Share
![cover art for Disaster Before D-Day: Exercise Tiger](https://res.cloudinary.com/pippa/image/fetch/h_750,w_750,f_auto/https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6215f67d4b795a40fffd3b2c/6215f6c06a99ed0013614198.jpg)
Dan Snow's History Hit
Disaster Before D-Day: Exercise Tiger
•
The D-Day landings of June 6 1944 were the largest amphibious landing in the history of warfare, and are famed as a major turning point towards Allied victory. But they weren’t without planning and practice. In late April 1944, the Allies launched one of their trial runs, Exercise Tiger, off Slapton Sands in Devon. The aim was a closely choreographed landing, the result was a disaster. In this episode from our sibling podcast Warfare hear Dr Harry Bennett from the University of Plymouth discussing the players in this trial run, and how it became the Battle of Lyme Bay.
Watch The Lincolnshire Buffalo: With Dan Snow where Dan was given exclusive access to the WWII Buffalo LVT recently dug up in Crowland, Lincolnshire.
More episodes
View all episodes
1500. The Terracotta Warriors
46:26||Ep. 1500The world was astonished when 8000 terracotta soldiers were unearthed in 1974 by Chinese farmers digging a well; the warriors opened a window to the first dynasty of China unlike anything seen before.Dan travels to the mausoleum of the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang in China to discover what this clay army and his enormous mausoleum can tell us about life in the court of the First Emperor. Dan also goes in search of the mass graves of the workers who toiled to their deaths to build the mausoleum and traces the chaotic fall of the Qin and how the Emperor's pursuit of eternal life led to a gruesome and premature death.This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore. The translator was Ellen Xu and the fixer was Chao.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1499. The First Emperor of China
42:54||Ep. 1499Dan heads to China to discover the incredible story of Qin Shi Haungdi, the man who built the mysterious Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall and founded China. Dan travels to the First Emperor's magnificent mausoleum complex in Xian, once the Ancient capital, to trace his rise to total power, conquering the neighbouring states to create one mighty Chinese Empire. Qin Shi Huangdi was as visionary as he was tyrannical, often remembered for his brutal punishment methods that enabled him to centralise power. He's also remembered for his obsession with immortality and the astonishing lengths he went to try and secure it...This is the first episode in a two-part mini-series. Part Two was released on Friday 23rd.This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore. The translator was Ellen Xu and the fixer was Chao.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1498. The Cocaine Craze in Victorian Britain
30:07||Ep. 1498Many things may come to mind when you hear the word 'cocaine' - and we'd wager that the last thing on that list would be the Victorians. But as it turns out, the Victorians were avid cocaine users, whether it be to remedy ailments and injuries, give them an edge in competitive sports or simply put a bit of pep in their step. A hundred years later, it is amongst the most criminalised substances on earth.Dr Douglas Small is a historian of medicine and author of Cocaine, Literature, and Culture, 1876-1930. He joins us today to take us through the deeper history of cocaine and explain how it went from a central feature of Incan cultural life to the defining party drug of the modern day.Produced by James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore and Max Carrey.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1497. British Veterans of the American Civil War
31:02||Ep. 1497The Civil War had profound consequences for America. It settled two fundamental questions around sovereignty and slavery that set the nascent superpower on course to the present day. And at the heart of this foundational American conflict is an often-overlooked fact - a huge number of those who served were foreign-born.Joining us today are Gina Denham and Darren Rawlings, co-founders of 'The Monumental Project'. They record and commemorate the experiences of British veterans who served in the conflict. Gina tells us about the wartime experiences of her great-great-grandfather, and Darren explains the international context for a war that is typically seen in isolation from the rest of the world.Gina is the author of ‘The Landsman and the Lieutenant: A Biography of James H Cleggett and John S Taplin’; Darren Rawlings is the host of the ‘American Civil War & UK History’ podcast.Produced by James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore and Max Carrey.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1496. The Real Society of the Snow: I Survived the Andes Flight Crash
56:25||Ep. 1496Warning: this episode includes descriptions of human suffering and cannibalism. High in the remote Andes mountains, a Uruguayan rugby team resorts to the unimaginable to survive after their plane crashes into the side of a mountain. With no food or water, the survivors endured freezing temperatures and isolation for 72 days. Their story captivated the world, provoking both horror and awe.Dan is joined by survivor Roy Harley, as well as Daniel Nogueira whose brother perished in the ordeal and author John Guiver. Together they tell this extraordinary tale of survival and explore the complex moral dilemmas faced in the struggle to survive. This is the true story behind Netflix's hit movie 'Society of the Snow.'This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal PatmoreEnjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1495. The Fall of Roman Britain
36:10||Ep. 1495By 410 AD, over 450 years after Julius Caesar first landed on its shores, the Romans had formally withdrawn from Britain. Burdened by military threats and political upheaval on the continent, the empire began to contract in on itself. The Romano-Britons were left to fend for themselves, facing internal strife and the growing influence of Saxon settlers.This is the second of a two-part series that tells the story of Roman Britain, from Julius Caesar's first expeditions through to its fall. For this, we're joined by Patrick Wyman, host of the Tides of History and The Fall of Rome podcasts.If you want to learn more about Roman Britain, you may like episode 1 of our Story of England series, 'Stone Age to Roman Days' - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/story-of-england-stone-age-to-roman-daysProduced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1494. The Rise of Roman Britain
37:19||Ep. 1494On August 26th, 55 BC, Julius Caesar and his legionaries waded ashore just north of the White Cliffs of Dover. Right there in the surf, they were met by Celtic warriors, who charged them on foot and on horseback. The fighting was fierce, but Caesar's legions prevailed. A few months later, having extracted tribute and pledges of allegiance from local tribes, Caesar returned to Gaul. But this was just the beginning - a hundred years later the Romans would return, beginning a period of Roman rule that lasted for over 350 years.This is the first of a two-part series that tells the story of Roman Britain, from Julius Caesar's first expeditions through to the collapse of the Roman Empire. For this, we're joined by Patrick Wyman, host of the Tides of History and The Fall of Rome podcasts.If you'd like to hear more about the history of Rome, you can listen to:The Roman Navy in Britain - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/theromannavyinbritainStone Age to Roman Days - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/story-of-england-stone-age-to-roman-daysRoman Emperors with Mary Beard - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/roman-emperors-with-mary-beardProduced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1493. The Bronze Age Collapse
41:24||Ep. 1493Around 3,200 years ago, a vast, interconnected civilisation suddenly collapsed. A 'perfect storm' of climate catastrophe, famine, drought and invasion tore apart the eastern Mediterranean, plunging the survivors into decades of turmoil.Eric Cline is the author of '1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed' and its sequel, 'After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations'. He joins us to explain how this interconnected world was toppled, and what came after.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.1360. Lawrence of Arabia
59:29||Ep. 1360The famed British officer who fought alongside Arab guerrilla forces in WW1. Best known for his legendary exploits as an intelligence officer in the Middle East, Thomas Edward Lawrence was also an archaeologist, scholar and photographer. His life was one of adventure and espionage, where fact went hand in hand with myth.In this explainer episode, Dan tells us the real story of who Lawrence was, and what he did.Written by Dan Snow and edited by Dougal Patmore.Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.