1 Here's a complete list of my planned WW2TV theme weeks up to the end of July. This doesn't count battlefield livestreams which will start happening again once my 10km radius is lifted.
May 3rd - Resistance week. Shows on France, Crete, the Balkans and Poland
2 May 10th - Italy week. A look at both Italy's role as a participant and also battles and campaigns that took place in Italy. I'm still looking for potential guests and topics
3 May 17th - Strategic Bombing week. We will be tackling the "Final Phase" in the bombing of Germany, and I have a great show lined up about the loss of a B17F over Netherlands. Plus we will feature 617 Squadron (of course). I'd also like to cover the Far East
4 May 24th - DDay "Build up" week. We will look at training sites, the preparation, intelligence and maybe even the work of SOE and the Resistance. I'm especially interested in the Naval side of planning.
5 May 31st - Leadership week. We will look at Allied and Axis leadership at various levels. I have a couple of guests already booked, but will need more. The leaders can be both admired or hated, all that matters is that they are interesting
6 June 7th - Airborne week. Not just Airborne drops in Normandy and not just Allied. I'd like to cover German and or Russian paratroopers too and we already have Crossing of the Rhine show planned. This will be a popular week I'm sure
7 June 14th - Infantry week. You guessed it, a look at the ground troops - the poor bloody infantry. A variety of subjects, with perhaps a focus on Normandy. Foxholes, patrolling, the trials and tribulations of being just a pair of boots on the ground
8 June 21st - Medics and Hospitals week. This will be different I think. I'd like to look at nursing, advances in medical science, breakthroughs in surgery, air-evacuation, triage, Regimental Aid Posts, anything that comes under the broad heading
9 June 28th - Battle of the Atlantic - War at Sea. Basically anything that took place on the seas! Submarines, ASDIC, Air Sea Rescue, Convoys, specific ships. I'm open to ideas
10 July 5th - The Pacific. A loose heading again, but this will feature stories from the Southern Hemisphere. Island hopping, weapons, specific units or campaigns. Hit me with your suggestions
11 July 12th - Disasters and Tragedies. Again, rather a loose heading. We're going to look at some of the operations, schemes and plans that went badly wrong. Any theatre, any Nation - well known or unknown.
12 July 19th - South Asia Week - the coincide with South Asian Heritage Month we will feature shows about India and it's neighbours in WWII. I already have my guests lined up (I think)
13 July 26th - Breakout! - In direct contrast to Disasters week, here we will look at the advances that won the war or turned the tide. Bluecoat, Cobra and Bagration for example
14 So here's how you can help please. Look at the themes and come at me with ideas. If you have a topic suggestion, please propose someone who can speak on the subject. They can be established authors or enthusiastic amateurs - all are welcome
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1 Dunkirk (2017) came up in conversation on my boys' trip to Arnhem, and I found out I was the only one of the 6 battlefield tour guides who loved the film. I know it's been discussed to death, but here are my reasons
2 To me, Dunkirk is a film that transcends being a War Film, in the vein of A Matter of Life and Death, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Kanal, Lawrence of Arabia and Apocalypse Now. Now that's not to say it is as important or philosophical as those films, but..
3 First, let me say that as a means of explaining the battle leading to the evacuation, Dunkirk fails and the original 1958 movie tops it completely. I also take on board the criticism of the gliding Spitfire and other details