On the morning of June 6th, 1944, war photographer Robert Capa waded ashore on Omaha Beach during the Allied landings in Normandy. What happened next became the stuff of legend: under withering fire, Capa supposedly captured over a hundred photographs of the chaos and courage of D-Day, only for all but eleven to be lost in a darkroom accident. These surviving images, the so-called “Magnificent Eleven,” helped define the visual memory of D-Day and cemented Capa’s reputation as the greatest war photographer of the 20th century.

But what if the story we've long accepted isn't entirely true? In his book Back into Focus: The Real Story of Robert Capa's D-Day, Charles Herrick takes a forensic look at the events of that day, unraveling inconsistencies in Capa's own account and challenging the myths that have grown around his legacy. Drawing on official military records, eyewitness testimony, and detailed photo analysis, Herrick offers a new—and at times controversial—perspective on one of the most iconic moments in photojournalism history.

I’m delighted to welcome Charles to the podcast today to talk about what really happened on D-Day, how the legend of Robert Capa was built, and what his findings mean for how we understand both history and heroism.

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Today, we are exploring a topic that doesn’t get talked about much — the British tanks that ended up serving with the Red Army during the Second World War.

We often think about the Soviet Union producing huge numbers of its own tanks like the T-34, but in the early years of the war—and even before it—the Soviets were looking abroad for armoured vehicles to strengthen their forces. Britain, with its long history of tank development stretching back to the First World War, was one of the countries they turned to.

Joining me is Peter Samsonov, who’s spent a lot of time researching Soviet armoured warfare and is the author of 'British Tanks of the Red Army'.

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In this episode, I’m joined by bestselling author Damien Lewis to talk about one of the remarkable men featured in his new book SAS Great Escapes Four — Archie Gibson.

Archie served with the Long Range Desert Group and worked closely with the SAS during some of their earliest and most daring operations. His wartime journey took him from the harsh deserts of North Africa to the rugged terrain of Yugoslavia, where he operated alongside local resistance fighters behind enemy lines.

We also delve into the ongoing campaign to award SAS legend Paddy Mayne a posthumous Victoria Cross, recognition he was controversially denied during the war.

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