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In December 1944, the German Army began an offensive on the Western Front in a final bid to regain the upper hand.

The above photograph was taken by a German military photographer during the Ardennes Offensive. The film was subsequently captured by US soldiers.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Die Wacht am Rhein”
Composed in 1854 by Karl Wilhelm. Public domain.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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Another episode in which I answer listener questions.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Violin Concerto in G minor, “Summer.”
Composed in 1723 by Antonio Vivaldi. Public domain.
John Harrison, violin. Recording used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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On the Western Front, the Germans rebuilt their defenses along the Siegfried Line and prepared for Hitler’s Ardennes offensive.

On the Eastern Front, the Red Army briefly took territory in East Prussia, entering pre-war Germany for the first time, before the Wehrmacht pushed them out again.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Symphony No. 3 in E♭ Major (“Eroica”)
Composed in 1804 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Public domain.
Performed by the Czech National Orchestra. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The Japanese Navy sent the best ships it had left in an effort to cut off American ground forces on Leyte, in the Philippines.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle of the Second World War, and the greatest Japanese defeat, measured by numbers of ships lost.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Anchors Aweigh”
Composed in 1906 by Charles Zimmerman. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Navy Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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After Japanese air defenses in the Philippines proved to be weaker than anticipated, the Americans moved up the target date for the invasion of the archipelago by two months.

On October 20, 1944, Douglas MacArthur made good on his promise as four US Army and Marine divisions assaulted the island of Leyte.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Lupang Hinirang” (The Philippine National Anthem.)
Composed in 1898 by Julián Felipe. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery devised a daring plan that offered the hope of an “end run” around the German defensive line.

The plan was risky and fell a little bit short of success.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Serenade for Strings
Composed in 1892 by Sir Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Army Strings. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The dramatic collapse of the German Army on the Western Front in August 1944 had some speculating the war might end by Christmas.

But that didn’t happen. The Germans were able to rebuild their defensive line at the western border of Germany, along what the Germans called Westwall and the Allies called The Siegfried Line.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Last Post”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Sgt. Codie Lynn Williams, USMC. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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By 1944, a German defeat seemed inevitable. In August, Romania defected from the Axis and joined the Allies. Within weeks, Bulgaria followed suit, while Finland agreed to an armistice with the USSR.

This left Hungary as Germany’s sole remaining ally in Europe, and Hungary only stayed loyal because of German military intervention.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 8 in F# Minor
Composed in 1847 by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Shuwen Zhang, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The British approach to aerial bombing over Germany involved nighttime area raids over German cities.

The American approach sought to strike specific targets in daylight raids, targets that were vital to German war production. At first results were disappointing, but by 1944, the Americans had devised a more promising approach.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, “American”
Composed in 1893 by Antonín Dvořák. Public domain.
Performed by The Musopen String Quartet. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The “total war” effort required to fight in the Second World War underscored the irrationality of American policies toward its Black citizens.

The new opportunities the war opened, in both the military and in civilian employment, provided African Americans with greater political power.

• Listen now:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Way Down Yonder in New Orleans”
Composed in 1922 by Henry Creamer and J. Turner Layton. Public domain.
Performed by The Dixieland Jazz Ensemble of the US Coast Guard Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.