February 1918 Overview - Episode #57

Highlights

Feb. ‘18 overview - Ed Lengel, Katherine Akey, Theo Mayer | @01:40

War In The Sky 1918 preview - RG Head | @11:20

Fighting in Russia - Mike Shuster | @18:20

Harlem’s Rattlers - Dr. Jeffrey Sammons | @22:40

A Century in the Making - The maquette arrives in DC | @30:00

Speaking WWI - Attaboy! | @35:40

Nurse Josephine Heffernan - Dr. Marjorie DesRosier | @37:30

100C/100M Beaverton Michigan - Ed Rachwitz & Scott Govitz | @43:25

WWI War Tech - Gas Masks | @47:55

Articles & Posts - Dazzle Camo & S.S. Tuscania sinks | @49:45

The Buzz - WWI Social Media - Katherine Akey | @51:55----more----

Opening

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #57 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is February 2nd, 2018 and our guests for this week include:

Dr. Edward Lengel, in our February 1918 overview

RG Head, with a full year look at the War in the Sky

Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog looking at the chaotic situation in Russia

Dr. Jeffrey Sammons speaking about the Harlem Rattlers and the African American soldiers’ experience in WWI

Dr. Marjorie DesRosier telling us about nurse Josephine Heffernan

Ed Rachwitz and Scott Govitz, from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Beaverton, Michigan

Katherine Akey, with some selections from the centennial of WWI in social media

All that and more --- this week -- on WW1 Centennial News -- which is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation.

I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show.

[MUSIC]

NEW - Monthly Preview Roundtable

Overview Chat with Ed, Katherine and Theo

THEO

Before we jump into our wayback machine and look at 100 years ago this week, we are going to try something new.

You know we have editorial meetings twice a week where we define the content for each week’s show. For the history section - which is one of the most popular parts of the podcast - we get into these great conversations about “what was really going on 100 years ago this week”. We look at the politics, the Official bulletin, the NY times, history book references and of course we have our own little band of experts and researchers -

It occurs to us that having a short version of one of these conversations -- in front of YOU at the top of each month…  might be a great way to provide context and overview. In other words  - from an overview perspective and of course with 20/20 hindsight - what is the next month all about in the War the changed the world? - and what are the themes we are going to hear about this coming month…

So the other day, Dr. Ed Lengel, Katherine Akey and I sat down (virtually of course - Ed was in Dublin, Katherine in DC and I am in LA) --- and we talked about February 1918 - Here is how it went….

[MUSIC TRANSITION]

Ed… it seems like the big theme in February is all about troop movements and preparation - The Americans to Europe and prepping for engaging the enemy - the Germans from the eastern front - leaving Russia for the western front and prepping for a knock-out spring offensive… so what are some of the specifics?

ED

[ED Lay out the basic outlines and punctuate with the “topic headers” of some specifics -

-America sending ever larger numbers of troops over - New rounds of training as arriving divisions get embedded with British and French troops

-Loss of the tuscania

-German armistice and peace with Russia withdraw from the Eastern front, leave Russia and red/white armies to their internal divisions - While Germans can concentrate forces to counter American support

-Germans want to “school” fresh US troops, and want US Media to report on it; Germans being very strategic with their aggression

[KATHERINE]

-month dramatic climax with the German COUNTER Gas attack on 1st division Ansauville near Metz/Nancy Feb 2