Description

‘What is it that makes the history of the Second World War so compelling? Why are the Afflicted afflicted? With these chapters we hope to offer some idea of our approach to, and understanding of, the war, while never forgetting the tumult and terror that came with defeating tyranny. Maybe you will become Afflicted too’
AL MURRAY

‘At the time of writing, we have recorded nearly one thousand episodes of the podcast. That’s a lot and has taken us longer to chalk up than the duration of the war. Hopefully, this book will draw readers ever further into this utterly absorbing, endlessly fascinating subject that has so captivated both of us’
JAMES HOLLAND

From the most fascinating characters to the bloodiest battles and decisive turning points of the Second World War, We Have Ways of Making You Talk: New Histories of the Second World War brings the energy and insight of James Holland and Al Murray’s chart-topping podcast to the page.

From El Alamein to Barbarossa and from the war in China to the ruins of Stalingrad, this book draws on the latest pioneering academic research to rethink how the war was fought – and why it unfolded the way it did. This is the Second World War as you haven’t read it before: vivid, forensic and alive with debate.

Experience the darkest hours and narrow escapes of Dunkirk, the perilous Arctic convoys of the North Cape, the devastation of Hamburg and discover the one thing that genuinely terrified Winston Churchill. As with the podcast, the focus is on the overlooked, the misunderstood and the rarely told – the details that change how we understand the conflict as a whole.

Composed from James and Al’s detailed show notes, this is essential reading for anyone who thinks they know the Second World War – and for those who want to know it better.