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The War Office

The War Office

The Operations Room 5 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

From the team behind The Operations Room comes The War Office Podcast. Each episode deep dives into the most important military history events, battles, and people from the Second World War to the present day. Each episode features dramatic storytelling, expert guest historians, and atmospheric soundscapes. This is frontline detail like you’ve never heard before.

Episodes

Black Hawk Down - The Battle of Mogadishu 1993
Black Hawk Down - The Battle of Mogadishu 1993 Jul 21, 2026 51:57 On 3rd October 1993, amid the ongoing Somali Civil War, American forces of Task Force Ranger received a tipoff on the location of a meeting of Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s Somali National Alliance in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Americans hoped to capture two of Aidid's advisors to get closer to capturing Aidid himself.Due to an earlier attack on and rescue of US Marines in another part of Mogadishu, Aidid's
Putin's 1st Invasion, The Russo-Georgian War 2008
Putin's 1st Invasion, The Russo-Georgian War 2008 Jul 14, 2026 57:16 On the 7th of August 2008, Georgian military forces moved into breakaway region of South Ossetia, hoping to capture its capital of Tskhinvali. Under the orders of President Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia launches an offensive to reclaim what it believes is its rightful sovereign territory. They will have to go through South Ossetia’s small military but a larger threat looms to the north: Russia
Propellers to Jets: The Korean War Dogfights That Changed Air Combat Forever
Propellers to Jets: The Korean War Dogfights That Changed Air Combat Forever Jul 7, 2026 1:03:24 The Korean War saw significant changes in military aviation in a short period. In June 1950, the aerial war began with piston-driven aircraft of the Second World War such as the Yak-11 and IL-10s battling F-82 Twin Mustangs and F-80 Shooting Star jet fighters over Kimpo Air Base near Seoul. By April 1951, MiG-15s were dueling with F-86 Sabres as B-29s were bombing railways connecting North Korea w
The Commando Raids That Shook Hitler - Operations Claymore and Archery
The Commando Raids That Shook Hitler - Operations Claymore and Archery Jun 30, 2026 58:59 In March 1941, Operation Claymore, the first large-scale commando raid on Nazi occupied-Europe, was launched against the Lofoten Islands in Norway. The raid was successful and led to further raids, Operation Archery and Operation Anklet, in Norway in December 1941. The raids convinced Adolf Hitler that the Allies would try a large scale landing in Norway and he sends more German troops to def
The Assassination That Started The Soviet-Afghan War
The Assassination That Started The Soviet-Afghan War Jun 23, 2026 56:41 On 27 December 1979, Soviet Spetsnaz commandos backed up by operatives from the KGB’s counterterror units Zenit and Grom attacked the Tajbeg Palace, the residence of Afghan President Hafizullah Amin. After a protracted battle with troops of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and Amin's personal bodyguards, Amin was killed. The exact details of his death are unclear but what is clear is th
The Battle of Peleliu: Taking Bloody Nose Ridge (Part 3)
The Battle of Peleliu: Taking Bloody Nose Ridge (Part 3) Jun 16, 2026 59:11 The Battle of Peleliu grinds on as the Marines of the 1st Marine Division continue to fight the Japanese garrison dug into Bloody Nose Ridge. The fight also extends to Ngesebus Island, where Eugene Sledge fights and later chronicles the clearing of a Japanese bunker in the one of the better known engagements during the battle.   The US Army's 81st Wildcat Division takes over from th
The Battle of Peleliu: Across the Airfield (Part 2)
The Battle of Peleliu: Across the Airfield (Part 2) Jun 9, 2026 57:38 The Battle of Peleliu enters a new deadlier phase as US Marines cross the airfield and fight into the Urmurbrogol Mountain to take the island of Peleliu. The dash across the airfield is met with fierce Japanese fire that takes its tolls on the Marines. Once the airfield is taken, the fighting mostly shifts to taking the Urmurbrogol Mountain, or as the Marines come to call it, Bloody Nose Ridg
The Battle of Peleliu: D-Day (Part 1)
The Battle of Peleliu: D-Day (Part 1) Jun 2, 2026 1:00:35 In the early hours of 15 September 1944, the guns of an armada of United States Navy warships open fire on a tan, craggy-looking island in the Pacific. This bombardment is followed by waves of carrier based aircraft dropping napalm and firing rockets on enemy positions. The warships open fire again until the US Marines of the 1st Division, nicknamed the Old Breed, begin their assault on the island
The Russian Invasion of Crimea 2014
The Russian Invasion of Crimea 2014 May 26, 2026 55:00 On 27 February 2014, armed and masked men with no insignia or identification begin to appear in Simferopol, the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine. These “little green men,” as they will soon become better known, occupy key intersections and set perimeters around government buildings in the city. This is the official beginning of Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the first act
Stopping Rommel in the Desert - The First Battle of El Alamein
Stopping Rommel in the Desert - The First Battle of El Alamein May 19, 2026 55:37 After defeats at the Battle of Gazala and the fall of Tobruk, the British 8th Army is in full retreat into Egypt at the end of June 1942. Defensive positions are hastily prepared at the tiny railway station of El Alamein to stop Britain’s nemesis in the desert, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The British 8th Army is now the only thing in the way of the Axis conquest of Egypt.Thanks to:Dr. Niall Barr -
Operation Linebacker, Day 1 - The Largest Air Battle of the Vietnam War
Operation Linebacker, Day 1 - The Largest Air Battle of the Vietnam War May 12, 2026 1:00:35 On 10th May 1972 and the United States launches Operation Linebacker. The first day of the operation will be conducted against targets in the North Vietnamese port of Haiphong and its capital Hanoi. The response of the Vietnam People's Air Force will lead to the largest air battle of the Vietnam War.Thanks to:Dr. Brian D. Laslie - Author of 'Air Power's Lost Cause: The American Air Wars of Vietnam
Operation Neptune Spear - The Hunt for Osama Bin Laden
Operation Neptune Spear - The Hunt for Osama Bin Laden May 12, 2026 52:16 In the early hours of May 2nd, 2011, US Navy SEALS are en route for Pakistan are hoping to bring a 10-year search to its conclusion. Their target is just one man; Osama bin Laden. This episode covers the manhunt for Bin Laden, and the final operation to kill or capture him - Operation Neptune Spear.Thanks to:Joby Warrick - Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and best-selling author of 'The

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