Month: June 2023

328: The Battle of Britain

Mark Podcast

German bomber over London’s East End, September 1940.

Winston Churchill wouldn’t budge, so Adolf Hitler ordered an air attack on Britain. Initially, the goal was to defeat the RAF and claim air supremacy over England, as a prelude to invasion.

The Luftwaffe found it was unable to defeat the RAF, so it switched to bombing factories which, given the poor accuracy inherent in dropping bombs from miles in the sky, was effectively attacking civilian homes.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Parsifal
Composed in 1882 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by Shelley Katz. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme


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

327: Radio Detection and Ranging

Mark Podcast

One of the British “Chain Home” radar bases. The tall towers to the left supported the transmitting antennas (which were strung horizontally between the towers.) The shorter towers to the right support the receiving antennas.

In the 1930s, it was widely believed that interception of enemy bombers before they reached their targets was practically impossible. As Stanley Baldwin said “The bomber will always get through.”

But the British development of what we now call radar (the American term) completely changed the calculus. Enemy bombers could be detected while they were still hundreds of miles away, which might give barely enough time to stop them.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Goldberg Variations
Composed in 1741 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Public domain.
Performed by Shelley Katz. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme


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

326: War in the Air

Mark Podcast

A German Me-109 fighter in flight in 1940.

The World War I fighter plane was typically a bi-plane with wings made of wood and cloth, fixed landing gear, and an open cockpit.

What a difference twenty years made! By World War II, changes driven by more powerful engines led to all-metal monoplanes, closed cockpits, and retractable landing gear.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Terzetto
Composed in 1925 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by Steve’s Bedroom Band, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license.Source.

Closing War Theme


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