Beyond Barbarossa: The Eastern Front of World War 2

Life during wartime: The nazi occupation, episode 16

What was life like for the people living in the lands occupied by nazi German in the East? We take a close look. 
Link
Remembering the Holodomor: Ukraine Without Hype podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-35-remembering-the-holodomor/id1537219548?i=1000587845635
Sources: 
Paul Robert Magosci, A History of Ukraine. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996. 
Shevchenko Scientific Society, Volodymyr Kubijovyc, editor, Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1963.
Orest Subtelny, Ukraine: A History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000. 
Wikipedia: The Eastern Front of World War II.
- Generalgouvernement
- Reichskommissariat Ostland
- Reichskommissariat Ukraine

A conversation with Sebastian Major of Our Fake History: Episode 15

One of my favourite podcasters, Sebastian Major of Our Fake History, joins me for a talk about historical myths about the Eastern Front of World War II. 
It's one of the best podcasts out there about history. Listen to it on your preferred podcasting app, and find it at OurFakeHistory.com. 
 
 
 

The invasion of Crimea: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 14

The battle for Crimea is almost a microcosm of the entire war on the Eastern Front of World War II. 
Satellite photo of southern Crimea: Severnaya Bay is the long, narrow bay curving upward into the land. Sevastopol is located on the smaller bay at right angles. 
 
This image was taken by the Nasa Expedition 20 crew. - NASA Earth Observatory. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 
 
Map source: Nations Online Project. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/Crimea-map.htm 
Other sources:
Clayton Donnell, The Defence of Sevastopol, 1941–1942: The Soviet Perspective. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2016.
David Glantz, Operation Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2011.
 
David Stahel, Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East.  Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
 

Ukraine 1941 and 2022:Episode 13

A conversation with Larysa Zariczniak, host and producer of the Wandering the Edge podcast on Ukrainian culture and history, with a spot of travel—when Ukraine isn't being invaded. 
We spoke about Ukrainian culture, history, parallels between 1941 and 2022, and what the experiences of those two periods can tell us about the Ukrainian cultural identity.
Wandering the Edge is available on all podcasting platforms. Visit the website at WanderingTheEdge.net.

The Siege of Leningrad: Beyond Barbarossa, Episode 12

The 900 Days of Leningrad's siege saw the greatest destruction in modern history, and the larges loss of life in a modern city. It dwarfed urban campaigns elsewhere in the Second World War by a factor of magnitude. 
This episode links this immense struggle with the rest of the war in the East. 
Map 1: Finnish and Soviet forces on the eve of Barbarossa, 1941 
Map 2: Finnish offensive operations in Karelia, summer and autumn, 1941
 
Map 3: The siege of Leningrad 

Arctic Fox Hunt: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 11

The German 36th Mountain Corps moves through Lapland to cut the vital Murmansk Railroad to Leningrad. But under the midnight sun, it meets a foe even more difficult than the Red Army.
Map 1: Finland 1940-41
The red area around Salla is the target for the 36th Mountain Corps. 
Figure 1: Finnish soldiers moving through the Arctic forest on their way to the Murmansk railroad
 
Sources:
David Glantz, Operation Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2011.
David Stahel, Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Operation Silver Fox: The History of Nazi Germany's Arctic Invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. Charles River Editors, 2016.
Timeline of World War II (1941). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1941) 

Foxes in the north: Episode 10

Operation Silver Fox in the farthest northern reaches of continental Europe had a direct impact on the war in the Eastern Front.
Map 1: Finland from 1920 to 1938
Map 2: The Winter War, 1939-1940
Map 3: Areas Finland ceded to the USSR after the Winter War
 
Sources: 
Operation Silver Fox: The History of Nazi Germany's Arctic Invasion of the Soviet Union During World War IIPublished by Charles River Editors, 2016
Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East, by David Stahel. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2009.

Beyond Barbarossa episode 10 will be a wee bit late.

My apologies. It will be another week for the full episode 10 on Operation Silver Fox. BUT there is a bonus episode available for supporters. 

Operation Typhoon: Episode 9

German's final, final assault on the capital of the USSR in November 1941. 
Map 1: The Battle of Moscow, November 1941.
Map 20: The bigger picture. 
Source: U.S. Army archives. 
Soviets fighting back during "offensive weather":
Rasputitsa: 
Defense of Moscow: 
Women militia training in Moscow, fall 1941:
New T-34 tanks roll off the assembly line, 1941
Soviet air power: 
The Yakovlev Yak fighter
Ilyushin Il-2 in flight near Moscow, December 1941
Winter 
Abandoned German vehicles in the snow, on the highway from Volokolamsk to Moscow, December 1941:
Wrecked Panzer III, December 1941:

Operation Typhoon, part 1: Episode 8

The Wehrmacht assembles its biggest concentrated force for the largest single campaign of Operation Barbarossa. 
 
Image 1: German half-track, deep in the mud of rasputitsa. 
Image 2: Pulling vehicles through the mud of Russia in fall. 
Image 3: Eventually, the Germans had to resort to horses to haul even their field guns during rasputitsa. 
Map: The push toward Moscow in the fall of 1941. 
If you enjoyed this podcast, consider leaving a five-star rating on your preferred podcaster.
You can also support the podcast through Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/BeyondBarbarossa
Sources: 
David M. Glantz: Operation Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941. Stroud, Gloucesgershire, UK, The History Press, 2013. 
Peter G. Tsouras, editor: Fighting in Hell: The German Ordeal on the Eastern Front. New York, NY: Ivy Books, 1995.
David Stahel: Operation Typhoon: Hitler's March on Moscow, October 1941. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2013. 
David Stahel: Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 

The Tangled Web of War: Beyond Barbarossa, episode 7

Sponsor: The Eastern Front Trilogy by Scott Bury
The true story of a Canadian drafted into the Soviet Red Army in World War II. 
https://scottburyauthor.com/books/the-eastern-front-trilogy/
As the Germans strangle Leningrad and sweep across Ukraine, we can see just how complicated the Eastern Front is, and how connected to events and decisions a world away. 
Map 1: Closing on Leningrad.
Photos: Rasputitsa
Horses sank up to their bellies in mud in Ukraine during rasputitsa. 
Even tracked vehicles became mired in the deep mud. 
 

Episode 6: Germany ... triumphant?

Having captured most of Ukraine and with a choke-hold on Leningrad, Germany appears to be winning as it advances on Moscow. But the big picture looks different close up. 
The Battle of Smolensk may just be the big turning point in the was in the East. 
This episode sponsored by The Eastern Front Trilogy, the true story of a Canadian drafted into the Red Army in World War II. 
The Eastern Front Trilogy.
All proceeds from the sales of The Eastern Front Trilogy in paperback or its constituent e-books will go to helping Ukrainian refugees until all Ukrainians can return home safe from Russian military aggression. 
Contact the author by email to contact@writtenword.ca 
Support the podcast on Patreon.
Map 1: The situation in the summer of 1941
Map 2: The Battle of Smolensk 
The best tank of the war: the Soviet T34
 
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Лишь человек
 
The Soviet KV-1 heavy tank 
 
The Soviet PTRD-41 anti-tank gun 
Source: RIA Novosti archive, image #4408 / N. Bode / CC-BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. 
The Katyusha 
 
The Katyusha in action 
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Attribution: RIA Novosti archive, image #303890 / Zelma / CC-BY-SA 3.0 
 
Books cited in this episode: 
David Glantz: Operation Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941. Stroud, Gloucetershire, UK, 2011.  
David Stahel: Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
 

Episode 5: The USSR—defeated?

After the Battle of Smolensk, Germany changes its strategy. It diverts forces away from the drive on Moscow toward two other key objectives: Leningrad in the north, and Kyiv in Ukraine. 
This is how that played out. 
 
Map source: US Military Academy. 
Bibliography:
Glantz, David: Operation Barbarossa: Hitler’s Invasion of Russia, 1941. The History Press, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2001. https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/ 
Bury, Scott: Army of Worn Soles. The Written Word Publishing Company, Ottawa, Canada, 2012. https://writtenword.ca/books-by-scott-bury/army-of-worn-soles/
Music by Nicolas Bury. 

Episode 4: The Soviet Response

Operation Barbarossa caught the USSR unready. But that doesn't mean they were helpless. They hit back—hard. 
 
 
 

Episode 3: The Face-Off

Beyond Barbarossa, the first English-language podcast in the world to focus on the Eastern Front of World War II, takes a close look at the opposing forces facing off across the border on June 22, 1941. 
Music by Nicolas Bury. 
Links
Beyond Barbarossa: the website for more maps and information. 
Enjoy this podcast? Support us on Patreon to help cover the costs of production. 
The Eastern Front Trilogy: the true story of a Canadian drafted into the Soviet Red Army in 1941—just in time for Operation Barbarossa. 
Maps: 
The initial OKH plan for Operation Barbarossa
 
German advances to August 1941
 
Maps sources: World War II Database, United States Military Academy

Episode 2: The Twisted, Evil, Inside-Out Rom-Com

What brought Nazi Germany and the USSR to the brink of war in June 1941? What about their odd alliance in the late 1930s? 
The relationship between these opposite tyrannies played out like the macabre inverse of a romantic comedy. Nothing was funny.
Maps to help: 
Battle of Khalkin Gol 
 
German invasion of Poland: 
 
Soviet invasion of Poland 
 
Finland 1940 
 
 
 

Episode 1: Blitzkrieg

The first day of the biggest land invasion in the history of warfare.
See the maps on the website, https://beyondbarbarossa.podbean.com.
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.
Music by Nicolas Bury. 
Support the program by becoming a Patreon patron: https://www.patreon.com/BeyondBarbarossa 
Get all the info on the web page. 
Contact us by email: contact@writtenword.ca 
Follow the author on Twitter @ScottTheWriter 
Visit the Facebook page 
 
 
 
 

Journey east, Beyond Barbarossa

Beyond Barbarossa: The first English-language podcast to focus on the biggest part of World War II— the largest war in human history—the Eastern Front, launches June 22, 2022, the 81st anniversary.
Music by Nicolas Bury.