Living History with Mat McLachlan
History
About
Historian Mat McLachlan brings Australian history to life in this engaging, educational and entertaining podcast. From the ancient age to the modern world, take a trip through time with Living History! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
- Ep287: Hitler's V1 Flying Bomb
This episode discusses Hitler's V-1 flying bomb, the first robot weapon used in war. It covers the V-1 campaign in London during the summer of 1944, from its secret development to its impact on civilians and the strategic questions surroun…
- Ep286: Gallipoli - The Turkish Perspective
This episode of Living History explores the Gallipoli campaign from the Turkish perspective, focusing on the defense led by Deputy Officer Muharrem against the Australian landing on April 25th, 1915. It highlights the actions of Turkish so…
- Ep267: The Rats of Tobruk, 1941
This episode details the 1941 Siege of Tobruk, a 242-day battle where Australian soldiers were surrounded by German forces. It includes firsthand accounts of the siege, the soldiers' experiences, and significant actions, concluding with th…
- Ep266: Dernancourt, 1918 - Australia's Toughest Fight
This episode details the Battles of Dernancourt in 1918, highlighting the desperate defence by Australian troops against a numerically superior German force. It includes accounts from soldiers and the story of Sergeant Stanley McDougall's…
- Ep265: Nuremberg - Inside the Nazi Mind
Mat McLachlan speaks with Jack El-Hai, author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, about psychiatrist Douglas M. Kelley's assignment to evaluate 22 senior Nazis at Nuremberg. Kelley concluded the defendants were psychologically normal, not cl…
- Ep264: Sudan 1885 - Australia's First Deployment
In March 1885, thirty years before Gallipoli, 770 men from New South Wales sailed for the deserts of Sudan — the first Australian soldiers ever sent to fight in a foreign war. In this episode, Mat McLachlan tells the forgotten story of Aus…
- Ep263: Korea - Operation Killer, 1951
In February 1951, while Australia slept, soldiers from 3RAR were crawling through knee-deep snow on frozen Korean ridgelines — fighting a war their own country barely noticed and has largely forgotten since. In this episode, Mat McLachlan…
- Ep262: The Invasion of Singapore, 1942
In February 1942, when the Japanese Imperial Army launched its assault on Singapore, 880 Australians would die in just four days—not in the surrender that followed, but in the desperate battle to defend the island. In this episode, Mat McL…
- Ep261: Somme Winter, 1916-17
In November 1916, when the great Somme offensive ground to its bloody halt, over 20,000 Australians would become casualties not from enemy fire, but from the winter itself. In this powerful episode, Mat McLachlan reveals the forgotten stor…
- Ep260: The Road to Passchendaele - The Final Reckoning (Part 5)
On October 12th, 1917, Captain Clarence Jeffries led one hundred Australian troops toward a German machine gun position on the Passchendaele road. He'd already captured one pillbox that morning—exactly the kind of action that had worked br…
- Ep259: The Road to Passchendaele - Broodseinde Ridge (Part 4)
On October 4th, 1917 a thousand British guns opened fire on German positions along Broodseinde Ridge. What followed was described by Crown Prince Rupprecht as "the black day of the war." For the first time, German high command began to con…
- Ep258: The Road to Passchendaele - Polygon Wood (Part 3)
On September 26th, 1917, at Polygon Wood, three cousins from the same Australian pioneering family waited in the pre-dawn darkness. Raymond Single would soon be shot by a sniper who saw his luminous watch glow. Within hours, Hubert Thompso…
- Ep257: The Road to Passchendaele - Menin Road (Part 2)
On September 20th, 1917, at the Battle of Menin Road, Private Roy Inwood lay in the mud east of Ypres. His brother had died at Pozières the year before. In three hours, Roy would earn the Victoria Cross. The day after, he'd be dead. Nearby…
- Ep256: The Road to Passchendaele - The Gathering Storm (Part 1)
When Field Marshal Douglas Haig launched his great Flanders offensive in July 1917, he believed he was unleashing the battle that would end the war. Instead, he condemned three-quarters of a million men to fight and die in what would becom…
- Ep255: Australians at Arnhem, 1944
When 35,000 Allied paratroopers dropped into Holland in September 1944, four Australians from opposite corners of the continent found themselves at the heart of one of World War Two's most catastrophic operations. In this remarkable episod…
- Ep254: Australia's Last Battles of WW2
While the world watched Iwo Jima and Okinawa, over 70,000 Australian soldiers were fighting and dying in what many would later call the 'unnecessary wars' - the final campaigns in Bougainville, New Guinea and Borneo. In this powerful episo…
- Ep253: Hiroshima 1945 - Was the Atomic Bombing Justified?
Was dropping the atomic bomb necessary? For nearly 80 years, historians have debated President Truman's decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan. But secret intelligence intercepts - classified for decades after the war - reveal what…
- Ep252: Waterloo Relics at the Guards Museum
Step into the hallowed halls of London's Guards Museum with Mat McLachlan as he uncovers extraordinary artifacts from one of history's most pivotal battles. In this captivating episode, Mat takes you behind the scenes to examine authentic…
- Ep251: El Alamein, 1942
In October 1942, as Field Marshal Rommel's Afrika Korps prepared for one final push towards Cairo, Australia's 9th Division and New Zealand's 2nd Division stood ready at El Alamein for what would become the decisive battle of the North Afr…
- Ep250: Somme 1916 - The Death of the Newfoundland Regiment
On July 1st, 1916, 800 young Newfoundlanders climbed out of a trench and walked into history at Beaumont-Hamel. In twenty minutes, an entire generation was lost. This is their story - from fishermen's sons volunteering in St. John's to sea…
- Ep249: Billy Sing - The Gallipoli Sniper
Billy Sing was a living contradiction - an Australian of Chinese and English descent, who went on to become Australia's deadliest sniper of all time. In this episode Mat explores Billy's life, his deadly work at Gallipoli and his sad decli…
- Ep248: Australia's Waterloo Veteran
This week marks the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, the epic battle that resulted in the defeat of Napoleon and the rewriting of European history. But recent research has revealed that one man who fought at the battle had a fa…
- Ep247: First to Fight - 1RAR in Vietnam, 1965
It's been 60 years since the first Australian combat troops were deployed to Vietnam. In this episode Mat discusses the political situation that led to their deployment, their early actions and the lessons learned that helped shape our com…
- Ep246: The Anzacs at Messines, 1917
This week marks the anniversary of the Battle of Messines, in June 1917. At the time, it was considered the greatest Allied victory of the war, and Australian and New Zealand troops played a vital role. In this episode Mat breaks down the…
- Ep245: V-E Day 80th Anniversary
May 8 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the day the Germans surrendered in the Second World War. Mat is joined by historian Lachlan Grant from the Australian War Memorial to discuss what this important day meant for Aust…
- Ep244: London's Secret War History
Mat is joined again by legendary London battle guide, Steve Hunnisett, to explore more sites that tell the story of London's wartime past. Sites visited: - Salvation Army HQ, where an amateur photographer captured iconic images of London i…
- Ep243: Australians in Burma, 1942-45
Although Australians were actively involved in the Burma campaign throughout the Second World War, this vitally important theatre of the Asia-Pacific War has fallen through the cracks of history. Mat speaks with historian Daryl Moran to re…
- Ep242: Walking Fromelles with Lambis Englezos
Lambis Englezos is well-known as the man who discovered a mass grave containing 250 Australian soldiers on the 1916 battlefield of Fromelles. This battle had been an unmitigated disaster, with more than 5500 Australians killed, wound or ca…
- Ep241: Q&A5 - Your Questions Answered!
It's the latest episode in our Q&A series. This week's questions include: Was it a war crime to drop the atomic bombs?; How can I visit Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium?; and is it possible to speak with Vietnam veterans? Send your questions t…
- Ep240: Iwo Jima with John McManus
February marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most iconic battles of the Pacific War. But why is the battle so iconic, when so many other Pacific actions have fallen through the cracks of history. Mat is joined…
- Ep239: Somme Winter, 1916/17
Welcome to our new season! In this first episode Mat tells the story of the winter of 1916/17, one of the harshest ordeals faced by Australian soldiers in the First World War. Topics include the end of the Battle of the Somme; the attacks…
- Ep238: Ypres Salient - Talbot House
Talbot House was an 'everyman's club' in the Ypres sector in Belgium during the First World War. Established behind the lines in the town of Poperinghe, Talbot House was a place soldiers could come to for some respite from the horrors of t…
- Ep237: HMAS Sydney, Victory at Kokoda and the Australians at Bougainville
Mat is joined by regular co-host Karl James to discuss some important Second World War anniversaries. Topics include the sinking of HMAS Sydney and the opening of the Australian War Memorial in 1941, the end of the Kokoda campaign in 1942…
- Ep236: Q&A4 - Your Questions Answered!
It's the latest episode in our Q&A series. This week's questions include: Was General Monash the greatest general of the First World War?; Where can I lay a wreath on the Western Front battlefields?; and What evidence of Hitler's V-Weapons…
- Ep235: The History of Australian Military History
Our guest this week is noted Australian historian Peter Stanley, formerly with the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum and the University of NSW. Peter's new book, Beyond the Broken Years , explores more than a century of military…
- Ep234: Your Questions Answered! Q&A with Mat 3
It's the latest episode in our Q&A series. This week's questions include: Was the Brisbane Line in WW2 real?; Is Anzac Day the best time to visit Gallipoli?; and Did Australian troops only fight under the Red Ensign flag in WW1? Send your…
- Ep233: What Does Remembrance Day Mean in 2024?
Mat is joined by special co-host Karl James to discuss the significance of Remembrance Day. How did it start, what does it mean to veterans and the general public, and will it continue to be important in the future? Presenter: Mat McLachla…
- Ep232: Your Questions Answered! Q&A with Mat 2
It's the second episode in our new Q&A series. Today's topics include WW2 sites in Singapore; visiting the medieval battlefields of Crecy and Agincourt; the role of snipers in the First World War; and the attitude of Vietnamese people to A…
- Ep231: Your Questions Answered! Q&A with Mat 1
Mat sits down with producer Jess Stebnicki to answer your questions, including: Are there ghosts on the battlefields? How much time do I need to spend on the Australian battlefields? What happened to Australians captured at Gallipoli?, and…
- Ep230: Western Front Revisited
Mat is in Paris, sharing his memories of a very special visit to the Western Front. Topics discussed include how young people engage with the Anzac legend; a German WW2 cemetery that provokes mixed emotions; the Last Post service at the ne…
- Ep229: War Photographer Damien Parer
Damien Parer was one of Australia's greatest war photographers and cinematographers. His images and footage of Australians in the Second World War helped define the conflict, both for the people who were in it and for generations to come.…
- Ep228: Australian War Memorial - Behind the Scenes
Mat visits the Australian War Memorial in Canberra for a special behind-the-scenes tour of the artefacts and large items that are rarely on public display. During this special visit he is guided by Head of Military History Dr Karl James, a…
- Walking Ypres with guidl
Join Mat to hear all about guidl, a new audio tour app that he is contributing to. guidl takes you on walking tours to the world's most historic sites, narrated by leading historians. Mat's first guidl tour is of wartime Ypres and, in this…
- Ep227: How to Visit the Somme
The Somme region in northern France was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the First World War. Today, it is one of the most important and evocative battlefields for Australian visitors. In this special episode, Mat explores th…
- Ep226: Walking Long Tan with Dave Sabben
Live from Vietnam! In this very special episode of the podcast, Mat is joined by veteran of the Battle of Long Tan, Dave Sabben, MG. Mat and Dave have just walked the entire Long Tan battlefield on the 58th anniversary of the battle, and s…
- Ep225: Sinking the Tirpitz
During the Second World War, the Allies were desperate to sink the two biggest battleships in the German fleet, Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz. Bismarck went to the bottom in 1941 but in 1944 Tirpitz was still threatening Allied ship…
- Ep224: 1918 - On to Victory (Part 4)
The First World War is drawing to a close, as the unstoppable forces of France, Britain and America grind the German army into the ground. But some of the toughest fighting of the war is still to come before an Armistice is finally signed.…
- Walking Gallipoli with Peter Hart
Mat McLachlan and Peter Hart are going to Gallipoli! In this special episode of the podcast, the two historians and chums discuss their upcoming tour in May 2025, which will discover the battlefields of Gallipoli by walking in the footstep…
- Ep223: Krithia - Gallipoli's Forgotten Anzac Battle
The Battle of Krithia was one of the bloodiest ordeals at Gallipoli, and cost the Australians and New Zealanders nearly 2500 casualties. But for some reason the battle has slipped through the cracks of history, and barely rates a mention i…
- Ep222: 1918 - Monash and the Australians (Part 3)
In three years of combat the Australian Imperial Force evolved from a keen but inexperienced group of new recruits who landed at Gallipoli, to one of the elite assault forces on the Western Front. No discussion of the closing days of WWI w…