Not long ago I had the pleasure of talking with Angus Wallace for the History Network‘s WW2 Podcast. His U.K.-based team has done a heroic job of curating a series of conversations on pivotal moments and elements of the World War II experience.
In a new episode, Angus and I discuss Cork Wars and the circumstances that set up one small industry’s unexpectedly critical importance during the war.
As Angus explains in his introduction, cork was “used in all manner of things – almost anything that needed a seal such as a gasket used cork, so it was crucial to the auto industry, aviation and munitions. The American government defined it a strategic industry along with coal and steel!
“What makes the story more intriguing is the majority of it came from neutral Portugal and Spain.”
Listen to the full episode of the WW2 podcast now.
