history Archives - Page 14 of 61

Secrets of World War II episode 4

History / 4 minutes of reading / January 9, 2023 / By HDclump

Secrets of World War II episode 4: In June 1942 two German U-Boats landed secret agents on Long Island and at Jacksonville, Florida. Their aim was sabotage but their methods left a lot to be desired! On the night of June 12, 1942, a German U-boat emerged from the fog just off the coast of Long Island. It’s cargo: four Nazi agents equipped with forged documents, explosives and an ambitious plan to blow up America. Could a small team of trained saboteurs actually bring the mighty U.S. armament industry to a grinding halt? Discover the diabolical plot of destruction that […]

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Secrets of World War II episode 3

History / 4 minutes of reading / January 4, 2023 / By HDclump

Secrets of World War II episode 3: After numerous adventures, a small number of American officers managed to rendezvous with their submarine on the North Africa coast in 1942 and relay back to Eisenhower information which would save thousands of British and American lives. Before the Allies could invade North Africa in 1943, a critical question needed to be answered: Would the Vichy French guarding the coastline meet the Allied troops with open arms…or with bullets? Now learn of the daring plan to gain crucial French support and at the American general who risked his life on

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Secrets of World War II episode 2

History / 4 minutes of reading / January 3, 2023 / By HDclump

Secrets of World War II episode 2: With access to Eva Braun’s personal photograph album, this programme reconstructs the final days in the Dictator’s underground lair, and in particular it examines the possibility of escape for the selected few. Even a half century after his violent end, the death of the 20th century’s most sinister evil is still shrouded in mystery. How did Hitler spend his final hours? Did he actually die in his Chancellery bunker, or did Hitler’s doppelganger make one final impersonation? Why was Joseph Stalin obsessed with finding Hitler’s body? Return to the war-torn ruins of Berlin

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Secrets of World War II episode 1

History / 4 minutes of reading / January 2, 2023 / By HDclump

Secrets of World War II episode 1: Little did the Germans know that the body they discovered on the coast of Spain in 1943 was part of one of the most elaborate hoaxes of World War II. On April 30, 1943. a British submarine surfaced off the coast of Spain and dropped a body into the sea. The corpse was to play a central role in one of the most elaborate deceptions in military history. How did one decomposed body cause an uproar in the German High Command, dupe Adolf Hitler and ensure the success of an Allied invasion? And

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1929: The Great Crash

History / 4 minutes of reading / December 31, 2022 / By HDclump

1929: The Great Crash – A documentary exploring the causes of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Over six terrifying, desperate days in October 1929, shares crashed by a third on the New York Stock Exchange. More than $25 billion in individual wealth was lost. Later, three thousand banks failed, taking people’s savings with them. Surviving eyewitnesses describe the biggest financial catastrophe in history. In 1919, the US had emerged victorious and dominant from World War One. Britain and its European allies were exhausted financially from the war. In contrast, the US economy was thriving and the world danced to the

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Great Raids of World War II episode 6 – Arctic Commando Assaults

History / 4 minutes of reading / December 31, 2022 / By HDclump

Great Raids of World War II episode 6 – Arctic Commando Assaults: As Britain faced Nazi Germany alone in July 1940, Winston Churchill’s response was to set up the Commandos – an elite fighting force to raid enemy coasts. In December 1941 on his orders a major assault on Vaagso in northern Norway, convinced Hitler that the country was a vital strategic target. Subsequently more than 250,000 Nazi troops were pinned down there uselessly for the rest of the war. Operation Archery was a World War II commando raid carried out by the British No. 3 and

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Great Raids of World War II episode 5 – Cockleshell Raiders

History / 4 minutes of reading / December 30, 2022 / By HDclump

Great Raids of World War II episode 5 – Cockleshell Raiders: The French port of Bordeaux was vital to Hitler’s war machine. Through it came many of the vital raw materials from the Far East essential to keep the Nazi armies fighting. But Bordeaux was 90 miles up the heavily-guarded Gironde river and seemingly unassailable. Then Royal Marine Major ‘Blondie’ Hasler came up with the idea of a sending a special raiding force in canoes. Operation Frankton was a World War II commando raid carried out by the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment (RMBPD) on shipping in

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Great Raids of World War II episode 4 – Storm at St. Nazaire

History / 3 minutes of reading / December 29, 2022 / By HDclump

Great Raids of World War II episode 4 – Storm at St. Nazaire: The great dry dock at St Nazaire was the only one on the Atlantic coast of occupied Europe large enough to repair Germany’s giant battleship Tirpitz. If it could be put out of action the chances of the Nazi raider threatening Britain’s Atlantic lifeline would be greatly reduced. On 26 March 1942 the destroyer HMS Campbeltown, packed with commandos and explosives set out on a daring mission to achieve this. World War II was the greatest military confrontation the world has ever known. On

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Great Raids of World War II episode 3 – Radar Beam Raiders

History / 4 minutes of reading / December 28, 2022 / By HDclump

Great Raids of World War II episode 3 – Radar Beam Raiders: As RAF Bomber Command began to strike back at Nazi Germany, it was soon suffering unsustainable losses from the Nazi air defence system. At its heart were as yet unidentified radar systems using wavelengths which urgently needed to be cracked. At last, in December 1941 a key German radar installation was located at Bruneval near the French North Sea coast, and a team of Britain’s new paratroops were sent in to seize it. Operation Biting was a British military operation that took place during World

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Great Raids of World War II episode 2 – Prison Busters

History / 5 minutes of reading / December 27, 2022 / By HDclump

Great Raids of World War II episode 2: In late 1943, the Resistance asked for help – some of their top operatives were being held in Amiens prison and facing interrogation, torture and execution. They must be rescued. The plan which evolved depended on a very special aircraft – the Mosquito fighter-bomber – and the skill and courage of its pilots in flying low enough to breach the prison walls with their bombs. Operation Jericho was a World War II bombing raid conducted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) on Amiens prison in German-occupied France on February 18,

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Great Raids of World War II episode 1 – Stopping Hitler’s A-Bomb

History / 5 minutes of reading / December 26, 2022 / By HDclump

Great Raids of World War II episode 1: It was Hitler’s deadliest secret – his scientists had promised him an atomic bomb. If he got it first, Nazi domination was assured. But the Germans needed one ingredient – heavy water – which was only produced in one factory – deep in the heart of occupied Norway. In 1943 a team of Norwegian raiders was sent to destroy it – their success or failure could decide the outcome of the war. World War II was the greatest military confrontation the world has ever known. On land and sea

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Locomotion: Dan Snow’s History of Railways episode 3

History / 4 minutes of reading / December 26, 2022 / By HDclump

Locomotion: Dan Snow’s History of Railways episode 3 – Dan Snow traces the development of Britain’s railways from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War II. During this time the railways changed the economy profoundly. Over just 50 years, Britain’s railways grew from a handful of small lines carrying coal to the biggest industry in the strongest nation on the planet. A nation had built the railways and now those railways would build a nation, influencing working conditions for its employees, proving a valuable export across the globe and even changing warfare. Yet the

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