The British Spy who Saved Jews from Hitler

The British Spy who Saved Jews from Hitler

Thomas Kendrick was at the very centre of British Intelligence operations throughout the first half of the twentieth century. He combined a public face of an English gentleman whilst privately masterminding MI6's spy networks throughout Europe. Perhaps his finest hour came in the run-up to the Second World War when stationed in Vienna as a British passport officer he issued thousands of visas and passports to Austrian Jews enabling an estimated 10,000 people to escape the coming Holocaust. Betrayed by a double agent in 1938 he survived an assassination attempt and was arrested by the Gestapo and interrogated before being expelled from Austria and returning to Britain. Once the Second World War broke out headed one of the most important intelligence operations of the war. Senior Nazi generals who had become POWs were installed in luxurious accommodation and allowed to speak freely whilst all the while being monitored on hidden microphones. The information they unwittingly revealed undoubtedly shortened the war and saved many thousands of lives. Historian Helen Fry returns to the podcast to tell Dan all about this extraordinary story that she has been researching for her new book Spymaster: The Man Who Saved MI6.

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Episoder(1489)

1. The English Civil War: How it Started

1. The English Civil War: How it Started

Episode 1/2. King Charles I's decision to rule without Parliament was just one of the many reasons that England found itself embroiled in a bloody civil war. In this first episode, we learn how subtle...

3 Feb 202550min

Auschwitz Commandant:  Rudolf Höss

Auschwitz Commandant: Rudolf Höss

Every day Rudolf Höss oversaw the killing of thousands of people at the death camp and then went home and acted like a doting father to his family. Höss was brought in by top Nazis to pioneer the indu...

31 Jan 20251h 4min

The Hunt for Pablo Escobar

The Hunt for Pablo Escobar

By the early 1990s, the Colombian city of Medellín was at the centre of the world's largest drug empire. The fearsome Medellín Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar,...

29 Jan 202529min

A History of Auschwitz

A History of Auschwitz

On January 27th 1945, the Red Army liberated the concentration camp at Auschwitz unveiling its almost unspeakable horrors to the world. The concentration camp system began almost immediately after Ado...

27 Jan 202558min

The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal

What is the history of the Panama Canal and why does Trump think he can 'take it back'? Dan is joined by Professor Julie Greene to delve into the long backstory of this 50-mile waterway that changed t...

24 Jan 202533min

How WW1 Inspired The Lord of The Rings

How WW1 Inspired The Lord of The Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is perhaps the most captivating fantasy world ever created. His mythology and folklore continue to influence the work of writers, filmmakers, musicians and artists to thi...

22 Jan 202531min

Vasco da Gama and The Rise of the Portuguese Empire

Vasco da Gama and The Rise of the Portuguese Empire

Dan tells the epic story of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, whose daring voyages at the turn of the 16th century laid the foundations for the Portuguese Empire. From navigating treacherous waters t...

20 Jan 20251h 20min

Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was king of the Franks and Emperor of the mighty Carolingian Empire. His unusually long reign saw him conquer vast swathes of Europe, and shape them into an empire that would inspire ruler...

20 Jan 20251h 5min

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