Willie Robertson
@willie862.bsky.social
Former RAF mechanical genius (TG5) with a thing for military history. Proud dad and grandad. Volunteer for CWGC and TBAG.
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🚨 It's here! It's the 23rd December 1943, and it's all kicking off in the #NewsoftheWar. Starting with the front page headlines that someone's sunk a five-square battleship. And if you get that reference, you're as old as one of our podcast hosts. @merrynwalters.uk @andyaitch.bsky.social
February 6, 2026 at 9:24 AM
🚨 It's here! It's the 23rd December 1943, and it's all kicking off in the #NewsoftheWar. Starting with the front page headlines that someone's sunk a five-square battleship. And if you get that reference, you're as old as one of our podcast hosts. @merrynwalters.uk @andyaitch.bsky.social
February 5, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Mark your calendars for March 9 at 12:00 ET for this livestream event! @brookenewman.bsky.social will be joining me to discuss her new book, The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas. Bookmark this on my YouTube channel and don't forget to subscribe!
February 3, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Mark your calendars for March 9 at 12:00 ET for this livestream event! @brookenewman.bsky.social will be joining me to discuss her new book, The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas. Bookmark this on my YouTube channel and don't forget to subscribe!
Reposted by Willie Robertson
It has been 21 years since you were lost. Not a day goes by where you aren't in my thoughts.
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
January 30, 2026 at 5:59 AM
It has been 21 years since you were lost. Not a day goes by where you aren't in my thoughts.
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
It has been 21 years since you were lost. Not a day goes by where you aren't in my thoughts.
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
January 30, 2026 at 5:59 AM
It has been 21 years since you were lost. Not a day goes by where you aren't in my thoughts.
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
#XV179 #Hilton22 #LestWeForget #perarduaadastra
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Understanding the conduct of the war by the Italian navy implies an understanding of specific geographical and structural limitations the Regia Marina faced. You can find out more in this video!
youtu.be/DKk-2DDjD84?...
youtu.be/DKk-2DDjD84?...
The Italian strategy in the Mediterranean 1940 1943
YouTube video by Italian Military Archives_Naval History
youtu.be
January 29, 2026 at 7:55 AM
Understanding the conduct of the war by the Italian navy implies an understanding of specific geographical and structural limitations the Regia Marina faced. You can find out more in this video!
youtu.be/DKk-2DDjD84?...
youtu.be/DKk-2DDjD84?...
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Tomorrow I will be live talking about the liberation of Auschwitz on its 81st anniversary to honour Holocaust Memorial Day. It starts at 6pm GMT.
youtube.com/@thisweekint...
Viewer discretion is advised as there may be graphic images!
#History #WW2 #HolocaustMemorialDay
youtube.com/@thisweekint...
Viewer discretion is advised as there may be graphic images!
#History #WW2 #HolocaustMemorialDay
January 26, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Tomorrow I will be live talking about the liberation of Auschwitz on its 81st anniversary to honour Holocaust Memorial Day. It starts at 6pm GMT.
youtube.com/@thisweekint...
Viewer discretion is advised as there may be graphic images!
#History #WW2 #HolocaustMemorialDay
youtube.com/@thisweekint...
Viewer discretion is advised as there may be graphic images!
#History #WW2 #HolocaustMemorialDay
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 5 – After 4½ days away, at⌚18:30 X-20 is secured alongside at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, home of submarine base HMS Dolphin – COPP’s first X-craft-based recce of the Normandy coast is at last complete. (📸 from 'Steady as She Goes') #NavalHistory 🧵
January 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 5 – After 4½ days away, at⌚18:30 X-20 is secured alongside at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, home of submarine base HMS Dolphin – COPP’s first X-craft-based recce of the Normandy coast is at last complete. (📸 from 'Steady as She Goes') #NavalHistory 🧵
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Night 3 – At⌚20:20 Logan Scott-Bowden and Bruce Ogden Smith slip into the water from X-20's casing and start their second swim towards Omaha Beach. They’re heading in between Le Ruquet and Colleville-sur-Mer exits. #NavalHistory 🧵
January 19, 2026 at 8:20 PM
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Night 3 – At⌚20:20 Logan Scott-Bowden and Bruce Ogden Smith slip into the water from X-20's casing and start their second swim towards Omaha Beach. They’re heading in between Le Ruquet and Colleville-sur-Mer exits. #NavalHistory 🧵
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 3 –⌚14:40 Midget sub X-20 is in 16½ feet of water off Omaha Beach's Colleville-sur-Mer exit, having moved in from their overnight rest position. Now the COPP men in the sub start 2 hours of periscope observations of defences being built. #NavalHistory 🧵
January 19, 2026 at 2:40 PM
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 3 –⌚14:40 Midget sub X-20 is in 16½ feet of water off Omaha Beach's Colleville-sur-Mer exit, having moved in from their overnight rest position. Now the COPP men in the sub start 2 hours of periscope observations of defences being built. #NavalHistory 🧵
Reposted by Willie Robertson
The Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place THIS WEEKEND! Who's in?
Sign up here: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...
Sign up here: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...
RSPB
www.rspb.org.uk
January 19, 2026 at 2:25 PM
The Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place THIS WEEKEND! Who's in?
Sign up here: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...
Sign up here: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 2 – X-20 arrives off Omaha Beach at⌚08:25 – 22 hours after leaving Portsmouth. They stop motors and bottom somewhere between Vierville-sur-Mer and Les Moulins/St Laurent. "Sleep and food for all hands and routine maintenance carried out." 🧵
January 18, 2026 at 8:25 AM
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 2 – X-20 arrives off Omaha Beach at⌚08:25 – 22 hours after leaving Portsmouth. They stop motors and bottom somewhere between Vierville-sur-Mer and Les Moulins/St Laurent. "Sleep and food for all hands and routine maintenance carried out." 🧵
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 1 – COPP's X-craft recce of Omaha Beach starts as X-20 leaves sub base HMS Dolphin in Gosport.
Five men are squeezed inside: COPP's Nigel Willmott, Bruce Ogden Smith and Logan Scott-Bowden, plus Ken Hudspeth and Bruce Enzer from X-20's crew. #NavalHistory 🧵
Five men are squeezed inside: COPP's Nigel Willmott, Bruce Ogden Smith and Logan Scott-Bowden, plus Ken Hudspeth and Bruce Enzer from X-20's crew. #NavalHistory 🧵
January 17, 2026 at 10:30 AM
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – #OpPostAble Day 1 – COPP's X-craft recce of Omaha Beach starts as X-20 leaves sub base HMS Dolphin in Gosport.
Five men are squeezed inside: COPP's Nigel Willmott, Bruce Ogden Smith and Logan Scott-Bowden, plus Ken Hudspeth and Bruce Enzer from X-20's crew. #NavalHistory 🧵
Five men are squeezed inside: COPP's Nigel Willmott, Bruce Ogden Smith and Logan Scott-Bowden, plus Ken Hudspeth and Bruce Enzer from X-20's crew. #NavalHistory 🧵
Reposted by Willie Robertson
It's still January! There's more #NewsoftheWar!
We're in 1943. Acutally, it's July 20th - and guess what's happening in the headlines? Yep, that's right. Siiiiiicily.
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
linktr.ee/NewsOfTheWar
We're in 1943. Acutally, it's July 20th - and guess what's happening in the headlines? Yep, that's right. Siiiiiicily.
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
linktr.ee/NewsOfTheWar
January 16, 2026 at 8:44 AM
It's still January! There's more #NewsoftheWar!
We're in 1943. Acutally, it's July 20th - and guess what's happening in the headlines? Yep, that's right. Siiiiiicily.
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
linktr.ee/NewsOfTheWar
We're in 1943. Acutally, it's July 20th - and guess what's happening in the headlines? Yep, that's right. Siiiiiicily.
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
linktr.ee/NewsOfTheWar
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Yet another livestream added to my calendar! This one will be on my YouTube channel on March 4 at 4pm ET. www.youtube.com/live/FSVFklN...
January 9, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Yet another livestream added to my calendar! This one will be on my YouTube channel on March 4 at 4pm ET. www.youtube.com/live/FSVFklN...
Reposted by Willie Robertson
"The loss of the Post-Gazette would be awful; it’s an above-average metro daily that has done a lot of good work. While there are debates to be had about what it means to be a “city without a newspaper,” the largest thus far is probably Youngstown, Ohio. But... this would be a new scale of loss."
Will Pittsburgh become America’s most important city without a newspaper?
One of the country's oldest newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, says it's shutting down in May. Not going digital-only — just disappearing. But the delayed closure could also spur some long-delay...
www.niemanlab.org
January 9, 2026 at 1:34 AM
"The loss of the Post-Gazette would be awful; it’s an above-average metro daily that has done a lot of good work. While there are debates to be had about what it means to be a “city without a newspaper,” the largest thus far is probably Youngstown, Ohio. But... this would be a new scale of loss."
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🚨Happy #New-softheWar Year! Welcome back to 1943 - the 15th February, 1943 - and to all the headlines behind the frontlines. It's all goin' on. And only makes sense if you listen to #Newsofther
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
January 2, 2026 at 9:41 AM
🚨Happy #New-softheWar Year! Welcome back to 1943 - the 15th February, 1943 - and to all the headlines behind the frontlines. It's all goin' on. And only makes sense if you listen to #Newsofther
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
Reposted by Willie Robertson
"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."
Friendos, here is my last ask of 2025 for your support of nonprofit journalism and the @penncapital-star.com .
Friendos, here is my last ask of 2025 for your support of nonprofit journalism and the @penncapital-star.com .
Even if you have never heard of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, you have probably read our work.
Over the course of the year, our stories were reprinted in newspapers and republished on websites across the state.
Our audio work can also be heard on several Pa. public radio stations.
Over the course of the year, our stories were reprinted in newspapers and republished on websites across the state.
Our audio work can also be heard on several Pa. public radio stations.
Donate • Pennsylvania Capital-Star
penncapital-star.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:24 PM
"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."
Friendos, here is my last ask of 2025 for your support of nonprofit journalism and the @penncapital-star.com .
Friendos, here is my last ask of 2025 for your support of nonprofit journalism and the @penncapital-star.com .
Reposted by Willie Robertson
A very brief look at Frank Carruthers’ story from my book. He operated a clandestine radio set and witnessed some of the horrors of the Holocaust during his time as a POW. #TheUndefeated #WW2books #HistBookChat
December 30, 2025 at 10:54 PM
A very brief look at Frank Carruthers’ story from my book. He operated a clandestine radio set and witnessed some of the horrors of the Holocaust during his time as a POW. #TheUndefeated #WW2books #HistBookChat
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Boxing day blues? Nothing to listen to? Check out our month by month analysis of the German Occupation. You can listen online here or use the link in the thread to listen on your favourite podcast app.
islandsatwar.buzzsprout.com
islandsatwar.buzzsprout.com
Islands at War
A Podcast about the occupation of the Channel Islands by German forces 1940 to 1945. Focusing on personal experiences of those that lived through it using diaries and our own research.&nbs...
islandsatwar.buzzsprout.com
December 26, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Boxing day blues? Nothing to listen to? Check out our month by month analysis of the German Occupation. You can listen online here or use the link in the thread to listen on your favourite podcast app.
islandsatwar.buzzsprout.com
islandsatwar.buzzsprout.com
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Honored to be doing Good Trouble with you.
December 26, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Honored to be doing Good Trouble with you.
Reposted by Willie Robertson
Happy Hogswatch to all who celebrate. Ho! Ho! Ho!
December 25, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Happy Hogswatch to all who celebrate. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🗓️ #OTD in 1943 – ahead of upcoming Normandy recce ops, COPP 1's Logan Scott-Bowden (left) and Bruce Ogden Smith set out to prove the planners' sceptical scientists wrong by carrying out a 'dummy run' on Brancaster beach in Norfolk (📸 Jason Wells/Adobe Stock). #NavalHistory 🧵
December 22, 2025 at 9:01 AM
🗓️ #OTD in 1943 – ahead of upcoming Normandy recce ops, COPP 1's Logan Scott-Bowden (left) and Bruce Ogden Smith set out to prove the planners' sceptical scientists wrong by carrying out a 'dummy run' on Brancaster beach in Norfolk (📸 Jason Wells/Adobe Stock). #NavalHistory 🧵
Reposted by Willie Robertson
🇵🇱🚨READ ALL ABOUDDIT!!
Yes, it’s a #NewsoftheWar special, and we’re welcoming a very Special Guest Editor, @silenceinpolish.bsky.social , Jenny Grant, to give us all the low-down on Polish troops, as found in the news, from 1939 to 1945.🗞️
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
Yes, it’s a #NewsoftheWar special, and we’re welcoming a very Special Guest Editor, @silenceinpolish.bsky.social , Jenny Grant, to give us all the low-down on Polish troops, as found in the news, from 1939 to 1945.🗞️
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
December 19, 2025 at 9:53 AM
🇵🇱🚨READ ALL ABOUDDIT!!
Yes, it’s a #NewsoftheWar special, and we’re welcoming a very Special Guest Editor, @silenceinpolish.bsky.social , Jenny Grant, to give us all the low-down on Polish troops, as found in the news, from 1939 to 1945.🗞️
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
Yes, it’s a #NewsoftheWar special, and we’re welcoming a very Special Guest Editor, @silenceinpolish.bsky.social , Jenny Grant, to give us all the low-down on Polish troops, as found in the news, from 1939 to 1945.🗞️
@andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk
Aaaand relax!
The good lady's presents are wrapped.
Time for a fruity number.
#merrychristmasyafilthyanimal
#rioja
The good lady's presents are wrapped.
Time for a fruity number.
#merrychristmasyafilthyanimal
#rioja
December 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Aaaand relax!
The good lady's presents are wrapped.
Time for a fruity number.
#merrychristmasyafilthyanimal
#rioja
The good lady's presents are wrapped.
Time for a fruity number.
#merrychristmasyafilthyanimal
#rioja