Nixon and Kissinger think they’ve cracked the code. But handing off the war to South Vietnam proves no easier than it was for the three administrations before them, because some things change, but the quagmire doesn’t.

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Murky victory conditions and an obsession with body count turn the jungles of Vietnam into a human meat grinder. While the United States struggles to manage an increasingly brutal war, Hanoi prepares a knockout blow to break the stalemate.

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I have the pleasure of interviewing Myke Cole on this episode of the show! He is a historian and the author of STEEL LOBSTERS, THE BRONZE LIE, THE KILLING GROUND, and others.

We talk about Sir Arthur Haselrige and his Regiment of Horse; a group of knights-carrying-guns that fought in the English Civil Wars. We talk about Pike and Shot tactics, historiography, and the ways in which historians argue with one another.

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It was my joy to get to speak with Edwin Moise, a professor of history at Clemson University, and Vietnam War expert. This conversation was the culmination of many conversations had in the background as I was researching Hell in a Small Place III–and this conversation acts as a bit of a companion episode to the HISP shows. Read Professor Moise's work here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Edwin-E.-Moise/author/B001ITVOIY?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true If you're interested in research materials on the Vietnam War, Professor Moise has curated an excellent bibliography that I would highly recommend: Ed Moise Vietnam Bibliography Support the show on Patreon

Smoke drifts lazily upward from the consumed redoubts at Dienbienphu. A fledgling country rejoices in its newfound freedom…for a time. A line of demarcation is drawn: Communist north. Nationalist south. Larger powers move in to claim their proxies. The United States is left to reckon with a difficult question: can they win a race with a losing horse? They’re about to find out.

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Today, I have the honor of interviewing author and historian Don Hollway. His books include Battle for the Island Kingdom, At the Gates of Rome, and The Last Viking.

It was the Last Viking that was my introduction to Hollway's work, and I was enthralled by the story of Harald Hardada, his larger than life persona and various outsized adventures.

We talk about Hardrada's legacy, dive into anglo-saxon and Viking warfare, and how Vikings as a whole are perceived today, and how that may change in the future.

Support Don at https://www.donhollway.com/

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Total War for the fledgling Democratic Republic of Vietnam means civilian suffering, economic disaster, communist consolidation, atomic scares, and lingering hope that the tiger can wear down the elephant. For the French, it means coming face to face with their own mortality.

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France's colony in Indochina ignites in a revolutionary inferno, led by the enigmatic figure of Ho Chi Minh. As the flames spread, Western powers must decide how far they are willing to go to stamp out the communist fire.

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