Headline Wednesday: Kasserine Pass, World War II follows green American troops into the mountain gaps of central Tunisia as German armor comes crashing through a narrow pass toward their rear areas. From battered foxholes in the cold wind to headquarters struggling to read a fast-moving fight, this episode traces how United States II Corps was caught off balance by veteran panzer formations and driven back through Kasserine. You’ll hear why this near disaster threatened Allied confidence in American leadership and tactics, and why the outcome mattered far beyond a single map sheet. Headline Wednesday is the Wednesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, developed by Trackpads dot com.
Across two acts, the episode walks you through the lead-up, the shock of the German breakthrough, the hard lessons paid for at places like Sidi Bou Zid and Sbeitla, and the artillery-backed stand beyond Kasserine that finally halted the advance near Thala and Tebessa. Along the way, it highlights the command changes, combined-arms adjustments, and coalition growing pains that turned a bruising loss into a starting point for a very different American army in later campaigns. It is a focused, narrative companion for your own reading, staff-ride prep, or map study of the Tunisian campaign, and a reminder of how fast a young force can grow under fire.

This Week in U.S. Military History: July 14th, 2026–July 20th, 2026 traces a week that stretches from bayonet charges at Stony Point and the 54th Massachusetts at Fort Wagner to the fall of Santiago de Cuba, the Port Chicago explosion, and hard fighting at Taejon and Saint-Lô. Listeners hear how a massive bombing raid on Rome, the Trinity nuclear test in the New Mexico desert, and the Apollo 11 lunar landing connect battlefield experience, home-front sacrifice, and the rise of nuclear and space-age power.

Across these seven days, the narrative moves between close combat, strategic air campaigns, catastrophic accidents, and a Moon landing built on Cold War technology, always returning to the people who carried out orders, took risks, and lived with the results. This Week in U.S. Military History is the Tuesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, developed by Trackpads.com, inviting listeners to sit with the decisions, courage, and consequences behind familiar dates on the calendar.

Beyond the Call: Private First Class Melvin Earl Biddle at Soy and Hotton, 1944 follows an American paratrooper scout as he crawls through snow-choked Ardennes woods, hunting snipers and machine guns to open the road to Hotton during the Battle of the Bulge. Listeners hear the broader context of the German offensive, the mission of Biddle’s battalion, and a ground-level account of his twenty hours of near-continuous action under fire. The episode reflects on how his courage, calm judgment, and quiet sense of duty shaped the outcome for his unit and saved lives. Beyond the Call is the Monday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the podcast is developed by Trackpads.com.