In August of 1914, the small country of Belgium faced overwhelming odds as 1.5 million German soldiers invaded her territory.

The fortresses around the Belgian City of Liege were fierce, formidable, and frightening structures to behold in the summer of 1914... but they were no match for a new breed of German artillery firepower.

So what are you waiting for? Fix bayonets!

Richard Harding Davis was an American newspaper reporter and witnessed the German army's march through the city. This excerpt is from Richard Harding Davis' account from his book, Richard Harding Davis: His Day (1933). It is slightly different than the one reported by the New York Tribune, but the feeling is the same. We join his account as he sits at a boulevard cafe waiting for the German arrival...

Not everyone was in the throes of patriotic fervor in the summer of 1914. Many felt the coming war was unnecessary, bad for business, irreligious, morally wrong, and a continuation of the broken aristocratic European system. As the clouds of war loomed and then tore asunder over the Continent, conscientious objectors everywhere found themselves in the unenviable position of having to choose between a hated war or prison, which often meant labor or the front anyways. From the beginning, one man spoke up and spoke his mind, one of the great thinkers of the 20th century - Bertrand Russell. Russell, a brilliant polymath, philosopher, linguist, and historian, among many other things, was imprisoned for his continued objection to the First World War in 1916. In the latter half of the century, he would again spend time behind bars for his vociferous anti-nuclear war stance. In this letter to -----, we can see the beginnings of a long career spent thoughtfully trying to convince the world that violence is not the way.

In our monster-sized finale of Battle of the Frontiers, we cover the Northern section of the sprawling fight between the French/British/Belgian forces and the German juggernaut. Nicole gives you the strategic outlook for both sides and elegantly ties up all the loose strings. She is setting the stage for the war to come, the battle of trenches, gas, and horror that, at this point, is just around the corner. Mike dives into the nasty nitty-gritty on the battlefields of Haelen, Lorraine, and in the Ardennes. By pulling the narrative from a few of the significant battles that make up the Frontiers, Mike tells the tale of them all. Cullen wraps up the episode with Rossignol's account, 08/22/1914, and French military history's bloodiest day.

One of the greatest Ace fighter pilots of the First World War, Voss, was a demon in the Western Front skies. Highly regarded as a pilot by both sides, Voss struck fear into the hearts of his enemies, even when he was wildly outnumbered. Voss's ability to maneuver his plane was second only the Red Baron himself. This episode was researched, written, and presented by show listener and friend James. Thanks for listening!

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.

“Attaque a outrance” — “attack to excess”

As Europe approached the precipice of war in 1914, France's military thinkers were unwaveringly committed to the idea that an outright, relentless, and wholehearted offensive was not only the key to victory... but the only method of waging war that should be put into action whatsoever. Soon the French armies would crash into the Germans and punish them for their dastardly preemptive strike, and the "Lost Provinces" of Alsace-Lorraine would once again be French. Or so men like Joffre thought, but as events unfolded throughout the complicated, layered Battle of the Frontiers, those misconceptions would soon be exposed.

If this kind of theoretical dissection sounds interesting to you, we have some good news! The French obsession with "the offensive" and how it began to affect real events in 1914 is precisely what we're going to study in the next episode of Fix Bayonets! First World War Podcast.

In this Whiz-bang, Cullen dives into the life and times of a true titan, Bismarck! From his early life to his meteoric rise as the virtual ruler of Germany, Otto regularly put on political masterclasses. Using a flare for the dramatic and brilliant diplomatic insight, Bismarck built the German Empire and eventually the fragile system of European treaty's that ensured peace - while he was in charge. His loud and public fall from grace with the young Wilhelm was stunning, moving the world ever closer to the inevitable World War to come. Also, this episode went on way longer than planned because Bismarck has way too many great quotes, and Cullen refused to skip any!

In this Whiz-bang Nicole talks guns, big guns! The German arms manufacturer Krupp produced the 420mm M-Gerat and these monster field guns went on to play a large role in the artillery duels of the Western Front. Affectionately known as "Big Berthas" these guns were able to lob huge shells great distances, even helping to smash up the modern forts at Liege.