The dramatic quarrel between the leader of the Free French forces - Charles de Gaulle and Philippe Pétain - head of Vichy France, during the dark days of the 1940's, was in many ways a struggle for the very future of France. Joining Patrick to discuss what divided these two men, why they followed the paths they did, and also what they held in common, is leading historian on the subject Julian Jackson. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Produce...
Aug 07, 2024•53 min
Returning their focus to events on the ground, Patrick and Saul discuss the latest developments on the battlefield. With the F-16's finally arriving in Ukraine, Russia continuing costly assaults amid massive naval drills involving the majority of its fleet, and aspects of the war spreading to Mali in Africa. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...
Aug 01, 2024•36 min
In the second of our two part series on the attempts to Assassinate Hitler, Saul and Roger discuss the most famous attempt on Hitler's life - the July bomb plot. Made famous in recent years with the success of the film Valkyrie, in which Tom Cruise stars as German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Together they discuss the key protagonists in the plot, as well as the wider plan to seize power in the Third Reich should the assassination be successful. If you have any thoughts or questions, you...
Jul 31, 2024•59 min
This week Saul and Patrick digest another week of drama in the world of US politics, with the tardy but sensible decision by President Joe Biden to withdraw from the US presidential race on Sunday in favour of his much younger Vice President, Kamala Harris. Which begs two questions. Can she beat Donald Trump to the presidency? And if she does, what will this mean for Ukraine? If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitte...
Jul 26, 2024•30 min
In the first of two episodes on the attempts to assassinate Hitler, Saul is joined by close friend of the show, Roger Moorhouse. Together they discuss the numerous different discussions, plans, and attempts that were made to take out the Nazi leader. Ranging from derailing Hitler's train, to targeting him at his Bavarian Alpine retreat, they talk through the failed attempts and also look at the dilemmas faced as to whether or not targeting Hitler was even a good idea at all. If you have any thou...
Jul 24, 2024•44 min
This week to help Patrick and Saul assess what has been a dramatic past week, and to make some sense of it, they welcome back to the podcast veteran journalist and political commentator Robert Fox. They also take a look at Trump's choice for Vice President - should he be elected - J.D. Vance - and what his appointment could mean for European security. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Lear...
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr
With the Allied armies now in France, the fate of Paris and it's inhabitants was in the air, for many residents, even those who had so far co-operated or even actively helped the occupying Germans, had tough decisions to make - keep their heads down or rise up. In this episode Patrick and Saul speak live from the Chalke History festival, taking the story of Paris onwards from where it was left last week, to its liberation in august 1944. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them t...
Jul 17, 2024•55 min
In this latest episode of Battleground Ukraine, Saul and Patrick take a look at the latest developments from the war in Ukraine and discuss what is likely to come out from Nato’s 75th anniversary conference in Washington D.C. They also look at responses to a question from last week, concerning the relationship between relatives in Ukraine and Russia and how the war has strained these family ties. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: Ja...
Jul 12, 2024•34 min
In the first of two episodes Patrick delves into the remarkable tale of the events in French capital Paris during the Second World War, a place at the time was one of the most significant cultural and political hubs in the world. Drawing on his knowledge from his new book Paris '44: The Shame and the Glory Patrick sets out the scene of the capital under occupation in the lead up to liberation. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James...
Jul 10, 2024•43 min
This week Saul and Patrick will be concentrating on three elections whose outcomes will have profound effects on the war in Ukraine. The British general election which took place on Thursday, the French parliamentary elections, the second round of which will be held on Sunday and the US presidential elections where the balance has been tipped in Donald Trump’s favour following the televised presidential debate, which has caused turmoil inside the Democratic Party over whether President Joe Biden...
Jul 05, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 175
The conditions for allied servicemen in Japanese prisoner of war camps were notoriously brutal, with the pow's having to deal with malnutrition, rampant diseases, and cruelty at the hands of their captors. Joining Patrick to discuss his farther's experiences after he was captured by the Japanese at Signapore is Simon de Wardener. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad c...
Jul 03, 2024•34 min
This week key Trump advisors revealed that if the Donald becomes president, he will threaten to cut weapons supplies to Ukraine as part of a plan to end the war. Meanwhile in Britain, Nigel Farage has doubled down on his comments after saying that the ‘ever-eastward expansion of NATO and the EU ‘ had given Vladimir Putin a reason to justify his invasion of Ukraine, by adding that he was "sceptical" that Ukraine could ever win the war. Patrick and Saul discuss what this means for the war in Ukrai...
Jun 28, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 173
A matter of weeks after the western allies landed on the beaches in Normandy and began their offensive in the west of Europe, the Soviet Red Army began a larger and probably more significant offensive on the Eastern front - Operation Bagration. Joining Patrick to discuss the epic strategic offensive operation is broadcasting legend Jonathan Dimbleby, who has just written about it in his latest book Endgame 1944: How Stalin Won The War If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to -...
Jun 26, 2024•44 min
This week Vladimir Putin met with fellow autocrat - the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un in another public demonstration of what is being touted as another step in the construction of a new security block to challenge the dominance of the West. Patrick and Saul discuss what this means for the war in Ukraine and how worried should we be? To help them answer this they talk to Roger Boyes, veteran foreign correspondent and very distinguished Diplomatic Editor of the London Times. If you have any t...
Jun 21, 2024•50 min
In this episode of Battleground '44, Saul speaks to former SAS troop commander Tom Petch - author of the book Speed, Aggression, Surprise: The Untold Secret Origins of the SAS. Together they discuss the role the SAS played in the second world war and in particular the role they played in operation Overlord. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...
Jun 19, 2024•42 min
In a special bonus episode Patrick and Saul speak to Russian-American Ilya Nuzov, who is the Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Ilya and his team have submitted a Communication under Article 15 of the Rome Statute to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), drawing the Court’s attention to the criminal nature of hate speech in Russian media that has fuelled international crimes in Ukraine, and seek...
Jun 17, 2024•32 min
This week Saul and Patrick look at the interesting developments that have emerged both on and off the battlefield. Noticeably the results of the relaxation of the use of western weapons by Ukraine inside Russia proper, and the success of far-right parties in the recent EU elections, particularly in Germany and France - which could potentially result in declining EU support for Ukraine. We also have some fascinating correspondence from our cyber security expert David Alexander, who highlights the...
Jun 14, 2024•33 min
In this latest episode of Battleground '44, Patrick tells us of the heroic stand made by American airborne forces at the small Normandy village of Graignes, in the often forgotten and overlooked Battle of Graignes. However, there is a darker side of the story with the sobering details of the brutal reprisals that the German SS division son inflicted on the innocent villagers and injured American servicemen once they retook the village. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to ...
Jun 12, 2024•37 min
This week Saul and Patrick discuss the recent and significant escalation in the Ukraine conflict, that is the decision by the US and other Nato countries to allow the long range weapons they have given Ukraine to be used to strike Russia inside its own territory. Joining them to look at the emerging consequences of this, Saul and Patrick speak to friend of the Podcast Askold Kruchelnycky from Kyiv. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: ...
Jun 07, 2024•46 min
This week as we hit the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Patrick is joined by friend of the podcast Tim Butcher. Tim tells the story of the capture of Pegasus bridge by D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, who were lead by a friend of his farther Major John Howard. The successful capture of the bridges played a crucial role in limiting German counter-attacks in the aftermath of the Normandy invasion, and is considered pivotal to the success of the Allied...
Jun 05, 2024•39 min
This week on Battleground: Ukraine, Saul and Patrick discuss the big news from this past week - that the NATO Parliamentary Assembly has called on members states to lift prohibitions against Ukraine using Western-provided weapons to strike targets in Russia proper. Additionally, they dive into new information about the foiled assassination plots on leading members in Ukraine's government and armed forces. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Pro...
May 31, 2024•37 min
The assault phase of D-Day - Operation Neptune, was one of the most complex amphibious operations in history, involving 7,000 ships and nearly 200,000 men. But despite this immense effort, the wider naval campaign has been broadly forgotten. In this episode of Battleground '44 Saul speaks to Naval historian Nick Hewitt and author of the fantastic new book, Normandy: the Sailors' Story: A Naval History of D-Day and the Battle for France. Nick tells us how, without the efforts of the naval campaig...
May 29, 2024•42 min
In this episode of Battleground: Ukraine Saul is again joined by Roger Moorhouse to discuss the latest set of intriguing developments emerging from the war in Ukraine in the last week. They discuss the frustration that is rising as the US refuses to allow its donated weapons to be used in strikes on targets inside Russia’s borders and answer some fascinating listeners questions including - could Germany send submarines to Ukraine? If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - pod...
May 24, 2024•43 min
In our latest edition of Battleground '44 Patrick turns to the world of espionage, looking at the extraordinary story of British MI6 agent of Wilfred Biffy Dunderdale. To help Patrick he speaks to his Biographer Tim Spicer who tells his story of the complicated intrigues of the world of intelligence, and the remarkable achievements he managed to achieve in the Second World War. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twit...
May 22, 2024•33 min
With all eyes on Kharkiv and the battle to the east of Ukraine’s second city, Saul and Patrick assess this latest development as it takes on huge political, military and symbolic significance. They also look at the recent shake up at the top of the Russian military hierarchy with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu being replaced with a relative unknown Andrei Belousov. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBat...
May 17, 2024•34 min
On this episode of Battleground '44 Saul speaks to friend of the show Evan Mawdsley about the subject of his new book -The Battle of the Philippine Sea. The often overlooked battle was one of the major naval battles of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbat...
May 15, 2024•53 min
This week Saul is joined by Roger Moorhouse who is stepping in for Patrick to discuss this week's news coming from the war in Ukraine. The big story is that Ukraine’s intelligence service has foiled a Russian-led plot to assassinate President Zelensky by arresting two colonels in the president’s security team. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas...
May 10, 2024•42 min
In our latest instalment of our Warlords series, Saul speaks to good friend of the show expert historian and occasional co-host of Battleground Roger Moorhouse about the most infamous of all the war leaders from the Second World War - Adolf Hitler. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 08, 2024•43 min
A week after the US Congress finally voted to release £61 billion in military aid for Ukraine, Patrick and Saul take a look at the latest news from the war in Ukraine. Positively there are signs that Russia’s recent advances on the battlefield are slowing down. but less encouraging are reports in the Western media that US officials have resumed discussing the idea of “freezing the lines”. Patrick also speaks to Pauline Amos who has written, directed and performed in 'Branded' an Anglo/Ukrainian ...
May 03, 2024•46 min
In this episode of Battleground 44' we return to our warlord series to look at the figure who many historians consider the greatest American president of the 20th century - Franklin D. Roosevelt. To help Patrick and Saul look into perhaps one of the important figures of the second world war they speak to award winning American historian Evan Mawdsley. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Lear...
May 01, 2024•55 min
