Episode #6 - February 15, 2017

Highlights

• US World War One Centennial Commission Chairman - Robert Dalessandro "Leading up to April 6"
  
  
• Chag Lowry - Native Americans in WW1 from a graphic novelist perspective
  
  
• "Stories of Service" and "Family Ties" introduced by Chris Christopher
  
  
• Pritzker Military Museum and Library: Now in progress "Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing"
  
  
• American Legion Post 43 - Hollywood gets busy!

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WW1 Centennial News - Weekly Podcast February 15, 2017 Intro

Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library.

Today is February 15, 2017 and your host is Theresa Sims…

World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week

Housatonic from 1864
Last week we highlighted the sinking of the US ship Housatonic at the hands of a German Submarine.  This week, we look back even further than one hundred years. On February 17th, 1864, the USS Housatonic was sunk off the coast of Charleston South Carolina by a Confederate submarine. This was the first ship sunk by a submarine in history. This is truly an odd coincidence.
Link: http://www.cnrs-scrn.org/northern_mariner/vol17/tnm_17_3_41-66.pdf

UK to Halt Construction on All Battlecruisers Except the Hood
Last week, we talked about how Erich Ludendorff halted the construction of any new Hindenburg plants. This week Britain ended all construction of capital naval ships. At this stage of the war, a shortage of resources forced the Germans to halt construction of their own capital ships. The British had maintained an advantage in this area and so they halted construction as well.  On February 8, the War Cabinet cancelled construction of three new battlecruisers, only letting work on the Hood proceed as planned. If you want to know more about this, we’re posting two links. One two the story and another to the a lecture at Ohio State University on Financing the First World War.
Link: http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/157001770968/uk-to-halt-construction-on-all-battlecruisers

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/history/the-war-to-end-all-wars/1599-osu-2016-financing-the-first-world-war.html

Austria-Hungary Refuses to Break Diplomatic Relations with US
Germany’s submarine campaign in the Atlantic may have soured relations with the US, but a path to peace still existed.  Emperor Charles of Austria refused to break off relations with the United States, despite being asked personally by Kaiser Wilhelm.  Charles still sought a negotiated peace, and knew that it would be difficult without the United States.  Unfortunately, Germany refused to cease unrestricted submarine warfare. The article is a great read, follow the link.
Link: http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/157177094173/austria-hungary-refuses-to-break-diplomatic

The Great War Channel

This week on the Great War Channel, they have four new episodes instead of three.

1. Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery During World War 1
2. Bulgaria Digs In At Doiran (the former Macedonia)
3. The Year of Battles Comes To An End
4. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, Florian Wittig and the Great War channel team took a trip to Verdun. They told us that seeing all of those crosses was very moving and profound. This week they are publishing a recap of their trip.

Link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar

War in the Sky

2/15/17
We have three quick stories from the Great War in the Sky 100 years ago this week...
The first story is February 8, 1917 - Flying a SPAD VII, French ace George Gyunemer becomes the first allied pilot to shoot down a German heavy bomber when downs a Gotha G II.
The next story comes from "Today in world war I" It is February 11, 1917.
It also involved bombers... You know, Zeppelins generally tried to raid Britain at night, though the British responded with powerful search lights and incendiary ammunition that allowed them to track their machine gun fire into the dark skies, the new fixed wing bombers on both sides made for faster and smaller targets especially at night.  
So it was on February 11 that a German fighter shot down two french bombers returning from a night raid near their landing field in Maizeville France, making this the first example of an air-to-air shoot down at night.
Our last story is of another first but not from combat - from Pensacola Florida on February 13, 1917.
US Marine Corp aviator Francis Thomas Evans, Sr., was flying a Curtiss N-9 floatplane - you know a seaplane with the pontoons - and performs an aerobatic loop making him the first person to loop a seaplane. Everyone thought this was impossible in an N-9 even the manufacturer. Perhaps not a dramatic moment, except that the Americans were working out their own tricks in the sky.. and in fact, Evans later became known for the method of pulling out of a spin after a stall - a technique still tought by the Civil Air Patrol when I learned to fly in the 60s... and probably still today.
And that is how it was in the sky 100 years ago this week.

LINK:
ww1cc.org/warinthesky

Great War Project

Next, we will hear from Mike Shuster and the Great War Project blog:  
LINK:
www.greatwarproject.org/

World War One NOW International Report

Revealed: London Jewish children's experience of the Great War
Here’s a headline from Britain: London Jewish children's experience of the Great War. The Liberal Jewish Synagogue is releasing a series of illustrated poems, essays and cartoons in two bound volumes of work by pupils of the school who attended in 1915 and 1916. The material had been gathering dust in storage boxes until discovered by Sharon Lewison, a former archivist at the St John’s Wood shul.
The Orthodox and Chasidim typically use the word "shul," which is Yiddish. The word is derived from a German word meaning "school," and emphasizes the synagogue's role as a place of study.
Link: https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/discovered-how-youth-saw-wwi-1.432347

The volumes are showpiece in London Jewish Chronicle's “We Were There Too” website.

Do you have space to put up special posters commemorating World War One?
Elsewhere in the Uk the headlines read: Do you have space to put up special posters commemorating World War One? This article from the Huddersfield daily examiner about a project commemorating stories of local soldiers who fought in the war. The stories have been gathered from local people and been turned into 20 different posters that will be on display for commuters to at the Huddersfield Bus Station and Dewsbury Railway Station.  
Link: http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/history/you-space-put-up-special-12564766

Posts and Articles

Five Questions for Robert Dalessandro
The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is preparing for a major national event on April 6th, 2017, to mark the 100th anniversary of America's entry into the war. Commission Chair Robert Dalessandro spoke to us about the significance of the date. A career historian, Chair Dalessandro gave us some perspective on the events that took place 100 years ago to put us on the path to war, and how those events changed the entire world. Head over to the commission’s website to read what he has to say.
Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news.html

Five Questions for Chag Lowry
We also have another interview available for you this week. This one features  Native American graphic novelist, Chag Lowry. Chah  has a particular interest in telling the story of World War I, due to the amazing things that he has learned about the Native American soldiers who served in the U.S. military during that time. He has a new graphic novel about World War I coming out, entitled SOLDIERS UNKNOWN, and he took some time to tell us about it. Don’t miss this one.
Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/1890-four-questions-for-chag-lowry.html

World War I: From Red Glare to Debonair
The next post is about the history of the military newspaper “Stars and Stripes.” The paper was created as a morale-builder after Americans surged into France during World War I and has a shared history with “The New Yorker” magazine. To see the full post, follow the link in the chatroom.
Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/1885-world-war-i-from-red-glare-to-debonair.html

100 Cities / 100 Memorial
This week on the 100 Cities / 100 Memorial blog, the moderators are answering your questions. Many of you have reached out to the blog for more information and the questions and answers to those inquiries are now posted for the benefit of all. If you had a question of your own, check out the blog this week and you might find it has already been answered.
Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/100-cities-100-memorials-blog.html

WWrite Blog
Also this week, there are two new posts on our WWrite Blog. First, our WWrite Veteran Blog contributors met at the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference in Washington D.C. to talk about their writing and war experience. Each year, over 12,000 people join the contemporary American writing community for four days of dialogue with panels, lectures, and a book fair. It is the largest literary conference in the country.
Next, is a post authored by Major Jasmine Motupalli. This week, Major Jasmine Motupalli, Assistant Professor of Engineering at West Point, and Afghanistan War veteran, reflects upon the roles of African American women during WWI, especially the actions of journalist, activist, and suffragist, Ida B. Wells. Major Motupalli. The link to these posts is in the chatroom.

Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts.html

Stories of Service - Chris Christopher
Today we have a special guest from the commission. Chris Christopher is here to talk about our stories of service section on the site. Chris, tell us more about this new addition to the site.
Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/1856-clement-anthony-grobbel.html

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/1557-mary-coan-reilly-ravener.html

Spotlight In the Media

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing
The deadline for The Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing is coming up next month on the third. This prestigious award  serves to recognize a living author who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of military history including military affairs. The Award includes a citation, medallion, and $100,000. The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is one of the founding member of the WW1 Centennial Commision and we’re excited to see who they choose to win. If you think someone you know should nominated, follow the link in the chatroom to get more information.
http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/explore/pritzker-literature-award/

The Veterans Community

Hats off to the American Legion
We some examples of what the American Legion is doing to commemorate WWI for you today. First,  a WWI Centennial flag was shipped to Jack Querfeld  from AL HQ in Indianapolis. It arrived yesterday and Jack informs me that it flies over the American Legion National HQ building today, a sunny Indiana day! Flags will also be purchased for the AL DC Office and for the AL Geiger Operations Center at Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN.
Link: http://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/flag

American Legion Post 43
The American legion post 43 in California is also stepping up their world war one commemoration efforts. Not only are they restoring a memorial in Elysian Park, but they also are having an event where historian R.G. Head will speak. They have also teamed up with the California WW1 Taskforce and rumor has it they are collaborating with actor John Voight on a future project. This is very exciting news. We wish them continued success in their efforts.
Link: https://www.hollywoodpost43.org/blog/2017/2/10/post-43-helps-secure-grant-for-wwi-memorials

The Buzz

Let’s see what was going in the world of social media this week. We have Kathy Akey with us again, Kathy, what’s going on our social media conversation wall?
http://ww1cc.org/social

Closing

WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the US WW1 Centennial Commission and the commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. The videos can be found at ww1cc.org/cn. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly eNewsletter the Weekly DISPATCH.
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Our founding sponsor is the Pritzker Military Museum and Library
Thanks for joining us. and….
Don’t forget to commemorate!
So long.

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