The Unknown Soldiers Podcast

by James Houser

Host James Houser tackles forgotten wars, battles, and perspectives of military history from across the ages and across the globe. Whether it's the women of the American Revolution, lost Indian kingdoms, neglected World War II campaigns or medieval power struggles, this podcast sheds light on real people with real stories...who don't deserve to be Unknown Soldiers.

Podcast episodes

  • Season 3

  • The Soviet-Afghan War Part 1.5 - Stumbling Bear: The Soviet Armed Forces in Afghanistan

    The Soviet-Afghan War Part 1.5 - Stumbling Bear: The Soviet Armed Forces in Afghanistan

    The Soviet Armed Forces were the juggernaut of a nuclear superpower, the largest army on Earth, the embodiment of the massive, powerful Russian bear. But they were also deeply flawed. Their soldiers were mistreated, their equipment was crude, and they suffered from the paradoxes of the socialist empire. But above all, the Soviets were locked into an ideological prison of their own making: a Marxist approach to warfare. Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-more-maps-and-sources-part-i-and-soviet-army-short-round

  • Episode #56: The Soviet-Afghan War Part 1 - A Special Military Operation

    Episode #56: The Soviet-Afghan War Part 1 - A Special Military Operation

    In the late 1970s, two neighboring countries were in turmoil: the Soviet Union was beginning its decline and fall, and Afghanistan was roiled by political chaos. When a socialist, pro-Soviet government comes to power in Afghanistan, it immediately comes under attack by its own people - and the Soviets have to make a decision. In Part I of a five-part series, we will see how the Soviet Union stumbled into the graveyard of empires. Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-maps-and-sources Audible Recommendation: https://www.audible.com/pd/A-Peoples-Tragedy-Audiobook/B07J5DSS8M?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Music: "Soviet Red Army Military March" by Rafael Krux https://music.orchestralis.net/track/38439579 Desert City Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Jalandhar Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

  • The Soviet-Afghan War, Prologue: Welcome to Afghanistan

    The Soviet-Afghan War, Prologue: Welcome to Afghanistan

    Before we dive into the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, it's time to get acquainted - or reacquainted - with the Graveyard of Empires. Let's take a look at the peoples, places, and history of Afghanistan before 1979. (Or, to put it another way, I wrote way too much context for Soviet-Afghan War Part 1 and spun it off into its own thing.) Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-maps-and-sources Email Me: unknownsoldierspodcast@gmail.com Music: Desert City Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

  • Introduction to the Soviet-Afghan War

    Introduction to the Soviet-Afghan War

    A brief introduction to the upcoming Soviet-Afghan War series, debuting March 3. Don't know your Kremlins from your Gremlins? Find the answers here! Sources and Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-maps-and-sources Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/unknownsoldierspodcast https://twitter.com/unksoldierspod Email me: unknownsoldierspodcast@gmail.com

  • Season 2

  • Episode #55: Go for Broke!

    Episode #55: Go for Broke!

    The U.S. Army's 442nd Infantry Regiment was a unit unlike any other . Many of their families were behind barbed wire in internment camps, and all of them suffered discrimination from their own country. They didn't just fight for America…they fought to prove they were Americans. And they became America’s most decorated combat unit of World War II. Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/episode-55-go-for-broke-sources Audible Recommendation: https://www.audible.com/pd/An-Army-at-Dawn-The-War-in-North-Africa-1942-1943-Audiobook/B00CBKIDUG?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Music: Superepic by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/