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Hitler ordered the Sixth Army, trapped in Stalingrad, to stand fast as Field Marshal Erich von Manstein commanded the force fighting to break the siege.

But the Soviets had anticipated this. General Zhukov had already prepared a second offensive, this time one that would break through Italian Army lines and attack Manstein’s flank.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Mars, the Bringer of War” from The Planets
Composed in 1916 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. Public domain recording. Source.

“The Masochism Tango”
Composed in 1959 by Tom Lehrer. Public domain.
Performed by Tom Lehrer. 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, and 2024 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The tenacious Red Army defense of Stalingrad was meant not merely to defend a city, but to draw the German Army into a trap.

On November 18, 1942, the trap was sprung. Powerful Soviet formations, gathered in secret, broke through Romanian Army lines on both flanks of the German Sixth Army, fighting in Stalingrad.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Funeral March from Siegfried
Composed in 1871 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

“State Anthem of the USSR”
Composed in 1938 by Alexander Alexandrov. Public domain.
Performed by the Orchestra of the Ministry of Defense of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 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, and 2024 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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British and American forces landed in French North Africa in November 1942. Their goal was not so much to seize the territory as it was to persuade the French authorities there to break from the French government and rejoin the war against Germany and Italy.

American military operations were disorganized and error prone, prompting British Army officers to quip, “How green is my ally!”

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“The United States Field Artillery March”
Composed in 1917 by John Philip Sousa. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine 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, and 2024 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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Winston Churchill was impatient for a victory. Bernard Montgomery successfully persuaded the prime minister to give him ten weeks to prepare for one.

Meanwhile, in Gibraltar, preparations were underway for an Allied invasion of French North Africa, while US consul Robert Murphy worked in secret to persuade the French military to defect to the Allied side.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Second Suite for Military Band
Composed in 1911 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Air Force Heritage of America 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, and 2024 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.