Before the First World War officially began, the killing was already underway. 

In the small French village of Joncherey, two men would meet for a brief but violent moment on August 2nd, 1914, the day before war was officially declared. The moment would turn them into eternal brothers, transformed by their explosive meeting. French Corporal Jules André Peugeot and German Lieutenant Albert Otto Walther Mayer would soon be the first military deaths of their nations. 

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 group is back!

Part 5 of the ongoing discussion looks at the French Army in 1916, the first of a two- or three-part series on this crucial year of WW1. This episode will focus on the French Army’s experience in its most trying battlefield crucible: the Battle of Verdun.

Joining us for this discussion are:

• Christina Holstein, author of several incredible guides to the Verdun battlefield, amongst other published works and articles,

• Alex Lyons, the man who spends his free time telling us the story of his Poilu great-grandfather on Twitter,

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]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

This is a recording of our monthly talks on Patreon. Jake is a great friend of mine whom I’ve known for years, thanks to the podcast! 

Jake joined us to go on the 2024 Meuse-Argonne tour with Lost Battalion Tours, as well as a pilgrimage to where his dad fought during the Second World War. Dr. Clint Heacock, another great friend, joined us for Jake’s very moving day. 

Hope you enjoy this one.

Lost Battalion Tours: [email protected]

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]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

Author David Borys comes on the podcast to discuss his book “Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867,” which takes readers on a riveting exploration spanning one hundred and fifty years of Canadian forces.

“Punching Above Our Weight" is a photograph-rich history of 150 years of the Canadian military traces the evolution of the country’s armed forces from a small, underfunded, poorly trained militia to the modern, effective military it is today. From the Red River Resistance and the Boer War through the world wars to modern peacekeeping and the long war in Afghanistan, David A. Borys details the conflicts and operations that Canadian soldiers have served in. He highlights the key battles, among them Amiens, the Scheldt Estuary, and Operation Medusa; the significant people, including Louis Riel, Arthur Currie, and Guy Simonds; and the decisive moments, such as the passing of conscription in August 1917, Canada’s declaration of war in 1939, and the peacekeeping crises of the 1990s, that came to define the scope of Canada’s participation in international conflicts and cement its global reputation.

Borys also explores the challenges that the Canadian nation and its military have faced over those years, including major cultural and demographic shifts, a continual struggle for resources from generally disinterested governments, battlefield failures, and notorious and shocking scandals, along with ever-changing global threats. Punching Above Our Weight brings to light a new perspective on the Canadian military and its place in the world.

Where to buy “Punching Above Our Weight:” 

https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459754126-punching-above-our-weight

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.

From University Press of Kansas: “Serpents of War” is the memoir of Pennsylvanian Major Harry Dravo Parkin, is a rare account of World War I as seen from the perspective of a battalion commander. As a mid-level officer responsible for the lives and welfare of over a thousand men, Parkin conveys the stress of command at a time when one innocent blunder could cost an officer his combat assignment, brings the inferno of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive to life in terrifying, gory detail, and recounts being taken prisoner by the Imperial German Army—a rare experience among American soldiers in 1918. In addition, Parkin provides a detailed account of the 79th Division’s attack on Mountfaucon, a military action that remains controversial to this day. This is a book by a brave soldier, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on the battlefield, and a gifted writer.

“Serpents of War" is an abridged edition of a nearly 200,000-word World War I memoir that resides in Gettysburg College’s Musselman Library, enhanced by the contributions of two scholars of World War I and memory. Written in an unassuming but eloquent style, Parkin’s narrative seldom strains for effect. It possesses a strong sense of setting, a knack for capturing the chaos and strange exhilaration of battle, and a sharp eye for the interpersonal, social dynamics of military life—the personality clashes and simmering feuds, as well as the moments of comradeship and accord. “Serpents of War” is an absorbing memoir that holds the reader’s attention from beginning to end.

Dr. Trout’s Travels in Harry Parkin’s footsteps -

https://kansaspress.ku.edu/blog/2024/09/26/on-the-serpents-trail-following-the-footsteps-of-harry-dravo-parkin/

Where to buy “Serpents of War: An American Officer's Story of World War I Combat and Captivity” -

https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700635054/serpents-of-war/

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

An homage to Wilfred Owen, based on a visit to his grave in Ors, France in July 2024. 

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]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.

Author Philipp Cross comes on the podcast to discuss his book “The Other Trench: The WW1 Diary and Photos of a German Officer,” which contains the diary of his great-great-grandfather Alexander Pfeiffer. 

“The Other Trench” website: https://www.theothertrench.com/

Where to buy “The Other Trench:” 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/216124811-the-other-trench/get_a_copy

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.

Author Richard Sherman comes on the podcast to discuss his book and homage "Never Home - Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned.”

In 2017, professional photographer and Navy veteran Richard Sherman embarked on a journey to visit and photograph all 23 American overseas World War I and World War II cemeteries. After six years and eight trips to three continents, he published “Never Home: Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned.” The book features dramatic imagery of all 23 cemeteries—from Normandy to Manila—and more that 50 biographies of individuals who, even in death, have never made it home.

Never Home Heroes website:

https://www.neverhomeheroes.com/index

Buy the book here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/2boxersinc/?etsrc=sdt

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.

This episode was inspired by an afternoon walking tour hosted by the Mémorial de Verdun museum. 

For five days in the beginning of June 1916, French Army CPT Charles Delvert and his 8th Company, 101st Infantry Regiment, defended the Retranchement R1 redoubt against ceaseless German attacks. This is their story, in Delvert’s own words.

Reference map for episode: 

https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/arkotheque/inventaires/ead_ir_consult.php?fam=11&ref=FRSHD_AFGG_ead

Mémorial de Verdun museum: https://memorial-verdun.fr/en/

New Ypres League, where to join -

New Ypres League vzw: www.newypresleague.com

The BFWWP is now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com or the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes. 

Independent historian Pat Gang comes on the podcast to talk about Tennessee men who volunteered to fight in foreign armies before the United States entered World War I. 

The men discussed:

• Paul & Kiffin Rockwell

• Charles Loring Clark

• Zephaniah Porter Broom

• James Clyde Lloyd

• Dr. John W. Morris

New Ypres League, where to join -

New Ypres League vzw: www.newypresleague.com

Want to join Lost Battalion Tours in 2025?

Email us: [email protected]

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.