WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

By 1945 the British Indian Army was the largest volunteer force in history. Military historian Rob Lyman argues that Indian soldiers were not given enough credit for their efforts in helping beat the Japanese.  Independent Company members get £2 off our recommended books from Waterstones. The Last Enemy - Richard Hillary A brilliant first-hand account of a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain....

Robin Rowland was an officer in Slim’s Fourteenth Army, fighting at the Battle of the Admin Box and at the Battle of Kohima. In the second part of his conversation with James Holland he describes the final days of the conflict in the Far East. Independent Company members get £2 off our recommended books from Waterstones. The Last Enemy - Richard Hillary A brilliant first-hand account of a Spitfire...

Robin Rowland was an officer in Slim’s Fourteenth Army, fighting at the Battle of the Admin Box and at the Battle of Kohima. Here he is in conversation with James Holland. In this first part of their discussion Robin describes how he found himself in India and the chaos and confusion of the Admin Box. Independent Company members get £2 off our recommended books from Waterstones. The Last Enemy - R...

James and Al are joined by the US historian John C. McManus to discuss the final months of fighting in the Far East. John is one of America’s leading military historians and is currently working on a major two volume history of the U.S. Army in the Pacific/Asia theatre during World War II.   Independent Company members get £2 off our recommended books from Waterstones. The Last Enemy - Richard Hil...

How great an influence on Nazi ideology did Spartan society exert? Tom Holland joins his brother James and Al Murray to discuss ancient empires and their parallels with Hitler’s Germany. Independent Company members get £2 off our recommended books from Waterstones. The Last Enemy - Richard Hillary A brilliant first-hand account of a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain. London War Notes - Molli...

In the third episode of our trilogy James Holland and Al Murray discuss the merits of grass airfields and German plans for the invasion of Britain. Plus the boys make three new recommendations for reading over the summer. Independent Company members get £2 off each book from Waterstones. The Last Enemy - Richard Hillary A brilliant first-hand account of a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain. L...

In July 1943 the Allies launched Operation Husky. The subsequent thirty-eight-day Battle for Sicily was one of the most dramatic of the entire Second World War. James Holland reads an exclusive extract from his upcoming book 'Sicily '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe' which is available from the 3rd September 2020. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £6 a month using the link below:...

What was the civilian experience as the Battle of Britain raged in the skies? And how realistic was the German aim to gain air supremacy? Al Murray and James Holland explore the summer of 1940 in further detail. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £6 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Harry Lineker Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitte...

Part Two of James Holland's interview with veteran Stan Perry about his wartime experiences in the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. Stan arrived in France shortly after D-Day and was twice wounded during the final year of the war in the west. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £6 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways Al and James have chosen three books to read this summer and al...

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Well that was Winston Churchill’s view. Now, 80 years on, Al Murray and James Holland offer a modern perspective on the events of the summer of 1940. Also, the lads answer a host of intriguing listener questions. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £6 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways Al and Ja...

Part 2 of James Holland's interview with veteran Stan Perry about his wartime experiences in the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. Stan arrived in France shortly after D-Day and was twice wounded during the final year of the war in the west. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £6 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways Al and James have chosen three books to read this summer and all...

Did Hitler really die in a Berlin bunker? Yes of course he did. But this simple truth hasn’t stopped a host of conspiracy theorists claiming the Nazi leader made it safely to South America. So why have these stories taken a hold on the public imagination? Al Murray and James Holland are joined by Luke Daly-Groves, writer of Hitler’s Death: The Case Against Conspiracy, to try and debunk the outland...

Al Murray and James Holland speak to Band of Brothers scriptwriter John Orloff. John wrote episode two, Day of Days, as well as episode nine, Why We Fight. He describes the origins of the hugely popular series and recounts his conversations with the veterans of the 101st Airborne Division. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £6 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways Al and Ja...

Just how neutral was Sweden in the Second World War? Al Murray and James Holland debate this as well recounting the role of an unusual Scottish spy. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHaveWays @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.co...

In the second part of Al Murray and James Holland's conversation with historian Phillips O'Brien they discuss the largely forgotten US Admiral William Leahy and his attitude to the use of the atomic bomb in Japan. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twit...

Historian Phillips O'Brien explains to James Holland and Al Murray his theory that land battles did not make a significant contribution to the outcome of the war. If you think Stalingrad and the Eastern Front were pivotal, think again.  Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Pr...

Stonemason Andrew Ziminski takes Al and James on an unusual historical journey through the medium of concrete and stonemasonry. The lads discuss the origins of Stonehenge. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHaveWays @WeHaveWaysPod Email: weh...

Al and James speak to Dr Alex Richie about the the Eastern Front. Red Army tactics, POW deaths and Operation Bagration are up for discussion. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Harry Lineker Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHaveWays @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Hoste...

Al Murray and James Holland get to drive round the Wiltshire countryside in a T34 Russian tank. The boys explore its crude but effective engineering and enjoy the sounds and smells from inside the tank. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHav...

Day four of We Have Ways of Making You Chalke and historian Gary Sheffield joins Al and James to explore the interwar period and discuss the rise of European nationalism.  Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey McCarthy Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHaveWays @WeHaveWaysPod Email: weh...

Tim Bouverie, author of Appeasing Hitler, joins Al Murray and James Holland to discuss history’s assessment of Neville Chamberlain.  Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Harry Lineker Exec Producer Tony Pastor Twitter: #WeHaveWays @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acas...

In the second episode of We Have Ways of Making You Chalke German-American writer Nora Krug joins Al Murray and James Holland to debate the problems of national identity. Nazism in Germany and the legacy of the slave trade in the US and UK are both up for discussion. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Pr...

Each day this week James Holland and Al Murray will be joined by a celebrated historian on We Have Ways of Making You Chalke. With the Chalke Valley History Festival cancelled some of the top historians have instead agreed to come on the pod. Today historian and broadcaster Michael Wood discusses Chinese history and the time he had tea with Monty. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a m...

Colin Bell carried out 50 bombing raids over Germany, 13 of them to Berlin. In this special edition of the podcast RAF veteran Colin tells Al and James about his love of flying Mosquitos and of some of the terrifying scrapes he found himself involved in. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joe...

Production of the most important aircraft in history did not always run smoothly. Al Murray and James Holland discuss the industrial challenges of producing the Spitfire; plus the boys ponder the likelihood of collaboration in the event of a successful Nazi invasion of the British mainland. Join the We Have Ways members’ club now for £5 a month using the link below: Patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalha...