WW1: Not So Quiet On The Western Fron...

Welcome to "Not So Quiet On The Western Front," the podcast that takes you beyond the trenches and dives deep into the untold stories and surprising truths of the First World War. Join us as we lift the lid on one of the most pivotal periods in human history, busting myths and unravelling the complexities of a conflict that shaped the course of the 20th century.

Host: Dan Hill & Dr. Spencer Jones

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Our WW2 Podcast: https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com

General Enquiries: ⁠nsq@battleguide.co.uk⁠

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Twitter:

@historian1914

@DanHillHistory

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Credits:

- Host: Dr. Spencer Jones & Dan Hill

- Production & Editing: Linus Klaßen

History
51
Episode 36: Doughboys 4 - The Rock of the Marne
In this week’s episode we’ll explore the fascinating and much understudied 2nd Battle of the Marne. We’ll explore its origins, importance, discuss its potential position as THE decisive victory on the Western Front and take a close look at one American unit, the 3rd Division, who emerged from the fight with a reputation as one of the finest fighting units in the allied order of battle.
65 min
52
Episode 35: Doughboys 3 - Belleau Wood
In this week’s episode we’ll explore possible one of the best known actions of the AEF in the Great War - Belleau Wood. We’ll look at the build up, fighting, learning curve, overall impact of the battle and perhaps bust a few myths along the way.
77 min
53
Episode 34: Doughboys 2 - Raising the US Army
In this episode we’ll study how the United States raised and trained the vast army that would become the American Expeditionary Force. What type of man served in the army? How was the army trained and equipped? And how effective was the average AEF unit on its arrival in France?
60 min
54
Episode 33: Doughboys 1 - America in WW1
In this episode, the first of a series, we explore the fascinating story of the United States in the Great War. We’ll study its declaration of war, the motives behind it, the key characters in the early AEF and the many difficulties encountered in sending the Doughboys to War.
55 min
55
Episode 32: Belgium
In this episode, we’ll explore the story of the Belgians in the Great War. We’ll look at their vital military contributions in 1914, their continued defence of their homeland, and what life was under enemy occupation during that momentous period.
68 min
56
Episode 31: ANZACS At WAR
In this episode we’ll take a look at the fascinating story of Australian troops on the Western Front. From the earliest combat at Gallipoli to their initial fights at Fromelles and Pozieres, through to their final experiences of the war in September 1918, we’ll study one of the finest fighting Corps of the entire First World War.
81 min
57
Episode 30: Commemorating The Fallen
In this week’s episode we look at the story of the commemoration of the fallen of the Great War. Why was it an unprecedented challenge, how was it accomplished by each major nation and just what is the impact on the legacy of the Great War today?
65 min
58
Episode 29: Shot at Dawn - Executions in the Gr...
In this episode we’ll explore the highly controversial subject of military executions in the First World War. What caused men to be ‘shot at dawn’? how many men met that fate? What was the process like? and was there any justification for such extreme punishment in the Great War?
70 min
59
Episode 28: Home Front - Women
In this week’s episode we continue our look at the story of the home front in the Great War with a focus on the vital role women played in supporting the war effort and how that crucial time period changed the world we live in todayDo you like our podcast?
67 min
60
Episode 27: Home Front
In this week’s episode, the first in a multi-part set, we’ll explore the fascinating story of life on Britain’s Home Front in the Great War with a focus on the enormous impact of the Defence of the Realm Act.Do you like our podcast?
69 min
61
Episode 26: Tunnellers
In this episode we’ll explore the famous story of the war conducted beneath the Western front, From the men who pioneered it, the methods used, and dangers for those on all sides, we’ll study the art of tunnelling and mining in trench warfare.
82 min
62
Episode 25: Walking Into Machine Guns
In this episode we’ll look at the highly controversial and often much misunderstood story of the frontal assault on the trenches of the Western Front. We’ll consider why and how it happened, if it was as haphazard and pointless as we are commonly led to believe and address the popular belief that allied commanders repeatedly sent brave men, walking, across no-man’s-land in futile attacks against enemy machine guns.
66 min
63
Episode 24: Why did the armies keep attacking?
Why did the armies keep attacking? In this episode, we’ll examine one of the enduring controversies of the First World War - why did the Allies keep attacking the Western Front when all the advantages seemed to lie with the defender? What informed these decisions, were there other options, and how did these choices play out on the battlefield?
77 min
64
Episode 23: Barbed Wire
This week, in a particularly geeky episode, Dan and Spencer explore the much understudied and perhaps underappreciated importance of barbed wire on the Western Front. Often overlooked as a minor inconvenience, it did in fact shape much of the story of the First World War.
71 min
65
Episode 22: Junior Officers
This week, Dan and Spencer lift the lid on the remarkable story of Junior Officers on the Western Front. We look at their roles and responsibilities, performance on the battlefield and the incredibly heavy price they paid throughout the war.
75 min
66
Episode 21: Trench Raiding
This week's episode sees Spencer and Dan discussing the emergence and evolution of the vital practise of trench raiding across the Western Front. We explore it's purpose, risks and rewards for those daring enough to venture into no-man's-land.
66 min
67
Episode 20: Tommy Atkins
This week Dan and Spencer explore the story of the 'Tommy' of the Great War, looking at his motivations, experiences and performance on the battlefield, and comparing him with the 'Doughboy', 'Digger', 'Poilu' and German soldier on the Western Front.
77 min
68
Episode 19: The Missing
In this week's episode Spencer and Dan explore the story of the 'Missing' of the Great War. We look at what caused men to be reported as missing in action, what the process of searching for a missing serviceman was like and what became of the many men to share that fate.
69 min
69
Episode 18: Zeppelins
In this weeks episode, Dan and Spencer examine the story of Zeppelin Raids in the Great War, with a focus on their initial successes, allied countermeasures and the men on both sides who took to the skies above Britain in a new and truly shocking form of warfare.
71 min
70
Episode 17: Gas Warfare
In this week's episode Spencer and Dan explore the story of Gas Warfare on the Western Front. From it's drastic impact at the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 through it's brutal evolution to 1918 we consider it's purpose, employment and the impact on those who came into contact with it on the Western Front.
72 min
71
Episode 16: Innovation on the frontlines
This week, Dan and Spencer explore the concept of innovation on the Western Front. With millions of men fighting for four years on the frontlines, we take a take dive into how, when and why innovation played such a key role in the Great War.
65 min
72
Episode 15: Artillery- The King of the Battlefi...
Join us this week as Spencer and Dan exore the vital role played by artillery in The Great War. From it's somewhat uninspiring start, and through a steep learning curve in the mid-war years, to it's ultimate emergence as the dominant force on the battlefield, we explore the subject in depth in this week's episode.
79 min
73
Episode 14: Wounded!
This week Spencer and Dan delve into the fascinating and harrowing story of the wounded of the First World War, with a focus on the 'Medical Evacuation Chain', how it evolved throughout the war and what the experience of being wounded was like for literally millions of servicemen on the Western Front.
76 min
74
Episode 13: Trenches
This week follow us into the trenches as we discuss the myths and realities of trench warfare in the First World War. From their inception and involution from 1914-1918 and their eventual abandonment towards the end of the war, we look in detail at life on the frontlines.
82 min
75
Episode 12: Tanks!
In this week's episode Dan and Spencer explore the fascinating story of tanks in the First World War, from their conception and development to performance on the battlefields of the Western Front
90 min