Fighting Through WWII Stories & History

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46 D-Day Through German Eyes Part ONE in the Second World War Oct 13, 2019

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Stories about the German side of the Second World War.

"There was a vast number of ships, absolutely vast. I can tell you that my throat went dry painfully dry, and my hands began to shake. I wasn't the only man to be affected that way, one of the very young lads began to retch as if he was going to be sick. It was the effect of pure fear."

"For a couple of days the two sides just existed on opposite sides of a meadow with a tense safety. The Germans could hear the Americans sing songs in the evening, and likely vice versa. Then, one morning the engines of the Sherman tanks came to life …"

Normandy Memorial Trust Appeal - 75 veteran D-Day stories

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German Soldier on the Eastern front in the Second World War. Courtesy The Other Side Archive

Best podcast for World War 2 history and the second world war

45 Gold Beach Normandy trip WW2 Aug 30, 2019

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Accounts of my trip to Normandy - including Gold beach and Omaha.

An exclusive preview of the new British Normandy Memorial which is dedicated to the 22,000 British, French and other foreigners killed during the World War two Normandy campaign.

Some excellent D-Day passages from a book I've been reading about the D-Day landings, D-Day the Battle for Europe.

"There was little sleep that night. The first squadrons were off in the night."

"There was a pause in the bombing attacks about four in the morning and my son climbed onto the wall to see what was happening. He started shouting, "Mummy, mummy, the sea's black with boats. I knew that the invasion had started."

"We reached a landing craft and I was in a different world. All the men were wearing campaign ribbons and they were so calm. They were real men, real soldiers and I felt elated to be amongst them."

"I reached the sea wall and leaned against it to regain my breath. Other soldiers were doing the same. That was when I realised that some of our men were missing."

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Normandy Memorial Trust Appeal - 75 veteran D-Day stories

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Victoria Second World War re-enactor

Crepon statue - Normandy WWII soldier

Attacking the beaches in Normandy - British Normandy Memorial at Ver sur Mer, Gold Beach

Best podcast for World War 2 history and the second world war

44 Sidney Stevens Lancaster Pilot WW2 history Jul 01, 2019

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Flt Lt Sidney Stevens was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) during WWII raids bombing industrial Germany in 1943.

"This thing was bumping up and down and sometimes you could lose 600 feet and you'd just drop vertically ...

"I came out of the clouds and the German fighter was there waiting for me ...

DFC citation: Pilot Officer Sidney George STEVENS (149614), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 57 Squadron. This officer has displayed great skill and determination throughout his tour of operations. One night in October, 1943, he piloted an aircraft detailed to attack Leipzig. On the outward flight violent electrical storms were encountered. Although the air speed indicator became useless and other equipment was rendered temporarily unserviceable, Pilot Officer Stevens went on to complete his mission. His persistence in the face of trying circumstances was most praiseworthy.

More great unpublished history - of the Second World War.

Normandy Memorial Trust Appeal - 75 veteran D-Day stories

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Legacy of Liberation podcast

Marine Tandy's story of Gold Beach

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43 Canadian Seaman Ray Fitchett POW and HMS Exeter, May 31, 2019

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HMS Exeter was sunk in Pacific waters during the second world war. Ray Fitchett made a recording of his tale of survival in Japan – abandoning ship in shark infested waters followed by three years' captivity as a POW of the second world war.

Hear the terrifying tale of how he survived.

"They decided to put some of us down the coal mine but I didn't fancy that. So I went to the tail end of the queue of guys and I thought I'd get a job at the top of the mine".

"If you got lucky you might pick up some orange peel - You couldn't eat the whole lot but you could scrape the white part out and that was luxury".

More great unpublished history - of the Second World War.

Normandy Memorial Trust Appeal - 75 veteran D-Day stories

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42 D-Day 75 - Landing Craft Tank in WWII - Eric Clarke May 06, 2019

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Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings with memoirs about the tough training for D-Day and stories about Landing Craft Tanks delivering their cargo of hardware and humans to the battle-strewn WWII beaches.

"We had delivered to Juno and Gold and were returning our Landing Craft Tank to England. We were close to our shores when we pancaked down so hard in the sea that we broke our craft's back.

"A German armoured machine gun truck with infantry squad stopped next to the American soldiers. The officer barked "Raus! Raus mit den Händen hoch!"

More great unpublished history - of World War 2

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41 A last coffee with Wilf Shaw, WW2 history Apr 19, 2019

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A final dose of fun and adventure with war hero Wilf Shaw.

"We're done for" said Wilf's mate as a cloud of desert dust appeared on the horizon, signifying the approach of a very large force of enemy troops.

"One day, on board ship, they decided to run a Battalion boxing tournament and Sgt O'Grady asked the assembled company for volunteers - not a single hand was raised - until Jeff nudged me and said, 'I'll have a go Shaw if you will'.

More great unpublished history of World War 2

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40 Four Brits & a Frenchman at Dunkirk plus Gallipoli Mar 01, 2019

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The extraordinary turns of events that brought four Brits to the shores of Dunkirk at the same time as a Frenchman.

More great unpublished history - of the Second World War.

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39 Stan Perry Listener Feedback and WW2 Quiz Dec 23, 2018

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A bonus episode with listener feedback on the Capt Stan Perry interviews, episodes 37-38 plus end of year WW2 history quiz!

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38 Sergeant Eion McEwan - Paras WWII Dec 15, 2018

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The dramatic WWII diary of a 5th Scottish Para in France, Italy and beyond. The secret story of a WW2 mutiny by British soldiers.

And what a great new set of revelations we're about to learn about the war! There'll be some paradoxical encounters with Greek resistance fighters and legal hysterics on the back of a mutiny by the British soldiers.

Great Unpublished History! World War Two

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36 WW2 Tank Captain Stanley Perry PART ONE Oct 07, 2018

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Capt Stanley Perry was in the British tank regiment the Sherwood Rangers and saw a lot of action in Normandy and Germany. He survived battles, bombs and booby traps to tell of his amazing WWII exploits some 75 years later!

Great Unpublished History! Second World War.

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