Really enjoying this show. Just finished the Spanish Civil War section, a conflict I was always curious about. A lot of depth which adds to my understanding of why events happened.

Airs trump ads bye bye

Concise and to the point.very well done.

Just like his WWI podcast, the creator does not have a convincing tone or delivery. Listen to the other History of WWII podcast. It’s much more engaging and interesting.

Quick and clear. You can’t ask for more

If you like Mike Duncan, for instance, or Civil War & Reconstruction 1861-1865, or The Age of Napoleon, you will not be disappointed with this.

Great podcast. However, in addition to being obnoxious,the volume on the music in between commercial brakes needs to be turned way down. It blows out my eardrums when listening through my AirPods.

Amazing podcast. I listen to it almost everyday at work. If you like history and want to have a more in depth look at World War 2 then this is the podcast for you. Amazing research and work.

There’s a lot of great history podcasts but Wesley does a particularly good job presenting a lot of information in a way that easier to understand. I love the way the pod is broken up into focused sections by specific subjects. Incredibly well researched and well done.

Great show I only found one ish problem with it. the podcaster’s voice is just not enthusiastic enough but I love how your putting in every detail possible thanks for your work

I was looking for a podcast that would fill me in on some of the finer details surrounding the history of the Second World War, and I have not been disappointed. The podcast is both thorough and entertaining. I can only imagine the amount of research that went into producing it!

The guy is now ALMOST on a par with the great Mike Duncan!

Best WWII podcast out there. Very well researched and engagingly told. Right level of overview to provide context and detail to pull the listener into the times in a very engaging way. Goes far beyond the usual stereotypes and well known events and asks pertinent questions of the actors and actions of the day rather than just providing 20/20 hindsight and summary. You may not always agree with the numerous insights, but you will appreciate the thoughtfulness of the host and you will be very informed and entertained.

If you like history podcasts, this one is a must. Period.

It’s impeccably researched, engaging, and shows you parts of the story you didn’t know highly recommend

Very good historical development. Well sourced. Not biased. He makes it clear when there are differing opinions about the history. As a student of this history, I find his podcast very illuminating. He gives a big picture, and lots of great details also. A true historian!

This podcast is thorough, and therefore escapes a trap that much teaching on this subject had fallen into. So many tellings of history focus almost exclusively on the main line narrative and only mention things that ‘advance the plot’ in the direction that narrative goes. The problem with that style is that the past was just as complex and muddled as the present, and often times, the stories that are relevant to our own lives and situations are actually the smaller subtler stories. Obviously all history should be about what happened, and this podcast certainly is. It explores the how and the why through the author’s examination of many sources about this most devastating of human conflicts. If you just want a 1-hour crash course on the whole conflict, then maybe this isn’t for you, but if you want to hear a lot of interesting discussion of what went into creating and ending this human calamity, then I think you’ll enjoy and benefit from this. The chronological topic based analysis is organized and helpful to understanding what happened. I think this will become one of the best free resources available to understanding WWII by the time it is completed. It is a massive undertaking, but the author already did one of these on WWI, and it was excellent. I have faith that he’ll see the vision through.

Highly recommended.

Can’t wait until the Battle of France. Also hoping for some good detail on the Dutch and Belgian forces.

The mental and linguistic gymnastics that this program does to distance fascism (as it appeared in the Germany and Italy of the period) from modern socialism- seems simplistic and perhaps uninformed. You only realize intentionality when the author(s) perform the same gymnastics to conclude that the fascism of the era parallels modern conservatism. The writing is a few years old now and may simply fall into the “end of the world is now” mentality of that moment. There is a WW2 day by day presentation on YouTube that does a much better job of presentation of facts.

I love the content and the incredible detail. But please slow down as you are reading. It sounds like you are late and in a rush. Please take you time, breath and maybe try using an outline instead of reading a script. Your content is first rate.

By far the best and most comprehensive podcast on WWII.

This is such a great podcast I’m on episode 71 and I’m still on events leading up to the war. I’ve heard a lot of people saying that they don’t like such a long lead up to the war, but I think it’s great. A lot of other podcasts and books start at the invasion of Poland and they leave out a lot of vital context on the economic and political state of countries as they entered the war. It’s also amazing to me how much information he can put into one episode.

I love this podcast. If you really live history of this period, this is a great option. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

When addressing fascism how do you not address Giovanni Gentile? Instead you pretend there was no ideological foundation for it. Do better than this.

Very thorough but not sure I needed this much depth leading to the war. It’s been a long road and sense we’re still a ways off. Ha!

I really enjoy this podcast and I love every week when a new show comes out. Keep up the good work.

We are 98 episodes in (98!) and the war hasn’t even started. This podcast just needs a different title like “Causes of the Second World War.”

Good presentations and information

…you already have some foundational knowledge about WWII and you are interested in the historical era. This podcast is not an entry-level podcast for those who want to learn about the war, and it’s not for those who are interested primarily in the tactical/warfare side of things. But if you have a rough idea of the course and events of the war, and you want to really expand your knowledge about events that occurred in the era (e.g. the Spanish Civil War, or the German naval buildup process, or prewar French politics) this is for you. The negative reviews are from those who wanted a different kind of podcast entirely.

There’s no change in tone or inflection. He barely takes a breath between spewing out his rehearsed speech. Its not for me but may be for others.

I tried to get into this one really. But the constant interviews over topics only tangentially related to WW2, especially during the Spanish civil war episodes, really turned me off of this show. If you’re someone that’s interested in the minutia of the buildup to the war, this is for you. But I expected the war and was disappointed by this show.

Each episode is concise without leaving important details out. Really nice research as well. Would always recommend.

This is my favorite history podcast. Great research, great voice.

If I have a subscriber version, should I be hearing Ads?

The WW1 podcast was wonderful and to the point but this one keeps suffering from mission creep. The interviews are a huge distraction and mostly boring. Please get to the Second World War , like the title. 3 professors talking about veteran benefits?! Veterans are of course important but I thought I was goin to hear about the War and not rambling interviews totally outside the time period. I’ll start listening again if September 1 1939 ever arrives. I’m 63 now and at this rate I’ll never get to 1945

Real easy: I’m Looking for something to listen to on the fly. Click on this podcast and somehow I ended up with a paid subscription… not cool

Nothing is more disappointing than finding a show on interesting subject matter, but not being able to listen because of the performance and delivery. This show is exhibit A.

Wesley does a great job writing these episodes. I got a bit fed up with the amount of time spent on the Spanish Civil War and found the interviews really hard to listen to, but very glad that he’s back on track with the narrative episodes and moving on to the events that led up to the start of WWII.

I love listening to this show.

The podcaster is doing a great job of going deep on things most histories gloss over. The section on the Spanish Civil War—including interviews with specialists—was fantastic. I’m looking forward to this continuing for years to come.

The host is doing an excellent job covering the interwar period, which is not often a subject of podcasts. The First World War podcast is also excellent and has fascinating episodes covering the period just after the 1918.

Thank you for the time you spent on the Spanish Civil War - excellent work!

Excellent in-depth review of the Spanish Civil War. Very relevant to today’s political climate in many countries, including the U.S.

Please move on from the Spanish Civil War. Can we get to the actual Second World War within the next two years?

Let’s move on.

Great podcast. But I’m 87 years old and I literally don’t have time for 25 episodes on the Spanish Civil War.

Can’t wait for every episode :-)

This podcast is like a Toyota Corolla - it dependably gets the job done without a lot of flash. Here you will find in-depth history about the events of surrounding WW2 with equally in-depth episodes about the war itself to arrive in due time. This project is an attempt at a comprehensive history on the conflict led by an everyday guy with a day job, just like you and me. So, if you are expecting a Hollywood production, you’ve come to the wrong place. But that’s okay, because when you subscribe to this podcast, Wesley is sitting next to you like a buddy at work. It feels intimate and exclusive, like you’ve discovered gold in your backyard. And that’s because you have discovered one of the best kept secrets on the internet - History of the Second World War. If you like this podcast, check out this first and equally excellent podcast, History of the Great War. Our host cut his podcasting teeth there, and cultivated the skill that makes this show so wonderful.

I love the overall subject matter and respect the hosts commitment and knowledge. With that said can we please move past the Spanish Civil War...