Podcasts about World War II

Hemp used to be a staple of life in America. King James I demanded that colonists produce it. Hemp rope and fabric were ubiquitous throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The USDA even produced a WWII newsreel called “Hemp for Victory.” But other materials came to replace hemp – wood pulp for paper, and cotton and synthetics for fabric. Why? For that matter, what is hemp? Is it different from weed? And does it actually have 25,000 uses as its proponents claim? Featuring Hector “Freedom” Gerardo, David Suchoff, John Fike, and Danny Desjarlais. Note: This episode originally aired in April, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vintage photograph from the World War II era, taken outside a town’s Nazi headquarters, carries a warning for all of us. In the photo, a comfortably dressed woman is crossing the street. A man in a suit walks down the sidewalk, while another has stopped to read a bulletin board on the corner of the building. All seem oblivious to the large banner hanging above the headquarters’ front door, half as long as the building. It read, “By resisting the Jew, I fight for the work of the Lord.” This kind of treachery is what God had in mind when He commanded, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7). This command covers misusing His name when we curse or when we carelessly shout God’s name when we stub a toe or smash a finger. It also includes perversion—using God’s name as cover for evil. We shouldn’t assume we’re doing God’s work simply because others say we are. We must prayerfully check our work with what God reveals as wise and good in the Bible. How can we know we’re serving Him? “By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9). The God who commands us to “always give [ourselves] fully to the work of the Lord” has told us what that is in His holy book (1 Corinthians 15:58). Let’s listen to Him.

On 8 December 1941, Japanese troops landed in northern Malaya marking the start of the second world war in the Pacific.Invasion forces moved quickly down the British colony – which is now called Malaysia - capturing Singapore in just 55 days. Their occupation ended on 15 August 1945, when Japan surrendered to the allies after the US had dropped two atomic bombs.Dorothy Variyan, who lived under Japanese rule for more than three years in south west Malaya, speaks to Jacqueline Paine.This programme contains archive which uses outdated and offensive language.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Members of an Australian anti-tank gun crew fire weapons at a Type-95 Japanese tank on a road temporarily blocked by a felled tree, outside Singapore, British Malaya, April 1942. Credit: Office of War Information/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

This episode continues the story of the Italo-Greek War following the disastrous Italian invasion of Greece in late October 1940. After the Italian defeat at Kalpaki, the Greeks launched a counteroffensive that quickly pushed Italian forces back across the border and into Albania, capturing the city of Korce and taking over 10,000 prisoners. The episode examines the Italian leadership shake-ups that followed, with General Soddu replacing Prasca and Marshal Badoglio being publicly scapegoated before his replacement by Cavallero. As winter set in, both armies suffered terribly from frostbite and harsh conditions that made offensive operations nearly impossible. The RAF arrived in limited numbers but disappointed Greek hopes for major air support, while the Royal Hellenic Air Force performed the remarkable Engineers' Epic, moving aircraft 26 kilometers through blizzard conditions to preserve their fighting strength. The episode concludes with the death of Greek leader Metaxas in January 1941 and his replacement by Koryzis, whose willingness to accept British ground forces would set the stage for the war's expansion beyond a regional Greco-Italian conflict. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.f⁠⁠m Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look ahead to President Trump's first State of the Union Address in his second term. Tony Dokoupil's exclusive interview with House Speaker Mike Johnson. And, today marks four years since Russia invaded Ukraine, making it one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fire chief in St. John's tells us that, after a series of punishing snowstorms, he and his crew worked overtime to help dig Newfoundlanders out -- and also helped deliver a new one.Canada's Minister of Artificial Intelligence meets with OpenAI over the company's failure to report disturbing posts by the Tumbler Ridge shooter to law enforcement. Four years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there is still no end in sight. We'll return to a guest who's working to honour Bucha's dead and to help the city move forward.A brand new American inter-agency task force may have helped Mexico track down El Mencho -- another indication of the increased militarization of the battle against the cartels. WWII historian tells us the story that stopped him in his tracks -- a story that ended with a 108-year-old Ontario woman being presented with a long-overdue wartime medal. During a soccer game in Turkey, a gull is felled mid-flight when it's smacked by a ball -- and saved when a player immediately begins CPR.As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that tells the whole story -- from death to rebirdth.

The White House commemorated the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, honoring the nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines who died and the extraordinary heroism shown during the pivotal World War II fight. As part of America 250, the statement reflects on the battle’s historic sacrifice and reaffirms the nation’s commitment to defending the freedoms secured by the Greatest Generation. One girl in Pittsburgh has been inspired to be a scout since long before she was old enough to join, and now she's breaking records by selling tens of thousands of boxes between door-to-door sales, a viral social media campaign and a determination to reach her goals. President Donald Trump is set to deliver Tuesday’s State of the Union, addressing a nation that has dramatically shifted since his return to office. One year into his second term, Trump has re‑emerged as a president defying expectations and reshaping the political landscape. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the darkest hour of WWII, as bombs threatened Europe's historic cities, a small unit was sent to the front lines – not to fight, but to save art history itself. The 'Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives' section of the US Army, known as the Monuments Men, was tasked with protecting Europe's centuries of culture from destruction.And then, when Hitler was cornered, the Monuments Men had a new mission: track down the vast hoards of looted Nazi treasure, and stop them from blowing it all up.–Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesYouTube - Full-length Video EpisodesTikTok / InstagramSources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

Our world is shaped by decisions — bold, reckless, and often irreversible. And nowhere did choices matter more than in the Second World War, the deadliest conflict in human history. In our new mini-series starting on Monday March 2nd 2026, we step inside the war rooms where history was made by six towering commanders.With leading historians, Dan Snow unpack the strategies that reshaped continents — from Zhukov's relentless Eastern Front offensives to Montgomery's iron-tight control in the West.Make sure you follow Dan Snow's History Hit to get new episodes every Monday in March! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the Holocaust, Josef Mengele discarded every medical ethic to perform horrific human experiments at Auschwitz, including non-consensual vivisections, limb transplants, and agonizing surgeries conducted without anesthesia. Japan had its own program that is less known but equally brutal. In occupied China, the Imperial Japanese Army’s Unit 731 operated a vast complex where thousands were subjected to biological warfare tests and lethal physiological experiments to further military research. During the occupation of Japan after WWII, the US had an important decision to make. Should they hold those responsible for atrocities during the war accountable or should they take the information to advance the national interest? There was extremely valuable data on bioweapons and survival techniques in the face of extreme cold or low oxygen that could save the lives of thousands of soldiers. Here's what happened. The researchers who worked at Unit 731 were given immunity in exchange for their research data. Most of these scientists lived peacefully after WWII, with a few of them having to go through a 1949 Soviet Trial, which was deemed by the West as communist propaganda. They basically traded their knowledge for freedom and avoided prosecution, like the German scientists who came to America as part of Operation Paperclip.​Most of the horrors on Unit 731 had been hearsays and rumors until recently with the passing of the Freedom of Information Act. Today’s guest is Jenny Chan, and she’s published the book “Unit 731 Cover-up: The Operation Paperclip of the East.” This book is based on documents found in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Russian archival documents, and translations of the Khabarovsk Trial to paint a complete picture of the cover-up of the atrocious act of Unit 731. We look at the war crimes themselves, what happened to the scientists, and the question of whether war crimes should ever be covered up in the name of national interest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Germany conquered countries in WWII, in many nations, they found willing volunteers to help them identify Jews to send to concentration camps. However, not every country did. Finland, Bulgaria, and Albania engaged in a spirited defense of their Jewish communities in the face of Nazi oppression.  However, no country did more to save its Jewish population than Denmark. Learn more about Denmark's Great Escape on this episode of Everything, Everywhere, Daily. Sponsors Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Mint Mobile Get your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Ds7Rx7jvPJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today marks four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and one Ukrainian MP says the daily bombings have become “normal.” Also, the Ukraine war has sparked the largest forced migration that Europe has seen since  World War II. Most EU countries welcomed Ukrainian refugees at first but, in the past year, that support has started to fade. And, a look at how volunteers have filled the gap in caring for pigeons after Berlin's animal welfare budget was cut by 96% in 2024. Plus, celebrating the rhythms and storytelling of maloya music from Reunion Island. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In 1898, the British founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, invited the Muslim leader Aga Khan III around to her London home for tea. They were two of the most famous figures of the 20th century and their discussion was wide-ranging, touching on faith, healthcare and even Queen Victoria. The Aga Khan, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, spoke to the BBC about the meeting in 1950. This programme was produced and presented by Rachel Naylor, in collaboration with BBC Archives. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Aga Khan III, June 1924. Credit: MacGregor / Topical Press Agency / Getty Images)

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began four years ago. Europe's largest and most brutal conflict since World War II has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, with over 15,000 of them estimated to be civilians. There is little sign that the war will soon end, as beleaguered Ukrainians struggle to deal with its terrible toll. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

It was a simple honeymoon photo from 1941. A stranger posted it online and the commentary was vicious. The woman in that picture was Albanian author Lea Ypi's grandmother. In the midst of the Second World War and the violent end times of Mussolini's government, Ypi's grandmother must have been a fascist, a collaborator, a traitor to Albania. In her book, Indignity: A Life Reimagined, Ypi attempts to find the truth of her grandmother's life, in a journey that mixes philosophy, fantasy, history, and family narrative.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIn 2026's 'forever layoff' era, women leaders who master continuous improvement leadership outperform peers, reduce their layoff risk, and accelerate promotions. Olaf Boettger's 27-year Kaizen framework — courage, humility, discipline — turns daily small improvements into extraordinary career results.Key stat: Toyota workers are 2x more productive than competitors using this same system.? QUICK TAKEAWAYS•       Continuous improvement leadership doubles your career productivity vs. peers who stop learning•       The 3 capabilities every woman leader needs: courage to name problems, humility to keep learning, discipline to stay consistent•       Kaizen's daily 15-minute team meeting is directly applicable to your own career self-management•       GE's turnaround under Larry Culp proves CI works in any industry — finance, tech, healthcare, or your own career•       In 2026's 'forever layoff' climate, CI skills signal indispensable strategic value to any organizationIf you're a woman leader in 2026, the job market has changed dramatically — and not in your favor. Glassdoor's Worklife Trends report calls it the 'forever layoff': small, rolling cuts that never make headlines but keep talented executives in a constant state of anxiety. Meanwhile, AI is reshaping roles at every level, and the competition for standout positions has never been fiercer.As an executive coach with over 30 years of experience (MA, MFT, PCC) and host of the Women's Leadership Success Podcast — ranked in the top 1.5% globally with over 750,000 downloads — I've interviewed more than 144 of the world's top leadership experts. When I heard Olaf Boettger's approach to continuous improvement leadership, I immediately knew this was the missing framework most women leaders had never considered.Olaf spent 27 years at Procter & Gamble and Danaher — two of the most operationally excellent companies on earth — mastering the Japanese Kaizen philosophy. What he discovered translates directly to career acceleration: the same system that doubled Toyota's worker productivity and powered GE's biggest turnaround in American history can supercharge your leadership brand and make you the candidate no one can afford to pass over. The 2026 Career Reality: Why 'Working Hard' Is No Longer Enough The data is sobering for women leaders right now. According to Glassdoor's 2025 Workplace Trends report, small layoffs — under 50 people — now represent 51% of all job cuts, up from just 38% in 2015. These 'forever layoffs' create cultures of anxiety where talented women question their value daily.At the same time, female manager engagement dropped seven percentage points in 2025 alone — the steepest decline of any group, according to Gallup research. Women leaders are being asked to do more with less, carrying teams through AI disruption and RTO mandates, while their own career advancement stalls.The traditional answer — work harder, be more visible, volunteer for every high-profile project — simply isn't scaling. In a market where 45% of employers rate the job outlook as 'fair' at best, you need a completely different strategy. You need continuous improvement leadership. ? Ready to transform your career trajectory?  Download our FREE Leadership Branding Blueprint Accelerator and discover:•       A proven system to document your impact and accelerate promotions•       How to build a leadership brand that makes you the obvious choice•       A measurable framework for expanding your organizational influence•       Strategic positioning for high-visibility, career-defining initiatives•       The same approach Sabrina uses with Fortune 500 executives to 3x their promotion speed? GET YOUR FREE LEADERSHIP BRANDING BLUEPRINT ACCELERATOR What Is Continuous Improvement Leadership? The Kaizen Framework Explained Continuous improvement — known in Japanese as Kaizen, meaning 'change for the better' — originated at Toyota nearly 90 years ago. After World War II, with limited resources and a need to compete globally, Toyota developed a system to extract maximum quality and efficiency from every process. That system, now called the Toyota Production System, became the foundation of what we know as Lean, Six Sigma, and the Danaher Business System.For women leaders, continuous improvement leadership means applying these same principles to your career, your team, and your organization. It is not a one-time initiative or a January resolution. It is a daily practice — a permanent operating system.The Three Foundation PrinciplesOlaf distills continuous improvement leadership into three core principles:Kaizen — The belief that there is always a better way. This is not about being self-critical; it is about being growth-oriented. Every interaction, presentation, and leadership decision is an opportunity to iterate and improve.Go to Gemba — Go to the real place. Stop relying on slide decks and secondhand reports. As a leader, this means visiting your stakeholders, understanding what your team actually experiences day-to-day, and staying close to the work that creates value.Customer focus — Always anchor to what your 'customer' values. In a career context, your customers are your executive stakeholders, your team, and the business outcomes you're hired to deliver. Everything you do should be filtered through: does this add value for them?The Three Capabilities That Determine SuccessAccording to Olaf, your mindset determines everything. Leaders who succeed with continuous improvement possess three non-negotiable capabilities:CapabilityWhat It Looks Like in PracticeWhy Women Leaders Need It NowCOURAGEHonestly naming when your performance or your team's is 'red' — even when the culture rewards positivity over truth.In 2026's performance-pressured environment, leaders who surface problems first are seen as strategic — not weak.HUMILITYStaying open to learning regardless of your experience level. As Olaf says: the best leaders he's known, including P&G's CEO A.G. Lafley, were the most humble.Imposter syndrome tempts women to prove they already know everything. Humility is the counterintuitive superpower.DISCIPLINEShowing up for improvement consistently — not just in January. Committing to the decade, not the quarter.Career advancement compounds. The women who stand out in 2026 are those who have been quietly improving for years. The Business Case: What Continuous Improvement Leadership Actually Delivers For skeptics — and Olaf acknowledges that many leaders initially resist this approach — the numbers make a compelling argument. Toyota, the originator of this system, generates roughly twice the revenue per employee compared to its nearest competitors. Danaher, where Olaf spent the bulk of his career, has sustained approximately 15–16% compound annual growth for 40 consecutive years.The most visible example is GE's transformation under Larry Culp — the former Danaher CEO who took over when GE was in deep financial trouble. Using continuous improvement as the operating backbone, Culp and his teams executed what many consider one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in American business history, eventually splitting GE into three highly successful independent companies.On a practical level, Olaf shared a specific case study from a Danaher acquisition: a company delivering orders on time just 50% of the time. Using CI methodologies, that number rose to 95%. For context, if Amazon delivered your packages on time half the time, you'd stop using Amazon. A 45-percentage-point improvement is not incremental — it's transformational. TRY THIS NOW (10 Minutes)Apply Olaf's Red/Green method to your career right now: Identify one goal you have for your career this quarter (promotion, salary increase, high-visibility project).Set a specific target. Write your current actual. Color code it: are you green (on track) or red (below target)? If red — write one sentence explaining why.Then write one action you will take this week to close the gap. That's continuous improvement leadership in action. Do this every Monday.  How to Apply Continuous Improvement Leadership to Your Career in 2026 The beauty of Kaizen is that it scales from a Toyota factory floor to your personal career strategy. Here's how to translate Olaf's framework into your daily leadership practice:The 15-Minute Daily Leadership HuddleAt every Danaher facility, teams hold a 15-minute standing meeting every morning. They review five metrics — safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity — and ask: are we red or green? If red, why? Who does what by when?For your career, your five metrics might be: stakeholder relationships, project delivery, skill development, visibility, and team performance. A daily or weekly 10-minute self-check asking those same questions creates the discipline of continuous improvement at the individual level.Visual Management for Your CareerOlaf emphasizes making performance visible. In organizations, this means color-coded boards. For your career, this translates to maintaining a simple achievement tracker — a running document of your wins, metrics, and impact — that you review weekly. This directly feeds your Leadership Branding Blueprint and becomes the evidence base for promotion conversations.The Growth Mindset + Kaizen ConnectionOlaf's PhD research connected him deeply to Carol Dweck's work on fixed vs. growth mindsets. Dweck's research demonstrates that individuals who believe abilities can be developed through dedication consistently outperform those who believe talent is fixed. Continuous improvement is the operational expression of growth mindset — it gives you the system that turns that belief into measurable career results. Your 7-Step Continuous Improvement Career Action Plan Step 1 (10 min): Define your career target.

Nylon had many practical uses during World War II, on THIS DAY, February 24th with Chris Conley.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comic books tell stories using pictures and words together, making them exciting and easy to follow. They began in newspapers in the late 1800s as short comic strips. In the 1930s, comic books grew popular with the creation of superheroes like Superman and Batman. During World War II, comics entertained readers at home and overseas. Over time, comics expanded to include many kinds of stories, from action and mystery to real-life topics. Today, comic books influence movies, shows, and pop culture around the world.

Captured in Libya, imprisoned in Italy, and twice an escapee: historian Malcolm Gaskill's great-uncle Ralph's experiences of the Second World War were certainly dramatic. Yet he left behind little more than a few photos, a wartime memoir, and a few stories filtered through family legend. But through years of research, travel and a unique partnership with an Italian historian, Gaskill has pieced together a story of quiet courage and unexpected connections. Here, in conversation with Elinor Evans, he discusses the resulting book, The Glass Mountain, and the challenges of telling such histories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send a textThis week it's just Peaches and Trent doing what they do best—talking shop, talking trash, and pulling back the curtain on real-world military experience.Trent just wrapped a full-blown hostage rescue film project with helicopters, free fall, K9 bites, Rangers, and 16-hour days. No Hollywood fluff—just a bunch of former SOF dudes trying to pull off a legit tactical production without a billion-dollar budget. If you've ever wondered what goes into recreating real operations on camera, this is it.They also dive into Olympic drama, speed skating carnage, the new D-Day weather movie, why special operations weather actually mattered in WWII, and whether declassified alien files are about to break the internet—or disappoint everyone.It's equal parts military ops, filmmaking chaos, veteran brain health, OTS prep pressure, and calling out internet keyboard warriors who demand resumes in the comments.No script. No filter. Just experience talking.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Fake beef and member-only chaos 02:10 Olympic wins, corrections, and owning mistakes 07:30 Speed skating carnage and real-world consequences 13:15 Off-grid week and building a hostage rescue film 18:40 Helicopters, K9 bites, and herding Rangers 27:00 Why Hollywood takes a week to shoot what SOF did in hours 31:00 Internet critics demanding credentials 34:20 D-Day weather nerds and WWII decision pressure 41:30 Accents, acting, and military movies done right 44:45 OTS pressure, expectations, and delivering value 48:50 Deliberate training and managing stress blocks 50:45 Alien files and declassification hype 52:30 Playing the bad guy and tactical filmmaking mindset

In February 1981, armed Civil Guards tried to take control of the Spanish parliament.A total of 350 politicians were held hostage for 18 hours in the debating chamber including Joaquin Almunia, a young Socialist MP.In 2021, he spoke to Claire Bowes.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Picture: Colonel Antonio Tejero attempts to take over the Spanish parliament with the Guardia Civil. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Last time we spoke about General Zhukov's arrival to the Nomohan incident. The Kwantung Army's inexperienced 23rd Division, under General Komatsubara, suffered heavy losses in failed offensives, including Colonel Yamagata's assault and the annihilation of Lieutenant Colonel Azuma's detachment, resulting in around 500 Japanese casualties. Tensions within the Japanese command intensified as Kwantung defied Tokyo's restraint, issuing aggressive orders like 1488 and launching a June 27 air raid on Soviet bases, destroying dozens of aircraft and securing temporary air superiority. This provoked Moscow's fury and rebukes from Emperor Hirohito. On June 1, Georgy Zhukov, a rising Red Army tactician and tank expert, was summoned from Minsk. Arriving June 5, he assessed the 57th Corps as inadequate, relieved Commander Feklenko, and took charge of the redesignated 1st Army Group. Reinforcements included mechanized brigades, tanks, and aircraft. Japanese intelligence misread Soviet supply convoys as retreats, underestimating Zhukov's 12,500 troops against their 15,000. By July, both sides poised for a massive clash, fueled by miscalculations and gekokujo defiance.   #190 Zhukov Unleashes Tanks at Nomohan Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. At 4:00 a.m. on July 1, 15,000 heavily laden Japanese troops began marching to their final assembly and jump-off points. The sun rose at 4:00 a.m. and set at 9:00 p.m. that day, but the Japanese advance went undetected by Soviet/MPR commanders, partly because the June 27 air raid had temporarily cleared Soviet reconnaissance from the skies. On the night of July 1, Komatsubara launched the first phase. The 23rd Division, with the Yasuoka Detachment, converged on Fui Heights, east of the Halha River, about eleven miles north of its confluence with the Holsten. The term "heights" is misleading here; a Japanese infantry colonel described Fui as a "raised pancake" roughly one to one-and-a-half miles across, about thirty to forty feet higher than the surrounding terrain. For reasons not fully explained, the small Soviet force stationed on the heights was withdrawn during the day on July 1, and that night Fui Heights was occupied by Komatsubara's forces almost unopposed. This caused little stir at Zhukov's headquarters. Komatsubara bided his time on July 2.   On the night of July 2–3, the Japanese achieved a brilliant tactical success. A battalion of the 71st Infantry Regiment silently crossed the Halha River on a moonless night and landed unopposed on the west bank opposite Fui Heights. Recent rains had swollen the river to 100–150 yards wide and six feet deep, making crossing difficult for men, horses, or vehicles. Combat engineers swiftly laid a pontoon bridge, completing it by 6:30 a.m. on July 3. The main body of Komatsubara's 71st and 72nd Infantry Regiments (23rd Division) and the 26th Regiment (7th Division) began a slow, arduous crossing. The pontoon bridge, less than eight feet wide, was a bottleneck, allowing only one truck at a time. The attackers could not cross with armored vehicles, but they did bring across their regimental artillery, 18 x 37-mm antitank guns, 12 x 75-mm mountain guns, 8 x 75-mm field guns, and 4 x 120-mm howitzers, disassembled, packed on pack animals, and reassembled on the west bank. The crossing took the entire day, and the Japanese were fortunate to go without interception. The Halha crossing was commanded personally by General Komatsubara and was supported by a small Kwantung Army contingent, including General Yano (deputy chief of staff), Colonel Hattori, and Major Tsuji from the Operations Section. Despite the big air raid having alerted Zhukov, the initial Japanese moves from July 1–3 achieved complete tactical surprise, aided by Tsuji's bold plan. The first indication of the major offensive came when General Yasuoka's tanks attacked predawn on July 3. Yasuoka suspected Soviet troops south of him attempting to retreat across the Halha to the west bank, and he ordered his tanks to attack immediately, with infantry not yet in position. The night's low clouds, no moon, and low visibility—along with a passing thunderstorm lighting the sky—made the scene dramatic. Seventy Japanese tanks roared forward, supported by infantry and artillery, and the Soviet 149th Infantry Regiment found itself overwhelmed. Zhukov, hearing of Yasuoka's assault but unaware that Komatsubara had crossed the Halha, ordered his armor to move northeast to Bain Tsagan to confront the initiative. There, Soviet armor clashed with Japanese forces in a chaotic, largely uncoordinated engagement. The Soviet counterattacks, supported by heavy artillery, halted much of the Japanese momentum, and by late afternoon Japanese infantry had to dig in west of the Halha. The crossing had been accomplished without Soviet reconnaissance detecting it in time, but Zhukov's counterattacks, the limits of Japanese armored mobility across the pontoon, and the heat and exhaustion of the troops constrained the Japanese effort. By the afternoon of July 3, Zhukov's forces were pressing hard, and the Japanese momentum began to stall. Yasuoka's tanks, supported by a lack of infantry and the fatigue and losses suffered by the infantry, could not close the gap to link with Komatsubara's forces. The Type 89 tanks, designed for infantry support, were ill-suited to penetrating Soviet armor, especially when faced with BT-5/BT-7 tanks and strong anti-tank guns. The Type 95 light tanks were faster but lightly armored, and suffered heavily from Soviet fire and air attacks. Infantry on the western bank struggled to catch up with tanks, shot through by Soviet artillery and armor, while the 64th Regiment could not keep pace with the tanks due to the infantry's lack of motorized transport. By late afternoon, Yasuoka's advance stalled far short of the river junction and the Soviet bridge. The infantry dug in to withstand Soviet bombardment, and the Japanese tank regiments withdrew to their jump-off points by nightfall. The Japanese suffered heavy losses in tanks, though some were recovered and repaired; by July 9, KwAHQ decided to withdraw its two tank regiments from the theater. Armor would play no further role in the Nomonhan conflict. The Soviets, by contrast, sustained heavier tank losses but began to replenish with new models. The July offensive, for Kwantung Army, proved a failure. Part of the failure stemmed from a difficult blend of terrain and logistics. Unusually heavy rains in late June had transformed the dirt roads between Hailar and Nomonhan into a mud-filled quagmire. Japanese truck transport, already limited, was so hampered by these conditions that combat effectiveness suffered significantly. Colonel Yamagata's 64th Infantry Regiment, proceeding on foot, could not keep pace with or support General Yasuoka's tanks on July 3–4. Komatsubara's infantry on the west bank of the Halha ran short of ammunition, food, and water. As in the May 28 battle, the main cause of the Kwantung Army's July offensive failure was wholly inadequate military intelligence. Once again, the enemy's strength had been seriously underestimated. Moreover, a troubling realization was dawning at KwAHQ and in the field: the intelligence error was not merely quantitative but qualitative. The Soviets were not only more numerous but also far more potent than anticipated. The attacking Japanese forces initially held a slight numerical edge and enjoyed tactical surprise, but the Red Army fought tenaciously, and the weight of Soviet firepower proved decisive. Japan, hampered by a relative lack of raw materials and industrial capacity, could not match the great powers in the quantitative production of military materiel. Consequently, Japanese military leaders traditionally emphasized the spiritual superiority of Japan's armed forces in doctrine and training, often underestimating the importance of material factors, including firepower. This was especially true of the army that had carried the tactic of the massed bayonet charge into World War II. This "spiritual" combat doctrine arose from necessity; admitting material superiority would have implied defeat. Japan's earlier victories in the Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, the Manchurian incident, and the China War, along with legendary medieval victories over the Mongol hordes, seemed to confirm the transcendent importance of fighting spirit. Only within such a doctrine could the Imperial Japanese Army muster inner strength and confidence to face formidable enemies. This was especially evident against Soviet Russia, whose vast geography, population, and resources loomed large. Yet what of its spirit? The Japanese military dismissed Bolshevism as a base, materialist philosophy utterly lacking spiritual power. Consequently, the Red Army was presumed to have low morale and weak fighting effectiveness. Stalin's purges only reinforced this belief. Kwantung Army's recent experiences at Nomonhan undermined this outlook. Among ordinary soldiers and officers alike, from the 23rd Division Staff to KwAHQ—grim questions formed: Had Soviet materiel and firepower proven superior to Japanese fighting spirit? If not, did the enemy possess a fighting spirit comparable to their own? To some in Kwantung Army, these questions were grotesque and almost unthinkable. To others, the implications were too painful to face. Perhaps May and July's combat results were an aberration caused by the 23rd Division's inexperience. Nevertheless, a belief took hold at KwAHQ that this situation required radical rectification. Zhukov's 1st Army Headquarters, evaluating recent events, was not immune to self-criticism and concern for the future. The enemy's success in transporting nearly 10,000 men across the Halha without detection—despite heightened Soviet alert after the June 27 air raid—revealed a level of carelessness and lack of foresight at Zhukov's level. Zhukov, however, did not fully capitalize on Komatsubara's precarious position on July 4–5. Conversely, Zhukov and his troops reacted calmly in the crisis's early hours. Although surprised and outnumbered, Zhukov immediately recognized that "our trump cards were the armored detachments, and we decided to use them immediately." He acted decisively, and the rapid deployment of armor proved pivotal. Some criticized the uncoordinated and clumsy Soviet assault on Komatsubara's infantry on July 3, but the Japanese were only a few hours' march from the river junction and the Soviet bridge. By hurling tanks at Komatsubara's advance with insufficient infantry support, Mikhail Yakovlev (11th Tank Brigade) and A. L. Lesovoi (7th Mechanized Brigade) incurred heavy losses. Nonetheless, they halted the Japanese southward advance, forcing Komatsubara onto the defensive, from which he never regained momentum. Zhukov did not flinch from heavy casualties to achieve his objectives. He later told General Dwight D. Eisenhower that if the enemy faced a minefield, their infantry attacked as if it did not exist, treating personnel mine losses as equal to those that would have occurred if the Germans defended the area with strong troops rather than minefields. Zhukov admitted losing 120 tanks and armored cars that day—a high price, but necessary to avert defeat. Years later, Zhukov defended his Nomonhan tactics, arguing he knew his armor would suffer heavy losses, but that was the only way to prevent the Japanese from seizing the bridge at the river confluence. Had Komatsubara's forces advanced unchecked for another two or three hours, they might have fought through to the Soviet bridge and linked with the Yasuoka detachment, endangering Zhukov's forces. Zhukov credited Yakovlev, Lesovoi, and their men with stabilizing the crisis through timely and self-sacrificing counterattacks. The armored car battalion of the 8th MPR Cavalry Division also distinguished itself in this action. Zhukov and his tankmen learned valuable lessons in those two days of brutal combat. A key takeaway was the successful use of large tank formations as an independent primary attack force, contrary to then-orthodox doctrine, which saw armor mainly as infantry support and favored integrating armor into every infantry regiment rather than maintaining large, autonomous armored units. The German blitzkrieg demonstrations in Poland and Western Europe soon followed, but, until then, few major armies had absorbed the tank-warfare theories championed by Basil Liddell-Hart and Charles de Gaulle. The Soviet high command's leading proponent of large-scale tank warfare had been Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky. His execution in 1937 erased those ideas, and the Red Army subsequently disbanded armored divisions and dispersed tanks among infantry, misapplying battlefield lessons from the Spanish Civil War. Yet Zhukov was learning a different lesson on a different battlefield. The open terrain of eastern Mongolia favored tanks, and Zhukov was a rapid learner. The Russians also learned mundane, but crucial, lessons: Japanese infantry bravely clambering onto their vehicles taught Soviet tank crews to lock hatch lids from the inside. The BT-5 and BT-7 tanks were easily set aflame by primitive hand-thrown firebombs, and rear deck ventilation grills and exhaust manifolds were vulnerable and required shielding. Broadly, the battle suggested to future Red Army commander Zhukov that tank and motorized troops, coordinated with air power and mobile artillery, could decisively conduct rapid operations. Zhukov was not the first to envision combining mobile firepower with air and artillery, but he had rare opportunities to apply this formula in crucial tests. The July offensive confirmed to the Soviets that the Nomonhan incident was far from a border skirmish; it signaled intent for further aggression. Moscow's leadership, informed by Richard Sorge's Tokyo network, perceived Japan's renewed effort to draw Germany into an anti-Soviet alliance as a dangerous possibility. Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov began indicating to Joachim von Ribbentrop and Adolf Hitler that Berlin's stance on the Soviet–Japanese conflict would influence Soviet-German rapprochement considerations. Meanwhile, Moscow decided to reinforce Zhukov. Tens of thousands of troops and machines were ordered to Mongolia, with imports from European Russia. Foreign diplomats traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway reported eastbound trains jammed with personnel and matériel. The buildup faced a major bottleneck at Borzya, the easternmost railhead in the MPR, about 400 miles from the Halha. To prevent a logistics choke, a massive truck transport operation was needed. Thousands of trucks, half-tracks, gun-towing tractors, and other vehicles were organized into a continuous eight-hundred-mile, five-day shuttle run. The Trans-Baikal Military District, under General Shtern, supervised the effort. East of the Halha, many Japanese officers still refused to accept a failure verdict for the July offensive. General Komatsubara did not return to Hailar, instead establishing a temporary divisional HQ at Kanchuerhmiao, where his staff grappled with overcoming Soviet firepower. They concluded that night combat—long a staple of Japanese infantry tactics—could offset Soviet advantages. On July 7 at 9:30 p.m., a thirty-minute Japanese artillery barrage preceded a nighttime assault by elements of the 64th and 72nd Regiments. The Soviet 149th Infantry Regiment and supporting Mongolian cavalry were surprised and forced to fall back toward the Halha before counterattacking. Reinforcements arrived on both sides, and in brutal close-quarters combat the Japanese gained a partial local advantage, but were eventually pushed back; Major I. M. Remizov of the 149th Regiment was killed and later posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union. Since late May, Soviet engineers had built at least seven bridges across the Halha and Holsten Rivers to support operations. By July 7–8, Japanese demolition teams destroyed two Soviet bridges. Komatsubara believed that destroying bridges could disrupt Soviet operations east of the Halha and help secure the border. Night attacks continued from July 8 to July 12 against the Soviet perimeter, with Japanese assaults constricting Zhukov's bridgehead while Soviet artillery and counterattacks relentlessly pressed. Casualties mounted on both sides. The Japanese suffered heavy losses but gained some positions; Soviet artillery, supported by motorized infantry and armor, gradually pushed back the attackers. The biggest problem for Japan remained Soviet artillery superiority and the lack of a commensurate counter-battery capability. Japanese infantry had to withdraw to higher ground at night to avoid daytime exposure to artillery and tanks. On the nights of July 11–12, Yamagata's 64th Regiment and elements of Colonel Sakai Mikio's 72nd Regiment attempted a major assault on the Soviet bridgehead. Despite taking heavy casualties, the Japanese managed to push defenders back to the river on occasion, but Soviet counterattacks, supported by tiresome artillery and armor, prevented a decisive breakthrough. Brigade Commander Yakovlev of the 11th Armored, who led several counterattacks, was killed and later honored as a Hero of the Soviet Union; his gun stands today as a monument at the battlefield. The July 11–12 action marked the high-water mark of the Kwantung Army's attempt to expel Soviet/MPR forces east of the Halha. Komatsubara eventually suspended the costly night attacks; by that night, the 64th Regiment had suffered roughly 80–90 killed and about three times that number wounded. The decision proved controversial, with some arguing that he had not realized how close his forces had come to seizing the bridge. Others argued that broader strategic considerations justified the pause. Throughout the Nomonhan fighting, Soviet artillery superiority, both quantitative and qualitative, became painfully evident. The Soviet guns exacted heavy tolls and repeatedly forced Japanese infantry to withdraw from exposed positions. The Japanese artillery, in contrast, could not match the Red Army's scale. By July 25, Kwantung Army ended its artillery attack, a humiliating setback. Tokyo and Hsinking recognized the futility of achieving a decisive military victory at Nomonhan and shifted toward seeking a diplomatic settlement, even if concessions to the Soviet Union and the MPR were necessary. Kwantung Army, however, opposed negotiations, fearing it would echo the "Changkufeng debacle" and be read by enemies as weakness. Tsuji lamented that Kwantung Army's insistence on framing the second phase as a tie—despite heavy Soviet losses, revealed a reluctance to concede any territory. Differences in outlook and policy between AGS and Kwantung Army—and the central army's inability to impose its will on Manchukuo's field forces—became clear. The military establishment buzzed with stories of gekokujo (the superiority of the superior) within Kwantung Army and its relations with the General Staff. To enforce compliance, AGS ordered General Isogai to Tokyo for briefings, and KwAHQ's leadership occasionally distanced itself from AGS. On July 20, Isogai arrived at General Staff Headquarters and was presented with "Essentials for Settlement of the Nomonhan Incident," a formal document outlining a step-by-step plan for Kwantung Army to maintain its defensive position east of the Halha while diplomatic negotiations proceeded. If negotiations failed, Kwantung Army would withdraw to the boundary claimed by the Soviet Union by winter. Isogai, the most restrained member of the Kwantung Army circle, argued against accepting the Essentials, insisting on preserving Kwantung Army's honor and rejecting a unilateral east-bank withdrawal. A tense exchange followed, but General Nakajima ended the dispute by noting that international boundaries cannot be determined by the army alone. Isogai pledged to report the General Staff's views to his commander and take the Essentials back to KwAHQ for study. Technically, the General Staff's Essentials were not orders; in practice, however, they were treated as such. Kwantung Army tended to view them as suggestions and retained discretion in implementation. AGS hoped the Essentials would mollify Kwantung Army's wounded pride. The August 4 decision to create a 6 Army within Kwantung Army, led by General Ogisu Rippei, further complicated the command structure. Komatsubara's 23rd Division and nearby units were attached to the 6 Army, which also took responsibility for defending west-central Manchukuo, including the Nomonhan area. The 6 Army existed largely on paper, essentially a small headquarters to insulate KwAHQ from battlefield realities. AGS sought a more accountable layer of command between KwAHQ and the combat zone, but General Ueda and KwAHQ resented the move and offered little cooperation. In the final weeks before the last battles, General Ogisu and his small staff had limited influence on Nomonhan. Meanwhile, the European crisis over German demands on Poland intensified, moving into a configuration highly favorable to the Soviet Union. By the first week of August, it became evident in the Kremlin that both Anglo-French powers and the Germans were vying to secure an alliance with Moscow. Stalin knew now that he would likely have a free hand in the coming war in the West. At the same time, Richard Sorge, the Soviet master spy in Tokyo, correctly reported that Japan's top political and military leaders sought to prevent the escalation of the Nomonhan incident into an all-out war. These developments gave the cautious Soviet dictator the confidence to commit the Red Army to large-scale combat operations in eastern Mongolia. In early August, Stalin ordered preparations for a major offensive to clear the Nomonhan area of the "Japanese samurai who had violated the territory of the friendly Outer Mongolian people." The buildup of Zhukov's 1st Army Group accelerated still further. Its July strength was augmented by the 57th and 82nd Infantry Divisions, the 6th Tank Brigade, the 212th Airborne Brigade, numerous smaller infantry, armor, and artillery units, and two Mongolian cavalry divisions. Soviet air power in the area was also greatly strengthened. When this buildup was completed by mid-August, Zhukov commanded an infantry force equivalent to four divisions, supported by two cavalry divisions, 216 artillery pieces, 498 armored vehicles, and 581 aircraft. To bring in the supplies necessary for this force to launch an offensive, General Shtern's Trans-Baikal Military District Headquarters amassed a fleet of more than 4,200 vehicles, which trucked in about 55,000 tons of materiel from the distant railway depot at Borzya. The Japanese intelligence network in Outer Mongolia was weak, a problem that went unremedied throughout the Nomonhan incident. This deficiency, coupled with the curtailment of Kwantung Army's transborder air operations, helps explain why the Japanese remained ignorant of the scope of Zhukov's buildup. They were aware that some reinforcements were flowing eastward across the Trans-Siberian Railway toward the MPR but had no idea of the volume. Then, at the end of July, Kwantung Army Intelligence intercepted part of a Soviet telegraph transmission indicating that preparations were under way for some offensive operation in the middle of August. This caused a stir at KwAHQ. Generals Ueda and Yano suspected that the enemy planned to strike across the Halha River. Ueda's initial reaction was to reinforce the 23rd Division at Nomonhan with the rest of the highly regarded 7th Division. However, the 7th Division was Kwantung Army's sole strategic reserve, and the Operations Section was reluctant to commit it to extreme western Manchukuo, fearing mobilization of Soviet forces in the Maritime Province and a possible attack in the east near Changkufeng. The Kwantung Army commander again ignored his own better judgment and accepted the Operations Section's recommendation. The main strength of the 7th Division remained at its base near Tsitsihar, but another infantry regiment, the 28th, was dispatched to the Nomonhan area, as was an infantry battalion from the Mukden Garrison. Earlier, in mid-July, Kwantung Army had sent Komatsubara 1,160 individual replacements to make up for casualties from earlier fighting. All these reinforcements combined, however, did little more than replace losses: as of July 25, 1,400 killed (including 200 officers) and 3,000 wounded. Kwantung Army directed Komatsubara to dig in, construct fortifications, and adopt a defensive posture. Colonel Numazaki, who commanded the 23rd Division's Engineer Regiment, was unhappy with the defensive line he was ordered to fortify and urged a slight pullback to more easily defensible terrain. Komatsubara, however, refused to retreat from ground his men had bled to take. He and his line officers still nourished hope of a revenge offensive. As a result, the Japanese defensive positions proved to be as weak as Numazaki feared. As Zhukov's 1st Army Group prepared to strike, the effective Japanese strength at Nomonhan was less than 1.5 divisions. Major Tsuji and his colleagues in the Operations Section had little confidence in Kwantung Army's own Intelligence Section, which is part of the reason why Tsuji frequently conducted his own reconnaissance missions. Up to this time it was gospel in the Japanese army that the maximum range for large-scale infantry operations was 125–175 miles from a railway; anything beyond 200 miles from a railway was considered logistically impossible. Since Kwantung Army had only 800 trucks available in all of Manchukuo in 1939, the massive Soviet logistical effort involving more than 4,200 trucks was almost unimaginable to the Japanese. Consequently, the Operations Staff believed it had made the correct defensive deployments if a Soviet attack were to occur, which it doubted. If the enemy did strike at Nomonhan, it was believed that it could not marshal enough strength in that remote region to threaten the reinforced 23rd Division. Furthermore, the 7th Division, based at Tsitsihar on a major rail line, could be transported to any trouble spot on the eastern or western frontier in a few days. KwAHQ advised Komatsubara to maintain a defensive posture and prepare to meet a possible enemy attack around August 14 or 15. At this time, Kwantung Army also maintained a secret organization codenamed Unit 731, officially the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kwantung Army. Unit 731 specialized in biological and chemical warfare, with main facilities and laboratories in Harbin, including a notorious prison-laboratory complex. During the early August lull at Nomonhan, a detachment from Unit 731 infected the Halha River with bacteria of an acute cholera-like strain. There are no reports in Soviet or Japanese accounts that this attempted biological warfare had any effect. In the war's final days, Unit 731 was disbanded, Harbin facilities demolished, and most personnel fled to Japan—but not before they gassed the surviving 150 human subjects and burned their corpses. The unit's commander, Lieutenant General Ishii Shiro, kept his men secret and threatened retaliation against informers. Ishii and his senior colleagues escaped prosecution at the Tokyo War Crimes Trials by trading the results of their experiments to U.S. authorities in exchange for immunity. The Japanese 6th Army exerted some half-hearted effort to construct defensive fortifications, but scarcity of building materials, wood had to be trucked in from far away—helped explain the lack of enthusiasm. More importantly, Japanese doctrine despised static defense and favored offense, so Kwantung Army waited to see how events would unfold. West of the Halha, Zhukov accelerated preparations. Due to tight perimeter security, few Japanese deserters, and a near-absence of civilian presence, Soviet intelligence found it hard to glean depth on Japanese defensive positions. Combat intelligence could only reveal the frontline disposition and closest mortar and artillery emplacements. Aerial reconnaissance showed photographs, but Japanese camouflage and mock-ups limited their usefulness. The new commander of the 149th Mechanized Infantry Regiment personally directed infiltration and intelligence gathering, penetrating Japanese lines on several nights and returning crucial data: Komatsubara's northern and southern flanks were held by Manchukuoan cavalry, and mobile reserves were lacking. With this information, Zhukov crafted a plan of attack. The main Japanese strength was concentrated a few miles east of the Halha, on both banks of the Holsten River. Their infantry lacked mobility and armor, and their flanks were weak. Zhukov decided to split the 1st Army Group into three strike forces: the central force would deliver a frontal assault to pin the main Japanese strength, while the northern and southern forces, carrying the bulk of the armor, would turn the Japanese flanks and drive the enemy into a pocket to be destroyed by the three-pronged effort. The plan depended on tactical surprise and overwhelming force at the points of attack. The offensive was to begin in the latter part of August, pending final approval from Moscow. To ensure tactical surprise, Zhukov and his staff devised an elaborate program of concealment and deception, disinformation. Units and materiel arriving at Tamsag Bulak toward the Halha were moved only at night with lights out. Noting that the Japanese were tapping telephone lines and intercepting radio messages, 1st Army Headquarters sent a series of false messages in an easily decipherable code about defensive preparations and autumn-winter campaigning. Thousands of leaflets titled "What the Infantryman Should Know about Defense" were distributed among troops. About two weeks before the attack, the Soviets brought in sound equipment to simulate tank and aircraft engines and heavy construction noises, staging long, loud performances nightly. At first, the Japanese mistook the sounds for large-scale enemy activity and fired toward the sounds. After a few nights, they realized it was only sound effects, and tried to ignore the "serenade." On the eve of the attack, the actual concentration and staging sounds went largely unnoticed by the Japanese. On August 7–8, Zhukov conducted minor attacks to expand the Halha bridgehead to a depth of two to three miles. These attacks, contained relatively easily by Komatsubara's troops, reinforced Kwantung Army's false sense of confidence. The Japanese military attaché in Moscow misread Soviet press coverage. In early August, the attaché advised that unlike the Changkufeng incident a year earlier, Soviet press was largely ignoring the conflict, implying low morale and a favorable prognosis for the Red Army. Kwantung Army leaders seized on this as confirmation to refrain from any display of restraint or doubt, misplaced confidence. There were, however, portents of danger. Three weeks before the Soviet attack, Colonel Isomura Takesuki, head of Kwantung Army's Intelligence Section, warned of the vulnerability of the 23rd Division's flanks. Tsuji and colleagues dismissed this, and General Kasahara Yukio of AGS also went unheeded. The "desk jockey" General Staff officers commanded little respect at KwAHQ. Around August 10, General Hata Yuzaburo, Komatsubara's successor as chief of the Special Services Agency at Harbin, warned that enemy strength in the Mongolian salient was very great and seriously underestimated at KwAHQ. Yet no decisive action followed before Zhukov's attack. Kwantung Army's inaction and unpreparedness prior to the Soviet offensive appear to reflect faulty intelligence compounded by hubris. But a more nuanced explanation suggests a fatalistic wishful thinking rooted in the Japanese military culture—the belief that their spiritual strength would prevail, leading them to assume enemy strength was not as great as reported, or that victory was inevitable regardless of resources. Meanwhile, in the rational West, the Nazi war machine faced the Polish frontier as Adolf Hitler pressed Stalin for a nonaggression pact. The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact would neutralize the threat of a two-front war for Germany and clear the way for Hitler's invasion of Poland. If the pact was a green light, it signaled in both directions: it would also neutralize the German threat to Russia and clear the way for Zhukov's offensive at Nomonhan. On August 18–19, Hitler pressed Stalin to receive Ribbentrop in Moscow to seal the pact. Thus, reassured in the West, Stalin dared to act boldly against Japan. Zhukov supervised final preparations for his attack. Zhukov held back forward deployments until the last minute. By August 18, he had only four infantry regiments, a machine gun brigade, and Mongolian cavalry east of the Halha. Operational security was extremely tight: a week before the attack, Soviet radio traffic in the area virtually ceased. Only Zhukov and a few key officers worked on the plan, aided by a single typist. Line officers and service chiefs received information on a need-to-know basis. The date for the attack was shared with unit commanders one to four days in advance, depending on seniority. Noncommissioned officers and ordinary soldiers learned of the offensive one day in advance and received specific orders three hours before the attack.   Heavy rain grounded Japanese aerial reconnaissance from August 17 to midday on the 19th, but on August 19 Captain Oizumi Seisho in a Japanese scout plane observed the massing of Soviet forces near the west bank of the Halha. Enemy armor and troops were advancing toward the river in dispersed formations, with no new bridges but pontoon stocks spotted near the river. Oizumi sent a warning to a frontline unit and rushed back to report. The air group dispatched additional recon planes and discovered that the Japanese garrison on Fui Heights, near the northern end of Komatsubara's line, was being encircled by Soviet armor and mechanized infantry—observed by alarmed Japanese officers on and near the heights. These late discoveries on August 19 were not reported to KwAHQ and had no effect on the 6th Army and the 23rd Division's alertness on the eve of the storm. As is common in militaries, a fatal gap persisted between those gathering intelligence and those in a position to act on it. On the night of August 19–20, under cover of darkness, the bulk of the Soviet 1st Army Group crossed the Halha into the expanded Soviet enclave on the east bank.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. By August, European diplomacy left Moscow confident in a foothold against Germany and Britain, while Sorge's intelligence indicated Japan aimed to avoid a full-blown war. Stalin ordered a major offensive to clear Nomonhan, fueling Zhukov's buildup in eastern Mongolia. Kwantung Army, hampered by limited logistics, weak intelligence, and defensive posture, faced mounting pressure. 

Eric and Eliot debate the merits and deficiencies of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's attempt to present “Trumpism with a human face” at the Munich Security Conference before turning to the dilemmas Trump faces in Iran. They discuss the administration's uncertain strategic objective, the failure to consult Congress and the public, and the potential for a much longer military engagement than Trump is accustomed to. In the second half of the show, they welcome Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Frank Dikötter to discuss his newly published book, Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity. They explore the weakness of the communist movement before World War II; the extensive role Soviet support played in sustaining it and in equipping and training what would become the People's Liberation Army; the deep Stalinist ideological impact on the party; and the extraordinary violence and barbarity the CCP inflicted on the Chinese populace in the territories it occupied.Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity:https://a.co/d/0d3ozDuBEliot on Marco Rubio's Munich Speech (Gift Link):https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/marco-rubio-munich/686025/?gift=KGDC3VdV8jaCufvP3bRsPv8cuxRM97HlBS7AWRa8x2QShield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

In October 1940, Mussolini launched an invasion of Greece from Albania, determined to secure Italian expansion in the Balkans before any peace could be negotiated. This episode examines the lead-up to the Italo-Greek War, beginning with Greece under the Metaxas dictatorship and its efforts to build up military strength despite limited industrial capacity. We explore Italy's decision to target Greece after delays in North Africa, the flawed assumptions Italian leaders held about Greek willingness to fight, and the fabricated provocations used to justify the invasion. When the Italian ultimatum was delivered at 3AM on October 28th, Metaxas famously rejected it, and Greece mobilized with unexpected unity as political divisions evaporated overnight. The episode follows the opening days of the invasion, hampered by torrential rains and mountainous terrain, culminating in the Battle of Kalpaki on November 2nd where Greek artillery devastated Italian tank attacks. By November 8th, the Italian offensive had completely stalled, forcing a major reorganization and change of command that set the stage for further failures to come. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on History of the Second World War. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠megaphone.f⁠m Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we think about war? How do we imagine it, picture it and explain it? Adam Rutherford hosts Radio 4's discussion programme which starts the week, asking what we can learn about ourselves from our varied intellectual and cultural responses to conflict.Sir Lawrence Freedman is one of the world's leading scholars of warfare. In his new collection of essays, On Strategists and Strategy, he considers some of the key strategic thinkers of the last century and thoughts about the significance of political calculation, military tactics, organisational behaviour, character and psychology.A new exhibition opens in March at the Imperial War Museum, London titled Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art. The curator Rebecca Newell explains what we learn from the ways in which artists recorded changes to the city during the Second World War in paintings, drawings and film.The Hôtel Lutetia, the grand hotel on Paris's Left Bank, has over the years drawn bohemians and great artists, including Matisse and Picasso. However, for a short period around the Second World War, the hotel was witness to significant events. Jane Rogoyska's new book Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War peoples the hotel with the intellectual and refugees gathering there in the 1930s, the men of the German military intelligence service who made it their headquarters and the deportees returning from concentration camps.Producer: Ruth Watts

In this powerful episode of Asians Represent, Daniel sat down with Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum, to explore the overlooked history of Chinese Canadians during the Second World War and how their service became a turning point in the fight for equal rights in Canada. Recorded during a visit to Vancouver last summer, this conversation dives into the museum's permanent exhibition, A Soldier for All Seasons, and reflects on the legacy of Chinese Canadian veterans who volunteered to serve a country that denied them the right to vote. Learn about A Soldier for All Seasons: https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/exhibitions/a-soldier-for-all-seasons Watch "Nitro": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE3ISzalVuo *//SUPPORT* Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for exclusive audio and series! https://www.patreon.com/aznsrepresent *//SPONSOR* Adventure Dice is your Canadian source for RPG dice, role-playing game accessories, and other tabletop gaming goodies. Head to adventuredice.ca and use code AZNSREPRESENT for 10% off your entire order! Check out WANDERING BLADES, a wuxia tabletop RPG of hyper-violent melodrama, at wanderingblades.com Check out Ross Rifles: https://www.dundaswestgames.com/ *//FOLLOW* Website: *aznsrepresent.carrd.co* Blue Sky: *@aznsrepresent* Discord server: *https://discord.gg/8dVxuT85* Podcast Back Catalog: https://pod.link/1429004408 *//CONTACT* If you have questions about this episode's themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com

By popular demand, the 15-Minute History team is re-airing one of our most popular episodes. This originally aired on April 8th, 2019. New episode next Monday, March 2nd. ____The name “Enterprise” is not exclusive to fictional starships or the space shuttle; in fact, nineteen ships of the British Royal Navy and nine of the United States Navy have born the name (spelled either with an S or a Z). Undoubtedly, the most famous USS Enterprise is the World War Two-era aircraft carrier, which fought in more battles in the Pacific War than any other vessel, earned twenty battle stars, and is today the most decorated ship in American naval history. “The Big E,” (first of her many nicknames) was commissioned in May 1938 and attached to the Atlantic fleet for her first year of service. As tensions rose with Japan and the Navy Department realized the importance of aircraft carriers in the Pacific, the Enterprise was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and based first at San Diego and then at Pearl Harbor.Join us as we teach you about the most decorated ship in the history of the US Navy, the USS Enterprise. We talk about her history, engagements, and why she was called, The Grey Ghost. When it comes to the United States Navy, names carry with them the legends of those ships which came before, and history will surely not forget the name Enterprise. 

Who Said That? #RTTBROS #Nightlight"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." — Philippians 4:8You know, I heard a story once about a young soldier in World War II who was separated from his unit deep in enemy territory. In the darkness and the confusion, he kept hearing voices, some calling him toward safety, some toward danger. The terrifying part wasn't the silence. It was that some of those enemy voices were calling out to him in perfect English.That story has stuck with me, because I think it's a pretty accurate picture of the inner life of most of us.We assume that every thought that pops into our heads is our own. But here's something worth sitting with today: not every voice you hear in your mind is actually you. The enemy of your soul is a real being, and Scripture is clear that he is the accuser, the deceiver, the one who comes to steal and kill and destroy. He is not above whispering fear into your ear and letting you think it was your own idea. Too soon old and too late smart, I spent a lot of years arguing with thoughts that never should have gotten a hearing in the first place.Martin Luther, that great reformer, understood this. He's often quoted as saying you can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can certainly stop it from building a nest in your hair. Not every thought deserves a lease agreement in your mind. Some of them need to be evicted on the spot.The Apostle Paul wasn't writing poetry when he penned that verse in Philippians. He was handing us a filter, a way to examine what's knocking at the door of our thinking before we let it set up house. Is this thought true? Is it honest? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Because if it isn't, it didn't come from the Father of lights. It came from somewhere else entirely, and you don't have to receive it.So the next time fear starts whispering that everything is falling apart, or that old condemning voice tells you that you're worthless and beyond hope, stop for just a moment and ask yourself, whose voice is this, really? Because God's voice brings conviction that leads to life. The enemy's voice brings condemnation that leads to paralysis. Learning the difference just might be one of the most important things you ever do.You get to choose what you think about. That's not self-help talk, that's Scripture.Let's pray: Father, help us be good gatekeepers of our own minds. Give us the discernment to recognize the voice of the enemy, and the courage to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Remind us today that Your voice is the one worth listening to. In Jesus' name, Amen.#SpiritualWarfare #RenewYourMind #ChristianLiving #DailyDevotion #Faith #BiblicalWisdom #RTTBROS #NightlightBe sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe, it helps get the word out.https://linktr.ee/rttbros

Every time you type a message, unlock your phone, or trust a computer to make a decision, you're relying on the ideas of someone you may never have heard of and probably never learned about at school. That person is Alan Turing. He was a British mathematician, logician, and wartime codebreaker, and one of the most important figures in modern science and technology. Turing helped lay the foundations of modern computing. He played a crucial role in breaking Nazi codes during the Second World War. And he asked questions about machines that still shape how we think about artificial intelligence today. His influence is everywhere, from the security that protects your data to the algorithms behind AI. In this episode, I want to explore Alan Turing's life, his scientific achievements, and the legacy he left behind, before connecting his story to my Greatest Scientist of All Time series. Conversation Club - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2026/02/23/376-who-was-alan-turing-english-vocabulary-lesson/ TRANSCRIPT - ⁠https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2026/02/16/375-do-we-live-in-a-surveillance-society-prepositions-of-place-english-grammar-lesson/⁠ AD Free Episode - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thinking in English Bonus Podcast -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/collection/869866⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube Channel -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thinkinginenglishpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ My Editing Software (Affiliate Link) - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://descript.cello.so/BgOK9XOfQdD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Borough by Blue Dot Sessions Contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to advertise on Thinking in English. Thinking in English is part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media podcast network.⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Day in Legal History: Order 9066On this day in legal history, enforcement of Executive Order 9066 began in earnest following its signing by Franklin D. Roosevelt earlier in February 1942. The order authorized the military to designate exclusion zones and remove individuals deemed security risks from certain areas of the country. In practice, it led to the forced relocation and incarceration of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens. Families were removed from their homes, businesses were lost, and entire communities were dismantled. The government justified the policy as a matter of national security during World War II. Critics argued it was rooted in racial prejudice rather than military necessity.The constitutionality of the policy reached the Supreme Court in Korematsu v. United States. Fred Korematsu, a U.S. citizen, had refused to comply with the exclusion order and was convicted. In a 6–3 decision, the Court upheld his conviction, accepting the government's claim that the exclusion was justified by wartime necessity. The majority deferred heavily to the executive branch, emphasizing the perceived threat on the West Coast. In dissent, several justices warned that the decision validated racial discrimination under the guise of military urgency.Decades later, the ruling came to be widely regarded as a grave error. In 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act, formally apologizing and providing reparations to surviving internees. In 2018, the Supreme Court explicitly stated that Korematsu was wrongly decided, rejecting its reasoning even though it was not formally overturned in the technical sense. The episode remains a cautionary example of how constitutional protections can erode in times of crisis.The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear two cases concerning the scope of the Helms-Burton Act, a 1996 law that allows American companies to sue over property confiscated by Cuba after the 1959 revolution. One case involves ExxonMobil's effort to recover more than $1 billion for oil and gas assets seized by Cuba in 1960. Exxon sued a Cuban state-owned company in 2019, alleging it continues to profit from the confiscated property. A lower court ruled that the Cuban entities could claim foreign sovereign immunity, which generally protects foreign governments from being sued in U.S. courts. Exxon has asked the Supreme Court to reverse that decision.The second case involves four cruise operators—Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises—accused of unlawfully benefiting from docks in Havana that were originally built and operated by a U.S. company before being seized by Cuba. The docks were used between 2016 and 2019, after travel restrictions were eased under President Obama. A trial judge initially ruled against the cruise lines and awarded more than $100 million in damages, but an appeals court later dismissed the case, finding that the original concession had expired before the cruise lines used the property. The Supreme Court's decisions could clarify how broadly Congress intended the Helms-Burton Act to apply and whether claimants face significant legal barriers when seeking compensation.US Supreme Court to hear Exxon bid for compensation from Cuba | ReutersU.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that it will stop collecting tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) beginning just after midnight on Tuesday. The decision comes several days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that those tariffs were unlawful. The agency said it would deactivate the tariff codes tied to President Donald Trump's IEEPA-related orders but did not explain why collections continued for days after the ruling. It also did not address whether importers who paid the duties would receive refunds.The suspension of the IEEPA tariffs coincides with the implementation of a new 15% global tariff introduced under a different statutory authority. Customs clarified that the halt applies only to the IEEPA-based tariffs and does not affect other trade measures, including those enacted under Section 232 for national security reasons or Section 301 for unfair trade practices. Economists have estimated that the now-invalidated IEEPA tariffs generated more than $175 billion in revenue and were bringing in over $500 million per day. As a result, the ruling potentially exposes the government to significant refund claims from importers.US to stop collecting tariffs deemed illegal by Supreme Court on Tuesday | ReutersJPMorgan Chase informed President Donald Trump and his hospitality company in February 2021 that it was closing their bank accounts, according to newly released documents tied to Trump's $5 billion lawsuit against the bank and its CEO, Jamie Dimon. The letters were sent about a month after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. At the time, several businesses and organizations distanced themselves from Trump, including law firms and the PGA of America.In its February 19, 2021 letters, JPMorgan did not provide a detailed explanation for ending the relationship. The bank stated generally that it may determine a client's interests are no longer served by continuing with J.P. Morgan Private Bank. JPMorgan has previously argued that Trump's lawsuit lacks merit. Trump's legal team, however, claims the letters amount to an admission that the bank intentionally “de-banked” him and his businesses, allegedly causing major financial harm.Trump contends that JPMorgan violated its own policies and unfairly targeted him for political reasons. The newly disclosed letters were submitted as part of the bank's effort to transfer the case from federal court in Miami to New York, where JPMorgan argues the dispute is more closely connected.JPMorgan says it closed Trump's bank accounts a month after Jan. 6 attack | ReutersA federal judge in Florida declined to overturn a $243 million jury verdict against Tesla stemming from a fatal 2019 crash involving the company's Autopilot system. The court found that the evidence presented at trial sufficiently supported the jury's conclusion that Autopilot played a role in the collision, which killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon in Key Largo. The jury determined that both the driver and Tesla shared responsibility for the crash.Jurors originally awarded $59 million to Benavides' parents and $70 million to her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, who was injured in the incident. After accounting for comparative fault, the compensatory damages were reduced to about $42.6 million, with the driver found 67% responsible and Tesla 33% responsible. The jury also imposed $200 million in punitive damages against the company.Tesla asked the court to set aside the verdict or grant a new trial, arguing that the damages were excessive and that its conduct did not meet Florida's legal threshold for punitive damages. The company also contended that state law limits punitive damages to three times the compensatory award. The judge rejected these arguments, stating that Tesla was largely repeating points already considered and dismissed during trial.At trial, plaintiffs argued that Autopilot was defective because it could be activated on roads it was not designed for and did not adequately ensure driver attention. They also claimed Tesla overstated the system's capabilities. The driver admitted he had looked away from the road moments before the crash.Tesla Can't Escape $243M Autopilot Crash Verdict - Law360 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Dr. Stephen V. Rice joins us in the first chapter to talk about his recent article in the Baseball Research Journal, "The 1915 Army Baseball Team at West Point: Five Future Generals and an 18–3 Record." In the second chapter, a look at two-time American League batting champion Ferris Fain and his tragic post-career fall. We close the episode with a short concert review. Links:The Society for American Baseball Research - www.sabr.orgThe Fall 2025 Baseball Research Journal - https://tinyurl.com/brjf2025Listeners interested in previous episodes with stories about baseball, music, the military and war should search for episodes 238 (Artie Shaw and World War II), 205 (Bethlehem Steel League), 189 (Baseball players serving in the Chemical Warfare Unit), Episode 169 (Moe Berg was a spy), Episode 168 (Ted Williams and John Glenn), Episode 107 (Baseball players serving in World War II), and Episode 106 (Sam Nahim and the G.I. World Series). Our episode about Rube Waddell is No. 82.Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.comEmail: hooksandruns@protonmail.comCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@hofffestEric on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliksThis podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

沉重 chén zhòng – heavy; serious; emotionally weighty二二八事件 èr èr bā shì jiàn – the February 28 Incident (1947 Taiwan uprising and massacre)第二次世界大戰 dì èr cì shì jiè dà zhàn – World War II殖民統治 zhí mín tǒng zhì – colonial rule戰敗 zhàn bài – to be defeated in war中華民國政府 zhōng huá mín guó zhèng fǔ – Republic of China (ROC) government接收 jiē shōu – to take over; to receive control of沿海各地 yán hǎi gè dì – coastal regions統治 tǒng zhì – to rule; to govern通貨膨脹 tōng huò péng zhàng – inflation物資 wù zī – supplies; goods衝突 chōng tú – conflict軍政人員 jūn zhèng rén yuán – military and government personnel戰勝者 zhàn shèng zhě – victor; winner of a war軍紀 jūn jì – military discipline貪污 tān wū – corruption; embezzlement累積 lěi jī – to accumulate查緝 chá qì – to investigate and crack down on私菸 sī yān – illegal cigarettes; smuggled tobacco粗暴 cū bào – rude; violent; rough開槍打傷 kāi qiāng dǎ shāng – to shoot and injure死亡 sǐ wáng – death引爆 yǐn bào – to ignite; to trigger (anger or conflict)受夠了 shòu gòu le – to have had enough行政長官 xíng zhèng zhǎng guān – chief executive; administrative governor請願 qǐng yuàn – to petition搗亂 dǎo luàn – to cause trouble; to disrupt衛兵 wèi bīng – guard; sentry開槍掃射 kāi qiāng sǎo shè – to open fire indiscriminately抗爭 kàng zhēng – to protest; to resist陸續 lù xù – one after another; successively爆發 bào fā – to erupt; to break out委員會 wěi yuán huì – committee改革 gǎi gé – reform暗中 àn zhōng – secretly; behind the scenes南京 Nán jīng – Nanjing求援 qiú yuán – to ask for military help血腥 xiě xīng – bloody; brutal鎮壓 zhèn yā – to suppress by force清鄉 qīng xiāng – village purge; violent crackdown on civilians知識份子 zhī shì fèn zǐ – intellectuals老百姓 lǎo bǎi xìng – ordinary people; civilians恐懼 kǒng jù – fear; terror戒嚴 jiè yán – martial law紀念公園 jì niàn gōng yuán – memorial park紀念碑 jì niàn bēi – memorial monument緬懷 miǎn huái – to commemorate; to remember with respectFollow me on Instagram: fangfang.chineselearning !

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war shows no sign of abating, with mounting casualties, continued strikes on civilian infrastructure and faltering ceasefire efforts. As global tributes mark the February 24 anniversary, calls are growing for stronger international action to apply pressure to Russia and bring an end to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war shows no sign of abating, with mounting casualties, continued strikes on civilian infrastructure and faltering ceasefire efforts. As global tributes mark the February 24 anniversary, calls are growing for stronger international action to apply pressure to Russia and bring an end to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes New York Times bestselling author Sara Pennypacker to discuss her powerful new historical novel, The Lions' Run. Sara shares how her father's experience as a teenage POW in a German prison camp during World War II influenced the story—and how a little-known Nazi program called the Lebensborn became the emotional trigger that set her empathetic orphan hero, Lucas, into action.From redefining what courage looks like for young readers to trusting kids with big, complicated questions about justice and resistance, Sara reveals why empathy is the true root of all bravery, how Joseph Campbell's storytelling wisdom shaped a pivotal cherry strudel scene, and why Jon Klassen's breathtaking cover art inspired her to go back and make the book even better.Whether you're a parent looking for meaningful middle grade historical fiction, an educator exploring WWII through a fresh lens, or a fan of Pax eager to see what Sara does next, this conversation is a moving celebration of quiet heroism and the enduring power of story.Read the transcript on ⁠The Children's Book Review (coming soon)⁠.Highlights:The Epigraph That Says It All: Why an African proverb about elephants and grass perfectly captures the heart of the bookThe Lebensborn Program: The little-known Nazi eugenics program that inspired the story—and why Sara felt compelled to bring it to light for kidsEmpathy as Courage: Why Lucas was never really a coward, and why Sara believes true bravery always begins with caring about someone other than yourselfThe Termite Theory: How many small, quiet acts of resistance—not one loud heroic moment—can take down something enormousCherry Strudel and Joseph Campbell: How the antagonist's own power gets turned against her in one of the most satisfying scenes in the bookJon Klassen's Cover: How seeing the finished art sent Sara back to her manuscript for one final, vibe-elevating revisionBig Cheese Preview: A sneak peek at Sara's next book—and why she's finally giving a child character all the powerNotable Quotes:"The true root of all courage is empathy. You have to care enough about someone other than yourself to go into some kind of action." —Sara Pennypacker"No matter what you are resisting, you are not alone. There are people working behind the scenes." —Sara PennypackerBooks Mentioned:The Lions' Run by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠The Borrowers by Mary Norton: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠About Sara Pennypacker:Sara Pennypacker is the New York Times bestselling author of the beloved Clementine series, the Pax duology, and her newest novel, The Lions' Run. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages and have earned numerous awards and honors. A former painter, Sara brings a visual artist's sense of structure and scene to every story she writes. She lives in Florida.Credits:Host: Bianca SchulzeGuest: Sara PennypackerProducer: Bianca Schulze

The current financial system has been progressing like slow car crash for at least a decade. It's longevity has proven to be resilient, but time has run out. The rules based order developed after WWII has been propped up by a fiat money that can no longer make good on its promises. One of the leading researches on this subject is Whitney Webb. Her understanding of the National Security state, and the technology that surrounding digital money, perfectly situates her as am authority on possible future outcomes.Whitney Webb on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssbvYXyiehMWho Gets Decide - Important Reference Charts on Money and Productivityhttps://youtu.be/dHgUIr5SymM

Tomorrow, fighting in Ukraine will enter its fifth year, after Vladimir Putin launched Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two.Joining Ciara to discuss and look back on four years of war is Emmanuelle Chaze, Ukraine Correspondent for France24 and RFI.Image: Reuters

For our "Sunday Context" series, we advance the story from Iwo Jima by a few months to August 1945, when the United States drops nuclear weapons on Japan in order to bring an end to WWII. We're joined by Garrett Graff to discuss the brutal calculus that went into that decision.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Step into Episode 200 of ‘On The Delo' as Delo celebrates a major milestone by sitting down with fellow "Delo" Dave Delos, a 30-year bar industry veteran, owner of six neighborhood dive bars, and president of the Arizona Licensed Beverage Association (ALBA). From growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and building homes with his hands to buying his first bar from his father-in-law Tony Marino in 1996, Dave shares the full arc of how hard work, family, and a willingness to "figure it out" built a six-location dive bar empire across the West Valley.​The conversation goes deep on what it really means to run a family business in hospitality, how Dave and his wife Lori built their operation together (she's known as "the executioner" for a reason), and how their son and daughter have now stepped into daily operations and HR to carry the legacy forward. Dave also opens up about life at 60, losing his father last year, taking his 86-year-old mom wine tasting, and why golf, travel, cooking, and wine at night keep him grounded. You'll hear one of the wildest bar stories ever told involving a live World War II hand grenade thrown into one of his bars, plus Dave's journey from ALBA board member to seven-year president, why a $200,000 Series 6 license needs protecting, and where he stands on mandatory Title 4 training and personal responsibility. Stay for rapid fire on Sunday day drinkers, Michelob Ultra, napkin deals, White Castle, and why dive bars are the fabric of America.​Chapter Guide (Timestamps):(0:00 - 2:53) Episode 200 Celebration, "On The Delos," and Why Delo Matters to the Industry(2:54 - 6:38) Growing Up in New York, the Mazda B2000 Road Trip, and Meeting His Wife at Gentleman's Choice(6:39 - 9:54) Moving to Arizona, Buying a Bar from Tony Marino, and Building Six Locations with His Hands(9:54 - 12:38) His Wife "The Executioner," Partnership, and What a Good Woman Does for Your Life and Business(12:39 - 15:18) Passing the Business to His Kids, College First, and Letting Go After 30 Years of Decisions(15:18 - 17:55) Life at 60: Golf, Travel, Wine at Night, and Taking His 86-Year-Old Mom Wine Tasting(17:56 - 20:52) The Live Hand Grenade Story: The Wildest Thing That's Ever Happened in One of His Bars(20:52 - 25:06) Getting Into ALBA, Industry Titans, Bill Weigel, and Why It's "My Time, My Turn"(25:06 - 29:02) What ALBA Does: Lobbying, Licensing, Protecting the $200K Series 6, and Don Isaacson at the Capitol(29:02 - 33:19) Title 4 Training, Mandatory vs. Voluntary, Personal Responsibility, and Masking Intoxication(33:19 - 35:42) ALBA Membership Benefits, $300/Year, Insurance Discounts, and a Welcome to New Members(35:42 - 42:03) Rapid Fire: Sunday Drinkers, Dive Bars, Michelob Ultra, Napkin Deals, White Castle, and Delo's Close

Air Week: February 23-March 1, 2026 The Moonglows, Pt. 1 – 1953-55 Much has been written about the great R&B vocal groups of the 1950s. Many of the classic groups were either great musicians and vocalists and never had the recognition or record sales to back it up or these groups were thrown together, they couldn’t sing very well and scored one, solid hit that still spins in the eternal jukebox of public consciousness. The Moonglows were one of the few groups to come out of the post World War II, pre-Elvis era, who were extremely talented and had the sales figures and notoriety to back it up. Originally called The Crazy Sounds, Harvey Fuqua and Bobby Lester led The Moonglows to a #1 R&B smash in 1954 with “Sincerely” on Chess, but that was after a somewhat bumpy start on Alan Freed’s Champagne Records and Chicago’s Chance Records. This week, Matt The Cat presents part 1 of a 2 part feature on the fantastic Moonglows, covering their career from 1953 to 1955. Vocal harmony doesn’t get much sweeter than this, so don’t miss one note of this week’s “Juke In The Back” radio program. LISTEN BELOW

In the 1950s, American glamour swept into a war-torn Britain as part of a broader transatlantic exchange of culture and commodities. But in this process, the American ideal of the blonde became uniquely British—Marilyn Monroe transformed into Diana Dors. British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain (Yale UP, 2025) by Professor Lynda Nead examines postwar Britain through the changing ideals of femininity that reflected the nation's evolving concerns in the twenty-five years following the Second World War. At its heart are four iconic women whose stories serve as prompts for broader accounts of social and culture change: Diana Dors, the quintessential blonde bombshell; Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain; Barbara Windsor, star of the Carry On films; and the Pop artist Pauline Boty. Together, they reveal how class, social aspiration, and desire reshaped the cultural atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, complicating gender roles and visual culture in the process. Richly illustrated with paintings, photography, film stills, and advertisements, this interdisciplinary and engagingly written study offers a highly original perspective on an era that transformed Britain's visual and cultural identity. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In the 1950s, American glamour swept into a war-torn Britain as part of a broader transatlantic exchange of culture and commodities. But in this process, the American ideal of the blonde became uniquely British—Marilyn Monroe transformed into Diana Dors. British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain (Yale UP, 2025) by Professor Lynda Nead examines postwar Britain through the changing ideals of femininity that reflected the nation's evolving concerns in the twenty-five years following the Second World War. At its heart are four iconic women whose stories serve as prompts for broader accounts of social and culture change: Diana Dors, the quintessential blonde bombshell; Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain; Barbara Windsor, star of the Carry On films; and the Pop artist Pauline Boty. Together, they reveal how class, social aspiration, and desire reshaped the cultural atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, complicating gender roles and visual culture in the process. Richly illustrated with paintings, photography, film stills, and advertisements, this interdisciplinary and engagingly written study offers a highly original perspective on an era that transformed Britain's visual and cultural identity. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

Michael Snyder discusses the very dangerous state of the world right now.  Iran is about to be attacked. Europe is distancing itself from the US umbrella and now taking defense matters into their own hands.  Germany is calling of Kriegstüchtig meaning "war-ready" and ready to face army against army.  This has not happened since World War II.  Russia's greatest fears are coming upon them.  The United States will no longer determine Europe's role.   Michael Snyder has been a long-time writer and analyst, and this analysis of what's happening in the world today is one to give serious thought to. Read his blog at  https://www.seekingtheway.net/    

Love Becomes Action Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: 1 John 3:16-18 Episode Summary Pastor Michael shares the incredible story of Desmond Doss, the WWII medic from Lynchburg, VA who refused to carry a weapon but saved 75 men at Hacksaw Ridge. Through 1 John's challenging words about love, we discover that real love isn't about feelings or words - it's about action. If the Love of Jesus led Him to the Ultimate Sacrifice, how will His Love in us change the world? Key Points – Jesus introduced a new kind of love that culture doesn't understand - love that sacrifices, serves, and puts others first – Early Christians took the obscure Greek word "agape" and redefined it by The Cross - willing, sacrificial action for others' good – Laying down our lives usually means healthy self-denial and serving others, not just dying in a blaze of glory – Within God's Family, we see a need and meet a need - compassion without action isn't Christ-like love – Love must be grounded in Biblical truth, not just feelings - sometimes the most loving thing is a hard conversation – Throughout history, Christ's love in believers has changed the world through action, not just sentiment Main Takeaway Love Becomes Action. If it doesn't, it's not love. The culture says love exists to make us happy; Christ says love exists to seek the good of others. Real love isn't warm fuzzy feelings during sad puppy commercials - it's crawling through gunfire to save lives. Love that stays in your mouth never reaches anyone's life. The Love of Christ in us must move our hands, open our hearts, and cost us something, because that's what Jesus's love did for us. Memorable Quotes – "Love Becomes Action." – "If love doesn't cost something, it isn't love at all." – "Laying down our lives doesn't mean thinking less of yourself; it means thinking of yourself less." – "If love doesn't move your hands, it probably hasn't moved your heart." – "Say less, do more." – "The people who were dying didn't need somebody who cared enough to change their profile picture; they needed someone who would crawl through gunfire." – "Love that stays in your mouth never reaches anyone's life." Reflection Question Where has your love stayed stuck in words and feelings instead of becoming action? What need has God put in front of you that requires you to move - to open your home, calendar, wallet, or have that hard conversation you've been avoiding? Tune in to hear the powerful story of Desmond Doss praying "Lord, help me get one more" seventy-five times at Hacksaw Ridge, why early Christians had to practically invent a new word for Jesus's kind of love, and the challenge that if The Love of God abides in you, it will come out in compassion and generosity. Connect & Give Learn more about ReCreate Church at www.recreatechurch.org Give online easily and securely through Tithe.ly

Episode 181 of the Polyhedron Collider Cast is pure hell. We kick off lent by stuffing our face with pancakes, before living through the hell of a Nazi invasion in Halls of Hegra, a solo WWII survival game full of tension and tough decisions. We then descend into actual Hell in Inferno, a heavy euro-style board game about shepherding souls to the nine circles of hell and becoming the best accuser. Finally, we attempt to redeem ourselves as we become just and noble knights, as we explore the Pendragon RPG starter set.   And don't forget—you can join the discussion over on our [Discord server]!     Podcast Contents 00:00:00 Intro banter and pancakes 00:05:37 Airecon 2026 https://www.airecon.co.uk/ 00:06:35 Sir Coates Painting Masters https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/whats-on/show/sir-coates-painting-masters-2025/ 00:07:56 Kienda and review copies 00:14:52 Halls of Hegra 00:25:11 Inferno 00:42:38 Pendragon RPG starter Set   ⭐Show Sponsor: Tabletop Dominion For a 10% discount at Tabletop Dominion (the amazing makers of the dice cubes), go to tabletopdominion.com/POLYHEDRONCOLLIDER or use the code POLYHEDRONCOLLIDER at checkout

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Guri Hjeltnes, an author and World War Two historian. We start with Nazi Germany's occupation of Norway during World War Two by hearing about a secret resistance operation known as “The Shetland Bus”. Then, we learn about a playboy spy who, during the 1940s, became one of wartime's most successful double agents and the reported inspiration behind James Bond.We hear how a black and white photograph taken in 1982, of a mother and her young daughter raising their arms in protest, became a symbol of Argentina's resistance. Plus, the public health crisis in America in 1980 that led to the setting up of the Tampon Task Force.In sport, we speak to the BMX rider known as "The Canadian Beast" who took part in the first Extreme Games in 1995.Finally, we hear from an Austrian mountaineer who spent seven years in Tibet and, in 1948, became friends with the country's spriritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Contributors: Leif Larsen – Norwegian sailor and a skipper on “The Shetland Bus”.Dusko Popov – British double agent during World War Two.Adriana Lestido - Argentinian newspaper photographer.Nancy King Reame – Professor Emerita Columbia University and researcher with the Tampon Task Force.Jay Miron - Canadian BMX rider.Heinrich Harrer – Austrian mountaineer who became a tutor to the Dalai Lama.(Photo: Leif Larsen (middle) and other member of The Shetland Bus. Credit: Scalloway Museum)

Show Notes This week we take a break from our regular coverage of G Gundam to return to a research topic that will remain salient throughout the 90s Gundam era: the violent breakup of Yugoslavia and the history that led up to it. In Part 1, Thom picks up the story during World War II, as the old powers of the world begin to come to terms with the increasing inevitability of a Partisan and Communist victory, and gives a proper introduction to the youngest of Marshal Tito's political rivals... Show notes will be uploaded soon, thank you for your patience. Mobile Suit Breakdown is written, recorded, and produced within Lenapehoking, the ancestral and unceded homeland of the Lenape, or Delaware, people. Before European settlers forced them to move west, the Lenape lived in New York City, New Jersey, and portions of New York State, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut. Lenapehoking is still the homeland of the Lenape diaspora, which includes communities living in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario. You can learn more about Lenapehoking, the Lenape people, and ongoing efforts to honor the relationship between the land and indigenous peoples by visiting the websites of the Delaware Tribe and the Manhattan-based Lenape Center. Listeners in the Americas and Oceania can learn more about the indigenous people of your area at https://native-land.ca/. We would like to thank The Lenape Center for guiding us in creating this living land acknowledgment. You can subscribe to Mobile Suit Breakdown for free! on fine Podcast services everywhere and on YouTube, visit our website GundamPodcast.com, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or email your questions, comments, and complaints to gundampodcast@gmail.com. Mobile Suit Breakdown wouldn't exist without the support of our fans and Patrons! You can join our Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus episodes, extra out-takes, behind-the-scenes photos and video, MSB gear, and much more! The intro music is WASP by Misha Dioxin, the recap music Window by 1000 Handz, and the outro is Long Way Home by Spinning Ratio, all licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 licenses. All music used in the podcast has been edited to fit the text. Mobile Suit Breakdown provides critical commentary and is protected by the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. Gundam content is copyright and/or trademark of Sunrise Inc., Bandai, Sotsu Agency, or its original creator. Mobile Suit Breakdown is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu, or any of their subsidiaries, employees, or associates and makes no claim to own Gundam or any of the copyrights or trademarks related to it. Copyrighted content used in Mobile Suit Breakdown is used in accordance with the Fair Use clause of the United States Copyright law. Any queries should be directed to gundampodcast@gmail.comRead transcript

Greg Jenner is joined in twentieth-century America by Dr Hannah Thuraisingam Robbins and comedian Desiree Burch to learn all about singer and Hollywood actress Lena Horne. Born into a middle class Black family in New York, a young Lena Horne soon followed in the footsteps of her actress mother and made her début at the famous Cotton Club aged only 16. After making her name as a singer and performer – and following the end of her tumultuous first marriage – Horne transferred to the west coast and bagged a Hollywood contract with MGM. There, she appeared in a number of classic films, including Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky. Over the next several years, she would also perform for the troops in the Second World War, fall in love with and marry a white composer and arranger, undertake an international tour, and become one of the most popular nightclub performers of the post-war era. But the racism of segregation-era America would also shape and limit the career of the woman known as ‘the first Black pin-up girl', eventually leading her to the civil rights movement and Black activism in the 1960s. This episode traces Lena's journey from young dancer to Hollywood star and renowned vocalist, along the way exploring her connections with figures including Billie Holliday and Martin Luther King Jr., and the injustice she spent so much of her career fighting against. If you're a fan of the history of cinema, mid-century America, and Black cultural icons, you'll love our episode on Lena Horne. If you want more musical icons with Desiree Burch, listen to our episodes on Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, and Broadway Musicals. And for more film history, check out our episodes on the history of Bollywood and Sarah Bernhardt. You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Rosalyn Sklar Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

2-19-261970 IRAN The European Left and the Ukraine Conflict. John Batchelor and Anatol Lieven discuss the European left's evolving stance on the Ukraine war. Facing economic strain, radical leftist parties are prioritizing peace and domestic issues over punishing Russia, driven by historical anti-NATO sentiments and deep skepticism toward European military expansion and the United States. #1 Negotiated Settlements and Expanding Security States. Anatol Lieven explains the European left's growing concerns about the Ukraine war fueling authoritarian security and surveillance measures. While a negotiated settlement requiring Ukraine to surrender the Donbas seems impossible in Kyiv, the conflict risks becoming a prolonged war of attrition dictated by modern drone warfare. #2 Truman, the Fed, and the 1951 Accord. Professor John Cochrane explores the 1951 Treasury-Fed Accordduring the Korean War. Fearing another World War II-style crisis, President Harry Truman pressured FedChairman Thomas McCabe to keep interest rates low. Instead, the Fed fought for its independence to combat inflation, establishing modern monetary policy precedents. #3 Modern Lessons from the Fed-Treasury Accord. Drawing parallels between 1951 and today, John Cochraneexamines the tension between presidential administrations and the Federal Reserve during crises. He emphasizes that the Fed must maintain its independence, warning against perpetually funding government spending and urging a strict focus on inflation control over politically motivated easy money. #4 Peru's Political Crisis and Chinese Influence. Professor Evan Ellis details Peru's chronic political instability following the appointment of its eighth president in eight years. Amidst endemic corruption and a fragmented Congress, the nation is deeply intertwined with Chinese investments, particularly in telecommunications, mining, and the strategically vital, Chinese-controlled deep-water port of Chancay. #5 Cuba's Severe Energy and Economic Collapse. Evan Ellis describes the catastrophic collapse of Cuba'seconomy. Cut off from Venezuelan and Mexican oil, the island faces severe rationing, blackouts, halted public services, and completely collapsed tourism. With millions fleeing the dire conditions, the communist regime's survival is heavily strained as basic resources fail. #6 Border Drone Threats, USMCA, and Venezuela. Evan Ellis discusses the closure of El Paso's airspace due to sophisticated cartel drones. He also highlights the critical necessity of renegotiating the USMCA to preserve Mexico's economy and cooperative security posture. Finally, he notes a surprising US military delegation visit to negotiate with Venezuela's Maduro regime. #7 Guyana's Massive Oil Boom. Evan Ellis highlights the profound economic transformation of Guyana following the discovery of billions of barrels of light, sweet crude oil. Driven by massive investments from ExxonMobil and Chevron, the South American nation serves as a prime example of effective management and foreign partnerships generating transformative national wealth. #8 Israel's Initial Response to the October 7 Atrocities. Following the horrific October 7 attacks by Hamas, Israelileaders reacted with understandable outrage and mobilized forcefully to neutralize the threat. While Hamas is currently severely degraded militarily and controls less territory, the group remains armed and continues to pose an ongoing security challenge fueled by Iranian backing. #9Defining Israel's Deep Political and Demographic Divides. Peter Berkowitz clarifies crucial definitions in Israelipolitics, explaining why a one-state solution would destroy Israel's democratic and Jewish character. He outlines how traditional left-right divisions have morphed into pro- or anti-Netanyahu factions, heavily influenced by religious demographics and the ultra-Orthodox community's contentious role in military service. #10Trump's Middle East Legacy and Israel's Judicial Crisis. Examining the Trump administration's lasting diplomatic legacy, Peter Berkowitz praises the embassy move to Jerusalem, the withdrawal from the flawed Iran deal, and the strategic Abraham Accords. He also analyzes Israel's internal turmoil over its overly activist Supreme Court, which sparked mass protests prior to the ongoing war. #11Confronting the Ignorance Fueling Anti-Israel Protests. Dismantling the arguments of global anti-Israel protesters, Peter Berkowitz highlights their culpable ignorance regarding Israel's defensive sovereignty. He refutes false accusations of colonialism, exposing how Hamas deliberately uses Palestinian civilians as human shields and actively seeks to destroy both the Jewish state and broader Western democratic civilization. #12Viktor Orban's Dangerous Alliances with Russia and China. Facing domestic electoral pressures, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban manipulatively courts the Trump administration while deepening dangerous alliances with Russia and China. Ivana Stradner explains that Orban leverages these relationships to project global relevance and maintain power, falsely claiming that Hungary is a victim of unavoidable Russian energy dependence. #13Bangladesh's Political Turmoil and Rising Islamist Influence. Following the violent ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh faces severe political and economic instability under Tariq Rahman. Sadanand Dhume warns of a concerning Islamic revival, highlighting the growing parliamentary power of the radical Jamaat-e-Islami movement and the critical need to pragmatically repair fractured diplomatic relations with India. #14Justice Scalia and the Unitary Executive Theory. Reflecting on Justice Antonin Scalia's legacy, Professor John Yoodetails the concept of the unitary executive. Scalia powerfully argued that the Constitution vests all executive power directly in the president, warning that independent agencies fragment federal authority, diminish democratic accountability, and disrupt the essential separation of powers. #15The Supreme Court's Threat to Independent Agencies. Analyzing upcoming Supreme Court cases, John Yoopredicts the potential overturning of the historic Humphrey's Executor precedent. Such a ruling would fundamentally dismantle the protections shielding independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission from direct presidential control, sparking a massive structural revolution within the federal government's executive branch. #16

Erica had experienced unexplained moments since childhood, but this encounter stayed with her for a different reason. While living in an old Portland apartment, she felt footsteps pass behind her and noticed her cat focused on something she couldn't see. Moments later, an image appeared in her mind — a man dressed in clothing from another era.The experience wasn't frightening, just unexpected. It faded quickly, leaving Erica unsure what to make of it. Weeks later, while speaking with her landlord, she learned the house had once been divided during the 1940s and occupied by a World War II officer and his family.The realization didn't shock her — it settled something. For the first time, an experience aligned naturally with history she hadn't known at the time. It didn't explain everything, but it made one moment finally make sense.#UnexplainedEncounter #ParanormalExperience #OldHouseStories #QuietHauntings #SeeingBeyond #TrueParanormal #RealGhostStories #ParanormalValidation #UnseenPresence #WhatSheFeltLove real ghost stories? Want even more?Become a supporter and unlock exclusive extras, ad-free episodes, and advanced access: