History Happy Hour

This week on History Happy Hour: It was a marvel of 1930s engineering, a line of underground forts containing hospitals, modern kitchens, telephone exchanges, and even electric trains. The fortifications were invulnerable to the heaviest artillery and to chemical warfare. Yet they fell to the Germans in just a few weeks.Kevin Passmore has written The Maginot Line – A New History. We’ll talk with him about the controversies of how it was built, the men who manned it, and what happened when the Germans showed up.As an Amazon Associate, HHH earns from qualifying purchases. Kevin Passmore is professor of modern European history at Cardiff University. He is the author of Fascism: A Very Short Introduction, The Right in France from the Third Republic to Vichy, and From Liberalism to Fascism: The Right in a French Province, 1928–1939.

This week on History Happy Hour: Author Dan King interviewed more than 100 Japanese veterans while living in Japan, and has written a series of books telling the story of the war from their POV.We’ll talk to him about his latest book, The Iron Graves of Saipan, about the men of the 9th Japanese Tank Division. Their story begins with training, chow halls, talent shows, pranks, and USO shows on the Manchurian border. But their journey ends in the brutal battles of the Mariana Islands, where only 4% survived.As an Amazon Associate, HHH earns from qualifying purchases. Dan King earned a degree in Japanese language from Cal State University, then worked at a tech company in Japan for 10 years. During that time, he interviewed 103 Japanese veterans about their wartime experiences, and often had the opportunity to review scrapbooks, letters and diaries as well. He is the author of Blossoms From the Sky, The Last Zero Fighter, A Tomb Called Iwo Jima, and The Yalu River Boys, all based on those interviews. He has also worked as a technical / historical / language advisor on films and documentaries including: The Last Samurai, Windtalkers, Flags of Our Fathers and others.

This week on History Happy Hour:  In 1864, General Sherman commenced his march across Georgia. By the time he reached Savannah, some 20 thousand enslaved people attached themselves to his army.   Chris and Rick explore this seminal moment that laid the foundation for Reconstruction with Bennett Parten, author of Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March and the Story of America's Largest Emancipation.   Bennett Parten is an assistant professor of history at Georgia Southern University. His area of expertise is the Civil War period. He was named a Distinguished Lecturer by the Organization of American Historians. He completed his PhD in history at Yale University. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Zocalo Public Square, and The Civil War Monitor, among others. He currently lives in Savannah, Georgia.  

This week on History Happy Hour: In 1945, the US Congress recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Not a single Black soldier made the list. Not Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns and an observation post. Not even Lieutenant Charles Thomas, who led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village in 1944 in spite staggering losses. It took more than 50 years for the Army to honor these and other black soldiers with the Medal of Honor.  In this encore episode, Chris and Rick talk with Robert Child to bout his book: Immortal Valor: The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II. Learn about their extraordinary heroism and explore why recognition was denied them so long.   Robert Child has spent 20+ years in Television and Film and is an Emmy nominated producer/director. He is a published author of fiction and nonfiction, and has appeared on 75+ Film and TV credits on IMDB. Among his films is The Wereth Eleven, the story of Black GIS massacred by the SS. He has garnered more than 25 writing and directing awards.

This week on History Happy Hour: During WWII, 27 Tuskegee Airmen were reported missing in combat. The remains of most were never found. Chris and Rick explore their lives, their fates and the impact of their loss with NPR Investigative Reporter Cheryl Thompson. She is the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, and author of the book Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen. Cheryl Thompson is an award-winning investigative reporter for National Public Radio, and an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University. She is the recipient of more than 40 journalism awards. During more than 20 years as a reporter for The Washington Post, she was part of teams that won two Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting. The daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, she is a Chicago native who lives outside Washington, DC.

This week on History Happy Hour: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson were two African-American giants whose lives would forever be altered by the Cold War, and would explosively intersect before its most notorious weapon, the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is a complex story that tallies the sometime fearsome cost of standing against racism. Our guest is Howard Bryant, author of the dual biography Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including Rickey, and The Last Hero, a biography of Hank Aaron. He has been the sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition since 2006. He is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, an Emmy Award winner, and is twice the winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. He lives in Western Massachusetts.

This week on History Happy Hour: It sits on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago: The U-505.  The June day in 1944 that this German submarine was captured was the first time the U.S. Navy boarded and captured an enemy vessel since the War of 1812. It was carried out in swashbuckling style by a top-secret Navy task force. In this encore episode, Chris and Rick discuss its dramatic high sea heist with Alexander Rose, author of Phantom Fleet.   Alexander Rose is a journalist and author of numerous history books including Empires of the Sky, The Lion and the Fox, and Washington Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring.  The latter was adapted into the AMC drama series, Turn: Washington Spies, for which he served as writer/producer.  He has a doctorate from Cambridge, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Born in the United States, raised in Australia and educated in Britain, Alexander currently resides in New York.

This week on History Happy Hour: During WWI, The White Lady network helped Britain by acting as couriers, radio operators and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service. We will talk with HHH Alum Helen Fry to chart the history of these pivotal intelligence networks from her latest book, The White Lady. Dr Helen Fry has written over 20 books on the Second World War with particular reference to British intelligence and espionage.  She has also written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain in WWII. Her acclaimed book The Walls Have Ears became a bestseller and was the Daily Mail’s Top Books of the Year on War. She has appeared in numerous TV documentaries. She is a passionate advocate and official ambassador for the National Centre for Military Intelligence (NCMI). This is her fourth appearance on History Happy Hour.

This week on History Happy Hour:  Forty years after the publication of Eugene Sledge’s memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, his son Henry has written The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed. We’ll talk with Henry Sledge about his conversations with his father that form the basis of this book, as well as his reflections on his father’s war.     Henry Sledge is the son of renowned author Eugene Sledge, who wrote With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and China Marine. While growing up, he witnessed his father’s memoir take form and come to life.   Henry has worked as a consultant for Valor Studios and has been published in Valor and Naval History Magazine. His most recent article was the cover story for the Autumn 2022 issue of World War II magazine. He has co-hosted numerous WWII podcasts and has appeared as a guest on numerous other talk shows and documentaries. He holds a BA from Auburn University and has over twenty years of experience in the heavy equipment industry.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Thomas Paine was a man whose words helped launch a revolution. In January 1776 he wrote Common Sense, which helped inspire the Continental Congress to declare Independence. In late November that same year, while serving in George Washington’s army during the Colonies’ most desperate hour, he picked up his pen again. “These are the times that try men’s souls” he began, and his words lit a fire in the men who would soon win a critical victory at the Battle of Trenton.To dive into the story of this resourceful writer who played such a critical role in the American Revolution, Chris and Rick talk to HHH alum Jack Kelly, author of Thomas Paine’s War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder for Our Time. Jack Kelly is an award-winning historian and author. He has been on History Happy Hour twice, to talk about his books Valcour: The 1776 Campaign that Saved the Cause of Liberty and God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America's Most Hated Man. He is also the author of Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America’s Independence, which received the DAR History Medal. He has appeared on NPR, PBS, and the History Channel, and has written for national publications including the Wall Street Journal. He lives and works in Hudson Valley, New York.

This Week on History Happy Hour: In his new book The Greatest Force, author Marcus Gibson argues that RAF Bomber Command was the No.1 factor in Germany’s defeat. Rather than being too costly in terms of crew lives and civilian casualties, he argues that the impact of bombing fully justified the effort put into it.   Chris and Rick explore this challenging topic with him. Sunday at 4PM ET on History Happy Hour, where history is always on tap. Marcus Gibson has written for The Financial Times, The European and Daily Telegraph newspapers as well as BBC R4 News. In 1984 he contributed to the Dictionary of the British Heritage published by Cambridge University Press. He is also the author Bootstrapping Your Business, published in 2016.  He lives in London

This Week on History Happy Hour: In March, HHH audience member Doug McCord visited a local museum in Nelson, New Zealand, where he was deeply moved by an art installation. Created by local artist Sue Heydon, it explored her father’s journey as a WWII prisoner of war. Captured during the 1941 Greek campaign, George Heydon spent more than four years in POW camps. We will talk to Sue about her exhibition, which honors the human spirit and a daughter’s mission to bring her father’s painful history to light.   Sue Heydon has always been an artist. She says getting an arts degree in 2015 changed her art practice. “I became fascinated by the researching aspect required for conceptual art. I started to write research documentation to support the work and add another element. The book supporting George’s War at 622 pages war is the biggest so far.” The work is her attempt to find her father, a remote figure who died when she was 10 because of his experiences as a WWII POW.  She lives in New Zealand.

This Week on History Happy Hour: She led a gang of horse thieves. She participated in stickups and robberies across Texas and Oklahoma. She was romantically involved with two of the west’s most feared outlaws. Many considered this extraordinary woman the most dangerous female in the west. In this encore episode, Chris and Rick will explore her fascinating story with Dane Hucklebridge, author of a new bio on Belle Starr, Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West. Dane Huckelbridge was born in the Midwest and went to Princeton. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The New Republic and elsewhere. His debut novel Castle of Water was published in 2017, and his book No Beast so Fierce was published by HarperCollins in 2019. He currently lives in Paris, France, although he goes back to New York whenever he can.

This Week on History Happy Hour: One of America’s most critical needs in WWII was to build a merchant fleet that could carry soldiers and supplies to theaters around the globe. To build enough ships fast enough that U-Boats couldn’t sink them all. To lead its effort, the US turned to a man who had never built a ship – but he nevertheless created a network of shipyards that built thousands. Chris and Rick will talk about this epic effort with Doug Most, author of Launching Liberty. Doug Most is a veteran journalist in Massachusetts, the author of three books, and an Executive Editor and Assistant Vice President at Boston University. He spent 15 years as the magazine and features editor at The Boston Globe. His previous books include The Race Underground about the construction of the Boston and New York Subways, and the true crime story Always in Our Hearts.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Along with Guadalcanal in the Pacific, and Stalingrad in Russia, the Allies’ victory in North Africa was one of three Axis defeats that changed the course of the war in early 1943. The Africa campaign has sometimes been branded a side show, but it destroyed 40% of the Luftwaffe’s planes, ended Axis sea power in the Mediterranean and led to the surrender of 250 thousand Axis troops.  Chris and Rick dig into it with HHH Alum Saul David, author of Tunisgrad: Victory in Africa. Saul David is a professor of military history at the University of Buckingham and the author of numerous history books. He was on History Happy Hour in 2020 to talk about his Okinawa book, Crucible of Hell, and came on again in 2022 to talk about Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War. Other non-fiction titles include The Indian Mutiny, 1857, Operation Thunderbolt, and The Force: The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII’’s Mission Impossible. He has also written three bestselling historical novels, Zulu Hart, Hart of Empire and, The Prince and the Whitechapel Murders. He has appeared in numerous documentaries in the UK.

This Week on History Happy Hour:  World War II was unprecedented in its scope and ferocity. The heroism of the men and women who won the war may be well documented, but we know too little about the pain and hardships the veterans endured upon their return home.   We’ll discuss this with David Nasaw, author of the new book The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II.   David Nasaw is a professor of history at the City University of New York City.  He has written ten books, two of which, Andrew Carnegie and The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Time of Joseph P Kennedy, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.  He has also written for The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal among others.

This Week on History Happy Hour: It wasn’t just the Marines that fought in the Pacific – the Army actually did most of the fighting and dying in the war against Japan.   Historian John McManus returns to History Happy Hour to discuss volume two of his WWII Pacific War trilogy. In Island Infernos, he explores the U.S. Army’s dogged pursuit of Japanese forces, island by island, throughout 1944, a year that would bring America ever closer to victory or defeat. John McManus is Curators’ Distinguished Professor of U.S. military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. As one of the nation’s leading military historians, and the author of fifteen well received books on the topic, he is in frequent demand as a speaker and expert commentator. In addition to dozens of local and national radio programs, he has appeared on CNN.com, Fox News, C-Span, the Military Channel, the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, Netflix, the Smithsonian Network, the History Channel and PBS, among others.

This Week on History Happy Hour: In September 1943, the people of Denmark banded together to rescue nearly all of their Jewish citizens from a NAZI roundup by ferrying them to sanctuary in Sweden. Why were the Danes able to do what no other country could?   Rick and Chris discuss this little-known, true story with guest Tim Brady, author of A Light in the Northern Sea: Denmark’s Incredible Rescue of Their Jewish Citizens During WWII.  The riveting accounts of ordinary Danes, who used their modest resources, wiles, remarkable courage, and camaraderie to quietly orchestrate their escape. Tim Brady is an award-winning author. His previous books, Three Ordinary Girls, His Father's Son, Twelve Desperate Miles and A Death in San Pietro, have received wide critical acclaim. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he frequently writes for the History Channel Magazine. He has also written a number of PBS documentaries, and helped develop the series Liberty! The American Revolution, winner of the Peabody Award. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

This Week on History Happy Hour: In 1940, French painter Henri Matisse was ill, recently divorced, and full of doubt about his own career. But when the Germans invaded, he and his family defiantly refused to evacuate Nazi-occupied France. Chris and Rick discuss what happened next with HHH alum Christopher Gorham, author of Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi Occupied France. Christopher C. Gorham is a lawyer and teacher of modern American history at Westford Academy, outside Boston. He appeared on HHH in October 2023 to talk about his book The Confidante. He has degrees in history from Tufts University and the University of Michigan, and a law degree from Syracuse University. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post and in online journals. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Massachusetts.

This Week on History Happy Hour: The Hispanos of frontier New Mexico spent decades engaging in various forms of resistance against the corruption, exploitation, and violent oppression that frequently plagued their homeland following the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848. Chris and Rick welcome James Mills, author of In the Days of Billy the Kid. Mills dives into the lives of four men little known to history, who played a big part in the events of those days. JAMES B. MILLS is an HHH alum, having appeared in 2023 to discuss his first book, Billy the Kid. He has studied the American frontier and numerous other areas of history since childhood. He has published numerous articles for True West and Wild West magazines. He enjoys living a quiet life with his cat Bernard and dog Dennis.