The French Army in the First World War, a Discussion: Pt 1

Battles of the First World War Podcast

This was so much fun to host–with the help of Alex Lyons, a fantastic group of WW1 enthusiasts were gathered for what will be the first of a multi-part series of discussions of the French Army and the French experience during WW1.

France went to war in 1914 as a country of 40 million people. Its army went to war in 19th century uniforms of dark blue tunics and red trousers, calling up 8.5 million Frenchmen over the next four devastating years. When the guns went silent in November 1918, the Adrian-helmeted and horizon-blue clad PCFs– pauvre con du front, or poor bastards at the front–had seen 1.4 million of their brothers fall on the field of battle, with another 4.2 million wounded–a million of those wounded significantly disabled for the rest of their lives.

Joining us for this discussion are:

• Bart Debeer, who co-wrote a Dutch-language Western Front Guide for Beginners with a friend
• Bryn Hammond, whose blog “Vingt Frong” aims to “awaken interest in the French experience of the First World War in an English-speaking audience,”
• Alex Lyons, the man who spends his free time telling us the story of his Poilu great-grandfather on Twitter,
• Steve Marsdin, a student and researcher of the 1914 Battle of the Frontiers and its effects,
• Jim Smithson, author of “A Taste of Success: The First Battle of the Scarpe. The Opening Phase of the Battle of Arras 9-14 April 1917” and two guide books on the Arras battlefields,
• Dr. Rich Willis, author of the forthcoming “Fighting for the Butcher: British Troops Fighting in General Mangin’s Xe Armée, July-August 1918”

I’m really excited to present this first discussion on these fascinating topics, and I hope you enjoy this first talk.

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