The History Network

1203 Betrayed by a Mason? The Tragic Mission of Lieutenant Thomas Boyd

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:44:00 +0000

In the summer of 1779, American Major General John Sullivan marched his 5,000 Continentals into the Finger Lakes region of western New York. Known as Sullivan's Expedition, it was the longest military campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Ordered by General George Washington, this campaign was a direct invasion into the once impenetrable Iroquois Confederacy lands in retaliation for several brutal massacres by British Rangers and their Indian allies. Dur: 43mins File: .mp3

1202 Dien Bien Phu

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:12:38 +0000

On May 7th 1954 the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu surrendered to Ho Chi Minh's Communist forces. For the last 54 days it had been cut off and the surrender was the culmination of an operation that had seen the French troops almost constantly under-fire for 209 days. Comprehensibly beaten it signaled the end of French Indochina. Dur 22mins File: .mp3

1201 The Varangian Guard

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:37:30 +0000

The Late Roman Empire and its successor state, the Byzantine Empire, relied heavily on mercenary units to make up the bulk of their armies, as well as personal bodyguards to the emperors. The Varangian Guard was one such elite unit, forever immortalised in history for their famed "berserk-rage" and unwavering loyalty to the throne. Dur: 37mins File: .mp3

1110 Sniper

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:29:55 +0000

During the American Civil War, the common term used was "sharpshooter", which pays tribute to the Sharps Rifles that were used at the time by civil war snipers. The Sharps rifle was renowned for its long range and accuracy, and they were issued only to the best shots. Dur: 22mins File: .mp3

1109 The Formation of Iraq Pt2 - Gertrude Bell

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:14:55 +0000

Now in control of much of the Middle East, the British occupied the land with little thought of the future. The Secretary of State for India had asked her opinion on which way the political winds were blowing among the various constituencies: the educated Sunnis in town, the Shiite majority in the provinces, the large Jewish community in Baghdad, the Christians in Mosul. The British did not know how they would govern the territory and requested the advice of their experts. Dur: 34mins File: .mp3

1108 The Formation of Iraq Part 1: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:17:07 +0000

In 1918, after years of devastating warfare, the Ottoman Empire finally collapsed and the British, expanding into the Middle East, attempted to control the area. However, the area proved to be too vast and troublesome for the British Empire. Dur: 22mins File: .mp3

1107 Robert E Lee - Part 2

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:33:16 +0000

The wounding of Joseph Johnston at the battle of Seven Pines in 1862 gave General Lee his first major field command with the Army of North Virginia. The coming year would catapult him to the most prominent soldier in the confederacy and prove his doubters of the previous year wrong...those who had criticism him for his lack of aggression. Dur:34mins File:.mp3

1106 Robert E Lee - Part 1

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:33:26 +0000

Robert E Lee commanded the Confederate forces to their defeat during the American civil war and in doing so he created a myth around himself. He was a statesmen, a gentleman, a great commander, keeping overwhelming northern forces at bay for 3 years - an American Hannibal (as it were) fighting a lost cause. In defeat he has become an iconic American hero mentioned in the same breath as George Washington. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

1105 The Anglo-Irish War

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:44:50 +0000

The Anglo-Irish conflict of 1919-21 is a deeply complicated and contradictory issue in Irish history. This is reflected in the fact that there is no agreed title for it: it is variously referred to as the Anglo-Irish War, the Sinn Fein War, the War of Independence, the Tan War or, more simply, the Troubles. Dur: 28mins File: .mp3

1104 The Kalabalik

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:00:00 +0000

On the 31st of January 1713, Turkish artillery opened fire on a small Swedish camp located in the town of Bender, the westernmost town of the Ottoman Empire, located in present-day Moldavia. These were the opening shots of what would soon develop into a prolonged engagement known as the Kalabalik. Dur:32mins File:.mp3

1103 Drusus The Elder

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:25:00 +0000

The names of the Roman emperors Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius are well known, and so too are their stories. Hardly known at all is the story of Tiberius' brother and Claudius' father, the man known to historians as Drusus the Elder, who was considered in his own lifetime as an all-Roman hero, a potential successor to Augustus and the person who might restore the Republic. Dur: 28mins File: .mp3

1102 The Anglo American War of 1812

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:01:30 +0000

For three years Great Britain and the United States fought a war ultimately the outcome of which would in essence be to neither's advantage. To Britain, mired in war with Napoleonic France, it was little more than a side show, in America it would see their capital Washington captured, burned and initially her armies humiliated before honour could be restored. Dur: 23mins File: .mp3

1101 Cryptography

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:12:45 +0000

One of the most famous encrypted messages to be intercepted was The Zimmerman Telegram in 1917. The Telegram was part of a German effort to distract the U.S. and divert American aid going to the Triple Entente, being the United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire. Germany had long sought to incite a war between Mexico and the U.S., which would have tied down American forces and slowed the export of American arms. Dur: 31mins File: .mp3

SPECIAL - The Great Escape: A Personal Account - Escape

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:30:00 +0000

In 1940 18 year old trainee navigator, Frank Stone, was shot down on his second bombing mission.

He eventually ended up in Sagan StalagLuft III - the camp made renowned in the classic war movie "The Great Escape". One of the infamous three tunnels, Tom, Dick and Harry, was dug from the hut in which Frank was billeted.

For the past thirty years Frank has been sharing his experiences of the camp, explaining how they planned and achieved everything and telling of his own part in the greatest escape story of the Second World War.

This is the forth of four excerpts from a full 87 minute DVD which is available direct from Frank.

For more information on the full DVD please see our website. All proceeds to the Bomber Command Memorial Fund.

SPECIAL - The Great Escape: A Personal Account - Tunnelling

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:59:59 +0000

This is the third of four excerpts from a full 87 minute DVD which is available direct from Frank.

For more information on the full DVD please see our website. All proceeds to the Bomber Command Memorial Fund.

SPECIAL - The Great Escape: A Personal Account - POW

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:06:09 +0000

This is the second of four excerpts from a full 87 minute DVD which is available direct from Frank.

For more information on the full DVD please see our website. All proceeds to the Bomber Command Memorial Fund.

SPECIAL – The Great Escape: A Personal Account – Capture

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Tue, 03 May 2011 21:21:26 +0000

This is the first of four excerpts from a full 87 minute DVD which is available direct from Frank.

For more information on the full DVD please see our website. All proceeds to the Bomber Command Memorial Fund.

1010 Hawker Hurricane

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:40:29 +0000

While many have a nostalgic love affair with the Spitfire, and rightly so, and many view it as synonymous with the Battle of Brittain - and it was - it was in fact the Hawker Hurricane, first emerging from Sir Sydney Camm's drawing board in 1934, which accounted for over half of the German Aircraft shot down by the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

1009 Pancho Villa

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:10:29 +0000

Fancisco "pancho" Villa's journey though his 45 years of life certainly wasn't ordinary! Born a humble peasant, he became an outlaw, a revolutionary, the Americans invaded Mexico in pursuit of him, before eventually retiring on a Generals salary from the government he tried to bring down. He has become a "Robin Hood" type hero, brutal and violent he forced the wealthy into funding him, he even had his own money printed in competition with the Mexican Peso. His luck did of course run out when he was gunned down by a gang in the street. Dur: 19mins File: .mp3

1008 Napolean's Marshals

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:30:22 +0000

The day after Napoleon proclaimed France an Empire and volunteered himself as Emperor, in 1804, he elevated 18 men to the status of Marshal's of the Empire. All were from the military but from extremely eclectic backgrounds...some former Royalist military officers and soldiers, others had risen rapidly through the ranks during the years of revolutionary fervour. By the time of his eventual fall from power, after Waterloo, 26 would have held the Marshal's baton, three would die in battle, others had betrayed their Emperor and Country, some would mutiny leading to Napoleon's downfall and yet others would serve their country loyally beyond Napoleon's tenure... Dur: 16mins File: .mp3

1007 Midget Submarines

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:36:52 +0000

The idea for submarines had been around throughout the 19th century but it was only during the First World War that they were a viable weapon. These early craft were used basically as under water attack boats, it wasn't until Allied Command in 1918 had a problem of attacking Austrian ships in port did two Italian officers trained in underwater demolition come forward with the idea of a small underwater chariot to carry them into the harbour. This niche craft would be built by all major nations to attack harbours and inlets, it would be a midget submarine that suffered the first Japanese casualties of world war two hit by the first shots fired by an American of world war two, at Pearl Harbour. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

1006 Audie Murphy

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:56:44 +0000

Audie Murphy came from humble begins to find fame during the second world war. After a number of heroic actions and feats of dering-do he finished the war as Americas most highly decorated combat soldier. One of his 33 medals was the Medal of Honour... Dur: 16mins File: .mp3

1005 Battle of The River Plate

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:22:12 +0000

The Graf Spee at the outset of the second world war was one of the most modern and feared ships of the German fleet. A Deutschland class cruiser, what the British referred to as a “pocket battleship”, she was considerably smaller than a true battleship, her armor and guns far inferior to those of battleships and battle cruisers, however, she could outgun any contemporary cruiser. In the first major naval engagement of the war she had been raiding in the South Atlantic when on her way home she spotted a British Cruiser Squadron and attacked. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

1004 A History of The Rocket Troop

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:32:40 +0000

Two new troops of Artillery were formed in 1813 and were armed with the new rockets, which General Congreve had been developing, testing, and advocating for some years previously. Dur: 19mins File: .mp3

1003 Lettow-Vorbeck Pt2

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:35:58 +0000

After the stunning German victory at Tanga the war seemed to peter out as quickly as it had flared up in East Africa. The British General Aitken was relieved of command following the disaster but his successor, General Wapshare fared little better. Denied reinforcements by the War Cabinet in London he launched a small scale offensive into German territory capturing a German plantation at Jassini. Dur: 31mins File: .mp3

1002 Lettow-Vorbeck Pt1

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:00:17 +0000

The lasting image of the First World War is that of trench warfare. However, far away from the trenches of the Western Front an extraordinary struggle was fought in a remote corner of Africa. When Germany went to war in August 1914 it possessed but few colonial possessions mainly situated in Africa. Dur: 23mins File: .mp3

1001 The Siege of Lucknow 1857

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:06:00 +0000

In 1857 the Indian troops of the British East India Company mutinied at the town of Meerut, this would be the spark that triggered rebellion throughout British controlled central and northern India. Within days Sir Henry Lawrence, 1700 troops and some 1200 civilians were under siege at Lucknow defending the British Commissioner's residency. Dur: 23mins File: .mp3

910 The Battle of Quebec, 1759

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:09:09 +0000

The battle of Quebec was one of the culminating actions of the Seven Year’s War, and can be regarded as the climax in North America, from there on in the British would steal a series of victories, against the French, leaving her (if only for a brief moment) with undisputed control of the whole of North America. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

909 Genghis Khan and the Mongols

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:40:30 +0000

At its height stretching from Korea to Hungary, the mongol empire would be the largest continuous land empire in the history of the world! A tribesman would unify the tribes and like a whirlwind from the Mongolian Steppes of central Asia, the world would know the name of Genghis Khan. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

908 Carthage

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:53:29 +0000

The Carthaginian power was built round trade, the city was founded in 814 BC on the coast of what is now Tunisia. At its height her merchants dominated the trade routes along the north African coast, controlled large areas of what is now Spain, Sardinia and parts of Sicily. All this was achieved with no regular army. It was inevitable that a large empire such as Carthage would eventually come into conflict with Rome...Dur: 15mins File: .mp3

907 Clausewitz

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:40:10 +0000

Clausewitz is best remembered for his tome On War and this came from a life immersed in the military from an early age. His writings have influenced leaders and military strategists from across the world. Over 150 years have passed since his death and yet he remains the most frequently cited and one of the most controversial of all strategic theorists. Dur: 20mins File: .mp3

906 Howitzer

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:09:41 +0000

Introduced first by the Swedes, the Howitzer, with a shorter barrel than a cannon, is ideal for indirect fire, but with a barrel length longer than a mortar they can also be employed in direct fire if the target is in sight. This artillery piece really came to the fore during the trench warfare of world war one, where massed batteries, sat back from the front lines, would bring down huge barrages on the enemy. Dur: 14 mins File: .mp3

905 The Pacific: From Pearl Harbour to Midway

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:09:00 +0000

On the morning of 7th of December 1941 the Japanese launched Operation Z, the surprise attack on the American Naval base of Pearl Harbour, Hawai. This was the start of the War in the Pacific. Like a typhoon Imperial Japanese forces were unleashed across the Pacific and for almost six months had victory after victory. Hong Kong, Singapore, Guam, the Philipines, Burma - all would fall. The Japanese had swept across the Pacific knocking on the doors of both Australia and India. Even the American presence in the Pacific would be under threat. Dur: 28mins File: .mp3

904 Medieval Warfare

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:43:21 +0000

Medieval Europe saw an array of wars and battles fought for a plethora of reasons; defensive wars fought against invading vikings or Ottoman Turks; wars of expansion such as the invasion of Britain in 1066; then of course there were the great Crusades for Christendom. At the other end of the scale there were rebellions of peasants against nobles, nobles against their Lord, Barons against their King. The eruption of violence for one reason or another was fairly common, but how was this waged? Dur: 20 mins File: .mp3

903 Aircraft Carrier

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:17:11 +0000

1903 saw the birth of fixed-wing aircraft. In January of 1912 Lieutenant Charles Samson flew a Shorts S27 biplane off a platform constructed on the stationary battleship H.M.S Africa. Just four months later, and Samson flew a plane of a moving ship, Hibernia, during the Royal Fleet Review at Weymouth. The development of naval air power had begun. The aircraft carrier was born. Dur: 21 mins File: .mp3

902 Baden-Powell and Mafeking

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:00:00 +0000

"Notice by Officer Commanding the Forces Rhodesia and Bechuanaland Protectorate.

In consequence of the Armed Forces of the South African Republic having committed an overt act of war in invading British territory I give notice that a state of War exists and that the Civil Law is for the time being suspended and that I proclaim Martial Law from this date in the Mafeking District and Bechuanaland Protectorate, by virtue of a Power granted to me by His Excellency the High Commissioner."

901 The Battle of Ligny

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Ligny would be the last victory Napoleon would have. Fought in 1815, with Qautre Bras it would be the prelude to Waterloo two days later, but the failure to seize an absolute victory over the Prussians left much of their army intact to fight again a few days later, with devastating consequences. Dur: 25mins File: .mp3

810 The 88

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:19:00 +0000

The 8.8cm Flak was originally designed by the Germans solely for the use as an anti-aircraft gun. But the German's saw their potential in a variety of roles and thus they were also put to use with devastating effect as anti-tank and anti-personnel guns during the Second World War. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

809 Sgt Alvin York

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Sargent Alvin York was not untypical of many of the Dough-boys arriving in France, from America, in 1918. Born in a two room log cabin in Tennessee, he had up-until that point never traveled more than 50 miles from his home. God fearing, poorly educated but a crack shot, York would become an all American hero for his exploits in France, which would win him the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

808 Russo Japanese War

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:35:00 +0000

The war between Russia and Japan in 1904-5 looked at first like no contest for Russia, this huge Imperial power against Japan an asian power perceived as being underdeveloped. This would turn into a David and Goliath contest, the consequences of which would lead to the first Russian Revolution of 1905 and a shifting of power in the East. It could also be said to be a full military dress rehearsal for the First World War, with trenches, machine guns, indirect fire, barb wire and submarines! Dur: 24mins File: .mp3

807 The Italian Campaign of WW1

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:05:00 +0000

Although Italy was allied with the Central powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary at the outbreak of the first world war she chose to remain neutral, until 1915 when with British aid and financial help she attacked Austria. Within months the Italian army had suffered over 200,000 casualties and the offensive had ground to a halt. By the armistice, in 1918, casualties had reached nearly a million. German troops reinforcing Austria had almost brought the Italian army to its knees (but for the intervention of the French and British) yet in a remarkable role reversal by the end, Italy brought the Austro-Hungarian armies facing her to the brink of collapse. Dur: 26mins File: .mp3

806 The Battle of Actium

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:08:00 +0000

Rome had been a Republic for more than 450 years when the Battle of Actium ensued. The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44BC created a power vacuum, where two men would initially work together against common opponents, but eventually they would face each other seeking to take ultimate control. One would be gravely defeated. The other would eventually rise to be the first Emperor of Rome and form the foundation of the next 400 years of its history. Dur: 23mins File: .mp3

805 Strategic Bombing

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:08:00 +0000

The early 20th Century saw the armed forces of the world investigate the possibilities of the aeroplane, with the first tentative steps taken by the Italians using planes for bombing in Libya. As the century progressed the wars became total wars enveloping the whole population in war work. The means of manufacturing, infrastructure and the means of a nation to make war became targets... Dur: 26mins File: .mp3

804 Drones

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:25:00 +0000

The origins of Drones, goes all the way back to the mid 19th century, but their sophistication and development has accelerated in recent times, and they now are given an ever increasing situational awareness and combat role in modern theatres of war. As their development and deployment continues apace we look back to their origins and the characters who pioneered their first steps. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

803 Battle of Quatre Bras

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:16:00 +0000

Quatre Bras would be the prelude to the battle of Waterloo, here Napoleon sent Marshal Ney to seize a vital cross-roads which would prevent the Prussians meeting up with Wellington's Anglo-allied army, and allow Napoleon to dispose of the allied forces one at a time so giving him the numerical advantage. The speed and surprise which Napoleon achieved, would almost lead to disaster for the allies. Dur: 21mins File: .mp3

802 Nimitz

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:25:00 +0000

Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz was appointed an Admiral in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, in 1941. Becoming Commander in Chief in the region, a job he shared with General MacArthur. It was Nimitz brilliance that steered the US Navy to its victory against the odds at Midway, checking Japanese naval ambitions, and his forces that island hopped across the Pacific in a slew of famous actions such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. At the height of the Pacific war he commanded over two million men and women, 5,000 ships and 20,000 planes... It was a long way from the arid plains of central Texas where he grew up. Dur: 19mins File: .mp3

801 The Siegfried Line

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

The Siegfried Line had a number of guises. It's origins go back to the First World War as part of the Hindenburg Line along Germany's Western boarder. It was developed during the late 1930s but saw little action at the start of the Second World War. With the rapid collapse of France it was pretty much mothballed, only to be reactivated in 1944 to defend the Third Reich form the Western Allies where it saw some fierce action. Dur: 16.51 File: .mp3

Special - The Falaise Gap

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

As the allies broke out from the D Day beachhead the Americans moved South into Brittany, while the British and Canadians were held by the Germans at Caen. As the US First Army moved up from the South toward Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge was ordered by Hitler not to withdraw. In early August of 1944 the noose began to tighten, creating a pocket round the town of Falaise encircling the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies. This report is brought to you by Richard C.Hottelet for CBS, broadcast from London in August of 1944. Filmed at Pickering, North Yorkshire, with the Northern WWII Association. Dur:3min 37sec File: .m4v

Special - Season 7 Promo

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0000

We recently watched the Northern WWII Association in action at Scarborough Castle. We were wondering what to do with the footage so we made up this promo for Season 7 which is due to start 26 July 2009. Dur: 1min File: .m4v

Special - Eisenhowers D Day Address

TheHistoryNetwork.org — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:31:00 +0000

On the eve of the D Day invasion, in 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower the Supreme Commander of the allied forces made this address to his troops. I hope you enjoy this short film we out together, hopefully one of many. Dur: 2min File: m4v (its a video!!!)