One of the most influential organizations in the wars of the 20th Century was the Royal Navy. Jim Carter, in his book Hearts of Steel, gives us a snapshot of some of the pivotal years by looking at the activity of a handful of ships. You can find our more about Jim Carter at his website. You can purchase Hearts of Steel through this Amazon affiliate link. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

In this episode, I speak with Jason Bell, author of Cracking the Nazi Code. This book tells the true story of Winthrop Bell, a Canadian philosopher who worked for MI6 between WWI and WWII as a spy, providing important intelligence. You can purchase this book through this Amazon affiliate link. You can find out more about Jason Cole at his faculty page, at his personal page, and at the book page. Support this podcast through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

One of the major turning points of the war was Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. This had long been Hitler's plan and now it was time to put those plans into action. The first few weeks included tremendous German success. But could they maintain that momentum? Visit me at my website. Support me on Patreon. Recommended book: Operation Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941 (Amazon affiliate link)

When we think of areas of operations during the Second World War, we often do not think of the Middle East. But in the summer of 1941, there was indeed some significant combat in Syria and Lebanon. Unfortunately, it was between Britain and her Dominions and Vichy France. Visit my website here. Support me through Patreon.

In this first chapter of the Battle of the Atlantic, we catch up with what was happening in the Atlantic Ocean. Germany was trying to cut off Britain from all outside support by targeting shipping lanes. The Allies struggled to get the convoys to their destination from German ships, planes, and especially the dreaded U-Boats. This chapter takes us from the beginning of the war to late 1941. Support this podcast through Patreon. Visit my website.

On the same day that the Germans invaded Yugoslavia, they also invaded Greece. Even with Allied support, the Germans pushed through all defences. In this episode, we look at the invasion of the mainland and Crete. Please support this podcast through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

Imagine living through a Soviet occupation. And then having the Nazis replace the Soviets. And then having the Soviets return and eject the Nazis. And all this while only a child. John Livens shares about his experience as a boy in Latvia during the Second World War plus much more in his book An Unexpected Journey. In this episode, I talk to John about his experience during the war but his book covers much more material and is worth reading. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. Please support this podcast through Patreon.

In April of 1941, Germany, along with Italian and Hungarian allies, invaded Yugoslavia. This was part of German's actions in the Balkans that would include the invasion of Greece. In this episode, we look at how that invasion went and what happened after. Visit me at my website. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. Support this podcast through Patreon.

The Italians failed to take Malta. Could the Germans do better? They needed to neutralize this island to allow supplies to reach North Africa. However, the British stubbornly held onto Malta and frustrated the plans of the Axis. Support this podcast through Patreon.

In a previous episode, we saw Italy struggle in its ambitions in North Africa. Could Germany succeed where Italy failed? In this episode, we look at the arrival of General Erwin Rommel and his activity with the Afrika Korps during 1941. This episode is brought to by Athletic Greens.  Please support this podcast through Patreon.