The Danger Zone (DZ)

Paul Fordyce
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Paul conducts the guided tour at the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum, Cairns every Saturday at 10:30 am. Paul’s tour’s like what Carlsberg says about their beer, probably the best tour of an armour and artillery museum in the world. The Trip Advisor reviews of his Tour speak for themselves. This Podcast is like the Tour – only infinitely better. It looks at military history, in incredible detail, the likes of which you’ve never heard before. Never rushed – the topic is exhaustively covered in as many parts as are needed to do the topic full justice.

  1. DZ Season 064 Part 28. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 13 – The American Armies Are Exhausted.

    4D AGO

    DZ Season 064 Part 28. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 13 – The American Armies Are Exhausted.

    Hitler’s seemingly insane gamble in the Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge, wasn’t perhaps as crazy and desperate as it seemed or has been represented. Consider this. In Washington, after lunch on 27 December, 1944 Henry Stimson, the Secretary for War, walked over to the War Department. He went into Marshall’s office and sat down. He had come to talk about the unthinkable. Stimson later recollected what Marshall had said to him: if Germany beat us in this counter-attack and particularly if the Russians failed to come in on their side, we should have to recast the whole war; we should have to take a defensive position on the German boundary — which he believed we could do with perfect safety — and then have the people of the United States decide whether they wanted to go on with the war enough to raise the new armies which would be necessary to do it. so wrote David Irving in his book The War Between the Generals. Did Hitler almost succeed in driving America out of the war? Tag words: Hitler; Battle of the Bulge; Henry Stimson; Marshall; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutentants; Eisenhower; Bradley; Nigel Hamilton; iThe Battles of Field Marshall Montgomery; Monty; Carlo d’Este; Patton; Stalin; Air Marshal Tedder; Major General Harold R. Bull; Operation OVERLORD; General Somervell; replacements; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals;

    31 min
  2. DZ Season 064 Part 27. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 12 – Don't come in George, if you're not bringing good news.

    FEB 18

    DZ Season 064 Part 27. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 12 – Don't come in George, if you're not bringing good news.

    Just a few weeks before the Germans launched their massive and unexpected offensive in the Ardennes on 16 December 1944, Major General Pete Quesada, the commander of IX Tactical Air Command, reported a conference he had had with General Hodges, commander of the First US Army: "He went on and on about how we might lose the war …". Hodges was the last man you would want commanding exactly this army. And he was the man that General Bradley wanted to be leading the charge into the German northern flank of their offensive. Tag words: Major General Pete Quesada; IX Tactical Air Command; General Hodges; First US Army; General Omar Bradley; Nigel Hamilton; The Battles of Field Marshal Montgomery; Air Marshal Coningham; XXIX Tactical Command; Eisenhower; Otto Skorzeny; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; Ardennes offensive; Battle of the Bulge; Patton;Marshall; Bastogne; Brigadier General Sibert; 12 Army Group; Hürtgen Forest; Rick Atkinson; Captain Sylvan; Rundstedt;

    23 min
  3. DZ Season 064 Part 26. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 11 – Would You Follow a General Who Hid From the Enemy.

    FEB 11

    DZ Season 064 Part 26. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 11 – Would You Follow a General Who Hid From the Enemy.

    20th December 1944 proved a momentous day for Eisenhower, Bradley and Mongomery. Bradley’s ego was shattered by his best and most trusted friend. Montgomery was about to have greatness thrust upon him. The lives of the top Allied generals were reported to be in danger from Otto Skorzeny’s assassination squads dressed in American uniforms, carrying American arms and riding in American vehicles. And Bradley was dropping the ball big time. Tag words: Eisenhower; Bradley; Mongomery; Otto Skorzeny; Ardennes; US First Army; Battle of the Bulge; Hodges; Nigel Hamilton; The Battles of Field Marshal Montgomery; SHAEF; 82nd Airborne Division; 101st U.S. Airborne Division; General Patton; Carlo d’Este; de Guingand; Bedell Smith;Major Hansen; Bastogne; Verdun; Kay Summersby;

    21 min
  4. DZ Season 064 Part 25. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 10 – The Truth Was That Bradley Himself Had Nothing Under Control.

    FEB 4

    DZ Season 064 Part 25. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 10 – The Truth Was That Bradley Himself Had Nothing Under Control.

    … on December 20, during Eisenhower's morning staff conference, Ike telephoned Bradley and emphatically stated, "Where is the line you can hold the best and the cheapest? I don't care how far back it is." Bradley was in no position to supply Eisenhower with answers. What had convinced Smith that a changeover was vital was that 12th Army Group had lost communications with First Army for more than forty-eight hours. Moreover, Bradley had no idea whatsoever if Hodges had the situation under control, which — as has been conclusively shown — he did not during the crucial first days of the battle. The truth was that Bradley himself had nothing under control and was in no position to influence the outcome of the battle from his headquarters in Luxembourg. Smith called it "an open-and-shut case. wrote Carlo d’Este in his biography of Eisenhower. Tag words: Eisenhower; Bradley; 12th Army Group; First Army; Hodges; Carlo d’Este; Monty; LO’s; Liaison Officers; Nigel Hamilton; The Battles of Field Marshal Montgomery; Major General Hasbrouck; Fifth Panzer Army; Battle of the Bulge; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Roer dams; Hotel Britannique; Spa; Kay Summersby; Major Hansen; Ernest Hemingway; Patton; Russell Weigley; General Strong; Ardennes; Middleton; Rundstedt; Hitler; EAGLE TAC; Luxembourg; Sibert; Sixth SS Panzer Army; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; Major-General William Kean; Stimson;

    28 min
  5. DZ Season 064 Part 24. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 9 – Germany was achieving near-miracles in fighter production.

    JAN 28

    DZ Season 064 Part 24. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 9 – Germany was achieving near-miracles in fighter production.

    On 19 October 1944,  Spaatz flew on to Luxembourg to visit Bradley. Bradley told him he planned to start his big offensive toward the Rhine on November 10. Spaatz wanted it sooner than that. Hitler's jet fighters were appearing in growing force, and they threatened to drive Spaatz's daylight bomber formations from the skies. "To maintain our present air supremacy over the Hun," warned Spaatz, "will cost the strategic air force about forty thousand crew members . . . . So it's essential for the armies to get to the Rhine as quickly as possible so that we can secure additional airfields for our fighters." David Irving wrote in his book The War Between the Generals. Tag words: Spaatz; General Bradley; Hitler; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; Luftwaffe; Bf 109s; Fw 190s; Messerschmitt 163; Me163;Messerschmitt 262; Me262; Ar 234; Bedell Smith; Battle of the Bulge; Bastogne; Field Marshall Mongomery; Nigel Hamilton; The Battles of Field Marshal Montgomery; Los; liaison officers; Hodges; 21st Army Group; Eisenhower; Brigadier Williams; Major General Strong; General Simpson; Patton; General Collins; 7th U.S. Armored Division; 106th U.S. Infantry Division; Horrocks; SHAEF; General Middleton;

    29 min
  6. DZ Season 064 Part 23. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 8 – where in hell has this son of a bitch gotten all his strength.

    JAN 21

    DZ Season 064 Part 23. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 8 – where in hell has this son of a bitch gotten all his strength.

    The Germans had launched their massive Ardennes offensive on the morning of 16th December. Bradley had brushed it off as a spoiling attack. … by Sunday afternoon, December 17, Bradley had conceded misjudgment in his previous evening's modest estimate of the enemy effort. "This is Rundstedt's all-out attack," Bradley now announced. "Pardon my French — " he said over the situation map, " — I think the situation justifies it — but where in hell has this son of a bitch gotten all his strength?" – Russell Weigley wrote in his book Eisenhower’s Lieutenants. It was a good question. Tag words: Ardennes offensive; Battle of the Bulge; General Omar Bradley; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; The Morgenthau Plan; Dexter White; Stalin; Churchill; Sean McMeekin; Stalin’s War; Roosevelt; Goebbels; Hitler; Eisenhower; General Marshall; Volksgrenadier divisions; Luftwaffe;

    24 min
  7. DZ Season 064 Part 22. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 7 – Winter Unpreparedness – History Repeats Itself - Part 22

    JAN 14

    DZ Season 064 Part 22. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 7 – Winter Unpreparedness – History Repeats Itself - Part 22

    In his book Retreat from Moscow, David Stahel relates: If the German troops retained a general measure of faith in their commanders, this is not to say it came without qualifications. The most common complaint was the absence of winter clothing, which by early December 1941 was a criticism that had been dragging on for two months. The extent of the problem justified, in the starkest of terms, a questioning of faith in the German leadership. …. According to Colonel Wilhelm von Rücker, attached to the planning staff of the quartermaster-general's office, "a few hundred additional trains would have had to be sent" to meet the needs of the troops for the coming winter. Not only was there not the transport capacity for winter equipment, but also other high-priority matériel, such as fuel and ammunition, were already failing to arrive in the required quantities, and the quartermaster-general had to have known this. By November 13 Wagner had had a complete change of heart and acknowledged there were nowhere near enough trains reaching Army Group Center, meaning the urgently requested winter clothing could only be transported to the front at the expense of other supplies Now I can understand if you’re saying what has this got to do with Bradley, the GI’s General and the war in North Western Europe. I’m going to have to tell you that the answer is everything. Tell me if the American position with the American troops in Europe in late 1944 sounds similar. Tag words: Retreat from Moscow; David Stahel; Bradley; GI General; Hank Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; ComZ; frostbite; Major General Robert Littlejohn; Eisenhower; Ardennes offensive; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Carlo d’Este; A Genius for War; Nigel Hamilton; The Battles of Field Marshal Montgomery; Otto Skorzeny; Patton; 12th Army Group; trench foot;

    27 min
  8. DZ Season 064 Part 21. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 6 – He’s Really a Moron – Who Said That and About Whom

    JAN 7

    DZ Season 064 Part 21. End the War in 44 – Only Human – Bradley 6 – He’s Really a Moron – Who Said That and About Whom

    “He was really a moron”. Which of Eisenhower’s generals said that, and who was he referring to. Stick around and I’ll tell you. Tag words: Eisenhower; Rick Atkinson; The Guns at Last Light; Bradley; Carlo d’Este; US 12th Army Group; Lt. Gen. Courtney Hicks Hodges; Bedell Smith; Forrest Poague; American First Army; General George S Patton Jr; Geoffrey Perret; There’s a War to be Won; Hürtgen Forest; Life magazine; Wilderness campaign; Argonne campaign; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; 28th Division; the Bloody Bucketeers; Field Marshal Walter Model; Hitler’s Fireman; Major General Dutch Cota; General Gerow; Shermans; Panthers; Panzer IV; Ernest Hemingway; Hank Cox;  The General Who Wore Six Stars;

    34 min
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About

Paul conducts the guided tour at the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum, Cairns every Saturday at 10:30 am. Paul’s tour’s like what Carlsberg says about their beer, probably the best tour of an armour and artillery museum in the world. The Trip Advisor reviews of his Tour speak for themselves. This Podcast is like the Tour – only infinitely better. It looks at military history, in incredible detail, the likes of which you’ve never heard before. Never rushed – the topic is exhaustively covered in as many parts as are needed to do the topic full justice.

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Fordyce
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    312
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paul Fordyce
  • Show Website
    The Danger Zone (DZ)