Show Notes
In the summer and autumn of 1940, the skies above Southern England were filled with tangling white and black contrails, the roar of aero engines, and the rattle of machine guns as the island nation fought desperately for its very survival. Many factors contributed to the Royal Air Force’s legendary victory over the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, from the brave pilots and ground crews of Fighter Command to the eagle-eyed spotters of the Royal Observer Corps and the fact that German escort fighters had only enough fuel to linger for thirty minutes over Britain. But one key factor stood out among all the others: radar. Known to the British as radio direction finding or RDF, radar allowed RAF Fighter Command to spot incoming German bombers the moment they left their bases in France and to direct fighter squadrons where they were most needed, making the most of scarce resources. But the British were not alone in the field of RDF, and soon German radar systems began inflicting atrocious losses on RAF bombers operating over the continent. If their strategic bombing offensive was to succeed, the British had to penetrate the secrets of German radar and develop effective countermeasures. So in early 1942, military leaders hatched a daring plan: a nighttime assault to snatch a German radar set and its operators from an isolated clifftop in Northern France. It was to be the baptism of fire for a fledgling unit that would soon go on to far greater glory - and infamy: the 1st Parachute Regiment AKA “The Paras”. This is the story of Operation Biting, the forgotten WWII raid to steal Hitler’s radar.
Author: Gilles Messier Editor: Daven Hiskey Host: Simon Whistler Producer: Samuel Avila
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from The BrainFood Show
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Although you might assume that being made to wear a stupid costume, be mocked, and act like an idiot for the entertainment of fatuous rulers would be a job nobody would want- like the position of Groom of the Stool (a job which initially consisted of directly supplying the necessaries to facilitate a good and clean bowel movement to the King, as well as to monitor said fecal matter and make dietary recommendations based on what you saw there)- the position of court jester was actually an enviable one due to it involving spending so much time with those in power. And as you were often putting them in good humor and otherwise making them happy, it was a position that came with a whole slew of perks. So what was life actually like as a court jester?
Ever wonder why Austria agreed to give up its sovereignty so readily to Nazi Germany without any semblance of a fight?
In the video today, we're looking at How Do German Schools Teach About WWII? How Do the Japanese Teach About WWII? Why Wasn't There an Italian "Nuremberg / Tokyo War Crimes" Trial After WWII? How Did Germany DeNazify So Quickly After WWII. How Do They Teach the American Revolution in Britain? How do Arabic Nations Teach the Crusades? How Do British Schools Teach About the British Empire? How do The Persians Teach Alexander the Great and When in History Did He First Become Great?
In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we skip the quick fact because this one took forever to research and put together and I ran out of time. Instead we jump right into the main topic which is a very real phenomenon that popped up off and on for several hundred years called Dance Mania or St. Vitus’ Dance. While it might sound like a bit of a joke, it was surprisingly deadly at times and had a fascinating cure.