World War II with Tom Hanks

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The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann: Case Closed (from History's Greatest Mysteries) Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Introducing History's Greatest Mysteries—a new History Channel podcast from Rewind Studios—available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

At the end of World War II, many Nazi officials were captured and tried for their crimes. But one of the architects of the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann, slipped through the cracks… repeatedly eluding Nazi hunters from around the globe. How was Adolf Eichmann finally captured after fifteen years on the run?

Fall Out Jul 28, 2026

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The war is over, and the Allies are triumphant. The United States and the Soviet Union initially work together to establish a new world order, but over the course of the next four years these two nations will go from Allies of convenience to ideological adversaries, launching the next phase of global conflict under the shadow of nuclear war.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Michel Paradis, professor, Columbia University
Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
Timothy Naftali, senior research scholar, Columbia University
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Phillips O’Brien, professor, University of St. Andrews
Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Michael Kimmage, professor, Catholic University of America
Michael Neiberg, professor, US Army War College
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
A.J. Baime, journalist and author
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum

Endgame Jul 28, 2026

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The U.S. determines by early 1945 that Japan will never surrender and will need to be subdued by force. Newly sworn-in President Truman must authorize an invasion of the Japanese home islands at a terrible cost to American lives. Emperor Hirohito hopes to avoid the destruction of his land and people, but his generals are agitating for war. Both men seek a way out, but only one can deploy the most terrible weapon the world has ever seen.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Craig L. Symonds, military historian and author
Christopher Harding, senior lecturer, University of Edinburgh
Saul David, military historian and author
Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University
Yuki Tatsumi, senior director, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security
Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
A.J. Baime, journalist and author
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Bradley Hart, military historian, National WWII Museum
Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst

Last Days of the Reich Jul 21, 2026

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In the winter of 1944, as American and British armies are advancing across western Europe, Hitler plans one last major offensive attempt through the Ardennes forest - the Battle of the Bulge - to swing the tide of the war back in Germany’s favor. Meanwhile, the Soviet Red Army is swiftly moving across Eastern Europe to fulfill Stalin’s ultimate wish of taking Berlin.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
James Holland, military historian and author
Dr. Peter Lieb, military historian and author
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
Paul Woodadge, author and Normandy battlefield guide
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Michel Paradis, professor, Columbia University
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
Sean McMeekin, professor, Bard College
Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster

No Surrender Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

In 1944-45, as Allied victory in Europe seems all but assured, the fighting in the Pacific intensifies. The U.S. and Japan suffer terrible losses in the Philippines and on Iwo Jima. Roosevelt understands what ordinary Americans are only beginning to realize: in a clash between a nation which demands unconditional surrender and a nation which refuses to surrender, the worst is still to come.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
A.J. Baime, journalist and author
Bradley Hart, military historian, National WWII Museum
Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University
Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst
Anand Toprani, military historian, U.S. Naval War College
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Martin Morgan, military historian and author

Resistance Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression has been a constant throughout the war. In the summer of 1944, two cities revolt against the Nazis but meet very different outcomes. And some, living and dying through the Holocaust, take their fate into their own hands and mount organized resistance in the direst of circumstances.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
Michael Neiberg, professor, US Army War College
Marco Aterrano, associate professor, University of Naples Federico II
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
Anand Toprani, military historian, U.S. Naval War College
James Bulgin, historian, Imperial War Museum
Rebecca Erbelding, historian, United States Holocaust Museum

Home Front Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

As the tide begins to turn against the Axis powers, the leaders of Germany and Japan deploy opposite strategies on their home fronts. Hitler and his propaganda minister do everything in their power to shield the German people from the war, while Hideki Tojo asks the Japanese to sacrifice more and more to support the war effort. But both governments’ demands of their people will grow more intense – and deadly.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
Nicholas Stargardt, historian and author
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Sheldon Garon, professor, Princeton University
Yuki Tatsumi, senior director, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security
Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
Jeremy Yellen, historian and author
Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University
Bradley Hart, military historian, National WWII Museum
Louise Young, professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

How Higgins and His Boats Won the War (from HISTORY This Week) Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

For more stories just like these, check out HISTORY This Week wherever you get your podcasts.

June 6, 1944. As thousands of Allied soldiers prepare to storm the beaches of Normandy, they climb down rope nets into small wooden landing craft bobbing in the dark waters of the English Channel. Within hours, these boats will carry them into the largest amphibious invasion in history.

The craft are known as Higgins boats, named for their inventor, Andrew Higgins: a hard-driving New Orleans boatbuilder who built his reputation designing vessels that could speed through swamps, crash through obstacles, and go places other boats couldn't. Higgins was stubborn, abrasive, and relentless. The Navy repeatedly dismissed his ideas. He refused to go away.

How does a small-time New Orleans boatbuilder force his way into the military industrial complex? And what exactly is so special about these boxy little Higgins boats?

Special thanks to Dr. John Curatola, Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. His book is Armies Afloat: How the Development of Amphibious Operations in Europe Helped Win World War II.

You can find the rest of the books we used to research this episode at historythisweekpodcast.com.

Long Road to Tokyo Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

The B-29 bomber is the Allies’ best chance to strike Japan, and they turn to China as a potential air base. But Japan launches its largest land offensive of the war to gain control of Asia, leading to brutal fighting in the jungles and plains of South Asia. All the while, the U.S. Navy is speeding through the Pacific towards the Mariana Islands, another potential future B-29 base.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst
A.J. Baime, journalist and author
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
James Holland, military historian and author
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University

Overlord Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

After years of discussion over how to take the fight directly to Germany, the Allies set a target for a cross-channel invasion: Normandy, spring of 1944. But the road to Operation Overlord is no easy journey, with Hitler lying in wait. For the Allies, it’s a race to pull off one of the most complicated operations in military history.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):