History of the Second World War

23:06

Listener Questions Pt. 8

History of the Second World War ·

2026/10/02

More strategic bombing discussion, how did merchant shipping work, occupied economies, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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21:46

277: War at Sea '41 Pt. 15 - The End of the Bismarck

History of the Second World War ·

2026/09/30

After days of pursuit, King George V and Rodney finally close with the crippled Bismarck in the stormy Atlantic. This episode follows the brutal final battle from the opening salvos through the destruction of Bismarck's guns and superstructure, the British battleships' point-blank bombardment, and Dorsetshire's torpedo attack as Germany's most powerful warship slips beneath the waves. Credit Logo Image:

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23:34

276: War at Sea '41 Pt. 14 - Wounded Beast

History of the Second World War ·

2026/09/23

With Bismarck crippled and unable to steer after the Ark Royal's torpedo attack, the German battleship's crew struggles through flooding, failed repairs, and growing exhaustion while both German commanders ashore and British forces at sea prepare for the inevitable final encounter. This episode follows the messages that revealed the ship's desperate condition, the nighttime attacks by Captain Vian's destroyers—including Piorun's bold challenge—and the convergence of King George V and Rodney before

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29:56

275: War at Sea '41 Pt. 13 - Lucky Strike

History of the Second World War ·

2026/09/16

After Bismarck slips away from her British pursuers, the Royal Navy launches a desperate search before dwindling fuel supplies force the chase to end. This episode follows the intelligence breakthrough that reveals the battleship's course, the Ark Royal Swordfish strike that mistakenly attacks HMS Sheffield, and the second attack that cripples Bismarck's steering and seals her fate.Credit Logo Image:

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25:35

Listener Questions. Pt 7

History of the Second World War ·

2026/09/11

Greece, First World War Blockade Breaking, Crete, and WW2 Main Battery shell reliability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

24:43

274: War at Sea '41 Pt. 12 - On a Wing and a Prayer

History of the Second World War ·

2026/09/09

With Bismarck damaged and making for France, the Royal Navy concentrated an enormous collection of ships to contain and destroy her while Admiral Lütjens worked to release Prinz Eugen and escape his pursuers. This episode follows Bismarck’s clash with the shadowing force, the inexperienced aircrews of HMS Victorious launching their torpedo attack, and the maneuver that finally allowed the German battleship to disappear from British radar. Credit Logo Image:

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24:48

273: War at Sea '41 Pt. 11 - The End of the Mighty Hood

History of the Second World War ·

2026/09/02

The Battle of the Denmark Strait opened with British fire directed at the wrong German ship before Bismarck and Prinz Eugen concentrated their guns on Hood. This episode follows Hood’s catastrophic destruction, Prince of Wales’s withdrawal, the damage inflicted on Bismarck, and Admiral Lütjens’s decision to abandon the commerce-raiding mission and make for France while the Royal Navy remained in pursuit.Credit Logo Image:

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25:42

272: War at Sea '41 Pt. 10 - On the Eve of Battle

History of the Second World War ·

2026/08/26

As Hood and Prince of Wales raced toward Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, worsening weather, uncertain contact reports, and the limitations of Hood’s armor shaped Admiral Holland’s plan of attack. This episode follows the tense final hours before the Battle of the Denmark Strait, from preparations aboard all four ships to the identification error that sent the British guns toward the wrong target as the order to open fire was given.Credit Logo Image:

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21:33

271: War at Sea '41 Pt. 9 - Found and Followed

History of the Second World War ·

2026/08/19

As Bismarck and Prinz Eugen entered the Denmark Strait, the cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk made contact and began the difficult task of shadowing them through fog, ice, and dangerous proximity to the German guns. This episode follows the first exchanges of the pursuit, the radar limitations confronting both sides, and the Royal Navy’s race to position its forces for the battle ahead.Credit Logo Image:

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27:03

270: War at Sea '41 Pt. 8 - The Operation Begins

History of the Second World War ·

2026/08/14

As Bismarck and Prinz Eugen departed for the Atlantic, British reconnaissance exposed their presence in Norway and set the Royal Navy’s response in motion. This episode follows the German ships through their final preparations and dash toward the Denmark Strait while examining the severe endurance constraints, aging warships, and untested crews that shaped Britain’s pursuit.Credit Logo Image:

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24:15

269: War at Sea '41 Pt. 7 - This Seems Risky

History of the Second World War ·

2026/08/06

In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck prepared for its first and only wartime cruise into the Atlantic. This episode examines the strategic pressures behind Operation Rheinübung, the compromises that left Bismarck and Prinz Eugen without the support originally envisioned, and Admiral Günther Lütjens’s growing concern that the mission placed Germany’s most powerful warship at unacceptable risk."One scam can cost you everything. Protect yourself now. The first 100 users get 20% off with

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24:59

Listener Questions Pt. 6

History of the Second World War ·

2026/08/04

Geography, German Success in Russia, Economies, and much more in this listener question episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visitmegaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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26:35

268: War at Sea '41 Pt. 6 - Aces Down

History of the Second World War ·

2026/07/29

This episode follows the Battle of the Atlantic through the costly weeks of March 1941, when Germany lost three of its most celebrated U-boat commanders: Günther Prien, Joachim Schepke, and Otto Kretschmer. It examines the expanding British convoy-escort system, the battle surrounding convoy HX-112, and the decisions that pushed Dönitz to disperse his boats farther west and toward West Africa. Those losses marked the end of one phase of the U-boat war, even as rising German production and the

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27:35

267: War at Sea '41 Pt. 5 - The Undersea Hunters

History of the Second World War ·

2026/07/23

This episode shifts the focus of the naval war from German surface raiders to the U-boats, tracing why they became the central German weapon in the Battle of the Atlantic and why there were still too few of them in late 1940 and early 1941. It covers the effect of French Atlantic bases, the construction of U-boat pens, cooperation with Fw-200 Condors, early combined attacks on convoys, and the contrasting struggles of British Coastal Command. The episode ends with the return of celebrated U-boat

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24:27

266: War at Sea '41 Pt. 4 - The End of Operation Berlin

History of the Second World War ·

2026/07/17

Operation Berlin reaches its conclusion as Scharnhorst and Gneisenau continue their Atlantic cruise, repeatedly finding merchant shipping but also repeatedly being checked by the presence of British battleships. This episode follows Lütjens through further searches, missed opportunities, encounters with Malaya and Rodney, and the final run into Brest, before turning to the RAF attacks that badly damaged Gneisenau and disrupted the Kriegsmarine's plans for an even larger surface-raiding operation

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24:32

265: War at Sea '41 Pt. 3 - Operation Berlin

History of the Second World War ·

2026/07/13

In early 1941, the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau set out on Operation Berlin, an attempt to break into the Atlantic and strike at Britain's convoy lifeline. This episode follows Admiral Günther Lütjens as he weighs weather, fuel, British patrols, and strict orders against the promise of a major commerce-raiding success, while also examining how the absence of German carrier aviation limited what the surface fleet could accomplish. When the two battleships finally found convoy HX-106,

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23:24

Listener Question Pt. 5

History of the Second World War ·

2026/07/02

Start off this one with a few quick hitters, then a question that takes 15 minutes to answer. Allied invasion of France in 1942? That Churchill guy you may have heard of? How did occupied economies work?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

24:02

264: War at Sea '41 Pt. 2 - Cruisers Attack

History of the Second World War ·

2026/07/01

This episode examines Germany's auxiliary cruisers and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper as they carried the commerce war into distant shipping lanes during 1940 and early 1941. It follows the disguised merchant raiders that forced the Royal Navy to disperse its strength around the globe, then traces the Hipper's design limitations, encounters with convoys WS-5A and SLS-64, and repeated mechanical setbacks. Together, their operations reveal both the reach and the limitations of Germany's

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25:34

263: War At Sea '41 Pt. 1 - The Surface Raiders

History of the Second World War ·

2026/06/25

This episode begins a new look at the German surface raiding campaign of late 1940 and early 1941, when the Kriegsmarine tried to use cruisers and battleships to threaten Britain's Atlantic lifelines. We trace how the fall of France transformed Germany's naval options, why ports like Brest and St. Nazaire mattered, how intelligence shaped the hunt on both sides, and how the Admiral Scheer's attack on Convoy HX-84 forced the Royal Navy to rethink convoy protection just before the campaign reached its

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25:30

262: Crete Pt. 7 - Another Defeat; Another Victory

History of the Second World War ·

2026/06/17

The evacuation from Crete reaches its final stage as British, Commonwealth, and Greek forces try to escape through Sphakia while others are left behind at Rethymno and across the island. This episode follows the difficult choices made by commanders and naval crews, the losses suffered by the Royal Navy, the surrender and occupation that followed, and the way the defeat shaped later judgments of Freyberg, Churchill, and the battle itself.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

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