This documentary sees military historian Alex Churchill travelling through Germany and the Belgian battlefields, retracing the opening weeks of the First World War - a blood battle that took place before the trenches, barbed wire and gas we typically think of when we think "First World War" - instead, this was a battle that saw modern weapons being used on the battlefield up against old fashioned, Napoleonic military tactics that had tragic consequences for both sides.
It's also a battle that took place before the British had even arrived on the continent. It's the story of little Belgium who stood up against German aggression, and who were able to slow up the German war machine for several weeks, allowing French and British forces to arrive to finally stop the Germans from capturing Paris.
Up Next in World War One
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Salisbury Plain: Training for War
Salisbury Plain is the Ministry of Defence's largest training ground, covering an area the size of the Isle of Wight. Dan Snow is shown around the Plain by MOD archaeologist Richard Osgood, to explore how British, Commonwealth and Allied troops prepared for the two great wars.
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Untold Stories of World War One
Dan Snow introduces four projects funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council over the last four years, highlighing underexplored aspects of First World War history, from German wartime photography to miltary training in Northern Ireland.
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Heroes of the Somme
Heroes of the Somme uses original archive from the Western Front to uncover the stories of seven of the men whose remarkable bravery in 1916 won them the Victoria Cross, Britain’s most prized military medal. Interviews with modern day family members reveal the personal stories of each character, ...
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