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Bringing you the strangest anecdotes, most innovative technology, and most significant events in Military History. Primary Format : Education Language : English Also Listed as: City : Seattle State/Province : WA Country : USA Region : NA User Tags: User Votes: RSS Feed Website People found this Podcast Searching for: View this Podcast on a Google Map. Podcast iTunes Link Text Only listing of Military History Podcast Podcasts Methings.com listings of Military History Podcast Podcasts If you like this podcast, you might also like:

US Special Operations Forces US Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, is divided up into the following. I will talk about each individual unit listed.Army: 75th Ranger Regiment, Special Forces (Green Berets), 160th SOAR (Night Stalkers)Navy: SEALs, and SWCCs (Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen)Air Force: Pararescuemen (PJs), Combat Controllers (CCTs)Marine Corps: Marine Force ReconJoint: Delta Force, DEVGRU, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Intelligence Support Activity For more information, read:US Special Forces ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Planning the American Civil War This episode answers four basic questions: Why were both North and South so unprepared for war?Which side had the initial advantage?Did the South have to secede?  Did the North have to respond with military force?Was Northern victory inevitable? For information on sources, email me. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Farragut and the Vicksburg Campaign Vicksburg was a Confederate fortress guarding the Mississippi River during the American Civil War.  It was the only thing stopping the Union from taking control of the all-powerful Mississippi waterway.  Although the Vicksburg Campaign is most famously associated with General Ulysses Grant (whose capture of the fortress is considered a major turning point in the war), there were many earlier Union campaigns to take control of Vicksburg.  One of these campaigns, led by Navy Ad ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Democracy in Iraq Why has democracy failed in Iraq?  Here are some potential theories, with their originators in parentheses: Modernization (Rostow, Lipset): Iraq is not wealthy, urban, modern, or secular enough to support democracy.  It has not followed the same path to development that Western democracies have set out, and thus, it is not yet ready.Cultural (Huntington, Weber): Iraqis are not inherently suitable for democracy, simply because their culture favors an authoritarian style of governme ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Troop Surge in Iraq This episode focuses on the decision-making strategies that President Bush used in December of 2006 before choosing to commit the troop surge.  Things discussed include: the release of the Iraq Study Group Report, the 2006 midterm elections, Bush's meeting with Generals Keane and Downing, and Bush's relationship with General Petraeus and Secretary Gates.  At the end of the episode is a recap on the success of the troop surge, as well as an analysis of President Bush's leadership d ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Forces of Nature (2) Whether they are seen as acts of God, or as simple climate-related occurrences, natural events have always had a sizeable impact on military operations. At the small end of the scale are the little changes in terrain or weather that may affect a battle or a small war. For example, many armies have postponed their campaigns due to inclement weather conditions, and many militaries have suffered from rampant disease. On the other end of the scale are the times when nature has so much of an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Forces of Nature (1) Whether they are seen as acts of God, or as simple climate-related occurrences, natural events have always had a sizeable impact on military operations.  At the small end of the scale are the little changes in terrain or weather that may affect a battle or a small war.  For example, many armies have postponed their campaigns due to inclement weather conditions, and many militaries have suffered from rampant disease.  On the other end of the scale are the times when nature has ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Occupying Iraq (2003-2007) This episode covers the period between Bush's declaration of "Mission Accomplished" and the change in coalition leadership (from General Casey to General Petraeus).  The following major events and topics are discussed: 2003: Deaths of Saddam's two sons (Qusay and Uday), capture of Saddam, Baathist Purge, National Museum looting, and Bremer's disbanding of the Iraqi Army.2004: Sectarian violence and displacement, Operation Vigiliant Resolve (1st Fallujah), Battle of Ramadi, B ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Philosophy of War (2) According to Lawrence Keeley, "90-95% of known societies engage in war". Why? What compels homo sapiens to kill each other? Why do we fight? Part one will describe two hypotheses.War is Necessary:Aristotle says in Nicomachean Ethics that "we fight war so that we may live in peace". This notion is echoed by many other famous thinkers including Marx (an advocate of a final proletarian revolution in order to establish a worker's paradise) and Zoroaster (the first monotheist ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Philosophy of War (1) According to Lawrence Keeley, "90-95% of known societies engage in war". Why? What compels homo sapiens to kill each other? Why do we fight? Part one will describe two hypotheses.War is Rational:Sun Tzu argued that political struggles would eventually lead to armed conflict. Clausewitz took this one step further by saying that "war is a mere continuation of policy by other means". Machiavelli completed this entire line of thought by saying that war was the most efficient ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was a poor peasant girl from Lorraine. One day, she had a vision in which three saints urged her to lead the French to victory over the English in the Hundred Years' War. She traveled to Charles VII's court and was appointed head of the French Army (headed to relieve the besieged city of Orleans) because her unlikely presence would inspire hope in the French forces. Upon arriving in Orleans, Joan launched several counterattacks against the English and broke the siege ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Frederick the Great Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, is considered the best commander of the European Enlightenment.  Despite possessing relatively few people and resources, he transformed the tiny Prussian state into a great military power (which arguably wouldn't be brought down until 1945).  Strategically, he modernized the Prussian military into a well-trained, well-disciplined unit.  He taught them to fire faster, march with more precision, and deploy artillery quicker.  Tacticall ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Lincoln's Assassination President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a southern sympathizer and a self-proclaimed modern-day Brutus, on April 14th, 1865 (five days after the end of the Civil War). Booth snuck into Lincoln's viewing Booth at the Ford's Theater while Lincoln was watching "Our American Cousin" and shot him in the back of the head. Booth then jumped down onto the stage and ran out the back door. The ensuing manhunt eventually caught up with him in the swamps of the Potoma ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crassus vs. Spartacus Crassus was the wealthiest man in Rome.  Before he joined the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Caesar, he struggled to make a name for himself.  His big break came with the outbreak of the Third Servile War, when Spartacus led a slave rebellion throughout the Italian Peninsula.  Spartacus and his men wreaked havoc throughout the region, defeating several Roman legions.  Although his original plan was to escape to Gaul and head home, Spartacus decided to head south towar ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Anglo-Dutch Wars Today's episode's script was written by Andrew Tumath of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.  To submit your own script, please send them to me at militaryhistorypodcast@gmail.com The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of the distinct conflicts waged between England and the United Provinces (modern-day Netherlands) in the middle years of the 17th-century. Fought for different reasons, alongside different allies, and with different results, the wars pitted the two great maritime powers of the period ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Iraq's Environment This episode is an analysis of the environmental impacts of the current war in Iraq.  There are several major categories, each of which will be discussed.  This episode is meant to be an overview of the rarely-discussed ecological situation in Iraq, rather than a persuasive piece towards one viewpoint or another.  The entire episode will revolve around environmental issues--political and strategic issues and biases will not be included. Negative Effects:Oil Fires: Saddam l ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The John McCains John McCain Sr: Admiral, Commander of Fast Carrier Task Force in South Pacific during WWII John McCain Jr: Admiral, Commander of Pacific Command during Vietnam War John McCain III: Navy aviator, shot down in Hanoi, tortured as a prisoner of war for 5.5 years, currently running for Republican nomination for President of the United States Other presidential candidates with military experience are: Chris Dodd: Army ReserveMike Gravel: Lieutenant, Counter-Intelligence Corps (West Germany)Ron P ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sports - War minus the Shooting The title of this episode comes from the following George Orwell quote: âSerious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard for all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting." This is meant to be a fun episode on the similarities between football, chess, and war. Please take each analogy with a grain of salt.Football (two armies fighting to reach the opposing camp/end zone) ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Food of WWII This episode is written by Russell Holman of Merrimack, New Hampshire.  If you would like to submit a script to Military History Podcast, please send me an email at militaryhistorypodcast@gmail.com The mighty American military during WWII would have been nothing without its surprisingly-important rationing system.  Food kept the United States going, so therefore, it is well worth studying.  Throughout WWII and the years beyond, the US entered/exited several "eras" ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Aircraft Carriers Aircraft Carriers are the ultimate tool of modern power projection.  They are symbols of both naval strength and air superiority.  This episode covers their history and their future: 1840s: Balloon Carriers are invented1900s: Seaplane Carriers are invented1910s: Modern aircraft carriers are invented1930s-1940s: WWII (five major carrier battles) Pearl Harbor: Japan's six carriers surprise the United States NavyCoral Sea: Japan's three carriers engage America's two carriers (both ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website War in Bosnia After the fall of the Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavian countries began to divide along ethnic lines.  Of the five states (Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia), three of them began waging war: Serbia (Orthodox Christians) under Slobodan MilosevicBosnia (Muslims) under Alija IzetbegovicCroatia (Roman Catholics) under Franjo Tudjman Initially, both Croatia and Serbia desired to take land from Bosnia.  However, as the war progressed, Cr ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Operation Downfall Operation Downfall was the proposed invasion of mainland Japan by Allied Forces near the end of WWII.  It was canceled because the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered, thereby removing the need for a military conquest.  It would have been the largest amphibious invasion in history, and it would have been the first time that a foreign power had set foot on mainland Japanese soil (in the country's 2500 year history).  Operation Downfall had two parts: Operation Ol ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Peloponnesian War (Part Two) The Peloponnesian War was fought by Athens and Sparta in the late 5th century BC.  It was an epic war between two superpowers, and the similarities to the Cold War are numerous.  Since most people know about the Cold War, since it was so recent, I will summarize this episode via comparisons between it and the Peloponnesian War. This second episode covers the Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis to the surrender of Athens. The Participants: Athens/United States: wealthy ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Peloponnesian War (Part One) The Peloponnesian War was fought by Athens and Sparta in the late 5th century BC.  It was an epic war between two superpowers, and the similarities to the Cold War are numerous.  Since most people know about the Cold War, since it was so recent, I will summarize this episode via comparisons between it and the Peloponnesian War. This first episode covers the beginning through the Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis. The Participants: Athens/United States: wealthy, democratic ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The 100 Best Clips of MHP (51-100) This episode is the 101st episode of Military History Podcast. It is a compilation of 100 MHP clips, tidbits, and funfacts. It is split into two parts: this is part two.  Feel free to post any clips that I failed to mention in the episode.Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The 100 Best Clips of MHP (1-50) This episode is the 100th episode of Military History Podcast.  It is a compilation of 100 MHP clips, tidbits, and funfacts.  It is split into two parts: this is part one. Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and the US Navy Reserve Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Canadians at Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 1917) was a turning point in WWI.  It was the first great allied victory.  It also continues to be the greatest event in modern Canada's military history. The 100,000 Canadians of the Canadian Corps were commanded by Arthur Currie.  Currie began numerous preparations including: Giving maps to all Canadian troops, not just the officersTraining all Canadian troops on a replica of Vimy RidgeBuilding an elaborate tunnel system underneath no man's ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Most Dangerous Man in Europe "The Most Dangerous Man in Europe" was how Eisenhower described Otto Skorzeny, Nazi Germany's most famous commando and special operations leader.  Before he became the leader of Jagdverbande 502 (a special operations unit), Skorzeny fought on the Eastern Front and even won an Iron Cross for bravery. His most famous mission was Operation Oak, the search and rescue of Benito Mussolini, who had been captured and imprisoned by his rivals in the Italy.  Skorzeny led a glide ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Sword of Allah (Part Two) The Sword of Allah refers to Khalid ibn al-Walid, the prophet Mohammad's top general. Khalid commanded over 100 battles and never lost, making him the most undefeated general in history. He usually fought in the front lines either as a cavalry commander or as a champion dueler. This is the first of a two-part episode. This part will cover Khalid's conquest of Byzantine Syria:Some famous battles on the Syrian front include: Bosra, Ajnadayn, and Damascus. The Siege of Damascus saw the first u ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Sword of Allah (Part One) The Sword of Allah refers to Khalid ibn al-Walid, the prophet Mohammad's top general.  Khalid commanded over 100 battles and never lost, making him the most undefeated general in history.  He usually fought in the front lines either as a cavalry commander or as a champion dueler.  This is the first of a two-part episode.  This part will cover Khalid's conquests of Arabia and Persia: Khalid ibn al-Walid originally fought with the Meccan Quraiysh tribe against Mohammad an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Warsaw Uprisings - Contemnit Procellas Warsaw is the capital of Poland.  It's motto is "Contemnit Procellas", which means "it defies the storms".  It is a fitting motto because Warsaw continues to be the site of many uprisings, rebellions, and power shifts.  Two of them were especially devastating: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943): Led by Mordecai Anielewicz of the ZOB and the ZZW.  1000 Jewish resistance fighters vs. 2842 German SS forces.  Jews are defeated, and deportations to extermi ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website DARPA's Revolution in Military Affairs The Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was founded in 1958 in order to ensure that the science gap remained in the US's favor.  Many great empires, such as the Mongols, Chinese, Ottomans, Mughals, and later, the Soviets, fell from grace because they missed out on major military revolutions, such as the Gunpowder Revolution, the Two Industrial Revolutions, and the Information Revolution.  America was determined to not let it happen to them.  ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Scorpion Down This episode is a summary of the USS Scorpion incident of 1968 and a review of the book, Scorpion Down, by Ed Offley (Published by Perseus Books). The USS Scorpion, a Skipjack-class nuclear submarine, was heading from the Mediterranean Sea to Norfolk, Virginia, when it mysteriously sank, making it only the second nuclear submarine that the US Navy has ever lost. The US Navy and other authors claimed that the USS Scorpion and its 99 crew members were lost because of a weapons accident or bec ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Major General Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States.  He had the fourth highest rank of all the presidents, below Washington, Eisenhower, and Grant.  He is also considered to be the nation's ninth greatest president, after Lincoln, FDR, Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, and Truman.  Therefore, he is the second greatest warrior-president in US History, after only George Washington, himself. Andrew Jackson's military career began in the War of 1812.  F ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website MacArthur - American Caesar (2) As Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area, Douglas MacArthur led an island-hopping campaign (Operation Cartwheel) known as "hit em where they aint".  He avoided major Japanese garrisons and conquered from Australia, up through New Guinea, and to the Philippines.  Upon wading ashore at Leyte during the Battle of Leyte, he proclaimed "I have returned".  MacArthur was chosen to lead Operation Downfall (the invasion of Japan), but the war ended ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website MacArthur - American Caesar (1) Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1880.  He was the grandson of a former governor of Wisconsin, and the son of a medal-of-honor-winning military governor of the Philippines.  He attended West Point and graduated first in his class.  After a brief stint as an aide to his father, he became the chief of staff of the 42nd Rainbow Infantry Division in France during WWI.  He led the division through the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the Battle of St. Mihiel ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The British Empire (Part 2) The British Empire is the largest (14.1 million square miles) and most populous (532 million people) empire in history. It is the reason why English is one of the world's most important languages, why 1/3 of the world drives on the left, and why much of the world uses the parliamentary system. Another testament to its power is the fact that one of its former colonies, the United States of America, is the current hyperpower.In addition to colonizing the British Isles and North America (discu ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The British Empire (Part 1) The British Empire is the largest (14.1 million square miles) and most populous (532 million people) empire in history.  It is the reason why English is one of the world's most important languages, why 1/3 of the world drives on the left, and why much of the world uses the parliamentary system.  Another testament to its power is the fact that one of its former colonies, the United States of America, is the current hyperpower. The British Empire began in 1066 with the Battle of Ha ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg (lightning war) was the military doctrine of Germany during the first half of WWII.  It consisted of an all-mechanized army blowing through the enemy lines (via air support and artillery support) so fast that the enemy would be overwhelmed and defeated.  Blitzkrieg relied on a highly mobile and highly professional army.  It was developed after WWII by Heinz Guderian, author of Achtung: Panzer. Blitzkrieg warfare was applied in five major places: Spanish Civil War ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Falklands War (1982) The Falklands War is one of the few modern wars between two modern adversaries (in this case, Argentina and Britain).  The war was over the Falkland Islands, off of the southeastern coast of Argentina which Britain held and Argentina claimed. General Leopold Galtieri, leader of Argentina, decided to act because he needed something to justify his military government.  He launched Operation Azul to successfully capture the islands.  Margaret Thatcher, leader of Britain, decide ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Iran-Iraq War The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), also known as Saddam's Qadisiyyah, the Holy Defense, and the Iraqi-Imposed War, had a devastating effect on both participants.  The war features many attacks and counterattacks, though in the end, nothing changed.  Some causes of the war include: Khuzestan Border DisputeStruggle for Middle Eastern SupremacySunni vs. Shiite SchismShatt al-Arab Waterway DisputeIranian-sponsored assassination attempt against Tariq Aziz (Iraqi minister) Iraq's invasion ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Nader Shah-Napoleon of Persia Nader Shah was the founder of the Afsharid Dynasty of Persia, lasting from 1736 to 1747.  During this time, this "second Alexander" returned Persia to its Sassanid-era borders.  After pushing the anti-Safavid Afghan invaders out of Persia, Nader invaded Afghanistan and took the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, and Lahore.  In the western theater, Nader Shah gained many cities from Ottoman Mesopotamia, including Najaf, Karbala, and Basra.  However, he was stopped at t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Machiavelli's Prince Niccolo Machiavelli was a political and military philosopher around 1500AD in Florence, Italy during the Italian Renaissance.  His name is associated with shrewd, cunning rule.  His most famous work, The Prince, features many tips for princes to conquer territory (whether it is decentralized, or centralized): Destroy the previous hereditary lineAttack the strong, leave the weakAct unilaterallyLive in the conquered territorySend in colonists rather than soldiersCommit all crimes si ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Shamil Basayev-Chechnya's Bin Laden (2) Shamil Basayev became involved in the nearby Dagestan War after he lost his bid for president. This prompted Vladimir Putin to launch the Second Chechen War, which successfully reclaimed Grozny for the Russians. Since then, Chechnya has been officially under Russian control, but there is still a strong insurgency.In 2003, Shamil's subordinate launched an attack on a theater in Moscow. 850 hostages were taken and demands were made (the Chechens wanted an immediate Russian withdrawal from Che ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Shamil Basayev-Chechnya's Bin Laden (1) Shamil Basayev is a politician and self-proclaimed terrorist fighting for Chechnya's independence from Russia. Chechnya is a small Muslim republic in southern Russia. Basayev has ties to Al Qaeda, the Mujahideen, and many other terrorist networks.He was active in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, where his Abkhaz Battalion helped to fight off the Georgian Army. This Abkhaz Battalion was then brought back to defend Chechnya's capitol city of Grozny. Shamil held off Russia's invading force (which ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Area 51 This episode was written by Brian Liddicoat, a real estate attorney in Northern California. The words ÃïïGroom LakeÃïï and ÃïïArea 51Ãïï have achieved an almost myth-like quality thanks to interest in UFOs and shows like the X-Files. But the real history of this base is even more interesting than the fiction. The names ÃïïArea 51Ãïï and ÃïïGroom LakeÃïï refer to a large flight test base in the Nevada Desert, about 100 miles north of Las Vegas. The facility was originally built by Lockheed ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Invading Iraq (2003) This episode will only cover the period between March 2003 and May 1 2003. Reasons for Invading Iraq:Iraq's possession of WMDsSaddam's link to Al QaedaIraq's failure to respect no-fly zonesTyrannical part of the Axis of Evil The United States Congress supported military action against Iraq, but the UN did not approve of it. The US launched Operation Cobra II with the coalition of the willing (consisting of 49 countries) and many military contractors.  The main invasion was in the South ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion was founded in 1831 as France's non-citizenmilitary. Over the years, it consisted of many refugees, colonialcitizens, and people trying to start a new life. The training is hardand only one in seven applicants makes it. After they complete theirtour of duty, a Legionnaire may receive a 10-year residential permitand French citizenship.The Legion's most famous military actionwas in the Battle of Camaron in the Maximilian Affair in Mexico in1863. 62 Legionnaires were ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Defense of the Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest has many military facilities.  Washington State, specifically, has: Naval Base Kitsap: Holds nuclear submarines, a carrier battle group, and a navy region command centerNaval Station Everett: Holds a carrier battle groupMcChord Air Force Base: Holds a Western Air Defense Sector command centerFairchild Air Force Base: Holds nuclear transport aircraftFort Lewis: Holds the I Corps command center and stryker brigadesHanford Site: Held plutonium production facilities a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hot Gates of Thermopylae The battle of Thermopylae was fought between 7000 Greeks under Leonidas(including 300 Spartans) and 500,000-2.5 million Persian troops underXerxes. Xerxes had marched across the Hellespont towards Greece becausehe wanted Greece to become a satrapy of his and submit to his divinewill by giving him earth and water. The two armies met at a50-foot-wide pass in Northern Greece and here, a small phalanx of Greekhoplites held off wave after wave of Persian infantrymen, cavalrymen,and Immortals. Th ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hashshashin Assassins The Hashshashins (where we get our word "assassins") were active duringthe Abbasid Era of the Arab Period of Hegemony within the IslamicPeriod of Hegemony. The Hashshashins were Nizari Ismaili ShiiteMuslims. They were led by Hassan-i-Sabah who, through the use ofhashish, gave his recruits the impression that he was God and he wantedthem to do his will. Until the coming of the Mongols under Hulagu Khan,the Hashshashins were very good at their job and they assassinated manyhigh-prof ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Knights Templar The Knights Templar was a Christian military order founded during theCrusades in order to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to the HolyLand.  These "Monks of War" were highly disciplined and theyparticipated at many major battles during all nine Crusades, includingthe pivotal Battle of Hattin.  They also founded the first modernchecking/credit system, which made the organization wealthy enough tobuy the island of Cyprus.  The Templars were exempt from all laws (e ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website War Animals Animals have been used throughout war and it is impossible to name themall.  Excluding pack animals, there are several main ones (both ancientand modern).  All are discussed in the episode:SmallCockroachesBluegill FishBeesButterfliesPigeonsBatsMediumDolphinsDogsCatsPigsLargeElephantsFor more information, read:Popular Science (March 2007): Bugging Out on HomelandSecurityhttp://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/K9History/http://www.afa.org/magazine/1990/1090bat.htmlhttp://news.bb ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ancient Rome and Modern America eriHistorians referenced in the episode: Gibbons, Vegetius, Bark, Toynbee, Ward-Perkins, Heather, McNeill, BuryComparisons between the fall of Rome and America now:Military ConquestRome: Conquest by Germans under OdoacerLoss of IdentityRome: Germanization of Army and empireAmerica: Hispanic Immigration boom into army and countryLoss of UnityRome: Eastern and Western Roman EmpiresAmerica: Country vs. City, Democrat vs. RepublicanLoss of Economic StrengthRome: Lack of gold, lack of exportable ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Clausewitz's Principles of War Carl Von Clausewitz was a military philosopher during the time of Napoleon.  His most famous contribution is the book, On War, which outlines nine principles of war that are used in officer schools for many Western armies including the United States Army.  They are: Mass"Get there first with the most"Example: Mass-based armies of Russia (ex. infantry) and the US (ex. M4 Sherman Tanks) during WWII led to general victory ObjectiveChoose an objective and stick with ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Eisenhower's 1957 1957 was defined by the Cold War and defined by the EisenhowerPresidency.  1957 was when Eisenhower was inaugurated for a second termin office, and during this term, the Eisenhower Doctrine (US defenseagainst all Soviet aggression), NASA, the European Economic Community,and the United States were all created.  Around this time, Eisenhowerwas also responsible for the ending of the Little Rock Nine Crisis, theend of Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare, the closing of the Science Gapbetweent ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website European Martial Arts Despite the fact there is amore than 2,400-year-old military tradition within Western civilizationof close-combat proficiency, few subjects have received as unfortunateneglect by historians and academics than the martial arts of WesternEurope. But a growing amount of modern research has centered on thehistorical methods of using various types of Medieval and Renaissanceswordsand weaponry in historically accurate and martially sound manners. This emerging study of historical Europeanmartial ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Chinese PLA Threat China's People's Liberation Army is threatening to the United States Armed Forces because it is fighting a "People's War" (7 million Chinese troops vs. 2.5 million US troops) under "modern conditions" (China's GDP will exceed America's by 2011). China also has significant international backing from the UN, ASEAN, SCO, etc. Therefore, these two superpowers are destined to clash in some way. When (analysis of each area is included in episode):Unconventional Warfare: US is ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Axis Attacks on US Soil Axis attacks and proposed attacks on the North American portion of the United States during WWII are often forgotten.  This episode explains all of these little-known attacks: Japan:Occupied parts of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska for about one yearPlanned bombings of the Western United States via armed seaplanes Sent 9000 bomb-filled balloons over to the United States to start forest fires/knock down power lines Germany:Created prototype long-distance bombers to bombard New York ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Iraq Study Group Recommendations TheIraq Study Group Report's Recommendations Sections gives a total of 79recommendations for how the US should proceed in Iraq.  Diplomatically,the US should do more by launching the New Diplomatic Offensiveaccompanied by the creation of a Support Group (full of regional andworld powers) in order to discuss and compromise on a variety ofissues.  This support group should include Iran and Syria because, eventhough the White House has problems with their respective governments,both ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Iraq Study Group Assessment The Iraq Study Group Report's Assessment section is an excellentsummary of post-war Iraq.  Some topics addressed include the divisionof the country into Kurd, Shiite, and Sunni regions, the lack of unityin Parliament, the powerful hold that Muqtada Al-Sadr has on PrimeMinister Nouri al-Maliki, the fierce fight over oil revenues, the lackof Iraq's own security force, and so on.  The Iraq Study Group is a bipartisan commission led by James Baker andLee Hamilton.  This episode s ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website US Secret Service The United States Secret Service was originally founded (in 1865) as an anti-counterfeiting unit in the Treasury Department.  However, once President McKinley was assassinated, the Secret Service assumed presidential protection duties.  As of 2002, the Secret Service (Special Agents and the Uniformed Division) is part of the Department of Homeland Security.  They are also part of Marine One, Air Force One, and Cadillac One (all of which are described in this episode).  ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Merchant of Death Viktor Anatolyevich Bout is the world's most notorious arms dealer since the end of the Cold War.  His success lies in the fact that Russia had many arms depots and planes lying around after the end of the arms race.  Bout was able to take advantage of this and build an air empire which could carry arms to all sides at a moments notice in a reliable fashion.  Bout's clients include: the United States, the United Nations, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Taliban, No ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Chinese Communist Revolution Mao and the Chinese Communist Party's victory was both psychologicaland physical.  The psychological is a combination of power vacuum inrural China, the incompetency of the GMD, and the populist policies ofMao.  The majority of this episode is my opinion on why the finalreason is the most important.  The physical relies on 3 major campaignsconducted by the Communists: Liaoshen, Huaihai, and Pingjin.  The finalfew minutes of this episode discuss this Chinese Civil War(194 ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Lion of the North Listen to "The Lion of the North"Gustavus Adolphus II the Great, the Lion of the North, was an innovatoras the king of Sweden and the commander of its armies.  His innovationsinclude the conscription system, the tribute system, the squadron-basedorganization system, the Swedish infantry weaponry, and the artilleryregiment system.  All of these useful improvements were demonstrated during the BalticCampaigns and during the Thirty Years War.  Oneexample is the Battleo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Medal of Honor in Iraq There have only been two medal of honor winners in Operation IraqiFreedom thusfar (despite the Iraqi War having lasted just as long as USinvolvement in WWII, when there were 464 medals awarded).  They are the3rd and 4th medals awarded since the Vietnam War.Paul Ray Smith (posthumous): Single-handedly fought off 100 enemyIraqi Republican Guardsmen with an M2 Browning Machine Gun andessentially saved the lives of his 16 men and the 100 wounded in thenearby aid station near Saddam Hussein ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website English Longbowmen In the history of archery, the title for most important invention probably goes to the English Longbowmen (or the Mongolian Recurve Bow which you can learn more about in the "Mongolian Fighting Tactics" episode).  English Longbowmen brought about the end of the cavalry-dominated era and retained dominance over Europe for a period of around 300 years.  Specifically, they allowed the English to dominate the French at the battles of Crecy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Aginco ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Propaganda Propaganda has been used in war since the beginning of war itself.  Alexander the Great used it, Genghis Khan used it, the Catholic Church used it, the American Founding Fathers used it, Joesph Goebbels of Nazi Germany used it, and the United States currently uses it. There are three types of propaganda: white, grey, and black. There are many techniques for propaganda, including: assertion, bandwagon, card stacking, glittering generalities, lesser of two evils, name calling, pinpoint ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Third Naval Age The Naval Ages: Galleys, Sails, Steam, Missiles.  This episode focuses on the third naval age, the Naval Age of Steam. The Third Naval age began with ironclad battleships, also known as pre-dreadnoughts, which effectively used artillery guns, iron plating, and steam power.  The keynote war of this naval era is the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), specifically the Battles of Tsushima Strait and Port Arthur.  Once the HMS Dreadnought was created, the dreadnought battleship er ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom, specifically the 2001 war in Afghanistan, was the first step to President Bush's war on terror.  It is known as the greatest special forces war ever fought because of the US's heavy reliance on a few highly-trained operatives on the ground pinpointing targets for a high-tech force in the air.  The war was fought between the Coalition (consisting mostly of US forces)/Northern Alliance (Afghan rebels) and the Taliban (Afghan government)/Al Qaeda (led by ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Red Raiders The Red Raiders of the 22nd Bombardment Group were involved in almost every single major action in the Pacific Theater of World War II.  Starting out as a medium bomber group (equipped with the B-25 Mitchell and the B-26 Liberator), the "silver fleet" turned into a heavy bomber ground once it was outfitted with the new B-24 Liberator heavy bomber.  The group's amazing five-year history is explained thoroughly in the book: Revenge of the Red Raiders (The Illustrated His ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Military Robotics - Airborne This is the second part of a two part episode on military robotics:UAVs or Unmanned Aerial VehiclesRQ-2 Pioneer: Israeli/American recon UAVRQ-1 Predator: American high endurance recon UAV, armed with Hellfire missilesRQ-4 Global Hawk: American high altitude recon UAVUSV or Unmanned Space VehiclesKey Hole Series: Visual Recon SatellitesMentor Satellite Series: Audio communications espionage deviceLacrosse Satellite Series: Visual Recon, can see through clouds and 10 feet of dirtGPS Satellite ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Military Robotics - Surface Now that we are in the information age, armies everywhere have begun research on robotics, both surface ones and airborne ones.  This episode is about the surface ones. Robots are useful because they never get distracted, they never get tired, and they never get fearful.  Also, commanders don't have to worry about human loss when they are using robots.  Some of the more famous robots currently used include: MDARS: Autonomous, resembles R2D2 from Star Wars, patrols and secure ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ancient Accidents, Modern Consequences If you ask a historian why the study of history is important, he/she would probably respond with: "to not repeat the mistakes of the past".  This is true, history does help us improve from our mistakes.  However, we also must keep in mind that trivial events (i.e. accidents) do happen, and they do manage to alter the course of history significantly.  Therefore, this statement must be taken with a grain of salt.  For example, The powerful Persian Empire, and c ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Napoleon (Emperor-Death) This episode begins with two victorious campaigns for Napoleon. The first was against the Russians and the Austrians (the Third Coalition), whom he defeated at the Battle of Austerlitz (which is considered his greatest tactical masterpiece). Then, he defeated the Prussians and Russians in the War of the Fourth Coalition at Friedland, Jena, and Eylau. However, this marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon because he four major cracks began to form within his empire: the failure of the Co ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Napoleon (First Consul-Emperor) As First Consul, Napoleon set out for Italy and again defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo. Also, around this time, Napoleon became consul for life and soon after, he was crowned Emperor of France. However, as emperor, Napoleon still had problems, namely in Haiti (where a rebellion under Toussaint L'Overture had taken place). In addition to losing this war, Napoleon lost the key naval battle of Trafalgar to Lord Nelson of the British Royal Navy. This made it so that Britain would ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Napoleon (Major General-First Consul) Napoleon's tactics and innovations (described in detail in this episode), allowed him to rule Europe for several years. This can be seen in his victorious Italian Campaign (against the First Coalition), as well as his victories in Egypt at the Pyramids and at Aboukir Peninsula. After these two great victories, Napoleon returned to France and participated in a coup which formed a consulate government with himself as the First Consul (the most powerful man in France). For more information, re ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Napoleon (Birth-Major General) This episode features an overview of the French Revolution, followed by Napoleon's teenage years as a member of the Brienne Military College and the Ecole Militaire Elite School in France. After his school years, Napoleon became a captain but soon became a general after he reclaimed the French city of Toulon and saved the government from 30,000 armed insurrectionists. For more information, read: Military History Magazine (February 2002): Napoleonâs Haitian Guerilla War Military History Maga ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Arabs vs. Israelis (1967) The Six Day War of 1967 was fought between Israel and an Arab Coalition (including Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq).  Israel used the Egyptian blockade of the Straits of Tiron, the massing of Egyptian tanks against the Israeli border, the Syrian shelling of Galilee fishermen, and the Syrian plan to divert drinking water from Israel as reasons for launching their attack. Operation Focus was the Israeli air campaign, which easily wiped out the air forces of the entire Arab Coalition.&nbs ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Raptors and Spirits The future US Air Force's backbone consists of one fighter aircraft and one bomber: the F22 Raptor and the B2 Spirit. F22 Raptor: Set to replace the F117 Nighthawk and the F15 Eagle, this $350 million stealth fighter aircraft is the ultimate air superiority weapon. In addition to carrying a significant amount of air-to-air missiles (ex. AIM-120 and AIM-9), the F22 can travel at Mach 2.42 into enemy airspace without being detected. Also, its radar will allow it to see all enemies way before ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Soldiers of Fortune Soldiers of Fortune, or Mercenaries, have been used in war since the advent of war itself. The Persians, the Romans, the Greeks all used mercenaries in their armies. The trend continued into the middle ages when German Landsknechts and Swiss Pikemen were in high demand. Other famous mercenary groups include Cossacks, Ronin, and Pirates. Now, the standard definition of Mercenaries is given to us by Article 47 of Protocol I of the 1949 Geneva Convention, which states that mercenaries are neit ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website SF Assault on Haiti In 1994, President Clinton prepared to launch an invasion of Haiti (then led by the brutal General Cedras). The goal was to remove General Cedras and put President Aristide back into power. The following military preparations were made (each of these is discussed in depth in the episode):2 Aircraft Carriers containing air support, special operations, and the 10th Mountain Division were afloat just outside of Haiti.US Marines were on landing craft ready to land on the island.82nd Airborne Pa ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Art of War The script used in this episode was written by Lt. Col. Giles from the Wisconsin Air National Guard. The Art of War by Sun Tzu was written around 500 BC in Ancient China.  This collection of quotes on the 5 elements of war (Path, Heaven, Earth, Leader, and Law) has had a profound impact on military history.  Many of the world's most famous generals have used the book.  Likewise, many of the world's military training schools require the book as reading.  For more infor ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website American Treason The following are five great traitors in American History:Benedict Arnold: Conspired to hand West Point over to the British (an action which would have greatly weakened the Continental's war effort during the American Revolution)Aaron Burr: Killed the President and later conspired to rule over a Western American Empire (which would have plunged the country into an East-West Civil War)John Anthony Walker: Led the Walker Spy Ring which sold ALL of the US war plans during the Vietnam War to th ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Fear and Loathing in 1947 1947 was a year filled with escalating tensions in the Cold War. This resulted in:Great Speeches: Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Zhdanov's Two CampsGreatInventions: Presidential Succession Act, National Security Act (whichcreated the CIA, DoD, Joint Chiefs, National Security Council), AK-47Great Beginnings: Indo-Pakistani WarIt is also my dad's year of birth.For more information, read:The Cold War by Mike SewellThe Timetables of HistoryArmchair General (May 2006): AK-47http://www.jcs.mil/ ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Impenetrable Though they are not the only great walls of history, the following four certainly rank high:Great Wall (Started around 200BC): This wall, which is 25 feet high and 25 feet thick, was built to keep Mongol Invaders out of China. It was equipped with many watchtowers and smoke signaling systems. However, this Wonder of the Medieval World is deteriorating due to weather and American corporate influence. Recently, the wall was cleared by a skateboarder (The first time a non-motorized vehicle cle ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Scourge of God Attila the Hun was born in 406. After being a child hostage of the Romans for much of his youth, Attila would ascend to the throne with this brother Bleda. Attila soon killed Bleda and took absolute power over the Huns.Under Attila, the Huns would constantly raid the outskirts of Byzantine Empire. At one point, Attila engaged with Aetius of the Romans at the Battle of Chalons. Attila lost the battle, but still was able to make it to the gates of Rome but would be turned back after the Pope ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Unique Ground Transportation Ski Warfare: In the Winter War between the Finns and the Soviets, the Finnish ski troops used guerilla tactics to stop a much larger enemy.  Their high mobility gave them an advantage in the cold conditions (of which the Soviets were not used to).The 10th Mountain Division, a special operations unit in the US, is trained in harsh terrain operations, including ski warfare.  They are a rapid-response unit and have conducted many operations in the 1990s. Bicycle Warfare: Bicycles ar ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Nuclear Physics, History, and Strategy Nuclear weapons, first created as a result of the Manhattan Project, come in many forms. The ones dropped on Japan, for example, were plutonium and uranium atomic bombs which used nuclear fission (breaking a larger nucleus into two smaller fragments). Hydrogen bombs, on the other hand, use nuclear fusion (fragments combined into a larger nucleus).Over time, nuclear delivery also improved. Early on, only gravity bombs were used (ex. US bombers circulated around the USSR ready to drop gravity ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Screaming Eagles The 101st airborne division, founded in 1942, is nicknamed the "screaming eagles".  Their motto is "Rendevous with Destiny", and they are officially known as air assault infantry.  Their training is one of the toughest in the Army. Some of their battles in WWII include: Pathfinding during D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge.  The division also participated in the Vietnam War (ex. Hamburger Hill), during Desert Storm, and during Ope ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall's distinguished career includes the titles of Army Chief of Staff, 5-Start General of the Army, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and aide to General Pershing. He excelled both in the field (earning various medals and helping to train others during WWI), as a tactical commander (masterminding the US victory in WWII by emphasizing mass movement and morale), and as a statesman (engineering the Marshall plan which would rebuild Europe, as well as increase the US ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crimea - The First Modern War In the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire was instructed by both France and Russia to protect Catholic and Orthodox Christians that were within its empire. These two instructions conflicted and the Ottomans chose to side with France. Seeing an opportunity to limit Russian expansion, Britain, Austria and Prussia also support the "Allies" (France, Ottomans). This angered Russia and it invaded the Danubian Principalities in 1853, as well as destroyed the Ottoman Black Sea fleet at the Battle ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Urban Warfare at Stalingrad Urban warfare is a different style of warfare because an enemy could be hiding anywhere, each house must be cleared out individually, and no powerful weapons may be used out of fear for collateral damage. However, it is disadvantageous to use because of the danger it puts your own civilians in. Despite this, however, many weaker enemies resort to urban warfare in order to combat a powerful enemy. For this reason, the US has developed MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain) training.The ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Liquid Fire The following are three famous forms of liquid fire throughout military history in chronological order: Greek Fire (used at sea), Flame Throwers (used on land), Napalm (used from the air).Greek Fire: Invented by Callinicus in 673AD, it was one of the reasons why the Byzantine Empire survived. Impossible to extinguish, incredibly adhesive, and ignited by water, it was extremely useful in naval battles and in defending the city of Constantinople. For these reasons, the Byzantine Empire always ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Ninja - Spy and Assassin Ninja's, often thought of as the world's first special forces, were prominent throughout Japanese warfare in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Centered mainly in the Iga and Koga province, ninjas trained under the supervision of the shonin (village leader).In order to enter a home, a ninja used foldable saws (to break down doors), handclaws (to climb walls), flotation shoes (to walk across a moat), and disguises (usually as a yamabushi monk or a zen monk). Contrary to popular opinion, nin ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website King Shaka Zulu Shaka was born to a Zulu chief and a lower-class woman named Nandi. Throughout his life, Shaka would care for Nandi and was greatly affected by her death in 1827 (when he killed thousands of Nandi's subjects so that he would have people to mourn with him). Early on, Shaka became the "apprentice" of Chief Dingiswyao, a great military leader. After proving himself as a soldier, he was eventually allowed to become military chief of the Zulus. As military chief, he created three new tactics: ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Alexander the Great - Part Two Alexander then met Darius at Issus, where he again defeated a much larger Persian Army. In the course of this battle, Alexander captured Darius' family, including Queen Stateira (who would later die in capitivity), and his daughter (the most beautiful woman in the world).For the next few years, Alexander captured Egypt and several port cities including Tyre.Eventually, Alexander headed eastward and defeated Darius for the last time at Gaugamela. Darius, however, managed to get away, but was ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Alexander the Great - Part One Alexander, who was destined to be great since before he was born, ascended to the Macedonian Throne at the age of 20 after his father, Philip, was murdered. After regaining control of Greece, Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Asia Minor to liberate Greeks and to defeat the Persians. Alexander first met Darius of Persia at the Battle of Granicus River, where he defeated the much larger Persian Army with his phalanxes. Alexander almost died in this battle. After he routed the Persians, A ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Military Medicine Medicine has been used in the military since 1274BC in the Battle of Kadesh (Egyptians vs. Hittites), and 400BC by Hippocrates, the father of medicine. However, field hospitals and medical care on the frontlines is a fairly recent invention (around 1492 by the Spanish and the Moors). Since then, there have been major innovations in every major war: * Napoleonic Wars: Larrey, Napoleon's chief surgeon, creates the "flying ambulance", the idea of amputation, and the policy of treating wou ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Armor and Siege Weapons Armor has been used throughout history as a way to siege or breach a stronghold. For example: * The Greeks used helepolises, which were massive siege towers with nine stories of catapults, ballistas, and ranged infantry. * 2000 years later, another major advancement was made in World War I with the invention of the "tank". This tank (the most famous of which was the Sturmpanzerwagen A7v) had a variety of problems and was introduced too late in the war to be effective. * In Worl ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Erwin Rommel the Desert Fox Erwin Rommel (due to propaganda by Goebbels) was considered a hero to both the allies and the axis. "Only Napoleon had made a comparable impression on the British" -BH Lidell Hart. The following are major eras in his life: * WWI: As a junior officer, Rommel became the youngest man to win the Pour le Merite (the most prestigious award in the German Army) for his actions at the Battle of Longarone. * Between the Wars: Rommel wrote Infantry Attacks and Tank Attacks. This greatly impre ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Roman Fighting Tactics Roman military tactics (which revolved around heavy infantry) can be divided up into two distinct periods: before the Marius reforms, and after the Marius reforms (around 100BC). * Pre Marius: In each legion, there would be dozens of maniples consisting of around 120 men each. The heavy infantry of a legion would contain hastati, princeps, and triarii. They would be supported by velites skirmishers, and their flanks would be protected by equites cavalry. The tortoise, hamstringing, th ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Mongolian Fighting Tactics The Mongols, nomads from the Steppes (north of China), were first united by Genghis Khan in 1206. Genghis Khan led the Mongols across Eurasia via innovative and effective military tactics. * The Mongols were oriented around extreme mobility. They carried their houses with them, drank their own horse's blood to stay alive, and could travel up to 100 miles per day. * The Mongols had an elaborate priority-mail-system which allowed orders to be transmitted rapidly across Eurasia. * ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Smedley Butler the Fighting Quaker Smedley Butler, also known as "The Fighting Quaker" or "Old Gimlet Eye", was an outspoken member of the Marine Corps in the early part of the 20th century. He served in many parts of the world including Central America, the Caribbean, and the Far East. His many acts of heroism include: * Tientsin: Butler and five other men carried a wounded officer 17-miles through heavy fire to get the officer medical attention. The four enlisted men in the group were award the Medal of Honor (officer ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website US Military Stands The following four topics are all stands by the US military. This is just a small selection of famous stands since there are many more (some of which will be mentioned in a future episode). * Alamo (1836): Lt. Col. Travis leads the Texian defense of the Alamo against a numerically superior foe, the Mexicans led by Santa Anna. The Texians cannot hold and every male is killed. * Little Bighorn (1876): Lt. Col. Custer underestimates the Lakota/Cheyenne forces in the area (under the le ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Battle of Pharsalus The Battle of Pharsalus was fought in Greece in 48BC. The two combatants were Caesar and Pompey, the two greatest generals of the Roman Republic (they were also the last). Despite Rome being famous for its invulnerable legions, the battle was decided by cavalry. More specifically, Caesar won the battle after he defied Pompey's massive cavalry charge. Caesar then proceeded to become dictator for life of Rome, consequently starting the Roman Empire. For more information, read Military Hist ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Roman Military Defeats The Romans were, without a doubt, the most dominant force in the Western Mediterranean throughout most of their history. However, these titans still had their share of catastrophic defeats. The four most notable being: * Battle of Lake Trasimene (217BC): Hannibal, being pursued by Flaminius of Rome, hides in the forests to the north of Lake Trasimene. He then ambushes Flaminius, surrounds him, and easily defeats him. * Battle of Cannae (216BC): Hannibal proves that superior tactics ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Battle of Chaldiran (1514) The Battle of Chaldiran was fought in northwestern Persia in 1514. It was fought between the Ottomans (dominant Sunni Muslims from Turkey) and the Safavids (inexperienced Shiite Muslims from Persia). The Ottomans, who had both a numerical advantage and a technological advantage, easily won the battle. However, they chose not to continue the campaign into the Safavid capital.After this battle, the Ottomans experienced a short period of growth, followed by centuries of decline. They were even ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Desert Storm and Desert Sabre The Gulf War (lasting from 1990-1991) began when Iraq invaded its neighbor Kuwait. This was the second invasion launched by Iraq in the past decade, with the first being the Iran-Iraq War. It can be divided into four phases:* Desert Shield: Buildup of US and coalition troops in Saudi Arabia* Desert Storm: Incredibly successful air strike on key Iraqi missile installations and SCUD missile launchers. The Smart Bomb became a keynote image of this phase.* Desert Sabre: A tank charge through ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Desert Storm and Desert Sabre The Gulf War (lasting from 1990-1991) began when Iraq invaded its neighbor Kuwait. This was the second invasion launched by Iraq in the past decade, with the first being the Iran-Iraq War. It can be divided into four phases:* Desert Shield: Buildup of US and coalition troops in Saudi Arabia* Desert Storm: Incredibly successful air strike on key Iraqi missile installations and SCUD missile launchers. The Smart Bomb became a keynote image of this phase.* Desert Sabre: A tank charge through ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Cyrus the Persian Conqueror Cyrus the Great, though he did not found the First Persian Empire, did conduct four expeditions which made it the sole power in the Middle East and Anatolia. His empire would last for the next 200 years until the coming of Alexander the Great. The four campaigns were:1. Conquering Media: With the help of Harpagus, Cyrus invaded Media currently ruled by Astyages. Astyages was his grandfather and his attempted-murderer.2. Conquering Lydia: Cyrus conquers Sardis, the capital of the Lydian Empi ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Cyrus the Persian Conqueror Cyrus the Great, though he did not found the First Persian Empire, did conduct four expeditions which made it the sole power in the Middle East and Anatolia. His empire would last for the next 200 years until the coming of Alexander the Great. The four campaigns were:1. Conquering Media: With the help of Harpagus, Cyrus invaded Media currently ruled by Astyages. Astyages was his grandfather and his attempted-murderer.2. Conquering Lydia: Cyrus conquers Sardis, the capital of the Lydian Empi ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Fight for Iwo Jima The Battle for Iwo Jima, "sulfur island" of the Pacific, was a battle between the elite US marines and the stout-hearted Japanese defenders. The Japanese, after years of preparation, had created an extensive tunnel network that prevented them from being hurt by the naval bombardment.Consequently, when the Fifth Amphibious Corps (VAC) landed, they had to fight 22,000 well-entrenched Japanese, complete with banzai charges and other intimidating tactics. In the end, the US death toll was 10% ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Fight for Iwo Jima The Battle for Iwo Jima, "sulfur island" of the Pacific, was a battle between the elite US marines and the stout-hearted Japanese defenders. The Japanese, after years of preparation, had created an extensive tunnel network that prevented them from being hurt by the naval bombardment.Consequently, when the Fifth Amphibious Corps (VAC) landed, they had to fight 22,000 well-entrenched Japanese, complete with banzai charges and other intimidating tactics. In the end, the US death toll was 10% ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Non-Lethal Technology Non-lethal technology has always been a goal of military strategists. It provides the same effect of killing without all the horrible consequences (ethical, tactical, etc.). For example, Joshua's capture of Jericho in the bible is a prime example of non-lethal technology.Now, we have various methods of non-lethal warfare, both anti-personell and anti-material.* Lasers: Used to give the illusion of imminent death* Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons: Disables all electronic equipment in a given ra ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Close Calls for Christendom Christendom, the most powerful domain in the world for the past 1500 years, was frequently permeated and even brought to the brink of ruin many times. Three of these "close calls" include:* Battle of Tours (732AD): Charles the Hammer of Franks vs. Abd er Rahman of Moors in France* The Golden Horde (1230sAD): Batu Khan invades Eastern Europe, plans to invade Germany* Siege of Vienna (1529AD): Suleiman II of Ottomans vs. Charles II of Austrians at ViennaEach of these events could have ended C ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Close Calls for Christendom Christendom, the most powerful domain in the world for the past 1500 years, was frequently permeated and even brought to the brink of ruin many times. Three of these "close calls" include:* Battle of Tours (732AD): Charles the Hammer of Franks vs. Abd er Rahman of Moors in France* The Golden Horde (1230sAD): Batu Khan invades Eastern Europe, plans to invade Germany* Siege of Vienna (1529AD): Suleiman II of Ottomans vs. Charles II of Austrians at ViennaEach of these events could have ended C ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Persian Wars The First Persian War includes the Persians being defeated by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon. The Persians started this war out of anger for the Athenians and their support of the Ionian Revolt. This battle is also where we get the name for our modern-day Olympic Game: The Marathon.The Second Persian War includes the famous Greek stand at Thermopylae, the brilliant Athenian naval victory at Salamis, and the catastrophic Persian defeat at the Battle of Plataea. Following this war, t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Persian Wars The First Persian War includes the Persians being defeated by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon. The Persians started this war out of anger for the Athenians and their support of the Ionian Revolt. This battle is also where we get the name for our modern-day Olympic Game: The Marathon.The Second Persian War includes the famous Greek stand at Thermopylae, the brilliant Athenian naval victory at Salamis, and the catastrophic Persian defeat at the Battle of Plataea. Following this war, t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Biological Weaponry Biological warfare has been a part of war since 1,000 BC when the Chinese burned toxic vegetables and hoped the fumes would travel towards the enemy. Since that time, biological warfare has become dealier and more precise, yet there is always the risk of collateral damage.In the past few decades, world powers have worked to outlaw biological weaponry for their gruesome effects and their "unfairness" in war. However, biological warfare continues to be a threat both in war, and at home. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Biological Weaponry Biological warfare has been a part of war since 1,000 BC when the Chinese burned toxic vegetables and hoped the fumes would travel towards the enemy. Since that time, biological warfare has become dealier and more precise, yet there is always the risk of collateral damage.In the past few decades, world powers have worked to outlaw biological weaponry for their gruesome effects and their "unfairness" in war. However, biological warfare continues to be a threat both in war, and at home. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Biological Weaponry Biological warfare hasbeen a part of war since 1,000 BC when the Chinese burned toxic vegetables and hoped the fumes would travel towards the enemy. Since that time, biological warfare has become dealier and more precise, yet there is always the risk of collateral damage.In the past few decades, world powers have worked to outlaw biological weaponry for their gruesome effects and their "unfairness" in war. However, biological warfare continues to be a threat both in war, and at home. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sniper Warfare Throughout modern history, snipers have had a prominent role as the forward observers and marksmen of any army. They are trained to camouflage themselves, shoot a high-ranking enemy soldier, and extract themselves from the area without the enemy ever knowing they were there.Snipers have a unique mindset in that they are highly solitary, must stay in the same position for hours, and must be able to kill an enemy without even giving them a chance. For these reasons, snipers have earned thei ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sniper Warfare Throughout modern history, snipers have had a prominent role as the forward observers and marksmen of any army. They are trained to camouflage themselves, shoot a high-ranking enemy soldier, and extract themselves from the area without the enemy ever knowing they were there.Snipers have a unique mindset in that they are highly solitary, must stay in the same position for hours, and must be able to kill an enemy without even giving them a chance. For these reasons, snipers have earned thei ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sargon the Great Sargon the Great is the founder of the Mesopotamian Empire and the First Great Conqueror. He conquered the entire known world (Mesopotomia and the surrounding areas) using a combined military force and innovative ruling strategies.Yet another interesting history tidbit from Military History Podcast:Sargon the Great (the earliest event in military history) and Saddam Hussein (the most recent event in military history) have probably stood on the exact same spot of ground, four-thousand years ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sargon the Great Sargon the Great is the founder of the Mesopotamian Empire and the First Great Conqueror. He conquered the entire known world (Mesopotomia and the surrounding areas) using a combined military force and innovative ruling strategies.Yet another interesting history tidbit from Military History Podcast:Sargon the Great (the earliest event in military history) and Saddam Hussein (the most recent event in military history) have probably stood on the exact same spot of ground, four-thousand years ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gladiatorial Combat Ever since 326BC, the Romans have been conducting gladiatorial fights, originally for funerals, and later for pure entertainment. Gladiators are highly disciplined slaves trained at ludi. At one point, their excellent fighting ability posed a threat to Rome itself.There were various types of gladiators including the essedari (charioteers) and retiarii ("the fisherman") that fought animals or each other. Sometimes, these gladiators were loaded on to two boats and naval battles were conducted ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gladiatorial Combat Ever since 326BC, the Romans have been conducting gladiatorial fights, originally for funerals, and later for pure entertainment. Gladiators are highly disciplined slaves trained at ludi. At one point, their excellent fighting ability posed a threat to Rome itself.There were various types of gladiators including the essedari (charioteers) and retiarii ("the fisherman") that fought animals or each other. Sometimes, these gladiators were loaded on to two boats and naval battles were conducted ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 11 Unique Warriors Throughout history, there have been dozens of unique warriors that have each contributed something new to military history. This episode of Military History Podcast concisely profiles 11 of these unique warriors and explains what made them superior.Samurai, Ninjas, Peltasts, Hoplites, Praetorian Guards, War Elephants, Mongol Mangudai, Chariots, Cataphracts, Berserkers, and Amazons are all featured in this episode. If you can think of any unique warriors that you would like to know more ab ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 11 Unique Warriors Throughout history, there have been dozens of unique warriors that have each contributed something new to military history. This episode of Military History Podcast concisely profiles 11 of these unique warriors and explains what made them superior.Samurai, Ninjas, Peltasts, Hoplites, Praetorian Guards, War Elephants, Mongol Mangudai, Chariots, Cataphracts, Berserkers, and Amazons are all featured in this episode. If you can think of any unique warriors that you would like to know more ab ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 11 Unique Warriors Throughout history, there have been dozens of unique warriors that have each contributed something new tomilitary history. This episode of Military History Podcast concisely profiles 11 of these unique warriors and explains what made them superior.Samurai, Ninjas, Peltasts, Hoplites, Praetorian Guards, War Elephants, Mongol Mangudai, Chariots, Cataphracts, Berserkers, and Amazons are all featured in this episode. If you can think of any unique warriors that you would like to know more abo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Great Escape In 1944, Allied airmen interned at Stalag Luft III (the supposedly escape-proof POW camp run by the Luftwaffe) performed the greatest prison escape in history. Masterminded by Roger Bushell of the RAF, the prisoners used everything at their disposal to mask their escape operations. In the end, they created a tunnel 30 feet deep, 336 feet long, and 87 prisoners managed to escape.Eventually, all but 3 escapees were recaptured or murdered by the Gestapo at Hitler's orders. A few dozen prisoner ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Great Escape In 1944, Allied airmen interned at Stalag Luft III (the supposedly escape-proof POW camp run by the Luftwaffe) performed the greatest prison escape in history. Masterminded by Roger Bushell of the RAF, the prisoners used everything at their disposal to mask their escape operations. In the end, they created a tunnel 30 feet deep, 336 feet long, and 87 prisoners managed to escape.Eventually, all but 3 escapees were recaptured or murdered by the Gestapo at Hitler's orders. A few dozen prisoner ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Great Escape In 1944, Allied airmen interned at Stalag Luft III (the supposedly escape-proof POW camp run by the Luftwaffe) performed the greatest prison escape in history. Masterminded by Roger Bushell of the RAF, the prisoners used everything at their disposal to mask their escape operations. In the end, they created a tunnel 30 feet deep, 336 feet long, and 87 prisoners managed to escape.Eventually, all but 3 escapees were recaptured or murdered by the Gestapo at Hitler's orders. A few dozen prisoner ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Military History Promo www.militaryhistorypodcast.blogspot.com Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Military History Promo www.militaryhistorypodcast.blogspot.com Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Military History Promo www.militaryhistorypodcast.blogspot.com Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hannibal is at the Gates Hannibal Barca, commander-in-chief of Carthage during the Second Punic War, is famous for crossing the Alps with his entire army (which included War Elephants) in an attempt to invade Rome from the north. He also displayed military genius countless times by outsmarting and slaughtering the greatest soldiers in the world, the Roman legions, at the Battles of Cannae, Trebbia, and Ticino.Later in the Second Punic War, Hannibal was recalled back to Carthage where he fought the Battle of Zama ag ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hannibal is at the Gates Hannibal Barca, commander-in-chief of Carthage during the Second Punic War, is famous for crossing the Alps with his entire army (which included War Elephants) in an attempt to invade Rome from the north. He also displayed military genius countless times by outsmarting and slaughtering the greatest soldiers in the world, the Roman legions, at the Battles of Cannae, Trebbia, and Ticino.Later in the Second Punic War, Hannibal was recalled back to Carthage where he fought the Battle of Zama ag ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hannibal is at the Gates Hannibal Barca, commander-in-chief of Carthage during the Second Punic War, is famous for crossing the Alps with his entire army (which included War Elephants) in an attempt to invade Rome from the north. He also displayed military genius countless times by outsmarting and slaughtering the greatest soldiers in the world, the Roman legions, at the Battles of Cannae, Trebbia, and Ticino.Later in the Second Punic War, Hannibal was recalled back to Carthage where he fought the Battle of Zama ag ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Valor in the Ancient World Today, awards like the Medal of Honor are presented to warriors who display valor on the battlefield. However, thousands of years ago in the Ancient World, there were no official medals. In no way does this mean that there was a shortage of valor. Far from it.* Leonidas I of Sparta, for example, led 300 Spartans against 10,000 Persians and managed to hold them off for days.* Mucius Scaevola saved the city of Rome via burning off his own hand* Horatius Cocles held the entire Etruscan army at ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Valor in the Ancient World Today, awards like the Medal of Honor are presented to warriors who display valor on the battlefield. However, thousands of years ago in the Ancient World, there were no official medals. In no way does this mean that there was a shortage of valor. Far from it.* Leonidas I of Sparta, for example, led 300 Spartans against 10,000 Persians and managed to hold them off for days.* Mucius Scaevola saved the city of Rome via burning off his own hand* Horatius Cocles held the entire Etruscan army at ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Valor in the Ancient World Today, awards like the Medal of Honor are presented to warriors who display valor on the battlefield. However, thousands of years ago in the Ancient World, there were no official medals. In no way does this mean that there was a shortage of valor. Far from it.* Leonidas I of Sparta, for example, led 300 Spartans against 10,000 Persians and managed to hold them off for days.* Mucius Scaevola saved the city of Rome via burning off his own hand* Horatius Cocles held the entire Etruscan army at ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Retiring the M16 The M16 rifle and its 3 variants (the M16A1, M16A2, and M4 carbine) have been the standard rifle for the US Armed Forces since 1957, almost 50 years! Although it was off to a shaky start, it has earned its "dynasty" status.Now, as we approach 2006, the US is about to replace the M16 family with the new XM family of weapons. This family includes the XM-8 (which will replace the current M16A2) and the XM-29 (which will replace the current M4 carbine as the special-ops weapon). Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Retiring the M16 The M16 rifle and its 3 variants (the M16A1, M16A2, and M4 carbine) have been the standard rifle for the US Armed Forces since 1957, almost 50 years! Although it was off to a shaky start, it has earned its "dynasty" status.Now, as we approach 2006, the US is about to replace the M16 family with the new XM family of weapons. This family includes the XM-8 (which will replace the current M16A2) and the XM-29 (which will replace the current M4 carbine as the special-ops weapon). Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Retiring the M16 The M16 rifle and its 3 variants (the M16A1, M16A2, and M4 carbine) have been the standard rifle for the US Armed Forces since 1957, almost 50 years! Although it was off to a shaky start, it has earned its "dynasty" status.Now, as we approach 2006, the US is about to replace the M16 family with the new XM family of weapons. This family includes the XM-8 (which will replace the current M16A2) and the XM-29 (which will replace the current M4 carbine as the special-ops weapon). Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dogs of War Throughout History, canines have been a vital element of warfare. In the early days of the Roman Empire, almost 2000 years ago, dogs were outfitted with armor and trained to attack the enemy. Great leaders like Fredrick the Great and Napoleon have also used wardogs in their military operations. And more recently, in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War, individual dogs have become so courageous that they have been reccomended for the Silver Star and countless Purple Hearts.However, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dogs of War Throughout History, canines have been a vital element of warfare. In the early days of the Roman Empire, almost 2000 years ago, dogs were outfitted with armor and trained to attack the enemy. Great leaders like Fredrick the Great and Napoleon have also used wardogs in their military operations. And more recently, in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War, individual dogs have become so courageous that they have been reccomended for the Silver Star and countless Purple Hearts.However, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dogs of War Throughout History, canines have been a vital element of warfare. In the early days of the Roman Empire, almost 2000 years ago, dogs were outfitted with armor and trained to attack the enemy. Great leaders like Fredrick the Great and Napoleon have also used wardogs in their military operations. And more recently, in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War, individual dogs have become so courageous that they have been reccomended for the Silver Star and countless Purple Hearts.However, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979) The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was fought between Shah Pahlevi(supported by America and hated for his pro-American beliefs) andAyatollah Khomeini (and anti-American Islamist).  Khomeini succeeded intaking power from the Shah and created the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the turbulent years that followed, 300 militants seized 63hostages from the American embassy in Iran and held them for 444 days.Months of negotiations ensued and eventually, 11of the hostages werereleased premat ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website