Uncategorized – Page 14 – Battles of the First World War Podcast

Episode SA5: Seicheprey – Cherry Blossoms in Spring

Seicheprey is a little hamlet in the Woëvre, and in April of 1918 it was the scene of the first clash between the newly-arrived American Doughboys and the battle-hardened German soldier.

The Germans set out to teach the Americans a lesson: that they shouldn’t hope to tangle with the German soldier. In return the Americans, despite having a lot to learn, would teach a lesson or two of their own.

Having been overshadowed by titanic clashes elsewhere on the Western Front at the time, the Battle of Seicheprey was a stark and brutal introduction to the American Expeditionary Force of what modern industrial warfare was truly like.

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Episode 35: Verdun – Firepower Kills

The Battle of Verdun widens as the Germans now launch attacks on the Left Bank of the River Meuse.

The battles for le Mort Homme and Hill 304 rage as the French and Germans fight bitterly for every inch of ground.

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Episode SA4: Seicheprey – Doughboys in the Woëvre

In April of 1917 the United States of America formally entered the Great War on the Allied side.

As American Doughboys arrived in France, they would need training and mentoring to prepare for warfare on a scale hitherto unseen. American leadership was adamant however that they remain their own separate army with their own sector of the Western Front. In January 1918, the Americans took over part of the St. Mihiel Salient in the Woëvre, and the stage was set for the first encounter between the Germans and the Americans.

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Episode 34: Verdun – Metastasis

The Battle of Verdun grinds forward as the Germans press their attack on broken French lines following the capture of Fort Douaumont. French Army leadership determines that the lines at Verdun will be held whatever the cost.

General Philippe Petain comes in as commander of French forces and resistance stiffens. The battlefield spreads as the Germans realize they will now need to attack the Left Bank of the Verdun Salient in order to secure their hard-won gains on the Right Bank.

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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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