A New Year, A New Italy?

In January 1941, amidst the tumult of World War II, the Battle of Baradia marks a critical point in Operation Compass. This episode dives deep into the contested battles on Italian soil and explores the subsequent defeats faced by Benito Mussolini and his generals. Understand the military decisions, strategies and the fraught tensions that characterized those fateful weeks.

The episode begins with the British Navy's rigorous search for encoding machines, shedding light on the intelligence war that was fought alongside the physical battlefronts. It then moves onto the decisive Battle of Baradia. The Australians, under the command of Ivan McKay's 6th Division, launch a high-stakes assault on the mighty fortress of Bacchus. Despite fierce resistance from the 23rd Corps, the Italians face a crushing defeat. Explore further developments, from the commissioning of German submarine u-72, to the Greek assaults on the Kizura Pass, and to the New Fourth Army incident in China that ends the previously united front against Japan.

The narrative then takes listeners to the chaos at Tobruk and the pivotal actions of HMS Terror. Even as bombings ravage Malta, battles continue to rage in Thailand, Eritrea, Somaliland, and Ethiopia. In the midst of this global turmoil, Germany continues to toy with plans to invade the Soviet Union, a decision that could change the future landscape of the war.

Finally, dive into the heart-wrenching tragedy in Paniju and its catastrophic impact on China. The episode wraps up with the commencement of three more major battles in Albania, China, and Algeria, setting the stage for a tense February.

This is an episode for those seeking to understand the intricacies of World War II - the strategies, victories, defeats, and the profound human impact behind the battlefield statistics. Tune in to discover a new perspective on this tumultuous time in history.