Why We Fight ~ 1944

In this episode, Dr. David Dworak tells of both Axis and Allied experiences with contested logistics in North Africa during World War II. Often when we hear "contested" we think that the issues are something the enemy is causing for us, but as Dr. Dworak explains it can sometimes be environmental, including weather, and it can sometimes be a problem we created for ourselves. Links War of Supply: W...

Paul Sparrow returns to help share the story of the First Quebec Conference, Codenamed "Quadrant", which took place 17 to 24 August 1943, after the Sicily Campaign came to an end but before the Allies get to mainland Italy. This conference included the decision to begin discussions and planning for the eventual invasion of France, with a tentative date set for early May 1944. Of course, we now kno...

In this episode, US Army Colonel Bryan Gibby, Deputy Head of the Department of History at West Point, talks about the challenges of leadership in Italy 1943, particularly the challenges of the very young Lieutenant General Mark Wayne Clark. Many of the challenges stemmed from inexperience combined with ambition and vanity, but it's not always that simple. COL Gibby takes the story to the end of 19...

Joining me in this episode is Frank de Planta, a British Army veteran (retired Lt. Col.) and an Italian battlefield tour narrator. Frank talks about how the Allies got to Italy from North Africa, some of the egos and reputations that get bruised or inflated along the way, and the continued learning that the Allies are experiencing even after 10 months of fighting alongside each other. As a battlef...

Part II of this episode - if you missed Part I, you'll want to go back and listen to it first since this one jumps right into the conversation. With the magic of technology, this episode brings together Dr. Lee Windsor and Dr. Cindy Brown, both with the University of New Brunswick up in Canada, Dr. Greg Hospodor with US Army TRADOC in Virginia, Dr. John Curatola with the National WWII Museum in Lo...

With the magic of technology, this episode brings together Dr. Lee Windsor and Dr. Cindy Brown, both with the University of New Brunswick up in Canada, Dr. Greg Hospodor with US Army TRADOC in Virginia, Dr. John Curatola with the National WWII Museum in Louisiana, and me here in Germany. My four guests have known each other for a long time and, upon realizing that, I wanted to bring them together...

Joining me in this episode wrapping up the Sicily Campaign is Lt. Col. Brian Kerg. This is actually the second episode we recorded but the first to be released in the series. In the course of recording the other episode, Brian let slip that he covered the Axis retreat from Sicily in August 1943 when he attended the Marine Corps' School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW) and I twisted his arm to cov...

Dr. David Dworak joins me again, this time to talk about how we administer a theater of operations, using the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) as the example for 1943. If you missed Dr. Dworak's earlier episode on sustaining a theater of operations, that was episode 26 of this year's 1943 series. And if you're interested in learning more about...

In this episode, Dr. Frank Blazich Jr. joins me to talk about magic boxes, military innovation, and "miraculous American pontoons". Dr. Blazich is a fantastic storyteller and he will be back soon to talk about War Pigeons too. Links Inventors and Innovators: Naval Lighterage and Anglo-American Success in the Amphibious Invasions of German-Occupied Europe (https://tnm.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/de...

In this episode, Dr. John McManus joins me to talk about the 7th Infantry Regiment (the "Cottonbalers") and the 3rd Infantry Division in Sicily in 1943, their difficult fight through the island, and a bit of foreshadowing as the units prepare to head into Italy. John has another episode that will continue this story for 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd ID in Italy through the end of 1943. Links Dr. John...

Joining me in this episode is retired Brigadier General John Aarsen who is currently the Director of the 82d Airborne Division War Memorial Museum located at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. John shares how he uses the story of the 82d Airborne Division in Sicily to help train Soldiers today. Links Museum Website (https://www.82ndairbornedivisionmuseum.com/)

In this episode I'm joined by Dirk Ringgenberg, US Army Veteran and Assistant Professor of Military History at the Command and General Staff College (CGSC). Dirk talks to us about the Airborne jumps made by the 505th and 504th Parachute Infantry from the 82d Airborne Division as part of Operation Husky, the Allied Invasion of Sicily in 1943. He also discusses the challenges of both Airborne and Ar...

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Mike Pavelec, Director of the Schriever Space Scholars US Space Force education at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). We talk about Operation Crossbow, and more specifically Operation Hydra -- the RAF raid on Peenemunde. This was an interesting twist because I was not expecting a US Space Force contribution to this series on...

TW: This episode does mention suicide at least once in reference to someone Patton knew. In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Sanders Marble from the Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage. Dr. Marble helps tell the story of the infamous slapping incidents involving LTG George Patton during the Sicily Campaign in 1943, but he doesn't stop there. Links AMEDD Center of History & Heritag...

Joining me in this episode is retired US Army Colonel John Antal, author of some of my favorite books and also appeared in the documentary series Patton 360. COL Antal talks with us about Patton in Sicily, with emphasis on Patton's leadership and what made Patton a great leader and what makes the Sicily Campaign worth studying. "Every battle that Patton fought was a case study in how to f...

TW: This episode includes mention of someone taking their own life and also mention of the accusing of Black French soldiers of sexual assault. These are not graphic in nature, just adding a trigger warning in case anyone is sensitive to these topics. Historian and author Kevin Hymel joins me in this episode to talk about George S. Patton Jr. This is marked a "Part I" as Kevin has promised to come...

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Grant Harward to share the story of the US Army's 56th Medical Battalion, also ironically known as "The D-Day Medics" -- ironic because they were in Morocco, Sicily, Italy, and southern France... but not Normandy. Links Romania's Holy War: Soldiers, Motivation, and the Holocaust (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3qulStG) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-spons...

Following the Battle of Troina on Sicily, MG Terry Allen is relieved of command, along with his Deputy, Teddy Roosevelt Jr. In this episode, Dr. Greg Hospodor helps share the story of "Terrible Terry" de la Mesa Allen, along with some controversies surrounding the decision to relieve him on 6 August 1943. We also touch on leadership and professionalism and the politics among General Offi...

In this episode, Dr. Luke Truxal joins me again to talk Air Power in 1943 – this time we talk about Operation Tidal Wave, an air raid against Romanian oil refineries. The operation was not just a failure on many levels but it had a negative impact on our ability to employ our air assets during the remainder of the Sicily Campaign and going into Italy as a result of significant losses and damage to...

In this episode Major Darren Johnson, an Active-Duty Infantry Officer teaching history at West Point, joins me again and he graciously volunteered to share the story of the Biscari Massacre for this year's series. It is important when looking at our history that we see when things go wrong and how those situations were handled so that we can learn from this and continue to do better. This is the s...

In this episode, MAJ Darren Johnson, an Active-Duty Infantry Officer teaching history at West Point, tells us about using Operation Husky to teach cadets, as well as some of the hard lessons the Allies learned while fighting in Sicily. There is a second part to this episode in which Darren talks about the Biscari Massacre. This is one of about 30 episodes on the Sicily Campaign.

In this episode I'm joined by Giulio Poggiaroni to talk about the Italians in Sicily in 1943 and Mussolini getting fired. Giulio's accounts are linked below - he offers an excellent array of WWII history content in both Italian and English, and he will join us again in a few weeks to talk about the Allied invasion of Italy and things getting even more complicated for the Italian people. Th...

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Denise Neil, Executive Director of the Oklahoma National Guard Museum. Dr. Neil helps share the story of the 45th Infantry Division, the "Thunderbird" Division, which was trained but not yet combat-tested when they landed in Sicily on 10 July 1943. We do touch on the Biscari Massacre, but there will be a dedicated episode for that coming up soon. This is...

Joining me in this episode is Steven Clay who works with the Army University Press Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team. Steve talks to us about the terrain in Sicily and how that terrain impacted operations including Operation Husky and throughout the Sicily Campaign. He also talks about the combat experiences of the 16th Infantry Regiment and 1st Infantry Division throughout the campaign. St...

In this episode, I'm joined by Matthew Fraas, the US Army Transportation Museum's Education Specialist, and Matthew tells us about Army Transportation in 1943. This includes going into North Africa for Operation Torch, going into Sicily for Operation Husky, and then the invasion of mainland Italy beginning in September 1943. We talk lessons learned, lessons not learn, integrating capabilit...