448 Keep Calm and Carry On
The British had to deal with many more shortages of food and fuel and consumer goods than did Americans. And they had to worry about the Luftwaffe.
Jun 14, 2026•41 min•Season 4Ep. 448
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.
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Episodes
447 Don't You Know There's a War On?
The war put Americans in the unfamiliar position of enduring limits on what they could buy or eat, even how much they could drive their cars.
Jun 07, 2026•40 min•Season 4Ep. 447
446 Is Paris Burning?
The Allies invade southern France, close the Falaise pocket, and the German line collapses. Soon the Allies are advancing on Paris.
May 24, 2026•49 min•Season 4Ep. 446
445 Breakout and Pursuit
When Patton's Third Army broke through the front line, the Germans had a serious problem.
May 17, 2026•43 min•Season 4Ep. 445
444 Tempest
The Polish Home Army makes a last-ditch effort to assert the authority of the government in exile, while Romania successfully switches sides.
May 10, 2026•43 min•Season 4Ep. 444
443 Shoot the Works
Hitler exacts retribution for the assassination attempt against him, while in France, the Americans break out of Normandy.
Apr 26, 2026•42 min•Season 4Ep. 443
442 Make Peace, You Fools
Bloody inconclusive fighting in Normandy, and the Democratic Party nominates Roosevelt for a fourth term.
Apr 19, 2026•41 min•Season 4Ep. 442
441 The Plot to Assassinate Hitler
There had been grumbling about Hitler in the Army since 1938, but by 1944 a group of officers were determined to get rid of him and overthrow the Nazi government.
Apr 12, 2026•56 min•Season 4Ep. 441
440 The Destruction of Army Group Center
The Soviet summer offensive of 1944, "Operation Bagration," costs the German Army virtually an entire army group.
Mar 29, 2026•37 min•Season 4Ep. 440
439 Doctor Win-the-War
In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt's health began to fail, while Stalin made good on his pledge to begin a Soviet offensive in June.
Mar 22, 2026•40 min•Season 4Ep. 439
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
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
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