Latest Worldwari Podcast Episodes
Episode 118: What Remains Part IV-Generational Grief
Reflecting History - November 28, 2022 21:30 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsBy the end of the Taiping Civil War, millions in China felt the grief of being caught in limbo between remembering and forgetting, personal and state, past and future. Ultimately the more intimate, personal grief felt by ordinary survivors of the war contrasted sharply with state sanctioned comm...
68. "In Harm's Way" (1965)
World War II Movie Night - November 18, 2022 02:17 - 47 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsTonight we revisit The Duke! with 1965's "In Harm's Way." He and Kirk Douglas head up this Otto Preminger film that begins with Pearl Harbor. Wayne's Rock Torrey is a Navy man who has to contend with new roles in the war while navigating a nurse love interest and the discovery of his son... Asid...
47. The Museum of the Wood Age (ft. Max Adams)
History's Most - November 14, 2022 10:06 - 1 hour ★★★★ - 26 ratingsIn this episode, we talk to Max Adams about his new book, The Museum of the Wood Age. We discuss the relationship and history between humanity and wood, from the invention and use of the wheel, to the mysterious prehistoric monument of Seahenge on the Norfolk coast, and much more. Thanks so mu...
Episode 117: What Remains Part III-Bodies and Burials
Reflecting History - November 07, 2022 21:30 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsAs the deaths piled up during the Taiping Civil War, the grim but pressing reality of how to deal with and commemorate all of the dead bodies lends insight into historical questions of identity and ritual, but also questions of power and authority. To what extent does the loss of bones lead to l...
67. "Midway" (2019)
World War II Movie Night - October 28, 2022 01:41 - 39 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsStrap in for tonight's episode, which yields some interesting facts. A German immigrant made a string of absurdly successful American movies ("Independence Day," e.g.), all the while pining for his passion project: a movie about the Battle of Midway and World War II in the Pacific. No studios wo...
Episode 116: What Remains Part II-Wartime Identity
Reflecting History - October 17, 2022 21:30 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsTo what extent do questions of who you are and how others see you relate to your personal and philosophical identity? How would this change in a time of war? During the Taiping Civil War, the process of identity formation, identity signaling, and identity assignment reveals interesting questions...
66. "From Here to Eternity" (1953)
World War II Movie Night - October 07, 2022 01:21 - 46 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsTonight's selection, 1953's "From Here to Eternity," is many things: one of the most popular movies of its decade, one of the best novel-to-screen adaptations ever, one of the best casts in history... and probably the drunkest movie we've ever done on World War II Movie Night. Officers and enl...
Episode 115: What Remains Part I-Reward and Punishment
Reflecting History - September 26, 2022 21:30 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsHow did ordinary people make sense of a devastating and apocalyptic event like the Taiping Civil War? To what extent did the logic of divine reward and punishment play a role in the ordinary lives of people impacted by this conflict? How did people combat the horrors of war psychologically? Th...
65. "The Final Countdown" (1980)
World War II Movie Night - September 16, 2022 00:55 - 33 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsWell let's give it another try. The last time we mixed World War II with a sci-fi thriller we got 1984's "The Philadelphia Experiment," kind of a misbegotten episode. It's safe to say we did better with tonight's "The Final Countdown," a 1980 popcorn pic that sees a modern aircraft carrier tr...
Episode 114: The Taiping Civil War Part V-The Cost
Reflecting History - September 05, 2022 21:30 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsThe Taiping Civil War was an apocalyptic event for those who lived through it. For most ordinary civilians, the realties on the ground involved violence, looting, hypocrisy, and danger at all times. The chaos, death, and atrocities would force those who survived to face complicated questions of ...
Tim Gray Library Interview
From The Front To The Films: A World War II Podcast - August 31, 2022 16:04 - 10 minutes - Video ★★★★ - 25 ratingsA Unique Podcast Focused on Interviews with World War II Veterans, Authors, Actors, Filmmakers and Those Who Are Telling and Sharing the Stories of World War II in Print, Television and in the Movies, both Past and in the Present.
The Valiant Virgin, the Lady in Red, and the Richest Man in Town
War As My Fathers Tank Battalion Knew It - August 28, 2022 19:06 - 1 hour ★★★★ - 7 ratingsThe most recent episode of War As My Father's Tank Battalion Knew It was about Bob Levine, who recently passed away at the age of 97. It was Bob who said to me, "If you want stories, you've got to interview prisoners of war," and that's what got me started doing just that. Today I'd like you to ...
64. "Come and See" (1985)
World War II Movie Night - August 25, 2022 01:43 - 49 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsCome and see "Come and See"! Tonight we tackle what's considered one of the most disturbing movies ever made. This 1985 Soviet production portrays what happened in Belarusian villages when the Nazis came to Russia. Its two creators were so bent on making a realistic movie, they didn't care if ...
episode 103 bob levine
War As My Fathers Tank Battalion Knew It - August 20, 2022 20:56 - 1 hour ★★★★ - 7 ratingsBob Levine was among the first replacements in the 90th Infantry Division in Normandy. He was wounded and captured in the battle for Hill 122, and had a leg amputated by a German doctor. Decades later, with the help of historian Henri Levaufre of Perier, Bob was able to meet the family of the Ge...
Episode 113: The Taiping Civil War Part IV-The Outsiders
Reflecting History - August 15, 2022 21:30 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsThe Taiping Civil War is often seen as a product of clashing belief systems and a testament to the power of belief. This episode provides some analysis for how the belief systems of the 3 major players in the conflict interacted and converged: the Taiping version of Christianity, the Qing appeal...
63. "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944)
World War II Movie Night - August 05, 2022 01:26 - 41 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsA young Robert Mitchum and many others prepare for their secret mission: to bomb major Japanese cities in retalliation for Pearl Harbor! "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" dramatizes - rather accurately - the famed 'Doolittle Raid' of 1942. A high-adventure movie made and released during the War, look ...
Episode 112: The Taiping Civil War Part III-The Rebel
Reflecting History - July 25, 2022 21:30 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsHow did Hong Xiuquan transform from ordinary school teacher into the leader of the largest rebellion in modern history and the younger brother of Jesus? What started out as one man's fever dream would slowly reveal itself to be a nightmare in reality for millions of people in China. This is t...
62. "Miracle at St. Anna" (2008)
World War II Movie Night - July 15, 2022 00:50 - 40 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsBuckle up for this episode! After feuding with Clint Eastwood, filmmaker Spike Lee (and writer James McBride) attempted to make the definitive Black World War II movie with 2008's "Miracle at St. Anna." The film was panned by critics, a box-office bomb, and resulted in protests and lawsuits... i...
Episode 111: The Taiping Civil War Part II-The Mixing Bowl
Reflecting History - July 04, 2022 21:30 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsThe “Great Man” style of history is often scoffed on, but does it have a part to play in the story of the Taiping Civil War? Which plays a bigger role in history-individual choices and decisions made by powerful individuals, or the larger contextual trends acting on those individuals? Ultimately...
61. "Decision Before Dawn" (1951)
World War II Movie Night - June 24, 2022 00:54 - 40 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsTonight's a listener request with 1951's "Decision Before Dawn." Although an American production, DFD could be mistaken for a co-German production, given that it's filmed among the post-bombing ruins of Nuremburg, Munich, etc (esentially making it a 'rubble film'). In the last days of the Europe...
The Kassel Mission: George Noorigian
War As My Fathers Tank Battalion Knew It - June 19, 2022 23:15 - 1 hour ★★★★ - 7 ratingsGeorge Noorigian is one of the fliers featured in my new book, "Up Above the Clouds to Die," about the most spectacular air battle you've probably never heard of. Read an excerpt from the book at aaronelson.com or check out the "Look Inside the Book" feature at amazon. This episode ...
Episode 110: The Taiping Civil War Part I-The Pressure Cooker
Reflecting History - June 13, 2022 21:30 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsFrom 1850-1864, China was swallowed by a wave of chaos and destruction that was bizarre, unprecedented, and apocalyptic. Some historians estimate that the Taiping Civil War left more than 20 million dead in it's wake. The tale is often told as the strange story of the Taiping leader Hong Xiuquan...
60. "Operation Mincemeat" (2022)
World War II Movie Night - June 03, 2022 01:32 - 42 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsIt's a big red-letter day at World War II Movie Night! Our third new movie and the first REMAKE of a movie we've already done. Yes, "Operation Mincemeat" arrives 66 years after the subject of our second episode, 1956's "The Man Who Never Was." What's different? What's better? Find out as we foll...
BONUS: The Bear
Reflecting History - May 23, 2022 21:30 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsHey everyone, this is a bonus episode from my Patreon feed. Hope you enjoy it. If you want to support the podcast, you can click the link here: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory "The Bear" by William Faulkner is one of the legendary stories in American literature. Written many decades ...
59. "The Reader" (2008)
World War II Movie Night - May 13, 2022 01:24 - 47 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsIt's "Judgment at Nuremburg" meets "Bluffing It" as we dive into "The Reader." Released during a WWII-heavy Oscar season in 2008, "The Reader" stars Kate Winslet as a woman with (I counted three) dark secrets. We see her deterioration through the eyes of a (very) young man. Along the way the mo...
Episode 109: On Full Automatic with William V. Taylor
Reflecting History - May 02, 2022 21:30 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsIn this episode, I sat down with Vietnam War veteran and now best selling author William V. Taylor to talk about his memoir “On Full Automatic: Surviving 13 Months In Vietnam.” During the discussion we talked about his enlistment and training process, the types and nature of combat during his ti...
58. "King Rat" (1965)
World War II Movie Night - April 22, 2022 00:46 - 45 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsTonight is a listener request from Matt in Florida. In 1965's "King Rat," the POWs of a Changi prison camp live under their own hierarchy separate from class or military rank. Brash American Corporal King holds outsized sway in the camp, while two Brits - Marlowe and Grey - take different approc...
Episode 108: Dear John with Susan Carruthers
Reflecting History - April 11, 2022 21:30 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsIn this episode I sat down with historian Susan Carruthers to discuss her new book "Dear John: Love and Loyalty in Wartime America." We discuss the history of the Dear John letter in times of war, how relationships and emotional life are stressed during times of war, social norms and gender role...
57. "Voyage of the Damned" (1976)
World War II Movie Night - April 01, 2022 01:05 - 43 minutes ★★★★ - 41 ratingsAhoy! Tonight we set sail for Cuba. But with a title like "Voyage of the Damned," it's gonna be a choppy ride. A popular 1974 book became this 1976 movie, which tells the true story of the St. Louis. More than 900 Jews were allowed to leave Germany in 1939 aboard this ocean liner. For some (inc...
Episode 107: Freedom and Tyranny
Reflecting History - March 21, 2022 21:30 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsWhat is freedom? Is it possible to truly make free decisions? How does this relate to the political concept of tyranny? In a world where freedom is often seen as one of the highest ethical priorities, it's worth taking a closer look at what freedom really is. Questions about freedom have been po...
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