In 1936 Germany began to seriously prepare for a future conflict, and almost immediately began to run into some economic problems.
Sources:
The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy by Adam Tooze
War and Economy in the Third Reich by R.J. Overy
The Wehrmacht and German Rearmament by Wilhelm Deist
The Third Reich and Yugoslavi ... Show More
Yesterday
273: War at Sea '41 Pt. 11 - The End of the Mighty Hood
The Battle of the Denmark Strait opened with British fire directed at the wrong German ship before Bismarck and Prinz Eugen concentrated their guns on Hood. This episode follows Hood’s catastrophic destruction, Prince of Wales’s withdrawal, the damage inflicted on Bismarck, and A ... Show More
24m 48s
Aug 26
272: War at Sea '41 Pt. 10 - On the Eve of Battle
As Hood and Prince of Wales raced toward Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, worsening weather, uncertain contact reports, and the limitations of Hood’s armor shaped Admiral Holland’s plan of attack. This episode follows the tense final hours before the Battle of the Denmark Strait, from p ... Show More
25m 42s
Aug 19
271: War at Sea '41 Pt. 9 - Found and Followed
As Bismarck and Prinz Eugen entered the Denmark Strait, the cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk made contact and began the difficult task of shadowing them through fog, ice, and dangerous proximity to the German guns. This episode follows the first exchanges of the pursuit, the radar li ... Show More
22m 33s
Jan 2025
530. Hitler’s War on Poland: Countdown to Armageddon (Part 1)
Following the Munich agreement of September 1938, Nazi troops marched into Czechoslovakia and ruthlessly claimed it as a German protectorate. Still, even following his annexation of Czechoslovakia, Hitler’s determination to make Germany the greatest power in Europe was far from s ... Show More
59m 3s
Jan 2025
528. The Nazis' Road to War: Hitler Prepares to Strike (Part 1)
Throughout the course of the 1930s, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party has overwhelmingly, terrifyingly seized power in Germany. Now, Hitler’s vile ambitions have turned to Czechoslovakia. On the 12th of September 1938 at the Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, he rabidly defended the suppo ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2025
189: World War II in Europe & the American Response (1941): Production & Preparation
"At long last, Mr. President.”—Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill This is the story of the second year of WWII and the United States’ response. As the war enters its second full year, things are looking dire for Britain: Germany has forced France into submission, the Blitz is i ... Show More
1h 2m