U-drama on the high seas

War histories are not just stories of valour but also masterclasses on intricate planning, teamwork and strategic decision-making. So, if you're interested in World War 2 nitty- gritty, dig into 'The WW2 Podcast', a labour of love by war history nut Angus Wallace.

The episode, U-505: Codename Nemo, delves into the day in June 1944, when Captain Daniel Gallery's US anti-submarine Task Group 22.3 captured the German U-boat, U-505. U-boats were important assets for the Germans, since they contained a trove of valuable intelligence, including the holy grail of Nazi Germany's secrets: Enigma machines, the device used to encode secret military communications.

What sets the podcast apart is the in-depth interviews with experts on different aspects of the war. For this episode, Wallace interviews Charles Lachman, author of Codename Nemo: The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and The Elusive Enigma Machine. Listen to it to know, among other things, why chief of US naval operations Ernest King was incensed about U-505's capture and threatened to fire Gallery instead of celebrating his team's success. Crackling stuff.