Someone Talked!

With Pius XII's archives finally opened, David Kertzer paints a new, dramatic portrait of what the pope did and did not do as war enveloped Europe from 1939 to 1945.

With his book tour underway for Remember Us, we continue our conversation with #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert M. Edsel.

This episode begins with a look back at The Monuments Men, Robert M. Edsel's bestseller—which served as the basis for Academy Award recipient George Clooney's 2014 film. Then our hosts delve into Edsel's highly anticipated, newly released book, Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II.

Podcast regular Chris Kolakowski returns with more from the mind of General Simon Buckner in his latest work Tenth Army Commander.

General Simon Buckner's chief of staff thought his daily notes were the makings of a post-war memoir, but the papers ended up scattered after the general's death. Buckner's diary is now fully published in the book Tenth Army Commander, edited by Chris Kolakowski.

Kara Dixon Vuic, a leading scholar on gender in the military, is back with more on the female experience on the front lines. 

They brought the home front to the front lines entertaining American servicemen overseas from World War I to Iraq and Afghanistan. Now author Kara Dixon Vuic brings The Girls Next Door to the podcast. 

More students join the conversation with their questions for Linda Hervieux about the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. 

Author Linda Hervieux discusses the untold stories of D-Day's Black heroes with our hosts and takes questions from high school scholars. 

We took Someone Talked! on the road to the Richmond, Virginia area for the 5th annual World War II Conference by America's History, LLC.In this episode, hear our own John McManus' conference presentation: "To the End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945."Special thanks to Bruce Venter, president of America's History, LLC. Visit americashistoryllc.com for information on future events.

We took Someone Talked! on the road to the Richmond, Virginia area for the 5th annual World War II Conference by America's History, LLC – capturing a series of interviews with authors, historians, and enthusiasts.In this episode, hear conversations with Charles Neimeyer and Paul CliffordSpecial thanks to Bruce Venter, president of America's History, LLC. Visit americashistoryllc.com for information on future events.

We took Someone Talked! on the road to the Richmond, Virginia area for the 5th annual World War II Conference by America's History, LLC – capturing a series of interviews with authors, historians, and enthusiasts.In this episode, hear conversations with Gina DiNicolo and Christopher Kolakowski.Special thanks to Bruce Venter, president of America's History, LLC. Visit americashistoryllc.com for information on future events.

We took Someone Talked! on the road to the Richmond, Virginia area for the 5th annual World War II Conference by America's History, LLC – capturing a series of interviews with authors, historians, and enthusiasts.Joining our hosts for this episode are president of America's History, LLC and conference founder, Bruce Venter; Edward Lengel, Head of Faculty for the conference; and Pete Kessler, WWII aficionado and conference attendee.Visit americashistoryllc.com for information on future events.

We took Someone Talked! on the road to the Richmond, Virginia area for the 5th annual World War II Conference by America's History, LLC – capturing a series of interviews with authors, historians, and enthusiasts.In this episode, hear conversations with Rick Beyer and David Gutierrez.Special thanks to Bruce Venter, president of America's History, LLC. Visit americashistoryllc.com for information on future events.

We took Someone Talked! on the road to the Richmond, Virginia area for the 5th annual World War II Conference by America's History, LLC – capturing a series of interviews with authors, historians, and enthusiasts.In this episode, hear conversations with Donald Miller and Flint Whitlock. pecial thanks to Bruce Venter, president of America's History, LLC. Visit americashistoryllc.com for information on future events.

"Let's make a movie!" Kevin Hymel takes us to the table read for The Six Triple Eight and shares more behind the scenes details as the movie's on-set military history advisor.

Hollywood came calling for the rights to Kevin Hymel's 2019 article on the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which became the basis for Tyler Perry's latest project on Netflix. 

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.Craig Symonds, Professor of History Emeritus at the United States Naval Academy, returns to continue our discussion of Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay.Learn about the lesser-known mission, “Saving Lt. Plateck” as told by Corporal Herschel Brohinsky in our “We Salute You” segment.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming events at dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities.To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org. Email the Someone Talked! team at podcast@dday.org

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.America's preeminent naval historian Craig Symonds joins our hosts to discuss his latest work, the first full-length portrait of Chester Nimitz in more than 50 years.In our “We Salute You” segment, hear the first-hand account of James Buchanan, a junior officer on Nimitz' staff.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming events at dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities.To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org. Email the Someone Talked! team at podcast@dday.org.

Jennet Conant returns to the podcast with her latest work, a spirited portrait of twentieth-century war correspondent Maggie Higgins and her tenacious fight to the top in a male-dominated profession.

Jennet Conant is the New York Times best-selling author of Tuxedo Park, 109 East Palace, The Irregulars, The Great Secret, and the critically acclaimed Man of the Hour. She returns to Someone Talked! to discuss her latest work Fierce Ambition: The Life and Legend of War Correspondent Maggie Higgins.

Eight decades after giving their lives in the cause of freedom, the National D-Day Memorial's necrology research team identified fifteen men who fell on D-Day. These additions and other updates bring the the number of names on the Memorial's wall to 4,426 - the most complete accounting of D-Day fallen in the world. 

Our hosts reflect on the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations in both Normandy, France and Bedford, Virginia.

We wrap up our 80th anniversary commemoration month episodes with the return of Sand and Steel author Peter Caddick-Adams.Caddick–Adams was born in London in 1960 and educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained First Class Honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. He worked in the House of Commons, then taught at Oxford and Birmingham Universities before being appointed Lecturer in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy in 1998, and Lecturer in Air Power Studies at RAF Halton since 2012. Concurrently, he pursued a second career in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, was commissioned in 1979 and joined the Reserves in 1985.He has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. During 1996–7 he was the official NATO Historian in Bosnia, based in Sarajevo, and was also the UK Historian during the Iraq War of 2003. 

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, our hosts are joined by renowned military historian Peter Caddick-Adams to discuss his 2019 book Sand and Steel.Caddick–Adams was born in London in 1960 and educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained First Class Honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. He worked in the House of Commons, then taught at Oxford and Birmingham Universities before being appointed Lecturer in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy in 1998, and Lecturer in Air Power Studies at RAF Halton since 2012. Concurrently, he pursued a second career in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, was commissioned in 1979 and joined the Reserves in 1985.He has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. During 1996–7 he was the official NATO Historian in Bosnia, based in Sarajevo, and was also the UK Historian during the Iraq War of 2003. 

Broadcasting live from Bedford, Virginia, and Normandy, France, the National D-Day Memorial presents "Someone Talked!" featuring special guest Paul Woodadge.Recorded LIVE on May 17th, 2024. 

The Paratrooper Generals author Mitch Yockelson returns with more on Matthew Ridgway and Maxwell Taylor. The 2020 book is the first book to explore in depth the significant role these two division commanders played on D-Day, describing the extraordinary courage and leadership they demonstrated throughout the most important American campaign of World War II.Yockelson is the author of 6 books and as the Investigative Archivist Manager leading the Archival Recovery Program for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), he investigates theft and fraud cases of America's protected government records and historical artifacts.

Author Mitch Yockelson joins us with insights from his latest work, The Paratrooper Generals: Matthew Ridgway, Maxwell Taylor, and the American Airborne from D-Day through Normandy.Generals during World War II usually stayed to the rear, but not Matthew Ridgway and Maxwell Taylor. During D-Day and the Normandy campaign, these commanders of the 82nd “All-American” and the 101st “Screaming Eagle” Airborne Divisions refused to remain behind the lines and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their paratroopers in the thick of combat.Yockelson is the Investigative Archivist Manager for the National Archives and Records Administration, a historian, and professor.

We pick up our conversation on Italy in WWII with renowned historian James Holland, author of The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943.

Acclaimed WWII historian James Holland returns to Someone Talked! to discuss his latest book The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943, in which he narrates and reframes the controversial first months of the Italian Campaign.

Mari K. Eder, retired U.S. Army Major General, returns with more stories of extraordinary women who stepped out of line and into history during WWII, forever altering the world's landscape.A renowned speaker and author, and a thought leader on strategic communication and leadership, General Eder is the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command, former Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve, and former Deputy Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army.

This Women's History Month, Mari K. Eder, retired U.S. Army Major General, discusses her book, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of WWII. This page-turning narrative, crafted with meticulous historical accuracy, provides a fresh perspective on the integral roles that women played during WWII.A renowned speaker and author, and a thought leader on strategic communication and leadership, General Eder is the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command, former Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve, and former Deputy Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army.

Matthew F. Delmont's Half American: The Heroic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad was named Book of the Year by TIME and Publishers Weekly and is a New York Times Notable Book.This Black History Month, Delmont returns to discuss the more than one million Black soldiers who helped win World War II abroad but came home to face widespread racism.

This Black History Month author Matthew F. Delmont joins the program to discuss Half American, his definitive history of World War II from the African American perspective. Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College, a Guggenheim Fellow and expert on African American history and the history of civil rights.

Multi-award-winning-author Rich Frank further discusses his research on the often-overlooked Asia-Pacific War and the forthcoming volumes in his narrative history trilogy.

In this episode, James Holland and twin brothers walk into a pub… The author shares that and other tales of memorable veterans who inspired his work. In “We Salute You” Rudolph Arthur was there for the capture of a German U-Boat on the high seas, just days before D-Day.

In this episode, Brothers in Arms author James Holland recounts the harrowing tails of the Sherwood Rangers, the legendary tank unit that would receive the most battle honors of any unit ever in the British army. Both a combat story and a human story, we discuss memorable characters and how scarred ground reveals where history took place. A special tribute to Hershel “Woody” Williams, the longest surviving Medal of Honor recipient from WWII in our “We Salute You” segment.

Richard B. Frank is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Georgetown University Law Center. He served in the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne Divisions as an aero rifle platoon leader.Frank is an independent scholar specializing in the Asia-Pacific War and served as a consultant for the HBO miniseries The Pacific. He joins the program to discuss Tower of Skulls, the first volume of his trilogy covering the entire Asia-Pacific War from 1937-1945.

Self-proclaimed "groupie for the 1st Division" Gregory Fontenot returns to further discuss his divisional history of The Big Red One.In "We Salute You," as a child Charles Chibitty was sent to a school to erase his native tongue. Ironically, the U.S. government would later rely on Chibitty's indigenous language on D-Day.

Col. Gregory Fontenot joins the podcast to discuss his latest book, No Sacrifice Too Great: The 1st Infantry Division in World War II. As a soldier in a graves registration company, Robert Berry cared for D-Day's fallen and later helped the National D-Day Memorial develop the world's most complete account of those lost that day. His legacy of service in "We Salute You."

2023 National Infantry Association Order of St. Maurice recipient Joe Balkoski rejoins the podcast. As research moves from veteran accounts to archeology, we discuss the future of D-Day scholarship.Blinded while in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, Thomas Gagnet would later testify in the war crimes trials in Japan, with the hope that just punishment would help prevent another war. We honor his service in "We Salute You."

Named "top living D-Day historian" by USA Today, author Joe Balkoski takes us back to Utah Beach.In "We Salute You," we honor Peter Monsma, a Dutch native who would return to the Netherlands while serving his adopted home as a U.S. Army chaplain.

Our hosts jump right into the airborne experience in Normandy in this discussion of paratroopers and gliders. In "We Salute You," we honor, Herman Addleson, a paratrooper who was so eager to serve but lost his life in the early hours of D-Day.

Peggy Noonan wasn't alive when Rangers scaled the cliffs but was tasked with writing President Reagan's speech to be delivered at Pointe du Hoc. In the audience - the veterans who saved the world. No pressure!As an army photographer, Kegham Nigohosian was supposed to capture the history Noonan would write about at Pointe du Hoc. We honor his service in out "We Salute You" segment.

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.Paratrooper-turned-historian James M. Fenelon re-joins our hosts to discuss the 11 thAirborne Division's Pacific campaigns, narrated in his latest book Angels Against theSun.English at birth and American by wartime, Charles Rippon returned to England to trainbut never made it home to Pennsylvania after D-Day. The story of his service is in our“We Salute You” segment.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming eventsat dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities. To learnmore, visit VirginiaHumanities.org. Email the Someone Talked! team atpodcast@dday.org.

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.Four Hours of Fury author James M. Fenelon goes from Europe to the Pacific as hechronicles another lesser-known airborne unit in his latest book, Angels Against theSun.In “We Salute You,” we honor the service of paratrooper Don Jakeway and tell you thestory of his wristwatch, which became a silent witness to history not once, but threetimes.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming eventsat dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities. To learnmore, visit VirginiaHumanities.org. Email the Someone Talked! team atpodcast@dday.org.

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.In this episode, historian Katherine Sharp Landdeck shares more profiles of World WarII heroines of aviation, from among the 1,100 women who earned their silver wings asWomen Airforce Service Pilots.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming eventsat dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities.To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org. Email the Someone Talked! team atpodcast@dday.org.

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.Katherine Sharp Landdeck is an associate professor of history at Texas Woman'sUniversity, home of the WASP archives. She joins the podcast to discuss her book TheWomen with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Woman Airforce ServicePilots of World War II.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming eventsat dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities. To learnmore, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.Email the Someone Talked! team atpodcast@dday.org.

Someone Talked! is the official podcast of the National D-Day Memorial.While profanity famously rolled off the general's tongue, his hand-written words tell useven more. Author Kevin Hymel is back with more of Patton uncensored.In “We Salute You,” after providing critical information, Lt. James L. Christopulosthought he was getting a citation from none other than Old Blood and Guts himself. Findout what he got instead.Explore the National D-Day Memorial, plan your visit, and learn about upcoming eventsat dday.org. This program was supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities.To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org. Email the Someone Talked! team atpodcast@dday.org.