About this episode

This episode explores what defines elite military units in the context of World War I, focusing on the French units known as the Blue Devils of the Vosges.

What turns a unit into an elite? Is it rigorous selection, a hard-earned reputation, or simply being thrown into the fiercest fighting and surviving? In today's episode, we search for the answer through the story of the Blue Devils of the Vosges. From the Chasseurs to the Corps Francs, we'll explore what the French considered to be their elite units of the First World War. Join Our Community: ⁠https://not-so-quiet.com/⁠ Use our code: Dugout and get one month free as a Captain. Support via Paypal:⁠ https://battleguide.co.uk/nsq-paypal⁠ Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! E-Mail: ⁠nsq@battleguide.co.uk⁠ Battle Guide YouTube Channel:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT⁠ Our WW2 Podcast:⁠ https://battleguide.co.uk/bsow⁠ If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter⁠ Twitter: @historian1914 @DanHillHistory @BattleguideVT Credits: - Host: Dr. Spencer Jones & Dan Hill - Guest: James Taub - Production: Linus Klaßen - Editing: Sander van Kammen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Dr. Spencer Jones, Dan Hill

Guest: James Taub

Topics covered

• French elite units
• World War I
• military history
• Chasseurs
• Corps Francs
• Blue Devils of the Vosges

Keywords

• elite units
• Blue Devils
• Vosges
• Chasseurs
• Corps Francs
• First World War
• military selection

Sponsors

Battle Guide

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Battle Guide, WW2 Podcast, YouTube Channel

More episodes of WW1: Not So Quiet On The Western Front!

• Episode 136: The Somme in the South - Forgotten Victory · July 20, 2026 · 53 min
• Bonus Episode: Reichs & Republics The Turnip Winter of 1916/17 · July 20, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Episode 135: The Somme’s Northern Disaster · July 6, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Episode 133: The Gallipoli Evacuation: A Forgotten Success Story? · June 22, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Episode 132: Battles that Shaped the 20th Century · June 15, 2026 · 51 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the WW1: Not So Quiet On The Western Front! podcast page.