Mike – Page 16 – Battles of the First World War Podcast

Episode 33: Verdun – Durchbruch und Douaumont

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.

Disaster loomed for the French Army if their trench lines were to break. Then they did just that. And to make matters worse, the biggest fortress on the Western Front, Fort Douaumont, was captured by the Germans.

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Episode 32: Verdun – Judgment on the Meuse

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 Army positions within the Verdun Salient for eight hours before Crown Prince Wilhelm’s 5th Army launched its infantry attack on the Right Bank. Operation “Gericht”, and the Battle of Verdun, had begun.

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Episode 31: Verdun – The Background and the Plan

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 battle, like at the end of the war itself two years later, both the attacker and the defender were exhausted with no clear victory won or lost.

In this first episode we will explore the background and lead up to the battle, from the opening battles on the Western Front in 1914 to the bloody stalemate trench battles of 1915 and development of the German plan to attack the French at Verdun.

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Episode SA3: Battle of Verdun Episodes Transfer Notice

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.

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Episode 30: Somme – The Aftermath

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.

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Episode 29: Somme – Adieu la Somme

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.

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Episode 28: Somme – October Slog

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.

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Episode 27: Somme – Pirouettes over Picardy

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.

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Episode 26: Somme – A Tale of Two Vals, Part 2: Thiepval

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.

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