Why We Fight ~ 1943

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Mike Pavelec, Director of the Schriever Space Scholars US Space Force education at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). We talk about Operation Crossbow, and more specifically Operation Hydra -- the RAF raid on Peenemunde. This was an interesting twist because I was not expecting a US Space Force contribution to this series on World War II, but here we are! Enjoy :) Links You can find Dr. Pavelec's books here: https://www.amazon.com/Books-S-Mike-Pavelec/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AS.+Mike+Pavelec US Space Force Schriever & West Space Force Scholars Program (ILE & SLE) Schriever Space Scholars Program - ILE (https://sais.jhu.edu/admissions/masters-program-admissions/how-apply/us-military-and-veteran-applicants/us-space-force-schriever-west-space-scholars-program-ile-sle/intermediate-level-education)

TW: This episode does mention suicide at least once in reference to someone Patton knew. In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Sanders Marble from the Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage. Dr. Marble helps tell the story of the infamous slapping incidents involving LTG George Patton during the Sicily Campaign in 1943, but he doesn't stop there. Links AMEDD Center of History & Heritage (https://achh.army.mil/)

Following the Battle of Troina on Sicily, MG Terry Allen is relieved of command, along with his Deputy, Teddy Roosevelt Jr. In this episode, Dr. Greg Hospodor helps share the story of "Terrible Terry" de la Mesa Allen, along with some controversies surrounding the decision to relieve him on 6 August 1943. We also touch on leadership and professionalism and the politics among General Officers. Links

Terrible Terry Allen: Combat General of WWII – The Life of an American Soldier (https://amzn.to/3Oniadq)   A Soldier’s Story – Omar Bradley (https://amzn.to/3qt2LQB)   A General’s Life: AN Autobiography by General of the Army Omar N. Bradley and Clay Blair (https://amzn.to/3KwFowi) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode, Dr. Luke Truxal joins me again to talk Air Power in 1943 – this time we talk about Operation Tidal Wave, an air raid against Romanian oil refineries. The operation was not just a failure on many levels but it had a negative impact on our ability to employ our air assets during the remainder of the Sicily Campaign and going into Italy as a result of significant losses and damage to the bombers. Links   Uniting Against the Reich: The American Air War in Europe – Dr. Luke Truxal (https://amzn.to/3Qp2I31)   Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler’s Oil – LTC Jay Stout, USMC Ret. (https://amzn.to/3DNyuzb)

(Jay A. Stout https://www.jayastout.com/)   Enlisted Personnel of Operation Tidal Wave (https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AFEHRI/documents/WarsConflicts/fodor.pdf)   The Airmen Heritage Series: Operation “Tidal Wave” (https://media.defense.gov/2016/May/18/2001540805/-1/-1/0/AFD-160518-001-011.PDF)   1943 – Operation Tidal Wave: The Low-Level Bombing of the Ploesti Oil Refineries (https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/459003/1943-operation-tidalwave-the-low-level-bombing-of-the-ploesti-oil-refineries-1/)   Operation Tidal Wave (https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/mission/operation-tidal-wave)   On Thie Day (1 Aug 1943): Operation Tidal Wave (https://www.mightyeighth.org/operation-tidal-wave/)   Romania’s Holy War: Soldiers, Motivation, and the Holocaust – Dr. Grant Harward (https://amzn.to/3Kwp4vI)   Quest for Decisive Victory: From Stalemate to Blitzkrieg in Europe, 1899-1940 – Dr. Robert Citino (https://amzn.to/3Oqv1v7)   For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012 (https://amzn.to/45jsSbp)   http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Denise Neil, Executive Director of the Oklahoma National Guard Museum. Dr. Neil helps share the story of the 45th Infantry Division, the "Thunderbird" Division, which was trained but not yet combat-tested when they landed in Sicily on 10 July 1943. We do touch on the Biscari Massacre, but there will be a dedicated episode for that coming up soon.

This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943. Links Oklahoma National Guard (https://ok.ng.mil/) Oklahoma National Guard Museum (https://www.facebook.com/45thInfantryDivisionMuseum) The Rock of Anzio: From Sicily to Dachau, A History of the US 45th Infantry Division by Flint Whitlock (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3Y58VCS) Citizen Soldiers: Oklahoma's National Guard by Kenny Franks (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3QifjES) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode, I'm joined by Matthew Fraas, the US Army Transportation Museum's Education Specialist, and Matthew tells us about Army Transportation in 1943. This includes going into North Africa for Operation Torch, going into Sicily for Operation Husky, and then the invasion of mainland Italy beginning in September 1943. We talk lessons learned, lessons not learn, integrating capabilities, the importance of centralized control in military operations, and what the more modern fore calls Logistics Over the Shore (LOTS).

This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943.

Links US Army Transportation Museum (https://transportation.army.mil/museum/)

In this episode, retired US Army Colonel Greg Fontenot shares the third of three episodes on First Infantry Division history for this 1943 series, helping to show how the division formed and evolved into what we had in 1943 going into Sicily, and how 1ID sustained tactical excellence despite heavy casualties and turnover. This three-part episode can also be considered a representation of the typical development experienced throughout the US Army.

This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943.

Links

The First Infantry Division and the US Army Transformed: Road to Victory in Desert Storm, 1970-1991 (Amazon Affiliate Link ⁠https://amzn.to/43mvJ2e⁠) Loss and Redemption at St. Vith: The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge (Amazon Affiliate Link ⁠https://amzn.to/3NLzwQR⁠) No Sacrifice Too Great: The 1st Infantry Division in World War II (Amazon Affiliate Link ⁠https://amzn.to/3pJO3Ey⁠) On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom (Amazon Affiliate Link ⁠https://amzn.to/46INDz1⁠) The History of Military Mobilization in the United States (CMH Link ⁠https://history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-10/CMH_Pub_104-10.pdf⁠) The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3XSuDdi) The West Point Atlas of War: World War II - European Theater (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/46JU9pj) ⁠http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode, on the 80th anniversary of the start of Operation Husky, Dr. John Curatola, US Marine Corps veteran and Military Historian at the National WWII Museum, joins me to talk about the components of amphibious assaults, how the Marine Corps ultimately made Operation Husky and all of these amphibious operations possible, and how the Allies in general, but the American Forces specifically are learning organizations and, at this time, 10 July 1943, they were learning organizations under fire. John also shares some quotes he included when writing his most recent book, which will hopefully be available before too long. In the meantime, I'll link to some of his other work below.

This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943.

Links John Curatola, PhD (⁠https://www.nationalww2museum.org/contributors/john-curatola-phd⁠) Autumn of Our Discontent: Fall 1949 and the Crises in American National Security (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3D7O9ZO) Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3XLPT4r) No Quarter Given: The Change in Strategic Bombing Application in the Pacific Theater During World War II (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3PQ5T3j) Operation Husky: The Classroom for Amphibious Landings (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/operation-husky-classroom-amphibious-landings) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode, Dr. Greg Hospodor, US Army TRADOC Chief of Military History Education and Curriculum, and Dr. Lee Windsor, Fredrik Eaton Chair in Canadian Army Studies at the University of New Brunswick and co-Director of The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society, join me to talk about the planning and prep for Operation Husky and part of the evolution in Joint Coalition Warfare that the Allies would have to undergo in order to make Normandy a success. But a year before Operation Overlord, the Allies had to succeed in Sicily.

This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943. Links Dr. Lee Windsor (https://www.unb.ca/faculty-staff/directory/arts-fr-history/windsor-lee.html) Dr. Greg Hospodor - Bitter Victory? The Allied Campaign for Sicily Revisited (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f060mKeIWIw)

TW: This episode does include discussion of violence, both real and in unsubstantiated rumors spread at the time. Dr. Amanda Nagel joins me in this important episode on some of the racial tensions on the Homefront during this time 80 years ago, how the summer heat can play a role in riots and uprising, and what these events meant for the country and the military, both at home and fighting overseas. Links The Warmth of Other Suns (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3PIlzWy) Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3PCNVkR) Run Home If You Don't Want To Be Killed (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3NZHmHO) From Coveralls to Zoot Suits (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/447CPbS) Zoot Suit Riots: Causes, Facts & Photos (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/zoot-suit-riots) Scenes from the Detroit Race Riot in 1943 (https://eu.freep.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/06/04/scenes-1943-detroit-riot/7547306002/) Hatred on the Home Front: The Detroit Race Riots During WWII (https://time.com/3880177/detroit-race-riots-1943-photos-from-a-city-in-turmoil-during-wwii/page05/) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this quick episode, I am joined by Andrew Woods, research historian at the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park. Andrew shares an article he wrote 20 years ago for the 60th anniversary of the Battle of El Guettar, and he and others associated with the First Division Museums will be contributing several episodes to this series sharing 1st Infantry Division history as it relates to the Why We Fight ~ 1943 series timeline.