The British Officer Who ATTACKED A TANK With An Umbrella?! - Digby Tatham-Warter

About this episode

This episode explores the extraordinary story of Major Digby Tatham-Warter, a British officer known for his eccentricity and bravery during World War II.

He wore a bowler hat, carried an umbrella into battle, and somehow used it to stop a tank. In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods take on Major Digby Tatham-Warter - the wildly eccentric British officer who became one of the most unforgettable heroes of the Second World War. From Arnhem to Operation Pegasus, his story is full of courage, chaos and levels of Britishness that should be impossible. What you’ll hear in this episode: ☂️ The officer with the umbrella – why Digby Tatham-Warter carried a brolly into war, and how it became one of the strangest practical decisions in military history 🪖 Arnhem and Operation Market Garden – how he led his men through some of the fiercest fighting of the war 🚓 The tank incident – the extraordinary moment Digby charged a German tank and used his umbrella in a way nobody could have predicted 🚲 Escape, disguise and resistance – how he escaped capture, posed as a Dutch civilian, and helped organise the rescue of stranded Allied soldiers behind enemy lines If you love World War 2 stories, British war heroes, military legends and unbelievable true stories, this episode of Bloomin’ Legends is for you. Got a legend you want…

People in this episode

Hosts: Johnny Vaughan, Gavin Woods

Guest: Digby Tatham-Warter

Topics covered

• World War 2
• British war heroes
• military legends
• eccentric officers
• unbelievable true stories

Keywords

• Major Digby Tatham-Warter
• umbrella
• tank incident
• Arnhem
• Operation Pegasus
• Britishness
• military history

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Arnhem, Germany, Dutch

More episodes of Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods

• Napoleon's Comeback That Should Never Have Happened: Bonaparte - Part 2 · June 10, 2026 · 45 min
• The Extra Legendary Bit: The Great Made-Up Military Men Special · June 7, 2026 · 11 min
• Napoleon Wasn’t Short, Wasn’t French… So What ELSE Was A Lie?! - Napoleon Bonaparte: Part 1 · June 3, 2026 · 41 min
• The Extra Legendary Bit: Why Did Police Keep Stopping This Car? · May 31, 2026 · 14 min
• The Real Story Behind the Spartan 300: Leonidas I · May 27, 2026 · 49 min
• The Extra Legendary Bit: Don’t Mess With the Pharaohs · May 24, 2026 · 23 min