The award-winning podcast preserving the stories of the Cold War before they are lost…subscribe for free. Produced by Ian Sanders FRHistS
Sirka offers a comprehensive exploration of life in East Germany, detailing the experiences of growing up in Neubrandenburg, the influence of the East German state and the Stasi, and the societal impacts of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. She also talks of her intensive gymnastics training and being … Read more
Timo takes us on his journey through the tumultuous events of the 1991 Soviet coup attempt, as experienced from the streets of the Baltic States. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google Podcasts As the coup unfolds, Timo finds himself in Lithuania, planning to covertly visit the closed Soviet city of Kaliningrad. He shares … Read more
Timo takes us to the remote Finnish border town of Kuusamo. He paints a vivid picture of a childhood overshadowed by his grandparent’s memories of their home lost during World War II and their proximity to the Soviet Union. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google Podcasts As a child, he was fascinated by … Read more
Leigh joined the RAAF in 1978 to train as a pilot but was scrubbed after a few months and transitioned to training as an Air Electronics Officer (AEO) at the RAAF School of Air Navigation. He flew on the P-3C Orion and was employed in operations across the Indo-Pacific region on maritime patrol surveillance … Read more
In this deeply personal episode, Norbert, vividly recounts his traumatic childhood journey from Cold War Poland to the United States. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! He describes the struggles of his parents amid food shortages and the poignant decision of the family to leave everything behind for an … Read more
Dan served in the War Plans office of the US Army VII Corps working on counterattack plans and reorganisation of the US Army’s General Defence Plan. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! Dan served in the War Plans office of the US Army VII Corps working on counterattack plans and … Read more
Dan served as a lieutenant and captain in a US Army air defence artillery battalion in West Germany from 1980 until 1985. He describes details of Soviet overflights deep into West Germany and we discuss how the Warsaw Pact attempted to track their units. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! … Read more
In the mid-1980s Dag was a T72 tank commander in the NVA, the East German Army and is now a volunteer at the Tank Museum at Bovington in the UK. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google Podcasts He describes his initial tank commander training, the battle readiness of the NVA, and … Read more
Kate is sent to Moscow in 1985 to write articles for The Morning Star, a left-wing British daily newspaper founded in 1930 as the Daily Worker by the Communist Party of Great Britain. She lives in a block of flats alongside Soviet citizens and enrols her 3 children in Soviet schools. Three weeks … Read more
This is part two of my chat with Tim., Part one is episode 321. In Part 2 we cover Kangaroo 89, a huge military exercise with the entire Australian Army using an area the size of Western Europe and we hear about the Australian equivalent of Wolfgang the Bratty Man who used to turn up … Read more