In this Whizz-Bang, Mike breaks down the Battle of Le Cateau, a small but essential encounter battle that makes up part of the mosaic of the Battle of the Frontiers. While attempting to pull their forces out of the way of the German steamroller, the British tried to slow their pursers down by turning and fighting. What followed was an artillery duel that displayed the dominance of shellfire over infantry on the modern battlefield. The British fought stubbornly but without clear direction and eventually were forced from the field but, importantly, were not followed immediately. The Germans, believing they had destroyed the BEF and not merely a Corps, settled in for a short well-earned rest before continuing towards the ultimate goal: Paris.
Hey guys! To kick off the summer, we have an interesting little Whiz-Bang for you. In this episode, Mike breaks down the BEF (British Expeditionary Force); everything, from what they wore, to how they were organized. Please give a listen and hang in there as our episode on the Marne, a Whiz-Bang on Joffre, and more are coming soon! RATE - REVIEW - SUBSCRIBE P.S. For the Americans out there - Mike is saying khaki the way the Brits do!
In late August 1914, the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) made its Great War debut. The Battle of the Frontiers that we covered in previous episodes was a series of battles clumped together. At Mons, the British were tasked with holding a part of the French left flank and stop the german 1st Army before them.
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 t...
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.