Month: September 2019

169: Tipperary mbali sana sana

Mark Podcast
The Chambesi Monument in Zambia marks the location where Lettow-Vorbeck received news of the Armistice.

German forces in East Africa, consisting mostly of African askari soldiers, fought a tenacious guerilla war against the British and their allies.

But they could not fight forever, and the war in East Africa ended once the Germans learned of the Armistice in Europe. But the war had changed things in Africa.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Infados”
Composed and performed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme 


Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Photograph by Carol Fleming, used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

168: The Black Day

Mark Podcast
Ferdinand Foch.

The German spring offensives of 1918 failed to force an end to the war before Allied numerical superiority became decisive.

By August 1918, Allied numbers were beginning to tip the balance. German morale was deteriorating, and mobile warfare had returned to the Western Front.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Overture to Tannhauser
Composed in 1845 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme 


Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

167: The Armistice of Mudros

Mark Podcast
Pre-war postcard showing the Turkish cruiser Hamidiye and its commander, Rauf Orbay

Bulgaria, after three years as part of the Central Powers coalition, was losing enthusiasm for the war. The cost to the small nation was high, and the rewards meager.

So when an Allied offensive broke the Bulgarian line in the Balkans, Bulgaria sued for peace. The loss of the line of communication to Germany and Austria forced the Ottoman Empire to follow suit.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Goldberg Variations No. 25
Composed in 1741 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Public domain.
Performed by Shelley Katz. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme 


Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

166: An Unanswered Riddle

Mark Podcast
The Russian Orthodox church that today stands on the site of what was in 1918 the “House of Special Purpose.”

After Russia quit the war, both the Allies and the Central Powers hoped for a cooperative relationship with the new government in Moscow. The Allies would have liked to see Russia re-join the war effort.

But the Bolsheviks had a civil war to fight. They were not interested in making nice with the capitalist powers, as demonstrated by the execution of the Imperial family.

  • Listen now:


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)
Composed in 1899 by Maurice Ravel. Public domain.
Performed by Markus Staab. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme 


Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.