WW2: Both Sides Of The Wire | Podcast
A military historian and a public historian break down WWII battles and strategy, analyzing the conflict from both Allied and Axis perspectives.
This is a conversational deep-dive into the mechanics of World War II, co-hosted by a serving German army officer and academic historian alongside a public historian. Episodes typically focus on a single campaign or strategic question, such as the Battle of Okinawa or the failure of German logistics on the Eastern Front. The hosts blend high-level strategic discussion with granular tactical analysis, consistently examining the plans, doctrines, and experiences of both sides.
“The show's key differentiator is its hosting duo: a professional German military historian providing academic and doctrinal context, paired with a public historian who guides the narrative and makes complex topics accessible. Their explicit mission to analyze events from 'both sides of the wire' provides a balanced perspective often missing in Anglo-centric histories.”
Who hosts this show
WW2: Both Sides of the Wire features co-hosts Professor Matthias Strohn, a German military historian, and Jesse Alexander, a Canadian public historian. Together, they provide deep-dive analysis of World War II, aiming to bust myths and explore the complexities of the conflict from the viewpoints of all participants. The show moves beyond familiar narratives to offer detailed tactical, operational, and strategic insights into specific battles and campaigns.
Credentials & credits
- Matthias Strohn: Head of Historical Analysis at CHACR (the British Army's think tank).
- Matthias Strohn: Colonel in the German Army.
- Matthias Strohn: DPhil from the University of Oxford.
- Matthias Strohn: Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Buckingham.
- Jesse Alexander: Public Historian with an MA in History from the University of Vienna.
- Jesse Alexander: Host of 'The Great War' and 'Real Time History' YouTube channels.
Other ventures
- Battle Guide (Parent company/platform).
- Book: 'Inferno: 12 Battles of the World Wars that Shaped the 20th Century'.
- Not So Quiet On The Western Front (Sister podcast).
- Battlefield Tours.
- Community membership program.
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01Verdun A Year of Fighting and 130,000 BonesJun 26, 2026 · 1 min
- 02When a “Victory” Becomes a DisasterJun 25, 2026 · 1 min
- 03Hitler’s Orders, His Generals and Neutral Portugal | WW2 Podcast Episode: 100Jun 24, 2026 · 57 min
- 04Small Battles Can Have Massive ShadowsJun 24, 2026 · 2 min
- 05What Would Battle 13 Be?Jun 23, 2026 · 2 min
- 06Battles That Shaped the 20th Century | WW2 Podcast Episode: 99Jun 17, 2026 · 51 min
- 07Okinawa: Kamikazes and the Yamato | WW2 Podcast Episode: 98Jun 10, 2026 · 50 min
- 08Okinawa Begins: Operation Iceberg | WW2 Podcast Episode: 97Jun 3, 2026 · 42 min
Notable episodes
- 01Hitler’s Orders, His Generals and Neutral Portugal | WW2 Podcast Episode: 100
The 100th episode, which showcases the listener-focused Q&A format and covers diverse topics like command decisions and logistics.
- 02Okinawa Begins: Operation Iceberg | WW2 Podcast Episode: 97
A representative example of the show's core format: a detailed, multi-perspective breakdown of a major WWII battle.
- 03Battles That Shaped the 20th Century | WW2 Podcast Episode: 99
A special crossover episode that highlights the hosts' collaboration within the broader history podcasting community and their book project.
What you'll be asked on this show
The show is a co-hosted discussion, not a scripted narrative or interview program. Prof. Strohn typically provides the core historical and doctrinal analysis, drawing on his academic and military background, while Jesse Alexander frames the topic, asks clarifying questions, and connects the events to broader historical memory. The conversation is structured but informal, often moving between tactical specifics and their wider strategic implications.
Signature segments
- · Analyzing events from 'Both Sides of the Wire'
- · Listener Q&A Episodes
- · Deep dives on specific battles (e.g., Okinawa)
- · Collaboration episodes with other history podcasts
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are very infrequent. When they do appear, they are typically collaborators, such as other military history podcasters for a joint episode, rather than external experts being interviewed.
- Dan Hillon Battles That Shaped the 20th Century | WW2 Podcast Episode: 99
- Spenceron Battles That Shaped the 20th Century | WW2 Podcast Episode: 99
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast appears to be listener-supported through a direct community membership program and book sales. No traditional advertisements were noted in the evidence provided.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What are the hosts' real names and backgrounds?
- The hosts are Professor Matthias Strohn, a German military historian, Colonel, and head of historical analysis for the British Army's think tank, and Jesse Alexander, a Canadian public historian and host for the 'Real Time History' YouTube channel.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It is a conversational show co-hosted by Strohn and Alexander. It is not an interview podcast. Each episode typically focuses on a specific battle, campaign, or strategic aspect of WWII.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes on a regular basis.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube and major podcast platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- How can I support the show?
- The show is supported through a paid community membership on their website and via PayPal.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Podcast | WW2 Both Sides of the Wire!battleguide.co.uk
- [02]Professor Matthias Strohn - University of Buckinghambuckingham.ac.uk
- [03]CV | Jesse Alexander Historyjessealexanderhistory.com
- [04]Colonel Professor Matthias Strohn - Historianmatthiasstrohn.com
- [05]Professor Matthias Strohn - Staff Ride Guidebattlefield-studies.com
- [06]Jesse Alexander - Curiosity Universitycuriosityuniversity.com
- [07]Shows & Our Podcast - Battle Guidebattleguide.co.uk
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