The WW2 Podcast

By January 1945, the war in Europe neared its final phase. In the west, the Allies had repelled the Ardennes offensive. In the east, the Red Army prepared the Vistula–Oder offensive, a huge strike that pushed German forces out of Poland. The Soviet advance carried them to the very gates of Berlin.

The Vistula–Oder offensive in 1945 liberated vast areas, including...

The Maginot Line was one of the most ambitious defensive projects of the 1930s. Built along France’s eastern border, this vast system of underground forts, tunnels, and bunkers included hospitals, kitchens, telephone exchanges, electric railways, and turrets that could rise from the ground to strike at attackers. Designed to withstand artillery and even chemical weapons, it represented the cutting edge of military engineering.

Yet ...

In 2005, the BBC launched an ambitious public history project called The People’s War. It aimed to collect and preserve the memories of those who lived through the Second World War, inviting the public to share their experiences online. This was long before today’s social media platforms, and the scale of the response was remarkable. By the time the project closed in 2006, over 650,000 contributions had been submitted.

Although the...

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, we explore the remarkable history of the Malay Regiment during the Second World War.

Formed in the 1930s as an experiment with just 25 local recruits, the regiment quickly grew into a respected fighting force. By the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya in late 1941, it had expanded to two full battalions. These soldiers would be thrown into the heart of the fighting during the desperate defen...

In this episode, we’re turning our attention to British India during the Second World War. While the war in Europe and the Pacific often dominates the narrative, the role India played—both as a military contributor and as a nation on the cusp of independence—is often overlooked.

I’m joined by Philip Craig, author of 1945: The Reckoning. His book looks at the global repercussions of the war, including the political and social uphea...

What was the situation in Burma following the Allied victories at Imphal and Kohima?

By the summer of 1944, those two hard-fought battles had marked a major turning point in the Burma campaign. Japanese forces were in retreat, and the initiative had passed firmly to the Allies. But pushing into central Burma would require bold strategy, speed, and coordination across air, land and river.

I’m joined by Jack Bowsher, author of Thund...

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, we’re turning our attention to the opening phase of one of the most brutal and vast campaigns of the Second World War—Operation Barbarossa.

On 22 June 1941, Hitler launched his long-anticipated invasion of the Soviet Union. In the first two weeks, the German Wehrmacht made some of its fastest advances of the war. Panzer groups surged deep into Soviet territory, clashing with Russian armoured forc...

When we talk about the Second Front, most of us think of the Allied invasion of Northwest Europe—D-Day, June 1944. But in his new book, Second Front: Anglo-American Rivalry and the Hidden Story of the Normandy Campaign, historian Professor Marc Milner offers a different perspective.

What if the real second front wasn’t in Normandy, but in Washington?

Milner argues that while Britain fought alongside the United States on the battle...

In this episode, we’re doing something a little different. I recently joined Scott Bury on his podcast Beyond Barbarossa, which takes a close look at the Eastern Front of the Second World War from a Soviet perspective. Together, we explored the topic of American aid to the USSR through the Lend-Lease program.

The usual narrative often paints Lend-Lease as the lifeline that saved the Soviet Union. But, as with most things in history...

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I am joined by Professor James Crossland to discuss the extraordinary life of Robert Bruce Lockhart — a British diplomat, journalist, author, and secret agent.

Though not a household name, Lockhart was a key figure behind the scenes of 20th-century history. His career began before the First World War and took him from revolutionary Russia to wartime Britain, often placing him near the centre of p...

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I am joined by Bernd Häber to discuss the remarkable story of his grandfather, Fritz Häber — a German soldier who became a prisoner of war in American custody at the end of World War II.

During his 16 months in a U.S. POW camp, Fritz kept a diary that not only captured the daily realities of captivity but also reflected on his wartime experiences and personal history. Now published as Fritz Häbe...

In the early stages of America’s involvement in the Second World War, the U.S. Army began forming a new kind of fighting force—elite units trained for speed, surprise, and special operations behind enemy lines. These were the first Army Rangers, inspired by British Commandos and destined for some of the toughest missions of the war.

In this episode, I’m joined by historian and author Mir Bahmanyar to talk about the formation and de...

During the critical interwar years, Belgium found itself walking a diplomatic tightrope—maintaining neutrality while neighbouring Germany rapidly rearmed. Faced with the growing threat of conflict, the country was forced to modernise its defences. One of Belgium’s key military developments during this period was the T-13 tank destroyer—an armoured vehicle that, although modest by international standards, played a vital role in the ...

On the morning of June 6th, 1944, war photographer Robert Capa waded ashore on Omaha Beach during the Allied landings in Normandy. What happened next became the stuff of legend: under withering fire, Capa supposedly captured over a hundred photographs of the chaos and courage of D-Day, only for all but eleven to be lost in a darkroom accident. These surviving images, the so-called “Magnificent Eleven,” helped define the visual memo...

Today, we are exploring a topic that doesn’t get talked about much — the British tanks that ended up serving with the Red Army during the Second World War.

We often think about the Soviet Union producing huge numbers of its own tanks like the T-34, but in the early years of the war—and even before it—the Soviets were looking abroad for armoured vehicles to strengthen their forces. Britain, with its long history of tank development ...

In this episode, I’m joined by bestselling author Damien Lewis to talk about one of the remarkable men featured in his new book SAS Great Escapes Four — Archie Gibson.

Archie served with the Long Range Desert Group and worked closely with the SAS during some of their earliest and most daring operations. His wartime journey took him from the harsh deserts of North Africa to the rugged terrain of Yugoslavia, where he operated alongs...

In the final weeks of the Second World War, as Soviet forces closed in on Berlin, tens of thousands of German soldiers and civilians found themselves encircled in what became known as the Halbe Pocket. In a desperate attempt to break out west and surrender to the Americans rather than the Soviets, brutal fighting erupted in the forests south of Berlin. The result was one of the bloodiest and most chaotic battles of the war’s final ...

The 7th Infantry Regiment, known as the "Cottonbalers," is one of the oldest units in the U.S. Army, originally formed in 1812. It has fought in nearly every major American conflict, including the Civil War, both World Wars, Korea, and Iraq. Renowned for its bravery and deep traditions, the regiment remains an active combat unit to this day.

I'm joined by Professor John McManus, whose 2009 book American Courage, American Carnage c...

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I’m joined by Clare Mulley to uncover the extraordinary story of Elżbieta Zawacka—known by her codename, "Zo"—a woman who defied the odds as a resistance fighter, courier, and special operations agent during the Second World War.

Zo was the only woman to make the perilous journey from Warsaw to London as an emissary of the Polish Home Army. After completing secret training in Britain, she became ...