Recent Blogs
Our first holiday special is up! Author Ed Lengel joins the podcast!
Let’s dip into the archives! We wanted to give you a present this holiday season so here’s the first one. Author Ed Lengel joins us to talk his amazing book, Never in Finer Company: The Men of the Great War’s Lost Battalion. Come listen! Buy Never in Finer Company
Longstreet by Elizabeth Varon
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Longstreet: It’s never too late to stop being an idiot. I hope. Quick synopsis: The story of Confederate General James Longstreet and how he tried to atone for his mistakes. Fact for Non-History People: 30% of Virginia-born officers stayed loyal during the Civil War. Fact for History Nerds: In the 1880s, Black Americans made up 90% of Republican voters in Georgia (and probably a bunch of other states). My Take on Longstreet: Great biographies need to have two things. First, a balanced view of the subject which avoids painting them as either all hero or all
Strike of the Sailfish by Stephen Moore
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Strike of the Sailfish: You will NEVER get me on a submarine. Quick synopsis: The story of sister submarines in World War II. Fact for Non-History People: Radar at this point could detect a small warship about 10 miles away and closer if it was a part of a convoy. Fact for History Nerds: 52 American submarines were sunk in World War II. My Take on Strike of the Sailfish: For the life of me, I cannot understand people who take boats out into the middle of the ocean. I especially cannot understand choosing a boat
The Savage Storm by James Holland
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Savage Storm: Everyone was mad at the Italians, even the Italians. Quick synopsis: The story of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943. Fact for Non-History People: By 1943, the Luftwaffe had already lost almost 6,000 aircraft in the Mediterranean alone. Fact for History Nerds: The German 10th Army lost 13,362 soldiers in December 1943 alone in Italy. My Take on The Savage Storm: If there is one thing everyone can agree on in 1943 is that everyone was mad at the Italians, even the Italians. James Holland’s The Savage Storm looks at the invasion
About Brendan
Brendan Dowd is a full-time government consultant but is always a History Nerd. He lives in Vienna, Virginia with his daughter whom he regularly tortures with the double whammy of dad jokes and history jokes. He is the son of a history teacher (big surprise) and is originally from New York.
Brendan is a West Point graduate and Army Veteran who served in Iraq as a tank platoon leader. However, he doesn’t just like war books. His favorite history subjects are the American Revolution, shipwrecks, and voyages of discovery although you can probably talk him into anything once.
Popular
Strike of the Sailfish by Stephen Moore
The Savage Storm by James Holland
The Palace by Gareth Russell
Judgment at Tokyo by Gary Bass
Author Gregory Wallance joins the podcast!
Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr
Into Siberia by Gregory Wallance
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