World War I Podcast

MacArthur Memorial

World War I created many of the political, cultural, and economic fault lines of the world today. Produced by the MacArthur Memorial, this podcast explores the causes, the major players, the battles, the technology, and the popular culture of World War I.

  • 28 minutes 21 seconds
    A Tale of Two Fronts: A German Soldier's Journey Through World War I

    World War I historiography is heavily focused on the Western Front, and the memoirs of soldiers of the Central Powers—especially for English language audiences—are often rare or inaccessible. 

    A Tale of Two Fronts: A German Soldier’s Journey through World War I helps fill this gap. Written by Hans Schiller, who enlisted in the Imperial German Army at age seventeen, the memoir covers his service primarily on the Eastern Front, his experiences in the war’s final months in the West, and his postwar fighting with the Freikorps until May 1920.

    To discuss these experiences and his perspective of the war, the World War I Podcast hosted his granddaughter, Karin Wagner, and the editors of his memoir, Dr. Gregory Loving and Dr. Frederic Krome. 

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    3 December 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 44 minutes 51 seconds
    The WWI Service of Arthur MacArthur III

    Arthur MacArthur III is less well known than his younger brother General Douglas MacArthur and his father, the Civil War hero Arthur MacArthur Jr., but his military career was also quite consequential and full. From the Spanish-American War to his untimely death in 1923, he distinguished himself as a very brave, resourceful, and energetic officer. Unlike his father and brother, however, he did not serve in the US Army. Instead, he served in the US Navy.  

    Historian Jeff Acosta joined the World War I podcast to share what is known about Arthur's World War I service.

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    27 October 2025, 8:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 58 seconds
    Douglas MacArthur's World War I Decorations

    General Douglas MacArthur is arguably the most decorated American military officer in American history. For a career that spanned five conflicts and about 50 years of active duty, it is an impressive record. His service in World War I accounts for nearly 20% of his 100+ decorations, and many military historians view the combination and number of his U.S. and international honors from 1917–1918 as truly unique. To discuss these World War I awards, the World War I Podcast hosted Sherman Fleek, a military historian and former command historian at West Point who has published on General Douglas MacArthur and the history of the US Military Academy.

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    30 September 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 37 seconds
    The National World War I Memorial in D.C.

    From massive national memorials to simple plaques in tiny villages, the need to remember and try to make sense of World War I was universal. Though World War I memorials stand across the U.S. it wasn’t until 2021 that a national World War I Memorial was created in Washington, D.C. To explore the significance of the National World War I Memorial and its place in history, the World War I Podcast hosted Chris Christopher, a member of the Doughboy Foundation Board.

    To access additional resources and view images of the National World War I Memorial, please visit the Doughboy Foundation website: https://doughboy.org 

    September 12 Symposium Registration: https://thedoughboyfoundation.ticketspice.com/inaugural-world-war-i-symposium-the-generation-that-changed-the-world-voices-from-the-great-war 

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    26 July 2025, 1:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 9 seconds
    Captain von Trapp's World War I Service

    2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the release of The Sound of Music, an enormously successful Hollywood film with fans all over the world. As with any story Hollywood translates to the silver screen, the film is a mix of fact and fiction. What is not fiction, however, is that the leading male protagonist, Captain Georg von Trapp, had served in the Austro-Hungarian Navy and was a decorated veteran of World War I. To explore this fascinating history, the World War I Podcast hosted Johanna II von Trapp and Shela Gobertina von Trapp, Co-Founders of the Georg & Agathe Foundation, and Boris Blazina, Historian at the Institute of Lexicography in Zagreb, Croatia, and editor of the Croatian translation of Georg von Trapp's 1935 WWI memoir published.

    Learn more about the Georg & Agathe Foundation and Captain von Trapp's military service: Georg & Agathe Foundation

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    26 June 2025, 10:00 am
  • 29 minutes 36 seconds
    Colonel House - Part II

    Edward Mandell House, better known as Colonel House, was a pivotal figure in American politics and diplomacy during World War I, serving as President Woodrow Wilson’s closest advisor and confidant from 1913 to 1919. A wealthy Texan, House was a skilled political operator who shunned public office but wielded immense influence behind the scenes. His role during World War I was particularly significant in shaping U.S. foreign policy and Wilson’s vision for peace. To discuss House, the World War I Podcast hosted Andrew Phillips, Curator at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, VA.

    Part 2 of 2

    Listen to Part I.

    Learn more about the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    30 May 2025, 8:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 6 seconds
    Colonel House - Part I

    Edward Mandell House, better known as Colonel House, was a pivotal figure in American politics and diplomacy during World War I, serving as President Woodrow Wilson’s closest advisor and confidant from 1913 to 1919. A wealthy Texan, House was a skilled political operator who shunned public office but wielded immense influence behind the scenes. His role during World War I was particularly significant in shaping U.S. foreign policy and Wilson’s vision for peace. To discuss House, the World War I Podcast hosted Andrew Phillips, Curator at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, VA.

    Part I of 2

    Learn more about the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    29 May 2025, 8:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 48 seconds
    California and World War I

    When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, all 48 states played a role in war mobilization and made unique contributions shaped by their histories, their politics, their natural resources and industries, and their military manpower. Previous episodes have explored the experiences of eastern, southern, and midwestern states. In this latest episode, we shift west to California, a state that provided approximately 112,000 soldiers and Marines while providing crucial support for the war effort on the home front. To learn more about California's experience of World War I, we sat down with Dr. Diane North, author of California at War: The State and the People During World War I.

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    14 April 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 11 seconds
    John J. Pershing and Douglas MacArthur

    John J. Pershing and Douglas MacArthur are both towering figures in American military history—Pershing as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, and MacArthur as a key leader in World War II and the Korean War. In terms of age, they were separated by about 20 years, but they were both First Captains at West Point, both served as U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and both were absolutely devoted to the U.S. Army. Their interactions spanned decades, revealing a dynamic that oscillated between admiration, rivalry, and friction. World War I played a very key role in this complicated relationship. To discuss their interactions during WWI, the World War I Podcast hosted Jim Zobel, MacArthur Memorial Archivist.

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    14 March 2025, 3:00 am
  • 40 minutes 35 seconds
    Thomas Neibaur: WWI Medal of Honor Recipient

    There are 125 WWI recipients of the Medal of Honor. One of those recipients was Private Thomas Croft Neibaur of the 167th Infantry Regiment, 42nd “Rainbow” Division who received the award for heroism at the Cote de Chatillon in 1918. Neibaur was the first Mormon and the first soldier from Idaho to receive the Medal of Honor. His actions led General John J. Pershing to name him amongst the “Immortal Ten”  of World War I, and yet, in a tragic turn of events, in 1939 Neibaur returned his Medal of Honor. To discuss Neibaur’s WWI service and life, the World War I Podcast hosted Sherman Fleek, author of Place the Headstones Where They Belong: Thomas Neibaur, WWI Soldier. 

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    6 February 2025, 5:00 pm
  • 31 minutes 12 seconds
    Kansas and World War I

    When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, all 48 states played a role in war mobilization and made unique contributions that reflected their histories, their politics, their natural resources and industries, and their military manpower. Kansas was a midwestern state that provided approximately 80,000 troops and, if not for his premature death, may also have provided its adopted son, “Fighting Fred” Funston, as the commander of the AEF instead of John J. Pershing. To discuss Kansas and World War I, the World War I Podcast hosted Blake Watson, author of Kansas and Kansans in World War I. 

    Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

    Follow us:

    www.macarthurmemorial.org

    14 January 2025, 5:00 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App