David Sumner
A World War Two Historian & Podcaster from Berlin
BONUS Episode: A Talk With Matthew Menneke From On The Front Tours
Matthew Menneke is a military historian and former serviceman in the Australian Army. Matthew is also the founder of On The Front Tours, which is a tour guide company specialising solely in Second World War tours in and around Berlin.
One of the tours Matthew runs is a tour of the Halbe Pocket, so naturally I wanted to hear his views on the battle. We talked about everything from the ethics of warfare and the terrible impact the fighting in the pocket had on civilians, to the politics of remembrance and the way the Halbe area is still feeling the impact of the fighting – 80 years on.
BONUS Episode: A Talk With Scott Bury From The Beyond Barbarossa Podcast
Scott Bury is an author from Canada who is also the producer and host of the fantastic Beyond Barbarossa podcast.
Scott, like me, is passionate about the Eastern Front of the Second World War, so I wanted to hear his insights on a range of topics including the professionalisation of the Red Army throughout the war, the performance of the Finns, and Red Army battle tactics!
The podcast tells the entire Eastern Front story, so if you want to better understand the scale, complexities, and ferocity of the epic battles between Germany and the Soviet Union then go follow the Beyond Barbarossa podcast!
You can find the Bonus episode below or wherever you’re listening to podcasts!
Europe At War meets Beyond Barbarossa
Hear me chat with Scott Bury from the Beyond Barbarossa podcast on all things Halbe, Germany, and the Eastern Front!
Exciting things coming soon!
Coming April 28th!
A weekly podcast exploring the lesser-known battles and stories of the Second World War, with a particular focus on the Eastern Front.
Next: The Battle of Berlin
If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com or visit https://davidsumnerhistory.com/
Matthew Menneke is a military historian and former serviceman in the Australian Army. Matthew is also the founder of On The Front Tours, which is a tour guide company specialising solely in Second World War tours in and around Berlin.
One of the tours Matthew runs is a tour of the Halbe Pocket, so naturally I was curious to hear his views on the battle, and to hear why he thinks the Halbe Pocket story has been so overlooked within the historiography of the Second World War – especially in the English-speaking world.
You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com
Bonus Episode: A Talk With Matthew Menneke From On The Front Tours
Matthew Menneke is a military historian and former serviceman in… Remnants of War – The “first house taken by the Red Army in Berlin
The “first” house taken by the Red Army during their… Traces of War – Spang in Potsdam
A lovely bit of Spang from Potsdam! Potsdam, just to… Remnants of War – Zhukov’s Bunker and Command Post in Reitwein
80 years ago today, the Red Army launched “Operation Berlin”… Traces of War – Spang in Berlin
There’s nothing better than going on a hunt for Spang… Bonus Episode: A Talk with Scott Bury from the Beyond Barbarossa Podcast
Scott Bury is an author from Canada, and he’s also… 
Past, Present, Future
Explore the series in full – available on all major podcast platforms.
(Spotify linked below)
Past Series
The Halbe Pocket
Current Series
The Battle of Bautzen
Upcoming Series
The Battle of Berlin