“My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, excellent situation, I am attacking.”
– General Ferdinand Foch, 1914
In the episode, we take a look at the difference in offensives during the two world wars. It is commonly asserted that the defensive was superior in WWI, and thus the generals who ordered the attacks are often portrayed as unthinking donkeys who ordered futile attacks. Have memories of the horrors of Verdun and Passchendaele biased postwar judgements of the WWI generals? Are there other reasons that might explain why the combat in WWII was so markedly different than in WWI?
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Death, Sex & Money
Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.