The History Network

Latest Episodes:

SPECIAL Tony Iveson DFC Nov 16, 2012

Show notes

Tony Iveson learnt to fly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Flying the famous Spitfire throughout the Battle of Britain he survived a ditching in the sea after he ran out of fuel chasing a Junkers JU88.

After a spell as an instructor at the training school in Rhodesia he converted to bombers, flying that other great plane of the war the Avro Lancaster.

Joining 617 Squadron "the Dam Busters, as a flight Lieutenant, he took part in some 27 missions, including the sinking of the German pocket battleship the Tirpitz, and in the process winning the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war Tony became the Chairman of the Bomber Command Association and at the age of 89, the oldest man to fly a Lancaster Bomber.

This presentation was recorded at Northallerton Wartime Weekend where Tony Iveson gave two talks covering the Bomber Offensive and the Tirpitz Raid.

To find details about the two talks please visit our website www.thehistorynetwork.org

Greek warfare in the Archaic age Oct 19, 2012

Show notes

Jasper and the team are joined by Josho Brouwers to discus warfare in archaic Greece. After Michael's summary of the period we go on to look at the phalanx, how it might function, the equipment the men carried, the suitability of the geography for this type of fighting and what that meant for the numbers of men deployed in the field.

Also touched upon is why the cities fought one another, was it just drunken Greeks tooled up and spoiling for a fight to assert their manliness?

Dur:48min

The Roman Conquest of Spain Jul 13, 2012

Show notes

Jasper and the team discuss Ancient Warfare I.4, The Roman Conquest of Spain. It took over 200 years for Rome to pacify Spain, why did it take them so long? Did local fragmentation politically make it difficult for an all out victory that was so often achieved in the East? We look at issues of leadership in the Roman army, and recruitment. Was Spain Rome's Vietnam? Dur: 41min

Elite Units of the Hellenistic Era Apr 27, 2012

Show notes

Jasper, Murray and Lindsay are joined by Michael Park to look at Elite units of the Hellenistic Era, the discussion revolves round what is elite and how do you define elite, which proved more troublesome that one may expect. Dont forget if you want more information on the magazine you can find their website at www.ancient-warfare.com Dur: 51min File: MP3

Securing Seas and Shores: Fleets of the Roman empire Apr 13, 2012

Show notes

In the usual wide ranging discussion Jasper, Michael, Lindsay and special guest Jesse Obert look at the Roman Navy. Questioning the received view of the fleets being used in anti piracy duties, and were the fleets even standing forces or more of an adhoc thing brought together when needs must?

And the fleets what kind of shipping did they comprise of, and how did they make war?

The Assyrian Army At War Mar 09, 2012

Show notes

In this episode we look at the Assyrians, 930BC to 630BC, their empire stretched from Egypt to Babylon, it was the first great iron age empire with resources to fund a standing army equipped with iron weapons. They excelled at siege warfare, something very difficult to successfully achieve in the ancient world. We delve into all these aspects plus look at the putting down of internal descent, propaganda, chariots and the use of specialised infantry.

Jasper, Lindsay and Michael are joined by Mark Schwartz.

Dur: 43min

Rome's wars with the Sassanids Feb 10, 2012

Show notes

The Sassanid Empire would prove to be the last of the Persian middle-eastern empires, and would also be the last great ‘civilised’ rival of Rome. The Great Achaemenid Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great, had displaced the Babylonians in the Middle-East. Ultimately, it sprawled from the Mediterranean to northern India. This empire, the largest in the world, had been overthrown by the meteoric career of a western ‘barbarian’ named Alexander of Macedon, but he did not survive to consolidate his conquest and it quickly split up with various parts being ruled by Alexander’s successors, who warred among one another with none succeeding in re-uniting the former Achaemenid Empire.

With Ian Hughes joining the regulars, they discuss the problem of gaps in the historical evidence that have to be negotiated when looking at the period, and the long lasting conflict with Rome.

Dur: 48min

Protect thyself. Shields, helmets and armor. Nov 04, 2011

Show notes

Jasper, Murray, Mike and Lindsay take a trip down memory lane and revisit Ancient Warfare magazine I.III "Protect thyself. Shields, helmets and armor."

Starting with why we need armour we take a trip through the ancient world covering arms and armour from the Greeks to the late Roman Empire.

Dur: 51min

Swords around the throne: bodyguards of kings and emperors Sep 30, 2011

Show notes

Jasper, Lindsay, Murray and Mike discuss the use of bodyguards from Alexanders men having to prevent him from getting into harm through to being a symbol of power in Rome, and of course a long look at the Pretorian guard.

Daily Life In The Camp And On Campaign Jul 22, 2011

Show notes

The team discuss the daily routine of troops in the ancient world when garrisoned. Through examples found at Vindolanda we investigate sickness rates of soldiers, the freedom they had whilst not on duty and what would happen to them if they could no longer serve.

Dur: 40min File: .mp3

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected