History Of The Great War

With the Germans retreating in the west we turn our attention back to the east. We first check in on Serbia to see how the tiny nation in the Balkans is doing against its neighbor to the north Austria-Hungary. Then we look at the second battle in east Prussia when the Germans confront the Russians at the First Battle of the Masurian lakes. Finally, we reflect on the first month of hostilities in Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The German Army was marching through northern France while the British and French retreated before them. For over a week they had been trying to stay ahead of the German steamroller. They would turn to fight at the Battle of the Marne, a battle that some would later call a miracle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While battles raged in Western Europe the Russian army was advancing into East Prussia, the heartland of the German army. Most of the German army was in the West and they were put in a situation where they were drastically outnumbered. How then, did the German army manage to inflict one of the most crushing defeats of the war on the Russian army? In the south the Austrians move over to the attack, running smack into the Russians in Galicia. It doesn't go so well for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The British came to France to help their allies against the German invasion. After landing at the channel ports they march to Mons in Belgium where they will get their first taste of combat. The little British force, given the uninspiring name of British Expeditionary Force, is about to run into the full force of the German First Army.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Germans marching through Belgium the French begin their series of attacks that they think will end the war quickly. From Lorraine in the South, to the Ardennes Forest, to Belgium in the north the French ready three hammer blows against the Germans. Unfortunately the results do not live up to expectations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war has started and soldiers are on the move. The Germans are ready to begin their march through Belgium but first they must deal with the formidable fortifications at Liege. Liege has some of the best fortifications in the world, but the Germans have a plan. The French are not idle and they execute their first attack of the war, to disappointing results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the first week of August men and armies all over Europe were preparing for war. Millions of troops were being mobilized and moving toward the front and the fighting had begun in many places in Serbia, Belgium, and France. This week we will look at what the leaders of the armies of Europe planned to do with these millions of men, and how they planned to win the war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The events of the July Crisis come to their seemingly inevitable conclusion. We will start our narrative on July 26th and follow it all the way through until the declarations of war begin to fly in the first few days of August. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The third week of July saw the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum delivered to Serbia and a response given by Serbia. The reply was rejected and the mobilization of Serbia and Austria-Hungary would begin. This week we look at the events that led up to these mobilizations and take a quick tour around Europe at the armies being mobilized and the men who led them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The diplomatic maneuvering of July 1914 would go down in history as the July Crisis. This week we begin navigating the complicated waters of this crisis by introducing the primary diplomatic players in the crisis and then covering the events of the crisis that occurred between July 12 and July 18 1914. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

War had changed in the years leading up to 1914. Never before had armies been so large, never before had there been such a robust and developed rail network to move the troops around, never before had there been such large concentrations of machine guns and artillery. The armies of 1914 were products of strategic and technological choices made in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this episode we discuss what the armies of 1914 looked like and the technology they used to fight the war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

100 Years ago today Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian radical in Sarajevo. How did this event result in a war that would consume not just Europe but the World? In this episode we will talk about the situation in Europe in 1914 and the nations that would take part in the war. We will also discover how an assassination in Sarajevo, Bosnia resulted in the largest armies in the world striving for dominance over the next four years.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices