World War II

The deepest shelf in the archive, and unapologetically Pacific-heavy: Seth Paridon and Bill Toti's Unauthorized History of the Pacific War and Ray Harris Jr.'s chronological History of WWII Podcast anchor the theatre, while We Have Ways carries north-west Europe — the Sherwood Rangers Normandy series and the Bruneval raid both started here. Expect operational detail over grand narrative, and command decisions examined at the moment they were made.

Standout Picks

PickMidway: Nagumo's Dilemma · The History of WWII Podcast

PickThe Battle of Iwo Jima: Part 2 · Lions Led By Donkeys

PickThe Thin Khaki Line · The WW2 Podcast

PickArthur W. Gullachsen, "The Defeat and Attrition of the 12. SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend: Volume II: Operations Martlet, Epsom, Windsor and Charnwood 11 June-12 July 1944" (Casemate, 2026) · New Books in Military History

PickEmpire of Ashes-Truman, Hirohito and Total War with James Scott · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickDisaster at Clark Field: Air Raid Philippines 1941 · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickThe Last Charge and The Battle of the Points: Jan-Feb 1942 on Bataan · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickIntro to the Philippine Campaign of 1942 · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickJapanese Landings on Luzon-December 1941 with John McManus · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickJapanese Archival Footage from the Philippines 1942 · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickHolding the Door Open: The Battles Towards Bataan · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickThe Battle for Wake Island · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickBirth of the Philippine Guerilla Movement with John Bruning · Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickHeist From The Sky: Hell Breaks Loose (Part 3) · We Have Ways of Making You Talk

PickBritish Band Of Brothers: Battle Of Bloody Ridge (Part 7) · We Have Ways of Making You Talk

PickOperation Barbarossa: Seeds of Calamity (Part 1) · We Have Ways of Making You Talk

PickGuadalcanal Was Only Half the Story | WW2 Hot Takes · World War 2 LIVE

PickThe Battle of Guadalcanal – Episode 1: The Landings · World War 2 LIVE

All featured episodes

We Have Ways of Making You Talk

EssentialOne Man's War: Deserted In The Desert (Part 1)

EssentialBritish Band Of Brothers: Operation Bluecoat (Part 6)

PickBritish Band Of Brothers: Battle Of Bloody Ridge (Part 7)

EssentialBritish Band Of Brothers: Back In Action (Part 5)

EssentialBefore The Storm: The Phoney War Begins (Part 1)

EssentialOperation Barbarossa: The Surge (Part 6)

EssentialOperation Barbarossa: One Man's War (Part 7)

EssentialOperation Barbarossa: Barbarossa Unleashed (Part 5)

EssentialNorth African Odyssey: To Hell And Back (Part 3)

EssentialNorth African Odyssey: Disaster At Oudna (Part 1)

SelectionAntony Beevor: Downfall In Berlin

EssentialNorth African Odyssey: Blood On The Sand (Part 2)

EssentialOperation Barbarossa: To The Brink (Part 3)

EssentialOperation Barbarossa: Countdown (Part 4)

EssentialOperation Barbarossa: Planning The Impossible (Part 2)

PickOperation Barbarossa: Seeds of Calamity (Part 1)

EssentialNaval Battle Of Narvik: Confusion (Part 2)

EssentialNaval Battle of Narvik: Annihilation (Part 3)

EssentialNaval Battle of Narvik: Plans & Schemes (Part 1)

EssentialBritish Band Of Brothers: Tiger, Tiger! (Part 4)

EssentialBritish Band Of Brothers: The Fight For Point 103 (Part 3)

PickHeist From The Sky: Hell Breaks Loose (Part 3)

EssentialHeist From The Sky: The Raid Begins (Part 2)

EssentialHeist From The Sky: The Bruneval Raid (Part 1)

SelectionBelfast, Bunkers, and Vichy Show Trials

EssentialJapan's Road To War: Countdown To Infamy (Part 4)

SelectionJapan's Road To War: Honne & Tatemae (Part 3)

EssentialJapan's Road To War: Power Behind The Throne (Part 2)

EssentialJapan's Road To War: Empire Of The Rising Sun (Part 1)

EssentialAudie Murphy: Rome & France (Part 3)

The History of WWII Podcast

SelectionInterview w/ Nick Reynolds & Katie Sanders: Ortiz's War

EssentialChesty Puller Saves His Men

EssentialHere Comes Chesty Puller

EssentialJapanese Mistakes/American Luck

SelectionGuadalcanal: All Or Nothing

EssentialHold The Line!

EssentialThe Cactus Air Force v. The Tokyo Express

EssentialBlood In The Water

SelectionBattle of the Eastern Solomons

SelectionBattle of Alligator Creek

SelectionNo Mercy, No Quarter Given

SelectionFirst Battle of Matanikau

SelectionTheir First Banzai Charge

EssentialBattle of Savo Island

EssentialInterview with Dave R. Holland

SelectionOperation Watchtower Begins

SelectionNext Stop: Guadalcanal

EssentialThe Battle of Midway Comes To An End

EssentialAnd The Hiryu Makes Four

SelectionYorktown: Abandon Ship

PickMidway: Nagumo's Dilemma

SelectionMidway: First Blood

EssentialBattle of Midway: Prelude

EssentialDeath of a Carrier

EssentialThe First Carrier Battle

Unauthorized History of the Pacific War

PickBirth of the Philippine Guerilla Movement with John Bruning

EssentialThe Bataan Death March

PickEmpire of Ashes-Truman, Hirohito and Total War with James Scott

EssentialThe End on Bataan: April 1942

EssentialThe Battle of the Pockets and MacArthur’s Departure

PickThe Last Charge and The Battle of the Points: Jan-Feb 1942 on Bataan

EssentialThe First Attacks on the Bataan Peninsula: January 1942

PickJapanese Archival Footage from the Philippines 1942

PickHolding the Door Open: The Battles Towards Bataan

EssentialThe Withdrawal to Bataan with John McManus

PickJapanese Landings on Luzon-December 1941 with John McManus

PickDisaster at Clark Field: Air Raid Philippines 1941

PickIntro to the Philippine Campaign of 1942

SelectionAppointment in Tokyo

PickThe Battle for Wake Island

SelectionSeason 5 Finale--Questions and Answers on the Pacific War

EssentialShipbuilding and Fleet Repair in the PTO with Sal Mercogliano

EssentialTask Force 58 Under Attack 1943-45 Archival Footage

SelectionThe Dangerous Shore with Sara Vladic

World War 2 LIVE

SelectionHow REAL is GREYHOUND?

EssentialThe Italian Campaign Debate | WW2 Hot Takes

PickGuadalcanal Was Only Half the Story | WW2 Hot Takes

EssentialWas the Invasion of Anzio Worth It?

SelectionThe WWII Story That Brought America to Tears: Ernie Pyle & Captain Waskow

EssentialPatton vs. Rommel: Who Was the Better General?

EssentialRommel vs. Kesselring: How Should Germany Defend Italy?

EssentialSalerno: The Invasion That Nearly Failed

SelectionWWII Hot Takes: Should the Allies Have Raced for Berlin?

EssentialD-Day's Most Important Forecast? The Real Story Behind Pressure

SelectionHow Historians Create WWII Battle Maps?

EssentialThe Doolittle Raid: America Strikes Back

EssentialThe Battle of Guadalcanal - Episode 4: Halsey Takes Command

EssentialThe Battle of Guadalcanal – Episode 2: Hanging in the Balance

PickThe Battle of Guadalcanal – Episode 1: The Landings

The WW2 Podcast

EssentialTransport Pilots of WWII

EssentialGeneralship on the Eastern Front

PickThe Thin Khaki Line

SelectionThe Nazi Ghost Train

Essential1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory

EssentialNormandy 1944: Operation Martlet

EssentialPatton, 1945

SelectionGreat Escapism at Stalag Luft III

EssentialSOE Special Duties Flights

EssentialMers El-Kébir: The British Attack on the French Navy

EssentialA Boy Soldier in Hitler's Army

EssentialTask Force Hogan

Lions Led By Donkeys

SelectionOperation Aphrodite

EssentialThe Battle of Iwo Jima: Part 3

PickThe Battle of Iwo Jima: Part 2

EssentialThe Battle of Iwo Jima: Part 1

SelectionThe Battle of Ramree Island

The Warrior Next Door

SelectionJ. Robert Balch: M8 Greyhound Turret Gunner 94th Recon Squadron, France and Germany Ep 4 of 4

SelectionJ. Robert Balch: M8 Greyhound Turret Gunner 94th Recon Squadron, France and Germany Ep 3 of 4

SelectionJ. Robert Balch: M8 Greyhound Turret Gunner 94th Recon Squadron, France and Germany Ep 2 of 4

SelectionFrank DeCicco Jr: B-17 Waist Gunner, 303rd Bomb Group, WW2 - Episode 3 of 3

Dan Snow's History Hit

SelectionThe Blitz Beyond London

SelectionThe Commanders: Zhukov

SelectionThe Commanders: Yamamoto

New Books in Military History

PickArthur W. Gullachsen, "The Defeat and Attrition of the 12. SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend: Volume II: Operations Martlet, Epsom, Windsor and Charnwood 11 June-12 July 1944" (Casemate, 2026)

EssentialNicholas Evan Sarantakes, "The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War" (Oxford UP, 2025)

SelectionPeter Ortiz: The WWII Marine Who Foreshadowed Modern-Day Special Forces

Witness History

SelectionThe battle of Mandalay in WW2

The Unconventional Soldier

SelectionHolland's Hidden Heroes: Dutch Resistance & Allied Airman In The Polders

The History Extra Podcast

EssentialThe battle of the Arctic: the overlooked crucible of WW2