It was only as Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd president of the United States that he was told of the Manhattan Project. In this episode, we embark on a journey through one of the most controversial and consequential decisions in modern history: Truman's choice to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

The story of this decision is complex, marked by intense debates, ethical dilemmas, and immense geopolitical stakes. As the war in Europe concluded with the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Pacific Theater continued to rage with brutal intensity. American forces faced fierce resistance from Japanese troops, and the prospect of a prolonged and bloody invasion of Japan loomed large.

In this episode, we'll explore the multifaceted considerations that influenced Truman's decision. We'll examine the military strategies, the political pressures, and the moral questions that weighed on the shoulders of the 33rd President of the United States.

I'm joined by Edward Aldrich, the author of The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration That Won World War II. To learn more about Marshall and Stimson, go back to episode 164.

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In this episode of the WW2 podcast, we'll explore the Royal Navy from 1918 to the end of the Second World War and one man's career. Not an officer, but a regular sailor: Herbert Leeder, who chalk up 27 years of service. Following the career of one sailor is an interesting way to view the Royal Navy. It gives us a slightly potted history, but Herbert took part in a number of major actions during the Second World War, and it brings home how one man can be a witness to many great events.

I’m joined by James Carter. After working as a volunteer researcher for a local history project during the centenary of the First World War, James was inspired to seek out the history of his own great-grandfather when his mother handed him a four-page summary of Herbert Leeders's career. The outcome of that research is Hearts of Steel, which tracks Herbert's career and the Royal Navy in which he served.

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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 his sights.

Joining me today is Craig Collie, author of ‘Where the Flaming Hell Are We? The Story of Young Australians and New Zealanders Fighting the Nazis in Greece and Crete’. We’ll be delving into these often-overlooked, disastrous operations in the Mediterranean.

I want to extend a big thank you to David Phillipson from the History Guild, who suggested our guest today and connected me with Craig. The History Guild has a project focusing on Australians in the Mediterranean theatre during WWII. For more articles and posts on this topic, visit historyguild.org.

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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 illustrated examination of the development and combat performance of US battle tanks; Stephen delves into the history of tanks in American service, tracing their journey from the initial experiments with armoured vehicles in the early 20th century through the significant battles and innovations up to the end of World War II.

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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 Medal of Honor for his leadership. However, it could have had catastrophic consequences. If the Germans had suspected that their cyphers were compromised, it might have jeopardised the Allied operation Ultra, which was already deciphering German signals. The Chief of US Naval Operations, Ernest King, was so incensed about the capture of U-505 that he threatened to fire Admiral Gallery.

Joining me to discuss this operation is Charles Lachman, author of Codename Nemo: The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and the Elusive Enigma Machine.

If you are interested in seeing the 1945 newsreel Now it can be told, you can find it here.

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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 privilege of getting up close to the only Victoria Cross, which was won on June 6th.

If you find yourself in the Yorkshire Dales, visit the museum; it is a cracking afternoon out.

To round off my look at D-Day, I’m joined by Steve Erskine from the Green Howards Museum and Paul Cheall (from The Fighting Through Podcast), whose father landed on Gold Beach with Stan Hollis, who received the Victoria Cross for his deed that day.

In theory, we sat down in the museum on June 5th to discuss what D-Day meant to us. In practice, we had a rather wide-ranging discussion. We never got as far off the beaches as we anticipated…

I hope you find our war waffle interesting.

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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.

Andrew has worked as a curator in military history museums for over 25 years, latterly as the curator of The D-Day Story in Portsmouth. Outside of work, he is also the author of D-Day Landing Craft: How 4,126 ‘Ugly and Unorthodox’ Allied Craft made the Normandy Landings Possible.

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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 who specializes in military history. He is also the author of Sword Beach: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Forgotten Victory.

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