History That Doesn't Suck

"My dear Duce, it’s no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.” 

This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky. 

On the heels of the decisive Allied victory in Africa, leaders decide to take the fight north. But Hitler and Mussolini surely know they’ll be aiming for Sicily next, right? Actually, pre-Husky Allied intelligence victories have the Germans and Italians barking up the wrong tree (shoring up the wrong island defenses), all thanks to one Major William Martin. 

Meanwhile, back in mainland Europe, Germany is wondering if Italy is still 100% committed to the Fascist alliance. After all, Mussolini’s popularity is tanking, and it looks like he might get the boot any day. Things are… uncertain, to say the least. How will the combined Allied forces fare in Sicily? Which army will win the race to catch the Axis retreaters at Messina? Will George Patton get promoted again, as he so desperately wants? And perhaps most importantly—where to next? 

____

Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and



go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations




join discussions in our Facebook community




get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette 




come see a live show




get HTDS merch




or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.




HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com.

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

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.” 

This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa. 

Long under the colonial thumb of the belligerent European nations—namely, France, Italy, and Britain—North Africa becomes the sandy stage for months of ugly tank battles featuring characters like the Desert Rats (Britain’s 7th Armoured Division), and the Desert Fox (Field Marshall Erwin Rommel). By the time American reinforcements arrive in Vichy French–held African ports for Operation Torch, the Brits and the Axis powers have been chasing each other across the Saharan desert for quite a while, the latest development being a heartening Allied victory at El Alamein, Egypt. 

The newly arrived G.I.s must quickly learn brutal lessons about tank warfare, but they soon come into their own after battles like Kasserine Pass and El Guettar, while simultaneously being whipped into shape by none other than "Old Blood and Guts" General George S. Patton. As U.S. forces move east into Tunisia and Bernard “Monty” Montgomery’s men continue moving west from Libya, we’ll see if this continent-wide pincer maneuver will break Rommel’s two-war winning streak, or if the Allies will finally score a hit against the thus-far (almost) unstoppable Germany. 

____

Connect with us on ⁠⁠⁠HTDSpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ and


go deep into ⁠⁠⁠episode bibliographies⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠book recommendations⁠⁠⁠




join discussions in our ⁠⁠⁠Facebook community⁠⁠⁠




get news and discounts from ⁠⁠⁠The HTDS Gazette⁠⁠⁠ 



come ⁠⁠⁠see a live show⁠⁠⁠




get ⁠⁠⁠HTDS merch⁠⁠⁠




or become an ⁠⁠⁠HTDS premium⁠⁠⁠ member for bonus episodes and other perks.


HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com

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

“When do we get a whack at those Germans?”

This is the story of America’s entry into the European Theater. After Pearl Harbor, American foot soldiers and generals alike are eager to get in on the action in Europe, but first, they have to cross the embattled Atlantic—easier said than done with German U-boats on the prowl, sinking both military and merchant vessels in what they call an “American turkey shoot.” After stubborn U.S. Navy Admiral Ernest King finally adopts a workable convoy system, the boys are on their way to the UK, but it’s their next destination that’s really hotly debated. 

U.S. Chief of Staff George C. Marshall advocates for a direct assault on France in 1942, (a plan supported by a desperate Stalin), but Churchill and co. favor a Mediterranean approach, coming up through the “soft underbelly” of Europe and avoiding turning the English Channel into “a river of blood.” And yet, whatever the high command decides, newly trained American troops will soon arrive in Ireland under the command of Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower, an organizationally brilliant and formerly frustrated desk jockey, now commander of all U.S. forces in Europe. ____

Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and


go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations


join discussions in our Facebook community


get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette 

come see a live show


get HTDS merch


or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.


HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com.

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

“It was almost unbelievable, but I was seeing it. Almost simultaneously, three [Japanese] carriers were wiped out. I knew what it meant. By golly, we did it!” 

This is the story of a battle that changed how wars are fought at sea—and of the thin margin between disaster and destiny. In the spring of 1942, Japanese forces surge across the Pacific, confident their next move will finish what Pearl Harbor began. But beneath the surface, American codebreakers are listening, watching, and waiting.

Fresh from the hard-fought Battle of the Coral Sea, the U.S. Navy limps forward with damaged carriers, exhausted pilots, and an untested commander named Chester Nimitz. Across the ocean, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku sets an intricate trap meant to lure America’s carriers into annihilation near a tiny atoll called Midway.

What follows is not a clash of battleships, but a duel fought primarily in the air—where minutes matter, mistakes are fatal, and pilots will dive straight into fire with no idea if they’re already too late.

By the morning of June 4, 1942, both sides believe victory is within reach. Only one is right.

____



Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and



go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations




join discussions in our Facebook community




get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette 




come see a live show




get HTDS merch




or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.




HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com.

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

“We had been promised relief but none was coming, and all of us in Bataan shared a sense of betrayal.”

This is the story of the United State’s earliest—and most disastrous—days of war in the Pacific. 

Almost immediately following Pearl Harbor, America and the Axis powers exchange rapid-fire war declarations. While embattled Britain breathes a sign of relief to have the US officially in the war, the Japanese Empire’s sun is rising on the Pacific fast—and at great cost to the Philippines. As the Commonwealth’s islands fall one by one, General Douglas MacArthur is forced to beat a hasty retreat. He evacuates to Australia and pledges to return; but what of the American and Filipino forces cornered on a small peninsula on Luzon? Well, they’re not called the “Battling Bastards of Bataan” for nothing. But there’s only so much they can do without outside support. Many thousands of POWs will be murdered or massacred in the post-surrender Bataan Death March of April 1942. 

Amid these defeats and the ensuing crisis of morale, Washington concludes a successful counterattack on the Japanese home islands just might be the psychological win that America needs. Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle will lead an air attack… on Tokyo itself. 

____

Go to squarespace.com/HTDS for a free trial and use the offer code HTDS to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain from our advertising partner Squarespace.



Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and



go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations




join discussions in our Facebook community




get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette 




come see a live show




get HTDS merch




or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.




HTDS is part of Audacy media network.

Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com.

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