Battles of the First World War Podcast

Part 7 of the ongoing discussion continues to look at the French Army in 1917. We look at the state of the French Army going into 1917, where the army itself was in good shape but its leadership was an entirely different story. The rising star of GEN Robert Nivelle and the politics around his ascension is discussed, as well as the offensive that bears his name and destroyed his career. 
 
The indiscipline of the French Army is visited through the question of "Were there mutinies in 1917, or were they more like military labor strikes?" The replacement of Nivelle with GEN Philippe Petain is reviewed as well, but we will get into his leadership of the army and approach to warfighting in the Pt 2 episode. Join us for a fascinating discussion. 
 
Joining us for this discussion are:
 
Steve Marsdin, a student and researcher of the 1914 Battle of the Frontiers and its effects,

Jim Smithson, author of "A Taste of Success: The First Battle of the Scarpe. The Opening Phase of the Battle of Arras 9-14 April 1917" and two guide books on the Arras battlefields

 
Suggested reading to expand on this episode - 
 
"Flesh and Steel During the Great War" by Michel Goya: https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781473886964/flesh-and-steel-during-the-great-war/



Great War Group: https://greatwargroup.com/
 
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 [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns.

British Army veteran and University of Wolverhampton PhD candidate Phil Watson joins the podcast for a fascinating discussion on British doctrine in the Great War. (Which YES, they did have a doctrine.)
 
Phil has a couple of questions for the listeners as well, in the interest of generating discussion:
 
Regarding the "chateau generals," why were chateaus the place for generals?
 
Regarding the idea of mission command and decentralized leadership, were some BEF officers not used to using initiative?
 
Email Phil directly at [email protected] with your ideas!
 
Be sure to watch Phil's talk with the WFA regarding doctrine here as well: https://youtu.be/Y6-LUxYewwU?si=_VyEkG7VpqIfXRD_
 
Link to 1909 Field Service Regulations: 
https://share.google/ypOICUrlYnog7vGbz



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 [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. 
 
Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

Independent historians Eric and Tom Langie, a father and son duo, come on the podcast to discuss the extraordinary life of their ancestor Henri Langie and the book they have written about him, "Henri Langie: From War Volunteer in WW I to Honorary Major in WW II."
 
Henri went from a schoolteacher to a stretcherbearer and officer in WW1, to professiona soldier and later a battalion commander and POW during WW2, to becoming a beloved "Kleine Bompa" in his peaceful years of retirement. 
 
Henri lived a truly extraordinary life, and this is a story you will enjoy. 
Where to buy (Europe): https://www.bravenewbooks.nl/site/?r=userwebsite/bookdetails&id=22023848
 
Where to buy the book (UK): https://amzn.eu/d/04alvcqy
 
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 Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. 
 
Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

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 [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns.