WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

This week we hear more of your war time family stories. Including the story of an alarming experience in a London hospital’s labour ward during an air raid; how a prisoner in a labour camp in Nagasaki didn’t even notice the atom bomb falling; and how numerous close escapes eventually led to being reunited with her family for one Polish lady. With thanks to Tyler Anderson, Mark Dagenais, Konrad “Ra...

Steve Ballinger MBE removes ordnance from former sites of conflict. He has spent the last decade removing 60,000+ mines, shrapnel and ordnance from the tiny island of Peleliu. He talks to James and Al about the complicated role, the history of the battle between the US and Japanese and the importance of preserving these sites. A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Harry Lineker Exec Producer T...

In the wake of his death, Al Murray and James Holland discuss the Duke of Edinburgh's war record and his role in the Royal Navy.  They also answer questions on Civilian Affairs and Hanz Speidels' drinking habit. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday evening. Join at Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production...

Al Murray and James Holland read family stories sent in by listeners to We Have Ways of Making You Talk. These wartime experiences took place in the seas off Norway, in the skies over Bremen and on the airfields of both northern and southern Africa. With thanks to Richard Garnett, Colin Tait, Sam Crowley, Stuart Burbridge, Dominic Butler and Michael Milner-Watt for sharing their stories. A Goalhan...

What makes the best gun and how complicated is the development of small arms? Al Murray and James Holland are joined by Dr Matthew Ford from the University of Sussex to talk about the small arms used during the Second World War. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday evening. Join at Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger...

You could volunteer to fly but you couldn’t volunteer to stop. Dr Dan Ellin, of the International Bomber Command Centre, talks to Al and James about the way in which men were judged and treated as they faced the trauma of war. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday evening. Join at Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger F...

Part two of our extraordinary interview with Selma van de Perre, a Dutch resistance fighter who was 17 years old when the Second World War began. Using an alias and fake ID she risked her life travelling across the Netherlands, delivering Allied newspapers and helping Jews evade the Nazis. In July 1944 Selma's luck ran out. She was captured and transported to Ravensbrück as a political prisoner, w...

The Second World War touched everyone’s lives, with many of our listeners’ families witnessing extraordinary events. In this edition of We Have Ways of Making You Talk we hear of an escape from Singapore, a mysterious woman on a crashed bomber, and a chance encounter in France. With thanks to Nick Griffiths, James Valimont, Finlay Coutts-Britton, Rob Good, John Nye, Gary Bircher and Chris Hudson f...

Selma van de Perre was a Dutch resistance fighter who was just 17 years old when the Second World War began. Using an alias and fake ID she risked her life travelling across the Netherlands, delivering Allied newspapers and helping Jews evade the Nazis. In July 1944 Selma's luck ran out. She was captured and transported to Ravensbrück as a political prisoner, where she remained until her liberatio...

A listener’s recent discovery that his uncle may have been one of the 258 British soldiers accused of mutiny in Malaya sends the podcast down an intriguing rabbit hole. James Holland gives Al Murray a final update on his research into the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry as his book heads to the publisher.  A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Harry Lineker Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHave...

Listeners to We Have Ways of Making You Talk write the scripts for our Sunday morning podcasts, as Al Murray and James Holland read out their family stories from the Second World War. This week we hear of a challenging parachute jump, a swim from the beach at Dunkirk, some remarkable wine and a date with the daughter of an Egyptian brewery. With thanks to Mark Reynier, Zach Pease, Steve Wren, Jane...

Although Ireland remained neutral during the war it didn’t stop Irish men joining the British Armed Forces. Joseph Quinn joins Al Murray and James Holland to discuss why so many Irish men joined the British Army and the damage this could do to their reputation back home. Joseph also tells the story of the IRA members who fought for the Nazis in Europe. A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joe...

James Holland and Al Murray get their hands on the post-operation report of Veritable, review the success of the Chindits and dig deeper into the extraordinary story of some missing brass instruments. A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHaveWays @WeHaveWaysPod Website: www.wehavewayspod.com Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast...

This week we hear more of your war time family stories. Including the story of a ship on an undercover mission; a German woman working in the UK during the war; and a flight crew returning to base long after they were presumed missing in action. With thanks to Alan Ciammaichella, Alexander Kasterine, Ted King, Ashley Lewis, Mark Talbot and Tom for sharing their stories. We Have Ways has a membersh...

With historian Frank McDonough and actor Paul McGann. Between 1940 and 1945 the Third Reich fell from the pinnacle of its power to devastating collapse. Historian Frank McDonough, author of The Hitler Years, joins James Holland and Al Murray, along with actor Paul McGann, to discuss the final years of the Third Reich, as well as the war’s impact on the people of Liverpool. The Hitler Years - Disas...

Fascination with the threat of U-boats has deflected attention from the effectiveness of allied submariners. James Holland and Al Murray take a deep dive to explore the impact in the Pacific. Join the We Have Ways membership club to watch a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday evening. Join at Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Harry Line...

This week in our Family Stories series we hear your tales of uncovering a staggering stash of champagne, finding yourself behind enemy lines and discovering a sailor’s incredible story after coming into possession of their ditty box. With thanks to Chris Brown, Andy Fieldhouse, Xan Kinnier, Fabian Martens, Francis Mullan and Ian Smith for sharing their stories. We Have Ways has a membership club w...

Hans Globke was the civil servant responsible for framing the Nuremberg anti-Jewish race laws. Yet somehow he returned to post war government and became an architect of the modern German state. The Times’ Berlin correspondent Oliver Moody joins Al Murray and James Holland to explain how it happened. Oliver has produced a two part podcast series delving deeper into the story of Hans Globke. You can...

The battles of late 1944 are examined as James Holland and Al Murray explore the front line post Market Garden. Also up for discussion are the Polish soldiers who survived the hardships of the Russian gulag before returning to the allied line at Monte Cassino.  Join the We Have Ways membership club to watch a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday evening. Join at Patre...

This week in our Family Stories series we hear your tales of a daring mission to recover a V-2 missile, surviving the atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki and a mysterious explosion on HMS Dasher. With thanks to Mark Curzon, Tim Foley, Ron Hukari, Darren Little, David Niddam-Dent and Paul Seeman for sharing their stories. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podcast str...

The world’s most iconic aircraft is celebrating its 85th birthday. Not that we need an excuse to revel in the beauty and engineering brilliance of the Spitfire. Historian and broadcaster Paul Beaver joins James Holland and Al Murray to discuss the Spitfire’s journey from design page to mainstay of British fighter command. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podc...

Why did General Jim Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, not prioritise the capture of the bridge at Nijmegen as part of Operation Market Garden? James Holland and Al Murray examine the after event report to work out who decided the capture of the Groesbeek Heights was the priority. Join the We Have Ways membership club to watch a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet eac...

This week in our Family Stories series we hear your tales of a friendship with Douglas Bader, the sinking of the Wallasea and a powerfully evocative poem from a Chindit. With thanks to Mike Atkinson, Mike King, Alex McKenzie, James McNeill and John Wood for sharing their stories. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live version of the podcast streamed on the internet each Thursday...

The British Army in Normandy are the focus as Al Murray and James Holland are joined by historian and author Jonathan Ware. In Jonathan’s book 'Jocks, Dragons and Sospans: Through Normandy with 53rd Welsh Division' he questions the Allies' version of events in the battle and offers a new perspective on the British Army's conduct in North-West Europe. We Have Ways has a membership club which includ...

In February 1944 the combined air forces of Britain and the US launched a huge series of raids against Nazi Germany. What did they hope to achieve and how successful was the campaign? James Holland and Al Murray discuss the events many believe were intended to lure the remnants of the Luftwaffe into the air for a final, decisive battle. We Have Ways has a membership club which includes a live vers...