It is October and November of 1941. The weather is getting colder and only so much can be done before General Winter makes his appearance. Can the Germans make it to Moscow? In this episode, we look at Operation Typhoon and Germany's attempt to gain a major victory while they still have time.

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In this episode, I speak with Mark Aedy, son of Ken Aedy. Ken served in the Royal Air Force (RAF), beginning his career during the Second World War and wrote his story, which became From Biplanes to Fast Jets. Unlike many of his peers, Ken did not release after the war but continued to fly, including some of the first Jets in the RAF. Get From Biplanes to Fast Jets here: https://amzn.to/3XVdBNd (Amazon affiliate link) Visit me at http://www.stephenjbedard.com/secondworldwar Support me at http://www.patreon/hopesreason   Follow me at https://x.com/WW2_Podcast and http://www.facebook.com/secondworldwarpodcast  

In this episode, we look at the summer of 1941, specifically the battles for Smolensk, Leningrad, and Kiev. The Germans move forward and the Soviets attempt to push back.

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In this episode, I speak to Mike Croissant who is the author of Bombing Hitler's Hometown. This book is the story of the last major bombing run of the war in Europe. It also happened to be the town where Adolf Hitler grew up. This book gives an amazing description of the experience of dozens of men on this bombing mission.

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One of the most influential organizations in the wars of the 20th Century was the Royal Navy. Jim Carter, in his book Hearts of Steel, gives us a snapshot of some of the pivotal years by looking at the activity of a handful of ships.

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In this episode, I speak with Jason Bell, author of Cracking the Nazi Code. This book tells the true story of Winthrop Bell, a Canadian philosopher who worked for MI6 between WWI and WWII as a spy, providing important intelligence.

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One of the major turning points of the war was Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. This had long been Hitler's plan and now it was time to put those plans into action. The first few weeks included tremendous German success. But could they maintain that momentum?

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When we think of areas of operations during the Second World War, we often do not think of the Middle East. But in the summer of 1941, there was indeed some significant combat in Syria and Lebanon. Unfortunately, it was between Britain and her Dominions and Vichy France.

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In this first chapter of the Battle of the Atlantic, we catch up with what was happening in the Atlantic Ocean. Germany was trying to cut off Britain from all outside support by targeting shipping lanes. The Allies struggled to get the convoys to their destination from German ships, planes, and especially the dreaded U-Boats. This chapter takes us from the beginning of the war to late 1941.

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On the same day that the Germans invaded Yugoslavia, they also invaded Greece. Even with Allied support, the Germans pushed through all defences. In this episode, we look at the invasion of the mainland and Crete.

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Imagine living through a Soviet occupation. And then having the Nazis replace the Soviets. And then having the Soviets return and eject the Nazis. And all this while only a child. John Livens shares about his experience as a boy in Latvia during the Second World War plus much more in his book An Unexpected Journey. In this episode, I talk to John about his experience during the war but his book covers much more material and is worth reading.

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