All language subtitles for BBC.The.Great.War.22of26.Damn.Them.Are.They.Never.Coming.In.divx.mp3

The March attack had failed,

the April attack had failed.

By May 1st 1918,

Germany's situation
was already becoming dangerous.

Hindenburg and Ludendorff
had thrown the whole German army
against the British.

Everything had been flung in.

The British had lost 240,000 men
in 40 days.

The French had lost over 100,000.

But the Germans themselves
had lost nearly 350,000 men.

Germany's failure went deeper
than the great loss of men -

tragic as this was
for her war-weary people.

She had also lost the 40 days. Time
was more precious than ever before.

Field Marshall Hindenburg
expressed the German problem.

"We had a new enemy, economically
the most powerful in the world.

"An enemy possessing everything
required for the hostile operations,

"reviving the hopes of all our foes
and saving them from collapse,

"while preparing mighty forces.

"It was the United States of America
and her advent was perilously near.

"Would she appear in time to snatch
the victors' laurels from our brows?

"That and that only
was the decisive question."

Nearly 13 months had passed
since America had entered the war.

During those months, her Allies had
each endured their severest ordeals.

Russia had fallen.

France had sunk
to her lowest depths of weariness.

Italy had trembled on the edge
of catastrophe.

Britain faced defeat by starvation
at the hands of the U-boats.

Yet, the Allies had drawn hope
from one thought -

the Americans would be coming,

some day, sooner or later.

As the weeks turned into months,
and the months completed a year,

the sour truth emerged
that it would be later.

Despite her vast resources,

America's unpreparedness for war
exceeded that of any other country.

Britain's Prime Minister
Lloyd George commented:

"The record of Britain's first ten
months of blundering over equipment,

"robs of us of the right to point
the finger of scorn at America.

"But when America entered
into the struggle,

"her industry was already
largely organised for war

"by the immense Allied orders
for war materials."

Delay followed delay - delay in
production, delay in organisation,

delay even in clothing
America's new army,

all adding up to the worst delay
of all...

the delay in arriving
on the field of battle.

As the British awaited the
first German onslaught in March,

the historian, FS Oliver remarked:

It's a question of holding out
until the Americans come in.

"Goddamn them, are they ever
coming in with all their boastful,
glorious talk?"

The March battles were fought
without American support.

So were the battles of April.

Now it was May.

On the 2nd, Oliver was asking:

"When is it reasonable to think
that the Americans will be able to
put in that immense army,

"each man with a hot water bottle,
a gramophone and a medicine chest,

"which they tell us
will get to Berlin and cook
the goose of the Kaiser? When?

American energy was enormous.

American enthusiasm
for the war was undoubted.

MUSIC: "Dixie Land"
by Daniel D Emmett

On May 1st 1918, there were only
400,000 Americans in France.

There was only one American
division on an active front,

only four divisions altogether.

Sickening for the Allies,

the frustration of the wait
were sickening for Americans too.

American soldiers were disgusted
that they depended on their allies

for the simplest munitions of war.

The British supplied clothing,
transport, heavy artillery, tanks.

The French supplied the
vast numbers of field guns needed,

aircraft and even machine guns.

The shipment of machine guns
finally arrived.

When we opened them...

we found we had received
Hotchkiss machine guns.

They were the guns the French used.

Well, there was a big commotion.

The officers got in touch
with headquarters,

headquarters with
supreme headquarters,

back and forth, back and forth,

but nothing happened.

The officer came in and said, "Men,
I'm sorry, those are your weapons.

"That's what you'll have to use
up front.

"You'd better learn
how to operate them, tout suite."

Training, drilling, marching,
practising, more training,

still more training.

French instructors,
British instructors.

Whatever else they were,
the Americans were not idle.

And so...we would train and we would
train right down to the bone.

We awaited the call.

We were no jingoes or we were no
screamers around for this or that.

We were trained for war, it was
our profession, the regular Marines.

We didn't like the waiting
behind the line.

We practically broke open
the champagne when the word came

that we were to move in the next
48 hours.

We didn't care where.

We'd had enough of this business
of play acting.

We wanted to get somewhere

where we could do some damage
and get done and get home.

The first weeks of May passed
quietly on the Western Front,

but it was a spurious calm.

While the Americans completed
their training and organisation

and absorbed
over 200,000 newcomers in France,

the Allies licked their wounds.

Every British division
was below strength.

Ten out of 40 were so weakened,
they were scheduled to be broken up.

Reinforcements consisted mostly
of boys of 18-and-a-half

or wounded men returning
to the ranks.

Old soldiers found it an ugly task
to prepare boys fresh from school

for the hardest battlefields ever.

When they came to us,
they were weedy, sallow, skinny,

frightened children.

Refuse of our industrial system
as it was in those days.

They were in poor condition because
of wartime shortages of food.

But after six months of good food,
fresh air and physical exercise,

they changed so their mothers
wouldn't have recognised them.

They'd put on an average of
one stone in weight
and one inch in height.

Frenchmen found it difficult to
sympathise with manpower problems.

France herself had sacrificed,
throughout the war,

the best of her manhood.

By April 1918, she was already
calling on the conscripts of 1919,

to avoid breaking up divisions.

The Allied Commander in Chief,
General Foch, protested to Haig.

"Foch is very anxious that
no division should be reduced.

"He's sure that out of the 1,400,000
men wearing khaki in England,

"100,000 can be obtained to fill out
our divisions sufficiently

"to hold a quiet part of the Front

"and release French divisions
for the general reserve."

The French Prime Minister
took the matter up officially with
the British Government.

Reluctantly, Lloyd George released
more men to fill the wasted ranks.

SHIP HORN SOUNDS

Haig, falling in with Foch's plan,
dispatched five weak divisions

to recuperate
on a quiet French sector -

the Chemin des Dames
along the River Aisne.

"To battered troops, whose only
knowledge of France

"was based on experiences
on the Northern Front,

"the Champagne country in the full
glory of spring was a revelation.

"Here, all was peace.

"The countryside
basked in the sunshine,

"trim villages
nestled by lazy streams,

"and tired eyes were refreshed
by the sight of rolling hills

"and woods golden with laburnum."

Here, among the vineyards,

within two miles of the front line,

the British soldiers rested.

But their brief holiday
was soon over,

for it was precisely here,
by one of the war's bitter ironies,

that the next German blow
was being prepared.

Ludendorff meant to continue
as he had begun

by smashing the main
British armies.

First it would be necessary
to draw away the French reserves

which had gone to the British Front.

To do this he would have to attack
the French.

The Germans transported
their divisions and artillery

opposite the Chemin des Dames
in deep secrecy.

Short weeks of calm passed by.

General Foch asked himself:

"What was hidden
behind this silence?

"We knew the enemy had large numbers
of troops at their disposal.

"Where would they suddenly appear?

"We searched the horizon,
the mystery remained unsolved."

Not until a few hours
before the German attack

were the Allied soldiers warned.

"The first news reached us about
3.45pm on May 26th.

""The enemy will attack on a wide
front at 01.00 tomorrow, 27/5."

"Then followed orders for taking up
battle stations."

"For a second,
we looked at each other in silence.

"In a flash the world had changed.
The landscape smiled no longer.

"The sun blazed down,
but it had lost its heat.

"For the first time, I had the
feeling there was no-one behind us.

"No help that could be relied upon
in case of need."

The blow fell at 1am on May 27th.

The weak British divisions
were right in its path.

The Germans swept across the Chemin
des Dames ridge and over the Aisne.

By evening,
they had advanced ten miles.

Nothing like it had ever been seen
on the Western Front.

On the second day, May 28th, they
pressed forward another five miles.

But on this day,
further to the west,

a different kind of omen appeared.

the American First Division
went into action

at the little town of Cantigny.

We watched through binoculars
and they had a creeping barrage

towards the town of Cantigny
on high ground.

I could see some of
the waves of American soldiers
as they went forward.

I saw many fall. I saw some get up
and follow the barrage again.

The Americans took Cantigny -
their first victory of the war.

But more than this was needed
to stop the great German advance
on the Aisne.

And something more was forthcoming.

As the Germans swept towards
the River Marne,

reviving the fears of 1914,

a wonderful spectacle
was seen by the French.

"Swarms of Americans
began to appear on the roads.

"They passed
in interminable columns.

"The spectacle of these magnificent
youths from overseas,

"these beardless children of 20
radiating strength and health,

"produced a great effect.

"They contrasted strikingly with our
regiments in their faded uniforms,
wasted by years of war,

"whose members thin,

"their sunken eyes shining
with a dull fire,

"were no more than bundles of nerves

"held together by a will
to heroism and sacrifice.

"We all had the impression that
we were about to see a wonderful
operation of transfusion of blood."

It was June 1st when the Americans
entered this fight

near Chateau-Thierry,

another landmark of 1914.

By June 3rd, the Germans
were halted, 56 miles from Paris.

At every level, a dangerous mood
displayed itself.

French peasants spat
on the remnants of British units
retreating from the Aisne.

The British retorted bitterly.

"Conviction was growing that
we were fighting on the wrong side.

"Conviction I'd heard many times
since 1917,

"but never before
with such feeling."

Sharp words were exchanged when the
Allied leaders met at Versailles.

Now it was the turn of the
French generals to find themselves
under the cloud of defeat.

Even the prestige of General Foch
was shaken.

Foch rounded upon Lloyd George
with new demands

that the British Army should be
brought up to strength.

The argument raged for two hours.

The French insisted on sending
an expert to investigate British
manpower. Lloyd George had to agree.

Yet the British and French
were united on one subject -

America must send more men
and send them fast.

All eyes turned upon
General John J Pershing,

the American Commander in Chief.

Pershing had his own views of the
part America must play in the war

and had made them clear.

"I was against us becoming a
recruiting agency for anyone else.

"While realising the difficulties,

"it was understood that
we should organise our own units

"and build a distinctive army
of our own as rapidly as possible."

In America,
the camps and depots filled.

There was a great gathering of men.

But the difficulties of making
a new United States army

had proved
to be beyond anyone's imagining.

It was unthinkable that America
should send her soldiers to fight
under other flags.

As the crises of 1918 developed,

the Allies put every pressure
on Pershing to change his plan.

But Pershing was made of
stubborn stuff.

At a meeting in May,
General Foch had said:

"Are you willing to risk
our being driven back to the Loire?"

Pershing retorted: "Yes,
I'm willing to take the risk."

Ludendorff's arguments
on the field of battle

proved more powerful than
the pleas of the Allied leaders.

With the Germans across the Marne,
Pershing was forced to compromise.

He cabled to Washington: "Consider
military situation very grave.

"The time has come for us to take up
the brunt of the war.

"England and France won't be able to
keep at present strength for long."

CHEERING AND BAND MUSIC

Pershing agreed that 250,000
Americans should be
brought to France in June

and another 250,000 in July.

He agreed the priority
should be given to infantry,

trained or untrained -

just men.

Britain would find the shipping.

56% of these men were carried
in British ships.

A blood transfusion on a scale
never dreamt of now began.

MUSIC: "Over There"
by George M Cohan

# Over there, over there

# Send the word
Send the word over there

# That the Yanks are coming

# The Yanks are coming

# The drums rum-tumming everywhere

# So prepare, say a prayer

# Send the word
Send the word to beware

# We'll be over
We're coming over

# And we won't come back
till it's over, over there... #

Pershing gained one point.

The Americans were fighting
under their own command.

But American soldiers entered
their grimmest experience so far.

On June 6th, the American 2nd
Division, half of it Marines,

attacked at Belleau Wood.

We got into the edge of the woods
and we dug in and took position.

The difficulty with Belleau Wood was
you never knew where the front was.

Little groups of men got together
to fight each other.

While you were fighting
in one direction,

you'd find there were Germans
to the rear of you.

They had to be mopped up.

Clean up, mop up and move ahead.

In open order and in mass

the Americans lost heavily
at Belleau Wood,

but they were not to be denied.

As their first wounded came back,

khaki figures among
the blue of the French,

a French nurse said to one of them,
"Surely you're an American?"

He replied,
"No, Ma'am, I'm a Marine."

There were three American divisions
in battle now, with great promise.

But German plans would decide where
and how the next battle
would be fought.

It was not an easy decision.

A German commander wrote: "Our
casualties were increasing greatly.

"Ammunition was running short, and
the problem of supply was difficult.

"It was clear that action
so stubbornly contested

"would never let us capture Paris.

"The brilliant offensive
had petered out."

What should the Germans do?

Ludendorff,
organiser of their great offensives,

was in a cruel dilemma.

He intended
to attack the British front,

but was tempted to make a crushing
blow against the French army.

Ludendorff became entangled
in his own web.

He temporised.

The temptation was too strong.

He decided
to attack the French again.

The first day's advance,
on June 9th, was six miles deep.

The Germans took 8,000 prisoners.

The next day,
they advanced another two miles...

...and then stopped.

On June 11th,
the French struck back.

Two American divisions formed
a spearhead,

supported by nearly 150 tanks,

and by low-flying aircraft.

No flags, no bright swords, no lines
of battle, charging with a yell.

Combat groups of weary men,
in drab and dirty uniform,

dressed approximately on a line,

spaced so that one shrapnel burst
cannot include more than one group.

Laden like mules with gas masks,
bandoliers, grenades,

trudging forward
without haste or excitement.

They moved on an untidy wood
where shells were raining,

a wood that did not answer back
or show an enemy.

The French attack did not go far,
but worked. The Germans were halted,

and Ludendorff surveyed the results
of another month that had gone by

without producing victory.

"There may be 20 American divisions
in France,

"more than I had believed possible.

"Our March superiority in numbers
of divisions had been cancelled,

"and numbers were now
to our disadvantage.

"For this reason America became
the deciding factor in the war."

Now, once again, there was a brief
period of calm on the Western Front.

Fighting died down
into local actions.

Commanders drew breath
and took stock of their position.

Like a ripple across the calm,

or a breath of fresh wind,

an idea stirred
among the Allied leaders.

General Foch recorded:

"I did not forget the offensive task
for which the Allies must get ready,

"and which had to be
undertaken soon,

"since only offensive action could
bring the war to a victorious end."

On June 28th, Foch met Haig,
who wrote in his diary:

"I told Foch of two small projects
which I contemplated carrying out,

"if the military situation allowed.

"He was pleased at my offensive
intentions at the present time."

The British Army profited by its
period of rest.

Spirits had revived.

The ranks were filling.

"Our troops are really wonderful",
Haig commented.

One part of his army
had never accepted defeat,

or submitted to enemy initiative.

On April 25th,
the third anniversary of Anzac Day,

the Australians had counterattacked
at Villers-Bretonneux,

marking the high-water line of
the German advance towards Amiens.

All through May, and June,

the Australian front was fluid
and active.

It was the Australians that Haig
designated for an offensive project

at Le Hamel, an example of what
they called "peaceful penetration".

With the Australians, there were
men of the American 33rd division.

Haig had a high opinion
of the Americans,

who had paraded for him earlier.

"I was impressed.

"They were a fine body of men.
Keen, active and athletic-looking."

The date selected for the Le Hamel
project was appropriate.

July 4th, Independence Day.

But there was an unexpected snag.

General Pershing was appalled
to find that his soldiers,

whom he considered to be untrained,

had been given tasks
in the Australian battle plan.

Pershing said the Americans must
be withdrawn.

Haig had to agree,
and told his commander Rawlinson,

who passed the news to Australian
commander, General Monash.

Monash demanded to see Rawlinson.

"It was a tense meeting. I knew that
the withdrawal of those Americans

"would result in confusion,

"and in dangerous gaps
in our line of battle.

"So I resolved to take a firm stand,

"and pressed my views as strongly
as I dared."

In effect, Monash told Rawlinson:
"No Americans, no battle."

Rawlinson spoke again to Haig,

who authorised the use
of American troops.

Monash remarked: "It appeared that
great issues hung for an hour or so

"upon the chances of my being able
to carry my point."

Great issues had hung indeed.

The following battle
was a model for the whole war.

It was all over
in an hour and a half.

By the end, at a cost of
750 Australians and 130 Americans,

1,500 Germans were captured,

and all the ground attacked
had been won.

Monash commented:

"Le Hamel was the first offensive
operation on any substantial scale

"fought by any Allies
since the previous autumn.

"Its effect was electric, and it
stimulated many to the realisation

"that the enemy was, after all,
not invulnerable."

Now the war turned into a race.

Both Foch and Ludendorff pushed
forward preparations for attack.

For the Germans, it was a matter,
in Ludendorff's words,

"of striking one more blow
to make the enemy ready for peace."

There was no other way.

"Headquarters decided to attack
the enemy at his weak point.

"An attack on both sides of Reims
was planned for the middle of July."

Foch perceived
that this was the decisive moment
of the year, and of the war.

"By mid-July, the time was fast
approaching when the opposing forces
would be practically equal.

"If the enemy did not attack,
we would have to take the offensive.

"If he did attack, we'd accompany
our parry with a counter stroke."

Once again, it was the Germans who
completed their preparations first.

The German blow fell on July 15th,

a massive attack by 52 divisions,
east and west of Reims.

Against them,
Foch deployed a truly allied army,

French, British, Italians
and Americans.

The western attack fell upon
the Italians and had success.

British divisions were rushed up
to hold the line.

The Americans were called to defend.

The eastern attack failed totally.

The French had deliberately
withdrawn from their forward zone,

saving their strength
for the counteroffensive.

A German officer wrote:

"I have lived through the most
disheartening day of the whole war.

"This wilderness is not very big,

"but seems endless when one
is held up in it,

"and we ARE held up.

"Our guns bombarded empty trenches.

"Our gas shells gassed
empty artillery positions.

"Only in little hidden folds
of the ground, sparsely distributed,

"lay machine-gun posts, like lice
in the seams and folds of a garment,

"to give the attacking force
a warm reception.

"After uninterrupted fighting

"from five in the morning
until night,

"we only advanced
about three kilometres."

The next day, the Germans
only made slight progress.

The day after, none at all.

The same man wrote:

"I know that we are finished.

"My thoughts oppress me.

"Everything seems to be
at a standstill.

"I do not believe we shall ever
get our hands free again.

"The American army is there,
a million strong.

"That is too much."

The Second Battle of the Marne,
like the first,

marked a moment of equilibrium.

Now Foch, like Joffre before him,
knew that his hour had come.

He greeted it with satisfaction.

"On July 17th, the Germans
had been reduced to impotence.

"On the 18th, the guns of the Allies
would make their thunder heard

"at the time and place
which had been fixed upon."

Once again, as in 1914,

all the war, all its potential,

all its hopes, fears
and deceitful promises,

were centred on the river Marne.

The wheel had come full circle.

Out there...

is the killer.

The liar.

And you know you must find them,

through the dark places of the world,