Podcasts about seicheprey

Highlights US Telephone in WWI - Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, AT&T | @02:25 The tide begins to turn - Mike Shuster | @10:10 The “Sweetheart of the doughboys” - Edward Lengel | @14:25 The Women’s Land Army - Elaine Weiss | @22:55 Anzac Day - Group Captain Peter Davis & Commander Peter Kempster | @30:30 100 Cities / 100 Memorials: Granite, OK - Phil Neighbors & Perry Hutchison | @37:40 Speaking WW1: Kiwi & Aussie | @44:25 WW1 War Tech: Geophone | @45:35 Dispatch Newsletter Headlines | @47:20 WWI Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @50:05----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #69 - 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. This week: Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser tells us about an iconic American company and its role in the war -- AT&T. Mike Schuster, from the great war project blog updates us on German morale as Operation Georgette comes to a close. Dr. Edward Lengel with the story of Elsie Janis, the “sweetheart of the doughboys” Elaine Weiss introduces us to the Farmerettes, the women’s land army Group Captain Peter Davis and Commander Peter Kempster on the Australian and New Zealander commemorations for ANZAC day Phil Neighbors and Perry Hutchison with the 100 Cities / 100 Memorial project from Granite, Oklahoma. Katherine Akey with the commemoration of world war one in social media And lots more... on WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast 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] Preface Today we are going to explore the US telephone system during the war -- and unlike most nations where the phone systems are typically government owned --- The US Telephone system has always been privately owned - well, not always - for 1 year during WWI -  the US government took over the nation’s telephone system… but perhaps most amazing of all - a year later, after the war, the US government privatized it again! With that as a setup, let’s jump into our centennial time machine and look at the America’s telephone story 100 years ago - in the war that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] [TRANSITION] World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week   It is the summer of 1918 and the House Committee on Interstate Commerce is holding hearings about a government take over of the nation’s privately held telephone system. Only three witnesses are called to testify - Albert Berleson - The Postmaster General, Newton Baker, the secretary of war and Josephus Daniels, the secretary of the Navy. These three men, eventually backup up by President Wilson -  are pushing for the takeover of the phone system - citing among other things - national security concerns including the protections from spies using this incredibly powerful technology that is rapidly spreading across the land. Most remarkably ---  that representatives of the phone company are NOT asked to participate in the discussion. Well, to help us tell this amazing story, we invited Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, the corporate Historian from AT&T to join us on the show. AT&T During the War Welcome, Dr. Hochheiser! [greetings/welcome] [Dr. Hochheiser - from an AT&T historical perspective - what was the story here?] [Were the company executives on record about this? What did they say? How did this nationalization actually work? The government suddenly declared that they owned the phone lines, but operations continued to be run by AT&T? Or were they? ] [What happened as a result of the postmaster General’s involvement?] [The most interesting part of all this FOR ME -  is that control was returned to AT&T again as the war ended. How did that happen?] [During the war, how did telephone facilities rise to meet wartime needs? ] [Dr, Hochheiser - We just got in a question from our Live audience. Frank Krone wants to know what happened to AT&T’s chief technologist John Carty - after the war?] [How did this 1-year event help shape AT&T as a company?] [goodbye/thanks] Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser is the corporate historian at AT&T. Learn more about the company and its WW1 history at the links in the podcast notes. Links: https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1466&context=faculty_scholarship https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/inventions-flourished-due-wwi.html http://soldiers.dodlive.mil/2014/03/world-war-is-hello-girls-paving-the-way-for-women-in-the-u-s-army/ https://www.corp.att.com/history/history1.html [MUSIC TRANSITION] Great War Project It is time for Mike Shuster -- former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog….   Mike: Your post this week indicates a turning point for the Spring Offensive. As Ed Lengel pointed out previously in our roundtables, the German goal was to split the French and the British armies and drive the british to the ports and off the mainland. But it looks like that plan has failed! What is going on Mike? [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. The links to Mike Shuster’s Great War Project blog and the post -- are in the podcast notes. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/04/22/german-morale-is-flagging/ [SOUND EFFECT] America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 Welcome to our segment - America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI with Dr. Edward Lengel. Ed: Mike Shuster pretty much covered the fighting front here at the end of April - - but your story this week offers us a wonderful and completely different perspective on the events in Europe and a very, very special person - The “Sweetheart of the Doughboys” -  Singer and entertainer Elsie Janis. What is her story Ed? [ED LENGEL] [MUSIC TRANSITION] Dr. Edward Lengel is an American military historian, author, and our segment host for America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI. There are links in the podcast notes to Ed’s post and his web sites as an author.   Links:http://www.edwardlengel.com/elsie-janis-becomes-sweetheart-doughboys-1918/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ The Great War Channel For videos about WWI 100 years ago this week, and from a more european perspective --- check out our friends at  the Great War Channel on Youtube. New episodes this week include: Knocking out the Hejaz Railway Another of the very popular “Out of the Trenches” episodes where host Indy Neidel takes questions from the audience And finally Felix Graf Von Luckner -- Who did what in WW1? See their videos by searching for “the great war” on youtube or following the link in the podcast notes! Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Alright  - It is time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] This part of the podcast isn’t the past --- It focuses on NOW and how we are commemorating the centennial of WWI! Commission News Gift from French President recalls WWI USMC heroics in Battle of Belleau Wood This week in Commission news-- we were excited to see that French President Emmanuel Macron brought a special gift to the White House during his visit to Washington -- one that bears great World War I significance: it was a European Sessile Oak sapling from the Belleau Wood in France.   Presidents Trump and Macron - ceremonial shovels in hand - planted the commemorative tree on the White house lawn. The Battle of Belleau Wood is one of the most important American engagements of World War One -- it was the first major battle for the US Marines during the conflict and is still viewed as a seminal moment in Marine Corps history. Fighting alongside British and French troops, America suffered more than 9,700 casualties. You can read more about this meaningful and symbolic gift, and see pictures of the ceremonial planting at the White House, by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4376-special-gift-from-the-president-of-france-recalls-american-wwi-heroics.html Remembering Veterans Farmerettes and Suffrage with author Elaine Weiss This week For Remembering Veterans -- As we have pointed out before --- there are actually more veterans of WWI than just the soldiers and sailors - As the men headed off to training camps and to Europe - The women of America needed to pick up the role of their missing men -- Especially when it came to feeding the nation. And that is the story of the “Farmerettes and the Women’s Land Army”. With us to explore that story is Elaine Weiss, journalist and author of multiple books including Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army in the Great War --- as well as The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote. Welcome to the podcast, Elaine! [greetings] [Elaine-- Feeding the nation AND sending desperately needed food to our allies was strategically critical - how did American Womanhood stand up to that task?] [Where did the idea to create a Women’s Land Army come from? ] [How did the Women’s Land Army experience play into the suffrage movement? Were the Farmerettes paid for their work? Equal pay for equal work?] [What was the reception the women received -- both on the ground, by the farmers, the public, and the government?] [What became of the farmerettes once the war ended… especially when the men came home?] [Did the legacy of these women set a precedent when the second world war came around? ] [How about their influence on the women in the workforce today?] [goodbyes/thanks] Elaine Weiss is an award winning journalist and author of multiple books, including the recently published The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote from Viking Books. Read a rave review of her new book, and learn more about her work by following the links in the podcast notes. Links:http://elaineweiss.com/ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/books/review/womans-hour-elaine-weiss.html Events NC State University This week from our WWI  centennial events registers at ww1cc.org/events -- there is a great one at North Carolina State University, on May 1st! Back in Episode #64, we spoke to Thomas Skolnicki [SKOAL-nick-ee], the Landscape Architect for the University -- retired US navy Rear Admiral -- Benny Suggs, the director of NC State's Alumni Association  and US Air Force Veteran, World War One Centennial Commissioner Jerry Hester -- All three men are NC State University Alumni, and all involved in the school’s 100 Cities, 100 memorials project. They told us about the restoration of the school’s belltower -- and about this upcoming rededication event. The event will include a full military ceremony with a 21-gun salute and a flyover of F-15s from the 4th Fighter Wing stationed at  Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, in Goldsboro, NC. It’s an opportunity for all to learn about the sacrifices made by NC State students and the commitment that the school has made since its inception to military service and leadership. Nearly 2,000 students and alumni served in WWI, and the Bell Tower includes the names of the 34 who died in that service. So if you’re in the area -- be sure to check it out! We have links for further details in the podcast notes. Link:https://news.ncsu.edu/2018/04/belltower-event-commemorates-end-of-wwi/ https://www.alumni.ncsu.edu/s/1209/16/interior.aspx?sid=1209&pgid=6092&gid=1001&cid=9908&ecid=9908&post_id=0 International Report In our International Report-- This past Wednesday, April 25th is a day of special remembrance that has its roots in World War One- It is known as ANZAC day which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers are known as Anzacs. and here to tell us more about the past, present and future of ANZAC day are Group Captain Peter Davis of the Australian Defense Staff and Commander Peter Kempster of the New Zealand Defense Force. Gentlemen, welcome to the podcast [greetings/welcome]   [So what’s the story of ANZAC day? What’s the origin?] [How is ANZAC day celebrated in Australia and New Zealand? And does the commemoration differ between the two nations?] [[This is the last centennial year-- what were commemorations like on Anzac day this year?] [I think many people may be familiar with the ANZAC’s involvement at Gallipoli-- but that engagement was over by 1916. Where did the forces deploy to after that?] [Personally, what does ANZAC day mean for you?] [thanks/goodbye] Group Captain Peter Davis is the Assistant Defense Attache and Chief of Staff of the Australian Defense Staff at the US Australian Embassy and Commander Peter Kempster is the New Zealand Naval Attache to the US for the New Zealand Defense Force. Learn more about ANZAC day and the centennial organizations of both countries by following the links in the podcast notes. Link: https://www.awm.gov.au/index.php/about/our-work/projects/centenary-projects http://www.anzaccentenary.gov.au/ http://www.defence.gov.au/events/centenaryofanzac/ProgramOfEvents.asp https://ww100.govt.nz/ https://mch.govt.nz/what-we-do/our-projects/current/first-world-war-centenary-projects 100 Cities 100 Memorials This week for our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment ---  the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials ---we are going to profile the World War I Memorial project from Granite, Oklahoma. With us tell us about Granite, Greer County and their inspiring WWI story are Phil Neighbors, pastor of the Valley  Baptist church and a native son of Granite, and Perry Hutchison, retired Army Colonel and former professor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth Officer Training School. Gentlemen, welcome to the podcast [greetings/welcome] [Phil: In your grant application you describe Granite, Oklahoma as a small community of heroes - that’s an intriguing opening line! What did you mean?] [Phil: American Legion Post 121 in Mangum Oklahoma is placing a new monument in the World War 1 Memorial Park in Granite. Can you tell us a little about those specifics please? [Well, Phil - As I we talked off line, there is another Oklahoma 100 Cities / 100 Memorials awardee from Towson, Oklahoma. So this is interesting - It seems that Oklahoma has a big WWI story to tell  - but doesn’t seem to have a WWI centennial organization or Website - maybe this will help stimulate something to come together!] [Phil: Thank you for bringing us the story of the heroes from your corner of the country. It’s been great to have you on!] [thanks/goodbye] Phil Neighbors is pastor of the Valley  Baptist church and a native son of Granite, Oklahoma and Perry Hutchison, retired Army Colonel and former professor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth Officer Training School Learn more about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program by following the links in the podcast notes or by going to ww1cc.org/100Memorials Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities Speaking WW1 It’s time for our weekly feature “Speaking World War 1” -- Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war  --- We are sticking with our ANZAC theme... New Zealand, as were all the Dominion nations of the British Empire, was thrown into World War 1 by Britain’s own declaration of war on August 4, 1914. When the New Zealanders arrived in Europe - Their uniforms were emblazoned with badges, emblems, and insignias of Kiwis - and NO… It’s not an egg-shaped fuzzy fruit - It’s the big, flightless and quite unique national bird of New Zealand! And one of our two Speaking WWI Words this week - these soldiers were instantly nicknames the Kiwis! As for the Australians, Also a dominion nation - their WWI soldierly nickname and that stuck ever since is our second Speaking WWI word this week - Aussies. Kind of obvious - and you know it -- but I’ll bet you didn’t know that the nickname came from WWI! Kiwis and Aussies-- nicknames earned during the war that helped cement these two great nations and their identities -- and this week’s words for speaking WW1. Links:https://ww100.govt.nz/where-britain-goes-we-go https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/first-world-war-overview/introduction#ft1 http://mentalfloss.com/article/58233/21-slang-terms-world-war-i http://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/centres/andc/annotated-glossary/a http://online.wsj.com/ww1/australia-new-zealand-founding-myths [SOUND EFFECT] WW1 War Tech Geophone For WW1 War Tech -- this week we are headed underground to learn about yet a sonic invention of necessity. Within just a few months of the first construction of a trench, the tangle of an estimated 25,000 miles of trenches spread from the English channel to the Swiss border. The only way to attack the enemy was through a costly offensive in No Man’s Land, or… and I did not know this….  underground via a system of tunnels. This method of offensive mining quickly became standard in some areas. And so… a device that could detect an enemies’ digging patterns would prove immensely valuable. It was a Professor Jean Perrin of the Sorbonne University in Paris, who provided just that type of device with his invention of the geophone in 1915. It was basically a specialized stethoscope like device -- that could amplify sound traveling underground --- sort of an earth sonar, enabling a skilled listener to detect the distance and location of German tunnels. Some imaginative soldiers operating geophones under ground would often interpret strange things from the noises they picked up - one report from a New Zealand Tunneling Company describes how one listener swore he had heard a horse eating oats, which the author noted could only have been true if the horse had been a prehistoric fossil! The report went on to detail the exhausting process of piecing out all the sounds a geophone operator could hear while underground, and determining which ones were harmless and which ones signified hostile activities. This underground duty QUOTE “strained body, brain, and nerve” like no other. Because of these pressures, tunnelers often received up to four times as much pay as soldiers on the surface. And, by and large, their work paid off: it was British tunnelers blew up 19 mines simultaneously at Messines in June 2017, killing approximately 10,000 German troops and creating the most powerful man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. The geophone-- the subject of this week’s WW1 War Tech. We have put links in the podcast notes to learn more Links: http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/space-into-place/the-war-underground-an-overview/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/inside-first-world-war/part-eight/10741888/world-war-one-weaponry.html https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/listening-with-a-geophone   Articles and Posts For Articles and posts -- here are the highlighted features from our weekly dispatch newsletter. [DING] Headline: Building a World War I tank in the garage Read an interview with two of our friends who have a pretty unique weekend project. They are building a WWI tank in a garage. Actually, we should say that they are building another WWI tank in a garage -- they already completed one, earlier last year! [DING] Headline: Pennsylvania WWI Centennial Committee sets World War I History Symposium at the U.S. Army History & Education Center Read about this exciting symposium event -- which will feature four unique and engaging presentations by retired U.S. Army Major Kurt Sellers, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel John D. Shepard, author Gloria J. House, and genealogist and historic researcher Barbara Selletti. [DING] Headline: WWrite blog: In a Lonely Forest This week’s WWrite blog post features one writer’s quest to uncover the story of WW1 era lyricist, Josef Rust. [DING] Headline: Story of World War I Choctaw Code Talkers told at Reims event in France Read about a special April event in Reims, France where the story of the Choctaw code talkers was presented to the local audience. [DING] Headline: Help sought to return World War I medal unearthed in N.J. woods to vet's family A metal detector recently unearthed a WW1 service medal -- read about its discovery and the efforts to return it to its original owner’s family. [DING] Headline: The story of Otho Bradford Place This week’s featured Doughboy MIA is 2nd Lt. Otho Bradford Place, a native of Bremen Indiana who died in battle during an attack along the Agron River. [DING] Headline: Official WWI Centennial Merchandise Finally, our  selection from our Official online Centennial Merchandise store -  this week, it’s the Centennial Commemorative Pin! Proudly Wearing the WWI 100 Years lapel pin is a fantastic way to start a conversation. The question, what’s that? Can lead to great discussions about the centennial, the commemoration and WWI. Wear the pin and let the world know it’s the centennial!   And those are the headlines this week from the Dispatch Newsletter Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch newsletter at ww1cc.org/subscribe check the archive at ww1cc.org/dispatch or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.html http://www.ww1cc.org/dispatch   The Buzz And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what did you pick? Trench Art and Commemoration Follow Up   Hi Theo -- This past week had a lot of commemorative events happen -- and we’ve shared images and video from them on our Facebook page that you can see in the podcast notes. Events included the dawn ANZAC ceremony at the Korean War Memorial in DC  and in NYC’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Plaza-- French President Macron participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- and commemoration of the Battle of Seicheprey in Connecticut. You can also see some great images of ANZACs in the field  on our Instagram at ww1cc -- including a photo of some aussies camped out at the foot of the Great Pyramids with their mascot Kangaroo! Also shared on our Facebook page this week was a historic video from ECPAD, a French archive of historical defense audiovisual material. The video shows soldiers, and prisoners of war, fashioning various objects from leftover military equipment, like spent shells, shrapnel, and broken pallets. These Trench Artists create vases, buckets, decorative mementos, toys, pipes, and musical instruments from the detritus of the war around them -- and also repair clothing and boots, recycle old wax into new candles, and more. You can watch these improvisational artisans working by following the link in the podcast notes. That’s it for this week in the Buzz. Link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/pcb.967365740105391/967365683438730/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/wwi100nyc/posts/1623102094475370 https://www.instagram.com/ww1cc/ https://www.facebook.com/ArlingtonNationalCemetery/posts/10157322536098976 https://www.facebook.com/CTinWorldWar1/posts/1666362546743273 https://www.facebook.com/laurentnice/videos/10213046223568254/ Outro And that wraps up the last week of April for WW1 Centennial News. Thank you for listening. We also want to thank our guests... Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, corporate historian at AT&T Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Elaine Weiss, journalist and author Group Captain Peter Davis of the Australian Defense Staff and Commander Peter Kempster of the New Zealand Defense Force. Phil Neighbors, and Perry Hutchison, from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Granite OK Katherine Akey, WWI Photography specialist and the line producer for the podcast Many thanks to Mac Nelsen our sound editor as well as John Morreale our intern and Eric Marr for their great 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; Including this podcast! 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 as well as the Starr foundation for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   Or search WW1 Centennial News on  iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn, Podbean, Stitcher - Radio on Demand, Spotify or using your smart speaker.. Just say “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] So, you know how we always do a closing joke - typically about our speaking WWI word. Well, when I researching jokes about ANZAKS - here is what came up in Google. An unwritten law in Australia and New Zealand is “Don’t make jokes about the Anzacs.” You can make jokes about almost anything except the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps That’s pretty funny! So long!

Highlights - War in The Sky The Mystery of the USS Cyclops | @ 02:40 Submarine Stories | @ 04:55 Learning to command on the front - Mike Shuster | @ 07:20 The 2nd Division: Army and Marines - Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 11:40 War In The Sky: Including the Red Baron goes down | @ 17:00 Midway Village reenactment - Dave Fornell | @ 20:25 Stars & Stripes newspaper - Robert H. Rheid | @ 27:25 "The Great Forgotten" Play - Karen & Kacie Devaney | @ 34:00 Speaking WWI: Pillbox | @ 39:25 Education Newsletter: Issue #12 | @ 41:05 WWI War Tech: Interrupter Gear | @ 42:05 Dispatch Newsletter: Headline Highlights | @ 44:30 The Centennial Buzz in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @ 47:05----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #68 - 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. This week our guests include: Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog. Mike updates us on the American Expeditionary Forces as their inexperienced officers struggle with the challenges of  battle command. Dr. Edward Lengel with the story of the 2nd Division as they enter combat at Maizey Dave Fornell shares the experience of organizing the largest WW1 reenactment event in the country Robert H. Reid tells us about the Stars and Stripes and how it was revived for troop morale in WWI Kacie and Karen Devaney with, The Great Forgotten: A stage play about WW1 Nurses - Not just during the war but after and continuing through the roaring 20’s Katherine Akey with the commemoration of world war one in social media   All this and more... on WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast 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] Preface This week’s focus is on the War in The Sky. You’ll learn about some new action up there, the death of one of the most prominent aces of the era, new educational materials arriving this week for teachers about the WWI air war, and a story about the tech that kept pilots from shooting off their propellers as they engaged the enemy. But first… as we jump into our centennial time machine and go back 100 years this week - we are going to start --   not in the sky but with a mysterious story about the war on the seas and also Germany’s claims about the success of their u-boats! [SOUND EFFECT] [TRANSITION] World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week It’s the middle of April 1918 and in the pages of the Official Bulletin, the government’s daily war gazette, published for President Wilson by George Creel, his propaganda chief --  this week we find articles of a missing ship - A big one ! [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Monday April 15, 1918 The headline in the bulletin  reads: Naval Collier Cyclops Overdue Since March 13 at Atlantic Port; Left West Indies. Personnel on Board Consisted of 15 Officers, 221 Men of Crew, and 57 Passengers - Searched for, by Radio and Ships, But No Trace is to Be Found. An the story reads: The U. S. S. Cyclops, a navy collier of 19,000 tons displacement, loaded with a cargo of manganese, is overdue at an Atlantic port. She last reported at one of the West Indian Islands on March 4, and since her departure from that port no trace of her nor any information concerning her has been obtained. Radio calls to the Cyclops from all possible points have been made and vessels sent to search for her along her probable route and areas in which she might be - all with no success. Weather Has Not Been Bad. A Collier is a Coal Carrier and The Cyclops is a massive one. She is 540 feet long and 65 feet wide. It is so big it is often referred to as a “floating coal mine,” The ship should have been docked in the waters off Baltimore after she  was sent to Brazil to pick up a load of manganese. Now, manganese is pretty valuable stuff right now. It is a mineral of great strategic importance to the war and used in the production of both iron and steel. In fact the lack of this mineral is a major problem facing the German steel makers and iron makers and the Cyclops had just picked up a 12,000 ton load of it. Nothing from the ship will be found. No wreckage, oil slicks or debris. Not even a distress call. And speculation will rage throughout history, leading to wild theories involving everything from a mutiny and a secret sale to the Germans, sinking by U-boats near Puerto Rico and even giant skids dragging her under. The mystery of the USS Cyclop will span a century without resolution.   There is also news this week about the war UNDER the sea [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Tuesday, APRIL 16, 1918 The headline in the NY Times reads: CREW OF U-85 HERE ARE PRISONERS - THIRTY-EIGHT GERMANS CAPTURED BY DESTROYER FANNING, TO BE INTERNED IN GEORGIA Captain Lieutenant Amberger, the German commander of the craft, which was sunk last november heads the party. And the story reads: Franklin D. Roosevelt acting Secretary of the Navy has given out tonight the names of the German prisoner of the submarine u-38. When the craft was wrecked by a depth bomb dropped by the Destroyer Fanning, on November 17 last, the crew of the Fanning picked up several life buoys which bore on one side the word "kaiser" and on the other the word "Got". The prisoners were taken to an English port and turned over to British authorities. By agreement between the British, the US Navy and the US Army the prisoners are being taken to Camp McPherson near Atlanta Georgia. Meanwhile another article this week presents the claims of the German Commander of the Navy that U-boats are winning the war on the sea. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Amsterdam - April 18, 1918 A  headline in the NY Times reads: CAPELLE ASSERTS U-BOATS IS WINNING Tells Reichstag Three to Six times as Many Ships Are Sunk as Are Built. AMERICAN DESTROYERS FAIL CONVOYS ALSO A FAILURE And the story reads: Vice Admiral Von Capelle, German Minister of the Navy, discussing submarine warefare before the main Committee of the Reichstag delcared that the new U-Boat construction exceeded the losses and that the effectiveness of the submarines had increased. The Minister declared that the American Destroyers, "Which had been so much talked about" had failed in their objective. Admiral von Capelle described as a base lie the statement made by Sir Eric Geddes, First lord of the British admiralty, that German U-boat crews were unwilling to put to sea and that claims by British statesmen that there had been extraordinarily big losses of U-boats were grealy exagerated. Claims of fake news from the war on the seas 100 years ago this week!   USS Cyclops and UBoat News https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/16/102690731.pdf   https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/15/98261516.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/16/102690586.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/18/98262008.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/19/102691763.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/19/102691804.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/19/102691823.pdf https://timesmachinenytimes.com/svc/tmach/v1/refer?pdf=true&res=9806E4DE1F3FE433A25754C1A9629C946996D6CF   Contemporary Cyclops news: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/14/more-than-100-years-later-great-mystery-vanished-uss-cyclops-remains-unsolved.html http://www.navyhistory.org/2013/06/unanswered-loss-uss-cyclops-march-1918/ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-uss-cyclops-20180312-story.html   Fighting in France: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/15/98261538.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/15/98261525.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/16/102690556.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/16/102690562.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/17/102691147.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/17/102691155.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/18/98261912.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/18/98261915.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/18/98261916.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/19/102691733.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/19/102691736.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/20/102692321.pdf [MUSIC TRANSITION] Great War Project Now moving to the story on land and in the trenches and fields of the western front, It is time for Mike Shuster -- former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. Mike: Your post last week ended on a note of the American troops moving to the front and Ed Lengel followed with the hard lessons the Yankee division received as they engaged in Seicheprey. This week, you continue with the incredible challenges the Americans face - not from the courage or spirit of the fighting men, but from the lack of experience of the American field commanders - few of whom have had any actual battle command and they are facing the desperate fierceness of the enemy. What is the next chapter of the story Mike? [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. The links to Mike Shuster’s Great War Project blog are in the podcast notes. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/04/15/more-americans-reach-the-battlefieldunprepared/ [SOUND EFFECT] America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 Welcome to our segment - America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI with Dr. Edward Lengel. This week, Ed introduces us to the 2nd Division - a mix of army and Marine brigades, interesting leadership, and a destiny to play key roles in the upcoming battles of the war. These are army soldiers and marines learning to fight an enemy determined to understand them, devastate them and destroy them… but this time the doughboys turn the tables.. Of course we, the audience, already know the outcome of the war. The American eventually figure it out and prevail… but the lessons continue to hurt! [ED LENGEL] [MUSIC TRANSITION] Dr. Edward Lengel is an American military historian, author, and our segment host for America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI. There are links in the podcast notes to Ed’s post and his web sites as an author.   Links:http://www.edwardlengel.com/2nd-division-goes-army-first-combat-maizey-1918/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ War in the Sky Ok… Now we are moving to the War in the Sky -- it’s mid-April of 1918 and America’s newly minted US Army Air Corps has joined the fighting front above the trenches. This week - 100 years ago -- Two U.S. Army Air corps pilots of the First Aero Squadron shoot down two enemy German planes over the Allied Squadron Aerodome in France. The encounter as lightning fast; just six minutes after the front line signaled that German airplanes were crossing the American trenches and heading towards the aerodome,  Lieutenant A.S. Winslow of Chicago and Lieutenant Douglas Campbell of California had brought two enemy aviators down. It was the first U.S. Army Air corps dogfight in history. One of the German planes was set on fire, and the other was knocked out but landed pretty much undamaged -- and their German pilots taken prisoner.   Both American aviators eventually received the Croix de Guerre, and Lt. Campbell, went on to shoot down five enemy aircraft, making him the first U.S. flying ace. As the Americans rose to the challenge this week, the great Red Baron fell. On April 21st, German ace Manfred von Richthofen, a living legend called the "Red Baron" and "ace of aces," was shot down and killed in aerial combat. By the time of his death, he had accrued 80 victories. Credit for his kill was given at the time to Canadian Captain Roy Brown.  During the fateful scrap, the Red Baron's cousin Lt. Wolfram von Richthofen was being fired upon when the Red Baron flew to his rescue and fired on the attacker, saving Wolfram's life. Richthofen pursued the enemy across the Somme where he was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by Canadian Captain Roy Brown. At the time, it seems a single bullet hit Richthofen in the chest, causing a quick death. But-- who exactly killed the Red Baron is up for debate. Current evidence is that he was killed by ground fire from Australian troops -- but there are many theories. No matter who was the one to take him down, RIchthofen left behind a legacy of true aerial mastery and terror. His victory total will not be exceeded until June 1941. Link: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1918/04/14/American-flyers-down-pair/9481523634159/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen#Death https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015075629603;view=1up;seq=46 The Great War Channel For videos about WWI 100 years ago this week, check out our friends at  the Great War Channel on Youtube. New episodes this week include: The Battle of La Lys -- Operation Georgette Stalin in WW1 -- Scottish Home Rule -- Out of the Trenches Storm of Steel -- Author and Officer Ernst Jünger See their videos by searching for “the great war” on youtube or following the link in the podcast notes! Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Alright  - It is time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] This part of the podcast focuses on NOW and how we are commemorating the centennial of WWI! Remembering Veterans Midway Village Reenactment For  Remembering Veterans -- We are going to do a follow up on the big reenactor event in Rockford Illinois we told you about a couple of weeks ago. The Midway Village Museum is a 137 acre living history park, and the host of the 6th annual Great War event, that featured over 225 re-enactors portraying soldiers and civilians from the United States and Europe. It’s the nation’s largest public WW1 re-enactment -- and a massive undertaking! If you were there - you had a blast - if you weren’t there - we will point you to great pictures and videos - AND… we have invited Dave Fornell, the reenactor coordinator for the event and member of the Illinois WWI Centennial Commission to tell us the story. Welcome, Dave! [greetings] [Dave -- there are three things I’d like to touch on today… The event and the experience of attending it -- Reenactors and the reenactor community at large And third - future plans] [Let’s start with the 6th Annual Great war event - how did it go! How many people showed up and what kind of comments did you get?] [So Dave - I am personally totally fascinated by the reenactor phenomena --- here is my chance to ask about it.. So…. you are a WWI reenactor - Why? ] [Are you only WWI?  I mean… do reenactors specialize in a specific historical period? - or is it more of a chronic avocation - Are reenactors organized? By historical period or by regional area? And based on a conversation I had with Katherine about this - what about women in this community?] [Finally - are there plans for a 2019 Midway Village Great War event?] [goodbyes/thanks] Dave Fornell is the re-enactor coordinator for the Midway Village Museum WWI reenactment and a member of the Illinois WWI Centennial Commission. Learn more about the Commission and the Midway Village Museum at the links in the podcast notes. Links:http://www.midwayvillage.com/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/illinois-wwi-centennial-home.html Spotlight in the Media Stars and Stripes 100 years ago, in February 1918, a new weekly publication found its way into the hands of Doughboys now arriving in France in ever greater numbers: The Stars and Stripes newspaper. Although the classic periodical was originally produced by Union Soldiers in the Civil War, when they found an abandoned printing press - they only ran 6 one-page issues at the time. The publication was revived for World War 1, produced by an all-military staff and aimed directly at the doughboys of the American Expeditionary Forces. Stars and Stripes is filled with cartoons and articles by and for doughboys, making light of everything from living covered in lice in the trenches to struggling to communicate with their new “Francai”  comrades. We reported on the relaunch in Episode #59 and ever since, we have been looking forward to the opportunity of inviting someone from the paper to come on the show and tell us more about it. So I am especially excited to welcome Robert H. Reid, senior managing editor of the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Robert - so nice to have you on the show! [welcome/greetings] [OK - first of all - Robert for our listeners - We need a context - could you briefly frame up what the Stars and stripes paper is? ] [When we saw in our research that the paper had re-emerged for the doughboys arriving in france --- we quickly started to read through issues - and what struck me immediately was the humor… tongue in cheek, irreverent, good natured, and wry -- How did that happen!? Was that planned or just what happened?] [Clearly the AEF decided they wanted this…. Do we know how the papers ROLE was framed by the command in 1918? Did it have a mission statement?] [Full disclosure - I grew up with the paper and the people who made it in post WWII Germany. We lived as Americans near frankfurt in the early 50’s and my mom wrote for the paper…. So here we are today in the THIRD generation of the paper’s life - What is the Stars and Stripes today?] [goodbyes/thank you] Robert Reid is the senior managing editor of Stars and Stripes. You can learn more about the paper, and see archival copies at the Library of Congress, by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.loc.gov/collections/stars-and-stripes/?sb=date https://www.stripes.com/ The Great Forgotten To wrap up Spotlight in the Media this week -- we’re turning the focus back onto the service of women in the war with the play The Great Forgotten. Set during WWI and through the Roaring Twenties, the play follows two sisters --- American nurses in France during WW1, and their adjustment to a whole new world after the end of the conflict. This segment actually kicks off a conversation that will become ever more important on the podcast… looking at the profound post-war experience in America With us to tell us about their original production are mother-daughter playwriting team Karen and Kacie Devaney. Welcome! [welcome/greetings} [Kacie -- the play was initially your idea, and you ended up getting your mother involved. Tell us about that? ] [Karen -- The two main characters embody the experience of so many women who served in the war -- Did you base the characters on real individuals?] [Back to you Kacie -- This is obviously a real passion project for you -- why do you think the stories of these women in, and after, WW1 matter so much?] [A quick one phrase answer from each of you… In a phrase - what was the biggest realization for you personally in doing this project?] [In closing - are you going to be performing the play again soon?] [goodbyes/thank you] Karen and Kacie Devaney are a mother daughter playwriting team. Learn more about their play The Great Forgotten by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/Thegreatforgotten/ https://twitter.com/KarinDevaney https://twitter.com/Kaciedevaney Speaking WW1 Now let’s head into our weekly feature “Speaking World War 1” -- Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war  --- The war torn landscape of Belgium and the Western Front is often described as being nearly featureless-- mud, shell holes, stumps and a tangle of trenches. But one feature stood out -- and was a highly coveted tactical position. Low, grey structures dotting the muddy landscape-- the Germans began constructing these steel-reinforced concrete bunkers in order to enhance their defenses against British artillery on the Hindenburg Line. With walls and ceilings several feet thick, the bunkers could easily withstand all but the highest caliber shells, and were often obscured with debris to prevent detection. They were built most often in the Ypres salient, where a high rainfall and water table made trenches an near-impossibility. As the British and Commonwealth troops stared out at these little buildings in the moon like world of Flanders-- they noted their similarity to the small medicine boxes carried by civilians -- earning the structures the name of “pillbox” - which is our speaking world war I word this week. Nowadays, according to the Department of Defense - the word defines small, low fortified outpost that houses machine guns and anti-tank weapons… or that thing you carry your meds and vitamins in! Pillboxes -- created by the Germans, and named by the British-- and this week’s word for speaking WW1. Links:https://www.historyextra.com/period/first-world-war/10-first-world-war-slang-words-we-still-use-today/ https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/pillbox-fighting-in-the-ypres-salient https://www.militaryfactory.com/dictionary/military-terms-defined.asp?term_id=4092 [SOUND EFFECT] Education In Education news this week -- The latest WW1 education newsletter just came out! Issue #12 is “Air War and Weapons Technology” and features articles on the development of aerial warfare and the incredible technological boom that accompanied and supported it. This issue includes resources for teaching about the history of unmanned drones; the life and service of the only African American member of the Lafayette Escadrille, Eugene Bullard; the role of zeppelins in the war; and the changing military technology of the war. The newsletter is published by the National WW1 Museum and Memorial in partnership with the WW1 Centennial Commission. Go to our new education website at ww1cc.org/ e d u where you can sign up for the education newsletters and connect with the commission education program - or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/edu WW1 War Tech Interrupter Gear This week for WW1 War Tech -- we’re headed back into the Sky to take a look at a technological development that helped usher in the age of the aerial dogfighting. Early in the war, planes were used exclusively for observation -- but to get clear images of the enemy lines, you had to fly “low and slow” and in a fairly straight line, which left you pretty easy pickings  if an enemy plane with a gun came along. This started an arms race in the sky as each side tried to outgun the other --- in order to protect their observation planes. The first attempt to mount a machine gun on an airplane, ended after the nose-heavy prototype crashed on its first experimental flight. Some guns were mounted and shot over the wings, and “pusher planes” with their props behind the pilot were developed, allowing for them to shoot ahead of themselves without hitting the blades of the propellers. Dutch aircraft designer Anthony Fokker came up with the ultimate answer for the Germans! His mechanism, referred to as the interrupter gear, connected the firing of the machine gun to the turning of the propeller, allowing the bullets to pass through the brief gaps in between the blades. Yet despite the tests on both the ground and the air proving his design worked, German generals remained skeptical. They demanded that Fokker fly into the air and shoot down an enemy plane himself. He did as he was told, and although a French plane soon came within his sights, he found himself unable to pull the trigger. Fokker returned to Douai flying field to vocalize his refusal, demanding that someone else test the plane instead. And so the famous Lieutenant Oswald Boelcke was the first pilot to successfully use the interrupter gear, making his first kill on August 1, 1915. German planes would continue to dominate the skies, a phenomenon known as the ‘Fokker Scourge’, until mid-1916. The interrupter gear-- a technological marvel that brought air combat into the future-- and the subject of this week’s WW1 War Tech. We have put links in the podcast notes to learn more including a link a video from the YoutUbe channel The Slow Mo Guys where you can watch an interrupter gear operate in very, very slow motion. Links: http://www.firstworldwar.com/airwar/earlyfighters.htm          http://www.firstworldwar.com/airwar/deflectorgear.htm          http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/fokker.htm          https://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1369.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysB-SH19WRQ Articles and Posts For Articles and posts -- we are going to continue with the idea we launched last week of highlighting the features of the weekly dispatch newsletter.  So here we go. [DING] VMI and VA Commission present WWI Commemorative Symposium April 27th Conference attendees will hear from national and regional experts, who will explore the political and military leadership of World War I, the experiences of the soldiers and generals on the front, and the role that Virginians played in the Great War. . [DING] Treasure trove of Army Major Amos J. Peaslee and the first Diplomatic Courier Service Major Peaslee’s led the first ever Diplomatic Courier Service during WW1 -- and now his personal documents and artifacts related to the Diplomatic Courier Service, including a personal engraved copy of the Treaty of Versailles, are on their way to the State Department. [DING] "until very recently, we had forgotten a tremendously important aspect of the U.S. experience that eventually changed this country forever." Read the essay by scholar Keith Gandel as he explores the literature of WW1 -- and what we can learn from it today. [DING] Very small ships make very large impact Read about the U.S. Navy Submarine Chasers in WWI -- on the cutting edge of anti-submarine warfare. [DING] Robert Frost: A poet for whom life and war were trials by existence The WWrite blog  this week focuses on the iconic American poet Robert Frost and his insight into connections between war and the human condition. [DING] Finally, our selection from our Official Centennial Merchandise store - Lest We Forget: The Great War is available through our store. The book features nearly 350 high-quality images, an introduction by Sir Hew Strachan and text by historian Michael W. Robbins. Importantly, when you get this visual remembrance of the "War that Changed The World"  - a full ½ of the proceeds go to building the Memorial! Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch newsletter at ww1cc.org/subscribe check the archive at ww1cc.org/dispatch or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.html http://www.ww1cc.org/dispatch The Buzz And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what did you pick? Famous Fighters, the Friends of Jenny and Barbara Bush Hi Theo -- Last week we talked a lot about the Liberty Loans-- and during the third loan drive, celebrities were drafted to help hype the program as they traveled across the country, including the movie stars Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. But they aren’t the only darlings of the silver screen that helped the war effort -- and this week on our Facebook page at facebook.com/ww1centennial-- we shared photographs and draft registrations cards of two other familiar faces. Buster Keaton, known to the army by his given name, Joseph, was assigned to the 40th Division, 159th Infantry-- a division that did not wholly see battle but did serve on the Western Front. There’s also Walt Disney-- who was just 16 years old when he joined the American Red Cross and arrived in France as a paramedic, serving near Neufchateau. You can see photos of them by following the links in the podcast notes. Two more nods from the Buzz-- this week, the Friends of Jenny, a historical aviation restoration group, shared an album of images updating  us on the progress of one of their major restoration projects -- their Curtiss Jenny rebuild is receiving its new engine! Check it out at the link in the notes, and follow their facebook page as the project continues to pick up speed. Finally this week, the nation was sad to hear  of the passing of former First Lady, Barbara Bush. But you may not know that she was the daughter of a World War One Veteran-- her father, Marvin Pierce, enlisted in the US Army Reserves in 1918, was promoted to Lieutenant and served as an Engineering Corps officer in France from September 1918 to May 1919. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and you can read more about her long and storied life at the links in the podcast notes. That’s it for this week in the Buzz. Link:https://www.facebook.com/lesamericainsdegondrecourt/posts/590840027940871 https://www.facebook.com/DedicatedDoughboy/posts/1047277248744614 https://www.facebook.com/friendsofjenny/posts/819085468278037 https://www.stripes.com/news/us/former-first-lady-barbara-bush-dies-at-age-92-1.522583 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/opinion/barbara-bush-a-first-lady-without-apologies.html Outro And that is our episode this third week of April. Thank you for listening to WW1 Centennial News. We also want to thank our guests... Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Dave Fornell, re-enactor coordinator and member of the Illinois WWI Centennial Commission. Robert H. Reid, senior managing editor of the Stars and Stripes newspaper Karen and Kacie Devaney, playwrights Katherine Akey, WWI Photography specialist and the line producer for the podcast Many thanks to the newest member of our team - Mac Nelsen our sound editor--- a shout out to our researchers John Morreale and Eric Marr... 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; Including this podcast! 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 as well as the Starr foundation for their support.   The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   Or search WW1 Centennial News on  iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn, Podbean, Stitcher - Radio on Demand, Spotify or using your smart speaker.. Just say “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] Legend of Snoopy and the Red Baron From all of us and Snoopy - So long!

Seicheprey is a little hamlet in the Woëvre, and in April of 1918 it was the scene of the first clash between the newly-arrived American Doughboys and the battle-hardened German soldier.   The Germans set out to teach the Americans a lesson: that they shouldn’t hope to tangle with the German soldier. In return the Americans, despite having a lot to learn, would teach a lesson or two of their own.   Having been overshadowed by titanic clashes elsewhere on the Western Front at the time, the Battle of Seicheprey was a stark and brutal introduction to the American Expeditionary Force of what modern industrial warfare was truly like.     The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.   Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com or the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook. We're also on Twitter! Follow us at @WW1podcast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.

Highlights Financing WWI - Reaching for the stars | 01:55 The 369th hits the front lines | 08:30 The British Struggle continues - Mike Shuster | 10:40 The Yankee Division learns at seicheprey - Dr. Edward Lengel | 15:10 A century In the Making - The maquettes get busy | 21:00 “Lest We forget: The Great War” - Kenneth Clarke & Michael Robbins | 25:05 How to teach about WWI - Dr. Ian Isherwood | 32:30 Speaking WWI - Pilates | 38:25 100 Cities / 100 Memorial in Jackson, TN - Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls | 40:25 WWI War Tech - Carrel-Dakin Antiseptic | 45:55 The Weekly Dispatch Newsletter overview | 47:50 The Centennial In Social Media - Katherine Akey | 50:25----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #67 - 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. This week our guests include: Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog updates us on what the UK Forces are up against both on the front and in recruitment Dr. Edward Lengel with the story of the US Yankee Division as they enter serious battle. Kenneth Clarke and Michael Robbins introduce a pictorial book, a perfect souvenir of the centennial from the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the US WW1 Centennial Commission -  Lest We Forget: The Great War Dr. Ian Isherwood shares his experience in creating a WW1 educational programme structured around a soldier’s letters Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, the project instigator for  the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project from Jackson, Tennessee and the local research the project spawned Katherine Akey keeps us in Tennessee with a social media post about a great commemoration event. All this and more... on WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast 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] Preface Just one year after the declaration of war, 100 years ago, it is time for the third Liberty Loan drive to raise money to pay for the war effort. Let me put the Liberty Loan drive into perspective for you. In early 20th century thinking, Woodrow Wilson’s government was completely clear that the war would be financed by money raised specifically for it. And a majority of that money was to come from the American People - ordinary citizens. By contrast, today in our late 20th /early  21st century, money for our wars and military expenditures are financed from a big boiling cauldron called the national debt. Today the average American Citizen feel little or no real connection with or responsibility for our military expenditures.    Not so in 1917 and 1918. In those two years, during four Bond drives, twenty million individuals purchase Liberty War bonds. 20 million investors is pretty impressive given that there were only twenty-four million households in America at the time. More than 17 billion dollars are raised. In addition, taxes are collected to the sum of 8.8 billion dollars… in short, $26 billion dollars is gathered to finance the fight in WWI. Now that’s in 1918 dollars. Today that equates to nearly ½ a TRILLION dollars raised in bonds, largely from citizen, specifically for a purpose. With that as background, let’s jump into our centennial time machine a take a look at the national fundraising effort and a whole lot more 100 years ago this week in the war that changed the world. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week On April 6th 1918 - President Wilson makes a speech to launch the third Liberty Bond Campaign. Here is his declaration as reported in the pages of the Official Bulletin - The government’s war Gazette published by Wilson’s propaganda chief George Creel. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1918 The headline Reads: The President delivered the following address at Baltimore to-night on the occasion of the opening of the Third Liberty Loan Campaign: “Fellow Citizens: This is the anniversary of our acceptance of Germany's challenge to fight for our right to live and be free, and for the sacred rights of free men everywhere. The Nation is awake. There is no need to call to it. We know what the war must cost, our utmost sacrifice, the lives of our fittest men and, if need be, all that we possess. The loan we are met to discuss is one of the least parts of what we are called upon to give and to do, though in itself imperative. The people of the whole country are alive to the necessity of it, and are ready to lend to the utmost, even where it involves a sharp skimping and daily sacrifice to lend out of meagre earnings. They will look with reprobation and contempt upon those who can and will not, upon those who demand a higher rate of interest, upon those who think of it as a mere com-. mercial transaction. I have not come, therefore, to urge the loan. I have come only to give you, if I can, a more vivid conception of what it is for.” The president goes on to explain the situation on the ground in europe and the dire need for America as a nation to take a stand, take a lead and defend all that the nation holds dear. And so kicks off the third Liberty bond campaign. A few days later the Official Bulletin reports on the Cabinet’s Liberty Bond appeal Dateline: TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1918 The Headline reads: CABINET MEMBERS APPEAL TO ALL TRUE AMERICANS TO SUPPORT WITH THEIR DOLLARS OUR GALLANT FIGHTERS IN THE FIELD; BUY LIBERTY BONDS, THEY ASK, IN PROOF OF YOUR PATRIOTISM The article goes on with a number of cabinet members presenting their appeal of the importance and patriotic imperative for buying bond.. But my favorite part comes at the end of the full page article with a subheadline of: [SOUND EFFECT] WHAT LIBERTY BONDS WILL BUY. The article reads: Eighteen thousand dollars invested- in Liberty bonds will equip an infantry battalion with rifles. Fifty thousand dollars will construct a base hospital with 500 beds, or equip an infantry brigade with pistols. One hundred thousand dollars will buy five combat airplanes, or pistols, rifles. and half a million rounds of ammunition for an infantry regiment. Just like today - contributors to a cause want to know exactly what their contribution is buying! These guys know exactly what they are are doing! In another smart move, presumably pulled off by George Creel - the campaign cleverly recruits four of the most popular movie stars of the day and puts them on the road to help raise money. The headline reads: LIBERTY LOAN SPEAKING TOURS FOR FOUR MOTION PICTURE STARS And the story opens with: Today we are announcing The itineraries of Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Marguerite Clark for their speaking tours during the forthcoming Liberty loan campaign! And the article continues with the schedule of appearances by the stars. Then on Saturday April 13th 1918, just one week after launching the campaign, the headline in the official bulletin reads TOTAL SALES OF LIBERTY BONDS AS REPORTED TO THE TREASURY, PASS THE HALF BILLION MARK AS SCORES OF TOWNS EXCEED QUOTAS It’s a big week on the home front - raising money 100 years ago, for America’s participation in a war that changed  the world! Links: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/liberty_bonds http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/2381-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-1-issue-4-may-14-1917.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/2497-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-1-issue-31-june-15-1917.html https://muse.jhu.edu/article/639845 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/2850-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-1-issue-121-october-1-1917.html https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/04/102979322.pdf Liberty Loan articles from Times: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/04/102979322.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/04/102979339.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/05/102687136.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/06/102687648.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/12/98261150.pdf Americans needed by allies as action on front continues. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/02/102685967.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/08/317376142.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/10/102690083.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/12/98261154.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/01/102685527.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/02/102685966.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/04/03/102686544.pdf And it is also a very big week on the fighting front! Here is a story that is not covered in the government press - and doesn’t really pop up in the popular press either - But 100 years ago this week, The 369th US Infantry Regiment goes to the front lines to fight --- but with the French! - on April 8th 1918 the 369th is amalgamated into French Army. But wait a minute….. - Didn’t General Pershing insist on keeping the American Expeditionary Forces together as a distinct American fighting force.   Well yea - he did - but Pershing’s insistence on keeping all American forces together didn’t extend to the black troops in the segregated US Army.   Among them were the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, redesignated the 369th Infantry Regiment but better known as the Harlem Rattler or the Harlem Hellfighters.   Now Pershing presumably didn’t have any problems with black soldiers per se, but the question of how to use black troops in the front lines, where they’d have to rely on the full cooperation of white units on either side, was really gnarly. The online blog “today in World War 1,  posted a quote from Hamilton Fish - a New Yorker, who served as one of the regiment’s white officers: Quote: The French were crying out for U.S. regiments to go into the French Army.  So I guess Pershing figured he could kill two birds with one stone–solve the problem on what to do with us and give something to Foch.  From then on we spent our entire service in the French Army. Oh officially we were still the 369th U.S. Infantry, but to all intent and purposes we were francais. The post goes on with a quote from Noble Sissle, who served in the regiment’s famous band: We were fully equipped with French rifles and French helmets.  Our wagons, our rations, our machine guns and everything pertaining to the equipment of the regiment for trench warfare was supplied by the French Army. The 369th went on to serve with great distinction spending more time on the front line that any other US forces… with a fierceness and bravery that never gave ground to the enemy. A proud combat service started 100 years ago this week, in the war the changed the world... http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/172746986523/369th-us-infantry-regiment-begins-front-line [MUSIC TRANSITION] Great War Project Continuing to explore the story on the front, we are going to go to Mike Shuster former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. Mike: Your post this week speaks to what can only be thought of as moment of total desperation for the British lines… It has just been exactly two years since they brutally put down Ireland’s Easter Uprising - Now they are trying to conscript them - They are not having much luck drafting more Canadian either - General Haig puts out his out his inspirational “Backs To The Wall” Order - and at this very moment of do or die - Well… you story this week closes on a note of hope. Fill it in for us Mike… [Mike Shuster] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/04/08/allies-face-resistance-in-own-ranks/ [SOUND EFFECT] America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 And one last story from the front for our segment -  America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI with Dr. Edward Lengel. As Mike indicated, this is the time when the American infantry does arrive on the front… The boys are fresh, healthy and eager when compared to their battle weary allies. They’re also green. The Germans want to -- Maybe they NEED TO discredit them. The school of combat is now is session for the Americans. And the lessons begin 100 years ago this week in Seicheprey - lessons for all sides. And Ed is here to tell you the story: [Ed Lengel] [MUSIC TRANSITION] Dr. Edward Lengel is an American military historian, author, and our segment host for America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI. There are links in the podcast notes to Ed’s post and his web sites as an author.   Links:http://www.edwardlengel.com/combat-seicheprey-yankee-division-100-years-ago/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ The Great War Channel For videos about WWI 100 years ago this week, check out our friends at  the Great War Channel on Youtube. New episodes this week include: Operation Michael Runs out of Breath France before WW1 -- La belle epoque? See their videos by searching for “the great war” on youtube or following the link in the podcast notes! Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Alright  - It is time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] This part of the podcast focuses on NOW and how we are commemorating the centennial of WWI! A Century in the Making The Maquette and it’s Travels We have an update for our segment: A century in the making - America’s WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. As our regular listeners know, we are building a national WWI Memorial at Pershing Park in the nation’s capital. It’s a big project. And It’s been a long time coming. We spoke with sculptor Sabin Howard back in episodes #54 and #55 about a new process. Sabin combined advanced 3D printing technology at the WETA Workshop in New Zealand with traditional classic sculpture techniques to create a 10’ miniature draft the sculptural centerpiece for the memorial. The result is called a maquette. We made two of them to show America and to help us raise money for this strictly publicly funded memorial. One maquette was on display at the Visitor's Center in the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall, in downtown Nashville --- right in front of the state capital. It was quite a hit at the Tennessee Great War Commission's event this last Saturday, where it was featured as part of the presentation from Terry Hamby - the WW1 Centennial Commission Chairman. Both Maquettes are being prepped for a busy schedule of showings at special events and fundraisers around the country. We will keep you updated as the schedule evolves… Katherine - You went to a fundraiser on wednesday and got your first look at the sculpture that is called “A soldier’s Journey” - what was your first reaction? [Katherine’s reaction to seeing the Maquette] Learn more about the memorial and follow the incredible journey of a project that has been a century in the making - Go to ww1cc.org/memorial or follow the link in the podcast notes Link:http://ww1cc.org/memorial Remembering Veterans Lest We Forget: Book and Exhibition And while we are speaking about the Memorial - we have a brand new way for you to help build America’s WWI Memorial in Washington DC and at the same time, get yourself a very special, colorful, inspiring and lasting souvenir of the centennial! This week marks the release of a new visual pictorial table book called  “Lest We Forget: The Great War” - The book is dedicated to the centennial and produced by The Pritzker Military Museum and Library along with the WW1 Centennial commission - When you get this visual remembrance  - a full ½ of the proceeds go building the Memorial! With us to tell us more about “Lest We Forget” which also has a companion exhibit in Chicago at the Pritzker - are Kenneth Clarke, Former President and CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, and Michael Robbins, historian. Ken was the executive and creative director for the book and exhibition and Michael was writer for the text. Welcome, Gentlemen! [greetings/welcome] [Ken, can you give us an overview of the project and the concept?] [Insert questions if it fits] Ken there are nearly 350 images in this book -- how did you select them?] [Michael -- you were the writer on the project - What story are you telling and how do the words and the pictures interact?] [Ken -- Sir Hugh Strachan (STRAWN) - who has been on the show - did an introduction for the book. What was his emphasis?] [Ken -- In closing - Who is this book for?] The book is available in bookstores nationwide, but the easiest place to get it is in the commission’s Merchandise shop. Look under Commemorate at ww1cc.org and we have link to the commission's shop in the podcast notes .. Thank  you both for coming on the podcast and introducing us to this beautiful “must get” souvenir of the Centennial! [goodbyes/thank you] Kenneth Clarke and Michael Robbins the creative director and writer for the Lest We Forget: The Great War - available through the links in the podcast notes. Link: https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards?product_id=188 https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/store/pmml-merchandise/lest-we-forget-michael-robbins/ https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/whats_on/video-rucksack/lest-we-forget-exhibit-opening-remarks/ Education Teaching WWI - A great approach Now for our Education segment -- A story of a teacher and his approach to teaching WWI! Collections of soldier’s letters and diaries from the war continue to be discovered and rediscovered one hundred years after they were first written. As we have learned from a number of museum curators, they offer an amazing opportunity to help understand this event in history as they bring in  a first person point of view. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Ian Isherwood, Visiting Assistant Professor at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania who is doing exactly that. Welcome, Dr. Isherwood! [greetings/welcome] [Dr. Isherwood-- you’ve been using Wartime letters from Lieutenant Colonel Jack Peirs, a British Soldier as the foundation for teaching history to your students. For context, can you tell us briefly about the soldier, and how you came across his letters?] [Did you build up a following? ] [At the commission we are really interested in the techniques for teaching this subject - What advice do you have for others who may want to undertake an educational programme like this?] [Would this work for younger student educators?] [we've found that the first person POV gives you insight you cant get from just plain facts... do you find that to be true?] [You’re also personally working on a new, upcoming book -- can you tell us a little about it?] [goodbyes/thank you] Dr. Ian Isherwood is a Visiting Assistant Professor and the Chairperson of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We put links for his Jack Peirs website and twitter accounts in the podcast notes. links:http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/history/research/jackpiers.dot https://twitter.com/jackpeirs http://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=ghj http://jackpeirs.org/ https://www.instagram.com/jackpeirs/?hl=en Speaking WW1 Now let’s head into our weekly feature “Speaking World War 1” -- Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war  --- It’s a health fad with real benefits, a gym class pretty much anyone can benefit from -- It’s very popular -- It’s very Hep -- and I’ll bet you had no idea it was from WWI - No.. not Zoomba   Nope… Not kickboxing... Uh uh definitely NOT P90X… It’s our Speaking WWI word this week - Pilates! Pilates is named for its inventor, Joseph Hubertus Pilates, who created it in Great Britain during WW1. Pilates, Interestingly was born a German citizen. He was a frail and sickly child who took to exercise for both his health and self-defense against bullies. He eventually grew into an accomplished boxer and martial artist, and traveled to England in 1912 to find work, picking up a job as a circus performer. When the war broke out, he was arrested as an enemy alien and interned on the Isle of Man. It was there that he came up with his method of mental and physical exertion, which he called “Contrology”, as a way to encourage his fellow inmates to stay healthy. Many prisoners were bedridden, and so Pilates invented a makeshift resistance-training machine out of springs and straps taken from the beds and attached to the foot and headboards. This use of resistance loads would later become a staple of the Pilates method. After the end of the war, Pilates emigrated to the US and settled in New York, where he and his wife, Clara, founded the first Body Contrology Studio in 1925. And of course that was the foundation for the trendy “new” exercise method -- known far and wide as Pilates. Pilates -- created by a German citizen prisoner in wartime -- and this week’s word for speaking WW1. Links:http://online.wsj.com/ww1/pilates [SOUND EFFECT] 100 Cities 100 Memorials World War I Memorial Fountain - Jackson, TN This week for our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment ---  the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials --- It looks like this is Tennessee week - because We  are going to profile the World War I Memorial Fountain project from Madison County in Jackson, Tennessee. With us tell us about the project is Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, the Tom Elam Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Tennessee at Martin, and member of the Tennessee Great War Commission.   Welcome Dr. Carls! [greetings] [Dr. Carls - your WWI Memorial honors both the women on the homefront in Tennessee and the men on the fighting front in France. That’s a really interesting approach… could you tell us more about that?] [It is very unique for a WWI memorial to honor both the homefront and the warefront. [Your project has a large research and community historical society component to it could you tell us about that?] [Have you been promoting the project locally? What has the community response been?] [MAYBE QUESTION: The memorial was designed as a fountain - but has been dry for a long time - I know in your grant application you hadn’t yet decided if you were going to get the fountain replumed - I have worked with water features before - It’s very tricky. Where is that idea at now?] [Are you planning a rededication this year?] Dr. Carls - thank you for leading this project on behalf of your community and on behalf of the men and women of your county who served both here and abroad in WWI [goodbyes/thank you] Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, Professor of History at the University of Tennessee, and a member of the Tennessee Great War Commission. Learn more about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program and about West Tennessee in WW1 by following the links in the podcast notes or by going to ww1cc.org/100Memorials Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities http://www.utm.edu/worldwars/ [SOUND EFFECT] WW1 War Tech Carrel-Dakin Method This week for WW1 War Tech -- another technology that saved lives instead of taking them. In the early months of the war, amputations for wounded soldiers were at the same high levels as those of the civil war. In other words - very high! But by late 1915 that rate dropped dramatically! So, what happened? Well… That year, a French physician, Théodore Tuffier, testified to the Academy of Medicine that 70% of amputations weren’t because of the initial injury, but because of a later infection. As we have mentioned on the podcast before the mud-filled and deeply unsanitary conditions of trench warfare were a happy home for the bacteria that cause Gangrene. The antiseptics of the 19th century were inadequate. But two men: French doctor Alexis Carrel and British biochemist Henry Dakin came together under the cloud of war to combine their two discoveries to create one very effective method of disinfecting wounds. Dakin created a solution of sodium hypochlorite that managed to kill any bacteria in a wound, but didn’t damage the flesh surrounding it. Meanwhile Dr. Carrel developed a strategy of opening and thoroughly draining wounds. Put together, the Carrel-Dakin method proved the most effective antiseptic treatment to that date, and the procedure quickly spread into use all across Europe, saving an untold number of limbs from amputation. The Carrel-Dakin method-- an incredible leap forward in the treatment of field wounds -- and the subject of this week’s WW1 War Tech. We have put links in the podcast notes to learn more including a link to the commission’s website on medicine in WWI at ww1cc.org/medicine Link:  https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/world-war-i-medicine/517656/       https://www.rtbf.be/ww1/topics/detail_the-carrel-dakin-method?id=8356084 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/injuries-in-world-war-i.html Articles and Posts For Articles and posts -- we are going to continue with the idea we launched last week of highlighting the features of the weekly dispatch newsletter.  So here we go. [DING] Final fifty “WWI Centennial Memorials” announced in wrap-up of competition phase of 100 Cities / 100 Memorials Also learn about -- the Memorial Hunters Club, a crowd-sourced effort to create a comprehensive national register of WWI memorials. [DING] "The film needed really really brilliant nuanced, convincing performances" The interview from this podcast with director Saul Dibb, about the motion picture a Journey’s End - now in wide release -  has been turned into a print article on the website. [DING] "It was a sad but poignant tale." Two lifelong friends, Now octogenarians , have produced a documentary film about one of their uncle’s service in WW. [DING] Pennsylvania oil and World War I Remember how important coal was during WW1? Supplement that knowledge by reading about the role of Pennsylvania Oil during the war. [DING] 'Over Here' in Michigan, High School Athletes Gave to World War I Effort Michigan’s high school athletes helped fill the labor shortage created as millions of men shipped overseas. [DING] Break of Day - Poet Isaac Rosenberg The WWrite blog  features the WWI poetry of British soldier, Isaac Rosenberg, who died on Easter Sunday, 1918 - and who was also mentioned by Mike Shuster in last week’s podcast. [DING] The story of Donald Chapman This week’s featured Story of Service submitted by his grand niece Tish Wells [DING] Official WWI Centennial Merchandise Finally, this week’s selection from our Official on line Centennial Merchandise store - an authentic classic green US Army woolen blanket from woolrich inc. the oldest continuously operating woolen mill in the US and suppliers of army blankets 100 years ago. Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch newsletter at ww1cc.org/subscribe check the archive at ww1cc.org/dispatch or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.html http://www.ww1cc.org/dispatch The Buzz And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what did you pick? Tennessee Living History and WW1 Literature Hi Theo -- As we commemorate 101 years since joining the First World War -- incredible events are beginning to take place across the country to remember those who served. Over the last weekend, Tennessee held a massive living history event in Nashville -- the very event that the Maquette recently appeared at! The Tennessee State Park System hosted the event, which included reproduction trenches, encampments and field kitchens, WW1 era aircraft and many reenactors -- including Suffragettes and Salvation Army doughnut lassies handing out freshly made treats. There was also a large group of reenactors representing the African American troops of Tennessee -- wearing the iconic French Adrian Helmet that was distributed to the troops amalgamated with French units -- and the whole weekend event was capped off with a period baseball game. We shared an article as well as an album of photos from the event on Facebook this week -- you can find links to those in the podcast notes. Lastly for the week -- we shared an article that instigated some spirited debate on our facebook page: a list of what the author considers 13 essential books on the American Expeditionary Forces. The list is a great starting place for anyone wanting to delve deeper into this chapter in American history -- but be sure to check the link to the facebook post to see all the recommendations made by our community -- there were many! That’s it for this week in the Buzz. Link:https://ebonydoughboys.org/ https://www.facebook.com/pg/tennesseephotographs/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2123040067916331 https://www.newschannel5.com/news/wwi-soldiers-honored-in-100th-anniversary-event https://taskandpurpose.com/american-expeditionary-force-books/ https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/posts/956863547822277   Outro And that is the second week of April for WW1 Centennial News. Thank you for listening. We also want to thank our guests... Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Ken Clarke -- and Michael Robbins creative director and writer for the new souvenir of the Centennial book - Lest we Forget Dr. Ian Isherwood, historian and WWI educator Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, WWI Researcher and member of the Tennessee Great War Commission Katherine Akey, WWI Photography specialist and the line producer for the podcast Many thanks to the newest member of our team - Mac Nelsen our intrepid sound editor--- a shout out to our intern John Morreale for his  great 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; Including this podcast! 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 as well as the Starr foundation for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   Or search WW1 Centennial News on  iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn, Podbean, Stitcher - Radio on Demand, Spotify or using your smart speaker.. Just say “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] Welcome to Beverly Hills Pilates - The newest trend in sophisticated exercise! NO it’s not --- It’s from WW1 So long!

In April of 1917 the United States of America formally entered the Great War on the Allied side.    As American Doughboys arrived in France, they would need training and mentoring to prepare for warfare on a scale hitherto unseen. American leadership was adamant however that they remain their own separate army with their own sector of the Western Front. In January 1918, the Americans took over part of the St. Mihiel Salient in the Woëvre, and the stage was set for the first encounter between the Germans and the Americans.   The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.   Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com or the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook. We're also on Twitter! Follow us at @WW1podcast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.

In his second book, author Terrance J. Finnegan describes America’s early experience fighting the Germans during World War I. Finnegan’s A Delicate Affair on the Western Front: America Learns How to Fight a Modern War in the Woevre Trenches (The History Press, 2015) provides in-depth research and a great deal of context to portray the 26th Infantry Division’s desperate defense of the Woevre sector in April 1918. Relying on meticulous mining of primary documents, the author describes the leaders, tactical doctrine, weaponry, and intelligence processes of the French, German, and new American forces fighting near Seicheprey in northeastern France. Finnegan also builds on research from his first book, Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation on the Western Front–World War I, to carefully explain intelligence collection on both sides of the trenches. In a lively interview, Finnegan explains how the action near Seicheprey–sometimes called a trench raid, sometimes a battle–was vitally important to newly arrived American soldiers learning the craft of trench warfare. It was an extremely dangerous environment, with chemical weapons, artillery duels, small-scale trench raids, and snipers making life miserable for the combatants. At Seicheprey, the Germans decided to test the metal of American National Guard soldiers of the 26th Yankee Division, one of the first four US divisions to arrive in France. Early on 20 April 1918, using Stormtroop tactics perfected in other sectors of the Eastern and Western Fronts, the Germans smothered American positions with high explosive and chemical artillery fire, followed by infantry attacks that bypassed strong points and penetrated the defenses in many areas. The New England Guardsmen gave up some ground in a confused battle, but soon counterattacked and gained back what they had lost. This is a dense book, packed with details about the adversaries that any reader interested in World War I ground combat would appreciate. It is a holistic view of a single engagement that leaves no questions and thoroughly explains the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his second book, author Terrance J. Finnegan describes America’s early experience fighting the Germans during World War I. Finnegan’s A Delicate Affair on the Western Front: America Learns How to Fight a Modern War in the Woevre Trenches (The History Press, 2015) provides in-depth research and a great deal of context to portray the 26th Infantry Division’s desperate defense of the Woevre sector in April 1918. Relying on meticulous mining of primary documents, the author describes the leaders, tactical doctrine, weaponry, and intelligence processes of the French, German, and new American forces fighting near Seicheprey in northeastern France. Finnegan also builds on research from his first book, Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation on the Western Front–World War I, to carefully explain intelligence collection on both sides of the trenches. In a lively interview, Finnegan explains how the action near Seicheprey–sometimes called a trench raid, sometimes a battle–was vitally important to newly arrived American soldiers learning the craft of trench warfare. It was an extremely dangerous environment, with chemical weapons, artillery duels, small-scale trench raids, and snipers making life miserable for the combatants. At Seicheprey, the Germans decided to test the metal of American National Guard soldiers of the 26th Yankee Division, one of the first four US divisions to arrive in France. Early on 20 April 1918, using Stormtroop tactics perfected in other sectors of the Eastern and Western Fronts, the Germans smothered American positions with high explosive and chemical artillery fire, followed by infantry attacks that bypassed strong points and penetrated the defenses in many areas. The New England Guardsmen gave up some ground in a confused battle, but soon counterattacked and gained back what they had lost. This is a dense book, packed with details about the adversaries that any reader interested in World War I ground combat would appreciate. It is a holistic view of a single engagement that leaves no questions and thoroughly explains the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his second book, author Terrance J. Finnegan describes America’s early experience fighting the Germans during World War I. Finnegan’s A Delicate Affair on the Western Front: America Learns How to Fight a Modern War in the Woevre Trenches (The History Press, 2015) provides in-depth research and a great deal of context to portray the 26th Infantry Division’s desperate defense of the Woevre sector in April 1918. Relying on meticulous mining of primary documents, the author describes the leaders, tactical doctrine, weaponry, and intelligence processes of the French, German, and new American forces fighting near Seicheprey in northeastern France. Finnegan also builds on research from his first book, Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation on the Western Front–World War I, to carefully explain intelligence collection on both sides of the trenches. In a lively interview, Finnegan explains how the action near Seicheprey–sometimes called a trench raid, sometimes a battle–was vitally important to newly arrived American soldiers learning the craft of trench warfare. It was an extremely dangerous environment, with chemical weapons, artillery duels, small-scale trench raids, and snipers making life miserable for the combatants. At Seicheprey, the Germans decided to test the metal of American National Guard soldiers of the 26th Yankee Division, one of the first four US divisions to arrive in France. Early on 20 April 1918, using Stormtroop tactics perfected in other sectors of the Eastern and Western Fronts, the Germans smothered American positions with high explosive and chemical artillery fire, followed by infantry attacks that bypassed strong points and penetrated the defenses in many areas. The New England Guardsmen gave up some ground in a confused battle, but soon counterattacked and gained back what they had lost. This is a dense book, packed with details about the adversaries that any reader interested in World War I ground combat would appreciate. It is a holistic view of a single engagement that leaves no questions and thoroughly explains the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his second book, author Terrance J. Finnegan describes America’s early experience fighting the Germans during World War I. Finnegan’s A Delicate Affair on the Western Front: America Learns How to Fight a Modern War in the Woevre Trenches (The History Press, 2015) provides in-depth research and a great deal of context to portray the 26th Infantry Division’s desperate defense of the Woevre sector in April 1918. Relying on meticulous mining of primary documents, the author describes the leaders, tactical doctrine, weaponry, and intelligence processes of the French, German, and new American forces fighting near Seicheprey in northeastern France. Finnegan also builds on research from his first book, Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation on the Western Front–World War I, to carefully explain intelligence collection on both sides of the trenches. In a lively interview, Finnegan explains how the action near Seicheprey–sometimes called a trench raid, sometimes a battle–was vitally important to newly arrived American soldiers learning the craft of trench warfare. It was an extremely dangerous environment, with chemical weapons, artillery duels, small-scale trench raids, and snipers making life miserable for the combatants. At Seicheprey, the Germans decided to test the metal of American National Guard soldiers of the 26th Yankee Division, one of the first four US divisions to arrive in France. Early on 20 April 1918, using Stormtroop tactics perfected in other sectors of the Eastern and Western Fronts, the Germans smothered American positions with high explosive and chemical artillery fire, followed by infantry attacks that bypassed strong points and penetrated the defenses in many areas. The New England Guardsmen gave up some ground in a confused battle, but soon counterattacked and gained back what they had lost. This is a dense book, packed with details about the adversaries that any reader interested in World War I ground combat would appreciate. It is a holistic view of a single engagement that leaves no questions and thoroughly explains the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his second book, author Terrance J. Finnegan describes America’s early experience fighting the Germans during World War I. Finnegan’s A Delicate Affair on the Western Front: America Learns How to Fight a Modern War in the Woevre Trenches (The History Press, 2015) provides in-depth research and a great deal of context to portray the 26th Infantry Division’s desperate defense of the Woevre sector in April 1918. Relying on meticulous mining of primary documents, the author describes the leaders, tactical doctrine, weaponry, and intelligence processes of the French, German, and new American forces fighting near Seicheprey in northeastern France. Finnegan also builds on research from his first book, Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation on the Western Front–World War I, to carefully explain intelligence collection on both sides of the trenches. In a lively interview, Finnegan explains how the action near Seicheprey–sometimes called a trench raid, sometimes a battle–was vitally important to newly arrived American soldiers learning the craft of trench warfare. It was an extremely dangerous environment, with chemical weapons, artillery duels, small-scale trench raids, and snipers making life miserable for the combatants. At Seicheprey, the Germans decided to test the metal of American National Guard soldiers of the 26th Yankee Division, one of the first four US divisions to arrive in France. Early on 20 April 1918, using Stormtroop tactics perfected in other sectors of the Eastern and Western Fronts, the Germans smothered American positions with high explosive and chemical artillery fire, followed by infantry attacks that bypassed strong points and penetrated the defenses in many areas. The New England Guardsmen gave up some ground in a confused battle, but soon counterattacked and gained back what they had lost. This is a dense book, packed with details about the adversaries that any reader interested in World War I ground combat would appreciate. It is a holistic view of a single engagement that leaves no questions and thoroughly explains the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices