Tag: Macedonia

WWII military history book – “Parleying with the Devil” (University Press of Kentucky, 2020) – Gaj Trifkovic interview

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Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2A73z3E

Gaj Trifkovic has had a lifelong interest in WWII especially as it relates to Yugoslavia. He earned his history degree in the subject and wrote his first book – a history of prisoner exchange in Yugoslavia during WWII. We spoke about the war in Yugoslavia, the book, and the process of getting published.

(THE AUDIO PLAYER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST.)

0:51 – Gaj talks about how he got into studying Yugoslavia in WWII.

4:10 – Gaj talks about the five main sections of the book starting with Serbia.

6:25 – Gaj talk about the military activities and situation in Yugoslavia during WWI.

8:31 – Gaj talks about the controversial March 1943 negotiations.

12:06 – Gaj talks about the Yugoslav neutral zone.

13:08 – Gaj talks about how much the German high command knew about this prisoner exchange.

14:11 – Gaj talks about how partisans dealt with prisoner exchanges.

16:33 – Gaj talks about what prisoners the Germans took.

17:52 – Gaj talks about how prisoners chosen for exchange were sometimes treated harshly.

19:46 – Gaj talks about local prisoner exchanges by units in the field.

21:00 – Gaj talks about non-German Axis prisoners.

22:20 – Gaj talks about prisoner exchanges in other historical contexts.

24:46 – Gaj talks about how Hitler was convinced to accept these exchanges.

26:06 – Gaj talks about whether the Germans exchanged “undesirables.”

27:04 – Gaj talks about the unwritten rules of prisoner exchange.

29:20 – Gaj talks about prisoner exchange closer to the end of the war.

32:35 – Gaj talks about large-scale execution of prisoners at the end of the war.

34:26 – Gaj talks about German and Axis prisoners in Yugoslavia at the end of the war.

38:58 – Gaj talks about post-war release of prisoners.

40:45 – Gaj talks about the archives and books he used for this research.

42:27 – Gaj talks about the self-censorship on both sides about prisoner exchange.

45:55 – Gaj goes into more detail about the neutral zone.

47:11 – We discuss what might be in the current location of the neutral zone.

51:32 – Gaj talks about how well the two sides got along in the neutral zone.

55:14 – Gaj talks about why he wrote the book in English rather than German.

57:38 – Gaj talks about how he tried to emulate “The Longest Day” in the writing of this book.

1:04:59 – Gaj can be found on researchgate.net and academia.edu.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2A73z3E

https://www.kentuckypress.com/9781949668087/parleying-with-the-devil/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gaj_Trifkovic

https://independent.academia.edu/GajTrifkovic

 

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

 

Guests: Gaj Trifkovic

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, WWII, world war 2, Yugoslavia, Communist, Nazi, Fascism, Italy, Germany, Serbia, insurgency, Croatia, Wehrmacht, Montenegro, Tito, Sarajevo, Hitler, Macedonia, fascists, American Revolution, US Civil War, Slovenia, Luftwaffe, partisan, Austrians, secret police, British, The Longest Day, Global War Studies, world war two

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2A73z3E

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ancient Greek warfare military history book – “Greek Warfare beyond the Polis” – (Cornell University Press, 2020) – David Blome interview

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Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2RPMPDo

David Blome became interested in Ancient Greek warfare while in the Marine Corps. He later earned his doctorate degree while also doing archaeological research in Greece. His first book is on Ancient Greek warfare and we discussed his work.

1:01 – David talks about how his interest in Ancient Greek warfare started when he was in the Marine Corps and he read the Iliad.

3:16 – David talks about the focus of the book on the classical period.

4:16 – David talks about upland Greeks versus lowland Greek.

5:58 – David talks about how he incorporated military history into Greece’s mountainous regions.

7:52 – David talks about what was usual and unusual in Greek warfare.

10:40 – David talks about military activities at night.

13:50 – David talks about the two types of heroes in Greek literature. He discusses how different groups lived their lives.

16:19 – David talks about other differences in military approaches in Greek culture.

18:04 – David talks about hierarchy in the Greek military.

19:49 – David touches on naval warfare and Homer’s catalogue of Greek ships.

22:12 – David talks about differences in weapons, armor, and food.

24:45 – David talks about the differences in crop availability in different parts of Greece and where people can maneuver in the mountains.

27:09 – David talks about the lack of fortifications during the classical period.

30:19 – David talks about how territorial lines were established in classical Greece.

32:10 – David talks about the resources and archaeological evidence he used for his research.

35:02 – David talks about the ancient historians he used.

37:11 – David talks about his own archaeological research and work in Greece.

46:13 – David talks about wanting to know more the governments of these Greek groups.

50:23 – David talks about the importance of the word “league.”

51:56 – David talks about originally being very critical of the Spartans.

58:15 – David can be found on academia.edu.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2RPMPDo

https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501747526/greek-warfare-beyond-the-polis/#bookTabs=1

http://independentscholar.academia.edu/DaveBlome

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: David Blome

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, ancient war, ancient greece, Illiad, Iraq, Troy, marine corps, military, deployment, Persia, Athens, Sparta, Thebes, polis, city-states, phalanx, Phoecians, Odysseus, Diomedes, Xenophon, Arcadia, Homer, hoplite, Atolia, Thessalians, plutarch, Thucydides, Macedonia, Bronze Age, iron Age, Atolian league, Founding Fathers

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2RPMPDo

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ancient warfare military history book – “Soldier, Priest, and God” (Oxford University Press, 2018) – Fred Naiden interview

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Dr. Fred Naiden studies ancient Greek law, religion, and warfare, including Near-Eastern parallels.  He teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and we spoke about his latest book on Alexander the Great.

0:52 – Fred talks about how he became interested in writing on this.

3:15 – Fred talks about how the book is laid out.  It covers Alexander’s military career from start to finish.

6:56 – Fred talks about how the Egyptians and Persians viewed the Greeks and Macedonians. 

11:33 – Fred talks about Alexander’s upbringing. He also touches on Alexander’s relationship with Aristotle.

15:21 – Fred talks about Alexander’s effects on native religions.

19:48 – Fred talks about how Alexander performed religious ceremonies.

22:09 – Fred talks about Alexander in India.

25:05 – Fred talks about Alexander as a man on a mission to learn about different cultures and with an ambitious curiosity.

34:00 – Fred talks about the resources he used for his research.

53:46 – Fred has a page on the University of North Carolina website.

Links of interest

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/soldier-priest-and-god-9780190875343?cc=us&lang=en&
Fred Naiden

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar

Guests: Fred Naiden

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, Alexander the Great, Egypt, Persia, Islam, Quran, Hebrews, Macedonia, Greece, Muslims, India, Afghanistan