Battles of the First World War Podcast

Author Antony J. Bell comes on the podcast to discuss his novel "A Penny a Shell." From the author's website:    "In a WWI munitions factory, the lives of three women converge on a dangerous production line where a single spark means the difference between a bonus and a burial.   Eliza Wren, a desperate mother, races to pay a looming debt to save her family from eviction. Sarah Jennings, a defiant outcast, endures the factory's poison to fund an escape from a life of cruelty. Lucy Atkinson, a grieving daughter, works to honor her brother's memory and support her broken parents.   Driven by the promise of a "penny a shell" bonus, the women push themselves and their machinery to the breaking point. But as the pressure from watchers with stopwatches mounts and the equipment begins to fail, they must decide what they are willing to risk for survival.   Based on the true, forgotten story of the Barnbow Lasses, A Penny a Shell is a powerful and moving tribute to the quiet courage and fierce solidarity of the women who fought their own war on the home front."   Where to buy: https://antonyjbell.com/books/a-penny-a-shell/ 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

The guns of Blücher-Yorck were still smoking when the Germans reoriented and hastily launched a new offensive between Montdidier and Noyon. The goal was to straighten the line between two bulging German salients, seize more of the Soissons rail line, and continue to drive towards Paris.    But the French Army had other ideas: unleashing GEN Charles Mangin.    A lot will be learned in the Battle of the Matz, and it will be applied on the Marne weeks later.    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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.  

Steven Girard, US Army veteran and veteran battlefield guide, comes back on the podcast to discuss the American Expeditionary Force's Tank Corps during the First World War.    Suggested reading:   Treat 'Em Rough: The Birth of American Armor 1917–20 - https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781612006680/treat-em-rough/   Pershing's Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I - https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813176048/pershings-tankers/ 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Dr. Eric Story, a Historian-in-Residence at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario in Canada, and Adjunct Professor at Wilfred Laurier University, joins us on the podcast to discuss the struggles faced by disabled Canadian veterans after the First World War. We begin the talk with a broad look at what Canadian veterans faced in the 1920s, and then look at the efforts of George Hincks and Marshall McDougall to raise awareness of disabled veterans' struggles.  Read more about George Hincks and Marshall McDougall here:    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/wwi-amputee-veterans-hike-9.6975252 Follow Dr. Story's work on BlueSky: @westernuhistory.bsky.social & @ericstory.bsky.social 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Independent historian Alfons Philippi of Germany joins the podcast to discuss his German-language book on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Die Vergessenne Schlacht (The Forgotten Battle). We also discuss the family history that led him to write the book, as well as the impact of 20th century history on his family.  Link to Die Vergessene Schlacht: https://amzn.eu/d/03UW7TY   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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

The battlefield of the Second Battle of the Marne was shaped by an earlier German offensive in late May and early June of 1918: Unternehmen Blücher-Yorck. Looking to draw away French reserves from the Flanders and Picardy areas, German GEN Erich Ludendorff aimed a new German attack in a sector where the French were particularly vulnerable: the Chemin des Dames.   Early and stunning success by German forces in the attack, however, led to overconfidence and the creation of a swollen and tenuous salient. This salient would become the battlefield for the 2nd Battle of the Marne.    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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.   

Adam Pearce and his uncle Ron Howard have spent the past few years visiting the graves of the UK's and British Commonwealth's Victoria Cross recipients. They hope to raise awareness of not just  the recipients of the British Army's highest award for valor, but of the other men buried with them in Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries on the Old Front Line and elsewhere around the world.    Also, to British listeners in general and Nottinghamshire residents in particular, my apologies on butchering the pronunciation of Nottinghamshire. (Throws palm over face.) I knew better too, but brain-dumped in the moment.    Links to some topics brought up in the conversation:   Chelsea Pensioners: https://chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/   Covenant With Death, by John Harris: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/covenant-with-death_john--harris/566512/#isbn=0751557129   Victoria Cross headstone photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VCstone.jpg 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Authors and historians Andrew Lucas and Jürgen Schmiseschek come on the podcast to discuss their collaborative work on the Saxon Germans on the Flanders front during the Great War.    Where to buy "Fighting the Kaiser's War:"   https://royalsaxonarmy.co.uk/index.php/our-publications/13-fighting-the-kaiser-s-war 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Author and grandson John Chase, MD comes on the podcast to discuss his book based on the letters his grandfather, John DeWitt, wrote home during the First World War.    From Hellgate Press: When recently retired orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Chase stumbles upon a hidden trove of over 80 letters from his grandfather, John DeWitt, written from the trenches of World War I, he embarks on a life-changing journey. These letters reveal the untold story of DeWitt, a 21-year-old trench runner who faced the brutal realities of war with unmatched bravery.   As Chase delves into these long-forgotten letters, he uncovers heart-wrenching tales of heroism, silent suffering, and the immense personal cost of war that DeWitt never spoke of. Each letter paints a vivid picture of resilience and sacrifice, offering a deeply personal glimpse into a chapter of history.   Searching for John DeWitt is more than a historical narrative; it's a gripping family saga that bridges generations. Through this emotional and eye-opening journey, Chase honors his grandfather's legacy and sheds light on the silent burdens carried by veterans. This book uncovers an untold story of valor and the unbreakable strength of family bonds in the face of war.   Join Dr. John Chase in Searching for John DeWitt and discover a hidden legacy of heroism. Experience the intimate and powerful world of a soldier in the Great War, and uncover a story that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.   "I realized my grandfather's notes home were like the North Atlantic icebergs…beneath the surface was a more important story, not just about my grandfather, but about an entire generation of young men now for the most part forgotten." Where to buy:    https://www.hellgatepress.com/product/searching-for-john-dewitt-john-chase-md/ 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Founders of the New Ypres League Dr Dominiek Dendooven and Roger Steward join the podcast to discuss a worthy remembrance project for the old Ypres battlefields: replacing and restoring the demarcation stones that marked the limit of German advances throughout the Great War.  Where to donate -   New Ypres League vzw: www.newypresleague.com 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

In the prelude to the prelude of the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918, we set the clock back to December 1917 to look at the position of the Allies at that point in the war. Specifically, we look at French Army commander General Philippe Petain's Directive No. 4 issued that month. In this short memo Petain advocated for a defense in depth strategy on the front lines, as Entente forces began to prepare for the inevitable German onslaught on the Western Front. 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Cape Ann, Massachusetts resident Brett Hawkes comes on the podcast to discuss his long bicycle trips through France, where he followed in his Doughboy grandfather's WW1 footsteps. 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

This is a quick episode to make listeners aware of a fundraising drive by the New Ypres League to restore some of the post-WW1 demarcation stones in the Ypres, Belgium area.    Where to donate: https://www.newypresleague.com/   There will be a talk released in early December where the New Ypres League will go into more details about their fundraiser, but for now we wanted to get the word out as soon as possible.    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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Educator and First World War enthusiast Kristin Stelfox comes on the podcast to discuss some of the first and pathbreaking American women war correspondents who covered the first years of the war.    New Ypres League: https://www.newypresleague.com/   "An Unladylike Profession" by Chris Dubbs - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/an-unladylike-profession-american-women-war-correspondents-in-world-war-i/54181957/#isbn=1640126791 Edith Wharton's articles: https://modjourn.org/issue/bdr474765/   Mary Roberts Rinehart's "Kings, Queens and Pawns - An American Woman at the Front:" https://a.co/d/7jd6Bb8   Nellie Bly articles: https://nellieblyonline.net/1912-1915/   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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Writer Craig DeSteiguer joins us to tell the story of his grandfather John Horace Merriman, who was deeply affected by his First World War-era service.    "Death in the Trench" Let me sing no whispers of war. Let me tear my eyes, of all death…that lay. Let me hold the hand of their last breath. Let me pray their soul is gone….to home. Let me sing no whispers of war. For when I too shall come home, To whispered songs no more…. of that war.   "Loaned to the Summer" - Where to buy:   https://a.co/d/iHhnW5I 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

We have dates for the 2026 Meuse-Argonne Battlefield Pilgrimage!   The trip is from July 02 - 08, 2026.    This next visit will be one where we really plan to put boots on the ground: we will be walking in the paths of some individual Doughboys in 2026. This is a new feature of Lost Battalion Tours, and we're excited to share it with you!   A sample of the 2026 itinerary:   Day 2 - "Malancourt to Montfaucon:"     - 79th Division's first combat tour 26-30 SEP 1918     - In the footsteps of Major Harry Dravo Parkin - Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery     - Guided visit     - Retreat ceremony at 1630   Day 4 - 42nd Div breaks the Kriemhilde Stellung: "…or a list of 5,000 casualties"     - Visits to La Tuilerie Farm Site, Musarde Farm, Côte de Chatillon     - In the footsteps of Medal of Honor recipient Private Thomas Neibauer - Meuse-Argonne breakout, 2nd Division Race to the Meuse: "I am going across that river…"     - La Sartelle Farm, Villemontry Overlook, East bank at crossing site, Warmont/Belle Fontaine Farms     - In the footsteps of USMC Corporal Elton Mackin Contact us at lostbattaliontours@gmail.com for pricing and other information. Come join us! 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

In the final days of the Aisne-Marne Offensive, American forces pursued the retreating Germans to the River Vesle in August 1918. During the battles for possession of the key village of Bazoches-sur-Vesle, an American son of Russian-Jewish immigrants would distinguish himself by looking out for his friends and soldiers.    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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus comes on the podcast to talk about his novel set in the Meuse-Argonne battle "Angel Down."    From Simon & Schuster:   Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man's Land to euthanize a wounded comrade.   What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.   Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict. Where to buy "Angel Down" in the UK -   https://titanbooks.com/72777-angel-down/   Where to buy "Angel Down" in the US -   https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Angel-Down/Daniel-Kraus/9781668068458 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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)  

Historian Michel Gravel comes back on the podcast to discuss an incredibly interesting gentleman named John Stevenson Youngson.  Michel's works can be found here:   https://ysec.fr/?s=Michel+Gravel&post_type=product   Michel's GoFundMe for "La place Joseph Kaeble, VC, MM," in Neuville-Vitasse, France:   https://gofund.me/17574db1   Regarding Michel's medals: when he mentions his medal collections increase in value, it's not monetary value. Rather their value increases in that the medal group is complete and the story behind them is available.  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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

My good friend Xavier Lewis comes on the podcast to discuss his dissertation topic.   General Edmond Buat had an idea and devised a plan to defeat the German army on the Western front in World War I. A study of his diary, the notes he wrote and his later writings on German generals Ludendorff  and Hindenburg, shows how his plan and the Réserve Générale de l'Artillerie Lourde (Heavy Artillery General Reserve, "RGAL") he created constitute an incipient form of operational art as well as the basis for the French Army's offensives in the summer of 1918.   Xavier's research considers how Buat's diary, his writings, and notes reveal his role in developing the plans for the 1918 offensives and how the RGAL was conceived as an instrument specially adapted for them. It also shows how those plans represented an important conceptual shift in operational thinking to find a new way to expel the German army from French territory. It focuses on the ideas behind the creation of the RGAL, not on the political, industrial and procurement aspects and seeks to plug a gap identified by historian Sir Michael Howard who complained that:  "British military historians […] found it difficult to focus on an analysis of the operations themselves."   Do listen for a great conversation.   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 BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:   https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social   and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)