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Episode 212
The Last VC
Edward Charlton, Irish Guards, won the last Victoria Cross of the European theatre on 21 April 1945.
On 21 April 1945, the last VC of the Second World War in Europe was won by Guardsman Charlton in an astonishing act of bravery. The Irish Guards had been ordered to harass Wehrmacht positions at the towns of Elsdorf and Wistedt in northwestern Germany, around 50 miles...
Forgotten History
Michael Admiraal reflects on wartime atrocities and technological advancement during a visit to Peenemünde.
When discussing concentration camp Dora-Mittelbau in my latest book Along the Roads to Hell, I mentioned the Heeresversuchsanstalt (HVA) Peenemünde. Peenemünde is situated on the north-west corner of the German island Usedom in the Baltic Sea, close to the Polish...
Episode 211
The Great Siege of Malta
In 1565 the Ottomans attempted to besiege the island of Malta. A new history has been written, and its author describes the Christian victory over Suleiman the Magnificent.
I was first drawn to the Great Siege of Malta, as an academic exercise, by an interest in its many eyewitness sources. How do people caught up in historical events perceive, remember and record their experiences? On a more instinctive level, however, I was powerfully...
LBJ’s Flawed Plan
The American strategy in Vietnam was destined to failure from the start, so argues the author of a new military history of the war.
LBJ’s Flawed Plan When President Johnson weighed sending American troops, aircraft, and ships to Vietnam in 1965, Korea was foremost in his mind. The Korean War had sunk the Truman presidency, and President Eisenhower had ended that war only by threatening to use...
Episode 210
James Dunford Wood
James Dunford Wood began working life as an art history tour guide taking specialist groups around Europe, China and Central Asia. During this time, he developed an enduring fascination with the stories of lesser known destinations and off-the-beaten track communities.
Books Click on any of the books covers below to either buy or get more information on Amazon Articles Click on the links below to read the full article [dpdfg_filtergrid custom_query="advanced" use_taxonomy_terms="on" multiple_taxonomies="name_of_author"...
Blood And Thunder: Rugby and Irish Life: A History, by Liam O’Callaghan
An examination of Ireland’s affinity for a ‘foreign’ sport.
Blood And Thunder: Rugby and Irish Life: A History, by Liam O’Callaghan You might be forgiven for thinking that life has always been this rosy for the Ireland’s men’s team. Sure, that pesky record of never winning a knock-out tie at the Rugby World Cup remains, but...