This podcast is sponsored by Princess Cruises.

Planning your next getaway, let Princess Cruises and its star-studded comedy

cruise give you something to smile about.

Setting sail on the 1st of July 2023, this fantastic seven-night voyage will feature

lots of laughs from the UK's most celebrated comics, Paul Merton,

Sukey Webster, Julian Clary and Ed Byrne.

And as if that wasn't enough, you'll get to take in some of Scandinavia's most beautiful

locations, from Christian Sand and Oslo and Norway to Copenhagen and Sgargan and Denmark.

Oh and did we mention you'll be travelling in style aboard the Sky Princess

with exclusive specialty restaurants and the tranquil Lotus Spa,

plus plenty of five-star comedy entertainment,

this cruise is sure to put the wind in your sails.

So to book your place or to find out more, visit princess.com-forward-slash-themed-cruises.

Hello and welcome to the History Extra Podcast from BBC History magazine.

Britain's best-selling History magazine.

I'm Ellie Corthon. Back in February 2020,

we were joined on the podcast by the historian Frank McDonough

to discuss the first volume of his history of the third Reich, the Hitly Years,

which ended after Germany's comprehensive military defeat of Poland in 1939.

Since then, Frank has published the second volume of the Hitly Years,

and that's what he's joining us to discuss today.

Called Disaster, this volume considers the years 1940 to 45,

...