Show overview
Battles of the First World War Podcast has been publishing since 2016, and across the 10 years since has built a catalogue of 220 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 170 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 31 min and 55 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-language History show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 weeks ago, with 17 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2018, with 30 episodes published. Published by Mike Cunha.
From the publisher
The Battles of the First World War Podcast goes in-depth into the battles of the Great War of 1914-1918. The goal is to really go into the details of how and why these battles unfolded and happened as they did. In telling the narrative of these clashes we can revisit some of the stories of the men and women who lived, fought, and died during the first titanic struggle of the 20th Century, for these people have stories that deserve to be told.
Latest Episodes
View all 220 episodesYpres Day with Lady Lucy French & Roger Steward of the New Ypres League
Second Marne - The Period of Waiting
New Jersey's Role in World War I - with LTC (Ret.) Richard Wasserman
Matz - La Mort du Sergent Jules Héme
Second Marne - Friedensturm
Memorial Day - "The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak"
Citizen of the Shadows - The Lives and Lies of Lothar Witzke
There Will Come Soft Rains - with Briana Gervat
John McCrae: Beyond Flanders Fields - with Susan Raby-Dunne
The French Army in the First World War, a Discussion: Pt 7, Pt 1
British Doctrine in the Great War with Phil Watson
The Extraordinary Life of Henri Langie with Eric and Tom Langie
Independent historians Eric and Tom Langie, a father and son duo, come on the podcast to discuss the extraordinary life of their ancestor Henri Langie and the book they have written about him, "Henri Langie: From War Volunteer in WW I to Honorary Major in WW II." Henri went from a schoolteacher to a stretcherbearer and officer in WW1, to professiona soldier and later a battalion commander and POW during WW2, to becoming a beloved "Kleine Bompa" in his peaceful years of retirement. Henri lived a truly extraordinary life, and this is a story you will enjoy. Where to buy (Europe): https://www.bravenewbooks.nl/site/?r=userwebsite/bookdetails&id=22023848 Where to buy the book (UK): https://amzn.eu/d/04alvcqy The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
A Penny a Shell - A Discussion with Antony Bell
Author Antony J. Bell comes on the podcast to discuss his novel "A Penny a Shell." From the author's website: "In a WWI munitions factory, the lives of three women converge on a dangerous production line where a single spark means the difference between a bonus and a burial. Eliza Wren, a desperate mother, races to pay a looming debt to save her family from eviction. Sarah Jennings, a defiant outcast, endures the factory's poison to fund an escape from a life of cruelty. Lucy Atkinson, a grieving daughter, works to honor her brother's memory and support her broken parents. Driven by the promise of a "penny a shell" bonus, the women push themselves and their machinery to the breaking point. But as the pressure from watchers with stopwatches mounts and the equipment begins to fail, they must decide what they are willing to risk for survival. Based on the true, forgotten story of the Barnbow Lasses, A Penny a Shell is a powerful and moving tribute to the quiet courage and fierce solidarity of the women who fought their own war on the home front." Where to buy: https://antonyjbell.com/books/a-penny-a-shell/ The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)
Ep 108Second Marne - Mangin on the Matz
The guns of Blücher-Yorck were still smoking when the Germans reoriented and hastily launched a new offensive between Montdidier and Noyon. The goal was to straighten the line between two bulging German salients, seize more of the Soissons rail line, and continue to drive towards Paris. But the French Army had other ideas: unleashing GEN Charles Mangin. A lot will be learned in the Battle of the Matz, and it will be applied on the Marne weeks later. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns.
AEF Tank Corps - A Discussion with Steve Girard
ESteven Girard, US Army veteran and veteran battlefield guide, comes back on the podcast to discuss the American Expeditionary Force's Tank Corps during the First World War. Suggested reading: Treat 'Em Rough: The Birth of American Armor 1917–20 - https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781612006680/treat-em-rough/ Pershing's Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I - https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813176048/pershings-tankers/ The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)
The Battle for Disabled Veterans' Recognition - A Discussion with Dr. Eric Story
Dr. Eric Story, a Historian-in-Residence at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario in Canada, and Adjunct Professor at Wilfred Laurier University, joins us on the podcast to discuss the struggles faced by disabled Canadian veterans after the First World War. We begin the talk with a broad look at what Canadian veterans faced in the 1920s, and then look at the efforts of George Hincks and Marshall McDougall to raise awareness of disabled veterans' struggles. Read more about George Hincks and Marshall McDougall here: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/wwi-amputee-veterans-hike-9.6975252 Follow Dr. Story's work on BlueSky: @westernuhistory.bsky.social & @ericstory.bsky.social The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)
Die Vergessene Schlacht - A Discussion with Alfons Philippi
Independent historian Alfons Philippi of Germany joins the podcast to discuss his German-language book on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Die Vergessenne Schlacht (The Forgotten Battle). We also discuss the family history that led him to write the book, as well as the impact of 20th century history on his family. Link to Die Vergessene Schlacht: https://amzn.eu/d/03UW7TY The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)
Ep 103Second Marne - Blücher-Yorck
The battlefield of the Second Battle of the Marne was shaped by an earlier German offensive in late May and early June of 1918: Unternehmen Blücher-Yorck. Looking to draw away French reserves from the Flanders and Picardy areas, German GEN Erich Ludendorff aimed a new German attack in a sector where the French were particularly vulnerable: the Chemin des Dames. Early and stunning success by German forces in the attack, however, led to overconfidence and the creation of a swollen and tenuous salient. This salient would become the battlefield for the 2nd Battle of the Marne. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Remembering Victoria Cross Recipients with Ron Howard and Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce and his uncle Ron Howard have spent the past few years visiting the graves of the UK's and British Commonwealth's Victoria Cross recipients. They hope to raise awareness of not just the recipients of the British Army's highest award for valor, but of the other men buried with them in Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries on the Old Front Line and elsewhere around the world. Also, to British listeners in general and Nottinghamshire residents in particular, my apologies on butchering the pronunciation of Nottinghamshire. (Throws palm over face.) I knew better too, but brain-dumped in the moment. Links to some topics brought up in the conversation: Chelsea Pensioners: https://chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/ Covenant With Death, by John Harris: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/covenant-with-death_john--harris/566512/#isbn=0751557129 Victoria Cross headstone photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VCstone.jpg The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)
Fighting the Kaiser's War: The Saxons in Flanders 1914/1918
EAuthors and historians Andrew Lucas and Jürgen Schmiseschek come on the podcast to discuss their collaborative work on the Saxon Germans on the Flanders front during the Great War. Where to buy "Fighting the Kaiser's War:" https://royalsaxonarmy.co.uk/index.php/our-publications/13-fighting-the-kaiser-s-war The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)