An Interview with the Hawthorn Ridge Crater Association
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Release Date: 09/01/2018
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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:...
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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...
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“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...
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“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...
info_outlineDuring my recent trip to France, my crew and I had the most wonderful experience when we visited Mr. Andy Robertshaw and Mr. Colin Winn and their archeological dig team out at the Hawthorn Crater on the Somme. How we met the people of the Hawthorn Crater Association will be told in the interview that follows--it was just a stunningly amazing day amongst so many amazing days out there on the Somme and previously in the Argonne.
For many years the Hawthorn Crater has sat in relative obscurity on the Somme battlefield. It has been overgrown with trees and brush, and it has remained enough off the beaten path that most tourists have bypassed it altogether. The Hawthorn Crater Association is changing that. Through limited clearance of diseased trees and careful archeological digs conducted with the enthusiastic support of the people of nearby Beaumont-Hamel village, Mr. Robertshaw, Mr. Winn, and several others are bringing the story of the crater and the men who lived in it, fought in it, and died in it, back to life.
As I will say at the end of the interview, this is not just digging in the earth looking for pieces of metal from the Battle of the Somme. It is so much more than that, as you will hear. And to be clear: no archeological dig is just digging in the dirt, it’s really important and fascinating stuff!
Due to some technical difficulties, Mr. Robertshaw was unable to join us. The VOIP connection also tended to be a bit wobbly at times, but I think overall you’ll be able to understand things fairly clearly.
Please follow the Hawthorn Ridge Crater Association on Twitter to stay up to date: @HawthornRidgeCA
The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.
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. We're also on Twitter! Follow us at @WW1podcast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.