Harvest of Mars: History and War
Harvest of Mars seeks to uncover the essentials of war. Essentials that have been swept under the rug or forgotten by people and societies eager to rewrite history in a way that is intellectually pleasing. This podcast seeks to open your eyes to aspects of military history that, as Paul Fussell accurately noted, never got into the books because of what he called the Disneyfication of war. Here you will get authentic insights from someone who has a genuine love for the material.If you are curious and enjoy seeing things from a new perspective, this is the podcast for you! You do not even know a lot about military history. Perhaps you enjoy stories about the past but have never taken a history course and are just curious. It’s all good. I get students all the time who are new to history and they learn a ton because I nudge people toward new things they have not thought about rather than have them memorize facts. .
Episodes
21 episodes
Could the Axis Powers Have Won WWII?: Part I
“This is how history went after McCoy changed it … Because ALL this lets them develop the A-bomb first. With the A-bomb & with their V2 rockets to carry them, Germany captured the world.” - Spock, from the Star Trek
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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36:51
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S.L.A. Marshall and the Ratio-of-Fire Theory: Did Only 15-20% of US Riflemen Fire Their Weapons during WWII?
“I had a feeling of the essential rightness of all. He was dead and I was alive; it could so easily have been the other way round; and that would somehow have been right too.” - Richard Hillary, Royal Air Force pilot, reflect...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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55:01
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“Attack at Pearl Harbor: Opting for War with Eyes Closed”
"AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT DRILL." – US Navy dispatch, December 7, 1941.In this episode we look at one of the all-too frequent examples of a successful surprise attack in modern warfare. Mo...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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39:14
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Helmuth von Moltke: Railroads, the General Staff, and the Rise of Prussia 1866-1871
"Moltke is not a general to copy but to study" - J.F.C. Fuller In this episode we look at Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder), the Prussian Chief of the Prussian General Staff most noted for the dramatic Prus...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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1:14:10
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Russia-Ukraine War, November 2023: The Unrealistic Expectations of Ukraine's Summer Offensive
"All the ingredients of a successful counteroffensive have already been unfolding over the past weeks" - Vox, June 12, 2023In this episode we examine Ukraine's 2023 summer offensive, specifically why it has not a...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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44:20
"Why Big Nations Lose Small Wars."
“The guerrilla wins if he does not lose.” – Henry KissingerIn this episode we update a classic article written by Andrew Mack back in 1975. As I feel strongly enough that a 50-year-old article is worth re-investig...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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59:59
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The Battle of Midway: Did the United States Win Because of Luck?
“There is a story, no doubt apocryphal, that gamers at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, have many times replayed the 1942 Battle of Midway - but have never been able to produce an American victory.” – Taken...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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55:53
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Napoleon: The Historical Significance of Military Genius. Part 3
“I never was truly my own master but was always ruled by circumstances.” – Napoleon BonaparteThis is the last of a three-part series on the Emperor of the French inspired by historian Andrew Robert’s bi...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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53:00
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Russia-Ukraine War, February 2023: War Reporting, Russia's Reforms, and NATO's Tanks for Ukraine
“Ukraine has achieved irreversible momentum.” -- US General Ben Hodges, Retired, November 3, 2022 “From a military standpoint, I still maintain that for this year it would be very, very difficult to militaril...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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35:13
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Napoleon: The Historical Significance of Military Genius. Part 2
“You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.” – Napoleon Bonaparte This is the second of a three-part series on the Emperor of the French inspired by historian Andrew Robe...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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40:40
Napoleon: The Historical Significance of Military Genius. Part I
“He who fears being conquered is certain of defeat.” – Napoleon BonaparteIn the first of this two-part episode, we take a look at the Emperor of the French inspired by historian Andrew Robert’s biography, Napo...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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39:41
Warriors of Myth and Legend: The Historical Roots of Civilian Distrust of Soldiers
“People Sleep Peacefully in Their Beds at Night Only Because Rough Men Stand Ready to Do Violence on Their Behalf” – Attributed to George Orwell In the episode, we examine whether or not Orwell’s quote has historical eviden...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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40:46
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Russia-Ukraine War, October 2022: Unveiling Why Russia Was Not a Great Power
"Russia's advantages in capacity, capability, and geography combine to pose insurmountable challenges for Ukrainian forces tasked with defending their country." -- The RAND Corporation, January 21, 2022In the episode, we investigate how...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:00:59
Lions Led by Donkeys?: WWI and WWII Offensives Compared
“My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, excellent situation, I am attacking.”– General Ferdinand Foch, 1914 In the episode, we take a look at the difference in offensives during the two world wars. It is commonly...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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45:07
Germany's Generals of WWII: The Military Perspective
“My generals know nothing about the economic aspects of war.” – Adolf Hitler In the episode, we take a look at the German generals of World War II. With the imagery of Blitzkrieg occupying a prominent ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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38:16
The Military Revolution: The Emergence of Modern Armies and the Modern State.
"They shall have wars and pay for their presumption.” – William Shakespeare, Henry VI Part 3In the episode, we take a look at British historian Michael Roberts' thesis of a military revolution that occurred in Europe f...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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41:05
The Melian Dialogue: Perennial Insights on Neutrality during a Total War
"I asked Tom if countries always apologized when they had done wrong, and he says: 'Yes; the littles ones does.'"- Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad , 1894In the episode, we take a look at a classic, “The Melian Dialogue” from ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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34:58
The Cult of the Offensive: Military Strategy before World War I
“The offensive is the only way of insuring victory.”- General August von Keim, 1912In the episode, we take a look at the prevailing belief that the military offensive was far more effective than the defensive on the eve of the First...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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37:16
The Fall of France: The "Strange Defeat" of World War II
“The generation to which I belong has a bad conscience.”- Marc Bloch, 1940In the episode, we take a look at the fall of France to Nazi Germany during WWII. Although the German Blitzkrieg has a reputation for being a military p...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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43:06
Russian Military History: The Enigma of a Great Power with Indefensible Frontiers
“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.”- Winston ChurchillAn examination in the rise of Russia from ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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35:00
