WW1: Not So Quiet On The Western Front!

At 7.30am on the morning of 1st July 1916, whistles blew along a front stretching more than twenty miles. Tens of thousands of British soldiers climbed from their trenches and began walking towards the German lines. By nightfall nearly 20,000 of them would be dead. It remains the bloodiest day in British military history. But that catastrophe was not evenly spread across the battlefield. Some sect...

What turns a unit into an elite? Is it rigorous selection, a hard-earned reputation, or simply being thrown into the fiercest fighting and surviving? In today's episode, we search for the answer through the story of the Blue Devils of the Vosges. From the Chasseurs to the Corps Francs, we'll explore what the French considered to be their elite units of the First World War. Join Our Community: ⁠htt...

For eight brutal months in 1915, every Allied plan at Gallipoli had failed. However, on the final night of the campaign, the Allies finally managed to pull off one perfectly executed operation and evacuate. This is the story of how a disastrous campaign came to an end with an almost flawless final action. The Caribou Trail — Steam:  https://store.steampowered.com/app/3065030/The_Caribou_Trail/ The...

In this week’s episode and in a long overdue collaboration between Not So Quite on the Western Front and WW2 Both Sides of the Wire, four of us sit down to explore what we feel are the battles that, for one reason or another, shaped the course of the 20th century. Pre-order here: ⁠http://battleguide.co.uk/inferno Written by four historians, each bringing their own unique perspective, Inferno explo...

In August, the Allies prepared for their largest offensive yet on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This was intended to be the decisive breakthrough that would break the deadlock and end the stalemate once and for all. The plan involved a new landing, a night march and a dash for the heights. But how did the campaign's most imaginative plan become its most bitter failure? The Caribou Trail: https:/⁠⁠⁠⁠/st...

Four miles from the beaches of Gallipoli stood a small village called Krithia. Allied commanders believed it could be captured in a single day. Instead, thousands of British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops would die trying to reach it. Beneath the heights of Achi Baba, repeated assaults collapsed in gunfire, confusion and bloodshed, turning the southern tip of Gallipoli into a battlefie...

Have you ever wondered what it was actually like to survive in the trenches of the Gallipoli Front in the First World War? Not the battles we read about in textbooks, but the heat, the flies, the constant shellfire, and only metres from the enemy. In this episode we ask, and answer those very questions. The Caribou Trail: https:/⁠⁠/store.steampowered.com/app/3065030/The_Caribou_Trail/⁠⁠ Guest Stev...

In July 1918, the German spring offensives had reached their high watermark, and it was time for the French army to strike back. This is the story of the Battle of Soissons, the largest French tank attack of the entire First World War and a turning point for the Allied cause. Guest James Taub Socials: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-taub-670096103⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/taubhistory.bsky....

In this episode, Spencer is joined by Professor Mark Connelly, a renowned expert in military and cultural history, to explore the cinematic legacy of the Gallipoli Campaign. From the earliest newsreels of 1915 to the monumental impact of Peter Weir’s 1981 masterpiece, we discuss how film has shaped and sometimes rewritten our visual and cultural understanding of the Great War. Guest: Professor Mar...

In 1915, France sent an army to Gallipoli. Few in the English speaking world know this, and few in France remember their efforts. In this episode, we recover the forgotten story of the French contribution to the campaign. The landing on the Asian shore and the colonial soldiers who held the right flank at Helles is for eight brutal months. NSQ Tour 2026: ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/nsq-tour-2026⁠ G...

In 1915, Anzac troops landed on the rugged coastline of Gallipoli in an attempt to break the Ottoman defences from the north. What they encountered were steep cliffs, chaos and devastating fire from concealed Turkish positions. This is the story of the Anzac landings. The Caribou Trail: https:/⁠/store.steampowered.com/app/3065030/The_Caribou_Trail/⁠ Guest Steve Chambers Books:⁠ https://www.pen-and...

In 1915, allied Forces tried to storm the beaches of Gallipoli and push in land through the heavily fortified ottoman positions. Instead, they faced devastating fire from determined defenders. This is the story of the Hellers landings and their bloody opening hours. The Caribou Trail: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3065030/The_Caribou_Trail/ Guest: Stephen Chambers Join Our Community: ⁠https:/...

In 1915 the allies tried to force their way through one of the most heavily defended waterways in the world - what they found was a deadly combination of mines, artillery and determined Ottoman resistance. This is the story of the doomed attempt to force the Dardanelles Guest: Stephen Chambers Join Our Community: ⁠https://not-so-quiet.com/⁠ Use our code: Dugout and get one month free as a Captain....

In 1915 Winston Churchill had a plan to end the war with a single blow: he called it a master stroke of strategy, history remembers it as a catastrophe. This is the story of how Gallipoli was born and why it was doomed before a single soldier set foot on the beaches. NSQ Tour 2026: ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/nsq-tour-2026⁠ Guest Steve Chambers Books: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Stephen-Chamber...

In this episode alongside regular guest James Taub, we delve into some of the most enduring myths surrounding the French Army in World War I. Why did they start the war with blue jackets and red tracers were French tactics, as suicidal, is commonly believed, and what really happened with the Paris taxes at the Battle of the Man? We discuss all this and more. NSQ Tour 2026: https://battleguide.co.u...

In this episode, we turn the show over to you, our listeners. We delve into questions posed for the podcast and our fourth war site, the dugout, covering everything from post-war veterans to the Italian front and much, much more. Join Our Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://not-so-quiet.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use our code: Dugout and get one month free as a Captain. Suppor...

Today we’re diving into courage and fear on the Western Front: what made men fight? What soldiers were frightened of, how they learned to function anyway, and what the sources reveal when the mask slips - in letters, diaries, medical reports, and the hard edge of military discipline. Join Our Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://not-so-quiet.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use our cod...

In this episode, we follow the Great War’s deadliest marksmen into action. What made an elite sniper and what effect did these individuals have on the battlefield? We’ll trace the lives of men like Francis Pegahmagabow, Henry “Ducky” Norwest, Billy Sing, Neville Methven, and Johnson Paudash - how they fought, how they earned their medals, what their victories cost them, and what happened when the...

In this episode, a continuation of our series exploring the story of the German Army on the Western Front, we look at the formation of the Western Front and explore the early battles of Trench Warfare which highlighted the brutal nature of that new phase of the Great War. Listen to WW2 Both Sides of the wire with Professor Matthias Strohn: ⁠⁠⁠https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com/⁠⁠⁠ Join Our...

In this episode we continue our journey into the story of the German Army on the Western Front. This week our focus lies with the early battles of the great war and the bloody fights of late 1914 that, ultimately led to the horrors of trench warfare.  Listen to WW2 Both Sides of the wire with Professor Matthias Strohn: ⁠⁠https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com/⁠⁠ Join Our Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

We really hope you enjoyed this episode, and if you did, it would mean a huge amount if you could head over to the Untitled History Podcast channel right now, give it a follow and leave a quick review! https://open.spotify.com/show/1pVhf1zLs05L1hPwsB2tJIhttps://www.youtube.com/@UntitledHistoryPodlisten.untitled-history.com From as early as 7000 years before the common era, we have evidence suggest...

In this episode, part 2 of our Germany on the Western Front series, we take a detailed look at the famous Schlieffen Plan. What led to its creation? By who? What were its objectives? And how did it unfold in the early weeks of the Great War? - We answer all that and more! Listen to WW2 Both Sides of the wire with Professor Matthias Strohn: ⁠https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com/⁠ Join Our Comm...

In this episode the first in a new series from the ‘other side of the wire’ along with guest historian Professor Matthias Strohn, we begin a much requested deep dive into the story of the Germany Army on the Western Front. This week our focus lies with the German pre-war military and how the early phases of the war unfolded from their perspective. Listen to WW2 Both Sides of the wire with Professo...

In 1915 the German Army introduced the world to the power of the flamethrower - but by 1916 the Allies had caught up with their own weapons. As the war continued flame stopped being a novelty and instead became a system - specialist troops, evolving equipment and developing tactics. We delve into that story in this episode and ask whether the flame thrower was a weapon whose bark was worse than it...

In 1915, the German army began using a terrible new weapon in organized assaults. The flamethrower capable of clearing a trench in seconds, few weapons the First World War produced such immediate revulsion or such rapid imitation. In this episode, we dive into the story of liquid fire on the Western front, tracing its evolution, its most notorious actions and its overall effect on the battlefield....