Best Australian Infantry Podcasts (2024)

1
232 - The Australians and New Zealanders at Greece & Crete 1:01:23

24m ago1:01:23

1:01:23

In March 1941, 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops were rushed to Greece in a desperate attempt to support the Greeks against the looming threat of a German attack. Although the operation was ultimately doomed to fail, the Aussies and Kiwis managed to hold up the German advance long enough to evacuate thousands to Crete, where Hitler then set …

1
232 – The Australians and New Zealanders at Greece & Crete

2d ago

—

In March 1941, 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops were rushed to Greece in a desperate attempt to support the Greeks against the looming threat of a German attack. Although the operation was ultimately doomed to fail, the Aussies and Kiwis managed to hold up the German advance long enough to evacuate thousands to Crete, where Hitler then set …

1
231 - US Battle Tanks 56:44

7d ago56:44

56:44

In this episode, we discuss the development of US tanks from the end of the First World War through to the end of the Second World War. I am joined by renowned historian and author Steven Zaloga, who has penned numerous works on military technology and history, and his latest book is 'US Battle Tanks 1917–1945’. It is a comprehensive and richly ill…

1
231 – US Battle Tanks

5d ago

—

In this episode, we discuss the development of US tanks from the end of the First World War through to the end of the Second World War. I am joined by renowned historian and author Steven Zaloga, who has penned numerous works on military technology and history, and his latest book is ‘US Battle Tanks 1917–1945’. It is a comprehensive and richly ill…

1
230 - U-505: Codename Nemo 45:10

13d ago45:10

45:10

Just two days before D-Day, Captain Gallery's US antisubmarine Task Group 22.3 managed to force the German U-boat U-505 to the surface. In a bold move, a boarding party secured the submarine before it could be scuttled, capturing an Enigma machine and the current Kriegsmarine code books. This remarkable operation earned Lieutenant Albert David the …

1
230 – U-505: Codename Nemo

14d ago

—

Just two days before D-Day, Captain Gallery’s US antisubmarine Task Group 22.3 managed to force the German U-boat U-505 to the surface. In a bold move, a boarding party secured the submarine before it could be scuttled, capturing an Enigma machine and the current Kriegsmarine code books. This remarkable operation earned Lieutenant Albert David the …

1
229 - D-Day Legacy 1:08:17

22d ago1:08:17

1:08:17

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I attended a special event at the Green Howards Museum. We started at the regimental war memorial in Richmond (Yorkshire) at 6.30 a.m., which was when the Green Howards landed on Gold Beach. The day was packed with discussion about the regiment and their role on D-Day. It closed with us having the privi…

1
229 – D-Day Legacy

1M ago

—

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I attended a special event at the Green Howards Museum. We started at the regimental war memorial in Richmond (Yorkshire) at 6.30 a.m., which was when the Green Howards landed on Gold Beach. The day was packed with discussion about the regiment and their role on D-Day. It closed with us having the privi…

1
228 - D-Day Landing Craft 1:09:03

1M ago1:09:03

1:09:03

More than 132,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944. Through their efforts, the tide of the war turned for the final time to favour the Allies. But how did the Allied army get to the shores of Normandy? The contribution of Landing Craft to D-Day is often overlooked. Andrew Whitmarsh joins me to correct this oversight. Andr…

1
228 – D-Day Landing Craft

1M ago

—

More than 132,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944. Through their efforts, the tide of the war turned for the final time to favour the Allies. But how did the Allied army get to the shores of Normandy? The contribution of Landing Craft to D-Day is often overlooked. Andrew Whitmarsh joins me to correct this oversight. Andr…

1
227 - D-Day: Sword Beach 1:05:21

1M ago1:05:21

1:05:21

6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne assault in human history: D-Day. While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas. For this episode, I am joined by Stephen Fisher. Stephen is a historian and archaeologist wh…

1
227 – D-Day: Sword Beach

2M ago

—

6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne assault in human history: D-Day. While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas. For this episode, I am joined by Stephen Fisher. Stephen is a historian and archaeologist wh…

1
226 - D-Day and the Great Deception 52:37

2M ago52:37

52:37

As the Allied forces prepared for the monumental invasion of Normandy, concealing the massive build-up of troops in Britain from the Germans became increasingly challenging. To mislead German intelligence about the timing and location of the invasion, the Allies devised a series of elaborate deception plans. The most audacious of these schemes aime…

1
226 – D-Day and the Great Deception

2M ago

—

As the Allied forces prepared for the monumental invasion of Normandy, concealing the massive build-up of troops in Britain from the Germans became increasingly challenging. To mislead German intelligence about the timing and location of the invasion, the Allies devised a series of elaborate deception plans. The most audacious of these schemes aime…

1
225 - Hill 107 and the Battle of Crete 45:41

2M ago45:41

45:41

On the morning of May 20, 1941, the Germans launched Operation Mercury. The invasion of Crete was the largest airborne operation yet attempted during the war, with thousands of Fallschirmjäger deployed. Key to the operation's success would be the capture of the airfield at Maleme. Outnumbered and having suffered horrendous casualties, when the airb…

1
225 – Hill 107 and the Battle of Crete

2M ago

—

On the morning of May 20, 1941, the Germans launched Operation Mercury. The invasion of Crete was the largest airborne operation yet attempted during the war, with thousands of Fallschirmjäger deployed. Key to the operation’s success would be the capture of the airfield at Maleme. Outnumbered and having suffered horrendous casualties, when the airb…

1
224 - The Theory and Practice of Command in the British and German Armies 1:04:52

3M ago1:04:52

1:04:52

In this podcast episode, we will discuss the different approaches to command and control of the British Army and the German Army. From a management point of view, both organisations developed different doctrines to deal with the 'fog of war' or 'friction', which affected how commanders responded as a battle unfolded. We'll do this by delving into t…

1
224 – The Theory and Practice of Command in the British and German Armies

3M ago

—

In this podcast episode, we will discuss the different approaches to command and control of the British Army and the German Army. From a management point of view, both organisations developed different doctrines to deal with the ‘fog of war’ or ‘friction’, which affected how commanders responded as a battle unfolded. We’ll do this by delving into t…

1
223 - Landing Craft Infantry 52:35

3M ago52:35

52:35

In this podcast episode, I'm looking at the work of LCI's, Landing Craft Infantry. These are not the smaller Higgins Boats we see storming the Normandy beaches in Saving Private Ryan but large beaching craft intended to transport and deliver fighting troops, typically a company of infantry or marines, to a hostile shore once a beachhead was secured…

1
223 – Landing Craft Infantry

3M ago

—

In this podcast episode, I’m looking at the work of LCI’s, Landing Craft Infantry. These are not the smaller Higgins Boats we see storming the Normandy beaches in Saving Private Ryan but large beaching craft intended to transport and deliver fighting troops, typically a company of infantry or marines, to a hostile shore once a beachhead was secured…

1
222 - The D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations 47:52

3M ago47:52

47:52

Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid on the coast of France, was a disaster in 1942. However, it did highlight the need for more reconnaissance before any other amphibious operations were mounted. In London, a small group of eccentric researchers, experimenting on themselves from inside pressure tanks in the middle of the London air raids, explored t…

1
221 - Training the Indian Army 40:11

4M ago40:11

40:11

The Indian Army was the largest volunteer army during the Second World War. Indian Army divisions fought in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy - and went to make up the overwhelming majority of the troops in South East Asia. Over two million personnel served in the Indian Army. In this episode, I am joined by Dr Alan Jefferys to discuss how th…

1
220 - The Archer: Reversing to Victory 43:37

4M ago43:37

43:37

From late 1944, an ungainly piece of equipment was introduced into service in the British and Canadian armies. Referred to at the time as the ‘Valentine 17-pounder SP’, and later as the ‘Archer’, it was a tracked vehicle with an open compartment at the front and a large gun facing to the rear. Joining me to tell the story of the Archer's developmen…

1
219 - D-Day Tourism 1:09:42

4M ago1:09:42

1:09:42

While at We Have Ways Fest, I caught Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV, giving an excellent talk on D-Day tourism. I thought I would ask him on the show to discuss tourism, how it has changed and what to see. Base in France, Paul has been a battlefield tour guide for over 20 years. More recently, he launched WW2TV and became a Second World War YouTu…

1
218 - Target Hong Kong 44:30

5M ago44:30

44:30

In January 1945, Admiral Halsey, with the third Fleet, conducted a raid into the South China Sea. This was designated Operation Gratitude. The raid was to support the landings on Luzon, in the Philippines, with the aim of destroying the Japanese navy, supply convoys and any air assets in the area. As part of this operation, Hong Kong would be attac…

1
Keeping the Spirit Alive 38:32

5M ago38:32

38:32

The Royal Australian Regiment has evolved over the past 75 years with improvements in technology, equipment and structure, but one thing remains the same: Duty First. In this episode, we'll hear from the wider RAR family including RAR Foundation and support systems for veterans, family support, and what the future holds for the RAR. Featured interv…

1
217 - How the Luftwaffe Lost the skies over Germany 54:19

5M ago54:19

54:19

Starting with small raids at the start of the war, the aerial offensive grew into a massive operation. Huge air armadas would eventually pulverise Germany, with the Mighty Eigth Airforce flying by day and the Lancasters of Bomber Command by night. This 24-hour campaign seriously damaged Germany’s ability to make war and killed hundreds of thousands…

1
216 - The Latvian Legion 43:46

5M ago43:46

43:46

'In Arctic blizzards between January and March 1945, the Latvian 15th SS Division - a core of Russian Front veterans but most raw teenage conscripts from Nazi-occupied Latvia - tried to stop the Red Army sweeping across Pomerania, now Poland. One in three died: the majority never returned home.' In this episode, I'm joined by Vincent Hunt, and we d…

1
The Longest War 1:08:19

5M ago1:08:19

1:08:19

After the peacekeeping missions of the 1990s, the RAR experienced an unprecedented period of operational service, most notably in Iraq and Afghanstan in what would become the Regiment's longest ever war. Featured interviews: Lieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison AO, the Chief of Australian Army - 2RAR, 8/9RAR Daniel (Dan) Keighran VC - 2RAR, 6R…

1
215 - The Power of Japanese Propaganda 41:22

5M ago41:22

41:22

This episode will look at Japanese propaganda during the imperial era. With the rise of mass production of newspapers and magazines amidst the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese population became instilled in nationalism and militarism. Despite the era of demilitarisation and democratisation after the First World War, the Japanese Empire, once again,…

1
The Big Peace 1:19:32

6M ago1:19:32

1:19:32

After seven long years in Vietnam, the Regiment went through an unprecedented period of peace, however this was all about to change as the international peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Rwanda and East Timor in the 1990s. Featured interviews: General Sir Peter John Cosgrove, AK, CVO, MC - 9RAR, 1RAR His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurl…

1
Vietnam, Part Two 1:21:46

6M ago1:21:46

1:21:46

After a bloody start to the Vietnam War, the RAR’s tour continues as the shadow of Long Tan looms large. Featured interviews: General Sir Peter John Cosgrove, AK, CVO, MC - 9RAR, 1RAR MAJGEN Brian Howard AO, MC, ESM (retd) - 3RAR, PIR Francis Peter (Peter) SCOTT DSO, MID - 3RAR Episode cover image: During Operation Smithfield troops moving off in A…

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Australian Infantry Podcasts

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