Wars of The World

In the spring of 1980, six armed individuals marched into the Iranian Embassy in South Kensington - London, England, where they took 26 people hostage, including visitors, staff and even a police officer. Over the course of five days, the group of gunmen made various demands, but progress was slow and British officials were more interested in negotiating for the safe return of the hostages. On day six, following the death of a hostage, the SAS conducted a raid, killing all but one of the gunmen. This siege not only thrust the SAS into the spotlight but also served to strengthen the UK government and the careers of several journalists who’d been caught in the crosshairs. Welcome to Wars of the World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Schutzstaffel, best known by its shortened name the SS, was a paramilitary organisation operating beneath Adolf Hitler during the Second World War. Beginning as a volunteer guard unit which acted as Hitler’s personal bodyguards, it eventually grew to become one of the most feared and powerful organisations in Nazi Germany, known for its rampant surveillance and ruthless punishments of those who didn’t swear loyalty to the Fuhrer. Worse still, the SS played a huge part in the Holocaust and was responsible for the dispatching of millions of Jews and other victims between 1939 and 1945. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The September 11th attacks in 2001 were quick to ignite America’s ‘Global War on Terrorism’. The main goal of this new conflict was to locate and destroy the terrorists responsible for the attack, with US leadership soon determining that the very group they were looking for was residing in Afghanistan. Over the years, Afghanistan had witnessed the rise of the Taliban, an extremist militant movement that had taken over the country with the help of al Qaeda. In late 2001, the US, aided by anti-Taliban tribe leaders, sought to overthrow the regime, with one of their biggest targets being the city of Kandahar. Welcome to Wars of the World Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the summer of 1815, the gruelling Battle of Waterloo raged. It would be the conflict that would finally put an end to the intermittent warfare between France and other European powers, and usher in the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte. But this bloody engagement would be costly, with Napoleon suffering as many as 26,000 casualties while European forces suffered around 24,000. It is considered the second bloodiest single-day battle in the Napoleonic Wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Falklands War raged between Argentina and the UK over the course of ten weeks in 1982, with the conflict being part of a bigger dispute over the sovereignty of the territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The difficult battle led to a total of 1,137 casualties for the British, including 107 captured, while the Argentinians suffered 13,619 casualties, including over 11,000 captured. The Falklands War has been the subject of numerous books, films and even songs over the years and is still a controversial conflict to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April 1945, the Soviet Union’s military, better known as the Red Army, began attacking Berlin from the east, south, and north. Throughout WW2, Berlin was used as the Third Reich's base and, as such, its capture by the Allies was of utmost importance. Over 1.5 million Red Army soldiers participated in the assault and their leaders were ruthless, willing to deal with tremendous casualties if it meant inflicting as much damage as possible to Nazi Germany. The losses that came as a result of this final battle were enormous: over 81,000 Soviet troops were killed while researchers observed that as many as 100,000 German troops and 125,000 civilians were killed during the conflict. Though Hitler took his own life on April 30th, the Battle of Berlin continued until early May and is considered one of the most gruelling fights of the overall Second World War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gestapo: Hitler's Secret Police... In today’s episode we will investigate the horrifying legacy of The Gestapo; Hitler’s secret police force; whose reign of terror during the Second World War was one of torture; mass surveillance and murder. So; who were The Gestapo? What was their purpose during those tumultuous years? What were their techniques and methods of law enforcement? And what happened to them after Hitler was defeated? Join us as we try to understand the mind-set and behaviours of ‘The Gestapo’. This is Wars of the World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode will focus on one of the biggest – and most important – turning points in world history; the Battle of Gettysburg. The three-day battle occurred during the American Civil War; a major conflict between the Northern and Southern states, led by the Union and Confederate armies. Between July 1st and July 3rd, 1863 thousands of men – from both sides of the divide - engaged in a bloody and tactical battle in the borough and town of Gettysburg in the state of Pennsylvania. The ferocious onslaught resulted in the end of the Confederacy's intentions to inaugurate an independent nation after the Union – led by Major General George Meade - defeated General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, forcing them to retreat and eventually surrender. Join us as we investigate what happened before (and during) those frantic three days; resulting in how the United States of America – and the world – changed forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every war has its battles for the cities and in 2003 as US forces, aided predominantly by the United Kingdom, invaded Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, planners in Washington knew that at some point their troops would have to go into the Iraqi capital of Baghdad if they were to ever oust the middle eastern dictator and his government as was the mission objective of Operation Iraqi Freedom. No one was under any illusions that Baghdad would be a tough nut to crack and despite the technological advantage enjoyed by US forces, years of operational experience from Vietnam to Somalia told US commanders that in the end it would largely be down to the skill andfighting spirit of the infantry. This is the story of the Fall of Baghdad. Welcome to Wars of the World Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Officially known as the German Reich, Nazi Germany was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when it was headed by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party, who governed by way of a totalitarian dictatorship. The term ‘Third Reich’ means ‘Third Realm’ or ‘Third Empire’, and refers to the Nazi declaration that Nazi Germany was the successor to both the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire, the latter of which took place between 1871 and 1918.  In Nazi Germany, life was difficult. Though there was little unemployment, workers were subject to poor wages and bad conditions. Women were to stay at home and produce children while children were indoctrinated with political propaganda as soon as they entered education. And, of course, many who didn’t fit the so-called ‘norms’ of society - whether it was due to their sexuality, religion, ethnicity, race, disabilities or unwillingness to fight in war - were punished and persecuted. Join us for this documentary as we explore the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices