Beyond Barbarossa: The Eastern Front of World War 2
This podcast offers a comprehensive look at the Eastern Front of World War 2, often overshadowed by other theaters of the conflict. It delves into well-known events like the Battle of Stalingrad, the Siege of Leningrad, and the Battle of Kursk, while also exploring lesser-known aspects of the brutal struggle between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. Through detailed episodes, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the largest and bloodiest front in the European theater of the war.
Episodes
S5 Ep2: Potsdam: The Big Three decide the new world order—Episode 105
In July and August, the leaders and delegations from the “Big Three” victors of the Second World War reshape the borders of Europe and set up a new world order.
S5 Ep1: Potsdam: The Victors debate—Episode 104
The USA, UK and USSR have defeated nazi Germany. The Allies control Europe. In July 1945, the leaders Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin meet outside Berlin to decide what to do with it.Go toHosted on Audioboom. See Beyond Barbarossa’s privacy policy for more information.
S4 Ep7: Barbarossa returns—episode 103
For the 85th anniversary of the launch of the Eastern Front of World War 2, a replay of the first episode of Beyond Barbarossa. Video, graphics and maps now available to all! https://youtu.be/rrnoEgVcRvEHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
S4 Ep6: Peace in Europe? Episode 102
The fighting has ended in Europe—but with millions of displaced people surging in all directions across Europe, it cannot be called peace. While millions of POWs look forward to going home, forced labourers and people of eastern Europe know they have no home to return to. And try to escape the communist yoke. Hosted on Ausha. See Beyond Barbarossa’s privacy policy for more information.
S4 Ep5: After the Fall of Berlin: Episode 101
When Berlin surrendered, the war in Europe continued for another week—in Czechoslovakia and its capital, Prague.SourcesAntony Beevor, The Fall of Berlin 1945. New York, NY, USA: Penguin Random House, 2002.Antony Beevor, The Second World War. New York, NY, USA: Little, Brown and Company, 2012. Evan Mawdsley, Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War, 1941–1945. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016. Mor
S4 Ep2: The Fall of Berlin
David Sumner of the Europe at War podcast joins to provide deeper insight into the last major battle in the European Theatre of the Second World War.Two huge Red Army fronts, the 1st Belorussian and the 1st Ukrainian, crush the nazi capital between them, and bring an end to the Second World War in Europe.Hosted on Audioboom. See our privacy policy for more information.
S4 Ep13: Surrounding Berlin: Episode 99
In the 99th episode of the first English-language podcast that focuses on the full story of the Eastern Front of World War 2, Stalin’s top Marshals, Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Konev, race to be the first to raise the Red Banner over the Reichstag. Who will get there first?MapsMap 1: The Red Army’s Vistula to Oder operationHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Hosted on Ausha. See
S4 Ep12: The Great Race Begins
"From the moment Stalin heard that the Americans were across the Rhine, he knew that the race for Berlin was on.”—Antony Beevor. WIth the Allies on the Elbe, and the Red Army on the Oder, nazi Germany was being terminally squeezed by April 1945. But before they can drive on the prize, Berlin, the Red Army must take Vienna. Map 1: The Red Army’s advance, 1944–1945 Map 2: The Red Army on the Oder an
S4 Ep11: Spring Awakening and Upper Silesia: Episode 97
The #6 Top World War 2 podcast continues following the Red Army’s advance into Hungary and Germany—and the expensive failure of the German Operation Spring Awakening. Map 1: Front lines in Europe, 1 March 1945 Map 2: Operation Southwind/Sudwind Map 3a: German plans for Operation Spring Awakening Map 4: The Soviet counter-attack, The Lake Balaton counter-offensive Map 5: Following Operation Spr
S4 Ep10: Silesia, Part 1—Episode 96
The Red Army penetrates deep into Germany, leading to the redrawing of eastern European borders after. Map 1: The Oder offensive–March 1945 Map 2: The Lower Silesian Offensive Map 3: The East Pomeranian Offensive Map 4a: European fronts, 15 February 1945 Map 4b: European fronts, 15 March 1945 PhotosMarshal Ivan Konev, Commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front General Walther Wencke, chief of staff, A
S4 Ep9: The Impossible Alliance, Part 2: Episode 95
Why did the Yalta Conference end the way it did? Why did Churchill try an end-run around Roosevelt? Why did Roosevelt try to curry Stalin’s favour? What would this mean to post-war history?Author Giles Milton joins to discuss some of the Second World War’s most perplexing questions. PeopleAuthor Giles MiltonHis latest book, The Stalin Affair: The impossible alliance that won the war The Big Three:
S4 Ep8: The Impossible Alliance, Part 1: Episode 94
Why were the Yalta Conference’s decisions so vague? Why did Stalin get everything he wanted? And why did Roosevelt act so naively? Giles Milton, bestselling author of The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War, joins the podcast today to help understand the relationships that had the greatest impact on the second meeting of the Big Three of the Second World War.PhotosAuthor Giles
S4 Ep7: From Malta to Yalta—Episode 93
Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt meet in Malta in the Mediterranean in February 1945, to prepare to meet Josef Stalin in the second Big Three conference on Soviet territory—Yalta. It was a meeting that shaped the world for decades. Map 1: Malta to Yalta Map 2: The Western Front, 1 February 1945 Map 3: The Pacific Theatre, 1 February 1945Map 4: Poland’s shift west, 1945Photos Left: Frankli
S4 Ep6: Into Germany—Episode 92 of the first podcast to focus on the full story of the Eastern Front of World War 2
The Red Army continues its continual advance onto German soil—and the flight of German civilians and military. Map 1: The siege of Kongisberg Map 2: SamlandThe Samland Peninsula in 1905, showing city and town names still present in 1945. Map 3: The (second) East Prussian Offensive Map 4: The advance across Poland Historical photos Franklin Roosevelt meets Winston Churchill in Malta, 2 February 1
S4 Ep5: The Vise Closes: the Eastern Front, episode 91
After 10 shattering blows on the Eastern Front in 1944, the Western Allies and the USSR continue to compress nazi Germany in January 1945. Map 1: The compressing front 1a: 1 January 1944 1b: 1 January 1945 1c: 15 January 1945 Map 2: The siege of Budapest, January 1945 Map 3: The Vistula-Oder campaign, January 1945 Map 4: The East Prussia offensivePhotosThe Budapest Chain Bridge destroyed, Janu
S4 Ep4: The Battle for Budapest, Part 1—Episode 90
"Budapest lay athwart the main entry route to Austria and Bohemia. It was the main railway hub of the region and also the largest Danubian port. The Red Army could not bypass it. This was the first time in the war that the Red Army had to lay siege to a major city." The Red Army assaults the capital of nazi Germany’s final remaining partner in the Second World War. The war appears to be almost los
S4 Ep4: The Battle of Belgrade—Episode 89
There was a lot of action on the Eastern Front in the autumn of 1944. In late September, the Red Army and its new allies enter Yugoslavia and connect with communist Partisans led by a man called Tito. The results will echo across the decades. Map 1: The Balkan military theatre, September 1944–January 1945Map 2: The Bulgarian incursionMap 3: The Battle of BelgradePhotos The Lockheed P-38 Lightning
S4 Ep1: Horror in East Prussia—Episode 88: The Red Army enters Germany
In October 1944, the Red Army entered East Prussia, the heart of German militarism. Horrific war crimes ensued.Map 1: The Red Army’s advances all across the broad front Map 2a: European Theatre, 1 October 1944 Map 2b: European Theatre, 1 November 1944 Map 3a: The Pacific Theatre, 1 October 1944 Map 3b: The Pacific Theatre, 1 November 1944 Map 4: The Gumbinnen Operation Historical photos Ko
S4 Ep1: The Axis collapses: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 87
In the autumn of 1944, nation after nation abandons the cruel, insane Axis to join the Western Allies or USSR: Romania, Bulgaria, Slovkia … as Finland signs an armistice with the USSR. With the Red Army on the border of Germany itself, Hungary faces the choice: to fight on with, or against, the nazis.Map 1: The Red Army invades SlovakiaThe Dukla Pass is to the right. Map 2: The Battle of Debrecen
S4 Ep3: Stalled on the Baltic Coast: USSR vs. the wehrmacht, Episode 86
By the autumn of 1944, everyone could see which way the Second World War was going — even the Axis commanders. Still, they were able to hold the Red Army back in key locations like Courland and Memel. Map 1: The Courland and Memel pockets, to the end of 1944 Map 2: The Memel pocket, 1944 Image 1: Hovhannes Bagramyan in 1955 Image 2: Army of Worn Soles, volume 1 of the Eastern Front Trilogy https:
S4 Ep3: Everywhere, all at once: Episode 85—East and West, north and south, 1944
Describing the Eastern Front chronologically gets very difficult in the second half of 1944, because there’s so much happening everywhere, all at the same time. After the Warsaw Rising, as described in Episode 83, the Red Army surged past its borders into Finland, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, and farther. Meanwhile, the Western Allies are taking France, Belgium and Italy from Hitler. But there is s
S4 Ep2: A promise fulfilled: Help for Ukrainian refugees—special episode
Today, Beyond Barbarossa fulfills a promised made at the start of this podcast: a meaningful donation to help refugees of Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.We’re joined by Valeriy Kostyuk, Executive Director of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which runs the appeal.LinksCanada-Ukraine FoundationUkraine Humanitarian AppealMedical javelinsTho
S4 Ep1: Warsaw rising: Episode 83 of the 1st podcast on the Eastern Front of WW2
In August 1944, the Red Army steamrolled across eastern Europe. Yet when Warsaw rose up against the nazi occupiers, they found themselves alone. Historic photosTadeusz Bor-Komorowski (right), Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Home Army AK fighter with flamethrower Home Army soldiers from Kolegium "A" of Kedyw formation on Stawki Street in the Wola District of Warsaw, September 1944. Source: Wikip
Special episode: Gouzenko—the man who exposed the Cold War
In this special episode of the podcast on the Eastern Front of World War Two, we go beyond Beyond Barbarossa and beyond the end of the Second World War.80 years ago to the day of this publication a handsome young man approached Canadian media and officials with proof that the Soviet Union was spying on its allies. The Cold War was on. Former Soviet cypher clerk Igor Gouzenko, hooded to protect his
S4 Ep2: Summer 1944 on the Eastern Front, north and south
In summer 1944, "the Red Army’s seemingly unstoppable streamroller took Stanislav in the Carpathian foothills, Bialystok in northern Poland, Dvinsk in Latvia and the Siauliai (also spelt Shaulyai) rail junction between Riga and East Prussia.” — Anthony Tucker-Jones.Even so, the steamroller suffered ferocious mauling. If you can transcribe the morse code signal during “What else is happening in the
S4 Ep1: Lviv: Another crushing blow—Episode 80 of the first English podcast on the Eastern Front of World War II.
Stalin’s one-two punch against Germany is the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive, hitting in Ukraine as Bagration smashes into Byelorussia. It also lays bare the brutality within the Red Army. Map 1: The Byelorussian Balcony Map 2: The Lvov-Sandomierz Operation Map 3: The Eastern Front, 15 June 1944 Map 4: The Eastern Front, 15 July 1944 Map 5: The Eastern Front, 15 August 1944 Ivan Konev, commander, 1st U
S3 Ep30: Nuances of Lend-Lease with Angus Wallace: Episode 79
Did the Lend-Lease program save the Soviet Union? For the Season 3 finale, Angus Wallace of the World War 2 podcast joins to offer a nuanced interpretation. Angus Wallace, host and producer of The World War 2 podcast The Lend-Lease Act British Valentine tanks to be sent to USSR under Lend-Lease, 1942. The Bell P-39 Aircobra, one of the fighters the U.S. sent to the Soviet Union under Lend-Leas
S3 Ep29: Operation Bagration: Episode 78
The USSR’s answer to D-Day in June 1944 takes the Germans by surprise—and annihilates a whole army group.Map 1: The Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive, the end of the Continuation War against Finland Map 2: The "Byelorussian Balcony” Map 3: Attack on Vitebsk Map 4: Rokossovsky’s attack on Bobruisk Map 5: Attack on Minsk PhotosMinsk, July 1944 Destroyed German armour on road to Minsk German POWs i
S3 Ep28: On the eve of Bagration: the next crushing blow in World War 2’s eastern front
Author Craig W.H. Luther joins us to compare two anniversaries on the same date, 22 June, three years apart: Operations Barbarossa in 1941, and Operation Bagration in 1944. Craig W.H. LutherThe First Day on the Eastern Front: Germany Invades the Soviet Union, June 22, 1941 Barbarossa Unleashed: The German Blitzkrieg through Central Russia to the Gates of Moscow, June–December 1941 Guderian’s Panze
S3 Ep27: The Forgotten Army: Poland’s Armia Krajowa
A major army, 400,000 strong, made a major difference in World War 2. Yet it doesn’t get enough attention in the West (nor, unfortunately, on this podcast). It’s the Armia Krajowa, the Polish Home Army. From exposing the Holocaust, to breaking the German Enigma Code, to helping destroy V-2 rockets, the AK bridged the Eastern and Western Fronts of the Second World War.Map 1: German invasion of Pola
S3 Ep26: Where we were in World War 2 in ’44: Episode 75
It’s been a year of stunning, swift change on the Eastern Front of World War 2. And momentous events are coming soon — so it’s high time for a recap of the past year.LinksEpisode 50: Looking back, taking stock https://beyondbarbarossa.podbean.com/e/looking-back-taking-stock-episode-50/The Battle(s) of Kursk
Episode 51: Summer 1943 planshttps://beyondbarbarossa.podbean.com/e/summer-1943-plans-seaso
S3 Ep25: The Fall of Berlin—80th anniversary with Anthony Tucker-Jones: Episode 74
On 2 May 1945, Red Army soldiers raised the Soviet Red Banner with hammer and sickle on the cupola of the Reichstag in Berlin. For the 80th anniversary of that famous photograph, Anthony Tucker-Jones joins the ‘cast to discuss the Fall of Berlin. “Raising a Flag over the Reichstag” shows Red Army soldier Aleksei Kovalev hoisting the Red Banner over the cupola of the Reichstag. This was staged on 2
S3 Ep24: Forward to the past: The Battle for Berlin — Episode 73 of the podcast on the Eastern Front of World War 2
This episode, we jump forward for the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. To guide us through the battles for Berlin, we are joined by the author of The Fall of Berlin: The Final Days of Hitler’s Evil Regime. Author Anthony Tucker-JonesHis website and books: https://atuckerjones.com/MapsMap 1: The front lines, 15 April 1945 Map 2: The front lines, 1 May 1945 Map 3: Fin
S3 Ep23: The Third Crushing Blow: Odesa and Crimea offensives
In 1944, the Red Army delivers its third crushing blow on the Axis forces in eastern Europe: two major offensives to recapture the rest of Ukraine, and the Crimean peninsula. Map 1: Northern Black Sea coast and southern Ukraine The range where the two mighty blows were delivered. Ploesti, Romania is to the far left of the map, just north of Bucharest. Map 2: Map by Scott Bury Map 3: The Red Army’
S3 Ep22: World War 2 links to Ukraine: The Latest: A conversation with Francis Dearnley—Episode 71
From the beginning of Russia’s illegal and brutal assault on sovereign Ukraine, Ukraine: The Latest has covered the war every week day. Francis Dearnley, Executive Editor for Audio for Ukraine: The Latest, joins the podcast to look at the historical links and parallels with the Eastern Front of World War 2.Francis Dearnley, Executive Editor for Audio, Ukraine: The Latest, from The Telegraph Ukrain
S3 Ep21: The curtain falls on Germany in 1943: Episode 63
Episode 63: at the end of 1943, the situation for nazi Germany and communist USSR on the Eastern Front is radically different from the end of 1942. Plus, the Cairo and Tehran Conferences promise to reshape the geo-political world.Map 1: The Red Army advances to, and past the Wotan LineMap 2: The front lines, 15 November 1943 Map 3: The front lines, 31 December 1943 Historical photos: The German
S3 Ep20: Europe at War: Episode 70 of Beyond Barbarossa, the podcast about the Eastern Front of World War II
Beyond Barbarossa is no longer the only podcast focusing on the Eastern Front of World War II. David Sumner, host and producer of the Europe at War podcast, joins to discuss the Battle of the Halbe Pocket. The Europe at War podcast on all platforms: https://pohttps://tr.ee/faCigcYaE5 David Sumner, podcasterMap: The Battle of the Halbe Pocket, April 1945 Photos from David Sumner The Halbe forest, 2
S3 Ep19: The reality of occupation: Episode 69
Russian occupation of Ukraine today is not the first time. Here are some readings that can make it real for today’s listeners. Map: Ukraine under occupation, 1941–1943Source: Ukraine, A Historical Atlas by Paul Robert Magosci and Geoffrey J. MatthewsSourcesLubomyr Luciuk, The Galicia Division: They Fought for Ukraine. The Kashtan Press, 2023.Scott Bury, Under the Nazi Heel. Ottawa, ON: The Written
S3 Ep18: Ambush in the Oval Office
A special episode of Beyond Barbarossa.What happened in Washington DC on 28 February 2025 has echoes of 1938, and ominous omens for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
S3 Ep2: The broad front: Episode 68
In the north and the south, the Red Amy makes great advances in the Eastern Front in February 1944. Map 1: The Eastern Front, February 1944Map 2: Popov’s Baltic Front pushes the Germans back to Lake Peipus Map 3: German forces in the Dnipro Bend, February 1944 Map 4: The European theatre at the end of February 1944. Map 5: The Pacific theatre Markian Popov Nikolai Vatutin The Chindits in Burm
S3 Ep17: The Red Army has the momentum: Episode 67
In January and February 1944, Stalin's "broad front" strategy takes hold and the Red Army gains the momentum in the war on the Eastern Front.Map 1: The Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket Map 2: The Advance on Narva Map 3: The Battle of Narva and Lake PeipusWhat looks like "Hapba" is Cyrillic script for "Narva." The inset shows the southern end of Lake Peipus and the Red Army's temporary bridgehead on the w
S3 Ep16: Crushing Blows: Episode 66
The first two of ten "crushing blows" against the German invaders of the USSR in 1944: Zhitomyr and Leningrad. Map 1: The Zhitomyr-Berdichiv Offensive Map 2: Cherkassy or Kherson Pocket Map 3: Leningrad, 1941–1943Map 4: Leningrad lifeline Map 5: Operation Iskra Map 6: Operation Polar Star Map 7: Liberation of Leningrad, push to Panther Line SourcesAntony Beevor, The Second World War. Londo
S3 Ep15: The Devils' Alliance: A conversation with author Roger Moorhouse, part 2—Episode 65
What was the USSR doing between September 1939 and June 1941? It was allied with nazi Germany, of course. Historian Roger Moorhouse, author of books including The Devils' Alliance, describes the lasting impact of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, and the strategic factors that ended it. Roger Moorhouse The Devils' Alliance Roger Moorhouse's books: https://www.rogermoorhouse.com/books Map: The division
S3 Ep14: The Devils' Alliance: A conversation with author Roger Moorhouse, part 1—Episode 64
The nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939 gave Hitler and the nazis the green light to invade Poland and start World War 2. Two weeks later, Stalin's Red Army joined the nazis in dismembering Poland. Historian and author Roger Moorhouse has dived deep into this notorious but poorly understood alignment in The Devils' Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin, 1939–1941. He joins the podcast in a two-p
S3 Ep13: A seasonal special: Christmas 1942 in Stalingrad
Looking for a break in the Christmas season sweetness? Beyond Barbarossa returns you to the Eastern Front in December 1942. Hitler and Stalin's mutual stubbornness collide on the Russian steppe. For the Germans of the 6th Army, Christmas 1942 was a hungry Yule in the freezing Cauldron.Map 1: Operation Uranus, November and December 1942 Map 2: Operation Winter Storm: The German relief attempt Map
S3 Ep12: Agent Zo—A conversation with Clare Mulley: Episode 62
Author Clare Mulley and I discuss her latest book, the story of one of the Allies' most valuable intelligence agents, Elzbieta Zawacka, known as Agent Zo. Visit Clare Mulley's website: https://claremulley.com/ Clare Mulley's books: The Woman Who Saved the ChildrenThe Spy Who LovedThe Women Who Flew for HitlerAgent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter Map 1: Molotov
S3 Ep11: Zitadelle—the Battle of Kursk, part 2: Episode 52
What I thought would be a single episode has turned into a series. Here is Part 2 of the biggest tank battle in history — or at least, of the Second World War.Map 1: The Eastern Front, 1943-44Map 2: Battle of Kursk Map 3: Another map of the Battle of Kursk Image 1: The Tiger heavy tankImage 2: The Panther tank Image 3: The Ferdinand or "Elefant" self-propelled gun Restored Elefant at the United
S3 Ep10: The Battle of Kyiv, 1943: Episode 61
After crossing the Dnipro at Bukrin and getting bogged down by the panzers, the Red Army shifts focus northward to take the Ukrainian capital.Map 1: The Battle of Kyiv, 1943Source: Warfare History Network.com Map 2: German war map of the Battle of Kyiv, 1943Note the crossing at Ljutesch, German spelling of Lyutizh (Ukrainian) or Liutezh (Russian).Source: Alchetron, the Free Social EncyclopediaPho
S3 Ep9: In honour of Remembrance Day 2024: A special Beyond Barbarossa episode
In honour of Remembrance Day, 11 November 2024, this is a special episode available to all. A reading from Army of Worn Soles: Volume 1 of The Eastern Front Trilogy. Available exclusively on Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
S3 Ep8: Crossing the Dnipro: Episode 60
It's hard to believe we've reached the 60th episode!This is a big one: the Red Army reaches, and crosses the German East Wall along the Dnipro River in Ukraine. At a cost, of course. Let me know what you think.Crossing the DniproMap 2: The Bukrin Bend Sources:Prit Buttar, Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943. Osford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2020.Evan Mawdsley, Thunder in the
S3 Ep7: The experience of occupation: Ukraine in the 1940s and 2020s—Episode 59
Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk of the Royal Military College of Canada and University of Toronto returns to describe the reality for eastern European people under occupation during the Second World, and draws the line from then to today. Latest book:Enemy Archives: Soviet Counterinsurgency Operations and the Ukrainian Nationalist Movement – Selections from the Secret Police Archives Montreal and Kingston: McG
S3 Ep6: Ukraine occupied by nazis and communists: Episode 58—A conversation with Prof. Lubomyr Luciuk
Professor of political geography at the Royal Military College of Canada and Senior Research Fellow of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto, shares his knowledge and insight into the experience of Ukraine under occupation by nazi and Soviet forces during the Second World War. Map: Ukrainian lands during World War II Source: Ukraine: A Historical Atlas, by Paul Robert Magosci
S3 Ep5: The second battle of Smolensk, 1943: Episode 57
Smolensk has a war history that is far more significant than its size would suggest. In September 1943, it was a key to Soviet Red Army strategy, and for the German defence.The best English-language podcast for staying up to date on the war in Ukraine is Ukraine: The Latest from the Daily Telegraph. Its creator and executive producer was David Knowles, who passed away unexpectedly in September. M
S3 Ep4: Taking half of Ukraine: Episode 56
After the Battle of Kursk, Stalin and the Stavka set their sights on recapturing Smolensk, and farther south, the wealth of the Donbas and eastern Ukraine.Map 1: The Chernihiv-Poltava OffensiveMap 2: The Red Army perspectiveI guess you have to be a Red Army officer to understand this one. Photos:Ivan Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1945 General Nikolai Vatutin, Commander of the Voronezh Fron
S3 Ep3: The ghosts of three Russian generals: Operations Kutuzov, Rumyantsev and Suvorov
When Germany attacked Kursk in 1943, they found an enemy that had prepared a complex strategy, and assembled immense forces poised to act as soon as the German attacks stalled. This strategy began with three operations named for three Russian generals from history: Kutuzov, Rumyantsev, and Suvorov — the practice for Operation Bagration.Map 1: Operation Kutuzov and revenge for Kursk Map 2: Operatio
S3 Ep2: Prokhorovka: the impaling — Episode 54
This was armoured warfare at its most brutal, with tanks slugging it out at point-blank range. The tanks were as close as 10–15m. Once hit, many of the crews had little chance of bailing out and were splattered all over the insides of their tanks. Those who did try to escape their blazing tanks were mown down and their lifeless bodies left obscenely charred and shrivelled.Map 1: The Kursk Salient
S3 Ep1: The Battle of Kursk, Part 3: Episode 53
The iconic battle on the Kursk salient in July 1943 builds into the greatest confrontation between armoured forces ever — and a four-part series on Beyond Barbarossa.Map 1: The Kursk salient, 5 to 11 July 1943 Map 2: The northern sector Source: OnWar.comMap 3: The southern sector Sources:Ian Baxter, Kursk 1943: Last German Offensive in the East. Haverstown, PA, USA: Casemate Publishers (US), 20
S3 Ep1: Summer, 1943 plans: Season 3 opener, Episode 51
(Originally posted 22 June 2024)Three seasons! 51 episodes! This season begins with a catch-up on the Eastern Front, and the planning that led to the biggest battle in the history of warfare: Operation Zitadelle and the Battle of Kursk.Map: The Kursk salient, spring 1943 Source: Wikipedia Production and loss tablesTable 1: Comparative armaments production, January 1941 – December 1942 1941 1942 G
S2 Ep21: Looking back, taking stock: Episode 50
For this special episode, a special treat for listeners: new theme music by composer Nicolas Bury. At the mid-point of the fighting on the Eastern Front of World War II, it's a good time to take a look back at what's happened in the USSR and around the world. Map 1: Operation Barbarossa to Operation Typhoon Map 2: Operation Blue Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Hosted on
S2 Ep20: Bombing Hitler's Hometown: A conversation with author Mike Croissant
On 25 April 1945, 700 bombers and fighters of the U.S. 15th Air Force raided Linz, Germany, the town where Adolf Hitler grew up. Although neither the air crews nor the people of Linz could know it, it would be the last major Allied air raid of the Second World War. And one of the costliest in terms of U.S. casualties.Mike Croissant's uncle Ellsworth Croissant was one of the bombardiers on that air
S2 Ep18: Bombing Hitler's Hometown, part 2: Episode 49
Author Mike Croissant describes the family connection that inspired his research into the last mass bombing raid of the Second World War in Europe.His book, Bombing HItler's Hometown: The Untold Story of the Last Mass Bomber Raid of World War II in Europe, was published in March. It's available in better bookstores and through online e-tailers through Kensington Publishing. Hosted on Acast. See
S2 Ep19: Meetings and agreements: Episode 47
Mussolini was not happy about being in the Axis by 1943. And Stalin refused to attend the Casablanca Conference with Churchill and Roosevelt. Meetings of the summit and other senior leaders of the Axis and Allied powers through the war show the evolution of each side's war aims between 1939 and 1945.Map: The Kursk salient, spring 1943 Image 1: Roosevelt and Churchill aboard the HMS Prince of Wale
S2 Ep17: Holocaust and Uprising: Episode 46
In April 1943, Jewish people forced into the grossly overcrowded ghetto in Warsaw rose up against the nazis, killing hundreds of SS soldiers. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising failed, but its memory lives on. SS members force Jewish people out of shelters for deportation to death camps, spring, 1943. Source: Wikimedia Commons. A map of the Warsaw Ghetto, the area nazi oppressors forced Jewish people to
S2 Ep16: The Third Battle of Kharkiv: Episode 45
After their stunning, bloody defeat at Stalingrad, the Germans withdrew west to the Donets River in Ukraine, and the Red Army swept ahead as much as 800 km. But the Germans were still a potent force, and in March 1943, were ready to retake Kharkiv. Map 1: The counter-attack in the Donbas Map 2: The advances on Kharkiv Map 3: Withdrawal from the Rzhev salientMaps 4 and 5: The front in March 1943 Ho
S2 Ep2: Movement returns to the Eastern Front: Episode 44
After the 6th Army's surrender at Stalingrad, rapid, far-ranging mobility returns to the war on the Eastern Front, as German and Soviet forces advance and retreat hundreds of kilometres.Map 1: The Kuban Bridgehead Map 2: Operation Star Map 3: Von Manstein's counter-offensive A Tiger tank near Kharkiv, 1943 Source: Pinterest.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Hosted on Au
S2 Ep15: Two victories: Stalingrad and Leningrad, 1943 — Beyond Barbarossa, episode 43
The Red Army finally scores two major victories in January 1943 — in the two cities where it mattered most. The surrender of the Sixth Army: https://stalingrad.net/german-hq/surrender/surrender.htm Map 1: End of the battle of Stalingrad Map 2: Operation Iskra Source: WikipediaPhotos: The surrender at Stalingrad Left to right: Field Marshal F. Paulus, C-in-C, 6th Army; Gen. W. Schmidt, Chief of
S2 Ep14: Stalingrad: Ultimatum and Fantasy
The Germans in the Stalingrad cauldron reject the Soviets' final offer of surrender. The Red Army responds by crushing the cauldron. Map 1: The end of the KesselSource: Military History Now The ultimatum to Stalingrad: https://www.stalingrad.net/russian-hq/the-russian-ultimatum/rusultimatum.html Images: 3-engine German transport plane lands at Pitomnik airfield. Red Army soldiers attack in the ru
S2 Ep13: A Stalingrad Christmas: Beyond Barbarossa, Episode 41
For the Germans of the 6th Army, Christmas 1942 was a hungry Yule in the freezing Cauldron.Map 1: Operation Uranus, November and December 1942 Map 2: Operation Winter Storm: The German relief attempt Map 3: Operation Winter Storm stalled Failure: Luftwaffe supplies the trapped 6th Army in the Kessel Failure: Operation Winter Storm German soldiers in the Kessel/Cauldron Red Army soldier writes
S2 Ep12: Winter Storm & Little Saturn: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 40
Warfare usually slows down in winter. Not so in Russia in 1942. The Germans launch another huge attack to relieve the 6th Army in Stalingrad. But the Red Army has its own ideas. Map 1: The long, long German lines to Stalingrad Map 2: Operation UranusSource: Awesome storiesMap 3a: Operation Winter StormSource: https://alchetron.com/cdn/operation-winter-storm-ee2a434c-cf0a-4ef4-a3c3-e87d2e84c08-resi
S2 Ep11: Operation Mars: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 39
As three Red Army Fronts move on the German flanks west and south of Stalingrad, two more attack the Rzhev-Vyazma salient west of Moscow. Is it a diversion, or is Mars the twin of Uranus?Map 1: The Rzhev-Vyazma salientMap 2: Operation Mars Historical imagesWorkers from Moscow suburbs handing over new tanks to Soviet servicemen. Source: Commons:RIA NovostiSourcesAntony Beevor, Stalingrad: The Fatef
S2 Ep10: Operation Uranus: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 38
The Soviet high command's strategy to defeat the Germans at Stalingrad took the invaders by surprise. Map 1: The German flanks Map 2: Operation Uranus in action Red Army soldiers in winter camouflage charge across the steppe The T-34 in action in Uranus Northern and southern pincers meet Red Army commanders from the 5th Tank Army and the 4th Mechanized Corps meet on the steppe near Kalach, 23 No
S2 Ep9: Stalingrad part 3: Shocking casualties
The third installment describing the biggest single battle in history: the siege of Stalingrad. By November 1942, the casualties for attackers and defenders was unsustainable for both sides. The Soviet high command, Stavka, makes a new plan. Pavlov's HouseMap 1: The city of StalingradMap 2: The plan for Operation UranusSourcesAntony Beevor, The Second World War.Antony Beevor, Stalingrad: the Fatef
S2 Ep8: The hell of Stalingrad: Beyond Barbarossa episode 36
In the autumn of 1942, the German 6th Army with Romanian, Hungarian and Italian armies in support, ground into Stalingrad—a hell of their own making. Map: Stalingrad city layout Photos Red Army soldier prepare to defend Stalingrad suburb Stalingrad on fire after bombing, 2 October 1942 The Red October Factory's ruins became hiding places for Red Army defenders Loading a Katyusha rocket launcherKa
S2 Ep7: Ukraine then and now: Beyond Barbarossa episode 35
A conversation with Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway of the Ukraine Without Hype podcast. We talked about the Second World War in Ukraine, and the current war in Ukraine. Ukraine Without Hype
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukraine-without-hype/id1537219548
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8zY2E5ZGNlYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw
Spot
S2 Ep6: Resistance, part 2: Episode 34
National resistance to German and Soviet occupation played a significant role in the war on the Eastern Front. This episode takes a closer look at the large, organized and powerful resistance armies in Poland and Ukraine. Map: Ukrainian border shifts between 1939 and 1945Source: Paul Robert Magosci and Geoffrey J. Matthews, cartographer: Ukraine: A Historical Atlas. Toronto: University of Toronto
S2 Ep5: Resistance Part 1: Beyond Barbarossa, Season 2, Episode 33
From Ukraine to Poland to Estonia, across the Eastern Front, partisans and guerrillas fought for the independence of their nations—from both nazi Germany and the communist USSR. And yes, I call communists and nazis "con artists," "fools" and "dupes."Get your free books!Leave a rating and/or a review on your podcatcher of choice. Send the link to it to contact@beyondbarbarossa.ca, and I will send y
S2 Ep4: Lend Lease: The USAs lifeline to the USSR
Lend-Lease sent 17 million tonnes of ammunition, food, fuel, weapons, tanks, airplanes and even railroad locomotives to the USSR during the Second World War—most of it from the USA. This episode describes how the icon of capitalism saved the workers' and peasants' paradise from fascism. Map1: Lend-Lease routesMap 2: Arctic convoy routeMap 3: Persian corridorMap 4: Pacific routeSources: Antony Beev
S2 Ep3: Attack on Stalingrad: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 31, Season 2
The greatest siege in history begins as the German 6th Army and the Luftwaffe assault Stalingrad. Map 1: Fall Blau, Operation Blue. Note the positions of Voronezh, Stalingrad, the proximity of the great bends of the Don and Volga Rivers, and the Volga's route that leads from the Caspian Sea all the way to Moscow. Map 2: Stalingrad in 1942, showing the German advancePlacesThe Children's Khorovod i
S2 Ep2: History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes: Season 2, episode 1
Nazi Germany opens up its second summer of the war in the East with a campaign of eerie echoes with the previous summer, and the Soviets respond in the same way. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. Map 1: The Caucasus Map 2: The plan for Case BlueMap 3: Into the Caucasus Credit where credit is dueAnthony Beevor, The Second World War. London: Little, Brown and Company, 2012. William Craig, Ene
S2 Ep1: Season 2 is coming 17 July
What's coming up in Season 2.Thank you to all the Patreon supporters. https://www.patreon.com/BeyondBarbarossa Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
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