Episode 24 - Dr. Bastiaan Willems: author of the book “Violence in Defeat: The Wehrmacht on German Soil, 1944–1945"

Episode 25 – Jenny Chan: Inside Imperial Japan’s Darkest Secret

On Episode 25 we welcome back our friend Jenny Chan for her second round here in the show. Jenny is the co-founder of Pacific Atrocities Education, a nonprofit she helped establish in 2014 to research and preserve WWII history in the Pacific. Growing up in the United States, Jenny became interested in this work after hearing her grandmother’s experiences living under Japanese occupation in Hong Kong, stories that were largely absent from what she learned in school. Through Pacific Atrocities Education, she and her team have worked to recover survivor testimonies and digitize over a million fragile war crimes documents from the U.S. National Archives. With extensive expertise on Unit 731, Jenny has dedicated years to researching Japanese wartime atrocities and preserving historical evidence that is very often forgotten.  In this episode, we focus entirely on Unit 731, examining its origins, operations, human experimentation, the evidence left behind, and how complicated the after war was. Learn more about the Pacific Atrocities Education: https://www.pacificatrocities.org/ [https://www.pacificatrocities.org/] Follow on instagram: - @pacificatrocities.edu - @samuel.dekorte - @worldwarii_daily

Episode 24 - Dr. Bastiaan Willems: author of the book “Violence in Defeat: The Wehrmacht on German Soil, 1944–1945"

Episode 24 brings you a conversation that challenges conventional narratives about the final phase of the Second World War. In this episode, we’re joined by Bastiaan Willems, a researcher of modern European history whose work examines the conduct of the German army as the war turned decisively against them. Drawing from his book Violence in Defeat, Willems shifts the lens away from the widely studied brutality of the Eastern Front and redirects it inward, into Germany itself during its final collapse. We explore how years of exposure to extreme violence shaped a “barbarized” mindset within the Wehrmacht, one that did not remain confined to distant battlefields. As German forces retreated, these patterns of behavior followed them home, contributing to a surge of violence within Germany in 1944–45. The episode examines how the boundaries between front line and home front eroded, how civilians became entangled in the logic of total war, and how these dynamics influenced the chaotic disintegration of the Third Reich. This discussion offers a deeper understanding of how war transforms not only outcomes, but societies and how its consequences can reverberate far beyond the battlefield. — Check out Bastiaan Willems’ book here: https://www.amazon.com.br/Violence-Defeat-Wehrmacht-1944-1945-Cambridge-ebook/dp/B08TRL3BHJ Follow and stay connected: Instagram: @worldwarii_daily [https://www.instagram.com/worldwarii_daily/] and @samuel.dekorte [https://www.instagram.com/samuel.dekorte/]

Episode 23 - Dr. Henning Pieper: Fegelein's Horsemen and Genocidal Warfare: The SS Cavalry Brigade in the Soviet Union

In this episode, we’re joined by Henning Pieper, historian and educator. He studied atthe Universities of Freiburg, Nottingham and Sheffield, and has previously worked as a visitor guide at the Belsen Memorial as well as a school consultant for the German War Graves Commission. Since 2017, he has been teaching History and English at the high school level. Henning is the author of Fegelein’s Horsemen and Genocidal Warfare: The SS Cavalry Brigade in the Soviet Union and has published several articles on the SS and German counterinsurgency during World War II. In our conversation, we explore the role of the SS Cavalry Brigade on the Eastern Front, the nature of anti-partisan warfare, and how these operations were connected to broader patterns of violence during the war. Dr. Pieper's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Fegeleins-Horsemen-Genocidal-Warfare-Holocaust-ebook/dp/B00PG00X4C [https://www.amazon.com/Fegeleins-Horsemen-Genocidal-Warfare-Holocaust-ebook/dp/B00PG00X4C]Instagram:@worldwarii_daily and @samuel.dekorte

Episode 22 – Jenny Chan From the Pacific Atrocities Education

SUPPORT US BY SUBSCRIBING! A new year, a new season! The World War II Daily Podcast returns today for its 3rd year. Episode 22 features Jenny Chan, co-founder of Pacific Atrocities Education, a nonprofit she helped establish in 2014 to research and preserve World War II history in the Asia-Pacific. Growing up in the United States, Jenny became interested in this work after hearing her grandmother’s experiences living under Japanese occupation in Hong Kong, stories that were largely absent from what shelearned in school. Through Pacific Atrocities Education, she and her team have worked to recover survivor testimonies and digitize over a million fragile war crimes documents from the U.S. National Archives. Her work focuses on documenting Japanese wartime atrocities, preserving historical evidence, and bringing greater attention to parts of the war that remain less discussed in mainstream narratives. In this episode, we discuss Japanese wartime atrocities in general and take a closer look at Unit 731 — exploring the historical context, the available evidence, and the importance of preserving these histories for future generations. For daily WW2 content check out our Instagram: @worldwarii_daily and @samuel.dekorte Pacific Atrocities Education: @pacificatrocitiesedu Learn more about Pacific Atrocities Education: https://www.pacificatrocities.org/ Thank you for watching!

Episode 21 - Bianca Fiori: Holocaust Memory Beyond Europe. (São Paulo Holocaust Memorial)

In Episode 21 of The World War II Daily Podcast, we are joined by Bianca Fiori, a Brazilian educator and historian whose work brings Holocaust memory into a space that is vital, necessary, and too often overlooked.Bianca was born in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, and holds degrees in Pedagogy and History, with postgraduate studies in Afro-Brazilian Culture and History, as well as an MBA in Museology, Curatorship, and Exhibition Management. For more than twelve years, she has dedicated herself to studying the Holocaust, and for the past three and a half years she has worked as an educator at the Holocaust Memorial in São Paulo, guiding school groups through one of the most important sites of remembrance in Latin America. In this episode, we deliberately move beyond the traditional centers of Holocaust discourse — Europe, the United States, and Israel — to explore how memory, education, and responsibility take shape in Brazil. Together with Bianca, we discuss why a Holocaust memorial matters in a Latin American country, how these histories resonate far beyond their geographic origins, and what it means to teach the Holocaust to new generations in a Brazilian context. This conversation offers fresh perspectives on global remembrance, the role of education in preserving historical truth, and the enduring impact of the Holocaust across borders. As this is our final episode of 2025, we want to thank every listener for being part of another year of The World War II Daily. Your support, engagement, and commitment to historical reflection make this project possible. We wish you all a peaceful holiday season and look forward to continuing this journey together in the year ahead.Follow and support us!  The World War II Daily - https://www.instagram.com/worldwarii_daily?igsh=NjRmZTZ1c3pzYW9u [https://www.instagram.com/worldwarii_daily?igsh=NjRmZTZ1c3pzYW9u] Samuel de Korte - https://www.instagram.com/samuel.dekorte?igsh=MXZoOGtsdzJhZTV3Yw== [https://www.instagram.com/samuel.dekorte?igsh=MXZoOGtsdzJhZTV3Yw==] Holocaust Memorial in São Paulo — Official Website: https://www.memorialdoholocausto.org.br/ [https://www.memorialdoholocausto.org.br/] Holocaust Memorial in São Paulo — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memorialdoholocausto?igsh=aWlweXd4NmF6cm11 [https://www.instagram.com/memorialdoholocausto?igsh=aWlweXd4NmF6cm11] See you next year!  Pietro Deserti The World War II Daily Podcast