Best Andropov Podcasts (2024)

1
My friend the Bridge of Spies spy - Part 2 (342) 59:47

16m ago59:47

59:47

Burt recounts the surreal experience of learning about Fisher's true identity from a newspaper headline, the subsequent FBI interrogations, and the emotional courtroom testimony where he struggled to reconcile his friendship with the stark reality of espionage. Burt's journey leads him to Moscow in a failed attempt to reconnect with Fisher, reveali…

1
My friend the Bridge of Spies spy - Part 1 (341) 1:07:08

6d ago1:07:08

1:07:08

In a riveting episode that peels back the layers of Cold War espionage, we sit down with Burt, an artist who unwittingly befriended a man better known as Colonel Abel, the infamous Bridge of Spies Spy who was exchanged for shot down US U2 pilot Gary Powers. Burt knew Abel as Emil Goldfuss but his real name was Willie Fisher from Newcastle Upon Tyne…

1
A Diver Sapper in the Cold War Soviet Navy (340) 45:16

13d ago45:16

45:16

Valeriy was a Soviet Navy diver sapper and was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. I have used a human translator for this episode so the main voice you will hear is my translator Galina Ryabova who was kindly funded by one of my financial supporters Valeriy opens up about his childhood, the impact of the Great Patriotic War on his family, and his mo…

1
Gymnastics and Pills: An East German Childhood (339) 1:37:13

20d ago1:37:13

1:37:13

Sirka offers a comprehensive exploration of life in East Germany, detailing the experiences of growing up in Neubrandenburg, the influence of the East German state and the Stasi, and the societal impacts of Mikhail Gorbachev's policies leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. She also talks of her intensive gymnastics training and being given pil…

1
The Soviet Afghan War (338) 1:09:50

27d ago1:09:50

1:09:50

The Soviet-Afghan War lasted ten years between 1979-1989 and led to the deaths of between 500k and 2m Afghan civilians. I speak with Nick Geering a Russian history and language teacher. From his memories of the haunting sight of uniformed amputees in St Petersburg to the complex origins of the conflict, we explore the intricacies of a war that was …

1
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War on Netflix Podcast (337) 55:36

30d ago55:36

55:36

Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War, is a nine-part documentary series from director Brian Knappenberger, that provides a comprehensive appraisal of the events that led to the Cold War and traces the conflict around the world and through the decades. While the Cold War ended in 1991, even a casual appraisal of current headlines reveals that re…

1
Sex, spies and scandal : the John Vassall affair (336) 1:30:17

1M ago1:30:17

1:30:17

Alex Grant’s new book Sex, Spies and Scandal The John Vassall Affair has everything: a honey trap, industrial-scale espionage, journalists jailed for not revealing their sources and the first modern tabloid witch-hunt, which resulted in a ministerial resignation and almost brought down Harold Macmillan’s government. With access to newly released MI…

1
V-Bombers: Britain's Nuclear Frontline in the Cold War (335) 1:28:23

2M ago1:28:23

1:28:23

V-Bombers: Britain's Nuclear Frontline in the Cold War is a new book by Dr Tony Redding that takes a deep dive into Britain's V-bomber force's operational nuclear war role. Tony reveals the intense preparations and the stark realities faced by the aircrews, who lived in a perpetual state of wartime readiness despite being in a country at peace. The…

1
On the Streets of Cold War Estonia fighting for Independence (334) 52:27

2M ago52:27

52:27

Timo takes us on a journey through the tumultuous events of the 1991 Soviet coup attempt, as experienced from the streets of the Baltic States. As the coup unfolds, Timo finds himself in Lithuania, planning to covertly visit the closed city of Kaliningrad. He shares the tension sharing a dining table with a Soviet officer, unknowingly on the eve of…

1
Borderlands and Battles: A Finnish Town's Cold War Story (333) 1:09:09

2M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

Timo takes us to the remote Finnish border town of Kuusamo. He paints a vivid picture of a childhood overshadowed by his grandparent’s memories of their home lost during World War II and their proximity to the Soviet Union. As a child, he was fascinated by the invisible line that marked the end of the world— the heavily guarded border with the USSR…

1
Australian Cold War Maritime Air Patrols (332) 1:26:23

2M ago1:26:23

1:26:23

Leigh joined the RAAF in 1978 to train as a pilot but was scrubbed after a few months and transitioned to training as an Air Electronics Officer (AEO) at the RAAF School of Air Navigation. He flew on the P-3C Orion and was employed in operations across the Indo-Pacific region on maritime patrol surveillance operations in the region - which included…

1
A traumatic childhood journey from Cold War Poland to the United States (331) 1:24:34

2M ago1:24:34

1:24:34

In this deeply personal episode, our guest, Norbert, vividly recounts his traumatic childhood journey from Cold War Poland to the United States. With vivid recollections, he describes the struggles of his parents amid food shortages and the poignant decision of the family to leave everything behind for an uncertain future in the United States. We a…

1
Planning for a Hot War in the Cold War (330) 1:16:01

3M ago1:16:01

1:16:01

Dan served in the War Plans office of the US Army VII Corps working on counterattack plans and reorganization of the US Army’s General Defence Plan. He describes the debriefing of a Polish Special Forces operator who had defected to the West and who revealed surprising knowledge of US plans and order of battle. Dan also details his experiences on t…

1
The Picnic That Ripped Open The Iron Curtain (329) 1:17:48

3M ago1:17:48

1:17:48

In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain - and held a picnic. Word had spread of what was going to happen. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made their way to the border between Hungary and Austria, awaiting an opportunity, fea…

1
US Army Anti-Aircraft Missile Battery Command in Cold War West Germany (228) 1:18:09

3M ago1:18:09

1:18:09

Dan served as a lieutenant and captain in a US Army air defence artillery battalion in West Germany from 1980 until 1985. He describes details of Soviet overflights deep into West Germany and we discuss how the Warsaw Pact attempted to track their units. Now who knew that the US Army experimented with geese for perimeter security?! Dan reveals deta…

1
Britain's first Cold War Nuclear Attack Warning Station at Jodrell Bank (327) 1:35:55

3M ago1:35:55

1:35:55

The Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire in the UK played a significant secret role during the Cold War. It was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astronomer at the university, to investigate cosmic rays after his work on radar in the Second World War. We hear some intriguing details of the site’s Cold War roles including being Britain’…

1
The East German Tank Commander (326) 1:38:01

3M ago1:38:01

1:38:01

In the mid-1980s Dag was a T72 tank commander in the NVA, the East German Army and is now a volunteer at the Tank Museum at Bovington in the UK. He describes his initial tank commander training, the battle readiness of the NVA, and the challenges of a conscript army as well as a startling revelation about a significant change in doctrine in 1987. W…

1
Twilight of the Soviet Union – Memoirs of a British Journalist in Moscow (325) 1:22:15

4M ago1:22:15

1:22:15

Kate is sent to Moscow in 1985 to write articles for The Morning Star, a left-wing British daily newspaper founded in 1930 as the Daily Worker by the Communist Party of Great Britain. She lives in a block of flats alongside Soviet citizens and enrols her 3 children in Soviet schools. Three weeks after Kate arrives Mikhail Gorbachev comes to power a…

1
Further Cold War Tank Tales from the Land Down Under (324) 1:00:55

4M ago1:00:55

1:00:55

Tim participates in Kangaroo 89, a huge military exercise with the entire Australian Army using an area the size of Western Europe and we hear about the Australian equivalent of Wolfgang the Bratty Man who used to turn up on British exercises in Germany. Tim was also part of an exchange program with the British Army and he describes his experiences…

1
How To Catch A Cold War Spy (323) 1:12:24

4M ago1:12:24

1:12:24

Since 1985, Ana Montes has been an asset of the Cuban intelligence service. In that time, she’s risen through the ranks to become one of the Pentagon’s most respected voices on Cuban affairs with easy access to classified documents. Peter Lapp reveals Montez's tradecraft and how the FBI found the proverbial "needle in a haystack". To learn more abo…

1
Cold War, Warm Hearts - Hitchhiking behind the 1960s Iron Curtain (322) 59:23

4M ago59:23

59:23

In 1966 most of Bridget’s friends, in their early twenties, were settling down with jobs and/or husbands… She, on the other hand, set off alone to travel across Poland relying on the kindness of strangers. Fascinated by what she experienced she continued to wander the highways and byways of, Hungary Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia …

1
Cold War Tank Tales from the Land Down Under (321) 1:00:53

5M ago1:00:53

1:00:53

Many of Tim’s family had served in WW1 and WW2 and from a young age, he was determined to follow their path. Overcoming huge competition for places he became a driver of the Leopard AS1 MBT at 1st Armoured Regiment of the Australian Army. Australia is largely ignored in most Cold War histories, however, we hear how the Australian Army prepared to f…

1
Jack's dramatic Cold War escape across the fortified Inner German border (320) 1:27:09

5M ago1:27:09

1:27:09

Jack Wesolek was born in East Germany in 1966. His grandfather was a member of the Red Orchestra, a Communist Anti-Nazi resistance organisation in Germany during World War 2. He later became Chief of the Signals Service of the Volksmarine, the East German Navy. In the 1980s an East German Army signals regiment was named after him. Jack’s father was…

1
How President Kennedy's assassination almost started World War 3 (319) 51:57

5M ago51:57

51:57

On 23rd Nov 1963 at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea a detachment of US Air Force B-57 Canberra bombers were parked on an alert pad each with a live nuclear weapon in their bomb bay and ready to fly at a moment’s notice. At 0400 klaxon horns aroused the crews from their slumber and they rushed to their waiting aircraft, for what they likely thought was…

1
The lazy schoolboy who became a Cold War Vulcan nuclear bomber pilot (318) 49:15

5M ago49:15

49:15

Kevin was born in Wigan in North West England and joined the RAF as an apprentice in 1956 with only 3 O Levels. He came top of his course but was posted into supplies at RAF St Mawgan. However, he quickly became in charge of their clothing stores and via a fortuitous route became a trainee pilot. By May 1963 he joined the RAF V Force as a Vulcan pi…

1
Across the Iron Curtain in a yellow MG Midget sports car (317) 43:17

5M ago43:17

43:17

Andrew McNeile decided to travel through Eastern Europe in a yellow MG Midget Sports car, a car that's going to stand out no matter where you are! He recalls his adventures travelling through East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia He talks about the warmth and friendliness of people, challenges with petrol …

1
1983 - the year the Cold War almost turned hot (316) 1:01:43

6M ago1:01:43

1:01:43

This week is the 40th anniversary of the Able Archer NATO Exercise where it is reckoned that the Soviet Union and NATO almost started a nuclear war. 1990 an investigation by the US President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, culminating in its highly secret report “The Soviet ‘War Scare’” The detailed PFIAB report concluded that the U.S. “may …

1
Serving in a Cold War Danish Reconnaissance Squadron (315) 1:14:38

6M ago1:14:38

1:14:38

Denmark joined NATO as a founding member in 1949. However, it originally laid down limitations to NATO membership, effectively excluding the country from full military integration. The conditions were threefold: no non-Danish bases, no nuclear warheads, and no Allied military activity on Danish territory. Bo Hermansen served in a conscript reconnai…

1
The Enchanted Vale 6:07

6M ago6:07

6:07

"The Enchanted Vale: Morgana, A White Witch, Chooses Sides" This six-minute adventure delves into the heart of magic, ancient artefacts, and the choice between good and evil. As Morgana embarks on her journey, she soon realizes that the amulet's power is not just a gift but also a responsibility.By Owen Jones

1
The Cold War Atomic Spies (314) 1:33:25

6M ago1:33:25

1:33:25

On 29 August 1949 at 7:00 a.m. the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb. The test stunned the Western powers. American intelligence had estimated that the Soviets would not produce an atomic weapon until 1953, while the British did not expect it until 1954. The speed at which the Soviet Union developed their bomb was due a network of spies f…

1
Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 2 (313) 1:33:17

6M ago1:33:17

1:33:17

This is the second part of my chat with Thomas who worked in a secret East German radio monitoring base. He describes how a BRIXMIS or another Allied Military Liason Mission vehicle had once got into the base and what the East German Army was told about MLM capabilities. When the officers aren’t around he and his comrades listen to Western radio an…

1
Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 1 (312) 1:19:38

7M ago1:19:38

1:19:38

Born in 1968 in East Germany Thomas had a "normal socialist" but happy childhood in a small town near Dresden. His family was viewed as exotic at that time as his mother had Hungarian citizenship which allowed her to travel to West Berlin. He was conscripted into the East German Army and signed up for 3 years as an Unteroffizier (NCO) instead of on…

1
The Misconception - the 1st volume in a series about a psychic teenage girl. 3:31

7M ago3:31

3:31

This week, I am going to introduce you to Megan, a twelve-year-old girl, who lives in Feyton, which resembles Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales, where I grew up. Megan is a budding psychic, but she doesn’t know anyone else who is. She can’t discuss why she can see ‘lights’, an aura, around people, or why she knows a large tiger that no-on…

1
Cold War US Army tank gunner serves with a Bundeswehr Panzer unit (311) 1:00:18

7M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

Mark joined the US Army on January 6th, 1981, and went to Ft Knox KY for Basic and Armor training. He graduated in April 1981 and was selected as Instructor Tank commander and trained the next cycle of recruits till August 1981. Mark was posted to West Germany in September 1981 and was assigned to 1st 37th Armor 1st Armored Div based in Katterbach.…

1
Daisy’s Chain 18:30

7M ago18:30

18:30

This is bust!By Owen jones

1
Andropov’s Cuckoo 12:59

7M ago12:59

12:59

A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met, a brilliant, Soviet linguist whom he calls Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada and the UK, but mostly in the Soviet Union of the Seventies. Andropov’s Cuckoo is based on a ‘true story’ related to the autho…

1
Uncovering Cold War Soviet secrets with the USAF and NSA (310) 1:41:08

7M ago1:41:08

1:41:08

Tim served in the USAF and the NSA from 1975 to 1988 during some of the most tense periods of the Cold War. This included stints at the US Air Force Electronic Warfare Center at Kelly AFB, Texas, and RAF Chicksands, in the UK working on SIGINT collection of USSR/Warsaw Pact/Other targets. He also served as part of the Cryptologic Support Group, Str…

1
REME Keeping the British Army on the road during the Cold War (309) 31:51

7M ago31:51

31:51

Aged 16 Chris joined the British Army apprentice school in Arborfield, at Princess Marina College. He was trained as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers otherwise known as REME. We talk about life expectancy in war scenarios, experiences with crash-out exercises, and life as a British soldier in West Germany Chris also s…

1
Gunfire in the Woods: A foiled escape and imprisonment in Cold War East Germany (308) 1:29:23

8M ago1:29:23

1:29:23

This is part two of Henrik’s story. You can hear the first part in episode 307. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode307 It’s the late 1980s and Henrik and his friends plan to escape from East Germany via Czechoslovakia. Henrik provides a very vivid account of their discovery by Czechoslovak border guards in a forest near the Austrian border. He…

1
Growing up in Cold War East Germany's Valley of the Clueless (307) 1:14:32

8M ago1:14:32

1:14:32

Henrik was born in the late 1960s near Dresden in East Germany. The area was sarcastically known as the Tal der Ahnungslosen or Valley of the Clueless, as the area generally was not able to receive TV from West Germany from the mid-to-late 1950s. He describes his childhood growing up in a Uranium mining area. His mother was a teacher and his father…

1
Flying the Cold War A10 Tankbuster Part 2 (306) 49:33

8M ago49:33

49:33

You are listening to part 2 of my chat with Joe who joined the USAF in 1981 and was trained to fly the A10 Warthog a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft designed to provide close air support to ground forces by attacking tanks, armoured vehicles, and other ground targets. Part 1 is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode305/ In 1985 Joe is …

1
Flying the Cold War A10 Tankbuster Part 1 (305) 53:41

8M ago53:41

53:41

Joe’s father served in World War 2 in the USAF. His service inspired Joe to try and join the USAF or the Naval Air Force despite having no flying experience. It’s the aftermath of the Vietnam War so forces are being reduced, however with the arrival of a new President, Ronald Reagan, defence spending grows and provides Joe with an opportunity to st…

1
A Cold War Polish childhood near Wroclaw (304) 1:29:48

8M ago1:29:48

1:29:48

Tom lived in western Poland in an area that had been part of Germany until the end of World War 2. He describes how his grandmother settled in this area and the strangeness of taking over formerly German houses and apartments. Tom’s grandfather on his mother’s side was a Communist activist who worked for the Polish security services which created s…

1
Soviet MIG shoots-down a US RB-47H reconnaissance plane (303) 49:53

9M ago49:53

49:53

On 1 July 1960, a United States RB-47H reconnaissance plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing signals intelligence in the Barents Sea, near the Kola Peninsula, off the Arctic coast of the Soviet Union. Four of the six crew members died. The shootdown occurred exactly two months after the far better-known U-2 shootdown …

1
The rise and fall of East German leader Erich Honecker (302) 1:13:35

9M ago1:13:35

1:13:35

Honecker emerged as an ambitious political player and became the shadowy mastermind behind the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, a crucial moment in twentieth-century history. Author Nathan Morley brings to life the story of the longtime leader of the German Democratic Republic. Drawing from a wealth of untapped archival sources – and firsth…

1
US Army tank platoon commander in 1980s Cold War Korea (301) 1:02:29

9M ago1:02:29

1:02:29

Tom Sullivan was a tank platoon commander in Korea in the early 1980s responsible for six tanks and their crew We hear why he joined the US Army, his training, and his first impressions of Korea in the Winter of 1982. He is assigned to Second Platoon, C Company, 1-72 Armor under the toughest Company Commander in the Brigade who had very high standa…

1
Assembling and delivering nuclear artillery rounds to the Cold War West German Army (300) 44:50

9M ago44:50

44:50

In February 1983 US soldier Manuel Alzager was sent to a mysterious posting to the British Zone in the north of West Germany a long way from the main US forces in southern Germany. After a lengthy journey, he is picked up by a West German private and eventually arrives at the 81st USAFAD (US Army Field Artillery Detachment), where his mission is to…

1
Dickey Chapelle - trailblazing female Cold War journalist (299) 1:04:44

10M ago1:04:44

1:04:44

Now have you ever heard of Dickey Chapelle? No, I hadn’t either, but I’m delighted to bring you the unknown story of this trailblazing female war correspondent. Dickey’s career started in World War 2 where she reported from some of the Pacific wars’ toughest battlefields of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. During the Cold War, she reported from Hungary during…

1
The Cold war ice hockey team that fought the Soviets for the soul of its nation (298) 1:24:01

10M ago1:24:01

1:24:01

I speak with author Ethan Scheiner whose book “Freedom to Win” describes the gripping story of a group of small-town young men who would lead their underdog hockey team from Czechoslovakia against the Soviet Union, the juggernaut in their sport. In 1968 Czechoslovakia experienced the Prague Spring, an attempt to moderate and soften communism. Howev…

1
The last voice you'd hear in a nuclear war (297) 49:19

10M ago49:19

49:19

The BBC Wartime Broadcasting Service (WTBS) is a little-known piece of Cold War history that would have been for many the last human voice they heard after a nuclear attack on the UK. Iain started work for the BBC in 1988 and due to the pressure on training space, was trained in the nuclear bunker at BBC Wood Norton. After training he went to Broad…

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