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PODCAST

The WW2 Podcast

A military history podcast that looks at all aspects of WWII. With WW2 slipping from living memory I aim to look at different historical aspects of the Second World War.

history

All Episodes

38:00

301 - A Canadian in Stalin's Army

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/04/01

How does a Canadian end up fighting in the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War? My guest today is Scott Bury, and we're going to tell the remarkable story of his relative, Maurice Bury — a Canadian citizen who found himself caught in Eastern Europe when war broke out. Drafted into the Red Army in 1941, he fought against the German invasion, survived a brutal POW camp, escaped, joined the resistance in Nazi-occupied Ukraine, and was later forced back into the Soviet army for the final push

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40:33

300 - Exploding Rats and the Devices of SOE

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/03/22

James Bond may have Q Branch supplying him with ingenious gadgets, but during the Second World War the agents of the Special Operations Executive had something just as remarkable — the SOE Camouflage Section. This secret unit developed ingenious ways to hide weapons, radios, explosives and documents inside everyday objects, from oil cans and firewood to record players and tubes of toothpaste, helping agents operate behind enemy lines under the watchful eyes of the Gestapo. My guest today is Craig

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45:31

299 - Berlin, 1939-45

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/03/15

In this episode, I am joined by Ian Buruma to talk about life in Berlin during the Second World War. Rather than focusing on the regime at the top or the battles fought far from the city, we look at how ordinary people experienced daily life as war, repression, bombing, and fear increasingly shaped everything around them. Our conversation centres on what it meant to survive in wartime Berlin, how behaviour and attitudes changed over time, and how the city moved from uneasy normality to catastrophe

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55:18

298 - The Long Death of Adolf Hitler

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/03/08

In April 1945, as the Third Reich collapsed around him, Adolf Hitler died in the Führerbunker in Berlin. It is one of the most famous deaths in modern history and yet, in many ways, one of the least securely witnessed. There was no public body, no official announcement at the moment it happened, and no single, uncontested account. What followed was confusion, rumour, investigation, and decades of speculation. Today I am joined by historian Caroline Sharples to talk about the death of Hitler itself

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44:51

297 - Pearl Harbor: Japan's Greatest Disaster

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/03/01

Pearl Harbor is often remembered as a stunning Japanese success, a perfectly executed surprise attack that changed the course of the Second World War. But what if that familiar story is wrong? In this episode, I am joined by now regular of the podcast Mark Stille to rethink one of the most famous events of the war. His book Pearl Harbor: Japan's Greatest Disaster argues that the attack was not a masterstroke at all, but a tactical disappointment, an operational failure, and ultimately a strategic

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49:09

296 - British Brigadiers, 1940

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/02/15

For this episode, I am joined by Philip McCarty to discuss his book Point of Failure: British Army Brigadiers in France and Norway, 1940 . It is a study of the brigadiers who served in France and Norway in 1940. Rather than focusing on campaign narratives, Philip examines the men who held this rank. Their backgrounds. Their training. The influence of networks, regimental culture and staff college upon their careers. And what happened to them after the defeats in France and Norway? This is a fresh

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50:54

295 - Inside the Siege of Warsaw

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/02/08

In September 1939, during the German invasion of Poland, American photographer and film-maker Julien Bryan became the only foreign journalist to remain inside Warsaw during the Nazi siege. While other correspondents fled, Bryan stayed in the city, documenting the Siege of Warsaw from the streets, hospitals and civilian shelters as German bombs fell. Bryan's photographs and film captured the impact of the Second World War on civilians, showing wounded men, women and children, devastated

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49:58

294 - Churchills Forgotten Generals: Slim, Auchinleck...

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/02/01

Today, we are heading back to the Burma campaign, but through a slightly different lens. Rather than focusing on a single battle or operation, we examine three men who shaped how the war in Burma was fought and ultimately won. When people think of British commanders in the Far East, one name usually stands out: Bill Slim. His leadership of the Fourteenth Army and the victories at Imphal, Kohima and the advance into Burma rightly secure his place among Britain's most successful wartime commanders

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50:54

293 - Allied POWs in WWII

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/01/15

This episode looks at a very different side of the Second World War. Not the battlefield, but captivity. It focuses on the experiences of Allied prisoners of war held in German camps and how they tried to survive, adapt, and maintain a sense of purpose behind barbed wire. I am joined by Midge Gillies, author of The Barbed Wire University. A newly revised edition was released in 2025. Her book explores the lives Allied POWs led in captivity, from the routines and hardships of camp life to the ways

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45:04

292 - The War Chest of Colonel Kreps

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/01/11

In this episode, I talk with Erik Kreps about a remarkable family mystery. Erik's grandfather, Colonel Kenneth Ray Kreps, served in the Second World War, and after returning home, he sealed his wartime belongings in a chest with the instruction that it was not to be opened until after his death. For decades, the chest remained closed, and no one in the family knew what it contained. After Colonel Kreps died, the chest was put into storage and almost forgotten. At one point, it was nearly auctioned

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48:51

291 - Far East RAF Liberators

The WW2 Podcast ·

2026/01/01

RAF Liberator bombing operations in India, Burma, and Thailand remain one of the least explored air campaigns of the Second World War. Flying long-range missions from Bengal, RAF crews attacked Japanese targets across Southeast Asia, including the infamous Thailand-Burma Railway, under demanding and often dangerous conditions. In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I am talking to historian Matt Poole, author of Far East RAF Liberators: Attacking the Japanese: Roy Andrews and 215 Squadron. Together,

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01:16:56

290 - Your WWII Questions Answered

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/12/24

For this episode of the podcast, we are doing something a little different. Rather than focusing on a single subject, we open the floor to your questions. Over the past few weeks, podcast patrons were invited to submit questions they had always wanted to ask about the Second World War. These range from strategy and leadership to memory, myth and the smaller details that continue to provoke curiosity today. To help answer those questions, I am joined by two returning guests. John McManus is a

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01:03:35

289 - Charles De Gaulle

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/12/15

Charles de Gaulle remains one of the most distinctive figures to emerge from the Second World War. Soldier, writer, leader in exile, and later the creator of the Fifth Republic, he played a central role in reshaping modern France. His relationship with Winston Churchill, their shared struggle during the war, and the influence both men continued to wield long after the fighting ended make him a fascinating subject. In this episode, I speak with historian Richard Vinen, author of Last of the Titans:

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24:10

288 - Beyond Burma: The Forgotten Armies

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/12/08

The fighting in Burma during the Second World War was among the most demanding of the entire conflict. Soldiers faced dense jungle, monsoon rains, disease, and a determined enemy — conditions that made the campaign both brutal and complex. Yet for decades, Burma remained one of the least remembered theatres of the war. The men who fought there — British, Indian, African, and Burmese — became known as the "Forgotten Armies." A new exhibition at the National Army Museum in London, Beyond Burma:

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40:26

287 - Tunisgrad: The Battle for Tunisia and the Fall...

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/12/01

By late 1942, after the success of Operation Torch, the Allies had finally gained a foothold in North Africa. What followed was a hard-fought and often overlooked campaign in Tunisia. For six months, British, American, and French forces battled determined Axis troops for control of the last corner of Africa held by Germany and Italy. It was a campaign marked by tough lessons, uneasy cooperation, and moments of heroism — one that would shape how the Allies fought together for the rest of the war. In

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53:45

286 - Rhineland, 1944-45

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/11/24

By the autumn of 1944, the Allies had driven across France and Belgium and reached the borders of Germany. Ahead of them lay the Rhine — a vast natural barrier and the last line of defence protecting the heart of the Reich. What followed was some of the most intense and costly fighting of the war in Western Europe. From the bitter battles around Aachen and the Hürtgen Forest, through the crossing operations of Plunder and Varsity, to the dramatic capture of the bridge at Remagen, the campaign for

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36:14

285 - The Nuremberg Psychiatrist

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/11/15

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Allies brought twenty-four of Hitler's most senior figures to justice at Nuremberg. Among them was Hermann Göring — once Hitler's designated heir and still a commanding presence, even in defeat. Before the trial began, the U.S. Army assigned a young psychiatrist, Captain Douglas Kelley, to assess whether these men were mentally fit to stand trial. For Kelley, it was the professional opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to explore the minds of the Nazi

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01:01:39

284 - Renault FT Tank

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/11/07

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I'm joined by Robby Houben from the Belgian Royal Military Museum to discuss the Renault FT. This small but revolutionary French tank changed armoured warfare. Designed during the First World War, the FT introduced the fully rotating turret and tracked layout that became the blueprint for every tank that followed. We talk about its design, its service life between the wars, and how it was still seeing action when the Second World War began. You can see an original

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42:28

283 - General Lucian Truscott

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/11/01

General Lucian K. Truscott was one of the United States Army's most capable commanders of the Second World War. Known for his aggressive leadership and determination, Truscott led American forces in North Africa, Sicily, at Anzio, and later in southern France and Germany. Despite his impressive record, he remains one of the lesser-known U.S. generals of World War Two. In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I'm joined by military historian Glyn Harper, emeritus professor of war studies at Massey

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36:53

282 - The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945

The WW2 Podcast ·

2025/10/22

In early 1945, the Allies were advancing in Burma after their hard-won victories at Kohima and Imphal. The focus shifted to the Arakan, a region of dense jungle, mangrove swamps, and unforgiving terrain. For the men sent there, disease, supply difficulties, and the monsoon were as formidable as the Japanese defenders. Among the formations deployed was Britain’s 3 Commando Brigade, working alongside Indian and West African divisions of XV Corps in a campaign that tested endurance as much as combat

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