This month’s movie is Downfall, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and starring Bruno Ganz, the depiction of the last days of Adolf Hitler as we reach the 80th anniversary.

In August 1941 Army Group North of the Wehrmacht approached the suburbs of Leningrad, as St. Petersburg was called. Within days the city was surrounded, and would remain so for nearly two and a half years.

On 25th December 1941, General Alan Brooke was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the commanding officer of the British Army during the Second World War. His new boss, Winston Spencer Churchill was a hard taskmaster with high standards who had no problem with sacking generals. But, he had a helping hand in the form of General Pug Ismay, soldier, statesman and diplomat.

Today’s guest is Helen Lederer, actress, comedian, writer and the author of Not That I’m Bitter, her life’s memoir which includes the 1980s comedy scene, and her family story during the Second World War

On 17 March 1821 the Greek Revolution began in the small town of Areopoli, part of the Mani Peninsula in the Peloponnese.

Welcome to Aspects of History’s film club. Every month we pick a historical film and chat about it with myself, filmmaker Tim Hewitt and historian Roger Moorhouse. This month it’s Cross of Iron starring James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason and David Warner. We chat about the movie then it’s our awards including the much coveted Simon Baker award for best performance. Links Cross of Iron on Wikipedia Cross of Iron on IMDB Ollie on X Tim on X Roger on X Latest Issue out - Annual Subscription to Aspects of History Magazine only $9.99/£9.99 Aspects of History on Instagram Get in touch: history@aspectsofhistory.com

During March we’ve had Women’s History Month, and in that vein I invited two Aspects of History authors on to discuss.

In around 108AD, the Legio IX Hispania, or the Ninth Legion, a unit of just over 5,000 men, was last recorded at York in Britannia, and possibly heading north towards Caledonia, modern day Scotland.

On the morning of 24th March 1945 the British and Canadian 6th Airborne Division and the American 17th Airborne Division began parachuting into German held territory on the eastern side of the River Rhine.

As the Vietnam War progressed, discipline among US troops began to deteriorate, to the stage where incidents of ‘fragging’ – the practice of killing officers and NCOs with grenades – became more widespread, as did the shooting of officers when out on patrol or during contact.

On 8 March 1965 at Da Nang in South Vietnam, 3,500 Marines landed thus marking the beginning of US combat troops in Vietnam.

A quick bonus episode and discussion on Ukraine with Gordon Corrigan for you as I was keen to get his thoughts in light of his successful Substack writing, and to follow on from Saturday’s episode.

In 416BC, during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, the island of Melos was a non-combatant. Strategically located in the middle of the Aegean, The Athenians arrived and demanded Melos surrender and thus be absorbed into their empire.

Welcome to a delayed Film Club and it’s The Third Man, Carol Reed’s 1949 masterpiece starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard and of course, Orson Welles from a script by Graham Greene.

In late 1941 Winston Churchill lost his temper with his top generals over their disagreement in supplying Stalin with tanks and aircraft. Their obstruction caused a furious row at the heart of the British government.

In this second and concluding part on the Causes of the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI fails in his kingly duties, and rival factions were gain strength across England.

On 31 August 1422 Henry V, England’s finest king, died aged 35. His successor, Henry VI was only 9 months old and so his uncle, and Henry V’s brother, John, Duke of Talbot, became regent and continued the war in France. The young Henry was a gentle child, and most worrying for England he lacked a monarch as mentor, and so little understanding of how to handle the politics of kingship in the 15th century.

During Nazi rule it is estimated that 8 million Germans were members of the party, that’s around 10% of the population.

On 9th November 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the German crown and retired to Holland where he learnt Dutch and began a passion for archaeology. But during the rise of the Nazis hope was raised that he could once more stride the imperial stage arm in arm with Adolf Hitler.

In a continuation of Saturday’s discussion with Paul Rahe, we delve into the Peloponnesian War after the Sicilian Expedition, as the Spartans take Persian gold to subdue their democratic rivals Athens.

In 415BC, the Athenian Empire, during a lull in the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans, voted to embark on a massive campaign to capture Syracuse.

On the 22nd November 1963 President John F Kennedy was assassinated…..by Lee Harvey Oswald right?

In early 1957, the Robert F Kennedy and his brother Jack were part of the US Senate Rackets Committee and they both attacked the notorious Jimmy Hoffa, the leader of the Teamsters union and a man with numerous connections to the mob.

On the 2nd December 1980, four American nuns were driving from San Salvador international airport when their van was attacked and run off the road. Men from the El Salvador National Guard, the ruling government’s military, dressed in civilian clothing, raped, shot, then buried the four women.

Early in 14th century Switzerland was under the control of their far more powerful neighbour, Hapsburg Austria.