Battles of the First World War Podcast

Mike Cunha
  • 4.8 (680)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

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.

  1. 2D AGO

    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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

    49 min

  2. MAR 1

    Second 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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.

    44 min

  3. FEB 15

    AEF Tank Corps - A Discussion with Steve Girard

    Steven 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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

    1h 26m

  4. FEB 1

    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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

    41 min

  5. JAN 19

    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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

    54 min

  6. 12/21/2025

    Second 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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.

    40 min

  7. 12/14/2025

    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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

    53 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    Fighting the Kaiser's War: The Saxons in Flanders 1914/1918

    Authors 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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.    Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

    1h 52m
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4.8
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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.

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