“The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front” A Discussion with Dr. Ian Isherwood
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Release Date: 02/09/2025
The French Army in the First World War, a Discussion: Pt 7, Pt 1
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Part 7 of the ongoing discussion continues to look at the French Army in 1917. We look at the state of the French Army going into 1917, where the army itself was in good shape but its leadership was an entirely different story. The rising star of GEN Robert Nivelle and the politics around his ascension is discussed, as well as the offensive that bears his name and destroyed his career. The indiscipline of the French Army is visited through the question of “Were there mutinies in 1917, or were they more like military labor strikes?” The replacement of Nivelle with GEN Philippe...
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British Doctrine in the Great War with Phil Watson
Battles of the First World War Podcast
British Army veteran and University of Wolverhampton PhD candidate Phil Watson joins the podcast for a fascinating discussion on British doctrine in the Great War. (Which YES, they did have a doctrine.) Phil has a couple of questions for the listeners as well, in the interest of generating discussion: Regarding the “chateau generals,” why were chateaus the place for generals? Regarding the idea of mission command and decentralized leadership, were some BEF officers not used to using initiative? Email Phil directly at with your ideas! Be sure to watch...
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The Extraordinary Life of Henri Langie with Eric and Tom Langie
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Independent historians Eric and Tom Langie, a father and son duo, come on the podcast to discuss the extraordinary life of their ancestor Henri Langie and the book they have written about him, “Henri Langie: From War Volunteer in WW I to Honorary Major in WW II.” Henri went from a schoolteacher to a stretcherbearer and officer in WW1, to professiona soldier and later a battalion commander and POW during WW2, to becoming a beloved “Kleine Bompa” in his peaceful years of retirement. Henri lived a truly extraordinary life, and this is a story you will enjoy. ...
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A Penny a Shell - A Discussion with Antony Bell
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Author Antony J. Bell comes on the podcast to discuss his novel “A Penny a Shell.” From the author’s website: “In a WWI munitions factory, the lives of three women converge on a dangerous production line where a single spark means the difference between a bonus and a burial. Eliza Wren, a desperate mother, races to pay a looming debt to save her family from eviction. Sarah Jennings, a defiant outcast, endures the factory’s poison to fund an escape from a life of cruelty. Lucy Atkinson, a grieving daughter, works to honor her brother’s memory and support her...
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Second Marne - Mangin on the Matz
Battles of the First World War Podcast
The guns of Blücher-Yorck were still smoking when the Germans reoriented and hastily launched a new offensive between Montdidier and Noyon. The goal was to straighten the line between two bulging German salients, seize more of the Soissons rail line, and continue to drive towards Paris. But the French Army had other ideas: unleashing GEN Charles Mangin. A lot will be learned in the Battle of the Matz, and it will be applied on the Marne weeks later. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any...
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AEF Tank Corps - A Discussion with Steve Girard
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Steven Girard, US Army veteran and veteran battlefield guide, comes back on the podcast to discuss the American Expeditionary Force’s Tank Corps during the First World War. Suggested reading: Treat 'Em Rough: The Birth of American Armor 1917–20 - Pershing's Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I - The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at...
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The Battle for Disabled Veterans’ Recognition - A Discussion with Dr. Eric Story
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Dr. Eric Story, a Historian-in-Residence at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario in Canada, and Adjunct Professor at Wilfred Laurier University, joins us on the podcast to discuss the struggles faced by disabled Canadian veterans after the First World War. We begin the talk with a broad look at what Canadian veterans faced in the 1920s, and then look at the efforts of George Hincks and Marshall McDougall to raise awareness of disabled veterans’ struggles. Read more about George Hincks and Marshall McDougall here: ...
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Die Vergessene Schlacht - A Discussion with Alfons Philippi
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Independent historian Alfons Philippi of Germany joins the podcast to discuss his German-language book on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Die Vergessenne Schlacht (The Forgotten Battle). We also discuss the family history that led him to write the book, as well as the impact of 20th century history on his family. Link to Die Vergessene Schlacht: https://amzn.eu/d/03UW7TY The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on...
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Second Marne - Blücher-Yorck
Battles of the First World War Podcast
The battlefield of the Second Battle of the Marne was shaped by an earlier German offensive in late May and early June of 1918: Unternehmen Blücher-Yorck. Looking to draw away French reserves from the Flanders and Picardy areas, German GEN Erich Ludendorff aimed a new German attack in a sector where the French were particularly vulnerable: the Chemin des Dames. Early and stunning success by German forces in the attack, however, led to overconfidence and the creation of a swollen and tenuous salient. This salient would become the battlefield for the 2nd Battle of the Marne. ...
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Remembering Victoria Cross Recipients with Ron Howard and Adam Pearce
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Adam Pearce and his uncle Ron Howard have spent the past few years visiting the graves of the UK’s and British Commonwealth’s Victoria Cross recipients. They hope to raise awareness of not just the recipients of the British Army’s highest award for valor, but of the other men buried with them in Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries on the Old Front Line and elsewhere around the world. Also, to British listeners in general and Nottinghamshire residents in particular, my apologies on butchering the pronunciation of Nottinghamshire. (Throws palm over face.) I knew better...
info_outlineDr. Isherwood returns to the podcast to talk about his new book “The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front.”
From Casemate Publishers:
“How did ordinary citizens become soldiers during the First World War, and how did they cope with the extraordinary challenges they confronted on the Western Front? These are questions Ian Isherwood seeks to answer in this absorbing and deeply researched study of the actions and experiences of an infantry battalion throughout the conflict. His work gives us a vivid impression of the reality of war for these volunteers and an insight into the motivation that kept them fighting.
The narrative traces the history of the 8th Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), a Kitchener battalion raised in 1914. The letters, memoirs and diaries of the men of the battalion, in particular the correspondence of their commanding officer, reveal in fascinating detail what wartime life was like for this group of men. It includes vivid accounts of the major battles in which they were involved – Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele, the German Spring Offensive, and the final 100 Days campaign.
The battalion took heavy losses, yet those who survived continued to fight and took great pride in their service, an attitude that is at odds with much of the popular perception of the Great War. Ian Isherwood brings in the latest research on military thinking and learning, on emotional resilience, and cultural history to tell their story.”
Follow the First World War Letters of H.J.C. Peirs, a digital history project at Gettysburg College:
Where to buy “The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front” -
https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781526774224/the-battalion/
The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.
Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:
https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social
and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.
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