109 episodes

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Witness History: World War Two BBC World Service

    • History
    • 4.3 • 229 Ratings

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    The 'comfort women' of World War Two

    The 'comfort women' of World War Two

    Between 1932 and 1945, hundreds of thousands of women and girls across Asia were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army.
    Referred to as "comfort women", they were taken from countries including Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia to be raped by Japanese soldiers.
    Today, the issue remains a source of tension between Japan and its neighbours, with continuing campaigns to compensate the few surviving victims.
    Dan Hardoon speaks to Chinese survivor Peng Zhuying who, along with her elder sister, was captured and taken to a "comfort station" in central China.
    This programme contains disturbing content.
    (Photo: People visit a museum dedicated to the victims, on the site of a former comfort station in China. Credit: Yang Bo/China News Service/VCG/Getty Images)

    • 9 min
    The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius

    The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius

    The Mount Vesuvius eruption that buried Pompeii in 79AD is well known, but far fewer people know about the last time the volcano erupted in 1944.
    It was World War Two, and families in southern Italy had already lived through a German invasion, air bombardment, and surrender to the Allies.
    And then at 16:30 on 18 March, Vesuvius erupted. The sky filled with violent explosions of rock and ash, and burning lava flowed down the slopes, devastating villages.
    By the time it was over, 11 days later, 26 people had died and about 12,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
    Angelina Formisano, who was nine, was among those evacuated from the village of San Sebastiano. She’s been speaking to Jane Wilkinson about being in the path of an erupting volcano.
    (Photo: Vesuvius erupting in March 1944. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

    • 9 min
    French child evacuees of World War Two

    French child evacuees of World War Two

    In August and September 1939, tens of thousands of children began to be evacuated from Paris.
    The move, part of France's 'passive defence' tactic, aimed to protect children from the threat of German bombardment.
    Colette Martel was just nine when she was taken from Paris to Savigny-Poil-Fol, a small town more than 300km from her home.
    She’s been speaking to her granddaughter, Carolyn Lamboley, about how her life changed. She particularly remembers how she struggled to fit in with her host family, and how it all changed because of a pair of clogs.
    (Photo: Colette (left) with her sister Solange in 1939. Credit: family photo)

    • 10 min
    The WW2 escape line that fooled the Nazis

    The WW2 escape line that fooled the Nazis

    In 1940 a daring rescue operation began to help Allied servicemen escape from Nazi-occupied France.
    French resistance fighter Roland Lepers was among those who guided stranded Allied soldiers and airmen to neutral Spain during World War Two. The 1,000 km route became known as the Pat O’Leary Escape Line - or the Pat Line.
    It’s estimated 7,000 Allied personnel escaped through this route and similar escape lines, thanks to a network of people who clothed, fed and hid them. Peter Janes was one of those British servicemen.
    Roland’s daughter Christine and Peter’s son Keith, speak to Jane Wilkinson about their fathers’ adventures.
    (Photo: German-controlled checkpoint in France, 1940. Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

    • 9 min
    Wang Jingwei: China’s traitor or protector?

    Wang Jingwei: China’s traitor or protector?

    In 1937, Japan invaded China committing atrocities including the Nanjing Massacre. Wang Jingwei was a Chinese national hero and second-in-command of China’s ruling Nationalist Party. He wanted to negotiate with Japan but his colleagues wouldn’t listen. So he defected, and in 1940 he agreed to lead a Japanese-controlled puppet government in Nanjing.
    Many Chinese have hated him ever since – his name is synonymous with the word ‘Hanjian’, a traitor to China.
    But Pan Chia-sheng’s memories of living under Wang Jingwei’s government tell a very different story. He speaks to Ben Henderson.
    (Photo: Wang Jingwei. Credit: Wang Wenxing via Wang Jingwei Irrevocable Trust)

    • 9 min
    Axis Sally: World War II traitor who broadcast for the Nazis

    Axis Sally: World War II traitor who broadcast for the Nazis

    In 1949, Mildred Gillars – otherwise known as Axis Sally – became the first woman in American history to be convicted of treason.
    The former Broadway showgirl broadcast antisemitic Nazi propaganda on German State Radio during World War Two.
    Her weekly shows were heard by thousands of American servicemen who gave her the nickname Axis Sally.
    After her capture, she denied being a traitor, but a jury in Washington convicted her of treason, and she served 12 years in prison. Jane Wilkinson has been looking through the BBC archives to uncover her story.
    (Photo: Mildred Gillars. Credit: Bettmann, Getty Images)

    • 9 min

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5
229 Ratings

229 Ratings

MediaMagicProductions ,

love this series!

Alot of detailed personal stories and a wealth of information within them. I’m so grateful for this series. I binge listen, and have probably heard them all quite a few times. My only regret is that I’m not a millionaire so I could donate funds to do hundreds more and retain tge wealth of knowledge that comes from tge human condition.

Thank you to all involved. Thank you!

eli-age8 ,

Did you know

The dam busters some of them where Canadian

Elijah Wynn ,

Superb

These episodes are short and keep your attention. Very intriguing and makes you think more about the past and points of view that you would not think about usually. Would recommend to all ages and friends.

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