Podcasts by The Second World War
A Podcast all about the second world war hosted by Stephen Bedard.
Further podcasts by Stephen Bedard
Podcast on the topic Gesellschaft und Kultur
All episodes
34 - Operation Exporter: Britain vs France from 2023-09-02T23:24:07
When we think of areas of operations during the Second World War, we often do not think of the Middle East. But in the summer of 1941, there was indeed some significant combat in Syria and Leban...
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33 - The Battle of the Atlantic: Chapter One from 2023-06-17T21:06:34
In this first chapter of the Battle of the Atlantic, we catch up with what was happening in the Atlantic Ocean. Germany was trying to cut off Britain from all outside support by targeting shippi...
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32 - Greece Lightning: The German Invasion of Greece from 2023-02-21T18:09:21
On the same day that the Germans invaded Yugoslavia, they also invaded Greece. Even with Allied support, the Germans pushed through all defences. In this episode, we look at the invasion of the ...
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31 - An Unexpected Journey: A Conversation With John Livens from 2022-08-06T00:47:51
Imagine living through a Soviet occupation. And then having the Nazis replace the Soviets. And then having the Soviets return and eject the Nazis. And all this while only a child. John Livens sh...
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30 - The April War: The Invasion of Yugoslavia from 2022-07-13T16:48:29
In April of 1941, Germany, along with Italian and Hungarian allies, invaded Yugoslavia. This was part of German's actions in the Balkans that would include the invasion of Greece. In this episod...
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29 - The Siege of Malta from 2022-06-24T00:26:10
The Italians failed to take Malta. Could the Germans do better? They needed to neutralize this island to allow supplies to reach North Africa. However, the British stubbornly held onto Malta and...
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28 - Enter the Desert Fox from 2022-05-24T18:40:14
In a previous episode, we saw Italy struggle in its ambitions in North Africa. Could Germany succeed where Italy failed? In this episode, we look at the arrival of General Erwin Rommel and his a...
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27 - Catching Up With Japan: China Strikes Back from 2022-05-05T20:07:32
We have been focusing on Germany and Italy but what has Japan been up to? While technically not yet involved in the Second World War, they are in a fierce battle to dominate China. However, it i...
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26 - Italy Swings... And Misses from 2022-04-13T21:12:21
Italy attempts to match their German partners by attacking in numerous places in the Mediterranean area. This includes Egypt, Malta, and Greece. While they have high hopes, each of these campaig...
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25 - A Pope in Wartime: Pius XII from 2022-02-17T20:30:26
Pope Pius XII was the pope during the Second World War. There is controversy over how he responded to the crisis. Should he have openly opposed Nazism or should he have positioned himself strate...
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24 - Italy Goes For Egypt from 2022-01-13T17:55:25
Italy was able to take British Somaliland. Could they duplicate that success with Egypt? They would soon find that Britain was much more motivated to hold onto Egypt. For more resources, please ...
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23 - The Able Queen: A Conversation With Rainy Horvath from 2021-12-16T15:25:22
In this episode, I talk to Rainy Horvath, who published the memoirs of her father who was a "hump pilot" during the Second World War. In this episode, you will hear about a theatre of the war an...
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22 - Italy Gets in the Game from 2021-11-18T17:54:58
So far we have been focusing on Germany but what about Italy? Mussolini still intended to build his empire. A logical place to start was British Somaliland, especially with the defeat of Britain...
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21 - The Battle of Britain from 2021-10-25T17:22:50
France has fallen. Is it Britain's turn next? Germany plans Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Britain. But to be successful, the Luftwaffe will need to eliminate the RAF. This is the Battle of...
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20 - The Battle of France is Over... from 2021-10-07T15:14:34
The French had fought valiantly but how how long could they resist. The Germans were using innovative tactics that the French had never conceived of. Between the panzers and the Luftwaffe, they ...
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19 - The Miracle of Dunkirk from 2021-10-01T15:12:44
With almost a quarter of a million British troops stranded at Dunkirk, the majority of Britain's land forces, it looked like there was no hope. But then something happened. In this episode, we l...
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18 - The Fall of France from 2021-07-15T14:56:37
Previously, the Germans had attacked through Holland and Belgium, exactly what the Allies expected. Now, the Germans turn to their unexpected real plan, a thrust through the Ardennes Forest.
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17 - Last Flight to Stalingrad: A Conversation with Graham Hurley from 2021-06-26T02:43:31
In this episode, I talk to Graham Hurley, author of Listen
16 - Low Blow: The Invasion of the Netherlands and Belgium from 2021-03-18T15:33:20
The conflict in Norway between the Axis and Allies was only a taste of what was to come. France must fall. But how? The first (but not only) part of the invasion would come through the low count...
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15 - The Vikings Get Pillaged: The Invasion of Denmark and Norway from 2020-09-02T17:43:38
The Second World War started with the invasion of Poland. But who was next? And what would the French and British do about it? This episode looks at the German invasion of Danish and Norway.
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14 - An Interview With Clare Mulley on the Women of World War Two from 2020-07-18T14:55:18
In the episode, I interview author Clare Mulley. Clare has written a couple of biographies related to the Second World War, telling stories that many of us have not heard before. You will enjoy ...
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13 - Russian to the Finnish Line from 2020-04-20T19:57:28
Before there was the Battle of France, before there was the Battle of Britain, there was the Winter War. Just months after the start of the Second World War, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. Bu...
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12 - The First Month of the War from 2020-02-13T20:48:10
In this episode, we look at the events of the first month of the Second World War. We take a snapshot of September 1939 and see the seeds for much of what would happen throughout the rest of the...
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11 - And So It Begins from 2019-06-05T18:39:10
The beginning of the Second World War is generally understood as being at the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September, 1939. Hitler created an excuse for invading and unleashed his force...
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10 - Japan and Italy at the Dawn of the Second World War from 2019-02-21T19:41:43
The Second World War really starts with the German invasion of Poland. But what were Japan and Italy up to as Germany was preparing to invade? This episode looks at what was happening in China a...
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9 - Hitler and Stalin: A Match Made in Hell from 2018-11-15T19:22:57
Can we think of two greater monsters of the 20th century than that of Hitler and Stalin. Although the Second World War ended with them as bitter enemies, it began with them in cooperation. This epi...
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8 - The Munich Agreement from 2018-08-21T15:47:17
The German invasion of Czechoslovakia was a turning point in Hitler's acts of aggression. This was the necessary step to transition from annexing fellow Germans in Austria to invading the non-Germa...
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7 – The Rape of Austria from 2018-04-17T16:40:14
6 – The Spanish Civil War from 2018-03-20T09:25:10
Between the First World War and the Second World War, there was another conflict that greatly impacted Europe. This was the Spanish Civil War. Although technically this was just a civil war betw...
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5 – Interview With Travis Dow on the German Context from 2018-02-27T09:20:53
When it comes to history, context is everything. Thankfully, we are blessed with great historical resources, including the German background. In this episode, I talk to Travis Dow, the host of t...
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4 – The War That Didn’t End All Wars from 2018-02-15T09:17:29
It is difficult to understand the Second World War without some concept of the First World War. Many of the seeds of what happened in 1939-1945 were planted in 1914-1918. Even some of the battle...
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3 – Setting the Stage: The Allies from 2018-01-31T09:12:43
Last time we looked at the countries that made up the Axis powers. This time we look at the Allies. The Allies are much more than just Britain, United States and the Soviet Union, even if they a...
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2 – Setting the Stage: The Axis Powers from 2018-01-18T09:04:21
In this episode, we begin to set the stage by looking at the Axis powers. What was happening in German, Italy and Japan at the time and who were their leaders? You may be surprised by how much t...
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1 – Introduction to the Podcast from 2018-01-09T19:47:45
In this first episode, I share a little about myself and the direction of this podcast. In the episode, I mention the podcast by Ray Harris, Jr. You can find the History of WWII Podcast Listen