438 A Bill of Goods
The China and Burma fronts remained relatively quiet for two years. That changed in 1944.
Mar 15, 2026•44 min•Season 4Ep. 438
The History of the Twentieth Century
A chronicle of the history of the twentieth century, including art, music, popular culture, science, religion, and, of course, politics and war.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
437 Where Do We Go From Here?
In this episode, we conclude the story of the American occupation of Saipan, while US commanders ponder the question of where to strike next.
Mar 01, 2026•40 min•Season 4Ep. 437
436 Too Good to Be True
When the Americans attacked Saipan, the Japanese saw a final opportunity to force that decisive battle they'd been yearning for.
Feb 22, 2026•48 min•Season 4Ep. 436
435 D Plus One
The initial Normandy invasions were moderately successful. Casualties were lighter than feared. But D-Day was not the end; it was only the beginning.
Feb 15, 2026•37 min•Season 4Ep. 435
434 The Longest Day III
We conclude our look at the Normandy invasion by examining events at Sword, Juno, Gold, and especially Omaha Beaches.
Feb 01, 2026•42 min•Season 4Ep. 434
433 The Longest Day II
In this episode we look at the Normandy amphibious landings generally, then focus on the US assault on Utah Beach.
Jan 25, 2026•37 min•Season 4Ep. 433
432 The Longest Day I
The Normandy landings began at dawn on June 6, 1944, but the night before three Allied airborne divisions were dropped into Normandy to help prepare the way for the amphibious landings.
Jan 11, 2026•41 min•Season 4Ep. 432
431 Bombing Your Allies
The German military was occupying many European countries, which put British and American bomber commanders in the awkward position of bombing nations that were supposedly their allies.
Jan 04, 2026•43 min•Season 4Ep. 431
430 Question Time II
In this Christmas bonus episode, I answer listener questions.
Dec 25, 2025•34 min•Season 4Ep. 430
429 The Fall of Rome
In May 1944, Allied forces in Italy began an offensive that finally broke the Gustav Line. Soon Americans were marching into Rome. At the same time, Allied forces in Britain were making final preparations for the invasion of France.
Dec 21, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 429
428 An Idea of Simple Genius
In this episode, we look at some of the preparations both sides' militaries were making for the coming invasion of France, as well as the tricky problem the Allies faced in keeping Charles de Gaulle on board.
Dec 14, 2025•40 min•Season 4Ep. 428
427 Half American
As America geared up for war, and then entered the war, African Americans fought to claim a role in the battle against fascism.
Dec 07, 2025•41 min•Season 4Ep. 427
426 Incomparably More Difficult
During the interwar period, African Americans pushed back against the US military's explicit racism.
Nov 30, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 426
425 Eight to the Bar
Boogie-woogie went mainstream in America during the war, as evidenced by the music of Glenn Miller and the Andrews Sisters.
Nov 16, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 425
424 From Z to A
The Americans were on the offensive in the Southwest Pacific, and after Tarawa, in the Central Pacific. As they advanced, Japanese military leaders scrambled to find a way to stop the Americans.
Nov 09, 2025•41 min•Season 4Ep. 424
423 Bodyguard of Lies
As soon as Allied leaders chose Normandy as the site of the Operation Overlord invasion, British intelligence set to work convincing the Germans that the invasion would be somewhere else.
Nov 02, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 424
422 A Stranded Whale
The Allied campaign in Italy stalled, and British and American leaders were searching for a way to break the stalemate on the peninsula. Winston Churchill suggested an amphibious invasion behing enemy lines.
Oct 26, 2025•40 min•Season 4Ep. 422
421 Two Strikes and You're Out
The war era (1939-45) saw the beginning of the end of the big band era. Part of this decline was due to two key strikes in the music industry.
Oct 12, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 421
420 A Contintent-Wide Crime
The Holocaust should not be viewed as strictly a Nazi project or even a German project. Millions of people across Europe share responsibility for those crimes.
Oct 05, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 420
419 Millions of Spectators
When Hitler learned that the Hungarian government was attempting to make a separate peace with the Allies, he ordered the German military to occupy Hungary, which was also the home of the largest surviving Jewish community in Axis-occupied Europe.
Sep 28, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 419
418 Bloody Tarawa
The US tries out a new strategy against Japan, but the American public is shocked by the cost.
Sep 21, 2025•37 min•Season 4Ep. 418
417 Over the Rainbow
A look at some prominent blues singers, plus Judy Garland and her most famous role, as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.
Sep 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 417
416 The Iron Gut of Europe
The Allies hoped their invasion of the Italian mainland would lead to a rapid occupation of Italy, but the Germans put up a defense that slowed their advance to a crawl.
Aug 31, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 416
415 Would They Obey You Any More Readily?
The German Army continued to retreat westward over the winter of 1943-44, abandoning most of Ukraine. Red Army pressure was relentless, not giving the Germans any opportunity to establish a strong defensive line.
Aug 24, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 415
414 The Teheran Conference
The Big Three--Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill--met and conferred together for the first time in November 1943. It was the most important meeting of world leaders since the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.
Aug 17, 2025•40 min•Season 4Ep. 414
413 Frankly, My Dear
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, created in 1924 by the merger of three film production companies, quickly rose to become the most successful studio of the era. The record box office for the 1939 film Gone with the Wind represents the studio at its height.
Aug 03, 2025•40 min•Season 4Ep. 413
412 Hero to Zero
The Japanese "Zero" fighter plane played an important role in Japan's amazing victories early in the Pacific war. But by 1943, the Zero (and its pilots) were falling behind their Allied counterparts.
Jul 27, 2025•40 min•Season 4Ep. 412
411 From the Top
Continuing from the previous episode, we examine events in multiple theaters in August-September 1943
Jul 20, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 411
410 Stranded on Plum Pudding Island
An eventful period in July-August 1943, when there were major developments on the Eastern Front, in the Mediterranean, and in the Pacific.
Jul 13, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 410
409 Famous Players in Famous Plays
The history of Paramount Pictures, one of the oldest and most prominent film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Jun 29, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 409
Hosted on Libsyn
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android