World War I Podcast

As stalemate ensued on the Western Front in the fall of 1914, the French Army began providing a daily wine ration for its soldiers stationed there. As the war went on, the ration went from about ¼ litre to about a bottle per soldier, per day. Armies throughout history have relied on psychotropic drugs to strategically shape the behavior of those fighting, but in the case of World War I, the French demonstrated a unique ability to harness the transformative power of alcohol to physically and emotionally fortify French soldiers to benefit the war effort. To discuss the French Army’s wine policy on the Western Front, the World War I Podcast hosted Dr. Adam Zientek, Associate Professor of History at UC Davis, and author of A Thirst for Wine and War: The Intoxication of French Soldiers on the Western Front. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org

When the United States declared war in April 1917, the 48 states that made up the nation at that time played an important role in mobilization – both in terms of manpower and in terms of the home front. Every state made a contribution that reflected its own unique history, politics, natural resources, level of industrialization, and its national guard, volunteers, and draftees. For Mississippi in 1917, the memory of the American Civil War remained powerful. Against this backdrop, World War I was complicated, both politically and socially. At the same time however, Mississippi made major contributions to the war effort, and the period was ultimately a watershed for the state. To examine Mississippi's experience of World War I, the World War I Podcast hosted Tommy Lofton, Museum Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org

Kiffin Rockwell believed that America owed France a debt for its support during the American Revolutionary War. He was 21 years old when World War I began, and he immediately sailed to France to volunteer to fight. He initially joined the French Foreign Legion, and then joined the Escadrille Americaine (later renamed the Lafayette Escadrille). He was credited with being the first American in the Escadrille Americaine to shoot down an enemy plane. He flew dozens of patrols and saw frequent combat before being killed in action on September 23, 1916. To discuss Rockwell's life and legacy, the World War I Podcast hosted Mark Trapp, author of A Destiny of Undying Greatness: Kiffin Rockwell and the Boys Who Remembered Lafayette. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org

Between 1914-1917, communications technology, and the way to secure or intercept this kind of traffic, progressed dramatically. When the United States entered WWI in April 1917, it had to quickly catch up in these areas. Remarkably, the Americans made considerable progress by 1918. This success was partly due to Parker Hitt, an innovative Army officer who designed modifications for machine guns but truly excelled at cryptology and at bridging the divide between civilian industry and the Army. To discuss the contributions of Parker Hitt, the World War I Podcast hosted Betsy Rohaly Smoot, author of Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology. Learn more about WWI radio intelligence and cryptology: World War I Radio Intelligence (ww1radiointel.com)Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us: Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org