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The German failure to bring the British to heel during the Battle of Britain left the two warring nations in a stalemate. Neither nation had a plausible means of defeating the other.

But when Italy entered the war, it created an Italian-British front in North Africa. The Italians had numerical superiority, but they couldn’t keep up with the motorized British units.

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• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Violin Concerto in G Minor “Summer”
Composed in 1723 by Antonio Vivaldi. Public domain.
Performed by John Harrison. Performance 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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When France collapsed, Franklin Roosevelt and his administration pushed for aid to Britain.

But there was also a Presidential election to think of. The Republicans nominated a dark horse candidate who agreed with the need to aid the British and was a surprisingly adept campaigner.

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• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Symphony No. 5 in C minor
Composed in 1808 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Public domain.
Performed by the Davis High School Symphony 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The United States was preoccupied with domestic issues, especially economic issues, during the run-up to the war in Europe.

The Neutrality Act was intended to keep America out of another war. The Roosevelt Administration looked for ways to aid France and Britain in spite of it.

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• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Komm, süßer Tod”
Composed in 1736 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Public domain.
Performed by Laurindo Almeida. 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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Pulp fiction magazines sorted themselves out by genre, although the heroes of these stories were mostly drawn from one archetype.

Eventually, magazines emerged that only published stories about one particular fictional hero. From there, it was only a few short steps to superhero comic books.

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• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Overture to William Tell
Composed in 1829 by Gioachino Rossini. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Corps 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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For much of the twentieth century, until television, pulp fiction was a major form of entertainment, offered in pulp magazines that usually bore garish covers, like the one above, to attract attention on the newsstand.

Most pulp fiction magazines focused on a single genre of story, such as Westerns or adventure or detective stories. Science fiction as we know it today was born and nurtured in the pulp magazines.

• Listen now:

• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity” from The Planets
Composed in 1916 by Gustav Holst. 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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New York City hosted a memorable World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940.

Unlike previous world’s fairs and exhibitions, this one would celebrate not what was or what is, but what is to come. It’s eye was firmly fixed on the future, as indicated by the theme, “Dawn of a New Day.”

• Listen now:

• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Sonata in d
Composed by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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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:

• Transcript.

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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

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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.

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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:

• Transcript.

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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

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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.

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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:

• Transcript.

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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

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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.

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The end of the war came as a relief to most French people. In Britain, Charles de Gaulle called for the French to fight on.

French colonial administrations had to decide which French leadership to follow, while the British seized or attacked what they could of the French Navy.

• Listen now:

• Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Fantaisie romantique sur deux mélodies suisses
Composed in 1837 by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Christoph Zbinden, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 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, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.