Hi, I'm Indy Neidell, and this is another exciting episode of Out of the Trenches
where I sit here in the Chair of Wisdom and answer your questions about the First World War
Matt McCall writes:
The trenches on the Western Front that got captured
Between the end of the Battle of the Marne and the beginning of the German collapse
were usually front-line trenches or the first trench lines
Offensives would at best capture hills, ridges, or other exposed vulnerable landmarks
that would force the enemy to withdraw to a more coherent front line.
Advantages gained: little to none.
Really. Little to none.
A hundred yards could easily be recaptured by a counter offensive or would even be given up voluntarily
when it proved to have no strategic value or you couldn't get your supplies up fast enough to use it.
The objective was always to break through the trenches on a wide range. Those offensives couldn't be just
partially successful; because there was no value in only gaining a few trenches.
So unless you have a whole, a way to overcome a whole trench section, it was often, very often,
a waste of men and time.
One good example is the battle of Hartmannsweillerkopf, around Christmas 1915
where the French attacked and successfully threw the Germans off the hill.
That would certainly have changed the strategic lines in Alsace immensely,
as the Germans would have had to withdraw into Germany itself.
However, the German counterattack was successful in retaking the hilltop and it was just back to business
as usual except with a lot more dead French and German people, lying around on the ground.
Atle Reigstad writes:
Okay, balloon observers:
By WWI, most and with time all balloons used were no longer spherical.
Just FYI, they weren't round anymore. They used what they called kite-balloons, which could handle
severe weather, and were sort of flyable even.
Artillery observers were very useful in balloons to spot targets far away.
These balloons were often behind the lines and defended by AA guns
or machine guns if they were low enough, and also were defended by aircraft
So they were really tough targets for the enemy
Although there were pilots from all the major nations that prided themselves on being "balloon busters,"
balloon crews were the first to use parachutes-- primitive but functional parachutes
This was before airplane crews did.
Balloons were used throughout the war and they were also used at sea
for submarine spotting eventually
They were important. I don't really know what "life" was like for balloon observers
But I imagine that being in the sky behind your lines and being a tough target for the enemy
probably produced a quality of life somewhat better than a front line soldier at say, Verdun.
John Beam writes:
Well...
You know, we did have an episode about my desk, Justinian's old desk
Well, this chair,
Once belonged to Emilo Estevez when he was writing, directing and starring in the film
Wisdom
That film, is still one of the worst films it's ever been my misfortune to see.
But obviously, the chair retained the name:
The Chair of Wisdom
Ok Ok that's a pretty crappy backstory. I can do better than that, right?
OK you know what?
What the hell, how many World War 1 shows mention Emilio Estevez?
Just this one!
That's right!
Anyway, that's all for today. If you want to find out more about the the story about my desk,
Justinian's desk, you can click right here. Don't forget to subscribe!