Let Them Fight: A Comedy History Podcast artwork

Let Them Fight: A Comedy History Podcast

518 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★★ - 136 ratings

Join comedians Jacob Trimmer and Tim Groeschel in a mashup of true crime, history, and comedy as they swap stories and make jokes about people throughout time who have lived interesting and violent lives. Get your dose of grindhouse history every Tuesday, because everyone likes violence as long as it's happening to someone else.
Feel free to reach out to us with any feedback or comments at [email protected], https://www.facebook.com/LTFpodcast, or https://twitter.com/PodcastLTF.

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Episodes

Ep. 366 Yi Sun-sin

December 22, 2022 13:04 - 56 minutes - 41.3 MB

Well dear listeners, it's time for a sentence I never thought I would ever say on this podcast. We're talking about the Korean navy and its biggest badass, Yi Sun-sin. Hell, this was the first time I learned they even had a navy. But our boy Yi Sun-sin has shown me the error of my ways, dude was fucking awesome. He didn't start in the sea, but once he arrived he took to it, well, like a fish to water, and was goddamn unstoppable. Enjoy!

Ep. 365 Augusto Cesar Sandino

December 20, 2022 14:45 - 1 hour - 43.6 MB

Today we'll be taking a trip to one of the many countries that god forgot, Nicaragua.  And once there we're gonna talk about Augusto Cesar Sandino. Augusto was a badass dude that just wanted to see his country free, so he started putting in work even when he was being dismissed as a non-entity. The results were a huge impact on the historical landscape, and one hell of a legacy. Enjoy!

Ep. 364 Bob Denard

December 15, 2022 08:41 - 37 minutes - 26.8 MB

Today we're talking about an OG soldier of fortune, Bob Denard. This French mercenary has never once seen an African country he didn't want to invade and/or overthrow. But don't worry, he totally did it for the right reasons. He wanted money and he really hated communism. Perfectly reasonable right? Also this dude was the Tom Brady of coups, because he didn't know when it was time to just retire. Enjoy!

Ep. 363 Henry Every

December 13, 2022 09:33 - 54 minutes - 39.2 MB

It's time to return to the high seas, dear listeners. Today we're talking about Henry Every, who was surrounded by blandly named people and badly named ships, but man was he a bad motherfucker. Sure, he did some very questionable things regarding a certain transatlantic trade system, but he also did a bunch of dope shit, so let's focus on that part. If it's good enough for the founding fathers...Anyways, enjoy!

Ep. 362 James Scott the 1st Duke of Monmouth

December 08, 2022 10:33 - 42 minutes - 31 MB

Hello again there, dear listeners. If you can't tell by the fancy bullshit title James Scott is sporting, he's British. But looking at his picture, he's clearly got some French influence in there as well. He's one shitty European country away from being the blandest turducken. But credit where it's due, he kicked major ass on the battlefield. He rocked around for a while just killing and winning, and plowing fancy upper class ladies on the side. Then kind of has a bummer of an ending, but st...

Ep. 361 Paul Ogorzow

December 06, 2022 08:52 - 57 minutes - 41.3 MB

Welcome back, dear listeners! Today we're heading off to Germany to talk about Paul Ogorzow. This shitty, little troll decided that being a Nazi just wasn't enough for him. Oh no, he wanted to be even more of a garbage person. So he used his job as a railway worker to do some, shall we say, super not cool things. He wasn't really that good at it, or even that smart. But he had tenacity. Like the Rudy of scumnuts, except nobody chanted his name, and even Sean Astin is probably taller than him...

Ep. 360 "Deacon" Jim Miller

December 01, 2022 14:46 - 46 minutes - 33 MB

It's time for another trip back to the wild west day, dear listeners. And we're talking about a man so religious and wholesome that it earned him his nickname, "Deacon" Jim Miller. That's the image he portrayed anyways, meanwhile he was basically a wild west serial killer. Just roaming the lands and shotgunning anyone he decided needed killing, which was quite a few people apparently. 

Ep. 359 Arthur Shawcross

November 29, 2022 10:21 - 49 minutes - 35.8 MB

Today we have a kind, gentle soul for you, dear listeners. Just kidding, it's a colossal piece of shit. Now, Arthur Shawcross was more than just a hideous pile of mashed potatoes with the brain of a, well, potato, he was also a gross, creepy murderous son of a bitch. And yet again, police incompetence rears its head and allowed this dude to keep doing his thing for way too long. Tune in if you want to find out more about all the shenanigans Lenny Clarke's evil twin got into. Enjoy!

Ep. 358 Frederic Ives Lord

November 24, 2022 10:40 - 35 minutes - 25.6 MB

Happy Thanksgiving, dear listeners. Now our person today doesn't have anything to do with the holiday, but he was a lot of crazy good fun that should brighten up the holiday, whether or not you celebrate it. Frederic Ives Lord got off to a rough start with his piloting career, but man did he make up for it quickly. He went bonkers all over the sky for years. Then things got kind of weird and mysterious, and ended in a way that would give any conspiracy theorist a hard-on. Enjoy!

Ep. 357 Michael Collins

November 22, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 48.8 MB

Today we have the ultimate example of one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Michael Collins loved his country, Ireland, with a burning passion and wanted to see it free from English rule. So he went to work with both a rifle and a pen and fought to make that happen. Making him a hero to a lot of people. Of course, no Englishman looks at any member of the IRA, let alone a significant one such as him, and thinks "There goes my hero." They just see a fire breathing, potato eatin...

Ep. 356 Lonnie Franklin

November 17, 2022 10:51 - 48 minutes - 34.2 MB

Well, dear listeners, we got a real scumbag for you today. Lonnie Franklin ran all around Los Angeles, but mostly the poorer areas, and killed a whole bunch of women. More than we'll ever know actually. Also his nickname was The Grim Sleeper, which is something an 8 year old would find cool. And to the surprise of nobody, yet again the level of police incompetence is staggering. Not a lot of winners to be found in this story, but enjoy!

Ep. 355 Benjamin Grierson

November 15, 2022 09:59 - 52 minutes - 38.3 MB

Today we're returning to one of Tim's favorite time periods, the Civil War, to talk about Benjamin Grierson. This dude was fucking dope. He conquered his fear of horses to become one of the baddest cavalrymen of the whole damn war. The stuff he managed to accomplish is legitimately bonkers, and the fact that I haven't heard his story before should be a crime. Anyways, this was a real fun story, so enjoy!

Ep. 354 Otto Skorzeny

November 10, 2022 09:33 - 45 minutes - 32.2 MB

Well, dear listeners, with the moratorium officially lifted, Tim has decided to bring you yet another Nazi shitbag. This time it's Otto Skorzeny, who has what I like to call resting Nazi face. Even out of uniform this guy couldn't look like anything else. Sorry Germans and Austrians, you can't have facial scars and look like regular people. You just can't. Might as well call them marks of the henchman. Anyways, he killed a lot of people and did a bunch of Nazi shit. Enjoy!

Ep. 353 Jon Burge

November 08, 2022 13:58 - 49 minutes - 34.8 MB

Today we're heading over to Chicago, IL to talk about a fairly infamous figure in the city's history. Jon Burge had a pretty normal start to his life, then wound earning himself a place in the memory of everyone who lived in Chicago by being one of the biggest pieces of shit their police department has ever seen. And because this is Chicago, there's also plenty of corruption to go around as a cherry on top of our regularly scheduled violence. Enjoy!

Ep. 352 James P. Beckwourth

November 03, 2022 07:41 - 1 hour - 47.8 MB

Another fun episode for you today, dear listeners. We're talking about a man who looked nothing like his name, James Beckwourth. Mountain man, explorer, and frontier pimp. This dude may have exaggerated his exploits from time to time, but enough of his claims have been corroborated that he's still a badass who lived a bonkers life. And he always seemed to turn up where some significant shit was taking place. Enjoy!

Ep. 351 Zeljko "Arkan" Raznatovic

November 01, 2022 07:52 - 58 minutes - 42.3 MB

It's time for another trip to that part of Europe where all the war crimes hang out. Today we'll be talking about Mr. Alphabet Soup, aka Arkan. He's a man of many hats, and all of them are ones you wear while killing somebody. As far as what kinda crazy shit we'll be getting into while discussing this guy, well, the picture for the episode is him holding a gun and a tiger. This is a fun one, and every time you think you know where his bonkers life story is gonna go, it goes in a completely d...

Ep. 350 Richard Flaherty

October 27, 2022 07:31 - 37 minutes - 27.1 MB

We have a nice fun episode for you today, dear listeners. We're talking about the world's most badass midget, Richard Flaherty. This dude may have needed a stepstool to get it done, but he kicked a lot of ass. Then things got pretty dark for him, or did they? Who knows, it's a mystery. I never thought I'd wish that someone was really an undercover government operative, but it's way less sad than the alternative. Anyways, enjoy!

Ep. 349 Dorothea Puente

October 25, 2022 07:34 - 56 minutes - 39.3 MB

Today we're bringing you the ever so rare lady scumnut, this time from notable trash person Dorothea Puente. This old broad put on the appearance of being a sweet grandmother type, but goddamn was she evil. And yea, her childhood sucked, but that excuse is getting pretty played out. Especially when she tried to pretend that said childhood encouraged her to help people. Well, it doesn't take a lie detector test to figure out that is supreme bullshit. Enjoy!

Ep. 348 Joachim Kroll

October 20, 2022 07:36 - 39 minutes - 27.5 MB

There have been a lot of times where I've said, "I wish I could have found more on this person." Today is not one of those days. I know more than I ever need to know about this gross German troll. Joachim Kroll. Even his name is gross. This little prick did move away from some of the usual stereotypes about serial killers, so I guess he's at least a bit unique. But yet again, his success was more about police incompetence. Enjoy!

Ep. 347 Stephen Decatur

October 18, 2022 07:17 - 56 minutes - 40.7 MB

Today we have one of those good, clean, fun episodes for you, dear listeners. We're covering naval badass Stephen Decatur. This dude put in work and kicked ass across all the seas America needed him to. Side note, don't worry about that buzzing at the beginning, it goes away before the intro is done. Anyways, despite the kind of disappointing ending, this dude's whole life was dope, so enjoy!

Ep. 346 Ernst Junger

October 13, 2022 08:20 - 41 minutes - 30.5 MB

Today we have a person that left us feeling a little conflicted on whether or not he sucks. Ernst Junger loved his country, being a soldier, and writing a bunch of flowery bullshit and poetry. And boy was he active in all those things. As his life progressed he sided with some questionable people, had some questionable thoughts, but also did some real cool stuff. So maybe it all balances out. Or maybe not, I'm not an expert on morality. And yes I know there's supposed to be some accent marks...

Ep. 345 Harry Kendall Thaw

October 11, 2022 08:04 - 59 minutes - 42 MB

Today we're talking about Harry Kendall Thaw, who's a member of one of the worst types of scumbag groups. The rich kind with power and influence. Dude got to do pretty much whatever he wanted his whole life and kept skating by, so big surprise that he kept doing more and more messed up stuff. Get ready for a story where almost everyone sucks and there is only one sympathetic character, and their name isn't in the title. Pretty interesting trial though. Enjoy!

Ep. 344 Peter Tobin

October 06, 2022 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.6 MB

Another pile of human garbage for you today, dear listeners! We're traveling to the fantasy realm of Scotland. Sure, it probably has cities, but to me the whole country is just a Dungeons and Dragons setting full of people with accents so thick they're barely speaking English anymore. Peter Tobin is one of their worst murderers, which is sad because he did messed up stuff and hurt people, but also sad because his numbers would barely crack the charts here in America. Get your shit together a...

Ep. 343 Josef Mengele

October 04, 2022 07:29 - 1 hour - 46.7 MB

Well, happy fucking Yom Kippur to me I guess. If you were wondering what Tim was going to do as revenge for covering Albert Fish on his birthday, here you go. We're talking about the big dickhead Nazi scientist himself, Josef Mengele. If you don't know anything about him, well, you're in for a real harsh lesson with this episode. Enjoy! Or well, try.

Ep. 342 Presley O'Bannon

September 29, 2022 12:48 - 36 minutes - 26.5 MB

We're closing out this week with another bad motherfucker, dear listeners. Presley O'Bannon, like most Marines, did not go for half measures when it came to winning battles. This crazy bastard went all out, and he was damn good at it. Even some of the people who should have been in charge stepped out of his way so he could do his thing. And without spoiling anything, that was a good idea. One of the trophies for his accomplishments was so significant that it even influenced the Marine dress ...

Ep. 341 Richard Cavazos

September 27, 2022 08:40 - 36 minutes - 26.7 MB

Today we have another hard charging, pipe hitting, motherfucker for you, dear listeners. Richard Cavazos didn't join the Army to just ride a desk. He may have been an officer, but he went out and stacked bodies in Korea and Vietnam, with short breaks to rescue wounded men under his command himself. Then once he had been promoted too many times to keep shooting fools in the face, he came back state side to influence a whole generation of new officers before retiring. This dude was a badass, e...

Ep. 340 Ken Croke (Guest: Anna Valenzuela)

September 22, 2022 09:55 - 3 hours - 135 MB

Anna Valenzuela joins us again to talk about Ken Croke, a dude who lived one bonkers ass life as a federal law enforcement officer. Then he turned 40 and slowed down a bit. Which is of course when life throws him the case of his career and shakes his entire world up. Strap in, because we went long for this one. But you're in for a good time. Enjoy!

Ep. 339 Jeanne de Clisson (Guest: Anna Valenzuela)

September 20, 2022 07:43 - 59 minutes - 40.7 MB

Today we're joined by the always hilarious Anna Valenzuela to talk about Jeanne de Clisson. Who yes, unfortunately is French. But she was a badass. Also kind of a bad luck charm, everybody died around this broad. I mean, sure, partly because she killed a whole lot of people, but also people just seemed to drop like she had some curse from stealing some French gypsy's croissant or whatever. Enjoy!

Ep. 338 Peter Scully

September 15, 2022 08:05 - 43 minutes - 31.1 MB

Well, where the fuck do I start with this one? Peter Scully has a pretty good claim at being the worst person we've ever covered on this podcast. Really, he's a huge piece of shit and we can all blame Australia for bringing this nightmare into the world. If you haven't listened to us before, well, go listen to Tuesday's episode before you check this one out. And if you have, well then strap in because this dude is upsetting. Enjoy!

Ep. 337 Charles Sobhraj

September 13, 2022 11:36 - 1 hour - 45.7 MB

Turns out France is playing a part in a lot of our episodes lately, as our person of interest today, Charles Sobhraj, spent a lot of time there. Of course he also traveled around a ton of places in Europe and Asia too though. Doing normal tourist things like meeting new people, enjoying the resorts and casinos, and also lots of crime. All sorts of crime too, he was a pretty well rounded scumbag. His life made for a pretty fun story, and was definitely interesting, so enjoy!

Ep. 336 Jean-Bedel Bokassa

September 08, 2022 09:34 - 1 hour - 66.5 MB

Today we're taking a trip down to the Central African Republic, where nothing bad has ever happened, and it's certainly not plagued with rampant poverty or anything. And we're gonna talk about Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a man who definitely didn't commit any atrocities or anything during his time as the country's black Napoleon after rising to power and throwing the most insane coronation ever. So make like one of the corpses in his freezer and chill out, and enjoy the episode!

Ep. 335 Raynald of Chatillon

September 06, 2022 09:21 - 56 minutes - 40.1 MB

Today we have a guy who might have been a giant dick, depending on who you asked. Raynald of Chatillon got busy in a lot of different places, mostly because he just really liked fighting, but also partly because of the whole being a dick thing. Sometimes he won, and sometimes he lost. Those losses were pretty significant though, so overall I think he lost, but damn were his antics fun. Enjoy!

Ep. 334 Sir Douglas Bader

September 01, 2022 07:12 - 52 minutes - 36.7 MB

We're following up our Frenchy episode with one of their natural enemies, a Brit. Now, Douglas Bader was technically a pilot, but based on all the pictures of him I saw I'm gonna start referring to him as a sky pimp instead. Whatever his title though, dude was a goddamn crazy person, but in a fun way. Dude lived one hell of a life and you really root for him, until things take a bit of a turn at the end. Oh well, enjoy!

Ep. 333 Jean Lafitte

August 30, 2022 07:24 - 59 minutes - 42 MB

Today we're bringing you a French, and maybe Jewish, pirate who got into all sorts of shenanigans down in the Gulf of Mexico. Jean Lafitte was crazy successful at what he did, and all without being nearly as brutal as other successful pirates. In fact, he was actually a pretty good dude, with a patriotic side that led to him taking a break from piracy to play a significant role in a pretty huge moment in American history. Enjoy!

Ep. 332 Peter Lemon

August 25, 2022 09:23 - 51 minutes - 36 MB

Today we're bringing you a man who left the frozen wasteland of Canada for greener pastures, America. Then after all those years of enjoying our sweet, sweet freedoms, he decided it was time to give back. He didn't care what Jane Fonda said, he got balls deep in the Vietnam War. Then he decided it wasn't enough to be one of the biggest, baddest swinging dicks in the country. He became a goddamn war hero, and he did it on hard mode. Listen in to find out what that means. Enjoy!

Ep. 331 Rodolfo Graziani

August 23, 2022 07:35 - 1 hour - 44.7 MB

That's right, dear listeners, you read that name right. We're talking about an Italian today. Rodolfo Graziani was a real piece of shit. His story starts off so normal too. Then suddenly it's all, "Oops, war crimes. My bad." And good news, the guy who loved genocide was constantly given positions of power, so everything worked out just peachy. Enjoy!

Ep. 330 Samuel Little (Guest: Matt Cole)

August 18, 2022 10:52 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MB

Another day, another garbage monster for you, dear listeners. Today we're talking about Samuel Little, AKA a nickname that I don't want to spoil because it's glorious. He's the kind of guy that woke up each day thinking, "I like killing people here, but I also want to kill them way over there in that other state." So he did! A real go-getter and jet setter, this one. Enjoy! (Addendum, not the Grim Sleeper, my bad)

Ep. 329 Clark Olofsson (Guest: Matt Cole)

August 16, 2022 09:42 - 1 hour - 46.8 MB

We have a fun one for you today, dear listeners. Matt Cole joins us on a trip to the land of mediocre furniture and tasty meatballs, Sweden. We're talking about Clark Olofsson, a man renowned for his charm, charisma, and hatred for staying inside a prison. It seems like all this guy did was get sent to prison, escape, repeat. With plenty of shootings and robberies in between. Enjoy!

Ep. 328 Wayne Earl Kellestine

August 11, 2022 09:14 - 1 hour - 65.3 MB

It's time for another trip to the great white north, dear listeners. Today we're talking about something Canadians do almost as well as us here in America, fucked up bikers. Wayne Kellestine is not what you would call, a good person. But what he lacks in decency, he more than makes up for with hurting people. Wait, that's not better. Ok, he's a giant piece of shit. Anyways, enjoy!

Ep. 327 Christopher Dorner

August 09, 2022 09:58 - 1 hour - 42.9 MB

Well, dear listeners. You asked for him, and now you got him. Christopher Dorner lived a pretty simple life, then became a champion of the people. Or a psychopath. Really depends on how you feel about the police I suppose. But either way, it's undeniable that he became an internet sensation given that he spawned a ton of memes and quotes, and a couple of them were actually decent. Also, best manifesto. Hands down. As always, enjoy!

Ep. 326 Jozef Rohac

August 04, 2022 08:36 - 55 minutes - 39.4 MB

Another entry in the book of Eastern European garbage names for you today, dear listeners. Our man of the hour, Jozef Rohac, has lived one hell of a life. And man does his story veer off into a direction I did not expect it to go when we starting out, but it is a pretty great story. Also, there should be some accent marks or whatever in that name, but I refuse to respect whatever terrible language it is that uses them. Anyways, enjoy!

Ep. 325 Jimmy Governor

August 02, 2022 13:48 - 1 hour - 50.8 MB

Today we make a return to Australia to talk about a group we've overlooked a bit, the aborigines. Specifically Jimmy Governor. He tried to make the best of his life, but was often the subject of mockery and mistreatment due to his aborigineness, or whatever you'd call it. Now I don't want to give away the end, but that mistreatment does come back to bite some people in the ass. Enjoy!

Ep. 324 Sam Bass

July 28, 2022 12:10 - 48 minutes - 33.9 MB

We're closing out the week with a good old fashioned cowboy story for you, dear listeners. We're talking about Sam Bass, an outlaw who admittedly was almost more legend than man. In fact, his reputation was so hyped up that influenced the actions of the lawmen tracking him down. And his story crossed the Atlantic at a time when people got all their news from some guy on a horse. But now we have the internet, so you can kick back and enjoy!

Ep. 323 Gwen Graham and Cathy Wood

July 26, 2022 08:37 - 57 minutes - 40.8 MB

Well, we certainly have an episode for you today, dear listeners. Gwen Graham and Cathy wood, a shittier pair of murderous lesbians I've never seen before. These two may have had real shitty upbringings, I say may because nobody really knows because in addition to their love of murder and bad poetry, they also love lying their gross tits off. Either way, it's still no excuse for, ya know, murder. Anyways, give the episode a listen and join us in making fun of these two garbage monsters, and ...

Ep. 322 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

July 21, 2022 07:47 - 1 hour - 46.5 MB

Continuing with our accidental theme of the week, we have another badass dude that led his people in killing a whole bunch of other people for the freedom of their nation. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk kicked ass for a long time, then saw an opportunity to create an independent Turkey, and boy did he seize that opportunity. This guy's life was dope, so give the episode a listen and enjoy!

Ep. 321 Jean-Jacques Dessalines

July 19, 2022 07:26 - 1 hour - 43.1 MB

Today we're going back to Haiti, before it was named Haiti though, to talk about Jean-Jacques Dessalines, one of the most important people involved in the revolution that broke the country free from the French. Which was not only a huge moment in history for the Caribbean, but had a ripple effect that impacted several other countries, including America. Also, even as far as revolutions go it was pretty fucking brutal. Enjoy!

Ep. 320 Jozef Gabcik

July 14, 2022 07:45 - 44 minutes - 31.4 MB

Today we're talking about Jozef Gabcik, one badass Czechoslavakian. Or Slavic? Czech maybe? I don't know, it's all kind of a mess around the time we're talking about due to being conquered. When old Adolf Hitler came a-knocking in his part of Europe he knocked back. It took a minute but he managed to accomplish something nobody else did during World War 2. Enjoy!

Ep. 319 Elliot Rodger

July 12, 2022 10:22 - 1 hour - 45.4 MB

Ugh, this fucking guy. Well dear listeners, there's nobody to cheer for in this episode. But is there somebody to root against. Elliot Rodger had a boatload of issues, and of course all those issues were somebody else's fault. Specifically women, because why not blame an entire gender for your being a creepy weirdo. Anyways, join us in making fun of this douchebag because he deserves it. Enjoy!

Ep. 318 Francis Marion

July 07, 2022 08:15 - 47 minutes - 33.2 MB

Today we have another American hero for you, dear listeners. Francis Marion may look like a doofy bastard, based on the drawings of him, but when a bunch of limey redcoated assholes showed up on his front porch, he put boot to ass until they were no longer a problem. He was so good at it he became something of a mythological figure and got a ton of stuff named after him. Enjoy!

Ep. 317 Vincent "The Chin" Gigante

July 05, 2022 09:19 - 46 minutes - 32.4 MB

Just in case you couldn't tell from the name of the guy in the episode, and the picture (if you're on a platform that can see it) of him being escorted by the FEDs, we're talking about a mafia goon today. Vincent "The Chin" Gigante was actually pretty smart for a guinea, sure he was brutal and a criminal like the rest of them, but he pulled off some moves that nobody saw through until it was way too late. And the level of ridiculousness makes for a pretty fun story. Enjoy!