🎧 The Fall of France
20th Century
•
32m
80 years ago this week, one of the most extraordinary evacuations in military history was under way: 'The Miracle of Dunkirk'. But how, and why, did the Allies find themselves in such a dire position? On this podcast, I was joined by one of the great historians of the Second World War, Peter Caddick-Adams, who took me through The Fall of France and the Low Countries - one of the most catastrophic defeats in military history. In just a couple of weeks, the German army achieved what it had failed to achieve in four years of brutal fighting in The Great War. They had bypassed the Maginot Line and crossed the the River Meuse to encircle much of the Allied forces at the port of Dunkirk. Was it technology, doctrine, or careless mistakes which allowed this to happen? How did each side utilise these events in the propaganda war? We also discussed the remarkable circumstances troops found themselves in - many of whom were fighting and commanding in exactly the same positions as they had in the First Word War, two and a half decades previously.
Up Next in 20th Century
-
🎧 The Fall of Jerusalem in 1917 with ...
On December 9th 1917, General Allenby took Jerusalem. Dan discusses the anniversary with Juliette Desplat from the the National Archives at Kew.
-
🎧 The Fall of the Berlin Wall with Ro...
9 November 1989 was one of the most significant dates in 20th century history. The Berlin Wall fell, changing the entire geopolitical situation and marking the start of the decline of Russia's world standing. Author Rory MacLean was present when the Wall fell, and he talks about the jubilation of...
-
🎧 The Fall of the Iron Lady with Ben ...
Ben Monro-Davies is a journalist who has interviewed all the surviving participants of the cabinet meeting in which Margaret Thatcher announced her decision to resign. He and Dan listen to the recordings, and chat about their significance, and the way Mrs Thatcher and others responded to her fall...
