Fismes and Fismette - House to House in the Great War

Fismes and Fismette - House to House in the Great War

Author: Mike Cunha December 18, 2023 Duration: 49:55

An early Christmas gift for the BFWWP community--the battle of Fismes in summer 1918. This was a Patreon release, so you'll hear the old scores used in the episode.

 

Following the German Friedensturm offensive in July 1918, the Allies struck back with a counteroffensive that shifted the momentum of the war in the Allies' favor. Through the rest of July the Germans retreated from their Marne salient, steadily pursued by the French and American forces.

 

When the Germans retreated behind the River Vesle, American troops encountered obstacles not common to the Great War battlefield: the town of Fismes and its sister village of Fismette. Both would have to be cleared of German troops for the advance to continue. 

 

August 1918 saw weeks of staggering violence as American Doughboys and German Frontkaempfer fought tooth and nail for the ruins of these towns. 

 

Interested in the 2024 Lost Battalion Tours' Meuse-Argonne battlefield tour? 

 

Email us: lostbattaliontours@gmail.com

 

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 verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing 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: 100

Battles of the First World War Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The US Marines at Verdun in 1918: A Discussion with James Gregory [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:32
University of Oklahoma PhD candidate James Gregory joins us on the podcast to discuss a forgotten front of the First World War: the US Marines' time in the trenches of the Toulon sector in early 1918. Marine Corps Histor…
Meuse Argonne - Woodfill's Rampage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:33
On October 12th, 1918, 1LT Sam Woodfill of 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 5th Division, AEF, took matters into his own hands when his unit was pinned down by German fire outside Cunel, France. Villages of note: Cunel The…
Lost Battalion Tours 2022 Tour & France Trip Recap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:43
Hey Folks, this episode is a recap of the 2022 Lost Battalion Tours Meuse-Argonne Tour and of my four weeks in France. It's unscripted, so forewarned is forearmed: there is a good amount of umms and uhhs in there, and I…
Meuse Argonne - Hard Going [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:57
The AEF continued attacking the German Army in the Meuse region in October 1918, but made little gains. American Doughboys, while fighting to the best of their ability, were nearing exhaustion in the third week of the Me…
Meuse Argonne - "A Reckless Exposure of the Infantry" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:01
Under French command, the US 114th Infantry Regiment attacked into the Meuse Heights on October 12, 1918. The experience of Company B, 114th Infantry, was unfortunately typical of the American experience of fighting in W…
Meuse Argonne - "A Limit to Human Endurance" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:48
The Right Bank of the Meuse extends the Meuse-Argonne front as counterattacks and attacks continue in October 1918. In the American 29th Division's sector, the 113th Infantry Regiment attacks into the woods and hills nea…
Walking in the Footsteps of the Fallen with Matt Dixon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:06
Joining us this episode is Matt Dixon, the host of the Footsteps of the Fallen podcast, and I am so excited he is here! Matt is a military historian, battlefield researcher and guide, author and, of course, podcaster. He…
Talking the Old Front Line with Mr. Paul Reed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:35
This episode we are joined by an incredible guest, Mr. Paul Reed of the "Old Front Line Great War Podcast." Paul Reed has written a number of books about WW1 including the best-selling "Walking the Somme" and "Great War…
Meuse Argonne - The Meuse Heights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:21
The Americans finally have to face facts and deal with the punishing German artillery on the Meuse Heights. On October 8th, 1918, two American and two French divisions expanded the Meuse-Argonne offensive by attacking th…

«1...678910