Secrets of history's greatest commanders

About this episode

Which battlefield victory did Napoleon rank as his most brilliant? How did Julius Caesar squeeze that extra one per cent commitment out of his soldiers? And what cunning ruse did George Washington implement to outfox the British at Yorktown? In this episode, Iain MacGregor talks Spencer Mizen through history's greatest battles, and considers what qualities separate the very best commanders from the also-rans. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you’d like to hear more from Iain MacGregor on the HistoryExtra podcast, why not listen to the episode in which he tells the incredible story of life in Hiroshima in the aftermath of the nuclear strike: https://bit.ly/4i4rvp9 ----- GET MORE WITH MEMBERSHIP Become a HistoryExtra podcast member and unlock access to The Full Story podcast, plus enjoy ad-free listening, early access to other podcast episodes, and a member-exclusive newsletter. Find out more and sign up here: ⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm⁠ ----- EXPLORE MORE For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠. ----- GET IN TOUCH We'd love to know what you th