holocaust led to the death of around two million people. Named after Reinhard Heydrich, the program saw the opening of Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, death camps built for the purpose of mass killings. This ushered in a new age of terror and death for the people of o...

This week's episode focuses on the Tuskegee Airmen. The famous 332nd escort fighter group has lived in pop culture through cinema. They were one of the highest awarded units in the entire war and had to fight through countless discriminatory practices at home in order to fight tyranny abroad. 

This episode takes a look into the Black Shirts of Italy and their role in the rise of Benito Mussolini. This group of extremists paved the way for Mussolini's government and laid out a blueprint that would eventually be followed by the SA and SS in Germany. 

This episode looks into the exploits of John Basilone, one of America's first war heroes in WWII. Basilone was made famous following his heroism on Guadalcanal where he won the Congressional Medal of Honor. The group will discuss the War in the Pacific as seen through his actions and discuss the various moments which went on to define one of America's greatest wartime figures. 

Tigers by the Fire Season 2 Episode 1 - "Midway" This episode takes a look at the Battle of Midway. Faught from June 4 - June 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway represents a turning point in the war in the Pacific. Leading up to Midway, the Japanese had attacked and taken most major US holdings in the Asain Pacific. The episode will discuss the battle's key moments and what that meant fo...

The Manhattan Project was the largest R&D project of WWII. It changed the world forever with the creation of Atomic Weapons. In this episode the boys discus the building of the bombs and the aftermath of dropping them. 

1944: The  Battle of Leyte Gulf is the largest naval battle of WWII. Off the Philippines, the Japanese go on an offensive in an attempt to break the American Fleet and it's invasion of the Philippine Islands. The Battle shapes the future of the war and turns the Japanese Navy into a purely defensive fleet.  

Throughout WWII the Axis powers committed large scale atrocities. Sometimes lost in this were the large scale medical experiments conducted on detainees. These experiments were horrific in nature and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Even more shocking is how  many of the doctors involved in these programs were not prosecuted following the war.  

How did Sweden maintain a neutral stance during WWII or did they? In this episode Tiger's by the Fire discusses how Sweden was able to balance trade relations with Germany during the war, and how it walked a fine line of neutrality during WWII despite its location in the world's largest conflict. 

In this episode of Tigers by the Fire, we will be discussing the Battle of Kursk. The battle of Kursk took place between the Red Army and Germany from July 1943 - August 1943 and featured the largest tank battle of the war. The battle eventually led to wide spread advances across the eastern front by the Red  Army.

Nine days after D-Day in Europe, American armed forces stormed the beaches of Saipan, core Island of the Japanese Empire. And often overlooked battle, Saipan led to the bombing of mainland Japan, a gave Americans a taste of what it would be like to invade Japan. In this episodes we will discuss the battle and its importance in history. 

Executive Order 9066 allowed for the interment of American Citizens of Japanese heritage. Over 110,000 Americans were removed from their homes and relocated into camps spread out across the Southwest and into Arkansas. These were not enemy soldiers, but American citizens, who happened to be of Japanese descent. They lost their homes, property, businesses, and much more throughout this process.  In...

The Battle of Guadalcanal  was a turning point in the ground war in the Pacific. Lasting into 1943 it proved that the United States could defeat the Japanese on the ground. Featuring a horrid jungle campaign, it was violent, brutal, but ultimately led to the allied advances across the Pacific.    

A discussion on the 1945 fire bombing of Tokyo.  In this discussion we will look at the event itself and debate the controversy associated with the bombing of Civilians in WWII.   In 1945 the allies had pushed the axis powers back on all fronts, but the war was not over. Massive bombing campaigns ensued, resulting in the destruction of cities all over Germany and Japan. Perhaps the worst of these...

Introduction to Tigers by the fire podcast.