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.
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.
On the 12th of September 1918, well over a half million American Doughboys of the AEF First Army went on the attack with their French allies. Less than forty-eight hours later the St. Mihiel Salient–long a painful thorn in the French Army’s side–had been completely destroyed.
St. Mihiel was the first independent offensive carried out by the American Expeditionary Force of World War One, and it was a solid success.
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.
On the centenary of the story of the Lost Battalion, we have a very special guest who will talk to us about this epic tale of American heroism, leadership, grit, and a stubborn will to resist in the First World War.
Robert J. Laplander is the author of “Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America’s Famous WW1 Epic.” An enthusiast of the Great War for decades, Mr. Laplander has amassed a vast collection of documentation and paraphernalia related to the story of the men of the US 77th Division who were surrounded by the Germans in the Charlevaux Ravine from the 2nd through the 7th of October, 1918. This collection has helped inform the definitive history he has written of the men of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion, and the 307th and 308th Infantry Regts and their epic five days in the Argonne.
Mr. Laplander is considered an authority on the subject of the Lost Battalion, and has appeared in numerous radio and television interviews, including PBS’ 2017 3-part documentary named “American in the Great War.”
For more information on the Lost Battalion, Mr. Laplander’s work, and Doughboy MIA (Remember, $10 for them), please see the following links:
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.
In the summer of 1918 the Germans were spent, and the Allies began rolling them back. Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch had a plan to smash the enemy back and potentially end the war that year.
GEN John J “Blackjack” Pershing and his American Expeditionary Force were to play a major role in Foch’s plan, but to Pershing only as an independent force under his command. The story of the plans for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive is one of two very strong personalities coming together after a long, bumpy road.
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.
It’s time to start the new battle we’re going to cover, which will be the American-led Meuse-Argonne Offensive of 1918. We’re going to begin with an interview with Mr. Randy Gaulke, a fellow WW1 enthusiast, researcher, website master, and battlefield tour guide.
Mr. Gaulke runs the websitewww.meuse-argonne.com, which contains a wealth of information regarding the 47-day battle that defined American involvement in the Great War. The website contains several features such as bibliographies, articles, research statistics, travel tips, and a feature called “People of the Meuse-Argonne,” where individuals who study, write about, or live in the Meuse-Argonne give a quick biography of themselves. There is also a meuse-argonne.com FaceBook page, which connects you with hundreds of like-minded and incredibly helpful folks who readily share information, photos, and travel tips.
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.
