World War II with Tom Hanks

Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression has been a constant throughout the war. In the summer of 1944, two cities revolt against the Nazis but meet very different outcomes. And some, living and dying through the Holocaust, take their fate into their own hands and mount organized resistance in the direst of circumstances.
This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
Michael Neiberg, professor, US Army War College
Marco Aterrano, associate professor, University of Naples Federico II
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
Anand Toprani, military historian, U.S. Naval War College
James Bulgin, historian, Imperial War Museum
Rebecca Erbelding, historian, United States Holocaust Museum

As the tide begins to turn against the Axis powers, the leaders of Germany and Japan deploy opposite strategies on their home fronts. Hitler and his propaganda minister do everything in their power to shield the German people from the war, while Hideki Tojo asks the Japanese to sacrifice more and more to support the war effort. But both governments’ demands of their people will grow more intense – and deadly.
This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
Nicholas Stargardt, historian and author
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Sheldon Garon, professor, Princeton University
Yuki Tatsumi, senior director, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security
Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
Jeremy Yellen, historian and author
Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University
Bradley Hart, military historian, National WWII Museum
Louise Young, professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

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June 6, 1944. As thousands of Allied soldiers prepare to storm the beaches of Normandy, they climb down rope nets into small wooden landing craft bobbing in the dark waters of the English Channel. Within hours, these boats will carry them into the largest amphibious invasion in history.
The craft are known as Higgins boats, named for their inventor, Andrew Higgins: a hard-driving New Orleans boatbuilder who built his reputation designing vessels that could speed through swamps, crash through obstacles, and go places other boats couldn't. Higgins was stubborn, abrasive, and relentless. The Navy repeatedly dismissed his ideas. He refused to go away.
How does a small-time New Orleans boatbuilder force his way into the military industrial complex? And what exactly is so special about these boxy little Higgins boats?
Special thanks to Dr. John Curatola, Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. His book is Armies Afloat: How the Development of Amphibious Operations in Europe Helped Win World War II.
You can find the rest of the books we used to research this episode at historythisweekpodcast.com.

The B-29 bomber is the Allies’ best chance to strike Japan, and they turn to China as a potential air base. But Japan launches its largest land offensive of the war to gain control of Asia, leading to brutal fighting in the jungles and plains of South Asia. All the while, the U.S. Navy is speeding through the Pacific towards the Mariana Islands, another potential future B-29 base.
This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst
A.J. Baime, journalist and author
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
James Holland, military historian and author
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University

After years of discussion over how to take the fight directly to Germany, the Allies set a target for a cross-channel invasion: Normandy, spring of 1944. But the road to Operation Overlord is no easy journey, with Hitler lying in wait. For the Allies, it’s a race to pull off one of the most complicated operations in military history.
This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):
Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
Craig L. Symonds, military historian and author
Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
Jon Meacham, presidential historian
Michel Paradis, professor, Columbia University
Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
Dr. Peter Lieb, military historian and author
James Holland, military historian and author
Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst
Martin Morgan, military historian and author
Paul Woodadge, author and Normandy battlefield guide