Historians Mat McLachlan and Peter Smith explore the great battlefields of Europe, from ancient times to the Second World War. Join them as they bring the history of the battlefields to life, through exploring the ground and reliving the experience in the words of the people who were there.
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In advance of our new series of BattleWalks, Mat and Pete are taking you back to some of their favourite episodes.
In this episode we explore one of the concrete V1 flying bomb launch sites that once terrorized London during the final years of World War II.
Walking among the overgrown bunkers and crumbling launch ramps, we uncover the story of Operation Crossbow - the desperate German attempt to turn the tide of war through terror bombing. Discover how these remote sites, hidden in French forests and farmland, became the epicenter of the world's first cruise missile campaign.
Our battlefield walk takes us through the ingenious yet sinister engineering of the V1 launch mechanism, from the distinctive ski-jump ramps to the underground storage bunkers where the "doodlebugs" awaited their deadly mission. We'll examine the cat-and-mouse game between German engineers and Allied bombers, as RAF pilots risked everything to silence these weapons of revenge.
Standing where history's first robotic warfare was born, we reflect on the human cost of technological warfare and the French civilians caught in the crossfire. This is more than just concrete and rust - it's a powerful reminder of how the quiet corners of the European countryside still echo with the ghosts of the world's most devastating conflict.
Presenters: Mat McLachlan and Pete Smith
Producer: Jess Stebnicki
Join us on a battlefield tour! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
23 Jun 2025
REVISIT: Somme 1916 - The Sunken Lane
Mat McLachlan and Pete Smith revisit the killing fields of the Somme in 1916, walking from the Sunken Road to Y Ravine, offering insights into the battle's first day.
12 Sept 2024
Walking Ypres with guidl
Join Mat to hear all about guidl, a new audio tour app that he is contributing to. guidl takes you on walking tours to the world's most historic sites, narrated by leading historians. Mat's first guidl tour is of wartime Ypres and, in this special episode, Mat shares the first chapter of his Ypres walking tour.
Download the app and find out more about guidl: https://www.guidl.tours/
Join Mat on a battlefield tour: https://battlefields.com.au/
Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/battlewalks (https://plus.acast.com/s/battlewalks).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
4,676,571
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
14 ratings
Spotify
4.7 / 5
40 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
67
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
51
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