Why We Fight ~ 1944

Dr. Sanders Marble returns in this episode to talk about US Army Hospitals and Medical Care at Anzio in January 1944, the typical emergency care process for soldiers injured in the fighting or falling ill during this battle, medical evacuations, and the medical care options available near the front thanks to Army Hospitals that were set up at the Anzio Beachhead. We also talk about the presence of...

Dr. John McManus joins me in this episode to continue the story of the US 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, as they fight at Anzio starting in January 1944. Links Dr. John McManus (https://johncmcmanus.com/) The 7th Infantry Regiment - Combat in an Age of Terror: The Korean War Through the Present (https://johncmcmanus.com/books/the-7th-infantry-regiment-combat-in-an-age-of-terror-the-...

Joining me in this episode is COL Bryan Gibby, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of History at West Point. COL Gibby talks about the Battle of Anzio, Operation Shingle, in January/February 1944, and some of the tough lessons we were learning at this time 80 years ago. Links Anzio Beachhead (https://history.army.mil/html/books/100/100-10/CMH_Pub_100-10.pdf) Anzio 1944 (https://h...

Kicking off the 1944 series, I'm joined by British Army veteran and Italy Battlefields tour narrator Frank de Planta to talk about the first of four Battles of Monte Cassino, the impact this battle was intended to have on Operation Shingle, the landings at Anzio, the impact that actually resulted, and the mess we find ourselves in 80 years ago in January 1944. Links Cassino Battlefields (http://ww...

The conclusion of the Battle of Ortona with Dr. Lee Windsor and Major Jayson Geroux, and also the conclusion of the Why We Fight ~ 1943 series :)

In this last 2-part episode of the 1943 series, Canadian Army Major Jayson Geroux and Dr. Lee Windsor (University of New Brunswick, Gregg Centre) join me to talk about this important urban warfare battle that took place in December 1943. Part II will be out shortly and then we will dive into the 1944 series.

***Trigger Warning*** For anyone who might be sensitive to it, this episode does include talk of sexual assault at one point and I wouldn't want anyone to stumble upon that unexpectedly. Dr. Ben Schneider joins me again to help answer a question that came up in the previous episode: to what extent was the US Army able to use the Military Justice System to protect civilian populations from crimes a...

In this episode, Dr. Cindy Brown (University of New Brunswick, The Gregg Centre) and Dr. Greg Hospodor (US Army TRADOC) help me talk about the Allied Military Government and Civil Affairs in Sicily and Italy, including some of the challenges faced when trying to stabilize and secure occupied territory while simultaneously fighting the Second World War and as Italy erupts in its own Civil War. Thin...

Joining me again is Dr. Ryan Wadle, suckered into another episode after I saw a short video on YouTube about the USS Kidd and had to include the story in the 1943 series. We talk about the history of the USS Kidd, the US Navy's tradition of gedunks and especially ice cream, and the connection to pirates that this vessel and the two subsequent vessels of the same name have had. Links USS Kidd (http...

In this episode I'm joined by Troy Lewis, a member of the Army University Press Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team, and we talk about the US Army at Bougainville in late 1943. Although the story doesn't really pick up until nearly Spring 1944, this was a good start and Troy will be back to continue. If you missed it, the episode before this one featured Kater Miller, curator for the Marine C...

Joining me in this episode is Kater Miller, curator with the National Museum of the United States Marine Corps, this time talking about the Marines fighting at Bougainville and Cape Glouscester in late 1943. The episode that follows this one will begin the US Army story at Bougainville, with Troy Lewis from the Army University Press Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team. "Fight Now" p...

In this episode, Jon Bernstein, the Arms & Armor Curator at the National Museum of the United States Marine Corps, joins me to talk about USMC Sherman Tanks and Alligators used at Tarawa, including the first "hot tank on tank action" involving Marine Shermans in the Pacific Theater. Links Tanks in Hell: A Marine Corps Tank Company on Tarawa (https://www.amazon.com/Tanks-Hell-Marine-Company-Tarawa/...

In his final episode for the 1943 series, Lt. Col. Brian Kerg returns to tell the story of the Marines at Tarawa in November 1943 and the lessons we learned and can still learn from this costly battle. Links Tanks in Hell: A Marine Corps Tank Company on Tarawa (https://www.amazon.com/Tanks-Hell-Marine-Company-Tarawa/dp/1612003036) Coral and Brass (https://www.amazon.com/Coral-Brass-Holland-M-Smith...

Joining me again is Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage historian Dr. Sanders Marble, this time to talk about some of the medical issues troubling American forces in Italy in the late Fall and Winter of 1943, and the preventive medicine efforts the US Army took at the time to mitigate the situation. There was a bit of confusion at the time as to who was actually responsible for...

In this episode, historian and US Army veteran Dr. Rob Williams joins me to talk about the 82d Airborne Division jumping into Italy in September 1943 and also some of the origins of the US Army Airborne culture. Rob has a book in the works and one it's available I will update this descript with links to the book. Links Dr. Rob Williams -- links to some publications (https://history.osu.edu/people/...

Joining me in this episode is History Colorado's Dr. Chris Juergens to talk more 10th Mountain Division history up through 1943. Dr. Juergens and Doug Schmidt, 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum, will both be back in the 1944 series to continue the story. Links Dr. Chris Juergens (https://www.historycolorado.org/person/juergens-dr-chris) History Colorado: Winter Warriors - The 10th Mounta...

In this episode I'm joined by Doug Schmidt, a 10th Mountain Division veteran and curator at the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum. Doug is also the grandson of a WWII 10th Mountain Division veteran. We start the story of the Division by including the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, activated in 1941, and the story of Camp Snelling where these men trained. The next episode will include a...

Back again is Dr. John McManus to continue the story of the US 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, in Italy 1943. John is the official historian for the 7th Infantry Regiment, aka "The Cottonbalers" but their experience in Italy 1943 is not unique to the unit, many of the American and Allied forces were facing similar challenges fighting their way "up the boot". John&...

In this episode, genealogist and historian Dave Gutierrez shares the first part of the story of the only Mexican-American US Army unit that fought in the Second World War, which is the subject of his book "Patriots from the Barrio" (linked below). Dave's research began with a genealogical interest in his cousin's WWII service experience and, as he tells us in this episode, expanded to a very impor...

In this episode, Damián Valle joins me to talk about the massacre of the Italian 33d Acqui Division after the Armistice of Cassibile. This is the story that provides the foundation of the novel and movie Captain Corelli's Mandolin. It is sometimes referred to as the first act of Italian resistance, but as Damián notes, there were others all around the same time. Links Acqui Division Massacre at Ce...

Joining me again is Giulio Poggiaroni, this time to discuss the Armistice of Cassibile, which brought Italy out of the Axis but not quite into the Allies. As Giulio explains, Italy couldn't just "change sides" but instead became known as a Cobelligerent Nation at this time when the Italians began working to recover their honor in the Second World War. Giulio also touches on several of the key even...

Joining me again is Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz to talk about the Japanese-American camp at Tule Lake, the use of Martial Law on the American Homefront, and civ-mil relations during this time 80 years ago in 1943, going into 1944. Links Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz (https://www.stephaniehinnershitz.com/) Books by Dr. Hinnershitz (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=stephanie+hinnershitz&crid=3POWWLJMX48KF&spref...

Joining me again is LTC Ben Griffin along with US Army veteran Daniel Kim to talk about the 100th Infantry Battalion or the "One-Puka-Puka" which was comprised of Japanese- American soldiers. Ben helped me start the story of the 442nd Infantry Regiment earlier in the 1943 series and this episode talks about a part of that Regiment which was the first to deploy.

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Cameron Zinsou to talk about the Cairo (Sextant) and Tehran (Eureka) Conferences in late 1943. We recorded this episode at the beginning of the year so I hadn't quite reached this part of the 1943 research yet so there are a couple of references to things as if they are coming up but they have already passed.

Dr. Grant Harward joins me again, this time to talk about Romania in WWII, up to this point in the war, and the evacuation from the Kuban Bridgehead which took place in October 1943. Link Romania's Holy War: Soldiers, Motivation, and he Holocaust (https://www.amazon.com/Romanias-Holy-War-Motivation-Battlegrounds/dp/1501759965/ref=monarch_sidesheet) Third Axis Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in...