The History of the Twentieth Century

460 Question Time III

Once again, I answer questions sent in by listeners.

459 Autumn Mist

On the Western Front, the Allies were probing the German defensive line. On the Eastern Front, the Red Army advanced past the 1939 border and into Germany itself.

458 The Battle of Leyte Gulf

When the Americans landed on the Philippine island of Leyte, the Japanese Navy executed a plan intended to cut off and isolate Allied ground forces on the island.

457 I Have Returned

On October 20, 1944, Douglas MacArthur made good on his famous promise.

456 A Bridge Too Far

Bernard Montgomery proposed a risky operation that just might have allowed the Allies to break through the German defensive line. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler was planning a r

455 Up Against the Wall

The Western Allied advance in August 1944 was breathtaking, but it stopped short at the German border as the German Army rebuilt its defenses and Allied supply lines beca

454 The Altar of Alliance

By 1944, a German defeat seemed inevitable. In August, Romania defected from the Axis and joined the Allies. Within weeks, Bulgaria followed suit, while Finland agreed to

453 The Panacea Target

The British view on aerial bombing over Germany held that area attacks on German cities were the only effective form of attack. The Americans preferred to target specific

452 The Double V

The Second World War offered African Americans new opportunities and new political clout.

451 Wonder Weapon

The United States had its Manhattan Project. Germany had its rockets.

450 The Gadget

By 1944, the United States had developed the facilities to produce U-235 and plutonium in sufficient quantities. The last problem was how to design and build a bomb that

449 All For the Front

The war made life in the Soviet Union very difficult. Even by Soviet standards, the government took an unprecedented degree of control over the allocation of labor and of

448 Keep Calm and Carry On

The British had to deal with many more shortages of food and fuel and consumer goods than did Americans. And they had to worry about the Luftwaffe.

447 Don't You Know There's a War On?

The war put Americans in the unfamiliar position of enduring limits on what they could buy or eat, even how much they could drive their cars.

446 Is Paris Burning?

The Allies invade southern France, close the Falaise pocket, and the German line collapses. Soon the Allies are advancing on Paris.

445 Breakout and Pursuit

When Patton's Third Army broke through the front line, the Germans had a serious problem.

444 Tempest

The Polish Home Army makes a last-ditch effort to assert the authority of the government in exile, while Romania successfully switches sides.

443 Shoot the Works

Hitler exacts retribution for the assassination attempt against him, while in France, the Americans break out of Normandy.

442 Make Peace, You Fools

Bloody inconclusive fighting in Normandy, and the Democratic Party nominates Roosevelt for a fourth term.

441 The Plot to Assassinate Hitler

There had been grumbling about Hitler in the Army since 1938, but by 1944 a group of officers were determined to get rid of him and overthrow the Nazi government.