The "We're Not Lost, Private" Podcast

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Join Joe and author/historian Geoff Roecker as they discuss the WWII history of 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment. Based on Geoff’s book, This Hemisphere of Hell, this episode focuses on the latter training history of the battalion at Camp Maui, their initial deployment to the Pacific, and the battalion’s first taste of combat on Roi-Namur. We deep-dive the Marines and corpsmen that made up the unit, and their experiences taking part in their first amphibious combat assault. It’s a fascinating look into what Geoff’s described as an “average battalion...

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The 28th Infantry Division has long been maligned for its perceived performance during the Battle of the Bulge. The Bloody Bucket Division fought through the Battle of France, marched during the Liberation of Paris, and was for all intents and purposes, smashed during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. It was sent to lick its wounds in the ‘quiet sector’ of the Ardennes. Instead, they bore the brunt of the German assault in opening stages of the Battle of the Bulge. Yet, without the 28th’s dogged defense in those early hours, the Bulge could...

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Join Joe and author/historian Geoff Roecker as they discuss the WWII history of 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment. Based on Geoff’s book, This Hemisphere of Hell, this episode focuses on the early history of the battalion, to include the Marines and corpsmen that made up the unit, their motivations for joining the service, boot camp, and their early training that was undertaken to get them ready for service in the Pacific. It’s a fascinating look into what Geoff’s described as an, “average battalion filled with exception Marines.” 
 
 * Of note, this...

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It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the Band of Brothers miniseries premiered on HBO. It was a landmark achievement that met with universal praise. But it was much more than a TV series. It quickly became part of the fabric of our national storytelling of World War II. It catapulted veterans who up to that point had been in their gold years, into the global limelight. It’s energized Americans’ willingness to reengage in discussions with those veterans. And its appeal and success spawned other massive WWII projects. Joe had a ri...

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Operation Fortitude, the Allied deception effort in advance of D-Day…a peer of mine called it, “elegant,” but the proper description might have been encompassing. And it truly was. A multi-discipline effort utilizing a host of deception efforts, from signals, to decoy equipment and personas, to targeting bombing raids, to the use of double agents, Fortitude was all of that and then some. Join Joe as he pulls the threads on Fortitude, looking at it from strategic inception, all the way through its employment. He looks at its complexity, its completeness, and yes, its el...

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It’s time for another museum trip report, this time Joe is off to Jacksonville, North Carolina to visit the brand, spanking new Carolina Museum of the Marine. Opened in June of this year, the CMotM is focused on the service of Marines from North and South Carolina, specifically those that served aboard Camp Lejeune, Camp Geiger, New River Air Station and Cherry Point Air Station. Because those bases generally opened to coincide with the nation’s entry into World War II, the history covered by the CMotM begins in the 20th Century. Join...

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Pegasus Bridge…the Orne River Bridge…Merville Battery…actions that capture the imagination and interest of everyone from serious historians and avid history buffs, but those were just three of multiple actions executed by the British and Canadian paratroopers during the Normandy campaign…and the foremost historian and author of the Red Devils is Neil Barber. Join Joe and Neil as they discuss the performance of the Red Devils in Normandy, the gateway drug which is The Longest Day, busting some myths of those actions featured in the movie, and several other keynote engageme...

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There’s a lot of misconceptions about the Pacific Theater of Operations, and many have to do with the U.S. Army and its level of participation, and proficiency. Dr. John McManus has written a trilogy of books examining the performance of the Army in the PTO. Fire and Fortitude is the first of the three, and during this episode, John sits down with Joe to discuss the Army starting in 1941 at Pearl Harbor and continues through 1942, looking at actions in far reaching locations like the Philippines, Guadalcanal, Attu, and Makin, and so ma...

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In the fourth installment of our “Lore of the Battlefield” series, Joe looks at three ghost stories involving the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during the Normandy Campaign. See how two Currahee troopers, killed early on D-Day, have interactions with three different 101st Airborne men, only well-after they had been killed in action. Learn who they were, details of their service, and the chilling encounters experienced by those who knew and met them on the field of battle. 

To order a copy of Jump into the Fight, Volume I: The Comple...

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It’s been a long time coming, but Joe finally got to sit down with Henry Sledge. Over the course of an hour, the pair discusses Henry’s father, Eugene “Sledgehammer” Sledge, his WWII classic memoir, With the Old Breed, Henry’s relationship with his father, Eugene’s relationship with the Marine Corps, Henry’s latest projects, and last but not least, Henry’s book, The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed. Join Joe and Henry for this fascinating discussion. 

To pre-order Henry’s upcoming book, The Things That Remain: The Artifact...

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I grew up with two grandfathers that had served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. One of them, my maternal grandfather Byron, was a crewman on the USS Ticonderoga. The Big “T” fought at Leyte, and in the South China Sea. She was kamikazed off of Formosa and my grandfather was there for all it. In this episode, I recount the Ticonderoga’s wartime history, it’s outstanding skipper, Dixie Keifer, and examine so of the things my grandfather wore and carried during his time in the service. I also take look through his hand...

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 What did you think of the first three episodes of World War II with Tom Hanks? Join Joe as he drops a few thoughts on this highly anticipated series. 

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I get asked all the time, “What are your favorite books about D-Day?” or “What are your D-Day book ‘must have’s’?” Well, with D-Day rapidly approaching, you can check in to find out what my indispensable D-Day book list looks like. I cover subjects such as the invasion beaches, airborne operations, special units, and then the broader picture of D-Day. There’s going to be a bunch of titles that you recognize and maybe a few that you don’t, but I guarantee that if you’re a serious student of World War II and Operation...

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The US 106th Infantry Division was star-crossed at best. Trained to a fine point, its regiments were raided by the U.S. Army to replace casualties suffered during the Battle of France. Its leadership lacked experience and a “hand’s on” approach to leading the Division’s men in battle. They were eventually isolated and two of its regiments were forced to surrender. It was the largest mass surrender since Bataan. But was it all due to poor leadership? Or did battlefield happenstances force the situation? Or maybe it was a concerted effort on the p...

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The second show in our Lore of the Battlefield series, Episode 60 focuses on a story that has been floating around since 1960. Not one, but two well-respected historians perpetuated the myth, one that spoke poorly of our Allied sailors. The second historian was even called out by a veteran who survived the landings on Omaha. Stop by to find out what SLAM Marshall and Stephen Ambrose wrote about the British coxswains who landed the 116th Infantry Regiment on D-Day, and why it took Bob Sales, the only surviving member of his boat team, to...

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Coming of age during the Great Depression, the American boys who fought in World War II had, through necessity, developed a unique brand of technological resourcefulness. Joe is joined by Bob Wettemann to discuss how American servicemen grew up in a society where the machine was ubiquitous—where enduring an unparalleled period of financial distress meant learning to keep their Model Ts, Fordson tractors, or other machinery operational. Wettemann describes how this tinkerer’s mentality promoted a technical aptitude and willingness to adapt unmatched by other armies fielded during World War II. At the...

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Back in July of 1942, the Army began constituting at Camp Toccoa what would become one of its most famous units, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Over the course of fourteen months, Company E of the 506th, would train in Toccoa, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, before heading to New York for embarkation and eventually, England. While this period of Easy’s history has been written about before, it’s never been done so in this level of granularity. Rich in details and peppered with insights directly from the Easy Company veterans, join Joe...

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The first in our “Lore of the Battlefield” series, Joe looks at the legend of Eric Fisher Wood Jr., an artillery officer from the 589th Field Artillery Battalion. The 589th was assigned to the 106th Infantry Division, “Golden Lions,” and like much of the division, was largely overrun during the opening stages of the Battle of the Bulge. Wood Jr., cut off during his withdrawal, took to the woods to launch his own guerilla war. But without witnesses of his actions, it’s difficult to figure out where reality and myth converge and diverge. J...

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Fought between November 1942 and May 1943, the Second World War’s Tunisian Campaign has often been described as where the Allies ‘learned to fight’. The vital culmination of the conflict fought across the breadth of North Africa, as well as an important stepping-stone to the opening of a second front in Europe, Tunisia saw American, British, and French forces on air, land, and sea, combine to drive the Axis forces from the African Continent for good.

Join Joe and author Sam Wallace as they discuss the strategic, operational and tactical impacts of the cr...

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D-Day has always been one of the most popular topics of World War II. As a result, it’s the smaller battles that occurred later in the campaign that oftentimes get overlooked. As US tank units landed and began moving inland at Utah Beach, they were directed to link up with the paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and begin clearing German units out from the route of advance. On June 7th, Vierville became the focal point of a short but intense battle between the 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, A Company of...

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Have you ever just wanted to grab a drink and sit down with a couple of like-minded folks and talk WWII history? Well, grab a pint and tuck in for this show as Joe is joined by old friends Paul Woodadge and Reg Jans as they discuss WWII history, battles, and veterans that they have met and befriended over the years. The only thing missing is the pub’s dartboard, countertop and soggy bar rag, and crackling fire in the fireplace! Enjoy! 

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A day late and a dollar short, only we’re neither since the Battle of the Bulge officially ended on 25 January 1945. Join Joe and special guest, Reg Jans, as they examine the opening phase of the battle and some of the key fights that fueled the German offensive and the Americans’ response. They look at factors influencing the battle such as fuel and manpower shortages, as well as key personalities both sides and German planning. It’s a great overview with one of the battle’s foremost historians and battlefield guides, and it sets us...

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Donald Hoobler, Easy Company stalwart, heavily featured in the miniseries Band of Brothers. There’s so much incorrect information out there about how he died. Between Wikipedia, guesswork, and the miniseries, it all contributes to the inaccuracy. Sit down with Joe for a quick hit episode that busts the myths surrounding the death of this extremely popular soldier. From his interviews with Company members, and the written accounts of others, Joe has assembled the most accurate description of the incident that felled one of 1st Platoon’s most reliable soldiers, one who David Webs...

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During World War II, Elzbieta Zawacka was the only woman to reach London as an emissary of the Polish Home Army command. In Britain, she became the only woman to join the Polish elite Special Forces, known as the "Silent Unseen.” She was secretly trained in the British countryside, and then she was the only female member of these forces to be parachuted back behind enemy lines to Nazi-occupied Poland. There, while being hunted by the Gestapo (who arrested her entire family), she took a leading role in the Warsaw Uprising and the li...

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Many of you have probably read about the Duplex Drive Shermans, one of “Hobart’s Funnies.” The myths and urban legends about their launching and deployment on D-Day have persisted for decades. Author and historian Charles Herrick joins the pod again, this time to lift the shroud from the mystery about how the orders and decisions made by almost every level of leadership led to the uneven performance and sadly, the deaths of many DD crews off Omaha Beach on D-Day. Check in to hear how.    

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Patreon supporter Andrew sent me a question about what happens to a paratrooper’s extra gear and dress uniforms when they are training or deployed on a combat operation. Check out this short to find out! 

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Noncommissioned Officers, or NCOs, have long been considered the backbone of the Marine Corps. But the crucible of combat in World War II tested the NCO corps like no other event. They acted as the continuity, institutional knowledge and experience, and many times, the moral compass for the young Leathernecks in their charge. Steven McCloud returns to the pod to discuss with Joe the immense value of these men and their contributions to the overall success of the Marine Corps in WWII, as seen through the eyes of veterans of several Marine units. 

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The 101st Airborne left behind a legacy with their service in World War II and their actions gained them a fame that has continued to this day. Much attention has been focused on their storied combat actions like Normandy and Bastogne, while their time spent in England in 1943/44 is less well known. Through a wealth of sources, testimonies and period photographs, Matthew Pellett has brought that lesser-known period in the Division’s history to the fore. Join Joe and Matthew as they discuss that year of rich history of the 101st Airborne and sh...

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For years the United States Marine Corps has had a recruiting tool called the ‘Buddy Program.’ Using the program, you could join with a friend and essentially be guaranteed to go through recruit training together. During World War II, eight young men from Weslaco, Texas took that theory to the extreme, joining the Marine Corps to serve their nation. One of those young men was Iwo Jima flag raiser, Harlan Block. In a continuation of our Pacific Theater programming, Andrew Booher joins the show to discuss the fascinating topic of the Weslaco Eight, thei...

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Due to the popularity of John Basilone and the Battle of Alligator Creek, the Battle for Guadalcanal looms large in the public eye regarding World War II in the Pacific. The Pacific miniseries reinforced those popular images. But like most battles in the war, much more information is required to get a complete understanding of what happened. Dave Holland, through his popular “Guadalcanal – Walking a Battlefield” Facebook page, has begun lifting the shroud from the Battle of Guadalcanal, and in his upcoming book, Guadalcanal’s Longest Fight, he examines a series of critical battles...

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The 29th Infantry Division was one of the earliest National Guard units to be federalized after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They would soon ship to England where they would train until D-Day. After landing on France that fateful day, they would essentially remain ‘one the line’ until V-E Day. Joe is joined by esteemed author and historian, Joe Balkoski to help explore the combat mindset of the men of the division as they activate, ship out, take part in one of the most famous amphibious assaults in history, and then slog across west...

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When Marine Air Group 2 was stationed at Ewa Airfield on the island of Honolulu, none of the Marines there could have anticipated what would happen on the morning of December 7th, 1941. Join Joe and Josh Donohue as they examine significance of Ewa and the actions of both the Japanese attackers and Marine defenders on that fateful day. It’s an attack that has long been overshadowed by the one that took place at Battleship Row, but one that the Marines that withstood it would never forget. 

*** Please note that due to som...

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The seesaw fight for Le Ferme Delaunay and Les Droueries. Despite launching multiple concerted attacks against German positions, LTC Robert Ballard found himself and his 2nd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry in a death struggle. It was a test of will between the Americans and German grenadiers and Fallschirmjäger. Repeatedly taking and giving up ground and even being hit by their own naval gunfire support couldn’t prevent these Geronimo paratroopers from winning. In the second episode of this two-part series, Joe dissects the battle at the tactical level and tells the story usi...

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Sometimes interesting history topics develop out of nothing more than a quick conversation. In this case, an offhand comment from his father-in-law led Joe to an amazing story of how a Tuskegee Airman, shot down during his 64th mission, found refuge in two small villages in northern Croatia. Check out the area where Robert Martin was sheltered and cared for by the people of the small village of Cetingrad and later evacuated back to the United States. It’s a remarkable story and it started with a small conversation. 

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It was a battle that was never meant to be. Two Robert’s, Ballard and Wolverton, each commanded a battalion in the 101st Airborne, and each was tasked with capturing bridges over the Douve River. But before the battalions could accomplish their missions, they’d have to clear the area around their drop zone of enemy troops. Les Droueries was located near the drop zone and the flooded grounds around it would become the scene of bitter fighting. In the first of a two-part series, Joe breaks down the drop of both battalions and...

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Second time’s a charm. Join Joe as he deep dives some of the currently circulating myths and misconceptions created and promoted by an unscrupulous YouTuber. It’s all about educating and informing folks as to the truth about Easy Company and not someone’s interpretations of it. Part 1 of what will likely be a multi-part series was wildly popular, and the WNLP followers have asked for more. So, tune in for Episode 41 to learn more about what is likely World War II’s most talked about fighting unit. Currahee! 

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Kasserine Pass. The fighting for that geographic novelty has an almost mystical aura around it as it was the US Army’s first large-scale battle against the Germans in North Africa. And they fared poorly. But did you know about the smaller, yet no less important battle for Sidi Bou Zid? It essentially set the stage for Kasserine, and those two battlefield setbacks would result in the firing of a US corps commander, and herald the arrival of General George S. Patton to II Corps. Continuing our chronicling of the United States early ac...

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Have you ever wondered if you have a famous relative? We all have at some point thought about the possibility, especially if you ran across someone with a similar last name. In this episode, Joe examines the cases of three members of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and runs down the myths and urban legends associated with them and their possible famous relatives. He also looks at their service during the war and what happened to them. Enjoy! 

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It happens more often than most fans of Band of Brothers would like. YouTube channels and podcasts pop up with poorly contextualized, subpar content designed as clickbait. It’s frustrating for both real historians and genuine fans of the book and miniseries. In this episode, Joe works through a number of sensationalized Easy Company-related topics in order to separate the wheat from the chaff, and bring the truth about Band of Brothers’ topics that seem to attract these less-than-stellar content creators like moths to a flame.
 
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I was able to bookend visits to the Museum of the Mighty 8th and the UDT/Navy SEAL Museum during a recent vacation. I had previously visited the Mighty 8th, but had never done so with the the SEAL Museum. Both are high quality with wonderful displays related to World War II. Masters of the Air has kickstarted the popularity and pending expansion of the Mighty 8th, and the Naval Combat Demolition Units of WWII have their genesis at Fort Pierce where the museum is located. Stop by for a listen (or watch...