History Undone

On today's History Undone Darryl Morris is joined by Dr Klaus Schmider and Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry to discuss one of Adolf Hitler's most critical decisions of the Second World War. During the early days of Operation Barbarossa, he made an order for army groups to split north and south, rather than push on and head straight for Moscow, seeing the capital as a secondary objective. By the time mere months later, the Nazis' diverted their attentions back here, it was already too late. So what if they had pushed on early in 1941 and attempted to topple the Kremlin...

It's the 25th of October 1415, St Crispin's Day, and a small stretch of land in northern France is about to have its name etched into legend. The Battle of Agincourt was a momumental and historic victory for the English over the French, who, despite being heavily outnumbered came out on top. Yet a battle that took place over the course of just one day, could have altered the course of history. So what if the French had won that day? Would England have left the continent and become a maritime power much early? What happens to the War of the...

It’s the 24th of December 1942, Christmas Eve. In the depths of the ruins of Stalingrad, all German hope of rescue has been extinguished. On this special Christmas edition of History Undone, Darryl Morris is joined by Dr Klaus Schmider & Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry to discuss the horrors of the encirclement or the 'kessel' at Stalingrad.

German troops found themselves trapped within four days, but Adolf Hitler ordered them to stay put. Thousands died due to starvation and freezing temperatures, so in late December Operation Winter Storm was launched from the outside, to rescue those Ge...

On this episode of History Undone, Darryl Morris, Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Jonathan Parshall discuss one of the most overlooked campaigns of the Second World War: Burma and the South East Asian theatre.

Japan occupied the nation from 1942 until 1945 and despite pushing on for a failed invasion of India in 1944, there was an opportunity two years earlier that Japan did not take. So what if Imperial Japan had pushed on and successfully invaded the jewel in the crown of the British Empire? This is History Undone.

Welcome to Times Radio History...

Darryl Morris is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Anna Reid to discuss arguably one of the most consequential what ifs of the 20th Century and beyond: the October Revolution in 1917 and subsequent Russian Civil War. It not only ended centuries of tsarist rule and pulled Russia out of the First World War, but led to the creation of the Soviet Union and its most famous figures. Without the Bolshevik victory, would we still have World War 2, the Cold War, the space race or the rise of Putin? This is History Undone.

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On this episode of History Undone Darryl Morris is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Dr Timothy Orr to discuss Robert E Lee's decision to fight for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Considered the south's finest general, Lee was actually offered command of the Union's forces in Virginia by President Abraham Lincoln, but he would not fight against his home state that had seceded just a day earlier. So what if he had made that monumental decision and become Lee, the Union general instead? This is History Undone.

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History Undone's brand new host Darryl Morris is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Anna Whitelock to discuss one of the most mythologised events in British history: The Gunpowder Plot. Guy Fawkes' name has become the stuff of legend, yet he was just part of a group of 13 conspirators who in 1605 planted 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath Parliament, with the goal of assassinating King James I and everyone else in there that day. Of course the plot failed, and those in Britain still 'remember remember the 5th of November' 420 years later. Yet what if virtually the entire English...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Marcus Bull to discuss one of the most famous and mythologised battles of the 16th century period: The Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It was a fierce battle between empires, faiths and ideals, as the greatly outnumbered Christian Knights Hospitaller, which had been headquartered on the island for 35 years, held out against the might of the Ottoman Empire. Yet what if the Ottomans had succeeded nearly 500 years ago? This is History Undone.

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This episode of History Undone is sponsored by Visit Malta. To find out more information, head to visitmalta.com #ad

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historical consultant on Christopher Nolan's 2017 movie 'Dunkirk' Joshua Levine to describe the miraculous evacuation of British and French troops in 1940. In what was actually a crushing military defeat, the highly unusual plan was carried out with an extraordinary level of success and contributed to Britain's decision to fight on in the Second World War. Yet what if it hadn't worked and over 338,000 allied troops...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Dr Klaus Schmider to discuss the monumental decision that has been debated by historians for decades: Adolf Hitler's declaration of war against the US after Pearl Harbour. Was it a necessary action that he needed to take, or a devastating mistake which cost Germany the war? It is undoubtedly one that, had he not made, the Second World War would have looked very different. This is History Undone.

This episode of History Undone is sponsored by Visit Malta. To find out more information, head to...

This episode of History Undone is sponsored by Visit Malta. To find out more information, head to visitmalta.com #ad

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Nigel Jones to discuss what could have happened had Britain sued for peace with Nazi Germany after the disastrous fall of France in May 1940. There were some in Britain who were certainly keen on the idea, but the appointment of Winston Churchill, not Lord Halifax as prime minister was just one reason that assured this alternate timeline did not happen. If it had, how would...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss one of the most profound what ifs of 20th century history - the decision by the US to enter the First World War in 1917. Without the nation's involvement does Germany rule much of Eastern Europe, do you still see the rise of the Nazis and are the US and UK allies today? This is History Undone. 

This episode of History Undone is sponsored by Visit Malta. To find out more information, head to visitmalta.com #ad

Hosted on A...

This episode of History Undone is sponsored by Visit Malta. To find out more information, head to visitmalta.com #ad

On today's History Undone, the team cover the Falklands War in 1982 and James Hanson is joined by arguably two of the best placed people on earth to discuss the conflict. Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry served, and even fired the first shots in the conflict and Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman wrote the official history of the war. Yet what if Argentina had secured an unlikely victory here? Margaret Thatcher would almost certainly have been forced to...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the naval YouTuber  @Drachinifel  to discuss one of the most oft-overlooked engagements of the Second World War: the Battle of the Coral Sea. It was the world's first carrier-to-carrier battle, with no ships actually catching sight of each other across the four day conflict. While the Battle of Midway that followed has gone down in history as a key turning point and famous American victory, the team argue that it was Coral Sea that set the tone and began to change US fortunes in the Pacific. This is Hi...

James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Niall Barr to discuss one of the most overlooked, but brutal campaigns of the Second World War: The Siege of Malta. Between 1940 and 1942 the tiny Mediterranean island came under a relentless siege from the Axis and was the most bombed place on Earth. It still holds the record for longest period of sustained bombing ever: 154 consecutive days and nights. The island held firm, but if the Axis had taken hold here, how might the rest of the war have played out? This is History Undone.

James is joined by historian Jonathan Trigg and Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry to discuss the largest battle in the history of warfare: the Battle of Kursk. It was one of a number of Soviet victories over Germany on the Eastern front in WW2, but would a German victory here have changed the outcome of the war and history itself?

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It's July 1st, 1863 and one small town in Pennsylvania is about to have its name etched into American folklore, Gettysburg. Over the course of the next three days, over 165,000 troops from the union and the Confederate forces would engage in the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, and despite the conflict continuing for nearly two more years, the Battle of Gettysburg is considered a turning point, marking the end of General Robert E. Lee's plans to invade the North and bring the war to a close.

But what if things had been different and this...

On this episode of History Undone, we're delving into our archives as James Hanson is joined by Chris Copson and Dr Chris Parry as they discuss the Battle of Arnhem and the wider consequences of Operation Market Garden. Would the war have ended sooner? Would the Battle of the Bulge have gone differently? Tune in to find out!

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James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historian, author and broadcaster James Holland to discuss one of the most brutal and attritional battles of the entire Second World War: The Battle of Monte Cassino. Just how important was it and the Italian campaign as a whole? This is History Undone.

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James Hanson is joined by Drachinifel and Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry to discuss the longest continuous battle of the Second World War: The Battle of the Atlantic.

Between 1939 and 1945 both merchant and navy ships were attacked in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Yet after 5 years and 8 months, the might of the Royal Navy helped the allies win here. So what if the Germans had won? This is History Undone.

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The sixth of June 1944 D-Day 80 years on, is still the largest amphibious invasion of all time. It's a date that evokes emotion and national pride in equal measure, and it not only changed the Second World War, but history itself. Yet, what if the operation hadn't been a success?

Welcome to History Undone with James Hanson, the show where we take an alternative look at the events which have shaped our world. Each episode will focus on a different battle from throughout history, but using modern military analysis, we'll ask how things could have played out...

By the summer of 1941 Nazi Germany is in near total control of continental Europe. A year earlier, the German blitzkrieg swept through Belgium, the Netherlands and France, and forced the British Expeditionary Force to evacuate at Dunkirk.

Then by 1941 Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had all joined the axis, and Hitler looked further east despite a non aggression pact with Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler saw his previous success as a blueprint to launch an operation which he thought could bring down the Red Army in a matter of months, codename Barbarossa. What followed was a brutal, drawn...

For today's episode we're delving back into the History Undone Archive, as James Hanson is joined by Dr Adrian Goldsworthy and Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry to discuss one of the Roman Empire's worst and most humiliating defeats: The Battle of Teutoburg Forest. Only a handful of Roman troops managed to escape here as they were massacred by the Germanic tribes led by Arminius, and the battle's impact on history is bigger than you might think. This is History Undone.

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On this episode of History Undone, we're heading back into the show's archives to cover the Battle of Stalingrad - the biggest and bloodiest battle of all time - and how things may have transpired if the Germans had won. Joining James Hanson are the historian and author Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and historian, author and broadcaster Jon Trigg.

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James is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historian Tim Bouverie for this episode of History Undone, discussing the unlikely alliance of 'the big three' in the Second World War.

Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union were divided by culture and ideology, but united against a common enemy in Nazi Germany. Tim Bouverie joins the show to discuss the themes explored in his new book 'Allies at War: The Politics of Defeating Hitler' which is out now.

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James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Nigel Jones to discuss the German wunderwaffe or 'wonder weapons'. Hitler's Germany was responsible for some remarkable advances in military engineering, from long-range ballistic missiles, to the world's first ever jet powered fighter plane. However, Nazi ambition far outweighed the country's wartime capacities and many of these weapons were not available until too late on in the war. So what if these had been ready sooner - could it have made a significant difference to the outcome?

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For this episode of History Undone, James is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historian Roger Moorhouse to discuss one of the most significant moments at the beginning of the Second World War. Despite their huge differences and animosity, in August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression treaty otherwise known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Yet with Operation Barbarossa and the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Hitler betrayed that trust. Yet what if he hadn't and what if it had held for the remainder of the war? This is History Undone.

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Today we're going back into the History Undone archive, as James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the YouTuber and naval historian Drachinifel to discuss the Battle of Jutland. It was the largest naval battle of the First World War and the only time the British and German fleets went head to head. So just how significant was it and should it have ended differently? This is History Undone.

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James is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss a much debated historical sliding doors moment: Britain's decision to enter the First World War. Was it the right one, or would Britain and her Empire have been better off focusing on its own concerns. Those are questions for our experts as they examine the alternate timeline, had Britain not have made this critical decision in August 1914. This is History Undone.

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On this episode of History Undone, James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the historian Jonathan Walker, author of ‘Operation Unthinkable: The Third World War’. They discuss this daring, controversial and top secret plan by Winston Churchill to attack the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War.

Of course, the plan was never put into action and perhaps was never intended to be. Yet what if the allies had implemented Operation Unthinkable and attacked Stalin head on in July 1945. The remainder of the 20th century, at the very...

We've delved back into the History Undone archives, as James is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and one of Britain's most renowned Medieval experts Professor Robert Bartlett, to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Yet how did this day-long conflict become one of the most consequential battles in history, and why are we still talking about it nearly 1,000 years later? This is History Undone.

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James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Nigel Jones to discuss one of the most important events in the lead up to the Second World War: the Nazi annexation of the Sudetenland and eventual invasion of the entirety of Czechoslovakia.

This provocation was met with appeasement by the allies and approved by the signing of the Munich Agreement. Yet what if Britain & France had instead declared war right there and then in 1938? Would WW2 as we know it, even have happened at all?

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James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and former British Foreign Office diplomat Tim Dowse to discuss one of the most remarkable military operations of modern times: Desert Storm. The Gulf War was a war of firsts: high tech weaponry, 24-hour news broadcasting and lightning speed efficiency from the Americans. The ground offensive was over in a matter of 100 hours to liberate Kuwait and decimate Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Army. Yet what if the U.S. had gone even further and removed Saddam there and then? What impact does that have on seismic 21st century events like 9/11 and...

James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the naval historian and YouTuber Drachinifel to discuss one of the more forgotten campaigns of the early Second World War: Norway. Yet while it might seem inconsequential in the long run, this period between Spring and Summer of 1940 helped set the tone for the next few years of the entire conflict.

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James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the military historian Andrew Robertshaw to discuss a battle which shaped the future of Europe for years to come: Blenheim. This day long conflict was part of the War of Spanish Succession, which saw the Grand Alliance of England, the Dutch Republic & Austria try to prevent Louis XIV from uniting the thrones of France & Spain. Yet the battle's impact is far greater than that. This is History Undone.

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James Hanson is once again joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Jonathan Parshall, this time to discuss military campaign that never happened. Operation Downfall was the ambitious allied plan to invade Japan at the end of WW2, yet this was never put into action because of the atomic bomb. Yet what if the bomb wasn't available? The end of the war and the rest of the 20th century would have looked very different indeed. We've delved into our recent archive for this episode of History Undone.

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The Six-Day War of 1967 was a historic victory for the state of Israel. Surrounded by hostile neighbours, the Israelis launched a preemptive strike and routed the combined forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria, seizing vast territories including the Sinai peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Join James Hanson, Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Matthew Hughes, as they replay the Six-Day War, a lightning conflict that changed the Middle East forever.

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On July 20, 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg led one of World War II’s most daring resistance plots: assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime. But what if the bomb had worked? What if the coup had succeeded, and the resistance had taken control of Germany? Join James Hanson, Rear Admiral Dr. Chris Parry, and historian Nigel Jones as they uncover the bold plan that could have changed the course of history forever.

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The Battle of Hattin, a pivotal conflict during the Crusades, unfolded on July the 4th 1187. It happened at the crossroads of three continents, in some of the most fought over terrain in history, near the Horns of Hattin in modern-day Israel. Join James Hanson, Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry - and for the first time on the show, Professor of the History of the Crusades at Royal Holloway University Jonathan Phillips, as they delve into this monumental engagement between the Crusader states and the Muslim forces of the Ayyubid Sultanate.

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James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War: the Somme. The first day is infamous for being the deadliest day in British Army history, but after months the allies did achieve a semi-strategic victory of sorts. The costs were heavy however, and can the battle really be considered a turning point? Perhaps not, but its impact stretches far beyond the battlefield. This is History Undone.

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James Hanson is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Alexander Watson to discuss one of the most enduring, yet heavily mythologised stories of military history. It is of course the Christmas truce. Yet among the myth busting, they pose a separate question: what if the war had been over by Christmas as many thought in 1914? This is History Undone.

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James Hanson is joined once again by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and the naval historian & YouTuber Drachinifel to discuss one of history's most storied naval fleets and failed conquests. The Spanish Armada set sail for England with the hope of invading, removing Queen Elizabeth I and reinstating Catholicism.

Yet the English were ready - engaging and pursuing them in the Channel. It meant the Spanish were forced to flee into the North Sea and navigate back home via the Northern British and Irish coast. It was disastrous, leading to many ships being lost, and the...

Welcome to History Undone with James Hanson, a channel that looks back at pivotal moments and asks 'What if?'. We'll be looking at key battles, strategic decisions and political outcomes with leading historians and current military experts and tacticians to see what might have happened differently, and more importantly, what impact those differences might have had on the world today.

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