Tag: World War II
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History Nerds United Podcast S1:E4 – James M. Scott
Pulitzer Prize finalist and author James M. Scott joins the podcast to talk about Rampage, his book on the World War II Battle of Manila. James explains his writing process, where he gets his ideas, the challenge in getting children to pay attention to history, and how to make the perfect gin and tonic. Hint:…
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Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Tunnel 29: It’s like Shawshank but from the opposite direction. Quick synopsis: The story of Tunnel 29 which was dug from West Germany to East Germany to allow people to escape. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The East Germans called the Berlin Wall the “anti-fascist protection barrier.” History can be…
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Operation Vengeance by Dan Hampton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Operation Vengeance: It does not pay to sneak attack the U.S. Quick synopsis: The story of the mission to kill Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Isoroku Yamamoto intended to attack Pearl Harbor after Japan announced formal declaration of…
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Taking Paris by Martin Dugard
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Taking Paris: Everybody wants some Paris. Quick synopsis: The story of the Allies losing and regaining Paris in World War II. Spoiler alert, I guess. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Allies almost skipped Paris after D-Day. With the focus on defeating the German Army, it took some cajoling to…
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The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Terrible Hours: As if you needed more reasons not to go on a submarine. Quick synopsis: The story of the rescue of the crewmen on the submarine Squalus in 1939. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Until about the mid-1930s, if your submarine had a problem, you were going to…
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Checkmate in Berlin by Giles Milton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Checkmate in Berlin: Those crazy Soviets don’t play well with others. Quick synopsis: The story of how post-World War II Berlin became split in half. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: During the height of the Berlin Airlift, a plane was landing with supplies every 30 seconds. Fun Fact for History…
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Target Tokyo by James M. Scott
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Wait, we bombed Tokyo right after Pearl Harbor? I’ll be damned. Quick synopsis: We bombed Tokyo right after Pearl Harbor. Yes, really. Jimmy Doolittle and his Doolittle Raiders actually did a hell of a lot. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When the Doolittle Raiders took off for their bombing run, they…
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The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather
Quick synopsis of The Volunteer: The story of Polish World War II hero, Witold Pilecki. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The dude VOLUNTEERED to be sent to Auschwitz to foment rebellion in the camp. Yes, THAT Auschwitz. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Dude then BROKE OUT OF AUSCHWITZ. My Take on The Volunteer: Well,…
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Scholars of Mayhem by Daniel Guiet/Timothy Smith
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Scholars of Mayhem: PhD in killing Nazis. Quick synopsis: The story of Jean Claude Guiet and his team of saboteurs in World War II France. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Once France was liberated, you could tell which women collaborated with the Germans by their telltale shaved head which was…