Warfare

The search for Peace on Earth has spanned centuries, and involved the creation and dissolution of numerous treaties and organisations. So how does the United Nations fit into this story? Why was it created, and has it been successful in its task? Ian Johnson is a historian of war, technology and diplomacy at the University of Notre Dame. He returns to the podcast for a third time. For more, subscr...

Moored on the Thames, HMS Belfast has become a permanent fixture in the landscape of London, but since her initial launch over 80 years ago she has seen action at D-Day and during the Korean War. In this episode, James speaks to Robert Rumble, lead curator for HMS Belfast, about the ship and, in particular, her service in the Arctic Convoys during the Second World War. Listen to find out about HMS...

It's a special forces unit known largely for its secrecy, but Damien Lewis is on a mission of his own, to uncover everything about its beginnings. In this episode from the Dan Snow's History Hit archive, he tells us more about the formation of the SAS, starting in autumn 1940, two days after Dunkirk, with Colonel Dudley Clarke. © IWM For more, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.&nb...

Anything that James Holland doesn't know about tanks isn't worth knowing. And in this episode, the greats are warring against eachother as he counts down his top 5 tanks of the Second World War. Agility, climbing ability, speed and practicality are all measured to come up with this ultimate list. James Holland presents History Hit's four-part series on tanks which you can find here: https://access...

Despite its Orwellian sounding name - the Ministry of Information was not something from a dystopian novel, but instead a government department that played a vital role in WWII. With so-called Snoopers listening in on conversations in pubs, spies eavesdropping at bus stops, and government censoring throughout- the Ministry of Information was responsible for gathering information about public...

During the Second World War the Netherlands fell to advancing German forces in just a few hours. The Dutch found themselves under Nazi occupation. Many men and women resisted, which took many different forms. Recently the story emerged of three young women who chose a particularly dangerous way in which to strike back against the German occupiers. In this podcast from the History Hit archives, Dan...

Sitting Bull, best known for his initiative and victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn, is a greatly revered Native American Chief. But he was more than a fierce leader of his people. Bestowed the name ‘Sitting Bull’ at only 14 by his father, he showed characteristics of courage, perseverance, and intelligence beyond his years - traits that would come to define him, and the relationship between N...

When the USS Arizona was destroyed on 7 December 1941, it was the United States’ Navy’s single biggest loss of life. Producers Annette Hull and Warren Hull have worked tirelessly to tell the stories of some of those who were on board the ship. In this episode they tell us about the life of Lou Conter, one of the survivors of the USS Arizona, and the USS Arizona band, all of whom were among the mor...

Betty Webb was heavily involved with the work going on at Bletchley Park. While she was not part of the code-breaking team, her work was invaluable to the success of Bletchley. In this episode from the History Hit archive, Dan Snow talks to her about her life and wartime experiences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 7 December 1941, Imperial Japan launched an attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. In this episode 80 years later, James speaks to Adrian Kerrison, a curator at the Imperial War Museums. Adrian takes us through the events of that day, the motives behind the attack and its lasting legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week marks the 22nd anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) coming into effect, a crucial development in the Northern Ireland peace process that ended most of the violence of The Troubles. In today's episode, we commemorate the GFA signed in 1999, marking an important day in UK history, not only for the country and the people but in terrorism and peace. James is joined by Counterterror...

Between September 1940 and May 1941, the German Luftwaffe relentlessly pounded British cities with bombs in an attempt to force the British to surrender. Ultimately whilst killing thousands and causing extensive damage the bombing offensive failed. The morale of the British public was largely undimmed and war production was never seriously impacted. The Blitz has become a key part of the British n...

2 December is a special date for those fascinated by Napoleon Bonaparte. Not only is this the date he crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, but also the date of his greatest victory a year later, the Battle of Austerlitz. James Rogers is joined by world-leading historian Andrew Roberts to dissect the conditions, tactics and aftermath of Napoleon's greatest battle. If you’re enjoying this podc...

About one in six of the men who served in the First World War came from undivided India. However, unlike those who hailed from Britain and the rest of Europe, records of their service can be difficult to access. After almost one hundred years of being left unread in the archives of Lahore Museum in Pakistan, however, the files of 320,000 troops from the Punjab have now been digitised. In this spec...

The Battle of Prokhorovka was one of the largest tank battles in military history. Taking place on the Eastern Front, it was fought on 12 July 1943 as part of the wider Battle of Kursk. Two elite SS divisions were obliterated, and about 300 panzers were destroyed as the Red Army began to turn the tide for Hitler. Prokhorovka has always been notorious, but British historian Ben Wheatley has challen...

During the Second World War, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa left her usual position in the Louvre, Paris. From 1939 to 1945, the portrait was moved between five different hiding places in the French countryside, and she was not alone. In this episode, Laura Morelli guides us through the twin stories of the Nazis who were tasked with finding and seizing treasured artworks from across Europe, and the...

Whilst battles were fought across the globe, in Britain, the anti aircraft gun sites acted as the British frontline. From 1941, they were also the first operational war zone women were allowed to work on. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the National Service Act, James Rogers is joined by Tessa Dunlop, author of 'Army Girls', an intimate look at the lives of the final few women who served in...

On 20 November 1945 the Nuremberg Trials began. In the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, a tribunal set about prosecuting prominent members of Nazi Germany for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. In this episode from the archives, Tom Bower joined Dan Snow to discuss the history and legacy of the Nuremberg Trials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might know Raj Bisram best as a TV antiques expert, but he actually started his career by joining the military in the 70s. From becoming an expert skier, to navigating racism, and later becoming a patron for “Tommy Club”, a charity supporting Armed Forces Veterans, it’s a fascinating and frank conversation.  To find out more information on “Tommy Club”, or to donate, make sure to che...

At the end of the First World War, around one million citizens of the British Empire had been lost, and the whereabouts of about half of these was unknown. Families could be waiting weeks, months or years to hear whether their loved ones were imprisoned, wounded, missing or dead, if they heard at all. This was the task of the searchers. In the years following the war, these volunteer investigators...

The Battle of Jutland was the decisive naval clash of the First World War, pitting the German High Seas Fleet against the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet in an all or nothing battle for supremacy and survival. At the end of the war, the defeated German fleet was scuttled at Scapa Flow. Or so we thought. New evidence suggests that wrecks in Portsmouth harbour, previously thought to be nondescript vessels,...

On 9 November 1989, the commander of a Berlin Wall border crossing yielded to demands and allowed guards to open the checkpoints. By the end of the day parts of the wall were being chipped off as souvenirs. In this episode, Helena Merriman takes us through the surprise overnight building of the wall which cut neighbourhoods, streets and families in half. She then takes us through the many methods...

September 1868, 3 years after the Civil War, saw an outnumbered United States Army patrol against six hundred Native warriors on the American Frontier. In this episode, we explore the heroism displayed by the soldiers on both sides of the fight. James is joined by author Terry Mort, as he explains in great detail the Battle of Beecher Island, otherwise known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork. Terry M...

In this archive episode, Vince Houghton joins Dan Snow to talk about some of the weirdest and craziest ideas put forward during the twentieth century. They talk exploding bats, sonic cats, aircraft carriers made of icebergs and detonating a nuclear missile on the moon just to show that you could do it! Vince Houghton is the historian and curator of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. H...

‘Brain-fog’, dizziness, ringing in the ears, fatigue: everyday symptoms of attacks by a possibly extraordinary weapon. In 2016, a number of CIA agents began to report these symptoms, alongside a possible cause of an unusual sound. Now over 200 Americans and Canadians have reported symptoms, and Kamala Harris, America’s vice president, this August delayed a flight to Vietnam because of suspected ca...