In the early days of World War II, there was a secret training program in Canada that taught Allied saboteurs everything from espionage and bridge blowing to karate chops to the neck of an enemy. It was called Camp X and was so secret that not even the Canadian prime minister was aware of it prior to its formation. Learn all about this super cool camp in today's episode.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know - Camp X Episode Summary
Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating history of Camp X, a secret World War II training facility hidden in rural Ontario, Canada where Allied agents were prepared for covert missions behind enemy lines. The camp, which opened just one day before Pearl Harbor, was so classified that even Canada's Prime Minister didn't know about it at first, and it trained saboteurs, assassins, and intelligence operatives in brutal survival techniques including hand-to-hand combat, explosives, and weapons handling. The episode explores the legendary instructors and notable trainees who went through the facility, their grueling immersive training methods, and the real human cost of their dangerous missions in occupied Europe.
"And that office would later become Lorne Michael's office. Right. At least in my mind. — Josh jokes that the secret British office at Rockefeller Center would later become the setting for the TV show 30 Rock."
— Josh
A Clockwork Orange
1971
2h 17m
★ 8.2
"Well, it's like with Anthony Burgess, who wrote A Clockwork Orange, also wrote children's books too. — Chuck mentions that Anthony Burgess, like Roald Dahl, had a double career writing both children's and adult books."
— Chuck
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"all the movie, like The Great Escape and Victory and all these great World War II movies — Josh cites it alongside other WWII films he enjoyed about sabotage and infiltration missions."
— Josh
Firefox
1982
PG
2h 16m
★ 6.1
"Was it Firefox or Fox Fire? I think it was Fox Fire and we're just being misled by the web browser? — Josh discusses a Clint Eastwood movie where he steals a special plane, though there's uncertainty about the exact title."
— Josh
Mission: Impossible
1996
1h 51m
★ 7.0
"it's sort of like uh exactly what you would think like mission impossible or something pretty soon someone comes along — Josh compares the Camp X trainees getting rescued by officials to scenarios in Mission: Impossible films."
— Josh
Red Dawn
1984
1h 54m
★ 6.3
"you know that except this is in canada and red dawn was apparently in michigan or not michigan was in colorado — Chuck references Red Dawn while discussing the intrepid park plaque, comparing it to the movie's setting and plot."
— Chuck
The Big Red One
1980
1h 53m
★ 6.7
"Big Red One? Oh yeah, that was my first R-rated movie. The Guns and Everyone? Yes. — Chuck mentions it was his first R-rated movie, recalling the famous testicle scene with Mark Hamill and Lee Marvin."
— Chuck
The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957
PG
2h 42m
★ 7.8
"bridge over the River Kwai, like I watched all dirty dozen, all those movies — Josh mentions it as one of his favorite films about small groups of soldiers infiltrating and wreaking havoc."
— Josh
The Dirty Dozen
1967
NR
2h 29m
★ 7.6
"bridge over the River Kwai, like I watched all dirty dozen, all those movies — Josh lists it among WWII movies he enjoyed about small groups of soldiers on covert missions."
— Josh
The Great Escape
1963
2h 53m
★ 7.9
"all the movie, like The Great Escape and Victory and all these great World War II movies — Josh mentions it as an example of WWII movies he watched growing up that featured small groups of soldiers infiltrating quietly."
— Josh
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
TV-PG
★ 7.0
"like the streets of san francisco or something right yeah you just you're running and shooting — Chuck references the show as an example of traditional TV cop show shooting technique with proper gun stance."
— Chuck
Wonder Woman
2017
2h 21m
★ 7.2
"which is something that got right in the New Wonder Woman movie, by the way. Man, that was one of the best superhero movies I've seen — Josh praises the new Wonder Woman film for accurately depicting World War II terminology and setting."
— Josh
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