Warfare

The Falklands War, or the Guerra de las Malvinas? For today’s guest, it was the latter. Roberto Herrscher grew up singing the songs of the Malvinas at school, and in 1982 was conscripted into the Argentinian Navy to fight against the British.  In this episode, find out what it was like to be conscripted, how Roberto felt and continues to feel about the war, and the continuing impact of the co...

On Sunday 18 June 1815 60,000 men were slaughtered in the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon Bonaparte's French army was finally defeated by an almighty coalition of troops from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau, led by the Duke of Wellington, and the Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal von Blücher. In this archive episode Zack White, who set up Voices of th...

As Europe prepared for the Second World War, a challenge presented itself to the men and women of Britain’s museums, galleries and archives: how could they keep their many national treasures safe? From stately homes and slate mines, to castles and prisons, in today’s episode Dr Caroline Shenton explores the race to protect British heritage. Caroline is an archivist and historian, her new book ‘Nat...

The role of successful and strategic intelligence operations is a vital part of determining the outcomes of battles and wars. But with every decision having the potential of catastrophic repercussions, how do you even begin to gather intelligence on a new foe? In this third installment of a new miniseries from Warfare focusing on the Falklands War, James is joined by Nick van der Bijl - Nick serve...

Today, James is the guest on our NEW sister podcast Patented, hosted by Dallas Campbell. Together, they talk us through the century-long history of military drones. Drone technology has transformed the way we wage war today. They have been key in every major conflict since at least 2008, including the current war in Ukraine. But military drones have a much longer history than you might imagine, da...

On the 7th April 1945, 702 French members of the Special Air Service parachuted into the Netherlands to recapture Dutch canals, bridges and airfields in the fight against the occupiers. This was one of the last major airborne missions of the Second World War and, despite a multitude of difficulties, it resulted in the liberation of parts of the Netherlands and paved the way for the Canadian advanc...

As a mist set in and the sea began to swell, British and Argentine warships circled one another off the coast of the Falkland Islands. Yet hidden beneath the waves, HMS Conqueror - a Royal Navy nuclear submarine - stalked the packed decks of the Belgrano. This pivotal day 40 years ago witnessed one of the key turning points that shifted the course of the Falklands War. In this second instalment of...

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in American military history. They faced discrimination and segregation at home but in the skies of Europe, they became one of the most successful and feared fighter units as they escorted bombers on raids in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Germany. In this week's episode from the archive, Dan discovers just how dan...

On November 15 2021 Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon, shattering one of their own satellites into over a thousand pieces. This space debris will orbit the Earth for a very long time, posing a threat to space travel and other satellites. With space increasingly becoming a site of military activity, is war in space a real possibility? In this episode James is joined by Major General Robert H....

April 2022 marks 40 years since the beginning of the Falklands War - but how and why did these small islands in the South Atlantic become the setting of an international conflict? In this first episode of a new miniseries from Warfare focusing on the Falklands War, James is joined by geopolitical lecturer and author Klaus Dodds. Together they discuss why the 'Las Malvinas' dispute was so important...

Whilst Churchill is best remembered for his achievements during the dark days of the Second World War, much of the rest of his career had much more to do with failure than success. Geoffrey Wheatcroft, journalist and author of 'Churchill's Shadow: An Astonishing Life and a Dangerous Legacy', joins Dan for this episode from the archive. They discuss Geoffrey's radical reappraisal of Churchill'...

Did build up to World War Two only begin in the 20th century, or was the century of violent imperial expansion before 1939 the ultimate cause of one of the deadliest conflicts marked in modern history? In this episode James is joined by historian and author Richard Overy to discuss his fresh perspective of World War Two. In his new book 'Blood and Ruins The Great Imperial War' - Richard argues tha...

The conflict we know today as the Vietnam War–involving the United States and the Viet Cong–was actually the second of the Indochina Wars, the first having been fought shortly after WW2 between France and the Viet Minh. In this episode James is joined by Dr Pablo de Orellana of King's College London, whose new book focuses on the often forgotten conflict that he calls the First Vietnam War. Dr Pab...

After the First World War the German Army was in crisis. Limited in the size and its equipment by the Versailles Treaty which ended the war, it was a shadow of the mighty force it had been in 1914. Help came from a surprising source. Soviet Russia. Historian Ian Johnson explains to Dan how it was the Soviets who helped rebuild the German military machine before World War Two. In this episode from...

His ideas were cast aside in the early 20th century, but later went on to help Allied forces win the Second World War, but who was Julian Corbett and what were his recommendations on strategy? By combining history, emerging technology, and geopolitical structures - Corbett revolutionised the concepts behind readying Britain for Warfare. In this episode, James is joined by Professor Andrew Lambert...

Russia and the UK have very different political structures and ambitions, from their alliance at the Battle of Navarino in 1827 to the historic low of their relations now. In this episode of Warfare, James is joined by Lord David Owen, who formerly served as Navy Minister, British foreign secretary, and EU peace negotiator in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. With over two decades of working clo...

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we wanted to take a closer look at Russian President, Vladimir Putin's rise to power. We've dug out this episode from June 2020, when Catherine Belton joined Dan on the pod to discuss the former KGB spy-turned political figure's rule. After working from 2007-2013 as the Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times, Catherine's career has offered an e...

Boko Haram is one of the largest Islamist militant groups in Africa, with Nigeria’s ongoing battle with insurgent groups and government corruption threatening the stability and political integrity of Africa’s most populous state. But who exactly are Boko Haram? In this episode of Warfare, James is joined by Dr. Olayinka Ajala, lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Leeds Beckett Unive...

In this interview from the History Hit archive with Julie McDowall, she talks Dan through exactly how the British government prepared for a worst case nuclear scenario. They discuss surviving the attack, the women who planned to provide jigsaws to the survivors and how Britain might remake itself in the aftermath of armageddon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has seen warfare return to the streets of Europe for the first time in decades, with Putin's troops launching major offensives to take key cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. Both Ukrainian soldiers and civilians continue to mount fierce resistance against the occupiers throughout their country's urban terrain. But what is the history of urban warfare and...

Located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the elongated embayment of the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east is The Gallipoli peninsula. When we think of Gallipoli, people often look at the land-based components, but what about airpower? In this episode, James is joined by author and military historian Sterling Michael Pavelec to exami...

In February 2022, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss voiced her support for those individuals who wanted to travel to Ukraine to help, what she interpreted as, " a fight for democracy ". These comments have come under fire from fellow politicians, journalists and former members of the Armed Forces - but why? In this episode James is joined by Giles Tremlett, to discuss the similarities, and lessons th...

Of all the clubs in the world, perhaps the most extraordinary is the Guinea Pig Club, a group of Second World War veterans that suffered terrible injuries and were then treated by pioneering surgeon Archibald McIndoe. In this episode from the archive, Dan Snow visits Jan Stangreciuk, one of the few surviving members, to hear his remarkable life story. Also featuring contributions from renowned Wor...

By law, gay men and women were banned from serving in the British military until the year 2000. Until that year, over 250 service personnel were thrown out of the military each year because of their sexuality alone. This week James is joined by Ed Hall, who was sacked by the Royal Navy for being gay before going on to found the Armed Forces Legal Challenge Group that campaigned successfully to abo...

Ukraine has been invaded by Russia. But why? What is NATO’s purpose, and why does it bother Vladimir Putin so much? In this episode of Warfare, we’re joined by Jamie Shea, the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary-General at NATO, who’s sat across the table from the Russian President himself. Jamie and James explore the birth of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the questions surrounding its mem...