Gavrilo Princip, having been sent to school in Sarajevo, has become mixed up with the wrong crowd, and is now entangled in a secret Serbian nationalist organisation, the Black Hand. Hoping to be more involved in the struggle for a greater Yugoslavia, he’s left for Belgrade, and after a few years, sets in motion a plot, supported by his underground network. T ... Show More
Nov 24
620. The Nazis at War: Hitler Strikes West (Part 1)
What was Adolf Hitler’s next move, after occupying Czechoslovakia in March 1939, and brutally invading Poland that September? Why did the Allies fail to act, despite the Nazis shocking offensive? And, would an assassination plot from within Germany itself prove to be Hitler’s und ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 20
619. Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (Part 4)
How was Elizabeth I finally crowned Queen of England, after long years of perilous waiting? Why was her early reign so fraught with danger? Who was William Cecil, Elizabeth’s new secretary, and the key political player of her rule? And, why was she so determined to remain the unm ... Show More
1h 9m
Nov 17
618. Elizabeth I: The Shadow of the Tower (Part 3)
Why did Elizabeth I’s brother, Henry VIII’s heir, Edward VI, choose his cousin Jane Grey to succeed him, rather than either of his wily Tudor sisters? Later, how did Elizabeth survive the reign of her once dear Catholic sister, “Bloody Mary”, given Mary’s growing resentment? And, ... Show More
1h 12m
May 2023
WW2: Last Letters of Resistance Fighters
It's 1943, you're part of the French resistance, and you've been sentenced to death. You're allowed to write one last letter before you're shot by the Nazis. Who do you write to? Friends? Family? Fellow comrades? How do you know if they'll even get it?Of the 10,000 or so executio ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2022
Causes of WW1 – Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
We did it folks. We’re finally here.
On today’s episode, we discuss the build up to the “shot heard round the world”.
We take a look at the political situation in Bosnia, how it connected to secret Serbian nationalist societies, and dive into the back stories of both Franz Ferdin ... Show More
2h 2m
Jun 2022
50. Espionage in Nazi-Occupied Czechoslovakia with George Bearfield
<p>Today, Justin chats with writer, academic, and engineer George Bearfield. George is the grandson of Jaroslav Bublík, one of the last men to parachute into Bohemia and Moravia (now Czechoslovakia) in World War II. Jaroslav and his cousin Josef conducted espionage operations in ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2021
Adolf Hitler Part 2: Hitler in the First World War
June 1914, Sarajevo. An assassination on the street disrupts the entire balance of power in Europe. The First World War explodes into action. Adolf Hitler relocates to Munich. After dodging the draft, he later embraces life as a soldier. But then, serving in Flanders in 1918, a t ... Show More
44m 18s
Sep 2022
Eugene Jacques Bullard and the Paris Jazz Age (Pt. 2)
<p>After World War I ended, Eugene Jacques Bullard returned to Paris. He worked as a jazz drummer and nightclub owner, and as the tensions that led to World War II loomed, as an intelligence agent for France. </p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>"Bullard, Eugene." Ency ... Show More
36m 43s
Aug 2019
Anna Anderson Pt. 1: The False Anastasia
Franziska Schanzkowsky always thought she was destined for something bigger than the life of a Polish peasant. In 1921, after the fall of the Romanov Empire, 24-year-old Franziska claimed she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the youngest daughter of deposed Tsar Nicholas II. But ... Show More
54m 19s