World War I Podcast

What was the United States Coast Guard doing during World War I? We sat down Dr. William H. Thiesen, Atlantic Area Historian for the United States Coast Guard, to discuss the history of the Coast Guard and how World War I served as the first true test of the modern Coast Guard's military capability.

By the end of 1916, the Allied and Central powers were exhausted and were facing serious political, economic and social problems. For Russia, a country already struggling with the structural problems of autocracy, the troubles of 1916 led to revolution. To learn more about the timeline and particulars of the Russian Revolution, we had a conversation with Dr. Colleen Moore, Assistant Professor of History at James Madison University.

Many small countries entered World War I with the hope of gaining some sort of advantage in the post-war period. Most of these countries did not contribute troops or any other substantial aid to the combatants. Siam is a notable exception. To learn more about Siam's participation in World War I, we spoke with Dr. Stefan Hell, author of the book Siam and World War I: An International History.

While radio and telephone were becoming more and more a part of the battlefield, these communication technologies also had weaknesses on the World War I battlefield. A secure, reliable, low tech communication option was needed. Armies on both sides turned to Homing Pigeons to provide this vital link. We sat down with Dr. Frank Blazich, Curator of Modern Military History at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History, to discuss the U.S. Army's pigeon service and how these birds contributed to the war effort.

America’s path to World War I was complicated and involved some deep cultural shifts. What changes drove the evolution from neutrality to war? What role did immigrant and minority groups play in this shift? And, did the American people go into this war naïve to the costs? To answer some of these questions, we sat down with Dr. Michael Nieberg to discuss his book The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern America.

World War I taught a young Dwight D. Eisenhower some significant leadership lessons – just not on the battlefield. Eisenhower spent a good part of the war as the commander of Camp Colt in Gettysburg, PA. Camp Colt sat on part of the Gettysburg battlefield and was home to the U.S. Army’s fledgling tank school. From an initial lack of tanks to the Spanish Flu pandemic, Eisenhower proved himself a brilliant organizer and a capable leader in difficult times. In this latest episode, Daniel Vermilya, an NPS Park Ranger at the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg, discusses Camp Colt and Eisenhower's long association with the region.

World War I had profound social and economic consequences. American industry had typically relied upon European immigrant labor. When the war disrupted immigration, American industry turned to other sources of labor and began recruiting African Americans. Responding to these new economic opportunities, large numbers of African Americans began leaving the rural south for the urban north. In this latest episode, Dr. Steven Reich discusses the Great Migration in the context of World War I and explains its cultural legacy.

Like the other Great Powers, Russia experienced a great deal of turmoil in the decades leading up to World War I. Slow industrialization, military failure in the Russo-Japanese War, and mass social unrest were just some of the problems that were further compounded by weak leadership and a fragile political system. In this latest episode, Dr. Colleen Moore describes this pre-war turmoil and outlines Russia's path into World War I.

The Hapsburgs were a very old and distinguished noble family in Europe. Members of the Hapsburg-Lorraine branch of the family ruled Austria-Hungary during World War I. In this latest episode, Dr. Maura Hametz discusses the many tragedies and intrigues of these Hapsburgs and outlines the roles of Emperor Franz Josef I and his successor, Karl I, during World War I.

Appointed Supreme Allied Commander during World War I, Ferdinand Foch is regarded as the architect of the 1918 victory. He is also recognized as one of the most original thinkers in the 20th century French military. In this episode, Dr. Michael Neiberg discusses Foch's unusual career path, outlines his World War I service, and highlights his unique understanding of the war.

Arriving in Paris in 1919 for the Peace Conference, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made it clear that he believed Italy entered World War I in a Machiavellian spirit of “cold-blooded calculation.” Italy’s leaders disagreed – arguing that their participation in the war was about liberation and self-determination. Regardless of the argument, like most of the combatants, Italy’s decision to go to war lay somewhere between practical and opportunistic. A member of the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany when the war started, Italy renounced this alliance in 1915 and joined the Entente Powers on the battlefield. Italy emerged as one of the victors in November 1918, but it’s complicated road to war, devastating casualties on the Italian front, and the disappointments of the Treaty of Versailles would lead the Italian’s to label the victory the “mutilated victory.”

Prior to 1914, there was a theory that Great Britain would not survive a major European war if it lost access to food and supplies coming from North America. When World War I began, this concern initially faded away. The Royal Navy had quickly blockaded Germany and by January 1915, the Imperial German High Seas Fleet was bottled up in the North Sea. However, despite these successes, the trans-Atlantic supply line was still not safe. German U-boats remained free to prowl and soon became Germany’s primary weapon at sea. To combat this danger, the British resorted to a wide variety of U-boat traps. The Q-ship was one such effort. Relying on deception and clever camouflage, Q-ships were armed but designed to look like vulnerable merchant vessels in order to lure U-boats to attack. While not the most effective means of destroying the U-boat threat, Q-ships played an interesting role in the war.

In this interview, Dr. Sanders Marble, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History, discusses how the U.S. Army worked with the medical community and the Red Cross to prepare for and confront the crisis of World War I.
Faced with new clinical practices and diagnoses, U.S. Army medical professionals worked hard to orchestrate treatment of the wounded.

Dr. Edward Lengel, author of Never in Finer Company: The Men of the Great War's Lost Battalion, describes the exploits of American soldiers and Marines on the battlefields of 1918.

William Walker, author of Betrayal at Little Gibraltar, explores the controversy that surrounds the 1918 fight for Montfaucon and argues that changes need to be made in terms of how that tragic battle is interpreted.

Dr. Mitchell Yockelson, author of Forty-Seven Days, How Pershing's Warriors Came of Age to Defeat the German Army in World War I, discusses the evolution of the A.E.F. as a fighting force and how American troops "came of age" during the Meuse-Argonne campaign.

In the final years of World War I, a deadly influenza pandemic killed about 3% of the world's population. The pandemic effected both the Allied and Central Powers, as well as neutral nations. Due to wartime censorship, belligerent nations made no public acknowledgement of the crisis. For neutral nations like Spain however, the pandemic was widely reported because there was no censorship in place. Accordingly, the pandemic became associated with Spain.

In this interview, Dr. Marble Sanders, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History, discusses the origins and spread of Spanish Flu and why it was more than just a tragic coda to World War I.

Very early in World War I, the public was made aware of a condition known as shell shock that was affecting a significant number of soldiers. From 1915-1918, the diagnosis of shell shock evolved, as medical professionals attempted to determine if the condition was physical, psychological, or moral (i.e. cowardice). In this interview, Dr. Marble Sanders, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History, discusses shell shock and how doctors tried to diagnose, treat, and even prevent shell shock during World War I.

Chemical weapons were one of the great horrors of the World War I battlefield. While different types of gases were used throughout the war, Mustard Gas was the most prominent and most effective chemical weapon in use by 1917. In this interview, Dr. Marble Sanders, Senior Historian of the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History, provides an overview of Mustard Gas and discusses the U.S. Army’s efforts to counter this weapon.

The Battle of Chateau Thierry (July 18, 1918) marked an important turning point in World War I. In this podcast, TRADOC Deputy Chief Historian Stephen C. McGeorge places the Battle of Chateau Thierry in the wider context of the war and discusses the cooperation between U.S. and French forces during the battle.

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America's World War II Leaders. Mike Miller, Emeritus head of the Marine Corps History Division, discussed the USMC and how Harry S. Truman’s service in the U.S. Army during World War I forever influenced his opinion of the USMC.

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America's World War II Leaders. Jeffery Kozak, Director of Library and Archives at the George C. Marshall Foundation, discussed George C. Marshall’s service in World War I and how this experience taught him to navigate coalition partnerships, value military preparedness, and to take troop morale seriously.

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America's World War II Leaders. James Zobel, the MacArthur Memorial archivist, explored Douglas MacArthur's service in World War I and how this experience played a role in everything from his reforms at West Point to his management of the Japanese surrender and to his philosophy during the Korean War.

In May 2018, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Symposium that focused on how the experience of World War I shaped many of America’s World War II leaders. Dr. Keith Dickson, a professor at the Joint Forces Staff College, discussed Dwight D. Eisenhower’s World War I service and how it prepared him to understand the value and the psyche of the citizen soldier during World War II.

In July 1918, Germany embarked on its final offensive of the war. This offensive called for a massive push across the old battlefields of the Champagne to the east and west of Reims in order to seize the rail center of Chalons sur Marne and cut off the French armies defending Paris and Verdun. French General Henri Gouraud's IV Army was responsible for the Allied defense of Reims. During this critical period, the 42nd "Rainbow" Division was under his command. As Chief of Staff of the 42nd Division, Douglas MacArthur took part in this battle and was cited for bravery by General Gouraud and Major General Charles Menoher, commander of the 42nd Division. The Champagne Defensive would prove to be a critical moment in World War I – as well as a turning point in the life of Douglas MacArthur.

In August 1914, as decade-old diplomatic crises erupted into war on the European continent, a group of American citizens, in defiance of US President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of neutrality, volunteered for French military service. Of those Americans who volunteered during neutrality, thirty-eight uniquely distinguished themselves not as ambulance drivers or Foreign Legionnaires, but as part of an all-American aero squadron flying for the French Air Service. Dubbed the Lafayette Escadrille, the formation of this all-American squadron in the French Air Service provided a foundation for a strategic alliance between the US and the Allied Powers, established a core of experienced pilots for the US Air Service upon its entry into the First World War, and developed a uniquely American flying culture and identity that continues to exist today.

The Jolly Roger is the default symbol of pirates and piracy. During World War I however, some British submarine crews began flying the Jolly Roger to indicate a successful patrol. This was somewhat problematic because World War I was also a war of propaganda. British propaganda was trying to convince the world that Germany was the predator and that the British were the guardians of civilization. British submarines flying the pirate flag risked upsetting this narrative. Nevertheless, British submarines continued the practice. More than a hundred years later, the tradition continues and has been adopted by navies around the world.

On October 8, 1918, during the Meuse Argonne Offensive, Alvin York led an attack on a German machine gun nest that neutralized more than 30 machine guns and killed at least 25 German soldiers. His efforts also resulted in the capture of 132 enemy soldiers. For these actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Months later, this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The fact that he was a conscientious objector turned warrior made his story particularly compelling. He became an overnight sensation in the United States - a virtual personification of the American ideal of the farmer turned soldier.

In April 2017, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a World War I symposium. Al Barnes, the Virginia National Guard Command Historian, gave a presentation entitled: "To Hell with the Kaiser: America Prepares for War." This presentation focused on the formation and training of U.S. Army units during World War I.

In April 2017, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a World War I symposium. Jim Zobel, the archivist of the MacArthur Memorial, gave a presentation entitled: "A Frontiersman in France: Douglas MacArthur and the Rainbow Division in World War I." This presentation outlined MacArthur's relationship with General John J. Pershing and highlighted MacArthur's battlefield exploits.

In April 2017, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a World War I symposium. Joe Judge, curator of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, gave a presentation entitled: “For the Pressing Need of the Service: The Origins of Naval Station Norfolk.” This presentation focused on the establishment of Naval Station Norfolk and explored the ways in which World War I transformed the infrastructure and economy of Southeastern Virginia.

In February 2017, we sat down with Al Barnes, the Virginia National Guard Command Historian and author of To Hell With the Kaiser, to discuss the many foreign-born doughboys that served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Barnes explained how these men joined the army, as well as the path most took to citizenship. He also outlined the various countries they came from and discussed how the army integrated these soldiers and responded to issues of race and language.

In 1917, war mobilization plans included no black combat divisions. With only four black regiments in existence at the time, all the new African American volunteers and draftees presented the U.S. Army with a bit of a problem. Where did they fit in? Where could they go? Initially the Army began organizing these men into provisional, unarmed labor units. This was unacceptable to African American leaders who believed that a demonstration of patriotism and sacrifice on the battlefield would benefit the quest for civil rights. The concerns of these leaders reached the Secretary of War, Newton Baker. Baker ultimately ordered the creation of two black combat divisions. One of these was the 93rd Division. Against all odds, the combat regiments of the 93rd made it to France. Set aside for service and supply duty on arrival, in the spring of 1918 they were “loaned” to the French. Wearing French gear, carrying French weapons, and under French command, the men of the 93rd saw combat in most of the major sectors and campaigns of the war. In battle, they proved themselves capable and courageous.

In February 1918, General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force had only five divisions in France. One of those divisions, the 42nd “Rainbow” Division, had just arrived and had not yet experienced trench warfare. Along with the other American divisions, the 42nd was partnered with French units in order to learn to operate and survive at the front. Under French tutelage, the men and officers of the 42nd Division absorbed the combat tactics and other common sense survival skills while serving in the Luneville Baccarat Sector between February and March 1918. Typically a quiet sector, the arrival of the 42nd Division combined with the movement of German troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front meant that the sector was soon alive with trench raids, poison gas, and shelling. (32:47)

"Verdun After 100 Years: An Iconic or Exceptional Battle”
In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. Dr. Paul Jankowski, the Ray Ginger Professor of History at Brandeis University and the author of Verdun: The Largest Battle of the Great War, presented on the topic “Verdun After 100 Years: An Iconic or Exceptional Battle.” Dr. Jankowski explored French and German perspectives of Verdun and compared the battle to the other great battles of the Western Front.
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. Dr. Graydon Tunstall, a senior lecturer in history at the University of South Florida, presented on the topic: "Eastern Front 1916: Russian Victory to Revolution." Dr. Tunstall explores the major Russian offensive at Lake Naroch, the Romanian campaign, as well as the Brusilov Offensive. Through military failure and victory, Dr. Tunstall sets the stage for the Russian Revolution.
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. Historian Paul Walsh examined American neutrality and the political difficulties faced by President Woodrow Wilson from 1914-1917. Keeping America out of war during that period grew increasingly difficult, and Walsh explains how public opinion gradually began to swing in favor of backing the Entente Powers. )
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. Greg Hansard, the Manager of Web and Digital Resources at the Virginia Historical Society, presented on the topic: “Haven of Safety: U.S. Internment of German Sailors, 1914-1917.” Hansard described the largely positive and beneficial relationship between the German sailors and the local community but also addressed the problems of internment – including escapes and sabotage.
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. Carl Bobrow, a member of the collections department at the National Air and Space Museum, presented on the topic: “Russian Air Assets in the Brusilov Offensive 1916.” Mr. Bobrow is an expert on the advent and development of Russian aviation and his lecture examined the extent to which the largely forgotten Russian air assets in the Brusilov Offensive were vital to its success.
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. Dr. David Silbey of Cornell University presented on the topic: "A Citizen Army Learns to Fight: The Tactical Evolution of the British Army in 1916." Dr. Silbey explores how the British created a mass army by 1916. It was that army - not the highly trained professional army of 1914 - that was expected to win the war against Germany. In many ways, the Battle of the Somme was the crucible of the new British 'citizen army.' It was also the beginning of the tactical evolution of the British army that would lead to in victories in 1918.
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. The focus of the Symposium was 1916, and that was an interesting year in terms of military aviation. During 1916, Austrian flying boats attacked Venice sixteen times, London was bombed by German Zeppleins, the British adopted strategic bombing, the French launched an air reprisal raid, and the Italians and the Russians began to have success with the largest airplanes built to that date. Steve Suddaby, an author and retired CIA analyst, explored all of these topics in his presentation: "From Venice to London: Aerial Bombing in 1916."
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

In October 2016, the World War One Historical Association hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium at the MacArthur Memorial. William MacMullen, a member of the U.S. Navy League, the U.S. Naval Institute, and past Executive Director of the U.S. Naval Ship Building Museum, gave a presentation entitled: "Big Navies, Big Innovations, Big Battle...then Fizzle. Why?" MacMullen discussed ship design and construct-ability, the Dreadnought Race, and the evolution of technology versus tradition.
To learn more about the World War One Historical Association, visit https://ww1ha.org/.

From 1890-1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II struggled through a series of scandals and crises. His gaffes on the international stage embarrassed his government and helped create the alliances that would be arrayed against Germany in 1914. Due to these issues, even as he struggle for personal rule, his power within Germany was on the wane. When World War I began, he assumed his role as Supreme Warlord, the leader of the German army. The German general staff believed he could not “lead three soldiers over a gutter,” and therefore conspired to keep actual power out of his hands. In the end, it did not matter. In the first weeks of the war, the Kaiser suffered a nervous collapse. As historian Miranda Carter points out, for the rest of the war, he was merely a “flimsy fig leaf” for a Germany ruled by a military dictatorship. At the end of the war there were calls to officially blame him for the war through an international trial. This would never materialize – instead he spent the next 22 years of his life in exile (23:16)

Kaiser Wilhelm II: Part One
When the World War I ended, King George V of England wrote of his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm II: “…I look upon him as the greatest criminal known for having plunged the world into this ghastly war.” But who was Kaiser Wilhelm II? Was he criminal bent on world domination? Or was he a bumbling fool in a picklehaub? Throughout the war, Allied propaganda seemed to suggest either identity was a possibility. Ironically, it wasn’t just his enemies who were confused about his identity. Throughout his life, the Kaiser also struggled to come to terms with his own identity. As the grandson of Queen Victoria, the half English Kaiser was supposed to be the champion of Anglo-German unity. Instead, he would spend a lifetime torn between the two identities. To explain these contradictions, Kaiser Wilhelm II’s life will be examined over the course of two podcast episodes. Part one will discuss his early life and years as emperor.

On January 16, 1917, a coded German dispatch was intercepted by British Naval Intelligence. Over the next weeks, cryptographers in the innocuous sounding Room 40 began deciphering the message. What they found was shocking. Germany was proposing to bankroll Mexico in a war that would serve two purposes: 1. Keep the U.S. from aiding the Allies, 2. Allow Mexico to recover its lost territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The message also asked Mexico to lure Japan, one of the Allied nations in World War I, into the alliance. Desperate to add the fresh strength of neutral America to their cause, the British shared the telegram with the U.S. Government. The public release of the Zimmerman Telegram convinced many Americans that neutrality had failed. Few wanted war, but as Barbara Tuchman concluded in her study of the affair, the Zimmerman Telegram “killed the American illusion that we could go about our business happily separate from other nations.”

In this podcast, W. Douglas Fisher and Joann H. Buckley, authors of the book: African American Doctors of World War I, shed light on the little known story of African American doctors who served during World War I. Fisher and Buckley discuss the difficulties these men faced in obtaining medical degrees, their service in a segregated military, and their ultimate return to life in the United States. Why did they serve? What is their legacy? Fisher and Buckley answer these questions and more! (24:05)

When World War I ended, parts of the American Expeditionary Force were sent into Germany to serve as an occupation force. The Occupation of Germany (1918-1923) would be regarded as the most successful U.S. military occupation in history until the Occupation of Japan after World War II.
In this podcast, Al Barnes, the Virginia National Guard Command Historian and author of the book In a Strange Land: The American Occupation of Germany, sat down with a member of the Memorial's staff to discuss the politics behind the occupation, fears of the "Germanization" of the U.S. Army, and some of the future American leaders who served in the occupation. As with any occupation, fear, fraternization, and justice played out in unique ways.

While sometimes considered a “sideshow” in histories of World War I, the Middle East was a region of considerable value to both the Allied and Central powers. As stalemate mired the Western front, both sides expended vast amounts of men and treasure in the Middle East in an attempt to outflank each other, but also with an eye to expanding influence in the region in the post-war period.
In 1917 General Edmund Allenby was given leadership of the Palestine Campaign with a personal instruction from Lloyd George to capture Jerusalem before Christmas 1917. This podcast gives an outline of the Palestine Campaign to the capture of Jerusalem. (20:32)

By late September 1918, Germany’s military leaders were aware that victory was completely out of reach. General Erich Ludendorff and Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg began to call for an immediate armistice, arguing that it was in Germany’s best interests to try to negotiate a peace before Allied boots crossed into Germany.
Their willingness to seek an armistice was not just about gaining advantage for Germany in the post-war period however. They were also driven by two other motivations: the desire to neutralize a potential communist revolution in Germany and the desire to shift responsibility for Germany’s defeat to a civilian government. As Germany moved towards an armistice in October and November 1918, the seeds of World War II were being planted. (20:40)

Just weeks into the Great War, Pope Pius X died. A cardinal for all of three months, Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa joined the resulting conclave to elect a new Pope. The cardinals assembled debated whether to elect an experienced diplomat as pope in order to cope with the war, or to elect a more theologically minded leader. The debate was short. On September 3, 1914, della Chiesa, a proven diplomat, was elected pope by the College of Cardinals. Taking the name Benedict XV, the new Pope immediately began looking for ways to intervene in the conflict. His seven year papacy would be defined by World War I – a war he later referred to “The suicide of civilized Europe.”

During World War I, German Major General Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck led the British Army on a four year cat and mouse chase through German East Africa and its surroundings in what was called the “Little War.” Over the course of this “Little War,” his tiny force of about 14,000 troops kept approximately 300,000 British troops occupied. Lettow-Vorbeck’s troops were still fighting when the war ended on November 11, 1918. Today, this “Little War” provides proof that a small but highly motivated guerilla force can hold a modern army hostage even in an age of advancing military technology.

Today Herbert Hoover is remembered for being president when the Great Depression started. As a result, he is often blamed for not doing enough to relieve the distress caused by that economic crisis. But was Hoover really disinterested in the sufferings of those in need? Was he a terrible administrator? Before the Great Depression, no one would have thought so. Hoover was internationally regarded as a talented administrator and as America’s great humanitarian – and it was World War I that gave him these credentials.

From transportation, to communication, security, comfort and morale, animals have been indispensable human partners throughout history. It is therefore not surprising that animals have played important roles in military conflicts. During World War I, millions of animals were put into service on each side. This war is often remembered for the great human suffering, but millions of animals also experienced the horrors of the war, while bringing their own unique skill sets to the business of war.

The sinking of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915 was one of the great controversies of World War I. Targeted by a German U-Boat as part of a campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, the Lusitania was carrying 1,266 passengers and 696 crew members. She was also carrying a substantial cargo of supplies for the Allies. She sank in 18 minutes after being struck by a torpedo fired by U-20. 1,191 aboard lost their lives – including 128 Americans. Although the United States remained neutral in the aftermath of the disaster, the sinking of the Lusitania helped move public opinion in favor of entering the war on side of the Allies in 1917.

The 1915 Gallipoli Campaign was an imaginative operation that was supposed to end the stalemate of the Western Front. It utilized a mix of troops mainly from Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand. As these troops sailed towards Gallipoli, some considered themselves the luckiest young men in the war. They believed they were not bound for the mud and filth of the trenches in Europe, but for the plains of ancient Troy. Despite this enthusiasm however, Gallipoli proved a costly Allied failure. Allied troops suffered a quarter of a million casualties in 8 months. The sacrifice of the ANZACs – the troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – left a particularly deep impression on their respective nations. The Turkish defenders also endured appalling casualties. And yet, many scholars argue that out of this crucible of sacrifice emerge the modern identities of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.

Since the days of Julius Caesar, the territory of what is now Belgium has been a thoroughfare and battleground for foreign armies. Hoping to avoid being ravaged by future wars, modern Belgium committed itself to a policy of neutrality. This neutrality was violated in World War I when Belgium was invaded by Germany. While this violation of Belgium’s neutrality is most commonly linked to the entry of Great Britain into the war on the side of the Allies, it also set the stage for one of the most successful Allied leaders to emerge. Even as the Germans occupied 95% of his country, King Albert I of Belgium personally commanded his troops during the war and managed to hold on to a tiny sliver of his country throughout the war. Never leaving or sending his government into exile, Albert inspired his nation while his nation inspired the Allies and drew sympathy for the Allied cause. When the war was over, Albert was one of the few monarchs who emerged safer on this throne than he was before the war started. King George V credited him with making the most pivotal decision of the war – the decision to resist Germany.

In November 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium. Joseph Hoyt, a maritime archeologist with NOAA and a specialist in the archaeological recording of deep water shipwrecks, presented on the topic of World War I and the underwater battlefields within U.S. territorial waters.

In November 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium. Dr. Lee Craig was one of the presenters. Dr. Craig is the author of Josephus Daniels, the story of the Secretary of the Navy, who helped to prepare the U.S. Navy for eventual involvement in World War I.

In November 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium. Andrew Robertshaw, author of the book Digging the Trenches, was one of the Symposium presenters. Over the last 25 years, Mr. Robertshaw has directed numerous archaeological projects on the Western Front. His lecture focused on using historical research and archaeology to identify the remains of soldiers killed on the Western Front.

In November 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium. Dr. Frederick Dickinson was one of the Symposium presenters. Dr. Dickinson is a Professor of Japanese History at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of War and National Reinvention: Japan and the Great War, 1914-1919. Dr. Dickinson's lecture focused on the impact of World War I on Japan.

In November 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium. Dr. Holger Herwig was one of the Symposium presenters. Dr. Herwig is the author of numerous books, including The Marne, 1914. His presentation focused on the importance of the First Battle of the Marne, the differences in French and German command structures, and the legacy of the battle in the 20th Century.

In November 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a World War I Centennial Symposium. Catrine Clay was one of the Symposium presenters. Ms. Clay is the author of King Kaiser Tsar - a work that explores the relationships between the royal cousins King George V, Tsar Nicholas II, and Kaiser Wilhelm II on the eve of World War I.

The Allies and Central Powers employed hundreds of thousands of sea mines during the Great War. These mines were commonly used to defend coastlines and strategic locations from invasion – but they were also used as part of a broader anti-submarine campaign. In 1917, with German submarines sinking many tons of shipping in the Atlantic, the United States Navy working in cooperation with its British counterparts, created a mine barrage in the North Sea that stretched from the Orkney Islands to the coastal waterways of Norway. It was hoped that this barrage would prevent German submarines from reaching the Atlantic shipping lanes. The ultimate effectiveness of the North Sea Mine Barrage is still debated today.

Some of the great heroes of World War I were the “aces” – pilots who were credited with bringing down large numbers of enemy planes. These dashing young pilots captured the imagination of the public and imbued the war with a sense of romanticism. Their celebrity came from the fact that they fought a war of individual heroism in the blue skies – far from the anonymity of the muddy trenches. In terms of casualty rates however, they were just as doomed as the troops in the trenches. One of the most legendary “aces” of the war was Germany’s Baron Manfred von Richthofen – a man more commonly known as “The Red Baron.” Flying a plane painted bright red, Richthofen stood out to friend and foe alike. Killed at the age of 25, he left behind a record of 80 kills.

This podcast features the third of three interviews that were recorded at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, VA. The third installment in this series tells the story of Wilson after the war. Traveling to France at the end of the war to play a role in the Paris Peace Conference, Wilson was greeted by enthusiastic crowds wherever he went. His star had never been higher, but within a year he would be back in the United States – his health broken and his dream of American participation in the League of Nations out of reach. What were his aims in the peace process? And what is his legacy today?

This podcast features the second of three interviews that were recorded at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, VA. The second installment in this series tells the story of Wilson during the war. Elected to be a president focused primarily on domestic policy, within the first year of his first term in office, he was faced with a world war in Europe. Reelected in 1916 under the slogan “He kept us out of war,” within a year he asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. Highly intellectual, progressive, and idealistic, how did Wilson meet the challenge of world war?

This podcast features the first of three interviews that were recorded at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, VA. The first installment in this series traces the meteoric rise of American President Woodrow Wilson – from his days as a professor to his political career and his vision of the role of the American president.

As dusk arrived on December 24, 1914, it was a cold night on the Western Front. It had been five months since the start of the war, and already, German, French and British Armies, slugging it out in the mud of Flanders, had experienced unimaginable casualties.

The war was supposed to be over by Christmas – or so many of the soldiers had been told. Instead, there was an unbreakable stalemate, and many soldiers on both sides were suffering from trench foot, pneumonia, and frostbite. There was little for them to celebrate as Christmas approached.

Despite the devastation and the suffering in the trenches however, there was a marked “live and let live” attitude in the days leading up to Christmas 1914. This philosophy intensified as Christmas approached, and manifested itself in what scholars today refer to as the Christmas Truce of 1914. This was not one isolated event, nor was it officially sanctioned or widespread – but across the Western Front, soldiers on both sides arranged temporary cease fires, exchanges of gifts, and even played several soccer games in No Man’s Land.

1917 was a winter of gloom for the Allies. The British had lost more than 400,000 men in their failed offensive at Passchendaele in the previous summer and fall. That was followed by mutinies of nearly half of all French Army units after the failed Nivelle offensives. To add to the gloom, Europe was about to experience its worst winter in many years. The only glimmer of hope was the slow, steady arrival of American soldiers, and it was amidst this atmosphere that Douglas MacArthur and the 42nd Rainbow Division arrived in France. The first months in France would be a difficult time for the Rainbow Division - mentally and physically - as the men were further prepared for the rigors of trench warfare. It was also a difficult time for the officers of the 42nd Division who struggled to keep the division intact. The Rainbow Division ultimately survived this difficult winter, and five months after their arrival in France, they were ordered to the front.

Dr. Lisa Budreau, author of Bodies of War: World War I and the politics of commemoration in America 1919-1933, visited the MacArthur Memorial in October 2012 and lectured on the topic of repatriation, memorialization, and the creation of American cemeteries overseas to commemorate the fallen.

World War I marked the first war in which the United States government and military took full responsibility for the identification, burial, and memorialization of those killed in battle. In the wake of the devastation of World War I, this process of memory and commemoration not only played an important role in helping grieving families, but also in terms of setting the groundwork for memorializing future war dead.

World War I was a war of production and supply: whoever could feed their populations and soldiers, make the most weapons, and marshal the most resources would win the war. Surrounded by enemies on land, and desperate to break the trans-Atlantic trade and supply lines of the Allied Powers, Germany used submarines during the war to hunt down and destroy Allied vessels. With this German U-Boat campaign threatening Allied supplies and production capabilities, it soon became obvious that something had to be done to counter the U-Boat threat or the Allies would lose the war.

One of the tactics adopted was the use of “dazzle painting” – a jarring, brightly colored paint scheme for ships. Recognizing that it was impossible to make a ship invisible, Norman Wilkinson, the father of dazzle painting, decided to use bright and contrasting colors in geometric patterns to distort the size, speed, and shape of a ship. While the ultimate success of dazzle painting was much debated after the war, it remains an interesting chapter in the history of World War I.

The North Atlantic is cold and stormy in October and November, and it loomed as a dreaded specter to thousands of members of the 42nd Rainbow Division at Camp Mills who had never seen the ocean much less taken a twelve day journey across it. Furthermore, in 1917 all shipping routes to Europe from America were patrolled by German submarines. The danger was clear, but so was the need for American troops in Europe. The adoption of the convoy system by the British and United States Navies was a counter to the U-boat threat, but unpreparedness for war found America severely lacking in merchant shipping to get its men to France and it led to early difficulties in the alliance. This podcast will discuss the incredibly difficult transport of the 27,000 men of the Rainbow and its complement of draft animals to France during the winter of 1917. The journey was a nightmare for many, but the 42nd would arrive in France at a critical moment in the war.

Situated on Hempstead Plain in Long Island, New York, Camp Mills was the primary training ground of the 42nd Rainbow Division. The camp was swiftly constructed in the summer of 1917 and soon 27,000 men and 991 officers of the Rainbow Division began arriving at the camp to begin preparing for the war in Europe.

General John J. Pershing was already leading the American Expeditionary Force in France, and the war was not going well. It was clear that the only thing that would turn the tide of the war was more men – and fast. Pershing informed the war department that places like Camp Mills should focus on turning out physically fit men who could shoot. As a result, Colonel Douglas MacArthur, Chief of Staff of the 42nd Division, later noted that “no frills and fancy gadgets were employed” at Camp Mills. The training was difficult and often boring for many of the men, but in the end, Camp Mills was the anvil on which the 42nd Rainbow Division was forged.

When the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, it had an absolutely miniscule standing army. As the US Army General Staff began frantically preparing to mobilize an American Expeditionary Force, an internal debate arouse about the type of army the United States should send to France. Should they wait for enlistment to swell the ranks of the regular army? Or should the National Guard be used? At the time, Major Douglas MacArthur was working in Washington, D.C. as part of the General Staff. He had a deep belief in the value of the National Guard and believed that federalizing Guard units would be the best way to put large numbers of American troops in the field quickly. He had the backing of Secretary of War Newton Baker, and in the early months of American participation in the war, Major MacArthur helped to create the 42nd “Rainbow” Division out of National Guard troops from around the nation. His involvement with the “Rainbow” Division would go on to shape his experience of World War I.

Robert Dalessandro, Executive Director of the U.S. Army Center of Military History, visited the Memorial in October 2012 and lectured on the topic of the organization and insignia of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). World War I marked a watershed moment in the organization of the United States military. The incredible scale of the war, as well as the changing nature of warfare made many of these changes necessary. From the size of an army to the composition of smaller units like platoons and companies, the American military underwent a reorganization on many levels. In addition to these changes, Dalessandro also traces the development of the insignia of the AEF and discusses a few of the stories behind the adoption of certain insignia by different AEF divisions.

Author Stephen L. Harris visited the Memorial in October 2012 and gave a presentation on “The Fighting 69th” in World War I. As part of the New York National Guard, elements of the 69th Infantry Regiment have participated in five wars to date: the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Iraq War, and Afghanistan. The regiment earned its nickname “The Fighting 69th” during the Civil War, and lived up to this nickname in World War I. In 1917, the 69th Infantry was added to the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and renumbered the 165th Infantry Regiment. The “Rainbow” Division was then sent to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force. Col. Douglas MacArthur served as Chief of Staff of the “Rainbow” Division, and within the ranks of the 165th Infantry were legendary men like Father Francis Duffy, “Wild” Bill Donovan, and Joyce Kilmer.

On September 4, 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II exulted: “It is the 35th day!” The 35th day of the war had a very significant meaning to the German General Staff. The Schlieffen Plan anticipated a victory over France within 35-40 days of combat. This would allow Germany to avoid a damaging two front war and would leave the Germany army with plenty of time to turn and crush the Tsar’s newly mobilized forces in the East. With the Allied armies in retreat and the French government abandoning Paris, on day 35 the Kaiser and his staff were confidently looking forward to the decisive battle that would end the war in the West. By day 40 however, far from menacing Paris or completing the envelopment of British and French forces, the German forces were in retreat. In what was later referred to as the Miracle of the Marne, the beleaguered British and French forces pushed the German armies back – ultimately saving France and denying the German’s the quick victory they needed to win the war. This 1st Battle of the Marne would prove a strategic victory for the Allies but would also usher in trench warfare and the deadly stalemate that would forever characterize the nature of World War I.

This podcast features an interview with Megan Good, the director of the J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. The Independence Seaport Museum is currently the home of the U.S.S. Olympia – a vessel that served as Commodore George Dewey’s flagship during the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish American War. By World War I the Olympia was no longer a match for the larger, faster ships born of the early 20th Century naval arms race, but she still had some important roles left to play. Whether her mission was diplomacy, humanitarian aid, or peacekeeping, the Olympia was kept busy during the war. Much beloved by the American public, after the war the Olympia would also be selected to carry the body of the Unknown Soldier of World War I back to the United States. In many respects, the Olympia has become a forgotten story of World War I.

In the decades before World War I, all the European powers had secret plans to defend against invasion or to make preemptive strikes against their enemies. In Germany, the main war plan was the Schlieffen Plan. This plan grew out of a German fear of encirclement. Increasingly cut off from the rest of Europe by French, Russian, and British alliances, by the early 1900s Germany was geographically and politically isolated. The Schlieffen Plan developed as a military solution to this predicament. This plan anticipated a future war in which Germany would be surrounded by France and Russia. It was designed to enable Germany to fight both nations, but to avoid doing so simultaneously. When World War I began, a version of the Schlieffen Plan was implemented, but in the stalemate that ultimately developed, a victory meticulously planned on paper would be impossible to achieve.

Otto von Bismarck once predicted that some “foolish” thing in the Balkans would start a major war in Europe – and he would prove correct in this belief. In an age of entangling alliances between nations, unrest in the Balkans would be enough to disrupt and twist the relationships between the major European powers and lead to a world war. The spark that would ignite this awful cataclysm would be a single act of terrorism in the Balkans – the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. In different environment, the assassination would have been viewed as merely a tragic event – not a casus belli. But in the perfect storm that was Europe in the early 20th century, and in an atmosphere of saber rattling, the assassination changed the world.