Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Questions and Answers Episode 34
For our latest questions submitted by podcast listeners, we examine what my first visit to the battlefields of the Great War with my school meant to me, ask what the Wiltshire Regiment did in the First World War, what sources in English can we look at to understand the German side of WW1 and what did British veterans think of their German foe?
Brigadier E.A. James book – British Regiments 1914-1918.
Main image: Group portrait of officers of the 1st Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment, after their return from fighting at Thiepval, photographed at Bouzincourt, September 1916. (IWM Q1151 – photo by Ernest Brookes)
Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.
5 Comments on “Questions and Answers Episode 34”
Leave a reply to Iain Reekie Cancel reply
Old Front Line 
Hi Paul – not sure my question actually sent via Discord, so now emailing it. Love your podcasts and Q&As by the way – great listening and very informative.
I have a question relating to the air war. At the start of the movie, The Blue Max, George Peppard’s character is seen running between trenches in No Mans Land and under fire. It’s hell on earth but he makes it to the relative safety of a deep trench where he turns on his back and looks longingly up to the sky where a dogfight is taking place. He obviously then realises that fighting in the air is where he wants to be, away from the hell of trench warfare. Just wondered then, how both sides viewed soldiers wishing to transfer to air combat. I guess there must have been many soldiers who thought a life with the German Army Air Service or RFC/RAF with all the so called ‘attractions’, offered an enviable alternative to trench warfare? Was it encouraged, or frowned upon when soldiers requested a transfer?
Cheers
Iain Reekie
Skelmorlie
North Ayrshire
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Thanks, Iain – got it!
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Hi Paul, following on from your recent podcast on the Wiltshire Regiment: my Great Uncle, Elton Ody served in the Wiltshire1st Battallion Company “A”. He was killed on the 10th April 1918 (During the German Spring Offensive). I have an original postcard picture of him with his company and officers dated 1917. As you probably know Company “A” was placed in the front line on the (9th April 1918 at La Basse Ville, Belgium.) Just to say I’m happy to share the image to anyone who might be interested. The image also includes Captain Reginald Hayward VC). Thanks for all the great work you undertake. Regards Russell.
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Thanks Russell – that’s very kind of you – sounds like a great image.
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Thanks Paul for another excellent and thought provoking Q and A. Looking online the late Richard A Baumgartner seems to write a lot about the American Civil War. His Carnival of Hell still seems widely available and not overly priced. Although I couldn’t find Der Angriff, other than references to a Nazi publication of this name in the 1920s.There are of course the memoirs by Korfes (66th regiment) and Walter Bloem, the latter available on N&MP . I remember Richard Holmes reading from Bloem during his Mons war walk TV programme.Interesting to hear that there was no hatred for the Germans by WW1 veterans. Thinking about documentaries from the Great War onwards I can recall little hatred for the Germans when veterans were interviewed. WW2 was,as you say, you a different matter. A lot depends I think on where the soldier fought. The North African campaign, for example, is often thought of a clean war, as far as wars can be clean. I remember when I was living in Blackpool in 1982 seeing a coachload of Afrika Korps veterans parked near North Pier, so I can only assume that they were receiving a warm reception.I also had an uncle in the RAF who was a POW with the Japanese between 1942 and 45 and to the surprise of other family members he was buying Japanese cars in the 70s!
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