Why We Fight ~ 1944

With the help of Dr. Greg Hospodor and Dr. Lee Windsor, here is part two of two episodes that tell the story of the Sicily Campaign, beginning with Operation Husky. This second part includes the Battle of Troina and the Axis escape from Sicily. This is one of about 30 episodes discussing Sicily in 1943. Links Dr. Lee Windsor ( ⁠https://www.unb.ca/faculty-staff/directory/arts-fr-history/windsor-lee...

With the help of Dr. Greg Hospodor and Dr. Lee Windsor, here is part one of two episodes that tell the story of the Sicily Campaign, beginning with Operation Husky. The second part will include the Battle of Troina and the Axis escape from Sicily. This is one of about 30 episodes discussing Sicily in 1943. Links Dr. Lee Windsor ( https://www.unb.ca/faculty-staff/directory/arts-fr-history/windsor-l...

Andrew Woods from the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park joins me again to talk more Army History, this time he shares the story of Captain Joseph Berry, and his unfortunate experiences on 11 July 1943 which marked the end of the war for him. This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943. First Division Museum at Cantigny Park ( https://www.fdmuseum.o...

In this episode, retired US Army Colonel Greg Fontenot shares the third of three episodes on First Infantry Division history for this 1943 series, helping to show how the division formed and evolved into what we had in 1943 going into Sicily, and how 1ID sustained tactical excellence despite heavy casualties and turnover. This three-part episode can also be considered a representation of the typic...

In this episode, retired US Army Colonel Greg Fontenot returns for the second of three episodes on First Infantry Division history, helping to show how the division formed and evolved into what we had in 1943 going into Sicily, and how 1ID sustained tactical excellence despite heavy casualties and turnover. Links The First Infantry Division and the US Army Transformed: Road to Victory in Desert St...

In this episode, retired US Army Colonel Greg Fontenot shares the first of three episodes on First Infantry Division history, helping to show how the division formed and evolved into what we had in 1943 going into Sicily, and how 1ID sustained tactical excellence despite heavy casualties and turnover. Links The First Infantry Division and the US Army Transformed: Road to Victory in Desert Storm, 1...

In this episode, on the 80th anniversary of the start of Operation Husky, Dr. John Curatola, US Marine Corps veteran and Military Historian at the National WWII Museum, joins me to talk about the components of amphibious assaults, how the Marine Corps ultimately made Operation Husky and all of these amphibious operations possible, and how the Allies in general, but the American Forces specifically...

In this episode, Dr. Greg Hospodor, US Army TRADOC Chief of Military History Education and Curriculum, and Dr. Lee Windsor, Fredrik Eaton Chair in Canadian Army Studies at the University of New Brunswick and co-Director of The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society, join me to talk about the planning and prep for Operation Husky and part of the evolution in Joint Coalition Warfare that the...

Working alone, I have largely had to ignore the German-Soviet Conflict ("Eastern Front") because of bandwidth, but in this episode Dr. Jonathan House joins me to tell the story of the Battle of Kursk and how the Red Army stopped Hitler. Jon worked with David Glantz and they have published some of the best books covering Soviet history, I've had both authors on my bookshelves for years and highly r...

TW: This episode does include discussion of violence, both real and in unsubstantiated rumors spread at the time. Dr. Amanda Nagel joins me in this important episode on some of the racial tensions on the Homefront during this time 80 years ago, how the summer heat can play a role in riots and uprising, and what these events meant for the country and the military, both at home and fighting overseas...

Joining me in this episode is Quin Lucie, a Marine Corps veteran, lawyer, and senior policy analyst in the Office of Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. Quin shares what he has learned about national mobilization, emergency management, and unity of effort in the United States during World War II, and how that knowledge can be useful today. Links What Comes Around, Goes Around (and Aroun...

In this episode, Dr. David Dworak, Provost of the US Army War College, shares how the Army learned to sustain a theater during the time between Operation Torch and Operation Husky. This type of sustainment requires a delicate balance between support forces and combat forces, and the addition of enemy prisoners of war, as well as the integration of the Free French forces with the Allies, posed uniq...

In this episode I am joined by Chloe Melas, granddaughter of Frank Murphy who is the author of "Luck of the Draw: My Story of the Air War in Europe". Originally self-published, Frank's memoir was written with remarkable care to honor the history and the facts, not just for his incredible story but for those of the men beside him. After his passing, Chloe and her family worked to republish Frank's...

Dr. Brian Laslie, Command Historian of the United States Air Force Academy, joins me in this episode to talk about General Laurence S. Kuter ("it's pronounced like pewter"), the subject of one of his books. It's a fun episode full of personal stories about Larry Kuter and his wife, how Dr. Laslie came to write this book, and insights into just how integral Kuter was to the birth...

In this episode, Dr. Samuel Wallace helps explain the way the Allies were learning in 1942-43 throughout the final six months or so of the North Africa Campaign following Operation Torch, and the ways in which the Axis forces were not learning some of the same lessons they were having issues with. It's a long one, but full of fantastic details that Sam brings from his dissertation research. While...

In this episode I'm joined by Alexander Dumont, a British Army Officer working at the US National Training Center in the California desert, which makes his topic of German Submarines all the more unexpected and interesting. Alex tells us about the hazards of submarine warfare, not just because of the unrestricted nature but even a toilet could take out a sub. He also talks about the technology...

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Ryan Wadle, Associate Professor with the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research at the US Naval War College. To this point in these series I have largely ignored the naval component because I couldn't do the topic justice on my own, but Ryan helps with a discussion of both the Atlantic and the Pacific, the challenges the US Navy faced duri...

In this episode, historian and author Jane Gulliford Lowes tells us about the daily lives of Royal Air Force Bomber Crews in 1943, including the story of her Great Uncle. With absolutely astonishing attrition rates, her Uncle Jack’s survival is nothing short of remarkable. The story also brings us some insight into the amount of stress these young men experienced, no doubt having lasting effects o...

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Eileen Bjorkman, retired US Air Force Colonel and author of the book The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat. While the book talks about more recent Air Force history, Eileen does include the WASP in her book so I asked her if she would help expand the story a bit and also share her insight as a woman who also happens...

Dr. Christopher Rein joins me again, this time to talk about Command Relationships in 1943, although we got a little sidetracked and ended up expanding the discussion to Multinational Partnerships and even the present-day NATO Alliance. Since it was all interesting, we decided to keep it all in the finished episode. Book recommendations from Dr. Rein's episodes: The North African Air Campaign:...

Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz, senior historian with the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at the National World War II Museum, joins me in this episode to talk about Japanese-Americans in the United States during World War II, including a little more on the Japanese-American Army units and the War Department's "loyalty questionnaire", and the role of the US Army in the Japane...

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Christopher Rein, a US Navy and US Air Force veteran, military historian, and managing editor at Air University Press. Among many other things, Dr. Rein talks about the "Bomber Mafia", Military Deception plans, Operation Flax, and how many of the Air "Lessons Learned" had to be learned more than once. He also presents ways that this history from 1943 can relate to...

Andrew Woods from the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park joins me again to talk more Army History, this time he shares the story of LTC Charles Denholm and the 16th Infantry, including then-LTC Denholm's capture in Tunisia and subsequent escape from a POW ship which was being attacked by Allied aircraft at the time. First Division Museum at Cantigny Park (https://www.fdmuseum.org/) Charles Den...

In this episode I am joined by Jessica Waszak, Assistant Curator at the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park. Jessica has researched Army Medical Units and Nurses, the 48/128th Hospital in particular, and shares part of their incredible story and some of the challenges facing 1st Infantry Division soldiers and medical personnel during their time in North Africa (1942-1943). The staff at the Firs...

In this episode I am joined by LTC Devon Cockrell, Deputy Commander of the 2nd Psychological Operations Group, and we discuss Operation Mincemeat, as part of Operation Barclay, as well as Military Deception and the importance of trust and professionalism among the Allies' staffs and leadership to make such operations even possible. Holt, Thaddeus. The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Se...