Author: Mike

We have had some folks ask, so we have delivered. Guests on this impromptu episode are Robert J. Laplander and Alexander Curran. 

 

This is an unfiltered recap of our recent trip to France! While there we conducted a field recon for the Doughboy MIA project that made some wonderful and important friendships for us. Our newest team member, Alex, discusses a Doughboy MIA case that is very close to him personally.

 

Also discussed is the amazing opportunity to walk a 103-year-old diary written by a member of the Lost Battalion saga back through the very Argonne Forest where its pages were first filled. This was an unforgettable day that saw several World War One enthusiasts come together for a poignant walk through history-laden woods. 

 

Come join our discussion and relive some of our best moments. Don’t forget – you can join us and experience the same ground with Lost Battalion Tours. 

 

To support Doughboy MIA’s “Ten for Them” program, click on the following link:

 

https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/doughboy-mia-home.html

 

To stay up to date with Lost Battalion Tours, click here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/lostbattaliontours

 

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. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

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Author James Carl Nelson joins me in discussing his latest book, “The York Patrol: The Real Story of Alvin York and the Unsung Heroes Who Made Him World War I’s Most Famous Soldier.” 

 

The passing of a century and other events has worked to create and solidify the legend of SGT Alvin York, where the story goes that York single-handedly (or nearly so) took on the German Army, killed some 25 enemy soldiers, and then captured 132 more. More recently, the story has been garnering attention for the fact that sixteen other men were part of and present for what is known as the York Patrol.

 

Mr. Nelson’s “The York Patrol” is but the latest book to cover the ongoing legend of SGT York, perhaps America’s most famous Doughboy of WW1:

 

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-york-patrol-james-carl-nelson?variant=32126628495394

 

The BFWWP is 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. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

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On October 8th, 1918, seventeen men of the AEF 82nd Division went on a fateful patrol into the Argonne Forest. One of them would become a legend. 

 

This episode will tell the story of Alvin York, both from the conventional telling and a newer recounting from the side of the other sixteen men there. 

 

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Join us for a great discussion with Aaron Heft, currently serving as a SFC in the Army National Guard. Aaron works as a unit historian with the Army National Guard’s Leader Development program, where he uses lessons from the past to train and prepare today’s soldiers for the battlefield. 

 

He joins us to discuss the American 28th “Keystone” Division in World War I, a unit of primarily Pennsylvania National Guardsmen of which Aaron is currently a member. This talk will not be exclusively about the 28th’s time in the Meuse-Argonne, so you will hear about some other battles and engagements elsewhere along the Western Front. 

 

Link for the video version is here: 

https://youtu.be/ANOM4MYAUBA

 

Book links here:

1.     Wendy Yessler, Private Compton, https://www.amazon.com/Private-Compton-Experiences-Battalion-Infantry/dp/0578503131
2.     William Graham, Hells Observer, https://www.amazon.com/Hells-Observer-Wartime-American-Expeditionary/dp/0615620914/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hells+observer&qid=1634085281&s=books&sr=1-1
3.     H.W. Hilton, War Over Half a Century Ago, https://www.amazon.com/War-Over-Half-Century-Ago/dp/B0006XLAUA/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=war+over+half+a+century+ago&qid=1634085329&s=books&sr=1-1
4.     James Murrin, With the 112th In France, https://www.amazon.com/112th-France-Doughboyss-Story-War/dp/1356238629/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=with+the+112th+in+france&qid=1634085382&s=books&sr=1-1
5.     Chester Baker, Doughboys Diary, https://www.amazon.com/Doughboys-Diary-Millie-Ragosta-ebook/dp/B00UQOMIVO/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=doughboy+diary&qid=1634085497&s=books&sr=1-3
6.     George Cooper, Our Second Battalion, https://www.amazon.com/Our-Second-Battalion-Accurate-Authentic/dp/1358194335/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Our+second+battalion&qid=1634085528&s=books&sr=1-1
7.     James Wharton, Squad, https://www.amazon.com/Squad-James-B-Wharton/dp/B000872FNA/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=squad+james+hwarton&qid=1634085565&s=books&sr=1-1-spell
8.     Hervey Allen, It Was Like This, https://www.amazon.com/Was-Like-This-Hervey-ALLEN/dp/B000MXD50M/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=it+was+like+this+hervey+allen&qid=1634085597&s=books&sr=1-1
9.     Hervey Allen, Towards the Flame, https://www.amazon.com/Toward-Flame-Memoir-World-War/dp/0803259476/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=towards+the+flame+hervey+allen&qid=1634085618&s=books&sr=1-1

10.Bob Hoffman, I Remember the Last War, https://www.amazon.com/Remember-Last-War-Original-Restored/dp/1467930237/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bob+hoffman+I+remember+the+last+war&qid=1634085666&s=books&sr=1-1

 

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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Efforts to relieve the Lost Battalion and break the German hold on the Argonne Forest led to an innovative attack devised by AEF 1st Corps commander LTG Hunter Liggett. 

 

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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With mounting hunger, wounds, and death, MAJ Whittlesey and his command continue to hold out in the Charlevaux Ravine. As Whittlesey has said, there will be no surrender. 

 

The only book you need to read on the Lost Battalion: 

 

https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B06X6N13V8&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_BYXX2G0SGFR7DK0MB2X7

 

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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Recently I was invited to a Zoom discussion with some other WW1 enthusiasts to talk about what we can do to keep the memory of WW1 alive in these post-centenary times. At that talk was Mike O’Neal, a longtime WW1 aviation enthusiast, and we quickly connected to get Mike on the podcast talking about his lifelong passion. 

 

Folks, if ever there is an example of being bold and striking out for what you want to do, here it is. In his teens, Mike wrote letters to various journals and WW1 veterans, and the results have been amazing friendships and working on some fascinating projects. He was listed as a contributor to journal articles in his teens, a WW1 aviator gave Mike his wings for good luck, he acquired his own biplane, and much more.

 

Join us for a great discussion on the beginning and development of Mike’s passion for WW1-era aviation. 

 

Relevant links mentioned in this episode:

 

“Over the Front” journal – https://www.overthefront.com/

 

American Society of Aviation Artists – http://asaa-avart.com/

 

Golden Age Air Museum in Bethel, PA – https://www.goldenageair.org/

 

The Aerodrome: Aces and Aircraft of WW1 – http://www.theaerodrome.com/index.php

 

Advisory: Nothing bad in the episode, but you may hear my family in the background talking, as well as one of the cats scratching and meowing at the door. Apologies, but our house is a lively one. There is always something going on. 🙂

 

The BFWWP is 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. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

 

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The established narrative of the Third Battle of Ypres identifies the end of the muddy and blood-soaked struggle in Flanders with the capture of the Passchendaele village ruins in November 1917. However, there were further operations in the Salient just weeks later, and one of them occurred on the night of 2nd December, 1917. 

 

Dr. Michael LoCicero joins us for an in-depth discussion of the creation of his book, the evolution of the BEF, Dominion, and German forces in the Western Front, and the night operation in the Passchendaele Salient on December 2nd, 1917. We go deep on this one, and if you’re really into World War I like we are, you will love this talk.

 

Order “A Moonlight Massacre” through your local bookstore and wherever books are sold:

 

https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/a-moonlight-massacre-the-night-operation-on-the-passchendaele-ridge-2-december-1917-the-forgotten-last-act-of-the-third-battle-of-ypres.php?sid=63b397b8d218771ed035537456fa2b1e

 

The BFWWP is 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. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

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Surrounded, with no food or medical supplies and dwindling ammunition, the American forces trapped in the Charlevaux Ravine face a new and unforeseen enemy: friendly fire. 

 

The only book you need to read on the Lost Battalion: 

 

https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B06X6N13V8&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_BYXX2G0SGFR7DK0MB2X7

 

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out this episode!

Having established a perimeter on a steep hillside in the Charlevaux Ravine, a force of some 700 men under US MAJ Charles Whittlesey digs in to await reinforcements and further orders. 

 

Soon realizing they are surrounded, Whittlesey puts out an order: No falling back. The position is to be held at all costs. The Germans put that order to the test on October 3rd, 1918. 

 

The only book you need to read on the Lost Battalion: 

 

https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B06X6N13V8&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_BYXX2G0SGFR7DK0MB2X7

 

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Check out this episode!