The Great War Podcast

In the wake of Romania's declaration, Erich von Falkenhayn is dismissed.

Sensing a shift in the fortunes of war, Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary.

With the General Allied Offensive in full swing, the Central Powers face a manpower crisis on the Eastern Front.

35 days after July 1st, I ANZAC Corps finally secures Pozieres Ridge.

 

Australian and South African forces arrive on the Western Front, and we explore a new interpretation of Fromelles and Delville Wood.

Just two weeks removed from July 1st, the BEF scores a stunning victory.

 

The 38th Welsh Division faces a gruesome baptism of fire.

 

After July 1st, Fourth Army's efforts devolve into uncoordinated, piece meal attacks.

The Great War's most infamous day is also its most misunderstood.

 

At the tail end of Fourth Army's front, Congreve's XIII Corps and Fayolle's Sixth Army achieve remarkable success.

 

Livens Flame Projector: CLIP

 

 

For Henry Horne's XV Corps, July 1st 1916 was a day of mixed success.

 

The awful pattern repeats itself as III Corps drives on Ovillers and La Boiselle.

 

 

Gommecourt, Serre, Beaumont-Hamel and the Slaughter of the Somme.

The old British front line, looking northeast toward the German trenches. Note the drop in elevation.

"Y" Ravine,

We begin our discussion of July 1st by examining X Corps' attack on Thiepval village.

A survey of the British, French and German armies on the eve of the Somme.

 

 

The Somme plan meets stiff opposition in London and Paris. 

Plans for the Somme shift as Verdun rears its ugly head.

The origins of the Somme before Verdun screwed everything up.

Douglas Haig: The Man vs The Myth

The battle of Verdun reaches its climax.

Map of the battlefield, note its "H" shaped outline.



The ancient Citadel in downtown Verdun. To enlarge, right click-view image.



Monument to Fleury residents who fought at Verdun.


"Remains" of Fleury


Markers indicating where houses and businesses once stood.




The imposing Ossuary.


View from a top the Ossuary, looking southeast towards Fleury. Note the concentrated battlefield: the interpretation center is visible along with the white path leading to the village. The ridge beyond was the German objective of June 23rd.


Fort Douaumont


Douaumont's roof, still heavily cratered.





Yours truly at the entrance.

The warriors of France and Germany engage in an bloody stand off for Fort Vaux.

Postcard commemorating Raynal's final pigeon and subsequent plaque.

The fighting at Verdun intensifies as the Germans seize the crests of Mort Homme and Hill 304.

Under Brusilov's leadership, a resurgent Russian army smashes the Austro-Hungarians; Conrad surrenders to Falkenhayn's oversight.

With Tsar Nicholas II in charge of her armed forces, Russia looks to a fresh start; In Galicia, Aleksei Brusilov plans his masterpiece.

*Note: St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd in 1914. I refer to both in the appropriate context. -Dan


Links to Romanov family photos:

Siberian Times, 2013

Mashable

A review of Verdun and a look at the British home front, which sees radical change under the direction of David Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions.

A retrospective look at the battle of Jutland.

The battle of Jutland rages into the night.

A decade after Dreadnought revolutionized naval warfare, the battle fleets of Great Britain and Germany finally meet.

EDIT: Since they were armoured cruisers, Arbuthnot was part of First Cruiser Squadron, not First 'Light' Cruiser as incorrectly stated. -Dan

The battle of Jutland begins on the afternoon of May 31st, 1916.

Reinhardt Scheer assumes command of the German battlefleet, and the war in the North Sea kicks into high gear.

Conrad sees red, and attempts to eliminate the Italians with a single blow. At Verdun, the French discover retaking Fort Douaumont will require a bit more planning.

Battered and bloodied, Austria-Hungary limps its way into 1916.

Russia under goes some rapid internal changes.

Desperate to capture the Meuse Heights, the German 5th Army extends operations onto the west bank of the Meuse. When things falter, both armies commit more men to "the Mincer".

The battle at Verdun began on February 21st, 1916. Nothing would ever be the same.

Falkenhayn begins laying the ground work for the coming battle at Verdun.

As 1916 beckons, both the Allies and Central Powers realize they're in for another bloody year.

In this episode we discuss the sinking of the Cunard liner Lusitania and what it meant for the first unrestricted U-boat campaign.

To contest the supremacy of the Allied fleets, Germany unleashes the first unrestricted U-Boat campaign in February, 1915.

*Gahh when I say the Russians retreated 500 miles, I mean 500 kilometers of course.  -Dan



SMS Blucher capsizing at the battle of Dogger Bank (January 1915).

An ambitious Anglo-French attack in Artois and Champagne is met with disaster. At the battles of Loos, the BEF makes use of chlorine gas for the first time.

Serbia is the latest victim of Falkenhayn's combined offensive. The Serbs refuse to surrender, opting to evacuate and continue the fight elsewhere.

On May 23rd, 1915 an energized but divided Italy enters the Great War. This episode examines why the Italians initially chose neutrality, only to declare war against their former allies.

A combined Austro-German offensive in May 1915 collapses the Polish Salient, forcing the Russians into a 4 month 310 mile retreat. The war on the Eastern Front is effectively over.

The Dardanelles campaign unravels as the Allies land on the Gallipoli peninsula.

With German efforts concentrated in the East, the Allies begin looking for alternative ways to break the deadlock, leading their focus to fall on the Dardanelles and Gallipoli peninsula.

This week we examine German strategy in 1915, and Falkenhayn's decision to unleash chlorine gas at the Ypres Salient.
 
40 Maps That Explain World War One (Trench map is #26)

Despite popular theory, the war does not end by Christmas. This week we are on the Western Front for the early goings of 1915.

Did Europe really cheer the outbreak of war?  An examination of the Western home fronts provides a glimpse into "the spirit of 1914".

A look at the larger world at war, and Graf Spee makes his voyage into the history books.

The final months of 1914 draw to a close on the Eastern Front. The Russians flex their military muscle, while the Austro-Hungarians suffer a defeat which helps doom their army.