Cauldron - A Military History Podcast

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Russia Rising - The Battle of Poltava July 8, 1709 Aug 09, 2019

Show notes

Hello again and thanks for listening to Cauldron I'm your host Cullen. Today we have another whopper of a story for you but first some housekeeping. As always check us out on the social media stuff just search Cauldron on Facebook or Instagram. Please rate and review on iTunes, shout out to Persons117 for the latest review! Also, check out Patreon and become a producer for the show. A buck a month helps get research materials, production equipment, and show art. Welcome aboard to our latest producer Methuselah, thanks for your support!

All right enough of the business lets get stuck in at Poltava!

Let's go back 310 years to the plains of southern Ukraine, fresh of a winter so cold birds fell frozen out of the air. Charles XII of Sweden put his kingdom on the line outside a city called Poltava.

After the collapse of the Teutonic knights, the Baltic region and Eastern Europe was in disarray. A power vacuum was left by the old order of crusading knights, but for some time no power emerged preeminent. Out of the madness and horrible violence of the 30 Years War emerged a Lion. Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was one of the great commanders in history and clawed out an empire. Seemingly overnight France, England, Spain, and the Netherlands had to acknowledge a new member to their elite club. After Gustavus glorious death on the field, Sweden was set up well for the future. Large swaths of Denmark and Germany, as well as most of the Baltic region and east end of the Gulf of Finland, were under Swedish control. When Charles the 11th died the army he left behind was lithe, sinewy, and ready to be put through its paces. In the hands of a genius tactician, this army would be most formidable…

This week’s main source - Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie

Music - From Russia With Love by Huma-Huma

Image by Melhaks@fiver.com

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One Mans Pee Is Another Mans War - The Marco Polo Bridge Incident July 7-9th 1937 Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

Alright, this is the quick and dirty episode for July! Full of information on Japan, China, and the very first shots of the Second World War. From the mid-1800s to the 1930s, Japan was moving faster and faster towards superpower in the East status. By the early '30s, Japan had finally arrived on the big stage. China, on the other hand, was unraveling and had in the 20s only recently started to put itself back together. A series of sometimes bloody sometimes innocuous sometimes staged "Incidents" happened from 1931 straight through to 1937. Then the most incident like incident of them all happened near a beautiful old bridge. A missing private, a confusing firefight, and an insulting truce led to the fall of Northern China and the Second Sino Japanese War.

All right enough of that lets take a look back to 1937 some 82 years ago, to the dry hot summer of northern china. In the chaos of nighttime training one man has to pee, by morning the world has changed, the course for war is set, and everything from Hiroshima to Pearl Harbor to the Rape of Nanking can be traced to one seemingly small incident at the Marco Polo Bridge.

This week’s main source - Combat: China 1937-1938 Chinese Soldier versus Japanese Soldier by Benjamin Lai

Music - Confliction & Catharsis by Asher Fulero
Thunderstorm by Hanu Dixit

Image by Melhaks@fiver.com

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tjUbXTt6U041h37Jjn6i3?si=4x4-FVOARwy2FMUxsdMXBQ

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The Dance of the Dreadnoughts - The Battle of Jutland May 31, 1916 – Jun 1, 1916 Jun 22, 2019

Show notes

Here it is, the most significant episode yet, which is fitting considering the topic! We have Dreadnoughts, the Royal Navy, German technical ability, and pretty much anything you'd want to cover on the battle of Jutland. This titanic fistfight between to two most dominant navies of the first half f the 20th century is full of wild little facts and fascinating tales. We also dive a little bit into the reasons the battle happened at all and why it might not have needed to taken place at all. If you like your WWI with a side of the sea and a twist of broadsides, give this a listen!

Even before the Arch Duke was cut down in Sarajevo, the Royal Navy was planning for war. Churchill had sent the Grand Fleet, the colossal home water force, to its Scottish berths at Rosyth and Scapa Flow. The Royal Navy had the right ships in the right place to hold the German Navy in place. The concern now was did it have the will and the men to defeat them.

The century since Nelson commanded the "hearts of oak" had improved the equipment of the Navy and its technical abilities but not it's fighting experience. The great European peace had offered little opportunity for large scale fighting, especially at sea. What little experience was to be gained was mostly done on rivers or in colonial combat. In fact, Admiral Beatty, a critical British commander, cut his teeth in Sudan against the Mahdi. Churchill feared that when the war broke out, "we had more captains of ships than captains of war." Sailing, navigation, exploration, seamanship were the balliwhack of the Royal Navy. Listen for more…

Devastation and Revenge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100694
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

This week’s main source - The Price of Admiralty by John Keegan

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The Meat Grinder - The Battle of Hamburger Hill 10-20 May 1969 Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

The fighting was intense on Dong Ap Bia (the mountain of the crouching beast), but according to U.S. command, the hill was crucial to the overall success of Operation Apache Snow. Apache Snow’s goal was to clear the A Shau Valley of the enemy. The “crouching beast” moniker was appropriate as the Communist forces were well dug in and ready for a fight. For ten days the two sides smashed and sliced through each other, the U.S. forces finally taking the hill in the 20th. A few short days later, the position that was paid for in blood was abandoned by the U.S. generals backing up the idea that the war's strategy was senseless and pointless. In fact, the battle became so violent that one young sergeant was quoted about the fight, “Have you ever been inside a hamburger machine? We just got cut to pieces by extremely accurate machine-gun fire.” The battle was known from then on as Hamburger Hill, and due to the extensive media coverage, it became a symbol for the anti-war community.

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The song we used - Sao Meo by Doug Maxwell
This weeks main source - Why the Battle for Hamburger Hill Was So Controversial by Barbara Maranzani

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-meat-grinder-the-battle-of-hamburger-hill-10-20-may-1969/id1345505888?i=1000440535640

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The Virgin Warlord - The Siege of Orleans 1429 May 08, 2019

Show notes

The 100 Years War was a seesaw clash between the French and English thrones. The first third of the war saw great victories won by the English, at Sluys and Crecy the English forces smashed their continental enemies. After a one-sided peace treaty was declared, the Channel separated foes settled into an uneasy Cold War. With the advent of the Black Death, both sides suffered massive losses to their populations and a shift in the makeup of society. Farmers and land workers tried to find safety and work in the cities of Europe, changing the power structure of the feudal system dynamically and ushering in a new world. The Black Death also brought about an even more ardent Christianity, as people sought for reasons and hope in a world seemingly devoid of both. With the death of Henry V, the hero of Agincourt, the political waters became very murky. For the next few years, both the French and the English claimed the throne of France, but only one side had the power to back their claim. The weak and vacillating Charles VII was forced to be a bystander in his own land as he watched Henry VI’s regent, the Duke of Bedford, assert control over most of France. With the help of the Duchy of Burgundy, the destabilizing Black Plague, and a lack of inspired leadership, the English could claim most of France north of the Loire river and seemed to be on their way to a win in the 100 Years War. The English certainly could not have planned for a young girl to hear the voices of former queens and current Saints Margaret and Catherine.

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The songs we used
Yonder Hill and Dale by Aaron Kenney
Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100515
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

This weeks main source - Orleans 1429 France turns the tide by David Nicolle

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Caesar Lacks Control - The Battle of Thapsus 46 BC Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

Thapsus was a rare battle in that it showed Caesar not as the consummate warlord but as a general that at times had no control over his own army. The action was joined after one of his wings charged the enemy of their own volition and unable to call his men back, Caesar was forced to order an all-out attack. Again at the end of the battle, we see another instance of Caesar having no power over his men when the enemy army collapsed a large number attempted to surrender. In many cases, the Caesarian soldiers ignored the attempted surrender and proceeded to slaughter the defenseless victims. In one case the blood rush was such that a group of Caesar’s officers was mistaken for the enemy and butchered before the confusion could be put to rights. Between Thapsus and Munda, the final battles of the Civil War were not Caesar the General’s most exceptional performances.

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The song we used - Crusade - Video Classica by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100884
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

This weeks main source - Masters of Command by Barry Strauss

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The Island of Uncommon Valor - the Battle of Iwo Jima - 1945 Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

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The song we used - Eastern Thought by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100682
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

This weeks main source - The Pacific War by William B. Hopkins

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The Man Made Mountain - The Siege of Cusco 1536-1537 Mar 24, 2019

Show notes

By the 1530's the conquest of the so-called new world and the age of discovery were both well underway. The wave upon wave of Spanish and Portuguese adventurers that had been crossing the Atlantic in search of wealth and fame had for decades brought the Christian god and death to the people of Central and South America. From the islands of the Caribbean to the cenotes of the Yucatan, Spanish steel and smallpox had destroyed the unprotected populations of entire cities. The complete lack of immunity to European disease and the weakness of or absence of armament made the native civilizations particularly vulnerable.

The Spanish attempt at controlling all of Central and South America involved relatively small armies with massive objectives. The Pizarro Brothers set out with a few hundred men and planned to topple the as of yet unknown Inca Empire. Through ruthless diplomacy and deadly European tools and methods of warfare, the Spanish found themselves fighting and often winning against overwhelming numerical superiority. After taking the Inca king, Pizarro aimed for the Inca capital if Cusco believed to be dripping in riches. The wealth of the Inca was his for the taking. First Pizarro and his men would need to capture an astonishingly mighty fortress, and then they would need to survive!
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The song we used is Dark Forest by Odonis Odonis
This weeks video sources - The Living Stones of Sacsayhuaman by Ombio Productions
This weeks web sources -https://www.academia.edu
Unlocking the Doors to the Worlds of the Guaman Poma and His Nueva Coronica by Rolena Adorao and Ivan Boserup

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The Bombing of Dresden - Justified or War Crime? Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

This episode has been a real eyeopener for me. I knew going in that it would be a tough one to research and that very few facts are agreed upon. I did not know how heated social media can get lol. This was my first run-in with the kind of angry, acidic (often silly and factless) vitriol the internet is home to. Moving forward I will continue to delve into these controversial moments in history but I will do my best to keep the conversation focused. The Red Army was battering the Wehrmacht in the Eats, daily gaining ground. It looked like there was a chance the Russians would be in Berlin by April. To speed up the Axis collapse RAF Bomber Command and the USAAF planned on destroying Germany's industry. Due to this, they used massive strikes of heavy bombers delivering thousands of tons of bombs. Targeting the war industries, transportation, and communications first, large cities were also hit. The British, having suffered through the Blitz, knew first hand the psychological effect bombing had on large cities. This chaos and confusion was a side effect that only helped quicken the German defeat. By the early months of 1945, the Allies had unloaded on most German cities and began seeking out new targets. The city of Dresden had made it through the war mostly unmolested and with over 100 factories and a large rail hub,
On the night of February 13th over 250, British Lancaster bombers hung over Dresden long enough to drop 800 tons of explosives. The bombs dropped were a mix of high explosive and incendiary. This one-two punch was perfect for creating a massive conflagration and Dresden's wooden buildings only feed the fire. Only hours later, while the city's people tried to recover, the second wave of British bombers struck Dresden. Building on the destruction of the first wave, the second wave heightened the chaos. A massive vortex sucked the superheated air right out of the sky, suffocating or air-frying its victims. The Altstadt or Old Town was obliterated and most of the city burned.
The next day, February 15th, saw a massive daytime bombing raid by the USAAF. B-17 Flying Fortresses flew in force, targetting specific military installations around Dresden. A huge fighter escort would deal with the tiny German fighter wing. By the day's end, Dresden had been through another ordeal of death and destruction. When the fires stopped and the smoke cleared the city of Dresden was unrecognizable. 1,600 acres of the city’s center had been demolished. 75,000 homes were destroyed and almost all of the city’s famous medieval wooden structures reduced to ash. The final death toll is heavily debated even today, as I’m sure the comments to follow will show!

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The song we used is Falling Rain by Myuu
This weeks book sources - Ian Kershaw’s The End: Hitler's Germany 1944–45
This weeks web sources - https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/02/remembering-dresden-70-years-after-the-firebombing/385445/
To support the show got to https://www.patreon.com/user?u=8278347and search Cauldron Podcast
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https://open.spotify.com/show/228wnzQC4Pq3hDbJIjtyOk?si=GLNc6VIjSmOVbEg1G7sozQ
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The Winter March - The Raid on Deerfield Mass 1704 Feb 26, 2019

Show notes

The War of The Spanish Succession for the most part fought in Europe was still a huge, global affair just shy of what we would call a true “World War”. In Colonial America the war took the form of a number of French and Indian Wars mostly being fought in the 13 British Colonies. Queen Anne’s War was one of these and it was fought between the French and British with Native American tribes allied to both sides. By the mid 17th century British colonists in Massachusetts began settling the Connecticut River valley. This push westward put them into direct contact with the Pocumtoc nation, a native Algonquin-speaking tribe. By the 1660’s the Pocumtoc were under heavy pressure from the nearby Mohawk nation and had been hit extremely hard by European infectious diseases that they had no natural protection or immunity from. At the same time settlers from the town of Dedham began acquiring land from a number of Pocumtoc people, setting up a full village in 1670. The village was on the edge of the Massachusetts colony which made it’s isolation almost complete. Help if and when it was need would be a long while coming. The town was eventually called Deerfield. Back in Europe, Queen Anne's War, took the predictable form of most European conflict's. Set piece battles with large armies like at Blenheim were the norm. That was not the case on the frontiers of New England. Hit and run tactics, raids, and units of men in the tens not thousands were common. In the summer of 1703 French and Wabanaki forces started the Northeast Coast Campaign. Raiding villages and settlements throughout Southern Maine, the French/Wabanaki offensive was a success. Fear soon raced through each community on the frontier, forcing them to ready themselves for attack. In Deerfield, the villagers set about improving the low palisade. The hope was that, the defenses, would be enough. Leading the French/Native forces was Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville, a veteran raider. Moving out from his base in Canada, Rouville went south with 250 men. Along the march, he added another 40 Pennacook warriors. Aware of the enemy movements, the Colonial government sent Deerfield 20 militiamen. The town went on high alert, which meant everyone slept within its walls. On the 28th of February 1704, de Rouville set up camp a short distance from the village. The villagers went about their day, as Native American scouts stalked the town. The scouts noticed a weakness in the town wall, a snow drift. the late February snow had piled tight and high against the outer wall. It would allow the raiders to scale the towns only real defense, with ease. Right before sunrise a small group of attackers climbed over the wall and moved to open the North Gate. At that moment Deerfield held 291 sleeping, unaware souls.

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The song we used is Output by Kosta T
This weeks book sources - Jeremy Black - Warfare in the 18th Century
This weeks web sources - http://1704.deerfield.history.museum

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ch Cauldron Podcast

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