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At Normandy, Allied forces struggled to expand and link their beachheads against the gathering German defenders.

Adolf Hitler was surprisingly calm upon hearing the news of the landings and confident the Allies would be defeated.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Fantaisie
Composed in 1898 by Gabriel Fauré. Public domain.
Performed by Lydia Roth, flute, and Gwen Varineau, piano. 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, 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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In this episode, we conclude our look at the Normandy landings.

The most difficult invasion site was Omaha Beach, where cliffs overlook the beach. The defending German soldiers were able to rake the approaching Americans with deadly machine-gun fire.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Invercargill March
Composed in 1909 by Alex Lithgow. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Air Force 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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The Normandy landings took place on five designated beaches—three for British and Canadian forces and two for the Americans.

The American landings on Utah Beach went relatively smoothly, although the rough seas caused hundreds of deaths before the force made it ashore.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Symphony No. 94 in G, “Surprise”
Composed in 1791 by Franz Josef Haydn. 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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The night before the dawn amphibious landings at Normandy, three Allied airborne divisions landed at the invasion site to prepare the way.

These landings were dangerous, and combat between Allied paratroopers and German garrison forces was vicious.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Piano Sonata No. 14, “Moonlight”
Composed in 1801 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Public domain.
Performed by Paul Pitman. 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 fact of German occupation of France and other members of the United Nations alliance made it inevitable that British and American air forces would be bombing their own allies and killing civilians they were supposed to be “liberating.”

This forced Allied commanders to make some hard decisions.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Miroirs
Composed in 1905 by Maurice Ravel. Public domain.
Performed by Robert Ewen Birchall 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, 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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In this Christmas bonus episode, I answer listener questions.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor (“Für Elise”)
Composed in 1810 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Public domain.
Performed by Simone Renzi. Recording 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, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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In spring 1944, after the weather improved, Allied forces in Italy began an offensive that broke the Gustav line. Rome fell days later.

In Britain at the same time, Allied forces there were making final preparations for the invasion of France.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Grand March from Aïda
Composed in 1871 by Giuseppe Verdi. 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, 2023, 2024, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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Everyone on both sides knew that an invasion of France was coming in the spring of 1944. Both sides made extensive preparations.

At the same time, the Allies were struggling to secure Charles de Gaulle’s cooperation.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Second Suite in F for Military Band
Composed in 1911 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Air National Guard Band of the Northeast. 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, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The US enacted its first peacetime draft in 1940, and it included African Americans, although Black soldiers were assigned to segregated units and subjected to racist treatment and even violence.

In 1941, the Roosevelt Administration oversaw the creation of the first US Army Air Forces Fighter squadron crewed by Black pilots.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“The Air Force Song”
Composed in 1938 by Robert MacArthur Crawford. 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, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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The US Army stopped admitting Black cadets to West Point in the late 19th century. That policy remained in place until 1932. Army leadership generally considered Black soldiers inferior.

Meanwhile, in the real world, African American volunteers were serving in combat ( and in integrated units) in the Spanish Civil War.

• Listen now:

Transcript.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“U.S. Field Artillery”
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, 2024, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.