Libsyn Directory

“Insert Laugh Track Here:” A Cross-Cultural Conversation on Visiting France

Release Date: 01/29/2020

A Review of “Pershing’s Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I,” edited by Lawrence M. Kaplan

Battles of the First World War Podcast

A review of Lawrence Kaplan’s new book, “Pershing’s Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I,” and a couple of excerpts from men of the AEF 301st Tank Battalion. Book link here: Order it from your local bookstore so that you support your local businesses. The BFWWP is on Patreon: . 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...

Tannenberg - Stallupönen and Gumbinnen

Battles of the First World War Podcast

This is a release of a former Patreon-only episode. The Germans and Russians are ready to fight, and each gives battle. The Russian 1st Army invades East Prussia from the east, and meets German 8th Army forces at Stallupönen. Both sides clash again at Gumbinnen, where the Germans suffer a stinging defeat that sets off a panic within 8th Army headquarters. The BFWWP is on Patreon: . 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...

Tannenberg - Eastern Promises

Battles of the First World War Podcast

This is a release of a former Patreon-only episode. The beginning of World War I in the summer of 1914 saw Germany faced with fighting a two-front war. Its legions marched into France to defeat that nation first, while in the east just one field army was tasked with holding back an inevitable Russian invasion. This episode will set the stage for the opening of the Great War’s Eastern Front. The BFWWP is on Patreon: . Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at...

Forgotten Veterans, Invisible Memorials, a Discussion with Dr. Allison Finkelstein

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Author and historian Dr. Allison Finkelstein comes on the podcast to discuss her book, Forgotten Veterans, Invisible Memorials: How American Women Commemorated the Great War, 1917-1945. From Dr. Finkelstein’s website: In Forgotten Veterans, Invisible Memorials: How American Women Commemorated the Great War, 1917–1945, Allison S. Finkelstein argues that American women activists considered their own community service and veteran advocacy to be forms of commemoration just as significant and effective as other, more traditional forms of commemoration such as memorials. Finkelstein...

The French Army in the First World War, a Discussion: Pt 4

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Part 4 of the ongoing discussion looks at the French Army in 1915: an often overlooked year, it was a year of “carnage, optimism, and learning,” as Alex says in the talk. Fighting to keep pressure on the German invader and relieve pressure on the WW1 Russian Front, the French faced a long year where that optimism took several body blows; it was a year where the French Poilu learned this would be a long and terrible war. This was a fascinating conversation as always, and you really need to listen for the part where Jim Taub talks about handling and firing a Chauchat light...

2024 Meuse-Argonne Tour Dates are Here

Battles of the First World War Podcast

New year, new opportunity to see the AEF battlefields of France! That’s right, Rob and I are launching the 2024 Lost Battalion Tours Meuse-Argonne Tour. Tour dates are July 03 - 09, 2024, and we’ll be visiting the following stops: - Vauquois Hill and the 35th Division area, - the Montfaucon Memorial - Hill 285 and Le Chene Tondu in the Argonne, - the Crown Prince’s bunker complex, - the German war cemetery near Apremont, - Exermont, - a Medal of Honor Day visiting the sites of Barkley, Woodfill, and York, a complete tour of the Lost Battalion site (including both...

Fismes and Fismette - House to House in the Great War

Battles of the First World War Podcast

An early Christmas gift for the BFWWP community--the battle of Fismes in summer 1918. This was a Patreon release, so you'll hear the old scores used in the episode. Following the German Friedensturm offensive in July 1918, the Allies struck back with a counteroffensive that shifted the momentum of the war in the Allies’ favor. Through the rest of July the Germans retreated from their Marne salient, steadily pursued by the French and American forces. When the Germans retreated behind the River Vesle, American troops encountered obstacles not common to the Great War battlefield:...

Support a Congressional Gold Medal for the WWI Hello Girls

Battles of the First World War Podcast

The Hello Girls of the WW1 US Army have never been officially recognized for the groundbreaking service they provided as America’s first women soldiers. In this call to action, an incredible group of people came on to talk about why the Hello Girls should receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Joining us are: Ms. Catherine Bourgin, granddaughter of Hello Girl Marie Edmee LeRoux Mr. Daniel Dayton, Executive Director of the World War I Centennial Commission Dr. Allison S. Finkelstein, Senior Historian at Arlington National Cemetery Ms. Claudia Friddell, award winning author of...

“The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers,” a Discussion with Elizabeth Cobbs

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Historian, novelist, and documentary filmmaker Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs joins the podcast to discuss her 2019 book on the story of the US Army Signal Corps’ “Hello Girls,” the American Army’s first female soldiers. Book link: Elizabeth Cobbs’ website: Support a Congressional Gold Medal for the WWI Hello Girls! Interested in the 2024 Lost Battalion Tours’ Meuse-Argonne battlefield tour? Email us: [email protected] The BFWWP is on Patreon: . Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the...

“Bullets, Bandages and Beans:” A Talk on United States Army Logistics in France in World War I

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Historian Peter Belmonte joins the podcast to discuss his latest collaboration with Alexander Barnes on lesser known aspects of the United States’ participation in the First World War. The story of how the AEF was supplied with “bullets, bandages, and beans” is just as fascinating as the tales we’ve often heard from the front. Book link: Johnson Hagood’s “The Services of Supply: A Memoir of the Great War” Link: Interested in the 2024 Lost Battalion Tours’ Meuse-Argonne battlefield tour? Email us: [email protected] The BFWWP is on...

More Episodes

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of visiting France, or felt it was something too foreign and too out of reach?

In this episode, I speak with Carol Kieffer and Randy Gaulke, two experienced residents and tourists of France. Carol, author of “Living and Working in France: Thriving through Understanding” and cross-cultural training coach, and Randy, seasoned tourist of the Meuse-Argonne region of France and battlefield tour leader, come on the show to strip away some of the misconceptions and misunderstandings many Americans may have about France and visiting it.

What follows is a nearly hour-long conversation where we discuss traveling through France, proper social etiquette, what to expect from French restaurants, shops, and supermarkets, how to prepare, and how to set yourself up to make the most of your experience. We even bring up squat toilets...really, it’s worth the listen.

Ultimate credit for the realization of this podcast goes to Mrs. Laurie Gaulke, whose connections created the conditions that allowed everyone to come together. Thank you so much!

Links to Carol Kieffer and her book, “Living and Working in France: Thriving through Understanding”

amazon.com/author/carolkieffer

For cross-cultural coaching contact Carol at [email protected]

Carol is on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carol-kieffer-trainer/

For Randy Gaulke’s excellent website on the Meuse-Argonne

https://meuse-argonne.com, and his new tour company website, https://kneedeepintohistory.com.

For an overview of Randy’s travel tips: http://meuse-argonne.com/?page_id=278

“La Vie en France” blog entries: http://meuse-argonne.com/?cat=275

Mike and Rob Laplander are also offering WW1 battlefield tours through Lost Battalion Tours.

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 [email protected]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.

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