World War I

100th year anniversary commemorative edition of WW1 on DVD, 6 discs. The guns that shattered world peace silenced as an armistice ending World War I was signed. In the end, nothing remained recognisable as the last vestiges of the Victorian world vanished. Featuring newly uncovered French photo collections, we'll review the first modern war fought with weapons of mass destruction. Contains: Most Decorated: The Doughboys The American teenagers who marched into Europe's Great War could not have anticipated the horrors of modern warfare: machine guns, mustard gas, and artillery shells. Gerald McRaney explains how outdated tactics would turn an infantry charge into an act of mass suicide. The Christmas Truce During World War I, on and around Christmas Day 1914, the sounds of rifles firing and shells exploding faded in a number of places along the Western Front in favour of holiday celebrations in the trenches and gestures of goodwill between enemies. The soldiers on the Western Front did not expect to celebrate on the battlefield, but even a world war could not destroy the Christmas spirit. Declassified: Secrets of WWI This is the secret story of how The War To End All Wars was fought – and what happened when the first Weapons of Mass Destruction reached the battlefield. This is the forgotten story of the secret deals, government mistakes, and political intolerance of America's role in World War I. World War I: The Battle of Jutland What really happened when catastrophe befell the mightiest fleet in the world? Featuring remarkable new analysis of the epic battle that sent Britain's uncon­querable “super-dreadnoughts” to the seafloor, this documentary settles longstanding controversies and definitively solves historical puzzles through the utilisation of cutting-edge technology from diverse fields of research to provide definitive analysis of the Battle of Jutland, May 1916. World War I: The Somme In just one day almost 60,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded. Why was this first day on the Somme such a disaster for the British? Filmed on the battlefield itself, in laboratories and on firing ranges – archaeologists, military historians, and other experts from disciplines as diverse as metallurgy and geology investigate the factors and conduct tests to replicate and understand the factors that turned one terrible day into the bloodiest in the history of the British Army. Tunnel Raiders During WWI, stalemate on the Western Front produced a new kind of warfare–a network of trenches dug on both sides of the line – and a new breed of soldier fought deep underground using shovels, picks, and explosives. By 1917, the British were staring defeat in the face and focused on a ridge in the Ypres sector of Belgium to breach enemy lines. A network of 19 mines were laid under a ridge by tunnel units – a total of almost one million pounds of explosives. The resulting blast was heard in London. Dogfights: The First Dogfighters World War I saw the birth of a new type of combat: the dogfight. Aces from almost every nation take canvas and wire bi-planes into battle and pioneer new tactics. German ace Ernst Udet goes 1 v. 1 with Georges Guynemer. Werner Voss takes on an entire squadron of British aces and American ace Arthur Raymond Brooks finds himself in the dogfight of his life. State-of-the-art computer graphics, first-hand accounts, rare archival footage and original shooting will help to make the viewer feel like they're in the battle, facing the enemy. The Red Baron and the Wings of Death April 1917 – the most feared pilot of World War I is at the controls of the best fighter plane of the day. A 24-year-old legend at the top of his game, Manfred von Richthofen is up against a new generation of enemy aircraft. It will demand all of the Red Baron's consi­derable skill just to survive. Mystery U-Boat of WWI Host John Chatterton travels to the English coast to dive on both wrecks in the dark and murky North Sea, and meet up with historians and divers who help him piece together clues left by two WWI ghosts. A veteran of the brutal naval battles of World War I, the German submarine UB-107 was discovered on the floor of the North Sea in 1985. An important find itself, it harboured a surprise that would force experts to re-examine the records of the epic conflict. Halt U-Boats in Zeebrugge In April 1918, a flotilla of British warships set sail from Dover bound for the port of Zeebrugge on the German-occupied Belgian coast. Their mission–to prevent German U-boats stationed there from entering the North Sea and Atlantic. Led by the cruiser HMS Vindictive, the ships headed across the English Channel, including two old ferries to be sunk at the harbor entrances. The battle that ensued proved costly with 200 British fatalities and 8 Victoria Crosses awarded for the night's action. Clash of Warriors: Haig Vs Ludendorff The German offensive in 1918 on the Western Front was the country's last great gamble in WWI. The crucial opening phase would hit the British Expeditionary Force and pit Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig against General Erich Ludendorff. The success or failure of the offensive would prove to be as much about the character and experience of the commanders as it was about their strategies. John J. Pershing: The Iron General John J. Pershing started his career as an Indian fighter on the frontier. He ended it as the greatest war hero America had ever seen. In between was enough triumph and tragedy for several lives. This searching profile pieces together a portrait of an ambitious, driven man haunted by a searing tragedy–the loss of his wife and three daughters killed in a fire. Military historians detail how he transformed a tiny, 128,000-man force into an army of four million men, and then led it to victory in the greatest battle America had ever fought–the Meuse Argonne offensive in October 1918. That Pershing was no tactical genius is clear, but his crude force made up in numbers what they lacked in strategy. From the fading frontier to the trenches of World War I, follow the career of one of the most important American generals of all time. Dear Home: Letters from WWI Dear Home: Letters from WWI draws upon the millions of letters written during World War I, letters that were lifelines for both the people on the front and at home, to reveal what it was like to experience. Last Day of WWI: 11th Month 11th Day 11th Hour At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, World War I ended. Victory had been assured and final territory already agreed upon. So why did more soldiers die on that day than on D-Day? The answer is the most shocking story of WWI. Based on best-selling historican and biographer Joseph Persico's book 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, we reveal how Allied leaders found outrageous excuses to send 13,000 men to their deaths against a defeated enemy. Some leaders desired promotion, others craved retribution, while one commander chose to capture a town that day solely to bathe! Despite the human toll, nothing was gained–territories taken that day were eventually returned to Germany. The senseless 11th hour slaughter is more than a historical curiosity; it captures the whole of WWI in a microcosm–pointless carnage for no positive purpose. WWI: Death of Glory November 11, 1918 – the guns that shattered world peace silenced as an armistice ending World War I was signed. In the end, nothing remained recognisable as the last vestiges of the Victorian world vanished. Featuring newly uncovered French photo collections, we'll review the first modern war fought with weapons of mass destruction.