Product Description
Ghosts of the Ostfront I
Duration – 1:05:54
Part one covering the conflict between the Germans and the Soviet Union in the Second World War. Dan gives an introduction to the subject and discusses the causes and opening moves of Operation Barbarossa.
1. “Berezina” by Ira Meistrich from “The Experience of War”
Ghosts of the Ostfront II
Duration – 1:28:30
In Part Two of the Ostfront series covering WW2 on the Eastern Front, Dan looks at the attempt to take Moscow and the many compelling stories surrounding the momentous1941 German offensive.
Ghosts of the Ostfront III
Duration – 1:30:19
In Part Three of the Ostfront series covering WW2 on the Eastern Front, Dan looks at the situation in the U.S.S.R. during 1942 and early 1943, including the dreadful Battle of Stalingrad.
Ghosts of the Ostfront IV
Duration – 1:39:34
In the final episode of the horror story that is the Eastern Front the tale descends into unimaginable darkness as vengeance is called down on Germany. This graphic episode is not for young ears.
Show notes:
Daniel McDonald – :
I stumbled across Dan Carlin and this Hardcore History Podcast via a short intro I had found on YouTube, and as a student of WWII, I knew I had to hear the whole series.
Dan has a captivating and accessible way of describing the events he has researched and presents that make these events come alive in my mind. You could imagine being there, almost. It’s shocking, surprising, dreadful and hard to forget but it happened and I learned things about this conflict that I had never known before despite studying this era for at least 25 years. No student of WWII should miss this. Excellent.
madquack64 – :
Great podcast, Eastern Front sounds like something beyond your worst nightmares.
croach83 – :
What an amazing history lesson which many of us in the western world simply know nothing about. Thank you Dan Carlin!
Antonio – :
Excellent! A breadth of knowledge and depth of emotion unsurpassed in modern history. As usual, Mr. Carlin provides an entertaining learning experience that exceeds the asking price by an order of magnitude. As close as you can get to time travel without being a theoretical physicist. Hardcore, indeed.
David – :
Once again I’m blown away by the eloquent depiction of a horrific scenario. Although there are several thematic lessons to learn from, Dan reminds me that we are human too; we are not excused to submit to violent ideolical leadership- that we must speak out in opposition to crimes in humanity when given the chance…and that these men, on both sides, didn’t have that chance.
Heikki – :
This was amazing. I got introduced to Dan by Sam Harris, Tim Ferriss and countless others and Im glad I was. Can´t wait to hear more of these.
Justin – :
Engaging. Balanced. No political bias. Status quo for Hardcore History.
Dan’s humbling reminder of the thin shell of civility we live under was perhaps most powerful.
The depths of human sufferring and deprevity described left me with a dark feeling of oppression. This was further exasborated when thinking about the children and women that actually had to live through this nightmare complete with real monsters.
Could war ever be this horrible again? I don’t believe so as a nuclear holocaust would probably have been a welcome reprieve to those that suffered through the atrocities of the eastern front. However, the sad truth is that we will probably find out when the thin shell inevitably cracks…again.
Justus – :
Breathtaking. In the truest sense of the word.
My Granddad was on the Ostfront as a medic for the Wehrmacht, while he was “lucky” enough to survive by having his arm shot to pieces, I think shortly before reaching Stalingrad (as a kid, I always thought his prosthesis was kind of scary but cool), he never stopped telling stories until his last days – usually, the same few horrible stories over and over (he died some 15 years ago).
I think the picture Dan paints is very real, so much so that I had to wipe tears from my eyes several times.
pfincent – :
Amazing!