Military campaign during World War I
POPULARITY
3 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
2 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
3 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
4 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
2 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
2 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
2 episodes with meuse argonne offensive
From University Press of Kansas: “Serpents of War” is the memoir of Pennsylvanian Major Harry Dravo Parkin, is a rare account of World War I as seen from the perspective of a battalion commander. As a mid-level officer responsible for the lives and welfare of over a thousand men, Parkin conveys the stress of command at a time when one innocent blunder could cost an officer his combat assignment, brings the inferno of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive to life in terrifying, gory detail, and recounts being taken prisoner by the Imperial German Army—a rare experience among American soldiers in 1918. In addition, Parkin provides a detailed account of the 79th Division's attack on Mountfaucon, a military action that remains controversial to this day. This is a book by a brave soldier, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on the battlefield, and a gifted writer. “Serpents of War" is an abridged edition of a nearly 200,000-word World War I memoir that resides in Gettysburg College's Musselman Library, enhanced by the contributions of two scholars of World War I and memory. Written in an unassuming but eloquent style, Parkin's narrative seldom strains for effect. It possesses a strong sense of setting, a knack for capturing the chaos and strange exhilaration of battle, and a sharp eye for the interpersonal, social dynamics of military life—the personality clashes and simmering feuds, as well as the moments of comradeship and accord. “Serpents of War” is an absorbing memoir that holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. Dr. Trout's Travels in Harry Parkin's footsteps - https://kansaspress.ku.edu/blog/2024/09/26/on-the-serpents-trail-following-the-footsteps-of-harry-dravo-parkin/ Where to buy “Serpents of War: An American Officer's Story of World War I Combat and Captivity” - https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700635054/serpents-of-war/ 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 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. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
During World War I, it was common for the German military to tap Allied communications lines along the western front. Seeking to find a way to communicate that could not be interpreted by the enemy, the commander of the 36th Infantry's 142nd Regiment enlisted Choctaw soldiers to send messages in their native language. The result led to successful operations in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which ultimately pushed the Germans out of France and ended the war. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the history and legacy of the Choctaw Code Talkers. Their guest is Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, author of the book, “Anumpa Warrior: Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I.”
The United States entered World War One on April 6th, 1917. Going to war in Europe meant the United States had to greatly expand its Army. It had enlist, train, organize, equip, and deploy hundreds of thousands of young men. One of the units that was part of this expansion was the 79th Infantry Division which was activated in August 1917. Many of the soldiers in the 79th Infantry Division were draftees from Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia. By the time they were deactivated less than two years later, 6,874 of their Division comrades had been killed or wounded. Gene Fax tells the story of the 79th Infantry Division focusing on its involvement in the final yet bloody months of World War One's Western Front.
In this episode, the Hundred Days Offensive is discussed which takes the war into the armistice.
Part IIIn early October 1918, several companies of the US 77th Division found themselves surrounded in the Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Led by Major Charles Whittlesey, the Lost Battalion, as it came to be known, survived a hellish six days. It's a story many are aware of – but like most such stories – it's likely that the popular version we are familiar with doesn't have the richness or nuance of what actually happened. To explore the story of the Lost Battalion, the World War I Podcast hosted Robert J. Laplander, author of Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legend of America's WWI Epic. Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org
Part IIn early October 1918, several companies of the US 77th Division found themselves surrounded in the Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Led by Major Charles Whittlesey, the Lost Battalion, as it came to be known, survived a hellish six days. It's a story many are aware of – but like most such stories – it's likely that the popular version we are familiar with doesn't have the richness or nuance of what actually happened. To explore the story of the Lost Battalion, the World War I Podcast hosted Robert J. Laplander, author of Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legend of America's WWI Epic. Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org
The Lost Battalion was the name given to 554 American soldiers who were encircled by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. These men defended their vulnerable position for nine days with very little food, water and supplies. This episode tells the story of four soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during those nine days: Major Charles Whittlesey, Captain George McMurtry, 1st Lieutenant Harold Goettler, and 2nd Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley.
The Lost Battalion was the name given to 554 American soldiers who were encircled by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. These men defended their vulnerable position for nine days with very little food, water and supplies. This episode tells the story of four soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during those nine days: Major Charles Whittlesey, Captain George McMurtry, 1st Lieutenant Harold Goettler, and 2nd Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley.
Today we talk about the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918, the Space Force looks to accelerate launches, America's new approach to air warfare, the insane plan to turn C-130s into ‘glass cannons', the Air Force Revamps ‘Zero Week' at BMT, and the Buckley SFB idling policy for Government vehicles. Rapid Dragon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZLDDpIzGvg&t=55s
“All right, General. We'll take it, or my name will head the list.” This is the story of Meuse-Argonne and the Americans' continued struggles to take the Kriemhilde Line. Tennessean Alvin York hates war, yet he finds himself an unlikely hero when his youthful days of hunting turn him into a prisoner-taking sharpshooter as the US First Army presses forward against the Germans. But this isn't a battle just for the First Army anymore. A stressed-out, breaking, Black Jack Pershing finally decides to go for the US Second Army and name generals to command each. He'll oversee “only” the whole two-million-strong American Expeditionary Force. If he can keep his job, that is. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau is doing all he can to get the American fired. Nor is Black Jack doing any better at getting along with his usual French frenemy: Marshal Ferdinand Foch. Meanwhile, General Douglas MacArthur is traumatized–so many of his doughboys are slaughtered, why, he wonders, did God spare him? Elsewhere in the battle, Choctaw doughboys save the day as they use their native language to bypass eavesdropping Germans. Yet, for all of this, can the Americans break the Kriemhilde Line? We'll find out. ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn't Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our weekly newsletter, The Revolution Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it.” This is the story of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive's beginnings. “Tout le monde à la bataille.” So says Ferdinand Foch as the Allies hit the Germans from several pressure points at once. For the Americans, that means fighting between the thick woods of the Argonne Forest and the deep waters of the Meuse River. The region is heavily guarded and a “natural fortress.” The attack will have a high cost – including injured Harlem Hellfighters and a wounded George Patton. But deep in the Argonne Forest, some 550 men have the misfortune of being the only force to succeed in pushing as deep as their demanding commander asks. They're isolated, alone, and soon, surrounded by the Germans with no food, supplies, or reinforcements coming. Worse still, the rest of the US Army isn't even sure where they are behind German lines. This is the harrowing tale of the Lost Battalion. ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn't Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our weekly newsletter, The Revolution Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Over 350,000 African American men joined the United States military during World War I, serving valiantly despite discrimination and slander. Historian and civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois had hoped that their patriotism would help them gain respect and equality, but after the war it was quickly evident that would not be the case. Du Bois spent the next several decades attempting to tell the full story of Black soldiers in the Great War, but despite a vast archive of materials entrusted to him and his own towering intellect, Du Bois was never able to craft a coherent narrative of their participation. Joining me in this episode to discuss Du Bois and his relationship with World War I is Dr. Chad L. WIlliams, the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Brandeis University, and the author of The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War. Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “All Of No Man's Land Is Ours,” written by James Europe and Noble Sissle, with vocals by Noble Sissle; the song was recorded around March 14, 1919 and is in the public domain and available via Wikimedia Commons. The episode image is “The famous 369th arrive in New York City,” photographed by Paul Thompson on February 26, 1919; the image is in the public domain and is available via the National Archives (National Archives Identifier: 26431290; Local Identifier: 165-WW-127A-12). Additional Sources: “W.E.B. Du Bois,” NAACP. "Du Bois, W. E. B.," by Thomas C. Holt, African American National Biography. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. "W. E. B. Du Bois in Georgia," by Derrick Alridge, New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Jul 21, 2020. “Niagara Movement,” History.com, Originally posted December 2, 2009 and updated February 24, 2021. “U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917,” Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State. “The African Roots of War,” by W. E. B. Du Bois, The Atlantic, May 1915. “Why Frederick Douglass Wanted Black Men to Fight in the Civil War,” by Farrell Evans, History.com, Originally posted February 8, 2021 and updated November 22, 2022. “Patriotism Despite Segregation: African-American Participation During World War I,” The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. “African Americans in the Military during World War I,” National Archives. “The 93rd Division During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive,” Pritzker Military Museum & Library. “African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions,” EdSiteMent, The National Endowment for the Humanities “W. E. B. Du Bois, World War I, and the Question of Failure,” by Chad Williams, Black Perspectives, February 19, 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this latest Trench Chat we are joined by Mike Cunha of the Battles of the First World War Podcast to talk about his interest in the Great War and the wider aspect of American involvement in the conflict and how it is remembered there today. We also discuss the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and Mike's recent visit to the battlefields. Support the show
Victor Davis Hanson debriefs with cohost Sami Winc on the election results and talks about the bravery of men in combat in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the battle for Okinawa, and fire bombing Tokyo March 9-10, 1945.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jace chats with writer/artist Reid Beaman about his World War I graphic novel The Stretcher Bearers. Focused on the unsung heroes of the war who risked their lives to retrieve wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Maxwell Fox didn't know what he would witness in France. America had only been in the Great War since April 2, 1917. Nothing could have prepared him for the horrors that awaited him and the rest of the men of the 4th Infantry “Ivy” Division. As the Meuse-Argonne Offensive raged on, Maxwell became assigned to a unit of stretcher bearers, men who were tasked with running into harm's way to rescue their fallen brethren from the clutches of death. This wouldn't be an easy job, but with Graham, Frank, and Ralph by his side, Maxwell had to rely on his team and hope to survive. A dark and honest look at the bond of brotherhood during war, The Stretcher Bearers tells the unforgettable tale of a young soldier trying to save the lives of wounded soldiers and keep the men he'd formed a bond with alive. But in the “war to end all wars,” no one was safe.
Alvin York was the first common soldier in the Great War to become a national hero. He is remembered not only for his bravery in the Meuse Argonne Offensive, but also for his humility when he returned home. He was a faithful soldier, husband, and father.
This battle is the last and most significant U.S. troops fought during WWI. We discuss the preparation leading up to the fight, some of the challenges both U.S. and German troops faced, and how both sides handled the armistice when they received the news. We end the episode by talking about some of the statistics on the war.
S14-E17 Topics: tank warfare, Battle of Verdun, Meuse-Argonne Battle, Russians leave WWI, U.S. enters WWI, and armistice. PDF documents: U.S. entry to WWI, Battle of Verdun, Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and tanks in WWI. The following links allow you to subscribe: iTunes and Apple Podcast, Amazon Music/Audible, Castbox.fm, Deezer, Facebook, Gaana, Google Podcast, iHeartRadio, Player.fm, Radio Public, Samsung Listen, Stitcher, TuneIn, Twitter, Vurbl, and YouTube. Automatically available through these podcast apps: Castamatic, iCatcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RSSRadio, and more. Please post comments to the individual episodes, post to the iTunes podcast review and rating section, and email to me, arendale@umn.edu You can also check out my other four podcasts and other social media at www.davidmedia.org
(Bonus) The Meuse–Argonne offensive was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. It was fought from September 26, 1918, until the Armistice of November 11, 1918, a total of 47 days. The Meuse–Argonne offensive was the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers. It is the deadliest battle in American history, resulting in over 350,000 casualties including 28,000 German lives, 26,277 American lives and an unknown number of French lives. U.S. losses were worsened by the inexperience of many of the troops, the tactics used during the early phases of the operation and the widespread onset of the global influenza outbreak called the "Spanish flu".
Be sure to subscribe for more - Creation Grounds Podcast Level up in your career & book more consistent work with an easy to use online tool that tracks audition & workshop metrics at Auditiontrackers.com ________ Website: Sgt. Lloyd WWI Sergeant Perry Loyd did not live to see the day he was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, but a ceremony was held Saturday at Fort Jackson to honor him. Sgt. Loyd was acknowledged for his contribution and sacrifice as a volunteer soldier during World War I. Perry W. James IV, grandson of Sgt. Lloyd, received the medal on behalf of his family. According to information provided by Ft. Jackson, Loyd was from South Carolina and trained at Camp Jackson in 1917. He deployed as part of the 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Force and was wounded in action Sept. 29, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Loyd was discharged at the end of the war and returned to his life as a sharecropper in Sumter County. Loyd died in 1946 when he was 61-years-old. He never knew his chain of command had recommended he receive the Wounded Chevron, which later qualified him for the Purple Heart Medal. James, who was named after his grandfather, learned about the medal that was never delivered and started the necessary steps to correct the error. Military personnel, relatives, along with friends and family from across the country, witnessed the ceremony. Perry has a historical novel based on Sgt. Lloyd that is releasing this November or December. ________ Some Questions I Ask: Favorite military film? (2:46) On memorable moment in youth. (3:14) On discovery of Perry Lloyd & beginnings of research into him. (5:59) Biggest challenge of research and what about your discoveries (besides him being family) really made you believe Sgt. Lloyd was an important person for you to learn more about? (7:54) What was the process of getting the purple heart for Sgt. Perry Lloyd? (10:20) More on the 371st colored infintry regiment and historical context. (13:45) Besides the internal drive and connection of Perry Lloyd being family, what makes this an important story to tell in your opinion? (19:10) Process of deciding to write a novel. (21:06) Book that you've gifted the most in the past year? (25:44) What are you working on now or desire to work on next? (27:55) When you think of the word "creative" who comes to mind for you and why? (35:56) How can people connect with you? (38:28) ____________ You can follow Arron at: Website: ArronLloyd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arronlloyd/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArronLloyd Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/arronsl316 TikTok:Arronslloyd Youtube: Arron Lloyd This is NYC merch -
November 11, 1918. At exactly 11 AM local time, the shooting stops. It's eerily quiet for the first time in a long time. World War I has finally come to an end today after Germany and the Allied nations signed an armistice not long before. The final battle of the war, known today as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, saw an unexpected turn of events and a surprising victory. Today: the battle that ended the first world war. How did an inexperienced American army help turn the tides? And how did the Meuse-Argonne Offensive change the way America would fight future wars?Thank you to our guest, Professor Mitchel Yockelson, author of “Forty-Seven Days: How Pershing's Warriors Came of Age to Defeat the German Army in World War I.”Primary source letter from army doctor Stanhope Bayne-Jones can be found on the website of the Historical Collections of the US National Library of Medicine. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In honor of Fort Hunter Liggett’s 80 th anniversary we repost c orrespondent Tom Wilmer's conversation with Brian Neumann, Ph.D., a historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair in Washington D.C. Newmann talks about lieutenant General Hunter Liggett, who was second-in-command of the U.S. Army’s World War 1 American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. Liggett was a visionary tactician who transformed field tactics through combined-arms that remain employed by the U.S. Army today. Neumann ’s conversation was recorded at Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County November 8, 2018 following his presentation about the Meuse-Argonne Offensive—the last battle of World War 1; and the subsequent Armistice signed on November 11, 1918. Lt. General Hunter Liggett served in the regular Army prior to WWI with duties that included deployment to the Spanish American War and the Western Frontier. Underwriting support for Journeys of Discovery provided by Nashville's Big Back Yard
James and Sean discuss the 2001 made-for-television movie The Lost Battalion, in which an American battalion becomes isolated and surrounded by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of 1918.
After Germany's' failed spring offensive, realized the only way to win was to push into France before the United States fully deployed its resources. The French and British were barely hanging on in 1918. By 1918, French reserves of military-aged recruits were literally a state secret; there were so few of them still alive. The British, barely maintaining 62 divisions on the Western Front, planned, in the course of 1918 – had the Americans not appeared – to reduce their divisions to thirty or fewer and essentially to abandon the ground war in Europe. But with the Americans, it renewed the fighting chances for the Allies. They decisively overtook the Germans at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in September. In November, Kaiser Wilhelm, visiting Spa, was advised that he had no real control over much of the army. While there, he received a telegram from Berlin that read “All troops deserted. Completely out of hand.” Wilhelm decided to go to the Netherlands. There, he abdicated on November 9. The war officially came to an end on November 11, where all troops kept a moment of silence.It was a religious experience. Here's what novelist Kurt Vonnegut says about it: "I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the Voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind."
After Germany's' failed spring offensive, realized the only way to win was to push into France before the United States fully deployed its resources. The French and British were barely hanging on in 1918. By 1918, French reserves of military-aged recruits were literally a state secret; there were so few of them still alive. The British, barely maintaining 62 divisions on the Western Front, planned, in the course of 1918 – had the Americans not appeared – to reduce their divisions to thirty or fewer and essentially to abandon the ground war in Europe. But with the Americans, it renewed the fighting chances for the Allies. They decisively overtook the Germans at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in September. In November, Kaiser Wilhelm, visiting Spa, was advised that he had no real control over much of the army. While there, he received a telegram from Berlin that read “All troops deserted. Completely out of hand.” Wilhelm decided to go to the Netherlands. There, he abdicated on November 9. The war officially came to an end on November 11, where all troops kept a moment of silence.It was a religious experience. Here's what novelist Kurt Vonnegut says about it: "I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the Voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind."
08OCT1918: In the midst of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I, CPL Alvin York and a small team of American Soldiers were tasked with taking out a series of German machine gun positions that were causing problems up and down the line. Infiltrating the German lines, CPL York and his team quickly overran a headquarters unit where they captured about 30 prisoners. As they were reorganizing, a series of German machine guns opened up on their position. The initial barrage killed all in the patrol who outranked York so he quickly found himself in charge of the remainder and he went on the attack. Alternating between a prone, kneeling and standing position, York utilized his incredible marksmanship skills to neutralize one enemy machine gunner after another. Every time one would pop his head above the parapet to see where to shoot, York was there to knock him down. Just as he was running out of ammunition, six German soldiers charged York with bayonets drawn. Pulling his sidearm, York shot and killed all six before they reached him. Throughout the engagement, York was yelling for the German enemy to surrender and was finally taken up on it. Assuming they were under a barrage from a much larger force, nearly 90 German prisoners walked down the hill to surrender to York and his 8 able bodied Soldiers. CPL York assembled the prisoners and marched all 132 back to American lines where he would be promoted to Sergeant, awarded the Medal of Honor, and would survive the war.
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: https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/ Jame’s two books can be found here: https://www.hellgatepress.com/james-p-gregory-jr/
On this episode of Battles & Banter, Avery is joined by Justin to discuss the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War 1, which was the bloodiest engagement in American military history. Over the course of six weeks, the American Expeditionary Force lost over 26,277 soldiers killed in action, and over 95,786 wounded. The casualties for the French, Siamese & German forces engaged in the battle were equally as high. Justin gives his perspectives on the battle and recollects his personal experiences of visiting the World War I battlefields during the Centennial Events last year in 2018, all of which Avery reacts to with a mixture of amazement and jealousy. The guys missed Tony & Codie this week, but will catch them next time! Still an amazing episode so enjoy!
[Warning] This episode contains explicit language and explicit themes. Listener discretion is advised. The Americans are coming! But are they any good at recording their own history? Danny tries to answer that question while analyzing Mr. Yockelson's book on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the only real major offensive the American Expeditionary Force participated in for the entire Great War. How do the Doughboys fair in the European theater for the first round? Did they really save Europe twice? It's all in this special Centennial episode! Tune in every Tuesday for a new episode of The Broken Shelf. ~Follow all the Legionaries on Twitter~ Danny: twitter.com/legionsarchive The Tsar: twitter.com/TsarAlexander6 Allen: twitter.com/blkydpease Spangar: twitter.com/LSFspangar ~Credits~ Original Sound Cloud image provided by Amazon at www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z8VTP7A/ref…oding=UTF8&btkr=1 Original cover art owned by Mitchell Yockelson, New American Library, NAL Calibre, Penguin Random House, and Tiffany Estreicher. The Broken Shelf icon created and published by "The Broken Shelf" and Danny Archive. Podcast Opening recorded by Delayne Archive and edited by Danny Archive. Accompanying Opening music: Title - "Dreams Electric" Artist - Geographer Provided free from YouTube Audio Library We apologize for the quality of the accompanying songs; however, we wanted to keep the original tone. Interlude Song - "Over there! - March-Foxtrot" Artist - Billy Murray - Chorus - O Album - 5659-A EDISON -BA 3275 Outro Song - "I DIDN'T RAISE MY BOY TO BE A SOLDIER" Artist - Peerless Quartet Album - COLUMBIA A-1697 ~Check out "The Great War" YouTube specials~ The USA: www.youtube.com/watch?v=57JKPEryvXQ St. Mihiel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC0EyP5AmYk Meuse-Argonne: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x80GwbW3Kw Pershing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffX-4jC-4g Tanks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjj13U-j0_g ~Recommended Amazon Documentaries~ Pershing: www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B…f=atv_wtlp_wtl_10 America in the War: www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B…ef=atv_wtlp_wtl_6 Podcast edited by Danny Archive using Audacity. Download Audacity here: https://www.audacityteam.org/ This podcast is fair use under U.S. copyright law because it is (1) transformative in nature, the audio is a journalistic commentary on popular media (2) uses no more of the original work than necessary for the podcast's purpose, the claimed duration is an edited clip for rhetoric, and (3) does not compete with the original work and could have no negative affect on its market. DISCLAIMER: We do not own any of the materials (music/artworks). All rights belong to the original artists. If you are the content owner and want to remove it, please contact us at legionssoulfood@gmail.com. Thank you! ~Do Us A Favor~ If you downloaded the podcast via anything else other than Sound Cloud, maybe check out our Sound Cloud, give us a follow, and listen to a few more of our other tracks. Sound Cloud was there from the beginning for us and no matter what the others provide it was and is our host. Thanks! Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-377177156
From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott & Charles Riggle
“Just as we were walking down that long line it suddenly crept over me and I realized that I would never again be in the United States…” The “Great War” had raged in Europe for three years before the United States joined the conflict on the side of the Allies in April 1917. Like most young American men of the era, those from Wheeling harbored romantic notions of war, it having been more than 50 years since the American Civil War ended. Thousands of Wheeling men eagerly registered for the draft in 1917. Most of Wheeling’s WWI soldiers served in the U.S. Army’s 80th Division, known as the Blue Ridge in honor of the mountains. Most of these were trained at Camp Lee Virginia near Petersburg under the command of Colonel Robert S. Welsh. A large number from the Wheeling area, like Lester Scott and Charles Riggle, served in the 314th Field Artillery. They started shipping in large numbers to the trenches of France by summer 1918. A few months after that, local casualties were listed in the Wheeling newspapers almost daily. 4.7 million Americans served in the American Expeditionary Forces in WWI, and more than 116,000 died. 58,000 of those Americans came from West Virginia, and 5,000 of those West Virginians were killed or wounded (1120 killed in combat). More than 3000 from Ohio County served. Reports differ, but somewhere between 70 and 100 were killed. The first soldier from Wheeling to be killed on the battlefield was 20-year-old PFC Edward Franklin Bowman of Company D, 28th Infantry, 1st. Division, whose death notice was received on August 5, 1918. Less than three months later, and just two weeks before the Great War would finally end with an armistice signed in Paris, Lester Scott of Dallas, West Virginia, a farm boy who was drafted in Wheeling in April 1917 and shipped overseas a year later to serve as a Wagoner (mule team driver) in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, was killed in action in France. Les was killed 100 years ago today on October 29, 1918, during the final push to end the war, the massive 47-day Meuse-Argonne Offensive, during which more than 26,000 American soldiers died. It remains the most lethal military operation in the history of the United States. Digital scans and transcripts of the Lester Scott letters can be viewed at: http://www.archivingwheeling.org/blog/from-camp-lee-to-the-great-war-october-29-1918-regarding-lester-scott Credits: "From Camp Lee to the Great War: The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle" is brought to you by http://archivingwheeling.org in partnership with the Ohio County Public Library (http://www.ohiocountylibrary.org) and the WALS Foundation (http://walswheeling.com). Jeremy Richter is the voice of Lester Scott. The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle were transcribed by Jon-Erik Gilot. This podcast was edited and written by Sean Duffy, audio edited by Erin Rothenbuehler. Music: "America," [Smith, Samuel Francis] (composer) [Unidentified band] (performer), 1914, courtesy Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010370/ Many thanks to Marjorie Richey for sharing family letters and the stories of her uncles, Lester Scott and Charles “Dutch” Riggle, WWI soldiers from West Virginia.
Joe is joined by Historian, writer, and host of the War Stories Cast Angry Staff Officer to talk about the 100th Anniversary of the Meuse Argonne Offensive and the development of the US Army from a stick wielding joke to a super power. Follow the show on Twitter @lions_by Follow Joe @jkass99 Follow Angry Staff Officer @pptsapper and check out the War Stories Cast here https://warstoriescast.com
Extreme Genes - America's Family History and Genealogy Radio Show & Podcast
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. David starts out sharing details of his experience taking a cruise on America’s oldest active naval ship, the USS Constitution. The guys begin Family Histoire News with a note that this past week marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the Meuse Argonne Offensive in World War I. The action led to the end of the war, but cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides. Next, a woman who was abandoned near Rochester, NY in 1978, known as “Baby Lilac,” is looking for her birth family. Hear some of the details. Then, DNA has come through again in identifying the previously unknown remains of a World War II soldier killed on a Pacific Island in World War II in 1943 at the age of 21. David’s Blogger Spotlight then shines on Jen Rickards of Union, Missouri. Her site, AuntieJensTrees.blogspot.com, features great blogs on memories of 9/11, cemetery epitaphs and many other topics. Next, Fisher visits with Colin Colbourne of the “Bent Prop Project.” It’s an organization that has been searching for several years for remains of America’s war heroes, mostly from World War II. They have brought home several of the tens of thousands of remains still missing from the war, and the participants often do so paying expenses out of their own pocket. Then, Tempe, Arizona resident Alyson Gunner Johnson talks with Fisher about how her DNA test led her to her birth mother, which eventually caused her to become a “search angel,” helping other adoptees to find members of their birth families. Alyson explains how you might do the same. Fisher then catches up with “Team Green” from BYUtv’s Relative Race. The married couple talks about their first two weeks on the show, and the emotional experiences of finding family members they’ve never known. Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority from TMCPlace.com, then goes through some basics for those who may have water damaged documents and photographs as a result of Hurricane Florence. Tom will tell you how these and other family keepsakes may still be salvaged! That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show.
Highlights Wilson flips position on Women’s Suffrage | @01:55 The first day at the Meuse - Michael Shuster | @08:55 First person accounts from the 91st Wild West Division - Dr. Edward Lengel | @13:25 Archiving the Centennial for posterity | @20:30 Bells of Peace at St. Mary’s in Burlington, NJ | @23:10 The Bells of Peace APP is now available for download | @24:15 Tennessee in WWI - Michael Birdwell | @25:30 The story of Erwin Bleckley - Lt.-Col Doug Jacobs (Ret.) | @31:20 New book “Thunder in the Argonne” - Col. Douglas Mastriano (Ret.) | @37:55 Speaking & WWI War Tech mashup: Dog Tags | @44:30 Articles and Posts - Highlights from the Dispatch Newsletter | @48:15 The Buzz - The Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @51:00----more---- WWI THEN 100 Years Ago https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/woodrow-wilson-and-the-womens-suffrage-movement-reflection https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/17/102833904.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/24/102837594.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/27/102838545.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/28/102839217.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/29/109330227.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/29/109330442.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/09/30/102839744.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/10/01/97029350.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/10/03/98271673.pdf Great War Project http://greatwarproject.org/2018/09/23/the-meuse-argonne-offensive-grinds-to-a-halt/ America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 http://www.edwardlengel.com/the-wild-west-division-in-the-meuse-argonne/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/portfolio/282/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ World War One Now Commission News http://ww1cc.org/YourAce http://ww1cc.org/bells http://ww1cc.org/film http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/events/special-events/wwicc-honor-and-remember/ Updates from the States https://tnsos.net/TSLA/GWC/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tennessee-Great-War-Commission/1560904157516730 Remembering Veterans https://www.ksn.com/news/local/veterans-look-to-honor-wichitan-killed-in-wwi/1292796854 Spotlight in the Media https://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Argonne-Americas-Greatest-Campaigns/dp/0813175550 http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2018/03/thunder-in-argonne-reviewed-by-peter-l.html https://www.kentuckypress.com/live/title_detail.php?titleid=4777 WW1 War Tech and Speaking WW1 https://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5470 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_tag#cite_note-12 Articles and Posts http://www.ww1cc.org/dispatch http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.html The Buzz www.facebook.com/ww1centennial https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/09/24/coast-guard-mark-th-anniversary-one-world-war-is-largest-us-naval-combat-losses https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/09/24/century-later-america-must-remember-lessons-one-its-biggest-blunders Sponsors: The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission The Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Starr Foundation Production: Producer & Host: Theo Mayer Line Producer: Katherine Akey Interview editing: Mac Nelsen and Tim Crowe Research: JL Michaud Intern: Rachel Hurt
In the summer of 1918 the Germans were spent, and the Allies began rolling them back. Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch had a plan to smash the enemy back and potentially end the war that year. GEN John J “Blackjack” Pershing and his American Expeditionary Force were to play a major role in Foch’s plan, but to Pershing only as an independent force under his command. The story of the plans for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive is one of two very strong personalities coming together after a long, bumpy road. The BFWWP is now 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. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, 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.
It’s time to start the new battle we’re going to cover, which will be the American-led Meuse-Argonne Offensive of 1918. We’re going to begin with an interview with Mr. Randy Gaulke, a fellow WW1 enthusiast, researcher, website master, and battlefield tour guide. Mr. Gaulke runs the website www.meuse-argonne.com, which contains a wealth of information regarding the 47-day battle that defined American involvement in the Great War. The website contains several features such as bibliographies, articles, research statistics, travel tips, and a feature called “People of the Meuse-Argonne,” where individuals who study, write about, or live in the Meuse-Argonne give a quick biography of themselves. There is also a meuse-argonne.com FaceBook page, which connects you with hundreds of like-minded and incredibly helpful folks who readily share information, photos, and travel tips. Please check out: www.meuse-argonne.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624894481060334/ The BFWWP is now 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. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, 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.
Highlights Feb. ‘18 overview - Ed Lengel, Katherine Akey, Theo Mayer | @01:40 War In The Sky 1918 preview - RG Head | @11:20 Fighting in Russia - Mike Shuster | @18:20 Harlem’s Rattlers - Dr. Jeffrey Sammons | @22:40 A Century in the Making - The maquette arrives in DC | @30:00 Speaking WWI - Attaboy! | @35:40 Nurse Josephine Heffernan - Dr. Marjorie DesRosier | @37:30 100C/100M Beaverton Michigan - Ed Rachwitz & Scott Govitz | @43:25 WWI War Tech - Gas Masks | @47:55 Articles & Posts - Dazzle Camo & S.S. Tuscania sinks | @49:45 The Buzz - WWI Social Media - Katherine Akey | @51:55----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #57 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is February 2nd, 2018 and our guests for this week include: Dr. Edward Lengel, in our February 1918 overview RG Head, with a full year look at the War in the Sky Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog looking at the chaotic situation in Russia Dr. Jeffrey Sammons speaking about the Harlem Rattlers and the African American soldiers’ experience in WWI Dr. Marjorie DesRosier telling us about nurse Josephine Heffernan Ed Rachwitz and Scott Govitz, from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Beaverton, Michigan Katherine Akey, with some selections from the centennial of WWI in social media All that and more --- this week -- on WW1 Centennial News -- which is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] NEW - Monthly Preview Roundtable Overview Chat with Ed, Katherine and Theo THEO Before we jump into our wayback machine and look at 100 years ago this week, we are going to try something new. You know we have editorial meetings twice a week where we define the content for each week’s show. For the history section - which is one of the most popular parts of the podcast - we get into these great conversations about “what was really going on 100 years ago this week”. We look at the politics, the Official bulletin, the NY times, history book references and of course we have our own little band of experts and researchers - It occurs to us that having a short version of one of these conversations -- in front of YOU at the top of each month… might be a great way to provide context and overview. In other words - from an overview perspective and of course with 20/20 hindsight - what is the next month all about in the War the changed the world? - and what are the themes we are going to hear about this coming month… So the other day, Dr. Ed Lengel, Katherine Akey and I sat down (virtually of course - Ed was in Dublin, Katherine in DC and I am in LA) --- and we talked about February 1918 - Here is how it went…. [MUSIC TRANSITION] Ed… it seems like the big theme in February is all about troop movements and preparation - The Americans to Europe and prepping for engaging the enemy - the Germans from the eastern front - leaving Russia for the western front and prepping for a knock-out spring offensive… so what are some of the specifics? ED [ED Lay out the basic outlines and punctuate with the “topic headers” of some specifics - -America sending ever larger numbers of troops over - New rounds of training as arriving divisions get embedded with British and French troops -Loss of the tuscania -German armistice and peace with Russia withdraw from the Eastern front, leave Russia and red/white armies to their internal divisions - While Germans can concentrate forces to counter American support -Germans want to “school” fresh US troops, and want US Media to report on it; Germans being very strategic with their aggression [KATHERINE] -month dramatic climax with the German COUNTER Gas attack on 1st division Ansauville near Metz/Nancy Feb 26/27th THEO TRANSITION Katherine you came up with some great references and article that illustrate Ed’s points - can you give us some of the datelines, headlines and gist of some of these? NOTE: Katherine - based on the articles you are picking - If I know what they are - we might break up ed section with references rather than having them all at the end. -French and British (publically) very optimistic about outlook, skeptical of the strength of German attack on west Links:https://history.army.mil/documents/wwi/ansau/ansac.htm https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/01/23/102660120.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/01/23/102660119.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/01/30/102662967.pdf https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ War in the Sky For our War In The Sky segment, we are joined today by RG Head, retired Air Force Brigadier General, former fighter pilot, military historian, and author Welcome RG [greet one another] [RG - thank for joining us again. I wanted to bring you on to help us with an overview of the War in The Sky for 1918. Of course it has to be in context of the other key events of the year, but what should we expect for 1918 in the the War in the Sky?] RG MAJOR AIR EVENTS OF WORLD WAR I IN 1918 1918 opened gloomily for the Allies. The aerial war in 1917 had introduced massed fighter tactics, close air support of ground forces and some strategic bombing. For the Allies, their many concentrated 1917 offensives failed and resulted in high losses on the ground and in the air. The Allies were on the defensive. On the other hand, Germany instituted "The Amerika Plan," which featured five major offensives in an attempt to win the war before the Americans can make a meaningful contribution. Part of this plan was for the German Air Force to double its size in eight months in the hope of winning back air superiority, which it lost in the months after "Bloody April" 1917. In February, the German Air Service forms two more Fighter Wings based on the success of Manfred von Richthofen's Jagdgeschwader I. In late February, the German Army launches Operation Michael against the British, the first of the major offensives in the West, advancing 30 miles in eight days. The Germans mass 750 aircraft against the English 580, including 38 ground attack squadrons. The air battle is one-sided: the British lost 478 aircraft in 10 days, and by April 29 had lost 1,302. Britain was only saved by their high production rate of aircraft and pilots. On March 3, The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk certified the Russian surrender, and the Germans initiate a massive transfer of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and aircraft from the Eastern to the Western Front. On the first of April, Britain forms the Royal Air Force, the first independent air arm of any nation. The RAF also includes an Independent Air Force performing the first strategic bombing missions on a large scale. The same day in April, German Sergeant Weimar is the first combat pilot to escape his aircraft using a parachute. The British would not issue parachutes to its aviators until September 1918. In the Spring, the major achievement in air operations must be the organization, training and combat performance of the US Air Service. From its status in April 1917 of only 65 officers and 1,100 men, the Air Service grew to 7,700 officers, 51,000 men, with over 75 percent of them deployed to France, supporting 45 fighting squadrons. In June and July, the Germans launch two offensives for the Marne River, the last of their five 1918 desperate attacks. The American Expeditionary Force (AEF) contributes to the Allied victory at Chateau-Thierry in preventing the Germany Army from crossing the river. September is the costliest month of the war for the Allied Air Forces as they lose 580 aircraft to the Germans 107 (over a 5:1 ratio). The US Air Service makes its first big contribution. The German Air Force, led by 80 fighter squadrons, is the only force that significantly impacts the Allies, making the month forever known as "Black September." On the 12th of September the Americans take the offensive in the Battle of St-Mihiel, a distinctly US operation involving seven Army divisions and 665,000 men. Brigadier General Billy Mitchell assembles a force of over 1,400 Allied aircraft, the largest air operation in history, and the Americans are victorious. On the 26th of September, Americans began their most important battle of the war, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. With over 1,200,000 men we break through the Hindenberg Line, supported by the US Army Air Service. Finally, the Armistice comes on the 11th of November. [thanks/goodbyes] Thank you RG RG Head, Retired Air Force brigadier general, fighter pilot, military historian and author. His latest book is a biography of Oswald Boelcke, often referred to as the father of combat aviation. RG Head is also the curator a comprehensive - nearly day-by-day “War in the Sky” timeline on the Commission website at ww1cc.org/warinthesky - all lower case - one word. We have links to the book, timeline and RG’s facebook page in the podcast notes Link: https://www.facebook.com/rg.head/ www.ww1cc.org/warinthesky https://www.amazon.com/RG-Head/e/B01M59UA64 [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Now on to the Great War project with Mike Shuster - former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. Mike: So the Russians stopped fighting the German - but the Russians now sure seem to be fighting each other! Or the Germans are still fighting them - or something - What’s the story Mike? [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/01/28/lenin-declares-establishment-of-soviet-union/ [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel Here are this week’s new videos our friends at “The Great War Channel” on Youtube. One is about Russia’s internal wars - Civil War in Finland and Ukraine And - Trenches at 10,000 feet - Fighting on Mount Lagazuoi And Finally British Special Forces Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW It is time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] this section is not about history, but rather - it explores what is happening NOW to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! Remembering Veterans DONE February is African American History month - so over the next few weeks we will be bringing you a series of guests and stories that highlight the African American experience in WWI. It is an important, complex and sometimes horrific story of brave patriots fighting not only a war, but also a very racist culture. Interview with Dr. Sammons We will start this week in our Remembering Veterans section with Dr. Jeffrey Sammons, historian, professor of history at NYU, member of the commission’s history advisory board and co-author of the book Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality. Welcome, [Dr. Sammons] [greetings] [Dr. Sammons - The Harlem rattlers - also known widely as the Harlem Hellfighters are famous as a unit and a regimental band, but who they actually were and what they did is much less known - Can you give us an overview?] [Dr. Sammons - as we noted at the top of the show - Pershing insisted, for the most part, on troop deployment under American command - but the 369th was under French command operationally until July 1918. Tell us about that please…] [So when they fighting stopped “over there”, there was another big struggle as these men came home. What kind of situation did the African American soldiers and heroes of WW1 come home to?] [goodbyes] Dr. Jeffrey Sammons is a historian, professor, author and Historical Advisor to the WW1 Centennial Commission. Link:https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/whats_on/pritzker-military-presents/jeffrey-sammons-harlems-rattlers-and-great-war/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/about/the-commission/advisory-boards/historical-advisory-board.html A century in the making - The Maquette Arrives Now for: A century in the making - the story of America’s WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. In this segment we take you on an insider’s journey that explores this grand undertaking, and the people behind it. This week the Maquette arrived in Washington DC. Sabin Howard, the project’s sculptor, has spent month in New Zealand working with the WETA Workshop to create this first 9 foot long realization of the planned ginormous bronze… late last week he packed it up and shipped it to Washington! (sound from sabin footage) This past Wednesday on January 31st, it arrived on the commission’s doorstep! (more sound) And the team got a first look!!! Including US WWI Centennial Commission Chair Terry Hamby... (first reactions) around the middle of the month - The machete will be presented to and reviewed by Washington’s Commission of Fine Arts - - they one of the governing and approval bodies for any project in Washington DC… After their review, the Maquette will be introduced to the nation on a national television show to be announced shortly. Though we can’t show it to you yet, this is a podcast so we have been able to give you a sneak listen to the maquette arriving in Washington DC! We are going to continue to bring you an insider’s view with stories about the epic undertaking to create America’s WWI memorial in our nation’s capital. Learn more at ww1cc.org/memorial Link: www.ww1cc.org/memorial [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1” - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- We have told you part of this story before - On the morning of July 4th in 1917, the mounted band of the French Republican Guard arrived with a large crowd before the residence in Paris of the recently arrived Gen. John J. Pershing. He came to the window when he heard the “Star Spangled Banner,” and the crowd respectfully removed their hats for the American general. That morning - Gen Pershing and the men of the 16th infantry marched down the streets of Paris, celebrating the renewed Franco-American allegiance. Well - turns out that a French newspaper L’Intransigent reported that, A cry was heard to-day by Parisians who acclaimed Gen. Pershing and his men. It was "Atta boy! atta boy! The phrase is a simple popular contraction for 'That's the boy!' which means 'Here is the man for the situation!" and on our fighting front it soon became a war cry for the American troops. 'Atta boy !' So Soon the phrase became synonymous with the American Troops. In fact, in 1918, according to the Baltimore Evening Sun , the British took a real liking to the phrase after overhearing it being shouted by American soldiers during a baseball game. The paper reported that - “All the London papers have taken it up, with the result that in London, at least, the Americans are now almost unanimously called "Attaboys." But ultimately - Doughboys won out! Attaboy - this week’s phrase for speaking WWI - See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t9t156s17 [SOUND EFFECT] Spotlight in the Media For our Spotlight in the Media this week- We have a story about an episode from a French documentary television program called “13h15”. The episode is about an American Immigrant nurse named Josephine Heffernan, who served in France during WW1. We’re pleased to be joined by Dr. Marjorie DesRosier, who did much of the research on nurse Josephine. Dr. DesRosier is an international nurse historian and independent scholar specializing in the early history of American Red Cross nursing and nursing challenges of the Great War era in the U.S. and Europe. She, herself is also a Registered Nurse and former clinical professor from the University of Washington School of Nursing, in Seattle. Welcome, Dr. DesRosier [greetings] [DesRosier, can you start by telling us a bit about Josephine? Who was she, and how did she end up in France as a nurse?] [Would you tell us the story about the bracelet?] [Are there other stories like Josephine’s-- where you have been able to connect with descendents of the nurses who served in the war?] [Are you working on any other project about WWI nurses?] [Thank you so much for being here!] [goodbyes] Dr. DesRosier is an international nurse historian, independent scholar and registered nurse - Follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more about nurse Josephine Heffernan. Link:https://www.francetvinfo.fr/replay-magazine/france-2/13h15/13h15-du-dimanche-7-janvier-2018_2539393.html https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/1101/916742-bracelet/ [SOUND EFFECT] 100 Cities/100 Memorials Moving on to our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment about the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials. This week we are profiling The Survivor' WWI War Monument in Beaverton, Michigan -- a 100 Cities/100 Memorials round 1 awardee. With us tell us about the project are Ed Rachwitz, member of the Gladwin County American Legion Post 171, and Scott Govitz, former Beaverton Mayor and current Chair of the Beaverton Downtown Development Authority. Both serve on the Beaverton WW1 Memorial Committee. Welcome gentlemen [The WWI memorial in Beaverton is really striking - as you might guess, I have seen literally hundreds of WWI memorials - and this one is truly unique… it is a really beautiful stone bas-relief sculpture - and it shows both a proud doughboy and the war’s devastation - Since this is an audio program - Can you describe it for our listening audience.] [The artist was a prewar german immigrant named Helmut von Zengen - tells us a bit about him please!] [So apparently some years ago, in a well intentioned but misguided attempt to repair the memorial, the repair actually caused some damage. That’s an important story to share. Can you tell us about that?] [What are your rededication plans?] Thank you for coming in today.. If you are anywhere near or traveling near Beaverton - take a stop at this memorial. It is unique, it is dramatic and it is worth seeing. [goodbyes] Ed Rachwitz and Scott Govitz serve on the Beaverton. michigan WW1 Memorial Committee. Learn more about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program by visiting the link at the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities WW1 War Tech This week for, WW1 War Tech we are looking at gas masks As we mentioned at the top of the show, gas was one of the most horrific parts of the WW1 arsenal. It was terrifying-- both physically, and psychologically devastating. Developing a means of protecting soldiers from gas’s devastation was critical. In 1915, the allied forces were caught off guard by the first chlorine gas attack at the Battle of Ypres; many suffocated -- and the Soldiers found a quick battlefield remedy: holding a urine soaked cloth to their face to counteract the chlorine. John Scott Haldane, a scottish medical researcher, immediately undertook the task of developing a gas mask for the allies. Haldane had worked on similar problems before for the mining industry -- in fact - you know his work already - he was the man who came up with the idea of using canaries and other small animals in coal mines to detect odorless, deadly gases. His first invention, called the Black Veil respirator, was simply pads of cotton wrapped in gauze and soaked in a chemical solution. This was a start, but with the increasing density and frequency of gas attacks the technology needed to adapt. And so the box respirator was developed. This turned into an arms race over the course of the war. New and different gases were constantly developed and each demanded new and different kind of protective masks. We’ll explore this subject further in the coming months, but right now - you can learn more about Haldane and his development of the first gas mask by following the link in the podcast notes. Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-who-invented-first-gas-mask-180963073/ https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL31825.002 Articles and Posts The Process Behind Dazzle Ships For articles and posts-- from our rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - in the news section this week, there is an article about the painstaking process of transforming ordinary ships into those decked out with dazzle camouflage. The idea behind dazzle camo, was for ships to be seen, but seen incorrectly. If paint could be used to distort a ship’s angles, the thinking went, that would make it difficult for the ship to be targeted efficiently. Targeting systems at the time were, of course, the human eye and brain, which easily fall prey to being fooled. But how do you test a given scheme for a given ship? The answer: tiny models. Read more about how the U.S. Navy created a vast library of dazzle-painted miniature ships to protect their real counterparts from torpedoes-- by following the link in the podcast notes. BTW - We just heard that there is a Dazzle cammo painted ship scheduled to visit New York Harbor this summer. We’ll let you know more as those plans firm up! Meanwhile we invite you to follow the link in the podcast notes to read the article. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3987-the-painstaking-process-behind-those-wild-wwi-dazzle-naval-paint-jobs.html www.ww1cc.org/news S.S. Tuscania Also another new article posted in the news section of the site this week -- volunteer Caitlin Hamon wrote up the story of the S.S. Tuscania, which encountered some serious trouble 100 years ago this week. On February 5, 1918-- the sun was setting as the Tuscania and her accompanying British convoy made their way toward the cliffs of Scotland. Shortly before 6 p.m. a huge shock sent a tremor through the entire ship; all the lights went out at once, followed by the explosive sound of shattering glass. There was no question as to what had occurred: the Tuscania had been hit by a torpedo-- and over 2,000 American troops were on board. Read the entire story of the dramatic rescues that followed-- and how the local Scottish communities remember the event and those who were lost-- just following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3988-ss-tuscania-sinking-by-u-boat-in-1918-kills-200-americans.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what do you have for us this week? Hi Theo! Embarkation The Center for Military History has a wonderful website about the WW1 Era. This week, we shared a unique page from that website all about embarkation from the US and what awaited troops once they arrived in Europe. It’s a very thorough page filled with maps, lists of materiel being shipped alongside the troops, and photos of the embarkation camps. Troops were continually being shipped out from the states all through 1918, and you can follow their journey from the harbors of the east coast to the training camps in France by visiting the link in the podcast notes. link:https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/wwi/pt02/ch12/pt02-ch12-sec01.html How did Gavrilo Princip feel? Lastly for the week, we shared a post from the “AskHistorians” subreddit. The question being posed: How did Gavrilo Pincip feel about the war he helped start? Princip lived to see most of the war, but not the end of it, dying of Tuberculosis in April 1918. As utter carnage and destruction swept through Europe, the middle east and Africa, it is a great question to ask; he couldn’t have meant to put into motion the death of millions when he pulled the trigger, could he? As the top response on the question says, “In a word, both Princip, and his conspirators, were unapologetic.” The answer pulls from the notes of a psychologist that conducted interviews with Princip while he was incarcerated, and from Paul Jackson’s book "' Union or Death!': Gavrilo Princip, Young Bosnia, and the Role of 'Sacred Time' in the Dynamics of Nationalist Terrorism". It’s a long but very interesting post, investigating the mind and position of the young man who is often pointed to as the spark that lit the fire of war. Read it at the link in the notes. That’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7sme6f/how_did_gavrilo_princip_feel_about_the_war_he/?st=JCTMMGCK&sh=f75baa10 Outro Thank you all for listening to another episode of WW1 Centennial News. We want to thank our guests... Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Mike Shuster, Curator of the great war project blog RG Head, Retired Air Force brigadier general, fighter pilot, and author Dr. Jeffrey Sammons historian, educator and author Dr. Marjorie DesRosier expert on the history of nursing and author Ed Rachwitz and Scott Govitz, from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Beaverton, Michigan Katherine Akey, the commission’s social media director and line producer for the podcast Special thanks to Eric Marr for his research assistance And I am Theo Mayer - your host. The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn on iTunes and google play at ww1 Centennial News, and on Amazon Echo or other Alexa enabled devices. Just say: Alexa: Play W W One Centennial News Podcast. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thank you for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here today about the war that changed the world! [music] Attaboy - you doughboy! So long!
A bloody disaster within a debacle: Today's podcast explores a long-buried claim that American troops, many from Maryland, were betrayed during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I.In 1916, there was a presidential election, with Woodrow Wilson running successfully for a second term while pledging to keep the U.S out of World War I. But that only lasted until the following spring. Congress declared war against Germany in April 1917, and by 1918, American troops were immersed in battle in France. In September, there was a massive offensive involving more than a million troops. That’s where William Walker’s story takes us — into a place known as the Meuse-Argonne, and specifically to a flat-topped hill known as Montfaucon, heavily fortified by the Germans, bristling with machine guns and artillery, a place the French dubbed “Little Gibraltar."Walker’s new book argues that an American general disobeyed orders that likely cost many lives and delayed the end of the war. This story has been buried all these years, and Walker believes he’s found the paper trail that establishes what went wrong and why. The key players in the story: General John "Black Jack" Pershing, commander of the U.S. forces in World War I, a major general named Robert E. Lee Bullard, the 79th Army Division, and two infantry regiments — the 313th, or Baltimore’s Own, and the 314th. We'll also hear the story of Henry Gunther, a soldier from Baltimore who died in the final minute of the so-called War to End All Wars.Links:http://www.betrayalww1.comhttp://www.betrayalww1.com/men-of-montfaucon.htmlhttp://articles.baltimoresun.com/2008-11-11/news/0811100097_1_henry-gunther-11th-month-war-i
Highlights America’s youth goes to war |@01:20 Russia stalls - Germany attacks -Mike Shuster |@08:30 Building the DH-4 bomber |@11:55 WW1 Commemoration flags for Veterans Day |@15:15 DHS and WW1 - Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske |@16:05 “World War 100” and “1917: America Joins The Fight” symposia |@23:30 Speaking WW1 - Cushie! |@25:40 100C/100M in Trafford, PA - Andrew Capets |@27:00 WW1CC.org/edu goes live |@32:20 The Lost Sketchbooks - Rex Passion |@33:10 Roll of Honor Foundation - Jerry Michaud |@39:40 WWrite Blog: “God Armeth the Patriot” |@46:00----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is October 11th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Allison S. Finkelstein (STEEN) and Zack Wilske from the USCIS History Office and Library Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion, author of the WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks And Jerry Michaud Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show. Our theme this week is going to focus on the youth of America - how young people were folded into the war effort THEN - 100 years ago and we also want to tell you more about our current education initiatives about ‘The War That Changed The World” today in our WW1 Centennial News NOW section. In an article "WWI: Support from the home front” written by Richard Zuber - a North Carolinian historian, Zuber helps to frame the issue: When most people hear the word war they think of soldiers and sailors, guns and battles, death and destruction. Those are all part of war, but historians also study everything and everyone affected by conflicts. This is especially true of what military historians call a “total war”. In discussing how women and even the elderly aided in the total war effort in 1917, Zuber notes: Children worked just as hard as the adults and contributed a great deal. Boy Scouts participated in patriotic rallies and the Liberty Loan drives. The Woodcraft Girls distributed food pledge cards and enrolled as “Potatriots” entering a competition for growing the largest potato crop. The Camp Fire Girls baby-sat for women working in war plants and helped the Red Cross roll bandages and make dressings for wounds. Girl Scouts were involved in all those activities and sold war bonds, made scrapbooks for hospitals, and wrapped Christmas packages for soldiers. With that as a setup, let’s jump into the wayback machine to see what was happening for America’s youth and education 100 years ago this week. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Welcome to 1917 It’s the second week of October and the Wilson administration - offers several articles this week in it’s Official Bulletin - about education and teaching patriotism to the youth of America. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline October 9, 1917 Headline: Influence of the War on Teaching History! The article tries to frame America’s entry into the war in terms that teachers might impart. In the article - which is speaking to the teachers - the US Bureau of Educations states: The Nation has finally been drawn into the great War - a war that demands for its successful prosecution not only efficient and courageous service in the Army and Navy but also the loyal cooperation of millions of men and women who are not enrolled in the fighting forces nor directly responsible for the civil administration on which these forces depend. Interestingly - the article goes on the frame the fight as being between free and democratic societies and hereditary monarchies. Quote: We have as clear an interest in international law as individuals have in the laws of society. That was said long before the steam ship, the submarine. and the wireless had broken down our ‘splendid isolation.” No one can take an intelligent part in a great conflict for the safety of democracy -- unless they are really interested in -- and know something about -- nations other than their own—about the difference between a republican government like our own or that of France or the scarcely less democratic constitution of Great Britain on the one side, and, in sharp contrast to all of these, a strongly monarchical government like that of the German Empire, in which the most important measures affecting the national welfare may be practically determined by a single hereditary sovereign or a small group of such sovereigns. In the article there is no reference to the growing socialism in europe and Russia, nor of the powerful dictatorships that would be so prominent in the next generation. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Oct 13, 1917 Headline: Lesson leaflets on patriotism intended for permanent course in public schools The story reads The plan for Educational Administrators Is to Educate a Rising Generation How to Conduct the Business of Living A Wide Variety of Topics Treated in Pamphlets Prepared to Suit Pupils of the Various Grades Will Be Supplied. The article goes on to read In order to bring the lessons of patriotism and of national and international relations within the comprehension of children, the instruction in conservation which is to be given in American schools this year at the insistence of President Wilson will begin with and emphasize home and local problems. A series of lesson leaflets will be issued monthly by the Food Administration and the Bureau of Education throughout the present school year. The plan is to educate a rising generation that will know better than its predecessors how to conduct the business of living. Now - This “theme” for lessons about the “business of living” comes up a number of times, but is not elaborated on - leaving one to wonder what the Wilson Administration meant. However a panoply of headlines do reveal a theme that the government is thinking about the Nations youth and their role in the war effort. Here is a whole bunch of them: On October 2nd: “American school children to be given lessons in community and natural life” in democracy” requested by president” On October 6th: “Leaflets as guides to school teachers sent by us commissions to teach children democracy's meaning” On October 10th: Work of american boy scouts commended in promoting sale of liberty loan bonds And in earlier months: “President appeals to school children of nation to enroll in red cross service” “War topics at high school commencements recommended by commissioner claxton” may 28 “School Bells to ring out call for liberty loan subscriptions” june11 “Schools with shopwork depts urged to continue during summer to train skilled mechanics and high grade helpers” july 27 And finally “Program of school activity during the war suggested to educational institutions” july 7 So as Richard Zuber points out at the top of the section - WW1 is very much a part of daily life in America - for the men called to service, for the mothers, wives and daughters and even for the children of the nation. It is not some remote and distant foreign policy, everyone is in the fight - in some way - the entire citizenry - and non-citizens alike - as we will discuss a bit later in the show. [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project From the Great War Project Blog - we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project. Mike is going to tell us about the collapsing eastern front as Russia stalls and Germany develops a new naval and Storm Trooper prowess in their baltic sea offensive. Welcome Mike! [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/10/09/russia-collapsing-on-land-and-sea/ [SOUND EFFECT] War in the Sky This week in the Great War in the sky, America begins to mass produce a two seater bomber! Although through all of WWI, America never produced or or fielded a single American fighter plane, we did manufacture a bunch of them - and this week 100 years ago, the US Army Air Service put in an order for thousands of British designed DeHavilland DH-4 planes. The version they ordered were to be delivered with the US made American Liberty 12 cylinder engine - rather than the Rolls Royce engine of the British version. It was slow going at first, but in the end, the Dayton Wright company delivered over 3,100 of them, General Motors 1,600 of them and Standard Aircraft corporation another 160. And it all started 100 years ago this week in the war in the sky. You can follow the War in The sky by checking with our comprehensive timeline, curated by former fighter pilot, air force general and author RG head. Go to ww1cc.org/warinthesky - all lower case or follow the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/1181-timeline-of-wwi-aviation-history-demo.htm#1917 [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel To watch videos about WW1, we recommend our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They offer well over 400 episodes about WW1 and from a more European perspective. New episodes for this week include: Sabotage in the Desert Then - Indy Nydel takes viewers’ questions in a “Out of the Trenches” segment which is always popular with their regular viewers - this time: Electricity, the Wright Brothers and Hip Firing MGs -- And finally an episode called Evolution of British Battle Tanks in WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Commission News In this week’s in Commission news, a follow up on the US Mint’s unveiling of the 2018 WWI Centennial Silver Dollar. The unveiling happened on October 9 and was hosted by the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army, Ryan McCarthy, during A-USA meeting in Washington DC also known as the National Meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army. This was followed up on October 10 with the unveiling of the designs for five silver medals that will be issued in conjunction with the Centennial Silver Dollar. Each medal, composed of 90 percent silver, pays homage to branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that were active in World War I. We set up a website at ww1cc.org/coin where you’ll find press releases with detail information, the presentations and bios of the speakers, lots of links and images. The coins and medals will be available in early 1918. Follow the links in the podcast notes for more information. Link:https://www.ww1cc.org/Coin https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-unveils-winning-designs-to-be-featured-on-world-war-i-centennial-silver-dollar https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/world-war-i-centennial http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3218-us-mint-unveils-design-for-new-congressionally-authorized-coin-honoring-america-s-veterans-of-world-war-i.html [SOUND EFFECT] Update for #CountDownToVeteransDay In an update for #CountDownToVeteransDay we wanted to let you know about the official WW1 Centennial commemoration flags that honor the memory of our WWI doughboys. There is a wonderful full-size 3 foot by 5 foot flag and also small 12” by 8” ground stake flag designed to make an ideal marker for veteran resting places. Both feature the centennial graphics and the doughboy icon. The flags are manufactured out of high quality nylon materials, and of course made in the USA - They are available exclusively at the WWI Centennial Commission’s Official Merchandise shop which you will find under the Commemorate menu or by following the link in the podcast notes. But hurry - don’t wait - supplies are limited and orders are shipped in 7-10 days. Rush orders carry a 20% surcharge. link:https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/memorial-flag-world-war-1-one https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/flag https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php [SOUND EFFECT] US Citizenship and Immigration Services Many individual government agencies are commemorating the first world war and today we’d like to highlight the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Joining us are Allison Finkelstein FinkelSTEEN and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Welcome to both of you! [exchange greetings] [Let’s start with you Zack - in 1914 how was this area of the government organized? ] [Allison - Stories abound - about immigrants - not even citizens yet that came to America and found themselves going “back over there” to fight in the countries they immigrated from - like Italy - Are there any specific stories like that come to mind?] [So to both of you - the USCIS has a new web page about the WWI Centennial - What will we find there and how about some of your other WWI Centennial activities ] [Thank you both so much for being here!] That was Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Learn more about the USCIS and WW1 by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/agency-history/mass-immigration-and-wwi https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/world-war-i Activities and Events [Sound Effect] World War 100 Symposium Combining events and our Updates from the States - we are going to the Badger state - Wisconsin! Where they are holding The World War 100 Symposium at the University of Wisconsin on the Madison campus October 27th. The symposium was put together by the University and the Wisconsin World War One Centennial Committee - It is a great example of how the State WWI centennial Commissions are nurturing and support WW1 Commemorative events! The World War 100 Symposium will premiere the Documentary film “Dawn of the Red Arrow” which follows the Wisconsin National Guard in 1917 when the iconic 32nd "Red Arrow" Division was born and earned its place in history on the battlefields of France in World War I. The program is filled with great events, experts, subjects and speakers including including participation by Sir Hugh Strachan - considered by many as the pre-eminent historian on WWI and who joined us on here on the podcast In Episode #32. Sir Hugh Strachan in Kansas Then On Nov. 2nd, Sir Hugh will be speaking at the National World War One Museum and Memorial in Kansas City at a free evening public event in advance of the Museum’s second international symposium on WWI “1917: America Joins the Fight” featuring renowned scholars from across the world. Follow the links in the podcast notes for information and access to these symposia and other great WWI commemoration events happening around the country. As a reminder - we invite YOU to add your own event to the National U.S. WW1 Centennial Events Register. Go to ww1cc.org/events, click the big red button and post your WW1 commemoration event for all to discover. And as we mentioned last week - we just added a new category for Social Media Events - so if you are planning a Facebook Live, livestream, WW1 Hackathon or other online WW1 commemoration event - get it posted and let our community of interest know! link: http://ww1cc.org/events https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-war-100-a-centennial-symposium-tickets-35793410053 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47362/world-war-100-symposium.html https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium/presentations [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- English, is constantly absorbing new words from other languages. This week’s Word for Speaking WWI comes from working in close quarters with Urdu speaking soldiers from the British Colonial forces. In Urdu kusi means pleasure or convenience and in WWI the word spread amongst soldiers in the trenches transforming as these words always do into a word that means “easy” or “comfortable” - Cushie! And you thought that word came from Cushion… Nawww - Cushion came from latin for hip or thigh... In WWI the troops also used Cushie to describe a wound which was non-fatal but could potentially get them sent home or, at the least, away from the front line. In 1915 an english physician wrote: “When you are in the trenches a cushy wound... seems the most desirable thing in the world.” Cushy, this week’s speaking WW1 word - “A most desirable way to get hit during the war”. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/oxford-english-dictionary/word-origins_b_4904467.html http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26277732 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Andrew Capets 100 cities It’s time for a 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project profile. Round #2 is open so you can apply for a matching grant to rescue, restore or build a WWI Memorial in your community - but you have to submit the application before January 15th! Last week, we profiled a project from Ridgewood, NJ. This week, we head to Trafford, PA. Joining us is Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of a new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I Welcome, Andrew! [exchange greetings] [Andrew, in your application your moto was: Our Memorial, Our Community and Our Project Who all came together to restore this memorial?] [Your WWI Memorial was originally dedicated in 1919 - that is earlier than most - Tell us about its dedication?] [I have seen the before and after images of the memorial and it is really beautiful! Do you have Veterans day plans there?] [You produced a really nice video for the project - tell us about that?] [Andrew congratulations on being a Round #1 awardee and for your group doing such a great job on behalf of our WWI Doughboys! We surely do speak for them!] That was Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of the new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I We will continue to profile not only awardees but also teams that are continuing on to round #2 which is now open for submissions. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3166-first-50-official-wwi-centennial-memorials-to-be-announced.html TraffordHistory.org https://www.amazon.com/Good-War-Great-Men-Battalion/dp/0692951024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507647838&sr=1-1&keywords=good+men+great+war [SOUND EFFECT] Education Ahoy teachers and learners! With education as our theme we are very happy to announce the launch of the commission’s new EDUCATION WEBSITE at ww1cc.org/edu all lower case. The site is filled with resources for teachers and learners, access to our semi-monthly educator newsletter and more. A brand new idea is that registered educators are eligible to submit information and images about the work they have done with students to teach and commemorate America’s involvement in the First World War. Check out the new website and if you are an educator, register to submit your programs to share with others. We invite you to follow the link in the podcast notes. [SOUND EFFECT] Stories of Service Interview with Rex Passion In our “Remember the veterans” section, today we have with us Rex Passion, author of the book The Lost Sketchbooks: A Young Artist in the Great War. Welcome, Rex! [exchange greetings] [Rex: What is the Lost Sketchbooks about? How did you wind up writing The Lost Sketchbooks] [Rex - it really sounds like a treasure trove of discovery --- the book is really beautiful and the art is amazing - so Is there one sketch that stands out for you in particular?] [From the images I have seen, they really hit me harder than many of the photos I’ve seen!] [You just completed and launched a new website on the WW1 centennial server at WW1CC.org/sketch to support the book - What are we going to find there?] [So we can follow his experience day by day - that’s really great.] Rex - thank you so much for joining us! That was Rex Passion, author of The Lost Sketchbooks and curator of the website at ww1cc.org/sketch. Follow the links in the podcast notes for the website, rex’s facebook page and to order the book. Link: http://ww1cc.org/sketch https://www.facebook.com/thelostsketchbooks/ https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sketchbooks-Young-Artist-Great/dp/0982821956 [SOUND EFFECT] Interview with Jerry Michaud: Roll of Honor We have a second interview in our Remembering the Veterans segment as we #countdowntoveteransday - With us is Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation. Welcome Jerry! [greetings] [Jerry- tell us a bit about the Roll of Honor foundation and what it does to help remember our veterans?] [This year you set up a WWI section - The World War 1 Centennial Commission and Roll of Honor are working on a unique collaboration; can you tell us about it?] [So if I submit a Story of service on either website, it will be added to my veteran’s profile right?] [When I get a tribute wreath for my veteran, how much money goes to Roll of Honor and how much goes to building the National WWI Memorial in Washington DC?] Thank you so much for being here today and for the Roll of Honor’s great work in profiling those who served! That was Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation Roll of Honor. You can learn more about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission by following the links in the podcast notes and by going to www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 links:www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/submit-a-story-of-service.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3187-five-questions-for-jerry-michaud.html [SOUND EFFECT] Articles and Posts This week in our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - And the content really is pouring in! We have now published over 3,200 articles - If you read one article a day it would take you 8 years and 9 months to read the whole site as it sits now. Anna Coleman Ladd A new article this week under WW1cc.org/news, is about Anna Coleman Ladd and her unusual work with WW1 veterans. Ladd was an American sculptor who studied sculpture in Paris and Rome before WWI. After the war broke out, she devoted her time to giving soldiers, whose faces were disfigured by gas, or explosives, or other wounds - artistic prosthetic masks. Cosmetic surgery as we know it today did not exist - but there was relief from disfigurement - See the article featuring before and after photographs that show how WWI soldiers’ horrific facial injuries were surgically repaired, then covered with the sculpted prosthetics that Ladd developed. Follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3222-american-born-sculptor-built-facial-prosthetics-for-wwi-soldiers.html WWrite Blog And now for an update on our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "God Armeth the Patriot." These words come from Thomas Croft Neibaur NIGH-BOWER, the first Mormon to receive the Medal of Honor during WWI - for his heroism during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. This is know as one of the bloodiest battles in American military history. Writer Benjamin Sonnenberg returns to the WWrite blog this week with another riveting short story, inspired by Neibaur's letters home. Delve into Neibaur's legendary experience in WWI with this captivating, well-researched, fictional narrative by visiting ww1cc.org/wwrite Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3214-a-pretty-tame-one-thomas-croft-neibaur.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have a couple of stories to share with us today! Thanks Theo! Souvernir AEF En Haute Marne Last week we mentioned the rededication of new sculptures of General Pershing and Lafayette in Versaille. The ceremony went very smoothly and now the statues are in their rightful places overlooking the Avenue Des Etats Unis. If you want to see images of the ceremony and the statues, you should check out the facebook page for the Souvenir AEF En Haute Marne, a French-based page commemorating the American Expeditionary Force’s time in the Haute Marne region of France. Find it and view many images and articles from the ceremony at Versaille by following the link in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004218645049&hc_ref=ARRl4MJwZFrnBS67Gn1YtMKpIJvb0xpP3abmRdPkTvN0hXYBWJr7El9Q2h4-XEUp0X0 Buster Keaton Finally this week, we’ll close out by celebrating Buster Keaton, whose birthday was celebrated last week and commemorated by the National WW1 museum and Memorial with a little video clip and a story. Keaton served with the 40th infantry division, and carried his sense of humor and mischievousness with him throughout his service. A little anecdote to close us out: While with his battalion in Camp Upton, Buster observed how the officers, who were allowed to come and go in and out of camp, dressed in just their uniform shirts and ties and saluted the sentries. Buster took off his tunic, hopped into the back of his girlfriend's Packard roadster, and drove past the military police, giving that lazy salute that had them convinced he was like any other officer. He returned that night after a fabulous dinner with his girl and the next day the unit left for France. Learn more at the link in the podcast notes. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://www.facebook.com/theworldwar/videos/10155710368571241/?hc_ref=ARRMFTxtTgXJEikfHtgnzTuzuZPt-fgfd1UKWKAkCAiEXxmmh2Ym47J2MQvoempnGkU http://www.militarymuseum.org/Keaton.html That’s a really funny story…. Thank you Katherine. [SOUND EFFECT] Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster and his update on the situation in Russia Allison S. Finkelstein and Zack Wilske talking with us about the USCIS commemoration of the war Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion speaking with us about his WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks Jerry Michaud telling us about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. And I am Theo Mayer - your host. The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; This program is a part of that…. We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are on your smart phone text the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated. We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn on iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News, and on Amazon Echo or other Ale xa enabled devices. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thank you for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here today with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Hey - I’m just here on my tushie sittin’ a cushie, cushie cushion listening to the WW1 Centennial News podcast… life is good! So long!
Highlights America’s youth goes to war |@01:20 Russia stalls - Germany attacks -Mike Shuster |@08:30 Building the DH-4 bomber |@11:55 WW1 Commemoration flags for Veterans Day |@15:15 DHS and WW1 - Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske |@16:05 “World War 100” and “1917: America Joins The Fight” symposia |@23:30 Speaking WW1 - Cushie! |@25:40 100C/100M in Trafford, PA - Andrew Capets |@27:00 WW1CC.org/edu goes live |@32:20 The Lost Sketchbooks - Rex Passion |@33:10 Roll of Honor Foundation - Jerry Michaud |@39:40 WWrite Blog: “God Armeth the Patriot” |@46:00----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is October 11th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Allison S. Finkelstein (STEEN) and Zack Wilske from the USCIS History Office and Library Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion, author of the WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks And Jerry Michaud Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show. Our theme this week is going to focus on the youth of America - how young people were folded into the war effort THEN - 100 years ago and we also want to tell you more about our current education initiatives about ‘The War That Changed The World” today in our WW1 Centennial News NOW section. In an article "WWI: Support from the home front” written by Richard Zuber - a North Carolinian historian, Zuber helps to frame the issue: When most people hear the word war they think of soldiers and sailors, guns and battles, death and destruction. Those are all part of war, but historians also study everything and everyone affected by conflicts. This is especially true of what military historians call a “total war”. In discussing how women and even the elderly aided in the total war effort in 1917, Zuber notes: Children worked just as hard as the adults and contributed a great deal. Boy Scouts participated in patriotic rallies and the Liberty Loan drives. The Woodcraft Girls distributed food pledge cards and enrolled as “Potatriots” entering a competition for growing the largest potato crop. The Camp Fire Girls baby-sat for women working in war plants and helped the Red Cross roll bandages and make dressings for wounds. Girl Scouts were involved in all those activities and sold war bonds, made scrapbooks for hospitals, and wrapped Christmas packages for soldiers. With that as a setup, let’s jump into the wayback machine to see what was happening for America’s youth and education 100 years ago this week. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Welcome to 1917 It’s the second week of October and the Wilson administration - offers several articles this week in it’s Official Bulletin - about education and teaching patriotism to the youth of America. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline October 9, 1917 Headline: Influence of the War on Teaching History! The article tries to frame America’s entry into the war in terms that teachers might impart. In the article - which is speaking to the teachers - the US Bureau of Educations states: The Nation has finally been drawn into the great War - a war that demands for its successful prosecution not only efficient and courageous service in the Army and Navy but also the loyal cooperation of millions of men and women who are not enrolled in the fighting forces nor directly responsible for the civil administration on which these forces depend. Interestingly - the article goes on the frame the fight as being between free and democratic societies and hereditary monarchies. Quote: We have as clear an interest in international law as individuals have in the laws of society. That was said long before the steam ship, the submarine. and the wireless had broken down our ‘splendid isolation.” No one can take an intelligent part in a great conflict for the safety of democracy -- unless they are really interested in -- and know something about -- nations other than their own—about the difference between a republican government like our own or that of France or the scarcely less democratic constitution of Great Britain on the one side, and, in sharp contrast to all of these, a strongly monarchical government like that of the German Empire, in which the most important measures affecting the national welfare may be practically determined by a single hereditary sovereign or a small group of such sovereigns. In the article there is no reference to the growing socialism in europe and Russia, nor of the powerful dictatorships that would be so prominent in the next generation. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Oct 13, 1917 Headline: Lesson leaflets on patriotism intended for permanent course in public schools The story reads The plan for Educational Administrators Is to Educate a Rising Generation How to Conduct the Business of Living A Wide Variety of Topics Treated in Pamphlets Prepared to Suit Pupils of the Various Grades Will Be Supplied. The article goes on to read In order to bring the lessons of patriotism and of national and international relations within the comprehension of children, the instruction in conservation which is to be given in American schools this year at the insistence of President Wilson will begin with and emphasize home and local problems. A series of lesson leaflets will be issued monthly by the Food Administration and the Bureau of Education throughout the present school year. The plan is to educate a rising generation that will know better than its predecessors how to conduct the business of living. Now - This “theme” for lessons about the “business of living” comes up a number of times, but is not elaborated on - leaving one to wonder what the Wilson Administration meant. However a panoply of headlines do reveal a theme that the government is thinking about the Nations youth and their role in the war effort. Here is a whole bunch of them: On October 2nd: “American school children to be given lessons in community and natural life” in democracy” requested by president” On October 6th: “Leaflets as guides to school teachers sent by us commissions to teach children democracy's meaning” On October 10th: Work of american boy scouts commended in promoting sale of liberty loan bonds And in earlier months: “President appeals to school children of nation to enroll in red cross service” “War topics at high school commencements recommended by commissioner claxton” may 28 “School Bells to ring out call for liberty loan subscriptions” june11 “Schools with shopwork depts urged to continue during summer to train skilled mechanics and high grade helpers” july 27 And finally “Program of school activity during the war suggested to educational institutions” july 7 So as Richard Zuber points out at the top of the section - WW1 is very much a part of daily life in America - for the men called to service, for the mothers, wives and daughters and even for the children of the nation. It is not some remote and distant foreign policy, everyone is in the fight - in some way - the entire citizenry - and non-citizens alike - as we will discuss a bit later in the show. [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project From the Great War Project Blog - we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project. Mike is going to tell us about the collapsing eastern front as Russia stalls and Germany develops a new naval and Storm Trooper prowess in their baltic sea offensive. Welcome Mike! [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/10/09/russia-collapsing-on-land-and-sea/ [SOUND EFFECT] War in the Sky This week in the Great War in the sky, America begins to mass produce a two seater bomber! Although through all of WWI, America never produced or or fielded a single American fighter plane, we did manufacture a bunch of them - and this week 100 years ago, the US Army Air Service put in an order for thousands of British designed DeHavilland DH-4 planes. The version they ordered were to be delivered with the US made American Liberty 12 cylinder engine - rather than the Rolls Royce engine of the British version. It was slow going at first, but in the end, the Dayton Wright company delivered over 3,100 of them, General Motors 1,600 of them and Standard Aircraft corporation another 160. And it all started 100 years ago this week in the war in the sky. You can follow the War in The sky by checking with our comprehensive timeline, curated by former fighter pilot, air force general and author RG head. Go to ww1cc.org/warinthesky - all lower case or follow the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/1181-timeline-of-wwi-aviation-history-demo.htm#1917 [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel To watch videos about WW1, we recommend our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They offer well over 400 episodes about WW1 and from a more European perspective. New episodes for this week include: Sabotage in the Desert Then - Indy Nydel takes viewers’ questions in a “Out of the Trenches” segment which is always popular with their regular viewers - this time: Electricity, the Wright Brothers and Hip Firing MGs -- And finally an episode called Evolution of British Battle Tanks in WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Commission News In this week’s in Commission news, a follow up on the US Mint’s unveiling of the 2018 WWI Centennial Silver Dollar. The unveiling happened on October 9 and was hosted by the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army, Ryan McCarthy, during A-USA meeting in Washington DC also known as the National Meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army. This was followed up on October 10 with the unveiling of the designs for five silver medals that will be issued in conjunction with the Centennial Silver Dollar. Each medal, composed of 90 percent silver, pays homage to branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that were active in World War I. We set up a website at ww1cc.org/coin where you’ll find press releases with detail information, the presentations and bios of the speakers, lots of links and images. The coins and medals will be available in early 1918. Follow the links in the podcast notes for more information. Link:https://www.ww1cc.org/Coin https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-unveils-winning-designs-to-be-featured-on-world-war-i-centennial-silver-dollar https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/world-war-i-centennial http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3218-us-mint-unveils-design-for-new-congressionally-authorized-coin-honoring-america-s-veterans-of-world-war-i.html [SOUND EFFECT] Update for #CountDownToVeteransDay In an update for #CountDownToVeteransDay we wanted to let you know about the official WW1 Centennial commemoration flags that honor the memory of our WWI doughboys. There is a wonderful full-size 3 foot by 5 foot flag and also small 12” by 8” ground stake flag designed to make an ideal marker for veteran resting places. Both feature the centennial graphics and the doughboy icon. The flags are manufactured out of high quality nylon materials, and of course made in the USA - They are available exclusively at the WWI Centennial Commission’s Official Merchandise shop which you will find under the Commemorate menu or by following the link in the podcast notes. But hurry - don’t wait - supplies are limited and orders are shipped in 7-10 days. Rush orders carry a 20% surcharge. link:https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/memorial-flag-world-war-1-one https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/flag https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php [SOUND EFFECT] US Citizenship and Immigration Services Many individual government agencies are commemorating the first world war and today we’d like to highlight the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Joining us are Allison Finkelstein FinkelSTEEN and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Welcome to both of you! [exchange greetings] [Let’s start with you Zack - in 1914 how was this area of the government organized? ] [Allison - Stories abound - about immigrants - not even citizens yet that came to America and found themselves going “back over there” to fight in the countries they immigrated from - like Italy - Are there any specific stories like that come to mind?] [So to both of you - the USCIS has a new web page about the WWI Centennial - What will we find there and how about some of your other WWI Centennial activities ] [Thank you both so much for being here!] That was Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Learn more about the USCIS and WW1 by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/agency-history/mass-immigration-and-wwi https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/world-war-i Activities and Events [Sound Effect] World War 100 Symposium Combining events and our Updates from the States - we are going to the Badger state - Wisconsin! Where they are holding The World War 100 Symposium at the University of Wisconsin on the Madison campus October 27th. The symposium was put together by the University and the Wisconsin World War One Centennial Committee - It is a great example of how the State WWI centennial Commissions are nurturing and support WW1 Commemorative events! The World War 100 Symposium will premiere the Documentary film “Dawn of the Red Arrow” which follows the Wisconsin National Guard in 1917 when the iconic 32nd "Red Arrow" Division was born and earned its place in history on the battlefields of France in World War I. The program is filled with great events, experts, subjects and speakers including including participation by Sir Hugh Strachan - considered by many as the pre-eminent historian on WWI and who joined us on here on the podcast In Episode #32. Sir Hugh Strachan in Kansas Then On Nov. 2nd, Sir Hugh will be speaking at the National World War One Museum and Memorial in Kansas City at a free evening public event in advance of the Museum’s second international symposium on WWI “1917: America Joins the Fight” featuring renowned scholars from across the world. Follow the links in the podcast notes for information and access to these symposia and other great WWI commemoration events happening around the country. As a reminder - we invite YOU to add your own event to the National U.S. WW1 Centennial Events Register. Go to ww1cc.org/events, click the big red button and post your WW1 commemoration event for all to discover. And as we mentioned last week - we just added a new category for Social Media Events - so if you are planning a Facebook Live, livestream, WW1 Hackathon or other online WW1 commemoration event - get it posted and let our community of interest know! link: http://ww1cc.org/events https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-war-100-a-centennial-symposium-tickets-35793410053 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47362/world-war-100-symposium.html https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium/presentations [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- English, is constantly absorbing new words from other languages. This week’s Word for Speaking WWI comes from working in close quarters with Urdu speaking soldiers from the British Colonial forces. In Urdu kusi means pleasure or convenience and in WWI the word spread amongst soldiers in the trenches transforming as these words always do into a word that means “easy” or “comfortable” - Cushie! And you thought that word came from Cushion… Nawww - Cushion came from latin for hip or thigh... In WWI the troops also used Cushie to describe a wound which was non-fatal but could potentially get them sent home or, at the least, away from the front line. In 1915 an english physician wrote: “When you are in the trenches a cushy wound... seems the most desirable thing in the world.” Cushy, this week’s speaking WW1 word - “A most desirable way to get hit during the war”. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/oxford-english-dictionary/word-origins_b_4904467.html http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26277732 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Andrew Capets 100 cities It’s time for a 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project profile. Round #2 is open so you can apply for a matching grant to rescue, restore or build a WWI Memorial in your community - but you have to submit the application before January 15th! Last week, we profiled a project from Ridgewood, NJ. This week, we head to Trafford, PA. Joining us is Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of a new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I Welcome, Andrew! [exchange greetings] [Andrew, in your application your moto was: Our Memorial, Our Community and Our Project Who all came together to restore this memorial?] [Your WWI Memorial was originally dedicated in 1919 - that is earlier than most - Tell us about its dedication?] [I have seen the before and after images of the memorial and it is really beautiful! Do you have Veterans day plans there?] [You produced a really nice video for the project - tell us about that?] [Andrew congratulations on being a Round #1 awardee and for your group doing such a great job on behalf of our WWI Doughboys! We surely do speak for them!] That was Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of the new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I We will continue to profile not only awardees but also teams that are continuing on to round #2 which is now open for submissions. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3166-first-50-official-wwi-centennial-memorials-to-be-announced.html TraffordHistory.org https://www.amazon.com/Good-War-Great-Men-Battalion/dp/0692951024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507647838&sr=1-1&keywords=good+men+great+war [SOUND EFFECT] Education Ahoy teachers and learners! With education as our theme we are very happy to announce the launch of the commission’s new EDUCATION WEBSITE at ww1cc.org/edu all lower case. The site is filled with resources for teachers and learners, access to our semi-monthly educator newsletter and more. A brand new idea is that registered educators are eligible to submit information and images about the work they have done with students to teach and commemorate America’s involvement in the First World War. Check out the new website and if you are an educator, register to submit your programs to share with others. We invite you to follow the link in the podcast notes. [SOUND EFFECT] Stories of Service Interview with Rex Passion In our “Remember the veterans” section, today we have with us Rex Passion, author of the book The Lost Sketchbooks: A Young Artist in the Great War. Welcome, Rex! [exchange greetings] [Rex: What is the Lost Sketchbooks about? How did you wind up writing The Lost Sketchbooks] [Rex - it really sounds like a treasure trove of discovery --- the book is really beautiful and the art is amazing - so Is there one sketch that stands out for you in particular?] [From the images I have seen, they really hit me harder than many of the photos I’ve seen!] [You just completed and launched a new website on the WW1 centennial server at WW1CC.org/sketch to support the book - What are we going to find there?] [So we can follow his experience day by day - that’s really great.] Rex - thank you so much for joining us! That was Rex Passion, author of The Lost Sketchbooks and curator of the website at ww1cc.org/sketch. Follow the links in the podcast notes for the website, rex’s facebook page and to order the book. Link: http://ww1cc.org/sketch https://www.facebook.com/thelostsketchbooks/ https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sketchbooks-Young-Artist-Great/dp/0982821956 [SOUND EFFECT] Interview with Jerry Michaud: Roll of Honor We have a second interview in our Remembering the Veterans segment as we #countdowntoveteransday - With us is Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation. Welcome Jerry! [greetings] [Jerry- tell us a bit about the Roll of Honor foundation and what it does to help remember our veterans?] [This year you set up a WWI section - The World War 1 Centennial Commission and Roll of Honor are working on a unique collaboration; can you tell us about it?] [So if I submit a Story of service on either website, it will be added to my veteran’s profile right?] [When I get a tribute wreath for my veteran, how much money goes to Roll of Honor and how much goes to building the National WWI Memorial in Washington DC?] Thank you so much for being here today and for the Roll of Honor’s great work in profiling those who served! That was Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation Roll of Honor. You can learn more about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission by following the links in the podcast notes and by going to www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 links:www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/submit-a-story-of-service.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3187-five-questions-for-jerry-michaud.html [SOUND EFFECT] Articles and Posts This week in our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - And the content really is pouring in! We have now published over 3,200 articles - If you read one article a day it would take you 8 years and 9 months to read the whole site as it sits now. Anna Coleman Ladd A new article this week under WW1cc.org/news, is about Anna Coleman Ladd and her unusual work with WW1 veterans. Ladd was an American sculptor who studied sculpture in Paris and Rome before WWI. After the war broke out, she devoted her time to giving soldiers, whose faces were disfigured by gas, or explosives, or other wounds - artistic prosthetic masks. Cosmetic surgery as we know it today did not exist - but there was relief from disfigurement - See the article featuring before and after photographs that show how WWI soldiers’ horrific facial injuries were surgically repaired, then covered with the sculpted prosthetics that Ladd developed. Follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3222-american-born-sculptor-built-facial-prosthetics-for-wwi-soldiers.html WWrite Blog And now for an update on our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "God Armeth the Patriot." These words come from Thomas Croft Neibaur NIGH-BOWER, the first Mormon to receive the Medal of Honor during WWI - for his heroism during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. This is know as one of the bloodiest battles in American military history. Writer Benjamin Sonnenberg returns to the WWrite blog this week with another riveting short story, inspired by Neibaur's letters home. Delve into Neibaur's legendary experience in WWI with this captivating, well-researched, fictional narrative by visiting ww1cc.org/wwrite Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3214-a-pretty-tame-one-thomas-croft-neibaur.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have a couple of stories to share with us today! Thanks Theo! Souvernir AEF En Haute Marne Last week we mentioned the rededication of new sculptures of General Pershing and Lafayette in Versaille. The ceremony went very smoothly and now the statues are in their rightful places overlooking the Avenue Des Etats Unis. If you want to see images of the ceremony and the statues, you should check out the facebook page for the Souvenir AEF En Haute Marne, a French-based page commemorating the American Expeditionary Force’s time in the Haute Marne region of France. Find it and view many images and articles from the ceremony at Versaille by following the link in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004218645049&hc_ref=ARRl4MJwZFrnBS67Gn1YtMKpIJvb0xpP3abmRdPkTvN0hXYBWJr7El9Q2h4-XEUp0X0 Buster Keaton Finally this week, we’ll close out by celebrating Buster Keaton, whose birthday was celebrated last week and commemorated by the National WW1 museum and Memorial with a little video clip and a story. Keaton served with the 40th infantry division, and carried his sense of humor and mischievousness with him throughout his service. A little anecdote to close us out: While with his battalion in Camp Upton, Buster observed how the officers, who were allowed to come and go in and out of camp, dressed in just their uniform shirts and ties and saluted the sentries. Buster took off his tunic, hopped into the back of his girlfriend's Packard roadster, and drove past the military police, giving that lazy salute that had them convinced he was like any other officer. He returned that night after a fabulous dinner with his girl and the next day the unit left for France. Learn more at the link in the podcast notes. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://www.facebook.com/theworldwar/videos/10155710368571241/?hc_ref=ARRMFTxtTgXJEikfHtgnzTuzuZPt-fgfd1UKWKAkCAiEXxmmh2Ym47J2MQvoempnGkU http://www.militarymuseum.org/Keaton.html That’s a really funny story…. Thank you Katherine. [SOUND EFFECT] Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster and his update on the situation in Russia Allison S. Finkelstein and Zack Wilske talking with us about the USCIS commemoration of the war Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion speaking with us about his WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks Jerry Michaud telling us about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. And I am Theo Mayer - your host. The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; This program is a part of that…. We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are on your smart phone text the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated. We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn on iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News, and on Amazon Echo or other Ale xa enabled devices. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thank you for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here today with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Hey - I’m just here on my tushie sittin’ a cushie, cushie cushion listening to the WW1 Centennial News podcast… life is good! So long!
On October 8, 1918, during the Meuse Argonne Offensive, Alvin York led an attack on a German machine gun nest that neutralized more than 30 machine guns and killed at least 25 German soldiers. His efforts also resulted in the capture of 132 enemy soldiers. For these actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Months later, this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The fact that he was a conscientious objector turned warrior made his story particularly compelling. He became an overnight sensation in the United States - a virtual personification of the American ideal of the farmer turned soldier.
On September 17, 2009, Edward G. Lengel delivered a lecture on his book Meuse-Argonne, 1918: The Battle That Ended World War I. After four years of stalemate on the Western Front, a final Allied push broke the German army in autumn 1918. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive represented the war's largest commitment of American troops to battle and helped pave the way to German capitulation in November. In To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918, Edward G. Lengel tells the epic tale of American soldiers in the final campaign of World War I. Dr. Lengel is associate professor of history at UVA and an editor of the Papers of George Washington. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford) The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
On September 17, 2009, Edward G. Lengel delivered a lecture on his book 'To Conquer Hell Meuse-Argonne, 1918: The Battle That Ended World War I.' After four years of stalemate on the Western Front, a final Allied push broke the German army in autumn 1918. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive represented the war's largest commitment of American troops to battle and helped pave the way to German capitulation in November. In To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918, Edward G. Lengel tells the epic tale of American soldiers in the final campaign of World War I. Dr. Lengel is associate professor of history at UVA and an editor of the Papers of George Washington. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)
Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1880. He was the grandson of a former governor of Wisconsin, and the son of a medal-of-honor-winning military governor of the Philippines. He attended West Point and graduated first in his class. After a brief stint as an aide to his father, he became the chief of staff of the 42nd Rainbow Infantry Division in France during WWI. He led the division through the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the Battle of St. Mihiel. During the war, he developed a bad relationship with General Pershing.After the war, he became the superintendent of West Point. Then, he was charged with breaking up the Bonus Army, which had gathered in Washington DC to protest Hoover's treatment of them. After that, he became the head of FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps. Then, he became US Army Forces Commander in the Far East and was stationed in the Philippines. When WWII rolled around for the United States, he led the failed defense of the Philippines. Although he did not do the best job, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In March 1942, he was instructed to go to Australia to become Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area. He famously yelled "I shall return" as he sailed away.MacArthur's actions during WWII and the Korean War will be in the next episode.For more information, read:Armchair General (November 2005): Douglas MacArthurThe Guinness Book of Military Blunders by Geoffrey ReganThe Oxford Book of Military Anecdotes by Max HastingsThe Pacific War Companion by Daniel MarstonReader's Digest Illustrated History of WWIIThe Dictionary of Battles by David Chandlerhttp://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=3&list=Groundhttp://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/douglasmacarthurfarewelladdress.htmMilitary History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
