In advance of our new series of BattleWalks, Mat and Pete are taking you back to some of their favourite episodes.

In this episode we explore one of the concrete V1 flying bomb launch sites that once terrorized London during the final years of World War II.

Walking among the overgrown bunkers and crumbling launch ramps, we uncover the story of Operation Crossbow - the desperate German attempt to turn the tide of war through terror bombing. Discover how these remote sites, hidden in French forests and farmland, became the epicenter of the world's first cruise missile campaign.

Our battlefield walk takes us through the ingenious yet sinister engineering of the V1 launch mechanism, from the distinctive ski-jump ramps to the underground storage bunkers where the "doodlebugs" awaited their deadly mission. We'll examine the cat-and-mouse game between German engineers and Allied bombers, as RAF pilots risked everything to silence these weapons of revenge.

Standing where history's first robotic warfare was born, we reflect on the human cost of technological warfare and the French civilians caught in the crossfire. This is more than just concrete and rust - it's a powerful reminder of how the quiet corners of the European countryside still echo with the ghosts of the world's most devastating conflict.

Presenters: Mat McLachlan and Pete Smith

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join us on a battlefield tour! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information!

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In advance of our new series of BattleWalks, Mat and Pete are taking you back to some of their favourite episodes. In this episode they explore the killing fields from the First Day of the Somme in 1916, as they walk from the Sunken Road to Y Ravine.

Presenters: Mat McLachlan and Pete Smith

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Join us on a battlefield tour! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 special episode, Mat shares the first chapter of his Ypres walking tour.

Download the app and find out more about guidl: https://www.guidl.tours/

Join Mat on a battlefield tour: https://battlefields.com.au/

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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 the Somme region and tells you where to go, where to stay and what you will see when you are there.

Watch the video version of this podcast! https://youtu.be/vo1LDZI5UZg?si=ru4wT_lpT1JJkkOk

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Subscribe via Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes, early access to all episodes, ad-free listening and special online events with Mat McLachlan! https://www.patreon.com/MMHistory

Join one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

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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 footsteps of the men who were there!

The 10-day tour begins in Istanbul on May 21, 2025, and we'd love you to join us (from wherever you are in the world)! There are limited places still available! Click here for full details: https://battlefields.com.au/gallipoli-signature-tour-with-mat-mclachlan-2025/

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Join Mat McLachlan on YouTube Live on Feb 15, 2024 at 6pm Sydney (7am London) time to discuss the Battle of Passchendaele!

Click here to join: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfWdbJGaBZ0

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A special bonus episode from our sister podcast, Living History with Mat McLachlan! To kick off Season 8, Mat is joined by historian John McManus to discuss the new Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg production Masters of the Air, currently streaming on Apple TV+. Mat and John discuss the history behind the mini-series, and the immense contribution made to victory in the Second World War by the US Army Air Forces. What was is like to take to the skies in a B-17 over Nazi Germany, what psychological effect did the terror of combat have on the young airmen, and should we feel uncomfortable about the human cost of strategic bombing more than eight decades after the war?

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to Living History with Mat McLachlan, available wherever you get your podcasts, or by clicking here: https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

And join us on a battlefield tour at https://battlefields.com.au/

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Mat and Pete are on the last day of their Signature Tour of the battlefields of the Western Front. Join them for a recap of an extraordinary week's touring!

Presenters: Mat McLachlan and Pete Smith

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Become a member to listen ad-free and to receive exclusive bonus episodes from only $2.99 per month!: https://plus.acast.com/s/battlewalks

Join us on a battlefield tour at www.battlefields.com.au

Support the show with a one-off contribution: www.buymeacoffee.com/battlewalks

Find out everything Mat and Pete have going on at https://linktr.ee/battlewalks

Follow us on Twitter @BattleWalks and Facebook @Battle.Walks

For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

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