1
00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:03,993
(Gunfire)
2
00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,990
NARRATOR: Think of the First World War,
and you think of trenches.
3
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,277
There was mobility elsewhere,
in the East and Africa,
4
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,198
but the war on the Western Front
was bogged down .
5
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:43,109
The challenge on both sides was to find new
ideas, new weapons, new spirit among the men .
6
00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:46,955
Only then could they break out and win .
7
00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:29,988
ln September 1914,
8
00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,551
the Allies had stopped
the German drive into France at the Marne.
9
00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,593
The Germans pulled back to high ground
and dug in.
10
00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:41,750
The Allies followed suit.
11
00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,236
The result: 500 miles of trench and fortification,
12
00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:53,515
stretching from the Channel to Switzerland,
13
00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,752
allowing ground to be held with fewer men,
freeing troops for other fronts.
14
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,878
Breaking the deadlock
meant taking the offensive.
15
00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,396
But it was much easier to defend trenches
than attack them.
16
00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,239
For all their blood and mud and horror,
trenches saved lives.
17
00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,550
They were places of fear and bad smells,
18
00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,793
where walls might be shored up
with limbs and corpses,
19
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:29,351
but they were the safest places to be
in a battlefield swept by machine-gun fire,
20
00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:30,873
devastated by shelling.
21
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,439
(Men shouting war cries)
22
00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:34,875
The greater danger came when you left them.
23
00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,269
(Artillery fire)
24
00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:47,598
The popular image of First World War soldiers
is lions led by donkeys.
25
00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:52,474
But the generals knew that battles
couldn't be won from behind a trench wall.
26
00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,313
Sooner or later,
the men would have to go over the top,
27
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:56,913
and that meant heavy casualties.
28
00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,472
The generals weren't so much callous
as realistic.
29
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,675
And there were more good generals than bad.
30
00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,390
Rather than sitting out the war in chateaux
miles behind the lines,
31
00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,472
71 German generals were killed in action ,
32
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:18,278
55 French,
33
00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:19,759
78 British.
34
00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,956
The generals' response to the deadlock
was to challenge it...
35
00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:31,876
..to find dynamic ways to beat it.
36
00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,873
ln 1916, both sides looked for a place
to break through,
37
00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,270
where an attack could be concentrated
and supplied.
38
00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,873
The Germans thought
they had found it at Verdun .
39
00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,629
A town and mighty fortress on a salient.
40
00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,996
A tongue of France
sticking out into the German lines.
41
00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:09,478
Verdun looked secure,
42
00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,075
with its huge walls, its giant circle of 19 forts,
43
00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:14,957
with their outer ring of defences.
44
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,560
But the French had now downgraded
Verdun's status,
45
00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,108
removing many of its guns to needier sites.
46
00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,634
For the French garrison,
it was becoming known as a "cushy" sector.
47
00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,360
FRENCH SOLDlER:
We have almost nothing to worry about
48
00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:45,355
We often play cards and sometimes
we have to drop them and pick up our rifles
49
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,271
But it's usually a false alarm
50
00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:51,831
so we go back to our seats and our cards
our minds completely on the game again
51
00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,435
But parliamentary deputy �mile Driant,
now a frontline Colonel,
52
00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,318
realised how vulnerable Verdun really was.
53
00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:10,636
He warned the French Government.
54
00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,798
We are doing everything
day and night to make our front line inviolable
55
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,111
But there is one thing
about which we can do nothing
56
00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:21,031
the shortage of hands
57
00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:26,274
If our front line is broken by a massive attack
our second line won't hold
58
00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,353
Lack of workers and also barbed wire
59
00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:34,791
But Driant was ignored.
60
00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,114
On Monday 21st February 1916,
61
00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,350
a clear, still winter's day,
62
00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:48,389
over 100,000 German soldiers drew breath
and prepared to go over the top.
63
00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,436
They had surprise on their side.
64
00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,078
Above them, they had air superiority.
65
00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,197
No Allied planes had spotted their preparations.
66
00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,594
Behind them,
their own German artillery opened fire.
67
00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,433
And in front of them in the French lines,
68
00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,149
Corporal Marc St�phane could hardly believe
what was happening.
69
00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,272
We were swept by a storm a hurricane
70
00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:29,749
a tempest growing ever stronger
71
00:06:29,840 --> 00:06:32,354
with hail like cobblestones
72
00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,750
with the destructive force of an express train
73
00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:38,308
And we're underneath it do you follow?
74
00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:40,356
Underneath it
75
00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,679
The Germans fired a million shells that day.
76
00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,470
When a shell bursts a few metres away
there 's a terrible jolt
77
00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,394
and then an indescribable chaos
of smoke of earth
78
00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,436
of stones of branches
79
00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:05,878
and too often alas
of limbs flesh and rain of blood
80
00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,551
By three o'clock in the afternoon
81
00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:16,430
the section of the wood which we occupied and
which had been completely covered in bushes
82
00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,353
looked like the timberyard of a sawmill
83
00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,671
A little later, l had lost most of my men
84
00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:30,194
The Germans were evolving new solutions
to the problems of attack.
85
00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,909
They delegated command forward
to the men at the sharp end,
86
00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,278
training them to advance in small groups,
zigzagging and crouching,
87
00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:43,673
equipped with fearsome new weapons:
light mortars, grenades and flamethrowers.
88
00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,355
They called these units ''storm troopers''.
89
00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,636
We moved forward from our position
90
00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:04,317
That's where l saw the most refined weapon
of modern technology or human bestiality
91
00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:06,356
There was a spurt of flame
92
00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,911
which flooded the attacking enemy
with burning oil
93
00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,237
Verdun was one of the defining battles
of the 20th century.
94
00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,593
Among the attacking Germans
was a young Lieutenant Paulus
95
00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:29,390
who, as a general in the Second World War,
would command the siege of Stalingrad.
96
00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,350
25-year-old Charles de Gaulle was also there,
97
00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,112
France's future leader,
98
00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,589
wounded and captured defending Verdun .
99
00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,073
On the second day of the attack,
at his headquarters,
100
00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:58,551
Colonel Driant received absolution
from his chaplain and wrote a note to his wife.
101
00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:03,512
The hour is near, l feel very calm
102
00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,672
In our wood the front trenches will be taken
in a few minutes
103
00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,194
my poor battalions spared until now
104
00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,236
(Shell blast)
105
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,880
He sent a message to his divisional commander.
106
00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,713
We shall hold out against the Boche
107
00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,394
alhough their bombardment is infernal
108
00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:34,955
Driant ordered a retreat out of the woods.
109
00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:37,956
Then one of his men was hit.
110
00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,952
As Driant started to dress the wound,
he too was shot.
111
00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,876
l clearly saw the Colonel throw up his arms
and shout "Oh My God!"
112
00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,235
Then he half -turned and collapsed
113
00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,595
When l got over to him there was no sign of life
114
00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,717
Blood was flowing from a head wound
and from his mouth
115
00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,596
He had the colour of a dead man
116
00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,957
Three days later, the Germans captured
Douaumont, Verdun's key fort.
117
00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:17,355
Germany was Jubilant. Church bells rang out.
A national holiday was declared.
118
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,357
ln France, Driant's heroic sacrifice
helped spark the flame of national defiance.
119
00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,875
Verdun was to be held at any cost.
120
00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,399
The survival of France herself was at stake.
121
00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:51,196
"They shall not pass," declared General
Philippe P�tain , Verdun's new commander.
122
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,956
He rotated his troops.
123
00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,919
Three quarters of the French Army
at one time or another defended Verdun,
124
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,755
a national effort that ensured whole units
were not totally destroyed in the battle.
125
00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,311
P�tain was genuinely concerned
for the lives of his men.
126
00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:18,358
A quarter of a century later, he led his country
into surrender and collaboration with Hitler
127
00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:20,874
rather than repeat the bloodbath of Verdun.
128
00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,236
Route Nationale 93.
129
00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,550
An ordinary French road,
but it saved its country's life.
130
00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:47,992
Night and day, supplies for Verdun rolled along
the Voie Sacr�e, the Sacred Way,
131
00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:50,230
as well as by rail.
132
00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,033
Events on another front
also helped the French at Verdun .
133
00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:11,913
At the end of 1915,
134
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,151
the Allies - Britain , France, ltaly and Russia -
135
00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,435
had agreed a plan for 1916
136
00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,988
to pull Germany in different directions.
137
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:23,636
Now the deal paid off.
138
00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,955
A successful Russian offensive forced Germany
139
00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,679
to switch troops from France
to the Eastern Front.
140
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,594
From June, the initiative at Verdun
passed to the French.
141
00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,517
And Germany's technical advantages
were short-lived.
142
00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:54,559
Throughout the war, new ideas were
quickly picked up by the other side.
143
00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:11,597
All our inventions seem to turn like evil spirits
against us like a monster destroying itself
144
00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,670
Amid these terrible scenes of destruction
145
00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:20,639
the idea of ever returning home
seems indescribably glorious
146
00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,399
Please look after yourself and our home
147
00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,510
your soul and your body and all that is mine
148
00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,116
Franz Marc was killed later that day.
149
00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,193
Finally, on 24 October 1916,
150
00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,350
the French recaptured Fort Douaumont.
151
00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,396
Verdun was saved.
152
00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,436
At last, the time has come,
153
00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,193
and we set off to conquer the enemy positions
154
00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,350
They don't offer any resistance
155
00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,911
and the few men who are still alive
come out of their holes crying "Kamerad!"
156
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,188
The battlefield of Verdun has a different
atmosphere from any other I was ever on
157
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,156
Its horrors are also greater
158
00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,399
But there 's a feeling of intense satisfaction
159
00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,950
It was at Verdun that
the French people found themselves again
160
00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,713
and emerged from the clouds
which have hung over them
161
00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:38,836
since their defeat by the Germans in 1870
162
00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,989
France had learned
a string of lessons at Verdun :
163
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,675
about artillery, new weapons,
logistics, and manpower.
164
00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:53,718
But at a cost
of over a third of a million casualties.
165
00:14:57,880 --> 00:14:59,916
German casualties were nearly as high,
166
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,073
but Germany, fighting alone in the West
and with weak allies on other fronts,
167
00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:06,594
could not endure losses on this scale.
168
00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:12,631
She would not launch another major offensive
on the Western Front until 1918.
169
00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,232
One can look for miles
and see no human beings
170
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:45,836
But in those miles of country lurk it seems
thousands of men
171
00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,594
planning against each other perpetually
some new device of death
172
00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:58,039
Never showing themselves they launch at each
other bullet bomb aerial torpedo and shell
173
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,673
Unlike previous wars, the fighting
on the Western Front was unceasing.
174
00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,793
Somewhere down the line,
there was always a gun firing, a man falling.
175
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:19,749
But for the troops of both sides,
life was not always unrelenting warfare.
176
00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:29,197
During 1916, the average British soldier
spent 100 days at the front.
177
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:34,673
For the remainder, he was in reserve,
on work detail, resting or on leave.
178
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:42,111
And over the 500-mile front,
some sectors were easier than others.
179
00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,156
Even busy ones had their lulls.
180
00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,438
One day, British General Lord Edward Gleichen
visited the front line.
181
00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:55,519
When going round the trenches I asked a man
whether he had had any shots at the Germans
182
00:16:55,600 --> 00:17:00,276
He responded that there was an elderly
gentleman with a bald head and long beard
183
00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:02,715
who often showed himself over the parapet
184
00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,998
"Well why didn't you shoot him?"
"shoot him?" said the man
185
00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:10,675
"Why Lord bless you sir
he's never done me no harm"
186
00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:13,957
A shocking example of "live and let live"
187
00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:20,559
"Live and let live" was a pervasive phenomenon
on both sides,
188
00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,596
of accommodation with the enemy.
189
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,149
It arose because,
in quiet times and in quiet lines,
190
00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,470
men were learning to adapt to war,
191
00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:31,516
and to adapt war to them.
192
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,468
We sometimes got out of the trench
into the tall grass behind
193
00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:39,516
which the sun had dried
194
00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,070
and enjoyed a warm indolence with a book
195
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:46,116
Not Infantry Training I think
196
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,916
The war seemed to have forgotten us
in that placid sector
197
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,113
Im with officers and sergeants
who are great fun
198
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,509
There 's lots of schnapps and wine
199
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,832
And every day we get so drunk we forget
whether we're at war or in civvy street
200
00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:57,796
In my unit there was a piano
actually in the trench in the front line
201
00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,189
and we had many a good singsong
202
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,636
(Cheering)
203
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:34,469
l feel great I have never lived so well
and probably never will again
204
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,120
I have just joined our sports club
205
00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,270
This evening someone got a football
206
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:42,750
Now we can play football racing long jump
207
00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:46,674
Chocolate is the prize
donated by our platoon commander
208
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,039
Life in this sector is gloriously lazy
209
00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:05,556
Weather is perfect the enemy most peaceful
210
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:11,351
And there's little to do but lie on one's back and
smoke or write imaginative letters back home
211
00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,515
It would be child's play to shell the road
behind the enemy's trenches
212
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,558
crowded as it was
with ration wagons and water carts
213
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,596
into a bloodstained wilderness
214
00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,511
But on the whole there is silence
215
00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:29,033
After all
216
00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:32,874
if you prevent your enemy from getting
his rations his remedy is simple
217
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,190
he will prevent you from drawing yours
218
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:59,154
We often see the smoke of the Germans'
mealime fires ascending in blue-grey spirals
219
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:04,917
It is only common courtesy not to interrupt each
other's meals with intermittent missiles of hate
220
00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:22,556
One day while our infantry was cooking
221
00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:24,949
there was a shout from the enemy trench
222
00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,235
Could he come and eat too?
223
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:28,469
He was invited over
224
00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,791
The Frenchman came and ate
and made himself comfortable
225
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:33,438
And from then on
226
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,195
whenever the Frenchman noticed
that food was ready in the German trenches
227
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,236
he came and joined in
228
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:46,071
Sometimes an officer tried to stir his men
into a little action.
229
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:47,957
How about posting a sniper?
230
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,996
Or lobbing over a grenade?
231
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,989
We received the following message tied
to a stone from the German trenches opposite
232
00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,548
"We're going to send a 40-pounder."
233
00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,916
We've been ordered to do this
but we don't want to
234
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,638
It'll come this evening
235
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,269
and we'll blow a whistle first to warn you
so that you have time to take cover."
236
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:09,839
(Whistle)
237
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:11,797
All happened as they said it would
238
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:13,836
(Explosion)
239
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,431
The sniper is a very necessary person
240
00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,751
He serves to remind us that we are at war
241
00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:37,239
Wherever a head or anything resembling
a head shows itself he fires
242
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:38,548
(Gunshot)
243
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:43,794
Were it not for his enthusiasm both sides would
be sitting upon their respective parapets
244
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,917
regarding each other with frank curiosity
245
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:48,956
and that would never do
246
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,870
British Directive March 1916
247
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:56,916
With trench warfare
248
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:01,357
there is an insidious tendency to lapse
into a passive and lethargic attitude
249
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,149
against which officers of all ranks
have to be on their guard
250
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,756
and the fostering of the offensive spirit
calls for incessant attention
251
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,992
"Live and let live" was dependent on the sector
and the troops manning it.
252
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,431
The Germans didn't like facing
the Highland Regiments.
253
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,875
The British couldn't get along
with the Prussians.
254
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,315
But some of the other Germans were fine.
255
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,714
The soldier Mike gave us some useful hints
256
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,519
"It's the saxons that's across the road" he said
257
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,160
pointing to the enemy lines which were silent
258
00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:41,276
"They're quiet fellows the saxons
259
00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:44,318
They don't want to fight any more than we do
260
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,960
so there's a kind of understanding between us
261
00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,838
Don't fire at us and we'll not fire at you"
262
00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:01,154
"Live and let live" did not occur
where elite regiments were operating.
263
00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,717
They had their own ideas
about getting at the enemy.
264
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,629
Rare footage of a daylight raid
by South African troops.
265
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,315
The idea was to dominate no-man's-land,
266
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,837
to say to the enemy,
"It's not no-man's-land, it's ours."
267
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,156
Raids broke up trench routines,
268
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:37,869
brought intelligence from prisoners,
encouraged aggression.
269
00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:43,193
This, British High Command thought,
was the cure for "live and let live".
270
00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:55,317
Training sessions were organised
using elaborate models of the target area.
271
00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:05,997
Raiding became compulsory for all regiments
and laggards were rooted out.
272
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,154
Higher ranks appeared in our midst
273
00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,276
chief of all the Brigadier General
274
00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,636
followed by an almost equally-menacing
staff Captain
275
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:17,676
What was my name?
276
00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,910
I had not been round the company's wire?
277
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:21,672
Why not?
278
00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:23,716
I was to go
279
00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,474
Reports of daring raids were duly submitted.
280
00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:33,475
But some at HQ, like Brigadier General Crozier,
smelt a rat.
281
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,312
It became increasingly difficult as time went on
282
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,790
to obtain correct reports from officers patrols
283
00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:45,590
It was my habit to order samples of German wire
to be cut and brought back
284
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:49,559
Thus one would know
that the German line had been visited
285
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,996
At least one squad of reluctant raiders
had an answer to that.
286
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,436
They found a large coil of German barbed wire
in no-man's-land,
287
00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,354
and Just snipped bits off,
sending them in with bogus reports.
288
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:04,796
That went on every night
289
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:08,429
and the old man never knew
we had a coil of Jerry wire on our side
290
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:17,998
Many, though, entered the spirit,
291
00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,116
proudly displaying their trophies.
292
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:25,676
Raiding and shelling helped put the war
back into the gaps between battles.
293
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,354
One night in May 1916,
294
00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:32,399
Siegfried Sassoon Joined a raiding party
into no-man's-land.
295
00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,112
The raiders vanished into the darkness
on all fours
296
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,156
I crawled out after them
297
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,196
shells started to fire
298
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:47,637
News came back "O'Brien says it's a washout
They can't get through the wire"
299
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,317
A bomb burst
then a concentration of angry flashes
300
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,789
Wounded men were crawling back
301
00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:01,351
among them a grey-haired lance corporal
who had one of his feet almost blown off
302
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,797
"Thank God for this I've been waiting
18 months for it and now l can go home"
303
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,433
Sassoon's raid was launched
from these trenches.
304
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,116
The obJective this ridge.
305
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:23,716
But it all went badly wrong.
306
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,914
I went to look for O'Brien
groping my way along the edge of a crater
307
00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:30,718
Bullets hit the water near me
308
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:31,949
(Explosion)
309
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:33,996
There I discovered him
310
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:37,629
He moaned he'd been hit several times
311
00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,951
The stretcher-bearer bent over him
then straightened
312
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,919
In a surprising gesture he took off his helmet
313
00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:49,958
O'Brien had been one of the best men
in our company
314
00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:08,471
Shelling was the biggest killer of the war.
315
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,271
"Live and let live" continued on and off,
316
00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:22,592
but the loss of comrades
made it increasingly difficult to sustain .
317
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,990
speaking for my companions and myself
318
00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:56,313
I can categorically state that
we were in no mood for any joviality with Jerry
319
00:28:57,920 --> 00:28:59,592
We hated his guts
320
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,831
We were bent on his destruction
at each and every opportunity
321
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:09,475
Our greatest wish was to be granted an enemy
target worthy of our Vickers machine gun
322
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:18,876
(Explosions and gunfire)
323
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:34,915
We were under shellfire for eight hours
324
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,592
It was like a dream
325
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,638
some of the men looked quite insane
after the charge
326
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:48,518
As we entered the German trenches
327
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,433
a great number came out asking for mercy
328
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:54,512
Needless to say they were shot right off
329
00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:00,868
The Royal scots took about 300 prisoners
330
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,235
and immediately shot the whole lot
331
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:11,917
There were many cases on both sides
of prisoners being killed after surrender.
332
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,673
Such atrocities fuelled hatred further.
333
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,116
But many prisoners were captured.
334
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,230
They provided excellent opportunities
for propaganda.
335
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,110
British newsreel film of German POWs
336
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:37,149
was used to convince audiences back home
that Britain was gaining the upper hand.
337
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:44,515
By the end of the war, there were nearly
nine million prisoners in total
338
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,114
and captivity was not their only hardship.
339
00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:51,678
It's already been two years
since you were here last
340
00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,593
and Mother Nature needs
to fulfil her urges again
341
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:59,029
As you can't come and see me
I'm forced to go looking elsewhere
342
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,918
Don't think I'm joking I'm serious
343
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,120
l don't care what you think of me but you can't
expect me to waste my youth like this
344
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,389
After all I'm not made of wood
345
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,597
And what a person needs a person must get
346
00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:16,990
Please don't be cross with me will you?
347
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,036
Your ever-loving Thelma
348
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,833
Your sweet children send you lots of love
349
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,918
Another German wife was careful to reassure
her absent husband.
350
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:34,994
We've got a real slut in our house
who's always got someone new with her
351
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,595
That bitch isn't good enough
for such a decent man
352
00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,319
The poor thing fights at the front
353
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:45,359
while she swans off to the cinema and the pub
with the other fellows back home
354
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:47,719
Dearest man
355
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:49,631
please don't think evil thoughts
356
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,838
because there are also good women
who are faithful to their men
357
00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,919
Letters from home were the soldiers' lifeline.
358
00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,317
German troops were offered
these beguiling colour postcards
359
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:14,075
to reassure loved ones
that they were comfortable, happy and safe.
360
00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,753
But news from the front was rarely so cosy.
361
00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:27,879
A German factory worker,
learning that her husband had been killed,
362
00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:29,916
wrote to her boss to resign .
363
00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,148
My beloved husband worked here for years
364
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:37,276
and I did the same work with his tools
365
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:42,195
And I was proud that while he was fighting
at the front I could represent him here
366
00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:47,752
It was not always pleasant in the factory
but my husband's letters gave me courage
367
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,958
And so until his death
the job was sacrosanct to me
368
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,076
That's why l can't do it any more
369
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:05,632
More and more women in Germany,
France and Britain were making munitions.
370
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,995
Many men were contemptuous
of women 's abilities to do their Jobs,
371
00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:16,278
and fearful that if they managed it,
the women might not clear off after the war.
372
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:23,069
Jeannie Riley wrote to her husband at the front
about her new Job.
373
00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:28,031
We were told that the amount of work
we do in three weeks
374
00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,156
would have taken the men three years
375
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,232
And Jamie the men are getting quite mad at us
376
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:37,871
One woman I work with well she lost her finger
in a machine in the works
377
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,632
But she's a tough one
378
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,029
When she came back
from the Western Infirmary
379
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,156
she carried on like nothing had happened
380
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,556
(sighs) l have to get up at half past four
every morning
381
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:52,076
so I'll have you up at the same time
when you come home
382
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,355
if God spares you
383
00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:58,033
Jeannie's husband Jamie
did come safely home.
384
00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:05,876
The most important battle Jeannie Riley and
her colleagues were working towards in 1916
385
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:08,110
was the Somme.
386
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,592
It's now a byword
for wholesale suffering and slaughter,
387
00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,831
but its architect, General Sir Henry Rawlinson,
388
00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,037
conceived it as an offensive
with limited obJectives,
389
00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:21,350
more dependent on guns than manpower.
390
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,473
With plenty of guns and ammunition
391
00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,233
we ought to be able to avoid the heavy losses
392
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,949
which the infantry have always suffered
on previous occasions
393
00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:40,350
The French were due to play the lead role,
394
00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:43,512
but with Verdun dragging on,
the British bore the brunt.
395
00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:47,909
And there was intense political pressure
to deliver a victory.
396
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,555
General Sir Douglas Haig
was the British Army's Commander in Chief.
397
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,996
He turned Rawlinson's plan
into a maJor offensive.
398
00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:06,598
When the British guns opened up
on the Somme on 24 June 1916,
399
00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,195
the windows rattled in London 160 miles away.
400
00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:23,556
But after seven days of bombardment,
401
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:28,760
the British artillery had neither silenced
the German guns nor destroyed their defences.
402
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:35,596
A sergeant of the Tyneside lrish
went over the top on the 1st of July,
403
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,035
with lines of men on either side of him.
404
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,436
I heard the patter-patter of machine guns
in the distance
405
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:45,954
By the time I'd gone another ten yards
406
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,679
there seemed to be
only a few men left around me
407
00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:51,115
By the time I'd gone another 20 yards
408
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:53,156
I seemed to be on my own
409
00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:55,196
Then I was hit myself
410
00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:03,872
Farmers around the Somme
411
00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:08,272
still gather a harvest of iron
for the French army to collect and defuse.
412
00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:16,234
In this war, what happened in the factory
directly affected the outcome on the battlefield.
413
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:19,869
30% of British shells fired on the Somme
were duds,
414
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,520
a drastic failure of quality control.
415
00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:28,312
But the key factor was there weren't enough heavy
guns, and British artillery wasn't much good.
416
00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:40,119
On that terrible first day,
417
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,112
it became clear
that the French knew what they were doing,
418
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:45,156
and the British did not.
419
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,956
The French artillery in their attacks
420
00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:05,669
did not shoot the ground to bits
before they moved over it
421
00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:09,196
A short intense bombardment
followed by a rush of men
422
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,919
gave them the position clean and intact
423
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,718
We would shoot our ground into a quagmire
424
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:18,234
and then send troops slowly forward over it
425
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:22,472
and expect them to provide their own cover
from the enemy's retaliation
426
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:36,871
On the 1st of July, the French gained all their
objectives at a cost of a few thousand men.
427
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:43,868
Britain achieved virtually nothing,
with casualties of 57,470.
428
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:52,152
It was the heaviest loss suffered in a single day
by the British Army in its entire history.
429
00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,831
There had been a host of lessons
for both sides since 1914,
430
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:02,480
and the British became avid learners.
431
00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:12,353
How to lay down shellfire
over the heads of advancing men .
432
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:14,908
How to locate enemy guns
433
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:18,549
using flash-spotting,
sound ranging and trigonometry,
434
00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:20,596
and how to knock them out.
435
00:38:25,720 --> 00:38:26,948
Better shells,
436
00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,793
better fuses, better guns and better gunners.
437
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:35,910
While the Germans came to rely more on skilled
infantrymen often acting on their own initiative,
438
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,470
the British concentrated
on fighting a technical war.
439
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:51,596
It was all too late for the Somme.
440
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:58,750
Haig bears the responsibility for not stopping
the slaughter when the breakthrough failed.
441
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:05,074
The battle petered out in November 1916
442
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:08,436
with around half a million casualties
on each side.
443
00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:27,596
Cambrai, in Northern France.
444
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:33,437
On the 20th November 1917, the site
of the first major use of tanks in the world.
445
00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:42,316
Here, the British army would put
what they had learnt into practice.
446
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:51,474
Britain's invention of the tank
cracked a key First World War problem:
447
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:54,313
how to combine firepower and movement.
448
00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:03,754
Tanks needed dry, hard ground.
449
00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:05,796
They got it at Cambrai.
450
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:10,233
The attack was led by a general, from the front.
451
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:17,998
A lithe figure strode up pipe aglow
ash stick under his arm
452
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:20,719
Unexpected it was General Elles
453
00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:24,475
"I'm going over in this tank" he announced
tapping Hilda
454
00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:29,878
l swung the door open
and he squeezed through inside
455
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:42,310
The artillery now knew
not to chew up the ground ahead.
456
00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,989
A short, sharp bombardment,
457
00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:50,755
and then over 300 tanks rolled into the first light.
458
00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:56,759
Just before 6 30am the barrage commenced
and we started off
459
00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:59,400
Our first bump came fairly soon
460
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:06,271
We climbed a bank crashed through a hedge
and came down heavily on the other side
461
00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:09,515
We were thrown about like so many peanuts
462
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:12,068
and we had to clutch on to whatever we could
463
00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:27,474
The tanks looking like giant toads
became visible against the skyline
464
00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:32,668
some of the leading tanks carried
huge bundles of tightly bound brushwood
465
00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:36,833
which they dropped into the wide German
trenches then crossed over them
466
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:43,950
It was broad daylight as we crossed
no-man's-land and the German front line
467
00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:48,591
I saw very few wounded coming back
and a few German prisoners
468
00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,315
The enemy wire had been dragged about
like old curtains
469
00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:58,039
The tanks appeared to have busted through
470
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:03,278
The tanks, still experimental,
471
00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:07,319
were part of one of the most sophisticated,
innovative plans of the war.
472
00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:12,239
The aim was to break through the German lines
with minimal loss of life.
473
00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:20,553
The artillery would use
their new skills and technology
474
00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:24,076
to locate and target the German batteries
before the battle.
475
00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:30,713
The tanks would punch a hole
in the German lines,
476
00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:34,156
with the infantry tucked up close
for mutual protection ,
477
00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:36,629
while the cavalry pushed through.
478
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:47,796
Secrecy was crucial.
479
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:51,715
Screens were erected to hide movements.
480
00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:55,230
Telltale tracks were covered with mud.
481
00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:04,550
The question ever uppermost in all our minds
was "Does the Hun suspect anything?"
482
00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:06,596
It was most exciting
483
00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:19,189
About 9am retreating infantrymen gave us
an account of swarms of tanks
484
00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:22,716
so many that it was
absolutely impossible to stop them
485
00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:30,911
A little later, the tank monsters came creeping
to the ridge south of the village
486
00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:33,958
Not one of us had seen such a beast before
487
00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:44,431
Then a dramatic indication
that real progress had been made.
488
00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:54,678
For the first time we saw the magnificent
spectacle of our field artillery
489
00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:56,796
limbering up and going forward
490
00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:03,959
First at a trot then at a gallop
491
00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:05,996
battery after battery
492
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:10,073
to take up new positions
on the captured German front line
493
00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:21,396
The Germans were caught on the hop,
494
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:23,436
then pushed back five miles,
495
00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:27,911
a greater Allied advance than anything achieved
on the Somme or in Flanders.
496
00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:35,079
It was a long hard day
497
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:40,188
but the sight of all the ground that had been
taken with so little bloodshed was a real tonic
498
00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:43,828
The troops seemed very pleased with our tanks
499
00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:46,070
so pleased we had many drinks with them
500
00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:50,199
It is astonishing how much whisky
the British Army carries into battle
501
00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:52,236
(Cheering and whistling)
502
00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:57,638
On 21 November,
503
00:44:57,720 --> 00:45:02,430
church bells rang out across Britain ,
Just as they had done in Germany for Verdun.
504
00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:07,233
And again, the celebrations were a little hasty.
505
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:12,960
The British had not achieved all their objectives.
506
00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:18,478
Some villages near Cambrai remained
in German hands, including Flesquieres.
507
00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:24,190
The Highlanders in this sector had been ordered
to keep well away from the newfangled tanks,
508
00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:28,432
so they couldn't help them by knocking out
machine gun nests and artillery.
509
00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:33,792
And lurking near Flesquieres
510
00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:37,156
was one of the few German batteries
trained against tanks.
511
00:45:40,840 --> 00:45:43,070
A tank emerged from the village
512
00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:47,432
"Distance 275 metres! Fire!
513
00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:49,556
Damn too far
514
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:50,595
Fire!
515
00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:53,989
Very close Aim a little to the right
516
00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:55,433
Fire!
517
00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:57,476
Hit! A hit!
518
00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:00,068
Oh Lord!
519
00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:03,391
A column of fire was bursting out of the monster
520
00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:05,789
Two of our men ran to the tank
521
00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:10,032
and when they returned they described
the half-burned bodies of the crew
522
00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:18,153
lnside the tanks, the crews wrestled
with the world's latest technology...under fire.
523
00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:25,474
Just at this critical moment the "auto-vac"
supplying petrol to the engine failed
524
00:46:25,560 --> 00:46:27,516
The engine spluttered and stopped
525
00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:30,034
We were now a stationary target
526
00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:33,633
In the sudden silence
527
00:46:33,720 --> 00:46:36,518
we could hear the thud thud of falling shells
528
00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:39,637
and metal and earth
striking the sides of the tank
529
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:43,314
The atmosphere in the tank was foul
530
00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:46,469
with tense faces
531
00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:49,358
the crew watched
the imperturbable second-driver
532
00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:53,228
as he cooly and methodically
put the "auto-vac" right
533
00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:56,790
ignoring all the proffered advice
to give it a good hard knock
534
00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:08,952
The Germans knocked out 32 tanks
at Flesquieres.
535
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:21,879
More were crippled by storm troopers
in the narrow streets of Fontaine-Notre-Dame.
536
00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:29,151
There was horrible slaughter in Fontaine
537
00:47:29,240 --> 00:47:33,711
I who had spent three weeks before the battle
in thinking out its possibilities
538
00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,633
had never tackled the subject of village fighting
539
00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:41,677
I could have kicked myself again and again
for this lack of foresight
540
00:47:41,760 --> 00:47:48,517
but it never occurred to me that our infantry
commanders would thrust tanks into such places
541
00:47:50,720 --> 00:47:54,793
The Germans also had the bright idea
of mounting anti-aircraft guns on lorries
542
00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:57,952
and attacking the tanks
with armour-piercing shells.
543
00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:01,276
Nine tanks roll towards us
544
00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:04,830
The Captain orders "steady men wait for it"
545
00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,388
When the enemy is less than 100 metres away
546
00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:10,472
the command rings out "Rapid fire!"
547
00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:14,836
The first tank rears upwards
Those following halt
548
00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:18,356
One direct hit after another.
549
00:48:27,280 --> 00:48:28,474
Within a week,
550
00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:30,949
the Germans launched
a massive counterattack,
551
00:48:31,040 --> 00:48:34,032
with storm troopers supported by aircraft.
552
00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:39,396
Within ten days,
they had recovered all their lost ground.
553
00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:46,114
Yet Cambrai was crucial for the British.
554
00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:51,274
They had gained valuable experience with
the tanks and cracked their artillery problems.
555
00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:54,875
Vital lessons were learnt
about teamwork on the battlefield.
556
00:48:56,560 --> 00:49:01,588
The big challenge for both sides now was
how to consolidate the successful breakthrough.
557
00:49:02,880 --> 00:49:05,269
The master of that would win the war.
558
00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:34,836
ln the next episode of The First World War:
559
00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:37,912
British and German navies clash at Jutland.
560
00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:40,958
The dark world of spies and saboteurs.
561
00:49:41,800 --> 00:49:43,756
And America is pushed into the war.