The WW2 Podcast

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133 - Rome Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

Rome, the 'Eternal City', had a peculiar war. With Italy an axis nation it was a target for allied bombers but in the centre is the Vatican, home of the Pope. A neutral state within the capital of a belligerent nation. In deference to the Pope allied bombing operations were curtailed, perhaps more than they might otherwise have have been.

When the Italians secretly brokered an armistice with the allies in September 1943, Rome was occupied by the Germans. With the Germans in charge, Italian men would be deported as forced labour and the Jewish population of Rome rounded up to be sent to concentration camps.

At the same time the Vatican became a magnet for escaped Prisoners of War who would seek refuge inside the walls of the holy city.

I'm joined by Victor Failmezger.

Victor is a retired US Naval Officer who served in Rome as the Assistance Naval Attaché. He is also the author of Rome City in Terror: The Nazi Occupation 1943-44.

132 - The 746th Far East Air Force Band Dec 20, 2020

Show notes

Richard Burt was part of the the 746th Far East Air Force Band, based in the Philippines. At the end of WWII just before the band were split up, using a single microphone they recorded a final performance to magnetic wire. Richard Burt he brought these recordings home and had them transferred to 78rpm discs. Burt squirrelled away these discs and were largely forgotten until they were rediscovered after he passed away.

In this episode I'm talking to Jason Burt about his grandfather Richard Burt.

Jason has made these recordings available, you can find them on Spotify and for sale with original home footage of the band at 746thfeaf.com

131 - Economists at War Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

Any long protracted conflict is reliant upon the resources that can be brought bear, in which case war is not just about military success. In this episode of the WW2 podcast we'll be looking at economics and the economists who shaped the second world war and the post war world.

This story goes beyond simply looking at treasury departments of the belligerent nations, the OSS had a department focusing on the economies of other countries, looking for weaknesses and economists used. Others used their mathematical brilliance in the development of the nuclear bomb.

I'm joined by Alan Bollard, author of Economists at War: How a Handful of Economists Helped Win and Lose the World Wars

Alan is a Professor of Economics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He formerly managed the APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation - the largest regional economic integration organisation in the world, and was previously the New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor, Secretary of the New Zealand Treasury, and Chairman of the New Zealand Commerce Commission.

130 - The Texel Uprising: Night of Bayonets Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

In previous episodes 77 and 55 we looked at foreign troops serving in the German army during WWII, in this episode we're going to be discussing the Georgians who came over from the Russian army to fight with the Wehrmacht. A large number of these men would eventually be posted to the Dutch island of Texel to man the Atlantic war. When the war in Europe ended on the 7th May 1945 the fighting on Texel would continue...

I'm joined by Eric Lee.

Eric is the author of Night of the Bayonets: The Texel Uprising and Hitler's Revenge, April-May 1945.

129 - The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign, November 1942–March 1943 Nov 15, 2020

Show notes

In episode 64 I discussed the start of the Guadalcanal-Solomons campaign with Jeffery Cox. We left that discussion of the campaign unfinished, the Americans were in control of the airfield on Guadalcanal but the Marines had no way secured the island. The US navy had suffered a number of serious losses, including the carrier Hornet and the carrier Enterprise had been seriously damaged forcing her to withdraw for repairs.

Jeff has now finished his second book in the series Blazing Star, Setting Sun, so I've got him back to talk about the end of the campaign on Guadalcanal.

128 - The Doolittle Raiders and their Fight for Justice Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

The skill and bravery of the Doolittle raiders during WWII, who bombed Tokyo in 1942 captured the American public's imagination, but not all the crews returned. Eight US flyers became Japanese prisoners of war who were tortured, put on trial for war crimes and found guilty… Not all of these men would make it home.

In this episode we're not going to be talking directly about the Doolittle raid but rather focus on the post war, war crimes trial of a number of the Japanese officers who were connected with the treatment of the Doolittle flyers that became Prisoners of War.

Joining me is Michel Paradis, author of Last Mission to Tokyo.

Michel is a specialist in International Law and Human Rights and has worked for over a decade with the US Department of Defence. He is also a lecturer at Columbia Law School.

127 - The Longest Campaign Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said there was only one campaign of the Second World War that gave him sleepless nights, that was the Battle of the Atlantic.

The Battle began on 3 September 1939 and lasted 2074 days until 8 May 1945, when Germany surrendered. With over 70,000 allied seamen killed, lost on 3,500 merchant vessels and 175 warships. This was the longest continuous campaign of the war.

Matched against them was the Kreigsmarine. While German surface ships would sally out, this campaign is known for the u-boats that would prey upon allied convoys.

Joining me today is Brian Walter, a retired army officer, recipient of the Excellence in Military History Award from the US Army Center for Military History and the Association of the United States Army. Brian is the Author of The Longest Campaign: Britain's Maritime Struggle in the Atlantic and Northwest Europe, 1939-45.

126 - The River Battles: Canada's Final Campaign in Italy Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

After D-Day, the spotlight on the allied fighting was focused on North West Europe, yet the fighting in Italy carried on often overlooked. In this episode we're going to be looking at the Canadians battling across what should have been good tank country at the end of 1944.

I'm joined by Canadian military historian Mark Zuehlke, author of 'The River Battles: Canada's Final Campaign in World War II Italy'.

If you want more of Mark and I chatting we discussed the Dieppe Raid, way back in episode 5!

125 - Mechanisation of British Cavalry Units and Tank Doctrine Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

In episode 107, I talked to Ian Mitchell about the Battle of the Peaks and Longstop Hill in North Africa. Ian subsequently emailed me suggesting I talk to Sam Wallace, a post graduate researcher at Leeds University, who was working on some interesting stuff; Sam's PhD is titled The Allied Sandbox: The Tunisian Campaign and the Development of Allied Warfighting Methods, 1942-43.

After chatting with Sam, we decided to look at his MA thesis which is titled Arme Blanche to Armoured Warfare: The Process of Mechanisation within the British Cavalry and the Construction of British Tank Doctrine, c.1925-45,which covers the interwar decision to mechanise the British cavalry arm, and the impacts this decision had on the resulting development of British armoured doctrine, regimental identity and the effectiveness of British armour in the Second World War.

It's a great episode, for patreons we've got almost another 30min of us discussing the universal tank and our opinions of Claude Auchinleck.

124 - Kais: Downed airmen in New Guinea Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

In 1944, Ira Barnet took off from an airfield in New Guinea. Flying a B-25 Mitchell, from the 48th Tactical Fight Squadron, Ira and the crew were on a regular mission to harry any Japanese shipping they came across. Attacking a barge the Japanese managed to get some luck shots on Ira's plane. Attempting to nurse the Mitchell back to base it became obvious the plane wasn't going to make it. Ira was forced to make an emergency landing in a jungle swamp, miles behind enemy lines.

In this episode we're looking at the ordeal the crew went through and the rescue mission that was launched in an attempt to bring the boys back home.

I'm joined by Bas Krueger.

Bas is an aviation historian and author of Kais, which recounts the story and Bas's own attempts to locate the B-25 over 70 years later...

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