The expected breakthrough after Montfaucon doesn’t happen. The 79th and 37th Divisions continue grinding their way north, facing ever-hardening German resistance.
Purchase Andrew Capets’ book “Good War, Great Men” here:
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.
In this episode we have a very special guest: Ms. Lora Vogt,is the Curator of Education at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Founded in 1926, the Museum holds the most comprehensive collection of Great War artifacts in the world and has been ranked one of the top 25 museums in the country. Under Ms. Vogt’s guidance, the Museum has consistently broken records for public program attendance, educational participations and developed internationally recognized curriculum and online exhibitions.
Ms. Vogt will give the BFWWP community a virtual tour of the National World War I Museum and Memorial and some of its exhibits. If you have never visited the National World War I Museum and Memorial and are on the fence about it for any reason, I am quite sure this episode will end any such doubts.
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 ruins of Montfaucon were secured, and in a ruined house on the western side of the hill a massive periscope was located. The periscope was mounted on a carriage, and within the confines of concrete walls constructed inside the house the periscope could be extended some 85 feet. In the attic of the building was a map room of the surrounding area, all done to scale so the scope could be aimed at any point on the map. The observers could be in the basement of the building, or on other floors, and could use a complex system of mirrors to observe the terrain for kilometers around. This was the Crown Prince’s observatory, and the legend that Crown Prince Willy had directed the onslaught at Verdun from here was just that–a legend. The Verdun front was too far away for that. It was used instead to watch the south and southwest, from which the Germans expected a French attack throughout the war.”
“The whole scope mechanism was dismantled by the men of the 3rd Division, who would relieve the men of the 79th on the 30th of September (more next episode). The scope eventually made its way to West Point, where in the interwar period it was a popular backdrop for photos. After the Second World War, the scope apparatus slowly moved into the shadows until it disappeared altogether. It resurfaced in Fort Sill, the home of the US Army’s artillery branch, and it is displayed there today.”
Many thanks to listener Clark for sharing these photos with us!
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.
Hey Folks, Mr. Jeremy Bowles very graciously came on the podcast to share his tour experiences with Robert J Laplander with us. Jeremy is a WW1 historian and reenactor, and the journey he had in the Meuse-Argonne with Rob was so moving it simply needs to stand alone as its own mini-episode.
Listen to Jeremy’s story about being in the Meuse, and know that the goal of Lost Battalion Tours is to provide you with the same experience in August of 2020. So come join us!
Jeremy closes his experiences with the poem “We Shall Keep the Faith” by Moina Michaels, which was the moving response to LTC John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields:”
Photos of Jeremy Bowles, the Poppies, and His Relatives Who Served in France
Jeremy Bowles standing in a field in the Meuse region, near where his grandfather served.
The poppy bush Jeremy found with Robert Laplander. Poppies do not bloom in the fall, when Jeremy was visiting France.
A close up shot of one of those poppies. Amazing.
Jeremy’s grandfather:
Andrew P Craig, B Co., 314th MGB, 80th DivisionJeremy’s Great-Great-Uncle:
PVT Franklin Ellenberger,
K Co., 128th Inf. Regt., 32nd Division.
KIA/MIA Oct. 7th, 1918 in the vicinity of Gesnes, France.
We’re taking a short break from the Meuse-Argonne narrative to listen to a different angle on a very famous event. It happens that the famous event occurred during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, so this ties in nicely with our current focus.
Most of us have heard of or know the story of Alvin York, the famous SGT York who took on dozens of Germans, killed several, and captured 132. He is one of the most famous–if not THE most famous–American soldiers to emerge from the Great War. However, on the fateful day of October 8, 1918, York was part of a squad with sixteen other men engaged in battle.
In this episode we’re going to have James Gregory talk to us about his upcoming article “The Other Sixteen,” which focuses on the other men who were with Alvin York that fateful day in the hills near Chatel-Chehery near the northern tip of the Argonne Forest.
James Gregory is pursuing a PhD at the University of Oklahoma. He is a noted author and historian of the Marine Corps and Second Division in World War I. He deals primarily with soldier biographies and cultural impacts of the war, and I thoroughly look forward to listening to the results of his research.
“The Other Sixteen” will be available soon in the US Army’s Infantry magazine, which can be found online at:
Lost Battalion Tours is a collaboration between WW1 author and historian Robert J. Laplander, and Mike Cunha, master of ceremonies of the Battles of the First World War podcast and battlefield explorer.
Our inaugural tour will be an 8-day trip to the Argonne region August 8-15, 2020. Those of you who have traveled with Robert in the Argonne before know this is no sight-seeing bus trip; this is down in the dirt, where it happened stuff! Now YOU can join us for a trip you won’t soon forget!
You will stay IN the Argonne, at a small French hotel, as part of your Argonne immersion experience. You’ll see all the important spots concerning the battle, including a first hand tour of the whole story of the Lost Battalion with the #1 LB guy in the world.
On top of that, each tour can be tailored to fit almost any special request visit by guests. And all of this for a one time, all inclusive price of just $1200.00 per single guest, or $1000.00 per guest in groups of two or more (this price does NOT include air fare).
Space is limited to just 14 guests though, so don’t wait – contact Mike Cunha or Robert J. Laplander today for more details. More information is coming this week so stay tuned, but if you’ve been thinking that you’d like to experience the AEF in France, THIS is your chance!
This makes a FABULOUS Christmas gift, at a very affordable price that your significant other will treasure forever! Don’t miss out! Contact us today and join us – We are along the road parallel 276.4… waiting for you!
This announcement was so exciting that not only did I use my excited voice, but Robert Laplander’s two dogs, Buddy and Rebel, immediately started wrestling each other for a spot on the tour–true story!
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.
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 35th Santa Fe Division in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 26 SEP-03 OCT 1918. Map provided by Griffin Group Photos collection on www.meuse-argonne.com.
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.
