The 28th “Keystone” Division (Pennsylvania) both slugs it out with the Germans in the Argonne Forest over Le Chène Tondu ridge, and pushes its way up the River Aire Valley through Montblainville and Apremont. The Germans fight hard for both Le Chène Tondu and Apremont, and the Pennsylvania Doughboys struggle to hold their hard-won gains.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
Operational map of 28th Keystone Division in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 19 SEP-25 OCT 1918. Map provided by Griffin Group Photos collection on www.meuse-argonne.com.
The 77th Division continues its grind through the Argonne Forest in the last days of September 1918. Under orders to advance without regard to flanks, US Army MAJ Charles Whittlesey and his 1st Battalion, 308th Infantry Regiment find themselves cut off and surrounded on a hill named l’Homme Mort.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
Operational map of 77nd Buffalo Division in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 19 SEP-16 OCT 1918. Map provided by Griffin Group Photos collection on www.meuse-argonne.com.
As the American 1st Army launched its attack on the Meuse-Argonne on the 26th of September, the 368th Infantry Regiment of the segregated 92nd Buffalo Division launched an attack on the left flank, west of the Argonne Forest. Despite several catastrophic stumbles, the regiment eventually succeeded in capturing the ruined village of Binarville. Their reputation, they quickly found out, was also in ruins as a result.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
The AEF 3rd Corps attacks with three divisions on the right of the attack front. The 4th “Ivy” Division attacks the German lines and supports the attack on Montfaucon. The 80th “Blue Ridge” Division attacks through Forges Creek and pushes up to Brieulles-sur-Meuse. The 33rd “Prairie” Division also pushes through Forges Creek, clears Bois de Forges, and then aims for Dannevoux village. Across the River Meuse, the French 17th Corps launches a supporting diversion for the AEF 1st Army.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
The AEF 5th Corps launches its three divisions in the center of the Meuse-Argonne attack front. The 91st “Wild West” Division thrusts up towards the ridge on which sat Épinonville. The 37th “Buckeye” Division supported the 79th “Cross of Lorraine” Division’s attack on the German bastion on Montfaucon.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
Hi Folks, so for those of you who follow me on Twitter and FaceBook, you know that I have posted in the past about having awesome listeners. I’m writing this post about the same subject.
One of the best things to come out of writing the podcasts has been connecting with other enthusiasts. I’ve shared emails with listeners who have corrected me on errors big and small, and with listeners who have simply shared information on several aspects of the Great War. I have truly enjoyed all of it, and these exchanges have shown for what the internet was truly created. It has been a blessing to connect with such great people.
Here is another great example of one of these connections: listener DS wrote in to ask me about me about my use of the word “insurgent” in my Delville Wood episode, to describe Boer fighters during the Boer War of 1899-1902. His writing led to a fascinating email discussion of the Boer War, of which I am woefully ignorant.
And then it led to this:
I received two books in the mail from listener DS, and for a man who loves books, these are kingly gifts.
And this:
This map is a reprint of a map issued by the London Times at the end of the Boer War. The map was an addendum to the Times’ history of the war. (The knife in the corner is a nod to Jocko Willink.)
To DS, thanks again so very much for the books and the map! I am humbled that a stranger from the other side of the Pond would take it upon himself to educate me about a war I know so little about, and to set me up for success with some great books and maps. It is so very humbling.
I cannot thank everyone who has written in enough. It is such a treat to hear from listeners and connect with them! With gratitude, Mike.
In this stand-alone episode we have an interview with Christopher Huang, who is the author of the recently-released detective novel “A Gentleman’s Murder.” This is a slight departure from the BFWWP’s usual lineup, but I thought it would be good to support a young author writing a story in which the Great War has a strong presence.
“A Gentleman’s Murder” was a fun read. The main character of the story, Leftenant Eric Peterkin, is a veteran of the trenches in Flanders and France as are nearly every other member of the gentleman’s club to which he belongs. Peterkin takes it upon himself to solve an unprecedented murder in the club when he suspects the case is not exactly going to be solved by the police.
Christopher Huang grew up in Singapore and moved to Canada when he was 17 years old. He returned to Singapore the following year for two years of military service, before going to McGill University in Montreal to study Architecture. He currently lives in Montreal, and these days he is pursuing the dream of writing full-time. Mr. Huang is a longtime fan of the “golden age” of detective fiction, and in that spirit he writes his debut novel in the hopes that readers will figure out on their own who the killer is.
“A Gentleman’s Murder” is available through the Inkshares site, local booksellers, and Amazon. Links to the book will be provided in the episode description, as well on the website post and social media. Check out the book, and support an up and coming author. Hope you enjoy!
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.
From the Argonne Forest to the Butte du Vauquois, the AEF 1st Corps goes on the attack. The 77th “Metropolitan” Division plunges into the Argonne. The 28th “Keystone” and 35th “Santa Fe” Divisions work to clear the River Aire Valley, seize the Butte du Vauquois, and push north to help cut off the Argonne.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
At 0230 on the 26th of September, 1918, 2,775 French and American guns opened up on the German lines from the Argonne Forest to the River Meuse. Three hours later, nine divisions of American Doughboys were up out of their muddy trenches and into the mist. The largest battle in American military history was underway.
The AEF 1st Army however, faced a formidable enemy who had spent years turning the Meuse Valley into a 10-mile thick defense zone. All of it would have to be chewed through to reach the target railroad hubs at Sedan, 35 miles away. In this episode we’ll discuss those German defenses as well as the preparations and plans made by the Americans for their attack.
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. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.
My favorite photo. I was lucky to capture the evening light beaming down on those Doughboys.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead; short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe! To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high! If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
Leftenant Colonel John McRae
November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918
Hey Folks, welcome to the Battles of the First World War Podcast Stand Alone Episode 8: Armistice Day 2018.
So, the latest episode opened with what is likely the most famous poem to come out of the carnage of the Great War, Leftenant Colonel McRae’s “In Flanders Fields.” It is likely also not very surprising that you would choose to open a reflection of the centenary of the end of World War One with with this poem.
I’ve read this poem many times, but it hasn’t been until the last few days that I’ve really tried to read it deeply and grasp its meaning. With the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, this poem takes on new meaning for me.
100 years now since the guns stopped in France and Belgium. 100 years since a new and uncomfortable silence spread across the Western Front at 11am, where just seconds before the shriek and hammering of shells had rent the tortured earth from Flanders to the Vosges Mountains.
100 years since PVT George Ellison of the British Army fell at Mons, Belgium. 100 years since Soldat de Premiere Classe Augustin Trébuchon fell in the Ardennes at 1045am. 100 years since Canadian CPL George Lawrence Price fell at 1058am, also in the Mons area, and 100 years since American PVT Henry Gunther fell at 1059am in a field near Chaumont-devant-Damvillers in the Meuse Valley. And 100 years since countless others fell as well.
A lot has changed in those last 100 years, from geopolitical to social and technological revolutions of which the men and women of the Great War likely would never have dreamed. In the hustle and bustle of life today, it’s easy to gloss over a day like Armistice Day without thinking of the millions of the fallen.
This one of course, is different. As I’ve read and reread “In Flanders Fields” these past several days, I’ve come to think often on LTC McRae’s request:
To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high!
How can we hold it high? How can we honor the millions of the dead, who short days ago loved and were loved, just like we are today? How do we keep from breaking their faith with us?
Perhaps one way we can hold that torch high against the darkness is by remembering these men and women who served their country a century ago. They may no longer be with us, but they are not out of living memory.
So, on Armistice Day–or Veterans’ Day, if you prefer–take a moment to remember them. Remember the Doughboys and the Hello Girls of the American Expeditionary Forces. Remember their allies on the battlefield as well. Remember too, their enemies. They were all human beings. Remember them for a quiet moment.
In November 1918, Moina Michael–the great woman and teacher who first used the red poppy as the symbol of remembrance–penned a response to Leftenant Colonel McRae’s poem. Titled, “We Shall Keep the Faith,” it tells the dead that we will not let them down. For such a poignant day as this one, I think Ms. Michael’s poem may be a good way to close this episode.
We Shall Keep the Faith
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
The endless crosses at the American Meuse-Argonne Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France. These photos were taken in the late evening. In France during the summer, the sun is up until eight or nine at night.
