The WW2 Podcast

RAF Liberator bombing operations in India, Burma, and Thailand remain one of the least explored air campaigns of the Second World War. Flying long-range missions from Bengal, RAF crews attacked Japanese targets across Southeast Asia, including the infamous Thailand-Burma Railway, under demanding and often dangerous conditions. In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I am talking to historian Matt Poole, author of Far East RAF Liberators: Attacking the Japanese: Roy Andrews and 215 Squadron. Together, we explore this campaign through the experiences of Roy Andrews, a Royal Australian Air Force wireless operator and air gunner who flew with RAF 215 Squadron on B-24 Liberator bombers during the final months of the war. Between October 1944 and April 1945, Roy Andrews flew bombing, strafing, and air-sea rescue missions over Burma and Thailand. By viewing the wider RAF air war through the lens of one airman, this episode examines long-range Liberator operations, low-level attacks, and daily life on a forward airfield in India, offering a personal perspective on an often overlooked chapter of the Second World War.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

For this episode of the podcast, we are doing something a little different. Rather than focusing on a single subject, we open the floor to your questions. Over the past few weeks, podcast patrons were invited to submit questions they had always wanted to ask about the Second World War. These range from strategy and leadership to memory, myth and the smaller details that continue to provoke curiosity today. To help answer those questions, I am joined by two returning guests. John McManus is a military historian specialising in the United States Army in the Second World War. He is the author of numerous books and is known for combining operational history with the lived experience of soldiers on the ground. Also joining the discussion is Kevin Hymel. Kevin is a historian and biographer of General George S Patton, with the third volume of his trilogy due for publication in 2026. He is also an experienced battlefield tour guide. John and Kevin are the hosts of the podcast WW2 Live, which features a regular segment called 'Stump the Chumps' in which listeners submit challenging or unusual questions. That format inspired this episode. Together they take on a wide range of listener questions, offering thoughtful and often surprising insights into how the Second World War was fought, remembered and understood.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

Charles de Gaulle remains one of the most distinctive figures to emerge from the Second World War. Soldier, writer, leader in exile, and later the creator of the Fifth Republic, he played a central role in reshaping modern France. His relationship with Winston Churchill, their shared struggle during the war, and the influence both men continued to wield long after the fighting ended make him a fascinating subject. In this episode, I speak with historian Richard Vinen, author of Last of the Titans: Churchill and de Gaulle. His book explores the lives of de Gaulle and Churchill and sets their wartime partnership within a wider story of national identity, political power, and the long shadow of past greatness. Richard guides us through de Gaulle's early years, his outlook as a soldier, his time in London, and the reasons he became such a commanding presence in French public life. Last of the Titans: Churchill and de Gaulle is also available as an audiobook on Audible.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

The fighting in Burma during the Second World War was among the most demanding of the entire conflict. Soldiers faced dense jungle, monsoon rains, disease, and a determined enemy — conditions that made the campaign both brutal and complex. Yet for decades, Burma remained one of the least remembered theatres of the war. The men who fought there — British, Indian, African, and Burmese — became known as the "Forgotten Armies." A new exhibition at the National Army Museum in London, Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies, seeks to change that. It explores not only the campaign itself but also the wider human and political stories that emerged from the fighting in Southeast Asia. In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I visit the museum to speak with Dr Alan Jeffreys, Head of Equipment and lead curator of Beyond Burma. We discuss the exhibition, its themes, and the challenge of bringing this complex history to life.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

By late 1942, after the success of Operation Torch, the Allies had finally gained a foothold in North Africa. What followed was a hard-fought and often overlooked campaign in Tunisia. For six months, British, American, and French forces battled determined Axis troops for control of the last corner of Africa held by Germany and Italy. It was a campaign marked by tough lessons, uneasy cooperation, and moments of heroism — one that would shape how the Allies fought together for the rest of the war. In this episode, I'm joined by historian and author Saul David to discuss his latest book, 'Tunisgrad: How the Allies Won North Africa and Set the Stage for D-Day'. Saul brings to life the soldiers, commanders, and decisions that defined the Tunisia campaign and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe.   patreon.com/ww2podcast