This Week on History Happy Hour: In July 1944, 300 men from Canada’s storied Black Watch regiment found themselves embroiled in mortal combat against elite German units in Normandy in a bloody battle for Verrières Ridge. Only a handful of Highlanders walked away unscathed.

In this encore episode, Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer explore this ferocious battle with historian David O’Keefe, author of Seven Days in Hell: Canada's Battle for Normandy and the Rise of the Black Watch Snipers.

This Week on History Happy Hour: As we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer look back on the Normandy landings with a 90-minute encore presentation of our 2021 D-Day Special. Rick hosted the show live from the National D-Day Memorial, and three distinguished guests joined us for a D-Day discussion.

The show begins with author Giles Milton, and a look at his riveting account of the first 24 hours of the D-Day invasion as told through a symphony of incredible accounts from both sides. The book is Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day.”

Then we are joined by historians Joe Balkoski (Omaha Beach, Utah Beach) and Craig Symonds (Operation Neptune) for a freewheeling five-way discussion on D-Day Controversies. And we have a few surprises as well.

Joe Balkoski is a renowned American military historian who has authored eight books on American involvement in the EDO during World War II, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion.

Craig Symonds is a distinguished naval historian who taught for more than 30 years at the US Naval Academy and has most recently been the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History US Naval War College. A former Navy officer, he is the author of many books on American naval history.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Alexander Larman, master chronicler of the House of Windsor, returns to HHH to talk with Chris and Rick about the final book in his acclaimed trilogy: Power and Glory Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty.

From Elizabeth and Philip’s Royal Wedding, to George VI’s death and the discovery of the Duke of Windsor’s treacherous activities in WWII, Larman paints a vivid portrait of the end of one sovereign’s reign and the beginning of another’s.

This Week on History Happy Hour: The legendary ‘Red Devils’, British Airborne troops, were created at Winston Churchill’s instigation in June 1940. They started with just 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions.

British military historian Saul David returns to History Happy Hour to talk about his new book Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War. We’ll talk about their role in iconic operations such as Pegasus Bridge, Arnhem Bridge, and Operation Varsity, the biggest parachute drop of World War II.

This Week on History Happy Hour: The story of what may be the single most savage episode in the long history of violence inflicted by white southerners on their Black neighbors. Author Earl Swift joins us to talk about his new book: Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery. A mass murder, the unusual trial that followed, and the national debate on race relations it sparked.

This Week on History Happy Hour: In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome back distinguished (and sometimes disruptive!) oral historian Peter Hart to talk about his new book Footsloggers: An Infantry Battalion at War, 1939-1945.

He’ll share the story of a single British infantry battalion during WWII. From North Africa to Italy and Greece, the 16th learned their military skills the hard way facing determined German opposition every step of the way.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. But he is often dismissed or left out when commentators discuss the great leaders of the Civil War. Did he lead his troops to victory, or was he just along for the ride?

In this encore episode, Chris and Rick talk about Meade with Kent Masterson Brown, author of the recent book Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. We’ll explore Brown’s contention that Meade deserves far more credit than he usually receives for the way he handled the Army of the Potomac during and after this critical Civil War battle.

This Week on History Happy Hour: Recent archeological digs have uncovered the remains of two dozen soldiers who fought at the Revolutionary War battles of Camden, South Carolina, and Red Bank, New Jersey. British, American and Hessian soldiers have been unearthed nearly 250 years after the guns ceased.

In this encore episode, Chris and Rick welcome Steven Smith, an archeologists on the Camden project, as well as Wade Catts and Jen Janofsky, co-directors of the Redbank Project, to talk about the effort to recover and remember these soldiers. What stories and secrets can their remains reveal?

James Legg - Public archeologist, South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology

Wade Catts - Principal Archeologist, South River Heritage Consulting

Jen Janofsky - Director, Red Bank Battlefield Park