Podcast Summary: "Books, Balls, and Bismarck"

Podcast: WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Hosts: Al Murray, James Holland
Episode Date: February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

In this "war waffle" episode, Al Murray and historian James Holland catch up on recent WWII research, share naval history anecdotes, discuss WWII songs and cultural memes, and take a lively, humorous sprint through "the Februarys" of the Second World War. This episode blends deep historical insight with the hosts’ trademark camaraderie and irreverence, offering both vivid storytelling and reflections on how WWII stories—both grand and granular—continue to fascinate.

1. Naval Research & The Atlantic War

James Holland’s New Book Research

• Focus: The first stage of the Atlantic War, drawing on previous podcast episodes about the Hood and Bismarck.
• Key Sites: James lists archives he’s frequenting—Kew, Imperial War Museum, Greenwich, and possibly Chatham and Halifax (Canada).
• Telling Statistic:
  • “There isn’t a single HX convoy... from Halifax to Britain between June 1941 to September 1942—not a single ship is sunk in convoy.”
    (James Holland, 05:12)
• Interpretation: While histories focus on the devastating losses, most convoys actually arrived unscathed—an underappreciated fact (05:31–05:39).

The Power of Air Patrols

• Britain’s innovative use of air power over the Bay of Biscay forced U-boat captains to dive and diminished their operational effectiveness—even before technological breakthroughs like the cavity magnetron.
  • “Sometimes the sort of technical breakthroughs get lent into too much in the story. But actually... planes in the sky is enough to put the willies up the U-boat captains.”
    (Al Murray, 06:32)
• Strategic Impact: Even U-boats not sunk were severely limited; their operational window shrank, leading to greatly reduced shipping losses.

Family Stories & U-Boat Performance

• Example: U358—despite expert commanders, sank far less shipping than early war aces, underlining how Allied successes weren’t just about kills, but thwarting operations (08:50–09:24).

2. Naval Archives: Anecdotes & Relics

• Naval Historical Branch Visit: James shares highlights from a recent visit:
  • Access to Bismarck survivor interrogations, technical reports, and even the German U-boat command’s (BdU) war diary.
    • “They’ve got the war diary of the BDU. They’ve got Dönitz’s war diary.”
      (James Holland, 11:24)
  • Relics galore: Nelson’s signature, battered Zeiss binoculars from a destroyed S-boat, and artefacts from the HMS Hood.
  • Plans for a Royal Navy trophy “roadshow” at We Have Ways Fest 6.

3. The Hunt for Bismarck and Life at Sea

The Human Experience

• Al and James reflect on navy memoirs and how ferociously demanding North Sea operations were:
  • Vivid accounts from George Wally and Ludovic Kennedy convey the psychological and physical toll of fighting—and simply enduring—the cruel sea.
    • "Meals that would scarcely stay on the table long enough to be eaten." (Al Murray quoting George Wally, 16:04)
  • Weather as an adversary, not just the enemy.

Outreach & Storytelling: WWII for Kids

• Al recounts his “outreach” efforts, teaching year six pupils about the Bismarck sinking—using Lego Sink the Bismarck as a learning tool.
  • “One of the kids goes, 'I never knew Lego could be so intense, bruv.'”
    (Al Murray recalling student reaction, 19:12)
• Key Quote:
  • “Never dumb down to school kids. No.” (James Holland, 20:21)

4. Songs, Culture, and Wartime Humor

"Hitler’s Only Got One Ball": Song as Wartime Meme

• Al deep-dives into the origins and variants of the infamous propaganda song.
  • Academic analyses highlight its value as a morale boost and vehicle for ridicule (31:10–32:31).
• Notable lyric variants include:
  • “Hitler has only got one ball, the other is in the Albert Hall...”
  • “Goebbels has no balls at all.”

Transmission

• The hosts muse on the pre-internet (and even pre-radio) virality of such songs among troops, their persistent presence in British schoolyard culture, and what that reveals about popular history.

5. Books, Character Studies, and Ironies

Recent Reading

• Al’s focus: Eugene Esmond and the Air Force’s dual role—military and “empire-connectivity” pilot training (25:20–27:33).
• James’s focus:
  • Into That Darkness (Gitta Sereny) and how ordinary, sometimes even initially apolitical men (“forks in the road”) became complicit in atrocities at Sobibor (27:33–28:45).
• Both discuss how bureaucratic, cultural, and personal decisions compound to sweep people into the vortex of history.

6. The "Februarys" of WWII: Year-By-Year Lightning Review

• A rapid-fire exploration of key (often overlooked) events each February of the war (35:28–42:55):
  • 1939: Hungary joins Anti-Comintern Pact—shifts in alliances, pre-war maneuverings (36:21).
  • 1940-41: Hitler’s grand speeches and naval priorities; Chamberlain's diplomatic entreaties; scarcity of U-Boats in the Atlantic.
  • 1942: Internment of Japanese Canadians/Americans (not Germans or Italians), raising thorny issues of racism and historical apologies (39:10).
  • 1943: Sinking of Royal Navy and German submarines; operational dangers for all navies.
  • 1944: Continued Allied anti-submarine successes; Pacific theatre advances.
  • 1945: HMS Duckworth sinks its fifth U-boat; Soviets gearing up for the Berlin offensive; operation Veritable, destruction of towns like Cleves, controversial bombings (42:16–42:55).

7. Lively Tangents & Sign-Off

Notable Quotes & Banter

• On Early Education:
  • "Why was I doing Latin when I could have been learning about Bismarck?" (James Holland, 20:32)
• On German Navy Tradition:
  • “The German Imperial Navy, then is reborn as a Kriegsmarine. They very much saw themselves as like maintaining the imperial tradition. And if the Third Reich is one thing, it's an imperial venture.” (Al Murray, 34:48)
• On Potential Plot Twists:
  • “What if amongst those U-boats was the one with Hitler on, that was trying to get to South America, never got there, and he got blown up by an atomic test?" (Al Murray, 34:14)

Future Topics Teased

• Audie Murphy, Japan’s road to war, the Bruneval raid, and more Allied "visionaries."

Outro

• Upbeat “cheerio” as the hosts promise more detailed series and We Have Ways Fest content, maintaining their signature mix of history, humor, and warmth.

Episode Timeline (Key Timestamps)

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 02:03 | Show proper begins, naval focus | | 05:12 | Convoy stats: Halifax–Britain, not a ship sunk | | 06:32 | Air patrols and U-boat countermeasures | | 09:47 | Impact of air and family history contributions | | 11:24 | Naval archive treasures: Bismarck, trophies | | 15:07 | George Wally, Kennedy & life at sea | | 17:50 | Teaching kids with Lego Sink the Bismarck | | 19:12 | Hilarious student reaction | | 27:33 | Recent book readings: Into That Darkness | | 28:45 | Cultural analysis: "Hitler's Only Got One Ball" | | 35:28 | "Februarys" of WWII year-by-year flash review | | 42:16 | Closing thoughts, future episode teasers | | 43:55 | Membership pitch and sign off |

Memorable Moments

• Al’s account of classroom engagement with WWII:
  “One of the kids goes, 'I never knew Lego could be so intense, bruv.'” (19:12)
• Philosophical aside on education:
  “Never dumbed down to school kids. No.” (20:21)
• Song analysis: “This song’s itemized taxonomy of malformed German genitalia—the monorchid, the micro orchid, the anorchid—was particularly forceful…” (Al Murray, 31:10)
• Alternate history plot twist: “What if...Hitler...got blown up by an atomic test?” (Al Murray, 34:14)

Tone & Style

Witty, discursive, and unafraid of tangents, the show remains deeply rooted in rigorous historical inquiry. The interplay between Al’s comedic instincts and James’s historian's precision keeps the episode accessible, informative, and often laugh-out-loud funny, even while handling dark or complex subject matter.

For Next Time

• Expect deep dives into Pacific and European theatres, stories from both grand strategy and the personal, and continued behind-the-scenes access to archives and cultural legacies of World War II.