I Was Only Doing My Job Podcast

29/10/2025

I have acquired an A7V tank from the First World War and like the 26th Battalion I acquired it legitimately 😛.

This is the Sluban A7V and I've been wanting one for a while. Now that I have it i guess I need some Emus.

My next step will be finding more Mephisto appropriate Mephisto markings (or at least something to identify it as a specific A7V)

New episodes are on the way i assure you

17/10/2025

and if you want to know the story about how it ended up in Australia, check out the Podcast episode the 26th Batalion's capture of Mephisto
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4f2mMDDOdKNjZm6SnZrPHq?si=Jz-EFVsuQiq_PNaC-sx6pA

Mephisto is a German World War I tank and the only surviving example of the A7V, Germany’s first operational armored fighting vehicle. In April 1918, during a German assault near Villers-Bretonneux on the Western Front, the tank became bogged down in a shell crater and was abandoned by its crew.

Around three months later, it was recovered by Allied troops and, after the war, shipped to Australia as a war trophy.

Today, Mephisto is preserved at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, displayed in the Anzac Legacy Gallery. Though it remains an iconic relic of early armoured warfare, the tank is no longer operational.

June 14, 1919, Mephisto unloads off the SS Armagh at Brisbane.

10/10/2025

Celebrating my 4th year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

07/10/2025

A new article is now live on the podcast website about arguably my favourite object in the vast collection of the Australian War Memorial

Explore Leslie Bowles Zero Hour sculpture, reflecting camaraderie, sacrifice, and the heroes of WWIs Lewis Gun teams.

29/09/2025

On my trip to Cowra the other week I discovered a Remembrance Garden in Murrumbateman honouring everyone who signed up during times of war from the region. It was a dignified monument that I nearly missed.

27/09/2025

In the history of the Australian Army, only eleven General Officers have died while in uniform on active service. Five would die in the First World War and Five in the Second with one on Peacekeeping assignment.

23/09/2025

19/09/2025

This week, I travelled to Cowra and visited the Japanese Gardens and the POW Camp where the Cowra Breakout occurred. I then visited both the Commonwealth War Grave site, and the Japanese cemetery where all Japanese who died in Australia during the war were buried. A truly enriching experience. Full write-up on the website.

18/09/2025

On 18 September 1918, Australian forces launched a pivotal attack that would help decide the course of the First World War.

Under the command of Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, Australian troops reached the Hindenburg Outpost Line on 18 September 1918. This was the first layer of the Hindenburg Line, the strongest and last major defence system of the German army on the Western Front.

At 5:20am they launched a preliminary attack on the heavily fortified German defences and machine-gun posts. Using only eight tanks (as well as dummy tanks to distract the Germans), they broke through German positions and took 4,300 prisoners. Although there were 1,000 dead or wounded, this was relatively low compared to the losses of the German forces.

This hard-won success demonstrated the immense bravery and strategic brilliance of the Australian Imperial Force. It was a crucial operation that weakened the enemy and set the course of action for the final, decisive offensive of the war—the breaking of the main Hindenburg Line on 29 September 1918.

Today, we remember the courage, sacrifice, and determination of all who fought. Their actions contributed significantly to the Allied victory and shaped our history.

Lest We Forget.

📷 The first battle on 18 September, showing the 45th Battalion overlooking Ascension Gully, in front of the outpost line of the Hindenburg trench system

18/09/2025

31/08/2025

The Royal Australian Navy's first female sailor was a 6-year-old Tasmanian girl whose father had rowed out to HMAS Sydney seeking help for her snake bite. Regulations prevented the RAN from treating civilians on ships, so Sydney's captain enlisted the girl as a mascot which allowed the ship's surgeon to administer care. She was formally discharged eight days later "being required by her parents."

25/08/2025

To my American fans. Regrettably due to Australia Post suspending postal services to the US at present I am unable to ship any podcast merch from Australia.

I am looking for alternatives and I'll let you know when I do