Mike – Page 17 – Battles of the First World War Podcast

Episode SA2: A Poem About Tanks

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.

Episode 24: Somme – The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, 3rd Strike on the Somme, Part 2

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.

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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 directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen.

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Episode 23: Somme – The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, 3rd Strike on the Somme, Part 1

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.

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Episode 22: Somme – Towards the Next Big Thing

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.

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Episode 21: Somme – Casualty Notices

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.

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Episode 20: Somme – Strolling Along in Gillymong

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.

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Episode 19: Somme – A Bloody High Wood, Part 2

The battle for High Wood continues through August and into September 1916. High Wood becomes a hell within the hell of the Somme battlefield.

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Episode SA1: An Interview with Dr. Jeff Gusky of the Hidden World of WW1

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 the Great War. He is also a National Geographic photographer, and currently his photography is a part of the “Artist Soldiers” exhibit, an 18 month-long exhibition at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He also has a photographic exhibition at the Museum of History and Art in Sainte-Menehould, France that is running through November 26th, 2017.

Dr. Gusky holds that as an explorer and an artist, his mission is the same as that of his primary profession: emergency physician. That mission is to quote “to help people face immediate danger and chart a path to safety” unquote. Dr. Gusky, in exploring these many underground labyrinths of WW1 where men slept, dreamt, and sometimes fought and died, believes that putting a light on the memories of these men will help us to understand ourselves and how modernity affects our lives. As WW1 was the first fully industrialized war features devastatingly powerful weapons and human destruction on a scale that even today remains difficult to fathom, we can see that between 1914 and 1918 was the beginning of when Dr. Gusky’s “human emergency” began. This was when the scale of modern life seemed to skyrocket past the limits of human understanding. Since then we as humans have been separated from nature and our human nature by the impossibly large scale of modernity. But Dr. Gusky believes that we can draw hope from the examples of people like those men who left their names and sketches on the walls of the underground cities he has visited. These were just everyday, ordinary men who took part in a horrific war on a hitherto-unknown scale of suffering…and yet they retained their humanity throughout most of their experiences.

I am so grateful, honored, and humbled that Dr. Gusky is with us today, and he is actually speaking with us from the Picardy region of France. He is there to explore a new underground site, and he has graciously offered to talk to us a bit about what drives his interest in WW1 and his explorations, and his current exhibits and projects.

Please join us for a fascinating discussion with Dr. Jeff Gusky.

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Chalk Farm to Camberwell Green

Hi Folks, Here is the link to the song played at the beginning of Episode 18:

Episode 18: Somme – A Bloody High Wood, Part 1

On the 14th and 15th of July, 1916, the British 4th Army began its first attacks on High Wood, igniting a brutal struggle for important high ground on the Somme battlefield.

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