Angel Down: A Discussion with Daniel Kraus

Angel Down: A Discussion with Daniel Kraus

Author: Mike Cunha October 1, 2025 Duration: 46:08

NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus comes on the podcast to talk about his novel set in the Meuse-Argonne battle "Angel Down." 

 

From Simon & Schuster:

 

Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man's Land to euthanize a wounded comrade.

 

What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.

 

Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict.



Where to buy "Angel Down" in the UK -

 

https://titanbooks.com/72777-angel-down/

 

Where to buy "Angel Down" in the US -

 

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Angel-Down/Daniel-Kraus/9781668068458



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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns. 

 

Please review the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes! :)

 


Hosted by Mike Cunha, Battles of the First World War Podcast is a dedicated exploration of the Great War’s defining confrontations. Each episode focuses on a single battle, moving beyond dates and maps to examine the intricate decisions, tactical realities, and human experiences that shaped these events. Cunha’s approach is to unpack the how and why, piecing together the sequence of command choices, logistical challenges, and frontline conditions that led to each clash’s outcome. Within this framework, the podcast gives voice to the individuals-soldiers, nurses, officers, and civilians-whose personal stories are woven into the larger narrative of this titanic twentieth-century struggle. Listening feels less like a lecture and more like a detailed, respectful reconstruction, where the scale of history is measured in both grand strategy and individual courage. For anyone seeking to understand the First World War beyond the textbook summaries, this series offers a thorough and compelling audio journey into the battles that changed the world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Battles of the First World War Podcast
Podcast Episodes
MOD War Detectives - Joint Casualty & Compassionate Centre [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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New Ypres League member Rosie Barron joins the podcast to discuss her work as part of the Joint Casualty & Compassionate Centre, aka the MOD War Detectives. Join us for a fascinating conversation with someone whose daily…
2027 Meuse-Argonne & Aisne-Marne WW1 Battlefield Tours [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Battles of the First World War Tours, part of the BFWWP, is excited to offer two WW1 battlefield tours for summer 2027: Meuse-Argonne July 01 - 07, 2027 A journey through the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the largest military…
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New Ypres League member Christopher Sims joins the podcast to discuss his four decades of working for the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) as the Senior Cemetery Associate for World War I Flanders Field Americ…
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Following the discussion of German plans for their next great offensive, we turn now to French and Allied plans to meet this next attack. Allied Supreme Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch and French Army commander GEN Phil…
New Jersey's Role in World War I - with LTC (Ret.) Richard Wasserman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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***Technical note: My apologies on the audio reverb that may be heard in this episode. A concise history revealing New Jersey's vital industrial, military, and civilian contributions to America's World War I effort. Duri…
Matz -  La Mort du Sergent Jules Héme [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The story behind an often erroneously captioned photograph of the First World War, and remembering the man in it. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments…
Second Marne - Friedensturm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:13
This episode will visit the German strategic situation in June 1918 and the resulting plans for their next offensive, which would be called "Friedensturm:" the Peace Offensive. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreo…
Memorial Day - "The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:13
A short exploration of the American poet Archibald MacLeish's connection to the First World War, and his poem "The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak." The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak Nevertheless they are heard in th…
Citizen of the Shadows - The Lives and Lies of Lothar Witzke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
Authors Paul Friedland and Robert Hornick join us on the podcast to discuss their thoroughly researched, well-argued and thrilling biography of a now-forgotten German spy during WW1. One of the most notorious German spie…