The Maginot Line was one of the most ambitious defensive projects of the 1930s. Built along France’s eastern border, this vast system of underground forts, tunnels, and bunkers included hospitals, kitchens, telephone exchanges, electric railways, and turrets that could rise from the ground to strike at attackers. Designed to withstand artillery and even chemical weapons, it represented the cutting edge of military engineering.

Yet when Germany invaded in May 1940, France fell in just six weeks. The Maginot Line has since become a byword for failure — an expensive defensive shield that seemed useless against Blitzkrieg. But was it really such a mistake, or have we misunderstood its role in the Second World War?

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I’m joined by Professor Kevin Passmore, author of The Maginot Line: A New History. Together, we explore how the defences were built, how they performed in 1940, and what the Maginot Line can really tell us about the fall of France.

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In 2005, the BBC launched an ambitious public history project called The People’s War. It aimed to collect and preserve the memories of those who lived through the Second World War, inviting the public to share their experiences online. This was long before today’s social media platforms, and the scale of the response was remarkable. By the time the project closed in 2006, over 650,000 contributions had been submitted.

Although the site is now frozen in time, it remains a wonderful resource filled with small, personal vignettes of the war — stories that might otherwise have been lost. It’s something I’ve dipped into myself many times over the years.

My guest for this episode is John Willis, who was the BBC’s Director of Factual when The People’s War project was launched. John has now curated a selection of these submissions in his new book, The People’s War.

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In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, we explore the remarkable history of the Malay Regiment during the Second World War.

Formed in the 1930s as an experiment with just 25 local recruits, the regiment quickly grew into a respected fighting force. By the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya in late 1941, it had expanded to two full battalions. These soldiers would be thrown into the heart of the fighting during the desperate defence of Singapore in early 1942.

To help tell this story, I am joined by Stuart Lloyd, author of The Malay Experiment: The Colonial Origins and Homegrown Heroics of the Malay Regiment. His book examines how the regiment was created, its role in the war, and the lasting legacy it left behind in Malaysia’s military history.

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