The secret Aussie plant that saved D-Day
6/28/202626 min
D-Day was the biggest land and water invasion in history and would go on to be a huge turning point in WWII. And it all depended on a plant.
Specifically a leaf from a tree that grows on the east coast of Australia, that would treat seasick soldiers and allow them to fight.
Dr Chris Kavelin joins Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) to tell the incredible, and little known, story of how Indigenous Australian knowledge would shape WWII and make sure D-Day actually happened.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsChris Kavelin· Guest0:00
[intro music] ABC Listen. Podcasts, radio, news, music, and more [upbeat music] From an Ipswich fish and chip shop to the epicenter of Australian politics.
Marc Fennell· Host0:12
Please explain. Pauline Hanson is- One Nation's rise ... One Nation. This is the unlikely story of One Nation. Well, I'm back. Is it a passing protest vote or a permanent realignment of Australian politics? Whether you love her or hate her, truth is stranger than fiction. The Making of One Nation. To hear the full series, search for The Making of One Nation on ABC Listen. [gentle music] June 1944, right now we're nearly five years into World War II. The fate of Western Europe hinges on a mission like no other The most critical battle of the century D-Day. This was the Allies' most ambitious plan yet, the largest military seaborne operation ever attempted. The plan was this, Allied troops would attack German forces on the coast of northern France and then go on to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation. It was more than a year in the planning. Every detail of the attack was thought through, but there was one thing they hadn't accounted for, seasickness, affecting the soldiers crossing the English Channel It was so rough and choppy that they would have nausea and seasickness and would be basically