Key Battles of American History

In this episode Sean and James discuss Band of Brothers Episode 2: Day of Days. On June 6, 1944, Easy Company parachutes into Normandy but is scattered and many land miles away from their designated drop zones. Most of Easy reconnects, but its company commander, First Lieutenant Thomas Meehan, is missing and presumed dead, so Winters assumes command as its highest-ranking officer. He successfully leads a small group of men in destroying German artillery emplacements firing on Utah Beach from Brécourt Manor despite the German defending force being larger. Winters also captures a map of all German artillery emplacements in Normandy. Winters and several other Easy Company members earn combat decorations for their part in the attack. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

After the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in May 1942, many Allied servicemen became prisoners. Those who survived their captivity would remain prisoners of the Japanese for nearly three years. One of these prisoners, George Darling of Deming, New Mexico, went on to write a memoir of his and his brother Gerald’s captivity in the Philippines. In this episode, James is joined by Jay Robison, a retired Air Force colonel, surgeon, and history buff…as well as James’ first cousin and a first cousin once removed to the Darling brothers. You will be fascinated by the Darling brothers’ story as Jay and James tell it. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this episode Sean and James introduce the award-winning Band of Brothers series and discuss Episode 1: Currahee. In 1942, Easy Company trains at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, under First Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, a strict disciplinarian who goes out of his way to find fault with his men. The company is shipped to England in September 1943, and as training progresses, Sobel's inadequacy as a leader in the field becomes evident. Now a captain, Sobel initiates a dispute with Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Winters, leading to Winters requesting a trial by court martial. These factors lead all of Easy's non-commissioned officers to resign en masse. Colonel Robert Sink, the regiment's commander, reassigns Sobel to command of a parachuting school for essential non-infantry personnel. With new leadership, Easy Company prepares for Operation Overlord. William Guarnere learns that his older brother Henry, a medic in the 1st Armored Division fighting in Italy, has been killed at Monte Cassino. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this episode, James interviews Elizabeth Varon, the Langbourne M. Williams Professor of American History and Associate Director of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History at the University of Virginia, about her new book Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South. One of the Confederate Army’s most talented commanders, Longstreet was called “my old war horse” by Robert E. Lee. But within a few years of the end of the war, Longstreet had become a Republican and fought against many of his former Confederates, thus becoming persona non grata in the South. You’ll find this discussion of what Dr. Varon calls “the most remarkable political about-face in American history” fascinating. Join us! This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

November 22 marks the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To commemorate this pivotal event in American history, learn more about Kennedy's 1963 Texas visit, reelection campaign, assassination, and legacy, with this excerpt from This American President. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this episode, James interviews Philip Martin, author of From Orphan to High Flyer. In this book, Philip tells the story of his late friend Denis Eliot. Denis rose from the horrors of a Victorian-style British orphanage and brutal foster parents to command and pilot American-built RAF B-24 Liberators against the Japanese in Asia, then to fly RAF aircraft into the late 1950s during the Cold War, and finally to live a fulfilling existence beyond his time in the military. In the RAF, he defied death many times and was privileged to see lands far from where he was raised in the UK. Join James and Philip as they discuss Denis’ fascinating life and career. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this episode, Sean and James review the 1953 film Stalag 17, which tells the story of a group of American airmen confined with 40,000 prisoners in a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp "somewhere on the Danube". The film focuses on one particular barracks, where the men come to suspect that one of their number is an informant. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

The experiences of Allied prisoners of war in Germany are relatively well-known, thanks in part to movies and television shows that tell their story. However, few Americans know that over 400,000 Axis prisoners of war were held in hundreds of camps scattered around the United States. In this episode, Sean and James discuss what life was like for Axis prisoners of war held in the U. S. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

Join James and Sean as they discuss the 1963 classic The Great Escape, the thrilling story of the largest mass breakout from a POW camp ever in World War 2. Steve McQueen leads a truly all star cast with his iconic performance. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

Over 300,000 western Allied servicemen were captured and imprisoned by Nazi Germany during World War 2. Join Sean and James as they tell about the experiences of British, American, French, and other western Allied prisoners of war, including capture, camp life, work programs, escape, and liberation. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this episode, Sean and James discuss The Tuskegee Airmen, a 1995 HBO television movie based on the exploits of the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps who fought in World War II. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this episode, James interviews Dartmouth College professor and best-selling author Matthew F. Delmont about his excellent book Half American: The Epic Story of African-Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad. In the interview, Professor Delmont gives an excellent overview of the experience of Black Americans during the Second World War. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

One of the greatest films of all time, 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg is a gripping courtroom drama about a small town American judge called to preside over the trial of German judges accused of crimes against humanity. Join Sean and James as they review this classic with one of the greatest ensemble casts ever. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

During the Second World War, the Germans murdered 6 million Jews and about 5 million other so-called “undesirables” in what became known as the Holocaust. In this episode, Sean and James discuss this difficult but crucial topic. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

The Train narrates the gripping story of a German officer’s attempt to ship great masterpieces of art out of France by train ahead of the Allied advance and the efforts of the Resistance to prevent this from happening. Join James and Sean as they review John Frankenheimer’s taut 1960s war thriller, starring Burt Lancaster and Paul Schoefield. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In every nation that the Germans occupied, resistance movements emerged. In this episode, Sean and James discuss anti-German guerilla movements, focusing primarily on the resistance efforts in four nations: Norway, France, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

America’s most decorated soldier of World War 2 was Texan Audie Murphy. When the time came for Hollywood to adapt his memoir into a film, there was no better star for the film than Murphy himself, who had become a matineé idol. Join Sean and James as they look at this surprisingly hard hitting and realistic 1955 film. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

Following another long-time KBAH tradition, Sean and James discuss the life and experience of the common soldier, sailor and air crewmen in the European Theater of Operations in World War II. For the sake of time, the discussion is limited to American servicemen. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

In this special compilation episode, Josh Cohen of Eyewitness History shares his favorite interview moments and stories from people who witnessed some of history’s most extraordinary events. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement

The heroic efforts of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines were made possible by millions of factory workers, farmers, fundraisers, government officials, and others who never left American soli. In this episode, Sean and James discuss the American home front, including the role played by women and African-Americans in supporting the war. They also discuss the U.S. government’s shameful decision to intern 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans during the war. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4747725/advertisement