It was my joy to get to speak with Edwin Moise, a professor of history at Clemson University, and Vietnam War expert. This conversation was the culmination of many conversations had in the background as I was researching Hell in a Small Place III–and this conversation acts as a bit of a companion episode to the HISP shows. Read Professor Moise's work here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Edwin-E.-Moise/author/B001ITVOIY?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true If you're interested in research materials on the Vietnam War, Professor Moise has curated an excellent bibliography that I would highly recommend: Ed Moise Vietnam Bibliography Support the show on Patreon

Smoke drifts lazily upward from the consumed redoubts at Dienbienphu. A fledgling country rejoices in its newfound freedom…for a time. A line of demarcation is drawn: Communist north. Nationalist south. Larger powers move in to claim their proxies. The United States is left to reckon with a difficult question: can they win a race with a losing horse? They’re about to find out.

Support the show on Patreon

Today, I have the honor of interviewing author and historian Don Hollway. His books include Battle for the Island Kingdom, At the Gates of Rome, and The Last Viking.

It was the Last Viking that was my introduction to Hollway's work, and I was enthralled by the story of Harald Hardada, his larger than life persona and various outsized adventures.

We talk about Hardrada's legacy, dive into anglo-saxon and Viking warfare, and how Vikings as a whole are perceived today, and how that may change in the future.

Support Don at https://www.donhollway.com/

Consider supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.compendiumshow.com/

Total War for the fledgling Democratic Republic of Vietnam means civilian suffering, economic disaster, communist consolidation, atomic scares, and lingering hope that the tiger can wear down the elephant. For the French, it means coming face to face with their own mortality.

Support the show at www.compendiumshow.com

France's colony in Indochina ignites in a revolutionary inferno, led by the enigmatic figure of Ho Chi Minh. As the flames spread, Western powers must decide how far they are willing to go to stamp out the communist fire.

Support the show at www.compendiumshow.com

A Norwegian fugitive finds himself embroiled in a Byzantine political coup, and leaves his fingerprints permanently etched throughout the bloody proceedings.

Sources and Reading Materials: https://www.compendiumshow.com/

In 1066, the issue of Anglo-Saxon royal succession boils over into outright war. But as William the Conqueror's Normans invade England from the south, Harald Hardrada's Norwegians sweep down from the north.

Sources and Reading Materials: https://www.compendiumshow.com/

Coming soon, a podcast that will explore stories from our past in order to better understand the heroes we may or may not have learned about in school