Explore every episode of the podcast Europe At War: A WW2 Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3 - The Battle of Berlin: The 21st of April | 12 May 2025 | 00:23:04 | |
The battle of Berlin begins in earnest when 1st Belorussian Front forces advance into the northern and eastern outskirts of the capital. | |||
| 3.2 - The Battle of Berlin: The 20th of April | 05 May 2025 | 00:22:30 | |
The Führer’s birthday celebrations are interrupted by a huge Allied bombing raid on the capital. Plus, Marshal Zhukov’s 1st Belorussian Front launches their first artillery barrages on Berlin from their positions just outside the city. | |||
| 2.3 - The Battle of Bautzen: The Battle Begins | 10 Mar 2025 | 00:36:39 | |
The combined Polish-Soviet forces launch “Operation Lausitz” - their assault on Saxony and the subsequent drive towards Weißenberg & Bautzen. | |||
| 2.2 - The Battle of Bautzen: Prelude to the Battle | 03 Mar 2025 | 00:37:17 | |
An in-depth look at the strategic significance of Bautzen, with a particular focus on how the city featured prominently in the Soviet & German campaign plans for April 1945. | |||
| 2.1 - The Battle of Bautzen: Welcome to the Battle | 03 Mar 2025 | 00:08:30 | |
What to look forward to in the series on Bautzen. | |||
| 2.0 - Announcement | 28 Feb 2025 | 00:03:01 | |
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end… | |||
| 1.15 - The Halbe Pocket: The Final Chapter | 14 Feb 2025 | 00:14:09 | |
In this episode we wrap-up the series on The Halbe Pocket by looking at the aftermath of the fighting, with a particular focus on the legacy of the battle and how it continues to shape Halbe and the surrounding area to this day. | |||
| 1.14 - The Halbe Pocket: May 2nd - May 7th | 10 Feb 2025 | 00:19:51 | |
The combined 9th & 12th armies, along with thousands of German refugees, march towards the Elbe in order to cross the river and surrender to the Americans at Tangermünde. The Soviets will stop at nothing to prevent them from escaping… | |||
| 1.13 - The Halbe Pocket: May 1st | 07 Feb 2025 | 00:24:40 | |
The battered remnants of Busse’s breakout group finally reach the Beelitz area and link-up with General Wenck’s 12th Army. | |||
| 1.12 - The Halbe Pocket: April 30th | 03 Feb 2025 | 00:12:01 | |
Busse’s breakout group reaches the final rendezvous point, and there, they prepare to make the final push towards the 12th Army’s lines. Meanwhile, the remaining 9th Army forces trapped in the Halbe Pocket are eliminated by the Soviets. | |||
| 1.11 - The Halbe Pocket: April 29th | 31 Jan 2025 | 00:18:45 | |
After surviving the carnage in Halbe, Busse’s breakout group continues their escape westwards. | |||
| 1.10 - The Halbe Pocket: April 28th | 27 Jan 2025 | 00:20:28 | |
The final breakout attempt is launched as the 9th Army seeks to smash through the Soviet defences in Halbe. Meanwhile, the 12th Army successfully evacuates the Potsdam Garrison. | |||
| BONUS Episode: A chat with Peter Graham from Berlin Battle Damage | 01 May 2025 | 01:00:03 | |
Peter Graham was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and he is an independent historian and researcher specialising in the history of Berlin during WW2. In 2018 Peter founded the popular Facebook page "Berlin Battle Damage" which currently has over 15,000 followers and focuses on the tangible remains of WW2 to be found in Berlin today. In 2023 Peter launched a series of specialised walking tours which deal with different aspects of Berlin during WW2 and the Soviet assault on the city in April 1945. Peter is based in Ireland and Berlin. You can find Peter on Bluesky and Twitter. You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com | |||
| 1.9 - The Halbe Pocket: April 27th | 24 Jan 2025 | 00:08:58 | |
Elements from the 9th Army stage a second breakout attempt, and Wenck’s 12th Army continues their push towards Potsdam. | |||
| 1.8 - The Halbe Pocket: April 26th | 20 Jan 2025 | 00:13:50 | |
The two battlegroups fight on, but are crushed by stiff Soviet counter-attacks. Conditions in the Halbe Pocket worsen as the Soviets tighten the noose, whilst the eastern flank of Wenck’s 12th Army reaches the Beelitz area. | |||
| 1.7 - The Halbe Pocket: April 25th | 17 Jan 2025 | 00:21:31 | |
The first breakout attempt from the pocket is launched by the battlegroups von Luck and Pipkorn. The 12th Army continues on their mission to rescue the trapped 9th Army. | |||
| 1.6 - The Halbe Pocket: April 24th | 13 Jan 2025 | 00:12:11 | |
The 9th Army is fully encircled by the Soviets in the Halbe Pocket, trapping thousands of men and civilians in an ever-shrinking cauldron of death and destruction. | |||
| 1.5 - The Halbe Pocket: April 23rd | 10 Jan 2025 | 00:10:07 | |
General Wenck of the German 12th Army is ordered to advance on Berlin and crush the Soviet attacks on the city. But Wenck, seeking to save as many German soldiers and civilians as possible, has other ideas… | |||
| 1.4 - The Halbe Pocket: April 22nd | 06 Jan 2025 | 00:13:53 | |
A plan is hatched by the German High Command to rescue Berlin - a plan which offers a slim glimmer of hope to the beleaguered 9th Army… | |||
| 1.3 - The Halbe Pocket: April 21st | 03 Jan 2025 | 00:13:58 | |
Elements of the 9th Army begin taking up positions in the Spreewald area whilst others remain engaged in battle on the Oder frontline. General Busse is forced to choose between following Hitler's orders versus saving his men. Meanwhile, Zossen falls… | |||
| 1.2 - The Halbe Pocket: April 16th - April 20th | 01 Jan 2025 | 00:32:04 | |
The Red Army launches its final assault on Berlin, and the German 9th Army, led by General Busse, is tasked with defending the line during the Battle of the Seelow Heights. However, rapid Soviet advances elsewhere threaten the encirclement of Busse’s men… | |||
| 1.1 - Welcome to the Halbe Pocket | 01 Jan 2025 | 00:05:30 | |
Introducing a new podcast series examining the events of the Halbe Pocket in April & May 1945. To help you follow along with the towns and locations mentioned throughout the series, here is a map showcasing the route taken by the German 9th Army. | |||
| 3.1 - Welcome to the Battle of Berlin | 28 Apr 2025 | 00:54:52 | |
An in-depth look at Berlin in 1945, with a focus on how the city prepared itself physically and mentally for the impending Soviet assault. Map: Here is an overview of the German and Soviet forces on the eve of the assault on Berlin, including the various major offensives which are launched as part of ‘Operation Berlin’. Map: Here is a map giving an overview of the important locations featured in the series. | |||
| BONUS Episode: A Talk With Matthew Menneke From On The Front Tours | 21 Apr 2025 | 01:00:22 | |
Matthew Menneke is a military historian and former serviceman in the Australian Army. Matthew is also the founder of On The Front Tours, which is a tour guide company specialising solely in Second World War tours in and around Berlin. One of the tours Matthew runs is a tour of the Halbe Pocket, so naturally I was curious to hear his views on the battle, and to hear why he thinks the Halbe Pocket story has been so overlooked within the historiography of the Second World War - especially in the English-speaking world. | |||
| BONUS Episode: A Talk With Scott Bury From The Beyond Barbarossa Podcast | 14 Apr 2025 | 00:47:44 | |
Scott Bury, producer and host of the Beyond Barbarossa podcast, joins me for a chat about the peculiarities, vastness and horrors of the Eastern Front of the Second World War. If you want to learn about the history of the Eastern Front from start to finish then I highly recommend you check out the excellent Beyond Barbarossa podcast. | |||
| 2.7 - The Battle of Bautzen: The Aftermath | 07 Apr 2025 | 00:21:34 | |
The fighting has ended, but who won? | |||
| 2.6 - The Battle of Bautzen: The Final Phase | 31 Mar 2025 | 00:24:46 | |
The Germans have lifted the siege of Bautzen, and are now poised to take the fight to the Polish-Soviet forces with the intention of driving them out of Saxony completely. | |||
| 2.5 - The Battle of Bautzen: The German Counterattack | 24 Mar 2025 | 00:44:52 | |
The Germans launch their counterattack, hoping to recapture Weißenberg, lift the siege of Bautzen, and potentially threaten the entire Soviet assault on Berlin. | |||
| 2.4 - The Battle of Bautzen: Rattenkrieg | 17 Mar 2025 | 01:01:52 | |
The Soviet vanguard forces launch their assault on Bautzen, leading to deadly street battles and house-to-house fighting between the Soviet attackers and the German defenders. | |||
| 3.4 - The Battle of Berlin: The 22nd of April | 19 May 2025 | 00:18:30 | |
Marshal Zhukov sends some of his forces on a flanking manoeuvre to the north of Berlin in order to encircle the capital, unaware that Marshal Konev’s 1st Ukrainian Front is rapidly approaching Berlin from the south. | |||