Dr. Regina Akers joins me in this episode to talk about African American service in the Second World War, as well as a discussion of available resources for those researching this topic. She then tells of the story of Alonzo Swann and his journey to finally receiving the Navy Cross.
Links
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander and Director of the USS Kidd Museum in Louisiana Parks Stephenson joins me to talk about the Battle Off Samar, and his experience diving for and finding the wreck of the USS Johnston.
Links
USS Kidd Museum Ship (https://www.usskidd.com/)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Navy veteran and historian Guy Nasuti joins me in this episode to talk about the Kamikazes in the Pacific during World War II.
Links
On the Verge of Breaking Down Completely: Surviving the Kamikaze off Okinawa, 1945 by Guy Nasuti
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, Dr. James Young joins me to talk about the Battle of Leyte Gulf. James is also an author of a number of alternative history novels and his work is linked below.
Links
Dr. James Young -- Author (Amazon) (US Naval Institute)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, Ian Brown, a retired US Marine Corps pilot, joins me to talk about Foo Fighters, Unexplained Anomalous Phenomena, and other weird sightings noted by World War II Night Fighter Pilots.
Links
A New Conception of War: John Boyd, The U.S. Marines, and Maneuver Warfare by Ian T. Brown
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, retired US Army Brigadier General John Aarsen, Director of the 82d Airborne Division War Memorial Museum, joins me to talk about the 82d Airborne in Operation Market Garden.
Links
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Dr. Roger Cirillo joins me again in this episode to talk about the preparations for Operation Market Garden, as well as an overview of the operation. This episode complements the next episode will include a closer look from the perspective of the 82d Airborne Division. Roger mentions several other events and concepts for which there are related episodes so I will link to those below.
Links
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, Troy Lewis returns to share the story of the Battle of Noemfoor, with Operation Cyclone involving the 158th Regimental Combat Team of the Arizona Army National Guard, and Operation Table Tennis involving the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, which belongs to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based at Vicenza, Italy today. The Battle of Noemfoor Island is one of the Virtual Staff Rides offered by the Army's Staff Ride Team, located at Army University Press within the Combat Studies Institute.
Links
Noemfoor Virtual Staff Ride – Army University Press CombatStudies Institute Staff Ride Team (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Staff-Rides/Virtual-Staff-Ride/Noemfoor-VSR/)
Staff Ride Walk Book: Battle of Noemfoor Island, 2 JUL – 31 AUG 1944 (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/educational-services/staff-rides/VSR/Noemfoor-VSR/2.%20Noemfoor%20Instructor%20Notes%20(Exportable)%20-%2028%20August%202024.pdf)
US Army in World War II, The War in the Pacific (GreenBooks)
The Approach to the Philippines by Robert Ross Smith
Chapter 17: Operations on Noemfoor Island
(https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Approach/USA-P-Approach-17.html)
Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II by Christopher M. Rein (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/multi-domain-battle-in-the-southwest-pacific-theater-of-world-war-II.pdf)
US Army Center of Military History – New Guinea 24 JAN 1943 – 31 DEC 1944 by Edward J. Drea (https://history.army.mil/Portals/143/Images/Publications/Publication%20By%20Title%20Images/C%20Img/campaigns-wwii/pdf/24.pdf)
Noemfoor Island, Dutch New Guinea – Australian War Memorial (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/OG1237)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Returning to talk US Army Air Force Fighters in Europe is Dr. Graham Cross, senior lecturer in American History at the Manchester Metropolitan University. If you missed the 1943 episode on US AAF Fighters, I will link it below, but Graham does include a bit of recap here and there when the comparison between 1943 and 1944 is necessary to understand the bigger picture.
Links
Fighters Over Europe: Attritional Warfare and the Americanization of the Air War in 1943
The Wings of Democracy: The Influence of Air Power on the Roosevelt Administration 1933-1941 by Jeffery S. Underwood (https://www.amazon.com/Wings-Democracy-Administration-Williams-Ford-University/dp/0890963886/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3536RMETOY5RU&keywords=the+wings+of+democracy&qid=1701545518&sprefix=the+wings+of+democracy%2Caps%2C492&sr=8-1)
Global Mission by Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (https://www.amazon.com/Global-Mission-Military-Classics-Harley/dp/0830640045/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701545606&sr=8-2)
Uniting Against the Reich: The American Air War in Europe (https://www.amazon.com/Uniting-against-Reich-American-Aviation-ebook/dp/B0BNWH7VM9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12FBIQVTQCTSX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.S2vfDtzRETrY7_DXeR4l9Q.wlqWbxFgY8IKQ5S67P0tSFcEcB63_HxVlPltYXibkj4&dib_tag=se&keywords=luke+truxal&qid=1745770194&sprefix=luke+truxal%2Caps%2C448&sr=8-1)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Returning to continue the story of Bougainville from the 1943 series is Troy Lewis, US Army veteran and part of the Army University Press Combat Studies Institute Staff Ride Team. Troy picks up with a brief recap from the previous episode and takes us through the end of the fighting to when the island is handed off to the Australians.
Links
Operation Cherryblossom & The US Army at Bougainville in 1943
(Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/78tcDYYqfqBqUHjP3tEHQy)
Staff Ride Walk Book: Japanese Counterattacks on Bougainville Island, 8-25 MAR 1944
CSI Staff Ride Team - Bougainville: Defending the Lodgment, Virtual Staff Ride
(https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Staff-Rides/Virtual-Staff-Ride/Bougainville-VSR/)
US Army CMH - Northern Solomons
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Joining me in this episode are Dr. Chris Carey and returning guest Tim Gilhool to talk about the Red Ball Express. Both Chris and Tim worked on the Army University Press film covering the Red Ball Express, and Tim is a retired Logistics Officer who currently serves as the Command Historian for CASCOM - the US Army's Combined Arms Support Command.
Links
The Red Ball Express: Past Lessons for Future Wars byChristopher Carey, PhD
France ’44: Combat Success & The Red Ball Express – ArmyUniversity Press
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6WCFwUrKrA)
“Keep ‘em Rolling” African American Participation in the RedBall Express by Edna Freene Medfor and Michael Frazier
(https://transportation.army.mil/history/studies/red_ball_express.html)
Red Ball Express: The Road to Victory
(https://www.fdmuseum.org/collection/online-exhibits/red-ball-express/)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Dr. John McManus returns to continue the story of the US 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, which enters the fighting in France through the south during Operation Dragoon. This is one of the many stories included in Dr. McManus's book American Courage, American Carnage, which is linked below.
Links
American Courage, American Carnage: The 7th Infantry Regiment's Combat Experience, 1812 Through World War II by John C. McManus (https://www.amazon.com/American-Courage-Carnage-Chronicles-Experience/dp/0765320126)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Dr. David Murphy joins me to talk about some of the many details of Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France following the invasion of Normandy. Often ignored or overlooked because it was overshadowed by the Normandy Invasion, but it is still an important part of this story and it ties in with the next episode which covers the US 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in Southern France.
Links
Operation Dragoon: The Invasion of Southern France, 15 August 1944 (https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1944/operation-dragoon.html)
First to the Rhine: The 6th Army Group in World War II by Harry Yeide and Mark Stout
(https://www.amazon.com/-/es/First-Rhine-Army-Group-World/dp/0760331464)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Mark Reardon joins me to talk about Operation Lüttich, one of two counteroffensives the Germans launched following the Allied invasion at Normandy in the summer of 1944; the second being the Battle of the Bulge. Mark provides significant detail from his book, Victory at Mortain: Stopping Hitler's Panzer Counteroffensive, which I will link to below, and he also adds some additional insight he has gained since publishing the book.
Links
Victory at Mortain: Stopping Hitler's Panzer Counteroffensive by Mark Reardon
(https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Mortain-Stopping-Hitlers-Counteroffensive/dp/0700612955)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, Dr. Robert Lyman joins me to talk about India, the Indian Army, and the Second World War, which is an important topic that has largely been missing from this series except for a few episodes I mention at the start of this episode and will link to below. Those three episode are with guest Christopher Kolakowski, the Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, who contributed stories about the Chindits, Merrill's Marauders, and the Battles of Imphal and Kohima.
Links
Dr. Robert Lyman (https://robertlyman.com/about/)
Merrill's Marauders (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CDZBHcffpQgzoLlTI7ZAJ?si=_HxstZfARMq7NEeojy5STQ)
The Chindits & Operation THURSDAY: Long-Range Penetration Groups in the C-B-I Theater (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aPf5yOJCvsxbqLdbnE35Z?si=aXOgA4eOTba_Byod0zpk4Q)
The Battles of Imphal & Kohima (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2QI6dJyTbp4Pdp8zZAiNKM?si=rKgzezw5RWy_2POUOg6yvg)
A War of Empires: Japan, India, Burma & Britain 1941-45 by Robert Lyman
(Amazon)
Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918-1940 by Richard Dannatt & Robert Lyman
(Amazon)
Japan's Last Bid for Victory: The Invasion of India 1944 by Robert Lyman
(Amazon)
Slim, Master of War: Burma and the Birth of Modern Warfare by Robert Lyman
(Amazon)
Nations in the Balance: The India-Burma Campaign DEC 1943 - AUG 1944 by Christopher Kolakowsi
(Amazon)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Retired US Army Sergeant Major Michael Vining joins me in this episode to talk about the history of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Branch and Bomb Disposal during World War II. He also talks with me about his 30 year Army career in both EOD and Delta Force and some of his accomplishments as an EOD historian.
Links
EOD Warrior Foundation (https://eodwarriorfoundation.org/)
Retired Sergeant Major Paved Way for EOD Technicians in Elite Special Forces Unit (https://www.army.mil/article/263293/retired_sergeant_major_paved_way_for_eod_technicians_in_elite_special_forces_unit)
It's A Blast! Podcast -- SGM Mike Vining: From EOD to Military Legend (https://youtu.be/5bJ30HryCEQ?si=HWur_JsXAJSn4qt3)
Troop Support Supports EOD Mission as National Observance Nears -- National Explosive Ordnance Disposal Day is the first Saturday in May (DLA Article)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Dr. Bill Nance returns to talk about LTG William Simpson, the US Ninth Army, and how average but doctrinally-proficient leaders made things happen. Not everyone needs to be a Patton. This includes a look at Army Groups and those higher echelon levels of command, command relationships, and intricate coordination to ensure the US forces were able to fight effectively.
Links
Commanding Professionalism: Simpson, Moore, and the Ninth US Army by Dr. William S. Nance (Amazon)
Sabers Through the Reich: World War II Corps Cavalry from Normandy to the Elbe by Dr. William S. Nance and Dr. Robert M. Citino (Amazon)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and current Command Historian for the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) Tim Gilhool joins me to talk about the "Arsenal of Democracy" which made it possible for the United States to keep the Allies in the fight against the Nazis and Axis forces around the world, while simultaneously arming and equipping a massive American military force that helped fight and win the Second World War.
Links
The Army Green Books (https://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/usaww2.html)
The Blue Books
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, I'm joined by MAJ Jason Boswell to discuss Armor Doctrine development that will ultimately impact how the US Army's Armored Forces conduct themselves and their operations in 1944. This includes talk of the Interwar Period, between the First and Second World Wars, and the late 1930s through 1941, with talk of the 1941 GHQ Maneuvers which were the main event in the beginning of this series - before it was Why We Fight, the first year was called Building an American Army.
Links
From Horses to Horsepower: The Mechanization and Demise of the US Cavalry, 1916-1950 by Alexander Bielakowski
(Amazon)
Mobility, Shock, Firepower: The Emergence of the US Army's Armor Branch, 1917-1945 by Robert S. Cameron
(https://www.history.army.mil/html/books/Mobility_Shock_and_Firepower/CMH_30-23-1.pdf)
The US Army GHQ Maneuvers of 1941 by Christopher Gable
(https://www.history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-41-1/CMH_Pub_70-41-1.pdf)
In the Presence of Soldiers: The 2nd Army Maneuvers & Other World War II Activity in Tennessee by Woody Cillin
(Amazon)
General Lesley J. McNair: Unsung Architect of the US Army by Dr. Mark Calhoun
(Amazon)
The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1941: The Forgotten Story of How America Forged a Powerful Army Before Pearl Harbor by Paul Dickson
(Amazon)
Monschau's Lucky 38 by Jason Boswell
(Amazon)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)
In this episode, LTC Nathan Jennings joins me to talk about some of the important lessons in land warfare that were taken from the Battle of France in 1940 and how those lessons come into play by 1944.
Links
Maneuver and Breakthrough in 1940 France: Insights for the US Army and the Russo-Ukrainian War by LTC Nathan A. Jennings, PhD
Association of the United States Army - Land Warfare Papers
(https://www.ausa.org/land-warfare-papers)
Fighting by Minutes: Time and the Art of War by Robert R. Leonhard (https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Minutes-Time-Art-War/dp/1974585530/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=)
Mother of Tanks website (http://www.motheroftanks.com/podcast/)
Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/c/motheroftanks)