Based on a True Story

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 390) — Captain Michael "Mak" Makatura joins us to break down the historical accuracy of Top Gun (1986). Drawing from his own experience in Central Europe during the Cold War, Mak explains what the movie gets right about fighter pilot culture, competition, and danger — including a real-world parallel to Goose's tragic death. The conversation also covers his book The Fightin' Tenth: Cold War to Desert Storm, chronicling the experiences of the 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron from the Cold War through Operation Desert Storm.

Guest Links
The Fightin' Tenth: Cold War to Desert Storm: https://thefightintenth.com/truestory

Chapters
0:00 Intro & Overall Accuracy Grade
3:16 The MiG-28 & Real Soviet Encounters
6:10 Cold War Training & Border Standoffs
11:10 Pilot Competition & Friendly Rivalry
14:00 Goose's Death: The Reality of Jet Wash
19:19 Relationships & Moving to Real-World Missions
27:12 Rule Bending, Buzzing the Tower & The Fightin' Tenth

Support My Work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 389) — Are you a baseball fan? Today we're digging into some baseball history as it was depicted in the 1976 movie "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings." Learn about the history of barnstorming baseball teams with Ben Railton, Professor of American Studies at Fitchburg State University. We'll discuss how the movie's characters mirror real legends like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Jackie Robinson. Ben is the host of the podcast Baseball, Bigotry and the Battle for America and author of Of Thee I Sing: Race and American Patriotism.

Guest Links
Black and White and Read: https://links.boatspodcast.com/389guest
Ben Railton's Podcast: https://links.boatspodcast.com/389podcast
Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism: https://links.boatspodcast.com/389book

Chapters
0:00 Intro & Movie Synopsis
3:45 Guest Introduction & Historical Accuracy Grade
7:22 Characters & Real-Life Parallels
10:13 Negro Leagues & Barnstorming Context
17:05 Owner Violence & Labor Activism
20:41 Performance, The Invite Pitch & House of David
32:51 Hardships & The Climactic Game
42:40 Jackie Robinson & End of an Era
49:19 Wrap Up & Two Truths and a Lie

Support My Work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 388) — Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) brings Homer’s epic journey to the screen as we follow Matt Damon’s Odysseus from the Trojan War through monsters, sirens, and a long road home. In this episode, we'll learn from author and former documentary filmmaker Neil Laird about the historical accuracy of the movie and how well it ties into Homer’s Odyssey.

Guest Links
Prime Time Troy: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388troy
Prime Time Pompeii: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388pompeii
Prime Time Travelers: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388travelers
Neil Laird's Website: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388guest

Chapters
0:00 Letter grade & Homer’s Odyssey
3:30 Troy (2004) vs The Odyssey (2026)
9:30 Monsters, cyclopses and mythical beasts
14:30 Circe’s island and men turned to pigs
19:30 Hades, Achilles and war guilt
23:30 Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis and hard choices
37:30 Calypso, lost years and the long road home

Support my work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 387) — How accurate is the 1990 movie Memphis Belle? Military historian Joshua Donohue returns to Based on a True Story to break down what the movie gets right, where Hollywood takes liberties, and what the real crew of the Memphis Belle actually experienced during World War II.
Guest Links
Josh's YouTube = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387guest
Josh's Wake Island Article = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387wakearticle
Josh's Pearl Harbor Article = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387ewaarticle

Other Mentions
Find where to watch the movie = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387movie
Memphis Belle Unveiling = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387unveiling
The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle by Robert Morgan and Ron Powers = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387themanwhoflew
Memphis Belle Documentary = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387documentary
Memphis Belle - Air Force Fact Sheet = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387factsheet
The Memphis Belle Museum Exhibit = https://links.boatspodcast.com/387museumexhibit

Chapters
0:00 Intro and accuracy grade
2:13 Other bomber movies and context
12:37 The real Memphis Belle missions
22:15 Hollywood vs the real 25th mission
32:20 How lead bombers and formations worked
43:46 Bombing runs, smoke, and the Norden
52:13 Midair dangers and ball turret stories
1:15:02 The 1944 documentary and legacy
1:21:53 Josh's Bataan book project

Support My Work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What really happened to Sir John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition, and how much of AMC’s The Terror is grounded in the historical record? Today we're joined by Rich Napolitano, host of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, to compare the TV series with the real story of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, from the search for the Northwest Passage to the evidence historians have uncovered about the crew’s fate.
Links
Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
Lost Franklin Expedition w/NEW UPDATES
Dr. John Rae
The Terror (TV Series)

Chapters
0:00 Intro to The Terror
2:12 Two Truths and a Lie
4:08 Meet Rich Napolitano
7:22 The Real Franklin Expedition
20:06 Stuck in the Arctic Ice
33:42 Food, Disease, and Survival
47:41 The Terror’s Supernatural Twist
59:18 How the Expedition Ended

Support My Work
Join the BOATS community: https://links.boatspodcast.com/community
Become a BOATS Producer (name in credits + ad-free episodes): https://links.boatspodcast.com/producers
Support my sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers
Email me: dan@basedonatruestorypodcast.com
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.