The Biggest Prison Breakout of WW2

The Biggest Prison Breakout of WW2

During World War II, in the town of Cowra in central New South Wales, thousands of Japanese prisoners of war were held in a POW camp. On the icy night of August 5th they staged one of the largest prison breakouts in history, launching the only land battle of World War II to be fought on Australian soil. Five Australian soldiers and more than 230 Japanese POWs would die during what became known as The Cowra Breakout.


In this episode historian and podcaster Mat McLachlan joins Dan to tell him this extraordinary story of negligence and complacency, and of authorities too slow to recognise danger before it occurred - and too quick to cover it up when it was too late.


This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and it was edited by Thomas Ntinas.


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!


To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.

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

Avsnitt(1493)

Why Do Humans Wage War?

Why Do Humans Wage War?

Why, despite knowing the devastation it causes, do humans insist on starting wars? Countless battles have littered the pages of our shared human story. Powerful leaders, hungry for glory and conquest,...

28 Feb 202534min

THE LEADERS - Mini Series Coming 3rd March

THE LEADERS - Mini Series Coming 3rd March

Why do we, as humans, allow such individuals to hold such power over us? And at what cost? Our world is shaped by choices—some calculated, some reckless, most irreversible. From Kennedy and Khrushchev...

27 Feb 202553s

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots

This is the story of the incredible rise and fall of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was queen of Scotland, she was queen of France, and she could have been queen of England. She led armies, lived as a fugi...

26 Feb 202542min

Soho: London's Most Notorious Neighbourhood

Soho: London's Most Notorious Neighbourhood

Soho was once a thriving melting pot of speakeasies, sex work and organised crime. From razor gangs of the 1920s to money laundering, the area has always been a hotbed for thieves, conmen, drug dealer...

24 Feb 202529min

Dogs

Dogs

From the small corgis that drove cattle to Smithfield market to the Dalmatians that protected carriages from highwaymen, humans and dogs have relied on each other for millennia. Historian and dog-love...

21 Feb 202526min

Josef Mengele

Josef Mengele

The Nazi doctor who committed heinous experiments on prisoners of Auschwitz was harboured by a network of Nazi supporters in Argentina after the war. As an SS officer and physician, he conducted horri...

19 Feb 202544min

Why Isn't Canada the 51st State?

Why Isn't Canada the 51st State?

Dan explains how Canada has resisted many American attempts at annexation since the Revolution in 1775. From the tariff tensions of 1911 to President Trump's recent remarks about making Canada the 51s...

17 Feb 202544min

The Bombing of Dresden

The Bombing of Dresden

As the Second World War neared its bloody climax, Allied bombers unleashed a devastating firestorm on Dresden. In just two days the historic city was reduced to rubble, and tens of thousands were kill...

14 Feb 202552min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
kod-katastrof
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
historiepodden-se
rss-historien-om
olosta-mord
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-seriemordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
rss-massmordarpodden
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg
militarhistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-borgvattnets-hemligheter
rss-folkets-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia