Battles Of The First World War Podcast

LTG Hunter Liggett’s patience, preparations, and plans all come together on November 1, 1918, when his new attack is launched.    The AEF breaks through.   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.  

AEF 1st Army’s corps shape the battlefield as they fight to secure jump-off points or divert enemy forces for LTG Hunter Liggett’s next attack plan. The 78th, 89th, 3rd, and 26th Divisions fight sharp battles within their sectors.    Interested in next year’s Meuse-Argonne battlefield tour?    Email us: lostbattaliontours@gmail.com   Robert J. Laplander and I collaborated on creating an audiobook version of his book “Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic” and here it finally is.    The audio version of “Finding the Lost Battalion” comes to you in podcast form, ready to download and provide nearly 36 hours of the retelling of America’s WW1 epic of devastating modern battle and indomitable bravery under horrific conditions.    Purchase here for $25 USD:   https://battlesofthefirstworldwar.supportingcast.fm/   Also available through Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/show/0qcRm8x3W7gpbFjOk78Z6L   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Battlesofth

A look at the American Air Service during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.  

From Dr. Williams’ website: When W. E. B. Du Bois, believing in the possibility of full citizenship and democratic change, encouraged African Americans to “close ranks” and support the Allied cause in World War I, he made a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Seeking both intellectual clarity and personal atonement, for more than two decades Du Bois attempted to write the definitive history of Black participation in World War I. His book, however, remained unfinished. In The Wounded World, Chad Williams offers the dramatic account of Du Bois’s failed efforts to complete what would have been one of his most significant works. The surprising story of this unpublished book offers new insight into Du Bois’s struggles to reckon with both the history and the troubling memory of the war, along with the broader meanings of race and democracy for Black people in the twentieth century.   Drawing on a broad range of sources, most notably Du Bois’s unpublished manuscript and research materials, Willia

Part 3 of the ongoing discussion looks at the French Army in 1914: its readiness for a potential conflict with Germany, its underlying preparation and strategy for war, and its performance in the battles that raged in the summer and autumn of that year.    Joining us for this discussion are:   Christina Holstein, author of several incredible guides to the Verdun battlefield, amongst other published works and articles, Steve Marsdin, a student and researcher of the 1914 Battle of the Frontiers and its effects, Jim Smithson, author of “A Taste of Success: The First Battle of the Scarpe. The Opening Phase of the Battle of Arras 9-14 April 1917” and two guide books on the Arras battlefields The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battl

In this episode we discuss the book “The Darkest Year: The British Army on the Western Front 1917” by Helion & Co Ltd, the 4th in a series of books looking at the development of the BEF on the Western Front throughout the First World War.   Joining us for this discussion are: Dr. Spencer Jones, Senior Lecturer in Armed Forces and War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton Dr. Michael LoCicero, independent scholar and Helion & Co Publishing and Series Editor Alexander Falbo-Wild, historian, researcher, and professional military educator James Taub, Associate Curator at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA whose focus is the “British, French, and American experience of 1914-18 with particular focus on the average fighting man”   Link to the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59558585-the-darkest-year   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, w

A firsthand look at what it meant to attack and take an enemy position during WW1.   Many thanks to Alex Lyons for the inspiration for this episode. Thanks, man! Link to Henri Desagneaux’s memoir:   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22219805-a-french-soldier-s-war-diary-1914-1918 The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com or the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.   

Steven Girard, US Army veteran and veteran battlefield guide, comes back on the podcast to discuss the American Expeditionary Force’s 2nd Division during the First World War.    Note: The 2nd Division was organized at Bourmont, France.    Villages & towns of note:   Landres-et-St. Georges   Imécourt   Mouzon   Koblenz, Germany   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

The story behind a famous photograph from the First World War of the men of 10th (Service) Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in the Arras sector in 1917.   Chris Baker’s article:    https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/10th-scottish-rifles-trench-raid-and-an-oft-used-photograph/   Many thanks to Chris for permission to use his article. The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com or the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

This episode we are joined by the powerhouse team of Alex Churchill & Beth Moore to talk about the Great War Group that they created and run with their crack team. What a great conversation.    Join the Great War Group!   https://greatwargroup.com/   Check out Istoria Travel:   https://www.istoriatravel.org/   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Randy Gaulke, WW1 historian and founder of Knee Deep in History Tours, returns to the podcast to talk about the state of the German Army in October 1918.    Join Randy at Knee Deep Into History: https://kneedeepintohistory.com/   Randy’s bibliography:   Asprey, Robert B. The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Ludendorff Conduct WW1.   Lengel, Edward G., Editor. A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign. Wiley Blackwell, 2014.   McEntee, Girard Lindsley, Col. US Army (Retired). Military History of The World War: A Complete Account of the Campaigns on all Fronts Accompanied by 456 Maps and Diagrams. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1943.   Moyer, Laurence. Victory Must be Ours: Germany in the Great War, 1914-1918. Hippocrene Books, New York.   United States War Office. Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), London Stamp Exchange LTD., 1989.   Watson, Alexander. Enduring the Great War: Combat Morale and Collapse in the German and B

Part 2 of the ongoing discussion looks at misconceptions about the French Army, and French personalities of the war we should know about but, for reasons, do not. We wrap up with some advice on visiting the French battlefields of the Great War: guide books, how to prepare, what to expect, etc.   This was another conversation that deeply impressed me with the breadth and depth of knowledge of the participants. Like I say in the introduction, grab a notebook and a pen, because you are about to learn a lot.   Joining us for this discussion are:   Christina Holstein, author of several incredible guides to the Verdun battlefield, amongst other published works and articles, Alex Lyons, the man who spends his free time telling us the story of his Poilu great-grandfather on Twitter, Steve Marsdin, a student and researcher of the 1914 Battle of the Frontiers and its effects, Jim Smithson, author of “A Taste of Success: The First Battle of the Scarpe. The Opening Phase of the Battle of Arras 9-14 April 1917” an

LTG Hunter Liggett took command of the American Expeditionary Force’s 1st Army in October of 1918. He had his work cut out for him–1st Army desperately needed reorganizing, refitting, and retraining.    Robert J. Laplander and I collaborated on creating an audiobook version of his book “Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic” and here it finally is.    The audio version of “Finding the Lost Battalion” comes to you in podcast form, ready to download and provide nearly 36 hours of the retelling of America’s WW1 epic of devastating modern battle and indomitable bravery under horrific conditions.    Purchase here for $25 USD:   https://battlesofthefirstworldwar.supportingcast.fm/   Also available through Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/show/0qcRm8x3W7gpbFjOk78Z6L   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Fo

US Army National Guard officer and historian Jonathan Bratten comes on the podcast to discuss his book, “To the Last Man: A National Guard Regiment in the Great War, 1917-1919.” The regiment discussed is the 103rd Infantry Regiment, a unit in the 26th “Yankee” Division.    Jonathan joins us to discuss the 103rd’s engagements in the Meuse-Argonne in October 1918. Link to the book:   https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/to-the-last-man.pdf   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

This was so much fun to host–with the help of Alex Lyons, a fantastic group of WW1 enthusiasts were gathered for what will be the first of a multi-part series of discussions of the French Army and the French experience during WW1.    France went to war in 1914 as a country of 40 million people. Its army went to war in 19th century uniforms of dark blue tunics and red trousers, calling up 8.5 million Frenchmen over the next four devastating years. When the guns went silent in November 1918, the Adrian-helmeted and horizon-blue clad PCFs– pauvre con du front, or poor bastards at the front–had seen 1.4 million of their brothers fall on the field of battle, with another 4.2 million wounded–a million of those wounded significantly disabled for the rest of their lives.    Joining us for this discussion are: Bart Debeer, who co-wrote a Dutch-language Western Front Guide for Beginners with a friend Bryn Hammond, whose blog “Vingt Frong”  aims to “awaken interest in the French experience of the First World War in an

The second of a two-episode look at the Commander-in-Chief of the AEF, GEN John J. Pershing, from the personal to the professional.   Robert J. Laplander and I collaborated on creating an audiobook version of his book “Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic” and here it finally is.    The audio version of “Finding the Lost Battalion” comes to you in podcast form, ready to download and provide nearly 36 hours of the retelling of America’s WW1 epic of devastating modern battle and indomitable bravery under horrific conditions.    Purchase here for $25 USD:   https://battlesofthefirstworldwar.supportingcast.fm/   Also available through Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/show/0qcRm8x3W7gpbFjOk78Z6L   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War

The first of a two-episode look at the Commander-in-Chief of the AEF, GEN John J. Pershing, from the personal to the professional.   Link to Roger Steward’s upcoming book:    https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/reclaiming-the-salient-resurrecting-the-great-war-battlegrounds-of-flanders-fields.php?sid=018fc7cc39777a571b22a1bf97452b9e   Robert J. Laplander and I collaborated on creating an audiobook version of his book “Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic” and here it finally is.    The audio version of “Finding the Lost Battalion” comes to you in podcast form, ready to download and provide nearly 36 hours of the retelling of America’s WW1 epic of devastating modern battle and indomitable bravery under horrific conditions.    Purchase here for $25 USD:   https://battlesofthefirstworldwar.supportingcast.fm/   Also available through Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/show/0qcRm8x3W7gpbFjOk78Z6L   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.c

This episode doesn’t have too much to do with the First World War, but it was really fun to do. My great friend Jake has been asking me to do this for a while, saying that the BFWWP community doesn’t know enough about me personally. So, we got together and made it happen.    The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.    Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

Great War historian and writer Alex Lyons joined me on an evening in the UK to let us into a very personal and ground-level account of a French soldier in the First World War: through the letters of his great-grandfather, Jules André Destrigneville.   Alex has been composing tweets of Jules’ letters, cross-referenced against unit histories, orders, and other soldiers’ accounts. He has also written articles for the Great War Group’s excellent publication, Salient Points. Having the time to talk with Alex about his great-grandfather’s experiences and the general experience of French soldiers in World War I was an immensely rewarding time, and I think you’ll enjoy it.    Correction: deep into the episode Alex and I discuss some of the ranks in the French Army, specifically those of sous-officiers and officiers.   Sous-officiers are those of NonCommissioned Officers, and are the ranks of Caporal, Sergeant, and Adjutant and their various grades. Officiers are officer ranks, beginning at Sous Lieutenant and going a

Robert J. Laplander and I collaborated on creating an audiobook version of his book “Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic” and here it finally is.    The audio version of “Finding the Lost Battalion” comes to you in podcast form, ready to download and provide nearly 36 hours of the retelling of America’s WW1 epic of devastating modern battle and indomitable bravery under horrific conditions.    Purchase here for $25 USD:   https://battlesofthefirstworldwar.supportingcast.fm/   Also available through Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/show/0qcRm8x3W7gpbFjOk78Z6L   Available for purchase as a gift as well. We do hope you will enjoy this unforgettable story.   Many thanks to Cullen Burke of the Cauldron Podcast: A History of the World Battle by Battle, who recorded the intro announcement and legal notes for us. Cullen has a voice made for this sort of thing.    Cullen’s podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cauldron-a-military-history-podcast/id