Battles of the First World War Podcast

While the Battle of Verdun raged on the ground, it raged in the sky as well. Control of the airspace over the battlefield shifted hands several times during the course of the fighting.   All of the famous pilots met and fought at Verdun: the great Guynemer, Navarre, Nungesser, the Lafayette Escadrille on the French side and  and the magnificent Oswald Boelcke as well. Planes dived, clashed and sho...

What an opportunity! Last week Mr. Ross Barnwell and Mr. Andy Robertshaw came on to the BFWWP to speak about their short film project, Beaumont-Hamel , and WW1 topics in general. What a conversation! Sadly the last three minutes were lost, which has put your host in a funk. Sigh.   Ross Barnwell is one of the two young entrepreneurs behind 8000ft Media, a media company that specializes in factuall...

With the capture of Hill 304 and le Mort Homme on the Left Bank, the Battle of Verdun shifts back to the Right Bank with a disastrous French attempt to retake Fort Douaumont and ensuing German attacks on the lines there. GEN Petain is promoted in order to have a more ideologically favorable General Robert Nivelle take over French efforts at Verdun. After the attempt to retake Douaumont by the Fren...

Seicheprey is a little hamlet in the Woëvre, and in April of 1918 it was the scene of the first clash between the newly-arrived American Doughboys and the battle-hardened German soldier.   The Germans set out to teach the Americans a lesson: that they shouldn't hope to tangle with the German soldier. In return the Americans, despite having a lot to learn, would teach a lesson or two of their own....

The Battle of Verdun widens as the Germans now launch attacks on the Left Bank of the River Meuse.   The battles for le Mort Homme and Hill 304 rage as the French and Germans fight bitterly for every inch of ground.   The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast .   Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwar...

In April of 1917 the United States of America formally entered the Great War on the Allied side.    As American Doughboys arrived in France, they would need training and mentoring to prepare for warfare on a scale hitherto unseen. American leadership was adamant however that they remain their own separate army with their own sector of the Western Front. In January 1918, the Americans took over par...

The Battle of Verdun grinds forward as the Germans press their attack on broken French lines following the capture of Fort Douaumont. French Army leadership determines that the lines at Verdun will be held whatever the cost.     General Philippe Petain comes in as commander of French forces and resistance stiffens. The battlefield spreads as the Germans realize they will now need to attack the Lef...

The Battle of Verdun of World War One opens in earnest. The German 5th Army pressed its offensive on the French Right Bank of the Verdun Salient following the opening barrage unleashed on  February 21st. Attacking steadily and overrunning French battle lines in the face of desperate but confused resistance, the Germans pushed the French back some two to three miles in the first week of the battle....

In this episode we'll cover the first two days of the battle, from the barrage on the 21st through the defense of the Boise des Caures by LTC Emile Driant and his 56th and 59th Chasseurs a Pied.   On February 21st, 1916, nine days past schedule, the Germans opened their attack on Verdun on World War I's Western Front with a massive artillery barrage of 1,200 guns. The bombardment pounded French Ar...

The Battle of Verdun has been likened to a "microcosm of the entire First World War in itself:" in 1916 over 10 months on an approximately 125-square mile battlefield the French and German armies poured in some 40,000,000 artillery shells in order for the Germans to push the frontline in 6 miles and for the French to later push it back 6 miles. The casualty count topped 700,000. At the end of the...

With the Battle of the Somme now complete, the Battle of Verdun Podcast will be shut down and all Verdun episodes will transfer over to the BFWWP. More admin details inside.   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. We're also on Twitter! Follow us at @WW1podcast. Not int...

What was the Battle of the Somme about? Was it worth it? In this final episode on the Somme, we'll take a look at what was lost and what was gained in the mammoth clash of arms in Picardy in 1916.   We'll also talk about future plans: mainly the next battle to be covered. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen, and we'll be back in the trenches soon.   The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https:/...

November 1916 saw the inevitable downshift and closing of operations by the Allies on the Somme. Local struggles continued, and the British still launched large attacks at Butte de Warlencourt and along the River Ancre. Only the onset of winter weather finally brought the titanic clash of arms to an end.   The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast .   An...

October on the Somme saw four Allied field armies attacking the Germans in a sea of mud. Despite the efforts the battles that took place would be local ones with little territorial gain.   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 air battle over the Somme in 1916 was as important as the massive struggle taking place on the shattered ground below, with the potential of the airplane ever expanding.   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 Wo...

On September 26th, the final assault on Thiepval was carried out by the British Reserve Army. Mighty Fortress Thiepval fell, dealing a brutal blow to the German Army.   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...

The village of Morval is the next domino to fall to the BEF on the Somme in the autumn of 1916. Lesboeufs, Combles, and Gueudecourt follow.   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....

No, not one written by me. (Thankfully.) But one written by the man who created Winnie the Pooh.    Here's a little extra something since we just introduced the tanks in the past couple of episodes. Hope you enjoy.

In the second episode on the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the actions of the British 14th and 15th Corps are covered. The battlefield shook under the tracks of the new tanks.   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 W...

On the 15th of September, 1916, 10 British divisions—aided by tanks for the first time in history—launched a third major strike at the Germans on the Somme. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was on.   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...

In early September the French and British Armies continuously kept up the pressure on the Germans. These attacks were part of and preparation for the next big strike on the Somme.   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 Fi...

A brief look at the home fronts of the three main belligerents on the Somme, with focus on the British.   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. We're also on Twitter! Follow us at...

There was no strolling along at Guillemont on the Somme between July and September of 1916. The village was an unbreakable fortress for weeks until it finally fell to British and Irish troops. Nearby Ginchy fell days later.   The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast .   Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.first...

The battle for High Wood continues through August and into September 1916. High Wood becomes a hell within the hell of the Somme battlefield.   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. We're also on Twitter! Follow us at @WW1podcast. Not into social media? Email me directl...

This is a stand-alone episode, but we are staying near the front on the Somme to speak with a very, very special guest: Dr. Jeff Gusky, the photographer and talent behind the Hidden World of WW1.   Dr. Gusky is the photographer and talent behind the Hidden World of WW1, a fascinating exploration of the many unknown underground cities inhabited by soldiers of both sides of the Western Front during...