Unknown WarriorsAn Understanding History podcast

The Blog

Essays by Michael Baker on the First and Second World Wars: new scholarship, forgotten stories, and what both wars tell us about the conflicts of today.

De Gaulle leads the Paris victory parade down the Champs Elysee on 26 August, 1944.Latest · WW2The General Who Was FranceTwo new French films revisit De Gaulle’s wartime leadership. How did a junior general with no army come to embody France itself?Michael Baker · 17 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
General Andrei Vlasov, while commander of the ROA and head of KONR, 1944-45 (cdn.britannica.com).WW2 · 2 Sep 2026 · 7 minTraitors or Patriots?Both world wars were fought by empires, not nation states: conflicts fuelled as much by ethnic and ideological civil strife as by great-power rivalry.Dutch Jewish deportees board trains at the transit camp at Westerbork in north-eastern Holland.WW2 · 7 Jul 2026 · 3 minAnne Frank, The Dutch And The JewsOn 6 July 1942 the Frank family went into hiding in Amsterdam. What triggered it, and what it reveals about the Dutch and the deportations.British soldiers of the 55th West Lancashire Division, blinded by tear gas during the German Spring Offensive of 1918, line up for treatment at an Advanced Dressing Station near Bethune, France, By the end of WW1, 124,000 tons of poison gas had been produced by all sides.Then & Now · 21 May 2026 · 4 minPear Drops And PoisonAs Ukraine’s war matches the length of WW1, the comparison with the Western Front’s attritional stalemate grows sharper.Little Boy and Fat ManThen & Now · 23 Apr 2026 · 4 minLittle Boy and Fat ManIran’s nuclear programme sits at the heart of today’s conflict. A look back at the only two atomic bombs ever used in war.British soldiers of the East Yorkshire regiment smile at the camera as they make their way up to the Somme front, 3 July, 1916.WW1 · 30 Mar 2026 · 4 minBlame The Top BrassThe British narrative of the First World War fixes on the war dead. Were the generals really to blame for the casualty rates?Long column of soldiers marching on a wide, dusty rural road.Then & Now · 20 Feb 2026 · 3 minHow Wars EndNeither Kyiv nor Moscow will compromise. What the two world wars tell us about how bitter conflicts finally end.Turkish soldiers with bayonets fixed escort Armenian men from the town of Kharpert (or Harput) to their execution.WW2 · 27 Jan 2026 · 2 minWhose Holocaust?The term ‘The Holocaust’ only entered public discourse in the 1970s and ’80s. Why that matters for how we remember.Greek infantry advance during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-22Then & Now · 16 Jan 2026 · 3 minHow Long's A War?By January 2026 the war in Ukraine had lasted 1,418 days, as long as the German–Soviet war on the Eastern Front.American troops make landfall in Algeria in Operation Torch (http://inspiredpencil.com).WW2 · 11 Nov 2025 · 3 minCarrying The TorchNovember 1942: the first joint Anglo-American landings of the war came not in Europe but in Vichy French North Africa.Russian infantry during the Brusilov Offensive of 1916. Note that none of them are wearing helmets. These were not standard issue even in the Red Army until the Second World War.Then & Now · 17 Oct 2025 · 3 minDeath By NumbersRussia’s staggering losses in Ukraine, set against its other wars of the modern era.United We Stand, Divided We...WW2 · 25 Sep 2025 · 3 minUnited We Stand, Divided We...Eighty years after its founding in 1945, the United Nations assembles amid signs of deep division.AK fighters man a barricade during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 (rarehistoricalphotos.com)WW2 · 15 Aug 2025 · 3 minApocalypse On The VistulaAugust 1944: the tragedy of the Warsaw Uprising, played out on the banks of the Vistula.Tokyo Endgame: 'No Surrender But...'WW2 · 5 Aug 2025 · 3 minTokyo Endgame: 'No Surrender But...'As VJ Day turns 80, the manner of, and motive for, Japan’s surrender is still debated.Crowds outside the Royal Palace in Berlin cheer the news that Austria-Hungary is at war with Serbia. Within days, Russia mobilised in support of Serbia - prompting Germany, as it had promised, to side with Vienna.WW1 · 8 Jul 2025 · 3 minSummer MadnessEurope’s recurrent heatwaves recall an earlier, fateful summer.Bombs AwayThen & Now · 19 Jun 2025 · 3 minBombs AwayDrones over Ukraine and the Middle East have transformed bombing. The strategic arguments echo the past.Lt-General Joseph Stilwell, US chief of staff to General Chiang Kai Shek, presents his boss with the Legion of Merit in 1943. The two men did not get on.WW2 · 30 May 2025 · 2 minChina SyndromeGiven China’s prominence today, its early history at the United Nations comes as a surprise.VE Day: Third Time LuckyWW2 · 10 May 2025 · 3 minVE Day: Third Time LuckyWhy does Moscow mark VE Day on 9 May? The answer lies in Germany’s not-quite-single surrender.Carry ON Up The ElbeWW2 · 25 Apr 2025 · 2 minCarry On Up The Elbe25 April 1945: American and Red Army soldiers meet for the first time on the banks of the Elbe.From Prussia To RussiaThen & Now · 10 Apr 2025 · 3 minFrom Prussia To RussiaKaliningrad, Russia’s Baltic exclave and missile base, has a long and contested history.The Betrayal by the British of the Cossacks at Lienz, Austria, in 1945 (Private Collection)Then & Now · 2 Apr 2025 · 2 minThe Great BetrayalThe mass deportations of illegal immigrants currently under way in Trump's America - a process that seems both brutal and carelessly random in its execution - is highly likely to catch up in its…Churchill, Truman, and Stalin at Potsdam, 1945Then & Now · 7 Mar 2025 · 3 minTrump WorldIt's hard to know what kind of world we are entering in the Trump era - except that it will undoubtedly be volatile and very different from the one we've been used to for so long.Steal The DealThen & Now · 24 Feb 2025 · 2 minSteal The DealIn much of the recent commentary about the blatantly pro-Russian American position on talks to end the 3-year war in Ukraine, the favourite historical parallel has been to Munich 1938, when…Holocaust Home TruthsWW2 · 24 Jan 2025 · 3 minHolocaust Home TruthsAs we approach Holocaust Day and the 80th anniversary of the Red Army's liberation of the death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, a few thoughts come to mind about this subject, which is at once hugely…New Year ResolutionsWW2 · 6 Jan 2025 · 2 minNew Year ResolutionsTraditionally, New Year marks a moment when fresh resolutions are made that anticipate a better tomorrow.Hindsight's A Fine Thing But...WW2 · 2 Dec 2024 · 1 minHindsight's A Fine Thing But...It's clear that the Allies did eventually defeat the Axis powers in WW2, but how and why this came about is still debated - and too often simplified.Lambs To The Slaughter?WW2 · 1 Nov 2024 · 1 minLambs To The Slaughter?The charge was made, during WW2 and afterwards, that the Jews put up only passive resistance to their fate, going like lambs to the slaughter.Coke and Spearmint: How To Rule The WorldThen & Now · 22 Oct 2024 · 2 minCoke and Spearmint: How To Rule The WorldAs we contemplate a world in which the status quo is now fragmenting into adversarial power blocs, it's worth reflecting on the astonishing dominance of the United States over the course of the last…Bombers Not FightersWW2 · 14 Oct 2024 · 2 minBombers Not FightersBy mid-October 1940 (84 years ago now), the so-called Battle of Britain had long morphed into what we have come to call the Blitz, a prolonged period lasting until May 1941 during which German…The Great EscapeWW2 · 8 Oct 2024 · 2 minThe Great EscapeIt was at the beginning of October 1943 that a drama played out in Denmark which had no parallel in any other German-occupied country in western Europe.Death by NumbersWW2 · 13 Sep 2024 · 2 minDeath by NumbersIt's impossible to consider the Second World War without reaching for statistics. There are a multitude to choose from and the scale of the figures is often awesome and appalling in equal measure.The Big Killer of WW2: StarvationWW2 · 16 Aug 2024 · 2 minThe Big Killer of WW2: StarvationOne of the more startling statistics to come out of the Pacific War of 1941-45 is this: of the 1.7 million Japanese soldiers recorded as dying in combat, it's estimated that some 60% of them died of…The Double V CampaignWW2 · 26 Jul 2024 · 1 minThe Double V CampaignOn this day in 1948 US President Harry Truman signed off Executive Order 9981, directing the American armed services to desegregate by offering 'equality of treatment and opportunity' in the…Did a Japanese defeat lead to US entry into WW2?WW2 · 16 Jul 2024 · 1 minDid a Japanese defeat lead to US entry into WW2?Over the summer months of 1939, a Soviet army commanded by General Zhukov (famous later for becoming the captor of Berlin in 1945) fought a critical campaign against the Kwantung Army, the crack…Was Britain Really 'Alone' in WW2?WW2 · 14 Jun 2024 · 1 minWas Britain Really 'Alone' in WW2?Britain was on the winning side in both world wars. Yet it remembers them very differently.WW2's Violent AftermathWW2 · 5 Jun 2024 · 1 minWW2's Violent AftermathIn the immediate post-war years, people desperately wanted to return to some kind of normality.America's 'Good War'WW2 · 3 Jun 2024 · 1 minAmerica's 'Good War'In the 1990s, at roughly the 50th anniversary point, American perceptions of the Second World War became highly nostalgic and sentimental: the US contribution was not just virtuous, it was claimed,…China's Forgotten WW2WW2 · 28 May 2024 · 1 minChina's Forgotten WW2Present-day China is unthinkable without the Second World War. In 1937, the Communists led by Mao Tse Tung were confined to an area in northern China and controlled less than 0.3% of the Chinese…The Soviet-German WarWW2 · 23 May 2024 · 1 minThe Soviet-German WarToday marks the 83rd anniversary of the launch of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.War In The Pacific 1941-45WW2 · 21 May 2024 · 1 minWar In The Pacific 1941-45Exactly 80 years ago today, during June and July 1944, while the Allies in Europe struggled to take back Normandy after D-Day, American ground forces invaded Saipan, one of the Mariana islands in the…ResistanceWW2 · 17 May 2024 · 1 minResistanceWhat we might call the 'underground war' - secret agents, resistance cells and partisan activity - has always been a popular field to write about within the Second World War.The Real HolocaustWW2 · 16 May 2024 · 1 minThe Real HolocaustToday the Holocaust is misunderstood. At worst, it is simply equated with the death camp at Auschwitz, which actually killed only 1 in 6 Jews during the war, and became active, from the spring of…The Hunger PlanWW2 · 14 May 2024 · 1 minThe Hunger PlanIt's now abundantly clear that more people died of starvation and malnutrition in the Second World War than perished in battle.WW2: A World at WarWW2 · 9 May 2024 · 1 minWW2: A World at WarIt's obvious that the Second World War was a global conflict, even more so than WW1, yet we still tend to look at it from a national perspective, which creates false assumptions and skewed…Revisiting World War Two (WW2)WW2 · 8 May 2024 · 1 minRevisiting World War Two (WW2)VE Day (Victory in Europe) falls on 8 May, the date on which the Nazi regime formally and unconditionally surrendered to the Allies in Berlin in 1945.Lest We Forget... But Let's Remember How It Really WasWW1 · 10 Nov 2022 · 1 minLest We Forget... But Let's Remember How It Really WasThe Real First World War. 10 Episodes - Leading Historians - New Perspectives.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 4 Nov 2021 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsAs we approach the 104th anniversary of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, it's an opportune moment to get away from the myths and half-truths and reflect on this first global conflict in a more…As we approach the 103rd anniversary of the Armistice...WW1 · 4 Nov 2021 · 1 minAs we approach the 103rd anniversary of the Armistice...Was WW1 a 'just' war? Big wars have a habit of changing what warfare means. If your enemy can find a means to best you, however heinous, they will almost invariably use it, for moral squeamishnessUnknown Warriors - Shell ShockWW1 · 23 Nov 2020 · 1 minUnknown Warriors - Shell ShockExactly 105 years ago today, the 11th Battalion of the Border Regiment, nicknamed the Lonsdales (after their patron the Earl of Lonsdale), embarked from Folkestone for France and the Western Front.As we remember again the end of WW1 ...WW1 · 8 Apr 2020 · 1 minAs we remember again the end of WW1 ...The idea of total war - which has come back into use during the worldwide battle against Covid - is usually associated with the Second World War.Unknown Warriors - Understanding the First World WarWW1 · 4 Mar 2020 · 1 minUnknown Warriors - Understanding the First World WarWould Brexit have ever happened if we weren't an island? The idea of European unity is very appealing if, for centuries, your country has been invaded and re-invaded, as happened to most states in…Unknown Warriors -Understanding the First World WarWW1 · 26 Feb 2020 · 1 minUnknown Warriors -Understanding the First World WarFritz Haber, the German chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1918, was quite a contradiction.Unknown Warriors -Understanding the First World WarWW1 · 13 Feb 2020 · 1 minUnknown Warriors -Understanding the First World WarWe tend to define the First World War as 1914-18, but for most of central/eastern Europe and the Middle East 1918 had no meaning.Unknown Warriors - Understanding the First World WarWW1 · 4 Feb 2020 · 1 minUnknown Warriors - Understanding the First World WarWhy, over 100 years later, do we still believe that the outbreak of the First World War was greeted with universal enthusiasm in the combatant nations?Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 3 Jan 2020 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsIf you want to read about this unusual WW1 podcast series and the ideas behind it, you can go to the online magazine Military History Now where you will find an extended Q & A that summarises the…Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 6 Dec 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsMemory and remembrance have played a key part in the way we interpret the First World War.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 4 Dec 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsUntil recently, most general histories of the First World War either were narrative accounts or told from a national perspective; few attempted to look at the war as a total phenomenon and analyse…Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 3 Dec 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsWe think of the First World War as a well defined time span 1914-18, almost as if it took place in some historical vaccuum divorced from the rest of the 20th century.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 2 Dec 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsIn the popular British narrative, 1918 is the ‘forgotten year’ of the First World War.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 29 Nov 2019 · 1 minUnknown Warriors1.5 million Indians volunteered to fight for the Allied cause during the First World War.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 28 Nov 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsShell shock was unknown before the First World War, but rapidly grew to prominence during the conflict.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 27 Nov 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsDespite the fact that in the years before 1914 international conferences had agreed a set of rules to govern the conduct of warfare, when the First World War broke out, these red lines were rapidly…Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 25 Nov 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsUnderstanding The First World War: Historians of WW1 now view the conflict through trans-national and global perspectives, not simply the old national narratives.Unknown WarriorsWW1 · 23 Nov 2019 · 1 minUnknown WarriorsDespite the global nature of the First World War, the popular British narrative of the conflict has tended to focus almost exclusively on the Western Front - and often only on the 'tragic' elements…UNKNOWN WARRIORSWW1 · 22 Nov 2019 · 1 minUNKNOWN WARRIORSThe Real First World War: Forget the popular British narrative that's prevailed for so long - 10 leading historians tell us what this conflict was really about.

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