The Civil War’s Environmental Impact
What was the environmental impact of the Civil War? Considering that a battle was a major man-made disaster, someone had to take care of the biological mess that resulted. Countless dead bodies of men, horses and mules and amputated limbs were left behind. Whole armies encamped and left spills of gunpowder, lead and other substances....
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First World War with Gary Sheffield – Part II
As the anniversary of the end of WWI nears, Professor Gary Sheffield, one of Britain’s foremost experts on WWI, returns to offer insightful analysis of the conclusion of the War to End All Wars. Mark and Professor Sheffield discuss America’s participation in the Great War, the end of hostilities, the Armistice of 11 November 1918...
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First World War with Gary Sheffield – Part I
WWI ended November 11, 1918. Reflecting on this anniversary, Mark reprises his discussion with Professor Gary Sheffield, one of Britain’s foremost experts on WWI, who wrote the book, The First World War, published in association with the Imperial War Museum. Mark and Professor Sheffield review the War up until the end and American involvement in...
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Hood’s Texas Brigade
Shortly after organizing on October 22, 1861, John Bell Hood took command of the Texas Brigade. By the end of the Civil War, this unit had fought in all the battles engaged in by the Army of Northern Virginia except Chancellorsville. Mark and Susannah J. Ural, a professor of history at the University of Southern...
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Beyond the Beach: The Allied War Against France
Mark’s guest is Steve Bourque, whose book, Beyond the Beach: The Allied War Against France, takes on a subject often ignored in historical accounts. Bourque explores the effects of Allied air attacks on French towns and infrastructure in 1944 as part of the D-Day Invasion and war with Nazi Germany. In discussing the book, they...
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Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis
Mark returns to a discussion of the Cold War and the origins of the conflict between superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He pays special attention to the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. This was the two-week confrontation that kept the world on edge and in fear of escalating tensions that could lead to...
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Antietam Part II
Historian Gerry Prokopowicz, author of Did Lincoln Own Slaves? Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Abraham Lincoln and All for the Regiment: The Army of the Ohio, 1861-1862, returns to discuss the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, its consequences and aftermath, and the response from both sides. We include Abraham Lincoln’s writing the Emancipation...
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Antietam Part I
Professor Gerry Prokopowicz, author of Did Lincoln Own Slaves? Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Abraham Lincoln and All for the Regiment: The Army of the Ohio, 1861-1862, joins Mark to discuss the events leading up to the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. We cover the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) that August, Robert...
The Cold War in Europe with Steve Bourque
In continuing the Cold War Series, Steve Bourque joins Mark to discuss his experiences in the U.S. Army during those years. We get the perspectives of a young enlisted man stationed in western Europe during the Cold War. We also get to look at the situation from another vantage point—when he returned later as an...
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George Luz, Jr. Remembers His Dad and the Men of Easy Company
Guest George Luz, Jr. shares stories about his father, George Luz, who was a paratrooper with E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. They discuss the experiences of the men of Easy Company who fought with him during WWII, and the training, toil, camaraderie and sacrifices of this storied unit that was immortalized...
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Soviet Naval Challenge in the Cold War : Part II with Reid Senter
Mark returns to the Cold War with Part II of the Soviet Naval challenge, this time covering surface operations. His guest is Reid Senter, a retired U.S. Navy Captain who served in the Mediterranean. They discuss various aspects of serving in an Amphibious Ready Group, facing the Soviet Navy whose main interest was protecting the...
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The Soviet Naval Challenge in the Cold War with John Lindstedt
Mark speaks with John Lindstedt, who was a junior officer serving aboard a nuclear submarine in the Cold War years. They discuss the qualifications and training involved, the constant readiness, and the differences between U.S. and Soviet vessels. They also highlight the ever-present threat of the Soviet Navy in the Mediterranean aided by the treachery...
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Trench Dogs: A Graphic Novel About WWI
Mark interviews Ian Densford, an artist and animator whose graphic novel, Trench Dogs, draws its inspiration from a collection of first-hand accounts from WW1. This fictional story of World War I is an anthropomorphic retelling of that global conflict and the soldiers who experienced the horrors of the front lines and high seas. More Information...
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Historical Events That Happened in August
This week Mark takes a look at some events that happened during the month of August in the Civil War and WWII, including the infamous Quantrill’s Raiders, Nathan Bedford Forrest’s raid on Memphis, the Siege of Leningrad, and the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Image: Forrest’s raid into Memphis – Rebel attack on the Irving Prison.
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WWII Pilot Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa: Naval Hero
WWII pilot, Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa, became a naval hero fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. Author, Ted Edwards, joins Mark to discuss his biography of Swede, Seven at Santa Cruz. The fighter pilot ace dive-bombed and helped sink the first aircraft carrier lost by Japan. The next day, he took off from USS Yorktown and out-flew and out-gunned three...
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Battle of Second Manassas
In August 1862, after the Confederate victory in the Battle of Second Manassas, or the Second Battle of Bull Run as it was referred to in the North, Robert E. Lee had the momentum to lead the Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland that September. There he would gain support in that border state, resupply his men and pressure...
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Kate Tietzen on Iraq: From Ancient to Modern Times
With the Middle East at the forefront of international news, Mark revisits his conversation with Kate Tietzen about Iraq, from ancient to modern times. They discuss the conflicts, sometime resolutions and the evolution of the country. Her in-country research delves into the many facets of the Iraqi people, the religious factions and the nation’s friends,...
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LIfe in Jefferson Davis’ Navy
Dr. Barbara Brooks Tomblin joins Mark to discuss her recent book, Life in Jefferson Davis’ Navy. She addresses every aspect of the officers and men who served in the Confederate Navy—from the daily life of the sailors to the combat they endured. Through diaries, letters and newspaper accounts, she vividly depicts the wartime experiences on...
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Normandy and Brittany 1944 with Mort Sheffloe: Part II
Combat veteran Mort Sheffloe continues his discussion with Mark about Mort’s WWII experiences in Normandy and Brittany in 1944. Mort talks about Operation Cobra and being shot by a German sniper near Brest. He talks about his near fatal wounding, medical evacuation and recuperation. This is Part II of a two-part episode, and completes our...
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Normandy and Brittany 1944: WWII Vet Mort Sheffloe
Continuing our series on D-Day and Operation Overlord in June 1944, Mark relives his visit to Normandy with WWII Veteran, Mort Sheffloe. They discuss Mort’s experiences in Normandy and Brittany in 1944 while walking on Omaha and Utah Beaches and visiting various cafés. Mort describes the actions as well as his near fatal wounding by...
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75th Anniversary of D-Day: The Beach Landings
On this 75th Anniversary of the D-Day, we continue with the discussion about launching the invasion and the beach landings on that day. Mark speaks with historian Marty Morgan and they give special attention to the Americans storming the formidable German positions at Omaha Beach and the fierce struggle that took place there.
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Airborne: The D-Day Invasion
In continuing our study of D-Day for this 75th Anniversary Year, Mark talks about the invasion airborne operations. He and guest historian, Marty Morgan, discuss some of the actions and details of the paratroopers, including “the greatest feat of flying in the Second World War.” Photo: General Dwight D. Eisenhower speaking with First lieutenant Wallace...
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Operation Overlord: Deception Plan
Mark discusses the intricate deception plans that the Allies employed to confuse Nazi Germany about the location of the D-Day invasion. Will it be Pas de Calais as Hitler declares so convincingly? Or even Norway? Eisenhower is sure of one thing: it must succeed. There is no Plan B. This week’s podcast is a continuation...
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Operation Overlord: Planning the D-Day Invasion
Mark begins his series of podcasts dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, discussing Operation Overlord, the planning of the D-Day invasion. He includes excerpts from WWII lectures that historian Stephen E. Ambrose gave at the University of New Orleans, covering the preparation the Allies made for Operation Overlord. By December of 1943 the United...
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What Potent Blood Hath Modest May: The Civil War
In this episode, Mark takes a look at some significant events that took place in May from the Civil War era. He considers these events in light of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous (yet unrelated) quote, “What potent blood hath modest May,” which Mark will show is an applicable description when considering the outcome of some...
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