Tune in to this episode of Hardtack for an interview with a special guest, the producer, director, writer, and editor of the five-part documentary series, War Movie: The American Battle in Cinema, Steve Summers. War Movie is a documentary series that examines not only the history of war in American cinema, but how this medium has shaped our country's perspective on conflict, foreign policy, race, masculinity and national identity. Sources and Links: Watch War Movies: The American Battle in Cinema | Prime Video (amazon.com) Amazon.com: War Movie: The American Battle in Cinema [DVD] : Steve Sum ..read more

Standing five feet six inches tall and weighing just 145 pounds, the hazel eyed Catholic man of Eastern European descent fit the profile the FBI and Army Intelligence department were looking for in 1966 for a “special assignment.” The brown haired, spectacled man spoke Czech and German, had an understanding of Russian and several other Slavic languages. More than that, their man had proven himself to be of quick wit, assertive, and confidant in his capabilities. His memory was sharp and his recall abilities the sort you may expect from any fictional sleuth like James Bond or Sherlock Holmes, t ..read more

The Battle of Tannenberg was one of the first major battles of World War I, fought between Russia and Germany in East Prussia. The early decisions of German leadership in World War I, and consequently the Eastern Front, resulted from the German war plan of 1914. However, Eighth Army’s operations in East Prussia did not adhere to the plan’s original course of action. Although outnumbered, the Imperial German Army successfully and overwhelmingly outperformed the Russian First and Second Armies in mobilization, strategic and tactical execution, logistics, and reconnaissance. The Battle of Tannenb ..read more

On November 7th, 1938, Ernst vom Rath, a Nazi Party member and German Foreign Office diplomat was assassinated by a 17 year old Polish-German Jew named Herschel Grynspan. Grynspan entered the German embassy in Paris on the morning of November 7th and requested to speak with an embassy official claiming to have an important document to deliver. It was vom Rath, a secretary to the German ambassador that received Grynspan. When the 29 year old vom Rath stood face to face with the 17 year old, he asked, “Did you have an important document to give me?” Grynspan drew a handgun from his jacket and re ..read more

The year was 9 CE. Autumn winds, rain, and cool air blew through the trees of western Germania’s forests. The waters of the Rhine River were beginning their annual swell in the wake of summer’s heat. Though the autumns of Germania were relatively moderate, the season was one of transition and marked by a climate subject to swift change, even week to week at times. So, it was in September in the north of the Germanic central uplands when a certain Roman general marched his men into a pass between Kalkriese Hill and dense, boggy swampland. Unbeknownst to the Romans, they were marching into a blo ..read more

Executing a plan developed and approved by the Eisenhower administration, President John F. Kennedy deployed a brigade of 1,400 Cuban exiles to overthrow Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro in 1961. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was terribly executed and a significant disaster for the Kennedy administration.  You can find the Hardtack Podcast socials via linktree. If you have any feedback on episodes or suggestions for future episodes, please send an email to hardtackpod@gmail.com Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Make your Own Hardtack! Hardtack Recipe (Survival Bread) - Bread Dad Civil War ..read more

The Sengoku Period, or Warring States Era, of Japan began in 1467 with the Onin War. Feudal Japan was characterized by violence between warring states, where kinsmen cut each other down in bids for territorial superiority. Independent warlords among the domains unleashed their samurai and fighting men on each other in anarchic attempts to gain dominance. Rivalries ebbed and flowed. Alliances formed and were shattered. Allegiance among warlords was only to self, cooperation existed only when it benefitted the warlords. For the peasant class life was hell, which resulted in regular instances of ..read more

In 27 BCE, Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire. Emperor Augustus Caesar reinstated past political institutions and championed reform that enabled peace, prosperity, and targeted corruption. The rule of Augustus brought about the beginning of Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, a nearly 200-year period that is considered to have been Rome’s “golden age”. During this time, the Roman Empire reached the pinnacle of its expansion, its population increased, and economic, military, and government institutions experienced stability and growth. Rome laid its extensive road system, connecting the exp ..read more

The United States Army Chemical Corps conducted classified human medical experiments at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland between 1955 and 1975. During the twenty-year span, the US Army Chemical Corps exposed approximately 7,000 volunteer soldiers to over 250 chemicals ranging from alcohol, LSD, nerve agents, to simple caffeine in research focused on disabling enemy troops in combat scenarios. Strap in because this is going to get trippy. You can find the Hardtack Community on all of our socials via our linktree. If you have any feedback on our episodes or suggestions for future episodes, please se ..read more

Historian Richard A. Gabriel neatly summarized Philip II’s legacy, “Had there been no Philip to bring the Macedonian national state into existence, to assemble the economic and military resources to unite Greece, to create the bold strategic vision of conquering Persia, and to invent the first modern, tactically sophisticated and strategically capable military force in Western military history as the instrument for accomplishing that vision, the exploits of Philip’s son Alexander is Asia would not have been possible.”  Give this episode a listen and learn more about the charismatic and am ..read more