Why We Fight ~ 1944

In this episode, Dr. David Dworak, Provost of the US Army War College, shares how the Army learned to sustain a theater during the time between Operation Torch and Operation Husky. This type of sustainment requires a delicate balance between support forces and combat forces, and the addition of enemy prisoners of war, as well as the integration of the Free French forces with the Allies, posed unique challenges for Allied support forces, as Dr. Dworak explains. There are also some interesting anecdotes in the episode, but I don't want to spoil it :) Dr. Dworak will be back during the Sicily Campaign part of the series to talk about the Administration of the Mediterranean Theater. Links War of Supply: World War II Allied Logistics in the Mediterranean (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/44hjSDo) The US Army Center of Military History has quite a few books on Army Logistics, Sustainment, and other aspects of the war, for anyone looking to learn more: https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/11-9/11-9c.htm http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode I am joined by Chloe Melas, granddaughter of Frank Murphy who is the author of "Luck of the Draw: My Story of the Air War in Europe". Originally self-published, Frank's memoir was written with remarkable care to honor the history and the facts, not just for his incredible story but for those of the men beside him. After his passing, Chloe and her family worked to republish Frank's memoir, which very quickly became a best seller. All proceeds for "Luck of the Draw" go to support the Mighty Eighth Museum and the 100th Bomb Group Foundation. You can find the book at the website below or wherever you normally get your books. Links Luck of the Draw website (https://luckofthedraw.us/) Mighty Eighth Museum (https://www.mightyeighth.org/) 100th Bomb Group Foundation (https://www.100thbg.com/)

Dr. Brian Laslie, Command Historian of the United States Air Force Academy, joins me in this episode to talk about General Laurence S. Kuter ("it's pronounced like pewter"), the subject of one of his books. It's a fun episode full of personal stories about Larry Kuter and his wife, how Dr. Laslie came to write this book, and insights into just how integral Kuter was to the birth of the modern Air Force. Links: Architect of Air Power: General Laurence S. Kuter and the Birth of the US Air Force (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/4346O30) The Air Force Way of War: US Tactics and Training After Vietnam (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3XsVZ9G) Air Power's Lost Cause: The American Air Wars of Vietnam (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3Nwnvyo) Victory Through Air Power (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3prbFOa) Victory Through Air Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUeKeN9bXSE) From Balloons to Drones: Air Power Throughout the Ages (website https://balloonstodrones.com/ and podcast https://balloonstodrones.com/podcasts/) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode, Dr. Samuel Wallace helps explain the way the Allies were learning in 1942-43 throughout the final six months or so of the North Africa Campaign following Operation Torch, and the ways in which the Axis forces were not learning some of the same lessons they were having issues with. It's a long one, but full of fantastic details that Sam brings from his dissertation research. While we did not fully resolve all of the issues we were learning to deal with before going into Sicily in July 1943, the Allies' capacity for adaptation and improvement, along with innate American optimism and confidence, were really helping us improve at an incredible pace.

In this episode I'm joined by Alexander Dumont, a British Army Officer working at the US National Training Center in the California desert, which makes his topic of German Submarines all the more unexpected and interesting. Alex tells us about the hazards of submarine warfare, not just because of the unrestricted nature but even a toilet could take out a sub. He also talks about the technology, gunnery, diving, and other activities of submariners at this time, and how the late spring 1943 was a turning point for U-Boats, going from two "Happy Times" to a very unhappy time that will ultimately last for the rest of the war. The book Alex mentions in the beginning of the episode is Business in Great Waters by John Terraine, which can be found here if you'd like the Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3XuGK04 but it's pricy so maybe check your local library first :) He also mentioned U-505, "the only German sub in the US" which can be seen at the Chicago Museum of Science + Industry (https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/u-505-submarine/). http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Ryan Wadle, Associate Professor with the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research at the US Naval War College. To this point in these series I have largely ignored the naval component because I couldn't do the topic justice on my own, but Ryan helps with a discussion of both the Atlantic and the Pacific, the challenges the US Navy faced during the early years of the war, before and after the US was officially part of WWII, and we round that out with a few bits of conversation on war movies and book recommendations. Links How the War Was Won by Phillips Payson O'Brien (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3NAnMSh) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/ *Note: Around the 71 min mark I comment that the Army was mostly only training and preparing for Operation Torch throughout 1942. I do note at other times that the Army was already involved in the Pacific Theater -- when I made that comment regarding Torch I was only referring to the Atlantic / ETO / MTO / North Africa, which has been and will continue to be the area I focus on. The USMC Museum, 40th Infantry Division (CAARNG), and several others are contributing episodes on the Pacific Theater, however, and we have a handful of those episodes coming up this summer. I've decided to release them in close proximity as they are interconnected stories -- so stay tuned!

In this episode, historian and author Jane Gulliford Lowes tells us about the daily lives of Royal Air Force Bomber Crews in 1943, including the story of her Great Uncle. With absolutely astonishing attrition rates, her Uncle Jack’s survival is nothing short of remarkable. The story also brings us some insight into the amount of stress these young men experienced, no doubt having lasting effects on those who survived the war. While not air force-specific, we do have an episode coming up in a couple of weeks that talks about combat fatigue and PTSD, and how we approach it so differently now. Jane's website (https://www.justcuriousjane.com/) Above Us the Stars: 10 Squadron's Bomber Command - The Wireless Operator's Story (https://www.justcuriousjane.com/above-us-the-stars/ with links to purchase or Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3ILSBAC) (About Affiliate Links http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/)

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Eileen Bjorkman, retired US Air Force Colonel and author of the book The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat. While the book talks about more recent Air Force history, Eileen does include the WASP in her book so I asked her if she would help expand the story a bit and also share her insight as a woman who also happens to be a retired Air Force Colonel and a pilot. Eileen's book The Fly Girls Revolt is now available and can be found here (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Fly-Girls-Revolt/Eileen-A-Bjorkman/9781637585948) and here (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3MRhwVJ) Other Links: https://eileenbjorkman.com/books https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108531/eileen-a-bjorkman/ http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

Dr. Christopher Rein joins me again, this time to talk about Command Relationships in 1943, although we got a little sidetracked and ended up expanding the discussion to Multinational Partnerships and even the present-day NATO Alliance. Since it was all interesting, we decided to keep it all in the finished episode. Book recommendations from Dr. Rein's episodes: The North African Air Campaign: US Army Air Forces from El Alamein to Salerno by Dr. Christopher Rein (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3ByGbYF) Stopping the Panzers: The Untold Story of D-Day by Marc Milner (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3BoGNjP) Panzers in Normandy: General Hans Ederbach and the German Defense of France, 1944 by Samuel Mitcham (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3Ieh3KN) The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II by Douglas Porch (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3Oddvwa) Divisions: A New History of Racism and Resistance in America's World War II Military by Thomas Guglielmo (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3O6P17H) The Mediterranean Air War: Airpower and Allied Victory in World War II by Robert Ehlers (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/42EnVcz) TORCH: North Africa and the Allied Path to Victory by Vincent O'Hara (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/452Yl2n) Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night, 1904-1944 Edited by Vincent O'Hara and Trent Hone (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/42Dquvq) Weaving the Tangled Web: Military Deception in Large-Scale Combat Operations by Christopher Rein (https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/September-October-2018/Tangled-Web/) Weaving the Tangled Web (full book down https://www.armyupress.army.mil/books/large-scale-combat-operations-book-set/) Air University Press (https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress/) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/

Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz, senior historian with the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at the National World War II Museum, joins me in this episode to talk about Japanese-Americans in the United States during World War II, including a little more on the Japanese-American Army units and the War Department's "loyalty questionnaire", and the role of the US Army in the Japanese-American incarceration. Dr. Hinnershitz also talks about the importance of using the correct words when talking about history, common myths and misconceptions that have continued to this day, and she offers some great advice for current and aspiring historians and researchers. The National World War II Museum (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/) Japanese American Incarceration: The Camps and Coerced Labor During World War II (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3BWBI2x) Japanese American Incarceration: The Camps and Coerced Labor (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/japanese-american-incarceration-camps-coerced-labor) Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3BElpqU) Densho - Preserving Japanese American stories of the past for the generations of tomorrow. (https://densho.org/) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/