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3405 Iron Valour Sep 17, 2023

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Only one man has ever been awarded both the Victoria Cross and the Iron Cross - Surgeon General William Manley. In 1864 he was awarded a VC for his actions during the siege of Gate Pa during the New Zealand Wars. Then, when the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, Manley went with the British Ambulance Corps attached to the Prussian Army - in December 1870 he was awarded the Iron Cross (second class) for bravery in several engagements around Chateauneuf, Bretoncelles, Orleans, and Cravant. Dur: 21mins File: .mp3

3404 Bushmen against the Boers – Australians in the Boer War Sep 03, 2023

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When the Second Boer War was declared on October 11th, 1899, governments of colonies from around the British Empire offered to send troops to contribute to the British war effort. This included the governments of the six colonies of Australia (Australia would not be confederated into a Commonwealth until January 1st, 1901). Among the troops sent were the 1st Tasmanian Imperial Bushmens' Contingent, a unit whose members would be awarded two Victoria Crosses. Most of the troops the colonies of Australia contributed were mounted units, formed before departure. This was despite a decree requesting infantry contingents as being of most service and cavalry of the least. Dur: 36mins File: .mp3

3403 The Treason of Benedict Arnold - Part 3 Aug 06, 2023

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Benedict Arnold chose treason. In a shocking turn of events, one of the most talented American generals had turned traitor. The news sent shockwaves throughout the rebellious states. Arnold became the most wanted man in America as General George Washington made it clear he wanted Arnold captured and put on trial. Arnold, however, was safely behind British lines. Left behind was the British officer sent to recruit him, John André, another victim of Arnold's greed. But that was of little concern to Arnold. Now that his treason was complete and he a Brigadier General in the British Army, his focus was on winning the war and ensuring his place in history. Dur: 15mins File: .mp3

3402 The Treason of Benedict Arnold - Part 2 Jul 23, 2023

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Benedict Arnold spent years becoming a respectable merchant in Connecticut and the coming of the American War of Independence presented him with an opportunity to increase his standing even further. His bravery in battle was unquestioned, but his desire for reward led him to dubious actions. Congress had little money to pay the soldiers, so Arnold decided to pay himself through the sale of captured goods. His temper, greed, and arrogance created enemies within American ranks. Fellow officers wished to see him fail and forwarded complaints to Congress. The victory at Saratoga should have been Arnold's crowning achievement, but his severe wound at the moment of triumph opened the door for his rival, Horatio Gates, to receive the credit. Dur: 24 mins File: .mp3

3401 The Treason of Benedict Arnold - Part 1 Jul 09, 2023

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Benedict Arnold, a name in the American lexicon that is synonymous with treason. History remembers Arnold solely for his attempted betrayal and his subsequent return to the American War of Independence as a British general, this was only the sudden climax to a story that saw Arnold rise from humble beginnings as an apothecary apprentice to one of the most competent generals in the Continental Army. He fought to protect his honor and was quick to challenge any perceived slight. Dur: 30mins File: .mp3

3310 King of the Few - Adolph 'Sailor' Malan May 21, 2023

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On a clear day in 1960, a conversation took place between the pilot of a South African Airways passenger aircraft and Heathrow Airport's ground control. The pilot had a special request. He wanted to do a low-level circuit in London. In turn, the tower asked the reason for the special request. The pilot simply replied…I wish to show the Sailor his London. Dur: 26mins File: .mp3

3309 - Bloodshed on the Blackwater - the Battle of Maldon Apr 30, 2023

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The entry for the year AD 991 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Olaf Tryggvason (later king of Norway) sailed with a fleet of ninety-three ships and raided the English coast. He began in Kent raiding Folkestone and then Sandwich, and then moved on to Ipswich in Suffolk. After overrunning Ipswich, the fleet moved onwards to Maldon in Essex, sailing up the River Blackwater and establishing a base at the island of Northey in early August. Dur: 20mins File: .mp3

3308 Fix Bayonets! An heroic old-fashioned charge in the Korean War Apr 09, 2023

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1951 had begun disastrously for the United Nations forces in Korea. On December 31st, 1950, the Chinese 13th Army breached UN defences below the 38th parallel as part of the Third Phase Campaign and, on January 3rd, Seoul was evacuated by the US Eighth Army. The Eighth Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgeway, who had been in office for little over a week, taking up his command only on December 26th, 1950. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

3307 The Aitape-Wewak Campaign Mar 26, 2023

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On their seemingly inexorable advance south in 1942, the Japanese had occupied Aitape in northern New Guinea on their advance south. Allied offensives to halt the Japanese advance began in 1943 and in April 1944 units of the United States Army, especially the 163rd Regimental Combat Team from the 41st Infantry Division landed at Aitape and retook parts of the area (centred on the Wewak airstrip). Dur: 22mins File: .mp3

3306 Heroism in the Hundred Days Offensive Mar 12, 2023

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On 27 September 1918, Captain Frisby and Lance Corporal Jackson led the assault against enemy machine-gun positions during the battle of the Canal du Nord, Nord-pas-de-Calais region of Northern France. Following the successes of the German Spring Offensive in March 1918, the Allies launched a series of successful counter-attacks from May to July 1918 which forced the Germans to fall back.

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