World War I Podcast

Like the other Great Powers, Russia experienced a great deal of turmoil in the decades leading up to World War I. Slow industrialization, military failure in the Russo-Japanese War, and mass social unrest were just some of the problems that were further compounded by weak leadership and a fragile political system. In this latest episode, Dr. Colleen Moore describes this pre-war turmoil and outline...

The Hapsburgs were a very old and distinguished noble family in Europe. Members of the Hapsburg-Lorraine branch of the family ruled Austria-Hungary during World War I. In this latest episode, Dr. Maura Hametz discusses the many tragedies and intrigues of these Hapsburgs and outlines the roles of Emperor Franz Josef I and his successor, Karl I, during World War I. Have a comment about this episode?...

Appointed Supreme Allied Commander during World War I, Ferdinand Foch is regarded as the architect of the 1918 victory. He is also recognized as one of the most original thinkers in the 20th century French military. In this episode, Dr. Michael Neiberg discusses Foch's unusual career path, outlines his World War I service, and highlights his unique understanding of the war. Have a comment abo...

Arriving in Paris in 1919 for the Peace Conference, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made it clear that he believed Italy entered World War I in a Machiavellian spirit of “cold-blooded calculation.” Italy’s leaders disagreed – arguing that their participation in the war was about liberation and self-determination. Regardless of the argument, like most of the combatants, Italy’s decision to go to war...

Prior to 1914, there was a theory that Great Britain would not survive a major European war if it lost access to food and supplies coming from North America. When World War I began, this concern initially faded away. The Royal Navy had quickly blockaded Germany and by January 1915, the Imperial German High Seas Fleet was bottled up in the North Sea. However, despite these successes, the trans-Atla...

In this interview, Dr. Sanders Marble, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History, discusses how the U.S. Army worked with the medical community and the Red Cross to prepare for and confront the crisis of World War I. Faced with new clinical practices and diagnoses, U.S. Army medical professionals worked hard to orchestrate treatment of the wounded. Have a comme...

Dr. Edward Lengel, author of Never in Finer Company: The Men of the Great War's Lost Battalion, describes the exploits of American soldiers and Marines on the battlefields of 1918. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880   Amanda Williams on Twitter:   @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @...

William Walker, author of Betrayal at Little Gibraltar, explores the controversy that surrounds the 1918 fight for Montfaucon and argues that changes need to be made in terms of how that tragic battle is interpreted. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880   Amanda Williams on Twitter:   @AEWill...

Dr. Mitchell Yockelson, author of Forty-Seven Days, How Pershing's Warriors Came of Age to Defeat the German Army in World War I, discusses the evolution of the A.E.F. as a fighting force and how American troops "came of age" during the Meuse-Argonne campaign. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twit...

In the final years of World War I, a deadly influenza pandemic killed about 3% of the world's population. The pandemic effected both the Allied and Central Powers, as well as neutral nations. Due to wartime censorship, belligerent nations made no public acknowledgement of the crisis. For neutral nations like Spain however, the pandemic was widely reported because there was no censorship in pl...

Very early in World War I, the public was made aware of a condition known as shell shock that was affecting a significant number of soldiers. From 1915-1918, the diagnosis of shell shock evolved, as medical professionals attempted to determine if the condition was physical, psychological, or moral (i.e. cowardice). In this interview, Dr. Marble Sanders, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical De...

Chemical weapons were one of the great horrors of the World War I battlefield. While different types of gases were used throughout the war, Mustard Gas was the most prominent and most effective chemical weapon in use by 1917. In this interview, Dr. Marble Sanders, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History, provides an overview of Mustard Gas and discusses the U...

The Battle of Chateau Thierry (July 18, 1918) marked an important turning point in World War I. In this podcast, TRADOC Deputy Chief Historian Stephen C. McGeorge places the Battle of Chateau Thierry in the wider context of the war and discusses the cooperation between U.S. and French forces during the battle. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but...

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America's World War II Leaders. Mike Miller, Emeritus head of the Marine Corps History Division, discussed the USMC and how Harry S. Truman’s service in the U.S. Army during World War I forever influenced his opinion of the USMC. Have a comment about this episode...

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America's World War II Leaders. Jeffery Kozak, Director of Library and Archives at the George C. Marshall Foundation, discussed George C. Marshall’s service in World War I and how this experience taught him to navigate coalition partnerships, value military prepa...

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America's World War II Leaders. James Zobel, the MacArthur Memorial archivist, explored Douglas MacArthur's service in World War I and how this experience played a role in everything from his reforms at West Point to his management of the Japanese surrender...

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America’s World War II leaders. Dr. Keith Dickson, a professor at the Joint Forces Staff College, discussed Dwight D. Eisenhower’s World War I service and how it prepared him to understand the value and the psyche of the citizen soldier during World War II. Have a com...

In July 1918, Germany embarked on its final offensive of the war. This offensive called for a massive push across the old battlefields of the Champagne to the east and west of Reims in order to seize the rail center of Chalons sur Marne and cut off the French armies defending Paris and Verdun. French General Henri Gouraud's IV Army was responsible for the Allied defense of Reims. During this...

In August 1914, as decade-old diplomatic crises erupted into war on the European continent, a group of American citizens, in defiance of US President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of neutrality, volunteered for French military service. Of those Americans who volunteered during neutrality, thirty-eight uniquely distinguished themselves not as ambulance drivers or Foreign Legionnaires, but as part of...

The Jolly Roger is the default symbol of pirates and piracy. During World War I however, some British submarine crews began flying the Jolly Roger to indicate a successful patrol. This was somewhat problematic because World War I was also a war of propaganda. British propaganda was trying to convince the world that Germany was the predator and that the British were the guardians of civilization. B...

On October 8, 1918, during the Meuse Argonne Offensive, Alvin York led an attack on a German machine gun nest that neutralized more than 30 machine guns and killed at least 25 German soldiers. His efforts also resulted in the capture of 132 enemy soldiers. For these actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Months later, this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The fact that he was...

In April 2017, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a World War I symposium. Al Barnes, the Virginia National Guard Command Historian, gave a presentation entitled: "To Hell with the Kaiser: America Prepares for War." This presentation focused on the formation and training of U.S. Army units during World War I. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text...

In April 2017, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a World War I symposium. Jim Zobel, the archivist of the MacArthur Memorial, gave a presentation entitled: "A Frontiersman in France: Douglas MacArthur and the Rainbow Division in World War I." This presentation outlined MacArthur's relationship with General John J. Pershing and highlighted MacArthur&apo...

In April 2017, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a World War I symposium. Joe Judge, curator of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, gave a presentation entitled: “For the Pressing Need of the Service: The Origins of Naval Station Norfolk.” This presentation focused on the establishment of Naval Station Norfolk and explored the ways in which World War I transformed the in...

In February 2017, we sat down with Al Barnes, the Virginia National Guard Command Historian and author of To Hell With the Kaiser, to discuss the many foreign-born doughboys that served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Barnes explained how these men joined the army, as well as the path most took to citizenship. He also outlined the various countries they came from and discussed how the army in...