World War I Podcast

John J. Pershing and Douglas MacArthur are both towering figures in American military history—Pershing as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, and MacArthur as a key leader in World War II and the Korean War. In terms of age, they were separated by about 20 years, but they were both First Captains at West Point, both served as U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and both were absolutely devoted to the U.S....

There are 125 WWI recipients of the Medal of Honor. One of those recipients was Private Thomas Croft Neibaur of the 167th Infantry Regiment, 42nd “Rainbow” Division who received the award for heroism at the Cote de Chatillon in 1918. Neibaur was the first Mormon and the first soldier from Idaho to receive the Medal of Honor. His actions led General John J. Pershing to name him amongst the “Immortal Ten”  of World War I, and yet, in...

When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, all 48 states played a role in war mobilization and made unique contributions that reflected their histories, their politics, their natural resources and industries, and their military manpower. Kansas was a midwestern state that provided approximately 80,000 troops and, if not for his premature death, may also have provided its adopted son, “Fighting Fred” Funston, as the c...

As stalemate ensued on the Western Front in the fall of 1914, the French Army began providing a daily wine ration for its soldiers stationed there. As the war went on, the ration went from about ¼ litre to about a bottle per soldier, per day. Armies throughout history have relied on psychotropic drugs to strategically shape the behavior of those fighting, but in the case of World War I, the French demonstrated a unique ability to h...

When the United States declared war in April 1917, the 48 states that made up the nation at that time played an important role in mobilization – both in terms of manpower and in terms of the home front. Every state made a contribution that reflected its own unique history, politics, natural resources, level of industrialization, and its national guard, volunteers, and draftees.

For Mississippi in 1917, the memory of the A...

Kiffin Rockwell believed that America owed France a debt for its support during the American Revolutionary War. He was 21 years old when World War I began, and he immediately sailed to France to volunteer to fight. He initially joined the French Foreign Legion, and then joined the Escadrille Americaine (later renamed the Lafayette Escadrille). He was credited with being the first American in the Escadrille Americaine to shoot down ...

Between 1914-1917, communications technology, and the way to secure or intercept this kind of traffic, progressed dramatically. When the United States entered WWI in April 1917, it had to quickly catch up in these areas. Remarkably, the Americans made considerable progress by 1918. This success was partly due to Parker Hitt, an innovative Army officer who designed modifications for machine guns but truly excelled at cryptology and ...

When the United States declared war in April 1917, it was unprepared to actually fight a war in Europe. The regular army was small and American industry needed time to produce war materials on a massive scale. It also needed time to train and transport troops. States would play an important role in mobilization – both in terms of manpower and in terms of the resources and industry. The 48 states that made up the United States in 19...

Like many leaders during WWII, Adolf Hitler served in World War I. It was an important part of his identity, and, prior to his rise to power in Germany, he even went to court to defend his service record. His detractors claimed he was a “rear area hog.” They argued he had dodged service in the Austro-Hungarian army and then spent WWI in the German army in the relative safety of his regimental HQ. Hitler won his court case, but what...

In 1918, German secret agent, Lothar Witzke, entered the United States via the southern border. His mission was to conduct a campaign of terror and sabotage. This included the destruction of American factories making war materials, the assassination of American officials, and fomenting racial unrest. To explore this little-known chapter in WWI history, the World War I Podcast hosted Bill Mills, author of Agent of the Iron Cross: Th...

The North Sea was one of the most relevant naval theatres of the war. It was also home to important fishing grounds. By 1914 a combination of technology, markets, and demand was leading to overfishing in the region. World War I reversed this, but it was a temporary respite.  To discuss the short- and long-term impact of World War I on the North Sea, the World War I Podcast hosted Dr. Ingo Heidbrink, Professor of History at Old Domi...

How does World War I poetry help us understand the complexity of the experience of the war? Why was poetry so important then? Why does the poetry of World War I continue to have such resonance? To answer these questions, the World War I Podcast hosted two subject matter experts: Dr. Connie Ruzich, Professor of English at Robert Morris University and editor of International Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology of Lost Voices,...

When most people think of World War I on the Western Front, they probably think of trenches. Trench systems were present along most of the 475 miles from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps. It wasn’t just one straight continuous line, however. The system had many layers that supported the daily life and movement of millions of soldiers. If laid end to end, the trench systems would have stretched an estimated 35,000 miles. 

Trench...

Part II
In early October 1918, several companies of the US 77th Division found themselves surrounded in the Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  Led by Major Charles Whittlesey, the Lost Battalion, as it came to be known, survived a hellish six days. It’s a story many are aware of – but like most such stories – it’s likely that the popular version we are familiar with doesn’t have the richness or nuance of what a...

Part I
In early October 1918, several companies of the US 77th Division found themselves surrounded in the Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  Led by Major Charles Whittlesey, the Lost Battalion, as it came to be known, survived a hellish six days. It’s a story many are aware of – but like most such stories – it’s likely that the popular version we are familiar with doesn’t have the richness or nuance of what ac...

Between September 1814 and June 1815, against the backdrop of Napoleon’s exile to Elba and his brief return, the Congress of Vienna worked out a new way to balance the power of the Great Powers and avoid future conflict. This system was called the Concert of Europe. It was supposed to keep the peace, and indeed, on the eve of World War I, many people in Europe were celebrating a century of relative peace on the continent – a golden...

In 1914, as German forces quickly outmaneuvered Allied armies in the opening days of the war, there was some suspicion among the Allies that the circuses that had traveled around Europe in the years before the war – many of which were owned by German families or had German names – had helped prepare the German army by perfecting the art of rapid and efficient mobilization and transport. Even Americans – not yet involved in the war ...

When World War I began, the famed historian, sociologist, and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois was at the height of his influence. When the United States entered the war, he encouraged African Americans to “close ranks” and support the Allied cause. Tasked with writing a definitive history of the African American soldier in World War I, Du Bois ultimately came to be haunted by his support for the war. The manuscript for that pr...

In the winter of 1918, General John J. Pershing presented then Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur with his second Distinguished Service Cross. The award was for actions in France at the Côte de Châtillon between October 14-16, 1918. The citation ends with an interesting sentence: “On a field where courage was the rule, his courage was the dominant feature.” What happened there? What do we know about the circumstances behind this a...