Hitler’s favorite commando took every opportunity he could to lionize himself after the raid on Gran Sasso. His efforts paid off: As the German war effort stalled, Nazi leadership used him not only as a tool of propaganda, but as an instrument of terror and chaos during their final, desperate counteroffensives.
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Nov 2022
Thanksgiving Special: Just Add Arsenic
Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ... Show More
42m 41s
Nov 2022
Famous Revolutionaries: Maximilien Robespierre Pt. 2
In 1791, France adopted a new constitution, placing power in the hands of the people. Robespierre’s job was done... or so he thought. War was coming, and with it, the growing threat of enemies both internal and external. In his quest to squash the counter-revolution, Robespierre ... Show More
46m 37s
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 3m
Oct 2023
Downfall: Operation Valkyrie, Blowing up the Führer
A delusional Hitler downplays the Normandy landings. A group of generals, meanwhile, attempts an audacious military coup. And with Allied bombers pounding the Fatherland, Germany’s dictator plays his next card: scientific wonder-weapons that will turn the war back his way…As feat ... Show More
55m 3s
May 2023
Rise to Power: Adolf Hitler’s Day in Court
Munich, Germany. November 1923. The Nazis have just attempted to launch a revolution. But instead, Adolf Hitler now finds himself on the run from the law. Unless he makes it to the border, the firing squad beckons. But in fact, as unlikely as it seems, Hitler is about to take Ger ... Show More
50m 54s
Jun 2023
Rise to Power: Night of the Long Knives
To ward off the Western Allies, Hitler takes a trip to Venice to visit Mussolini. At home, meanwhile, Hitler’s paramilitaries, the SA, are growing restless. In a final savage act, the mother of all purges, Hitler will liquidate anyone who has ever wronged him. Under the unassaila ... Show More
54m 23s
Jun 2
Inside the Nazis’ Supernatural Obsession | A Conversation with Historian Eric Kurlander
June 4, 1941. Reinhard Heydrich transmits a message to all regional governors in the Third Reich: prepare for “action against occult teachings.” Heydrich is carrying out the orders of Adolf Hitler, who is furious at his Deputy Führer, Rudolf Hess. Inspired by a horoscope reading, ... Show More
41m 4s