World War II with Tom Hanks

ben@backpocketstudios.com

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Last Days of the Reich

July 21, 2026

In the winter of 1944, as American and British armies are advancing across western Europe, Hitler plans one last major offensive attempt through the Ardennes forest - the Battle of the Bulge - to swing the tide of the war back in Germany’s favor. Meanwhile, the Soviet Red Army is swiftly moving across Eastern Europe to fulfill Stalin’s ultimate wish of taking Berlin.This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII MuseumDan Carlin, ...

No Surrender

July 21, 2026

In 1944-45, as Allied victory in Europe seems all but assured, the fighting in the Pacific intensifies. The U.S. and Japan suffer terrible losses in the Philippines and on Iwo Jima. Roosevelt understands what ordinary Americans are only beginning to realize: in a clash between a nation which demands unconditional surrender and a nation which refuses to surrender, the worst is still to come.This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):Jon Meacham, presidential historianRobert...

Resistance

July 14, 2026

Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression has been a constant throughout the war. In the summer of 1944, two cities revolt against the Nazis but meet very different outcomes. And some, living and dying through the Holocaust, take their fate into their own hands and mount organized resistance in the direst of circumstances.This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War CollegeRobert Citino, senior historian, National WWII MuseumD...