Why The Allies Couldn't Overcome German Trenches in Spring 1917 (WW1 Documentary)

Watch our WW2 Documentary series 16 Days in Berlin on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/16-days-in-berlin-01-prologue-the-beginning-of-the-end
The Allied 1917 Spring Offensive masterminded by French general Robert Nivelle was supposed to end the stalemate on the Western Front and bring a decisive breakthrough. But the German Army also knew they couldn't win the war on the offensive and thus prepared a new type of defensive system: The Hindenburg Line and it would be tested in the Battles of Arras (Vimy Ridge, Bullecourt) and Chemins des Dames (Aisne).
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» SOURCES
Cook, Tim, “Storm Troops: Combat Effectiveness and the Canadian Corps in 1917” in Dennis, Jeffrey & Grey, Peter (eds), 1917: Tactics, Training and Technology: the 2007 Chief of Army's Military History Conference, (Canberra : Australian History Military Publications, 2007)
Coombes, David, Bloody Bullecourt, (Barnsley : Pen & Sword Military, 2016)
Doughty, Robert T, Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War, (Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, 2005)
Doughty, Robert A, “How did France Weather the Troubles of 1917?” in Dennis, Jeffrey & Grey, Peter (eds), 1917: Tactics, Training and Technology: the 2007 Chief of Army's Military History Conference, (Canberra : Australian History Military Publications, 2007)
Farr, Don, A Battle Too Far: Arras 1917, (Warwick ; Helion & Company, 2018)
Foley, Robert T, “The Other Side of the Wire: The German Army in 1917” in Dennis, Jeffrey & Grey, Peter (eds), 1917: Tactics, Training and Technology: the 2007 Chief of Army's Military History Conference, (Canberra : Australian History Military Publications, 2007)
Lupfer, Timothy T, “The Dynamics of Doctrine: The Changes in German Tactical Doctrine During the First World War” Leavenworth Papers, No. 4, Combat Studies Institute
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, (Fort Leavenworth, KS : 1981)
Nicholls, Jonathan, Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras 1917, (London : Leo Cooper, 1990)
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»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
Sound: Toni Steller
Editing: Jose Gamez
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
Research by: Jesse Alexander
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Yves Thimian
Contains licensed material by getty images
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2022

[@matthewmallan1164]

The more you learn about this conflict, the more utterly depressing it gets. What an amazingly sad war. What a waste of some of the finest men that ever lived.

[@firingallcylinders2949]

That's most wars unfortunately. We're seeing it right now. How many Russian and Ukrainian men that should be raising families, working jobs, advancing their societies instead are dying.

[@strikeforce1500]

But think of the poor generals/officers back at home, how else they gonna make it into history and glory?! /s

[@kpl455]

And it set the ground for an even worse war and time ahead.

[@squamish4244]

It was a war started over nothing, fought over nothing, leaving a mess that could hardly be worse behind. Civilization is still dealing with the setbacks it caused.

[@joeya6795]

Wars are a necessary evil, unfortunately. Men need to die in order for children to take their place.

[@leonardusgroenendyk6027]

Yes the Germans were suffering from man power losses. My family lost seven of the eight brothers by 1916. The eighth was my grandfather who was to young for WW one. But served in the Luftwaffe in WW two. There the family also lost six relatives. May they rest in peace.

[@Explorers_YT]

its actually kinda cool to hear but sorry for your losses although u didnt know them

[@reglisse42]

I have almost the same story with my French family, they lost four of the five boys in WW1, the fifth was my grandfather who was to young born in 1906 …peace for them

[@securitycameras341]

My condolences.

[@michaldurakiewicz3501]

Your ancestors probably killed my ancestors out of cold blood

[@jupphainkas3070]

@@reglisse42 My condoloces. And I wish peace for US today aswell. I really cannot believe that our two peoples did this to each other; I spend all my holidays in France. Every year. I like the french people very much. Best wishes.

[@Cotswolds1913]

More of this kind of content please! Don't be afraid to go back into the war years just because the chronological real-time episodes are done.

[@TheGreatWar]

there will be more

[@Cotswolds1913]

@@TheGreatWar Glad to hear it.

[@alexamerling79]

Agreed!

[@indianajones4321]

Back to the First World War! This really takes me back to watching the weekly episodes… I was actually gonna be starting my seventh tour through the series soon. I like the recent content from this channel, but I’ve missed seeing WW1 content so much

[@TheGreatWar]

we had a craving too and this won't be the last video this year

[@indianajones4321]

@@TheGreatWar thank you so much Great War team for all of your hard work

[@weltvonalex]

Same here :) so much outstanding content it's amazing

[@mammuchan8923]

Back to the classic, FWW is still the most fascinating time in history for me. Indiana I have also done a few repeat viewings of the series from scratch, it never gets boring. Thanks Jesse loved the revisit, looking forward to seeing more🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@shaider1982]

I learned that the real dynamic duo was Hindenburg and Ludendorf while Cadorna and Holtzendorf were certified geniuses😂

[@benrlego]

The Spring Offensive was my entry into this channel, already 5 years ago… Very glad to see a return to the war years, I believe there is still more that can be gained from covering parts of the war in this format. Some things get lost in the week-by-week coverage.

[@TheGreatWar]

that was our thought too

[@royfairchild6895]

I could listen to this guy talk about war all day long. Perfect annunciation, his voice is a relief to hear.

[@jessealexander2695]

Thanks!

[@cruelty6368]

Really great presentation. I especially love that no cheap, phony sound effects were added to the footage, the first time I've seen anyone do that in a Great War documentary. Thank you.

[@DotepenecPL]

Man, I can't believe it's been five years already since this offensive was covered the first time at the channel, in the weekly episodes. I am glad you decided to get back to these events in more detail.

[@extrahistory8956]

I love to see The Great War channel get more experimental this year, which has also benefited its viewership. While I miss the bimonthly chronological coverage of post WW1 content, I recognize that it wasn't getting that many views, and that a change of pace was necessary. Also, it's not like you outright abandoned it, so I'm excited to see TGW team rap up the Greco-Turkish War, the Irish Civil War, the Russian Revolution, and many other events by 2023/1923.

[@TheGreatWar]

yeah on KZbin you need to go with the times, probably the only hard rule there is

[@extrahistory8956]

@@TheGreatWar Very true. That said, I'm curious about a couple of things: -Will guys continue the coverage of post-WW1 Central Asia? Y'all left it in a cliffhanger back in Oct 2020, so I'll be interested in seeing it's conclusion. -Will y'all make another post-WW1 video on South Africa? -Will you cover the Egyptian Revolution at some point?

[@uioongbion2074]

@@extrahistory8956 Shut up. Do you manage this channel?

[@mb-electricalservices]

@@uioongbion2074 What a lovely human being you are......

[@Dungeon_of_Regret]

This is so freaking detailed. More please.

[@lexdunn4160]

My great uncle Charles O'Brien was part of a machine gun crew at Vimy. He was wounded, but not too badly. He never spoke of his experiences in that brutal, useless war when he returned to Nova Scotia.

[@craigobrien31]

A lot did not ever speek of what they seen

[@anananasyiyen]

So u are irish?

[@nicflatterie7772]

Nova Scotia is a Canadian province.

[@lexdunn4160]

@@anananasyiyen Canadian

[@steveburgess9180]

It's sad to say that hundreds of thousands of us, if we take a brief look into our ancestry, will find one if not more people who fought in that tragic war. Fortunately, my grandfather survived, one of five brothers. He joined in 1916 after his brothers Frank and Patrick were killed. John died six months later, and Cyril, at just 19, was killed in September 1918 at Looes two days after his birthday. A terrible waste of human life.

[@TedJameson]

Hey!! I was just thinking to myself that i would love to see some more 1914-1918 content from you guys. Love it! :)

[@dosidicusgigas1376]

Something Ive always found fascinating about world war 1, specifically the later years is the advent of combined arms warfare. Coordination between aircraft, infantry, armor and artillery quickly became vital to victory. It's a huge contrast to the back & forth attrition tactics of 1915-1916 (although attrition was still a primary strategy until the end of the war).

[@TheGreatWar]

yeah that's the true evolution that took place towards the end of the war, that often gets glossed over when talking about trench warfare.

[@christopherbell2091]

All it took was 1 general with agood dose of common sense and command of his nations troops and he showed the world how to win the war late 1917 into 1918 with carefull planning and full co ordination of all forces in his command synchronized in a welllanned well led offensive ,the general , Sir John Monash

[@wizofoz0605]

@@christopherbell2091 Correct, it was Monash who finally put the pieces of the puzzle together, beginning at Hamel, and the after requesting the Canadians join the battle on the Australian right, (he didn't trust the French Provincial troops stationed there.) it was the Battle of Amien which finally broke German defences and to a lesser extent, morale. The black day of the German war had arrived

[@modelrailwaynoob]

WWI

[@simonnachreiner8380]

Unfortunately like during the Napoleonic Wars when the importance of supporting Infantry with cavalry (To attack the flank) and cavalry with artillery (to break square formations) was pioneered the importance of combined arms was lost during the interwar period was each branch began to bicker about "Who really won the war"

[@WargamesTonight]

Well done. Nice job showing the evolution of technique - especially the decentralization of command and the development of reverse slope and elastic defense tactics and their impact on the battlefield. Really well done.

[@Lokster]

Never forgetting this channel, even without Indy you guys are supreme

[@strikeone7803]

what happened to him? haven't watched their videos in a while....their notifications stopped showing for me now that I think of it

[@snapdragon6601]

Same. I didn't know he was gone. This channel is still great.

[@Tepic88]

@@strikeone7803 Indy has moved to a World War Two channel, weekly covering that conflict.

[@Lukastar1]

Wow Lokster you’re here?!

[@kensterknig177]

What happened to Indy llydel ???

[@praetorian3902]

The size of artilleries in WW1 will always impress me. It's something out of an alternate timeline sci-fi book.

[@stephenconey4841]

Great video, very well done. As an aside, at the Battle of Arras a young Irish officer named Clive Staples Lewis was seriously wounded by friendly fire and the war ended for him. This was years before he even thought of writing the Chronicles of Narnia.

[@gorilla1988]

Tolkien was at the Somme

[@johnkevill470]

I love this! This is a better full-scale analysis than the chronological episodes- more specifics on the tactical evolution here, which is what really fascinates me. Thanks for your work, Mr. Jesse Alexander and the Great War team

[@E_T_]

This channel is by far my most favorite history channel.

[@szabo50]

this is the only time , I encountered, that tactics have been explained this clearly in such a concise manner

[@linming5610]

This battle shows the importance of short but steady gains over mass breakthroughs in a very contested area. Thank you for your video.

[@tillposer]

My grandfather served as an infantry officer with the Grenadierregiment 10, right on the edge of the Army group Arras at St. Laurent Blangy on an island in the Scarpe. The positions were overrun very quickly on the morning of April 9 and he escaped by the skin of his teeth, being shot at and wounded by a Scottish soldier in the process. His memoirs are very vivid, describing the Semaine de Souffrance of the preliminary artillery bombardment and the helter-skelter flight in great detail.

[@noreply-7069]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.

[@johnadams5489]

This is the BEST analysis of changes in tactics in WW1. Great Job.

[@rafeyos3396]

Thank you for making this! As someone who had multiple family members at vimy ridge during the battle, all of whom either refused to speak of the war or died during it or from later causes related to it, it is nice to understand more about what happened there.

[@jeremyd1869]

Excellent and fascinating! I've read quite a bit about WW1 over the years but have never seen such a detailed and clear explanation of the elastic defense. Well done!

[@herptek]

Depth of a defensive position may have decisive importance for the outcome of a decisive battle.

[@edmedlin2109]

Such a terrific job you are doing! I’m totally hooked. Keep it up - please!

[@TheGreatWar]

we will

[@lordgarion514]

When you think you're having a bad day, keep in mind that those men we saw taking a nap in the dirt side of the trench, were most likely having one of the best parts of their day.

[@firingallcylinders2949]

I often remember when thinking about complaining, there are people in the world that would love to live your worst day.

[@nebras__]

Truly appreciated comment. Whenever I think of how ugly were the years of war here in Syria or there in Ukraine I think of these men of fought and wasted their lives/years in these ugly wars. I feel sorry for them ,and think how meaningless life is, and how we are so privileged to live now rather than 60/100/200 years ago.

[@Kruppt808]

all kinds of diseases spreading, lice, rats, raining up to your hips sometimes, bombardment for hours, days, not seeing daylight, watching friends die quickly if you were lucky, slowly if not or permanently injured, bad food, imo leadership that rated from ok, to negligent to criminal. Before the French Mutiny, not having the front line troops changed out enough, no R&R for burnt out shell shocked units...... Dante's Inferno imo.

[@steelbear2063]

"When you are sad think of a more sad thing to be double-sad"

[@rikkithinn7258]

@@nebras__ Death is never meaningless.

[@democratssuck8610]

What an amazing video. Thank you. The pictures and videos were amazing

[@HippoPete]

great channel, this is very well presented and put together. thank you for the hard work!

[@kryts27]

A bit dissappointed that the battle of Pashendale in Belgium (an allied offensive) was not canvassed in this discussion. I lost a relative in this battle. At this time, the weather gods were on the side of the Germans. Above normal early summer rains turned the battlefield into a quagmire, which made even the movements of troops, let alone supplies and equipment, that much more difficult than if the weather stayed normal for that season. Hundreds, if not thousands of men drowed in the churned-up boggy mire. Some of them were fit men, simply weighed down with the weight of munitions and supplies until they slipped and fell or dissappeared into the mire.

[@bozotro]

There were Canadian battalions that were integrated with indigenous members. My Great Uncle (47th Battalion, CEF) fought alongside at least one at Vimy.

[@jaredflurry937]

I was thinking the same thing. Even a “white” Canadian might have wanted to channel the First People part of his heritage.

[@j2174]

@Graf von Losinj Why?

[@j2174]

@@jaredflurry937 Why?

[@jaredflurry937]

@@j2174 Before D-Day, many American paratroopers cut their hair into Mohawks and put on “native” war paint. It seems easy to imagine that a Canadian soldier, especially one with native ancestry, would do something similar to prepare a “warrior” persona for battle. There’s so much gravity and drama in a first-person narrative of WWI; it seems unusual that the author would fabricate something. Seems more likely that the “truth is stranger than fiction” and that he was truly encountering Canadian troops who had put on war paint to pump themselves up for going over the top.

[@blakeskidmore523]

@@j2174 The same reason a Christian soldier might pray. Ritual is important to men in battle for many reasons. I imagine this soldier could have covered himself in the war paint of his ancestors as a soldiers ritual, a warriors ritual. Hoping it would intimidate his enemies and bring him success in battle. Maybe to honor his ancestors. Maybe just personal comfort to a nervous young man heading into mortal peril. This story doesn't sound like a fantasy at all. Nobody is going to discipline a soldier in the middle of an attack because he has some face paint on and isn't wearing proper cover.

[@normanthedoorman205]

Extremely high quality video, best history on youtube

[@akramgimmini8165]

Love this Channel! WW1 is one of my personal Favorite Themes in History

[@TedJameson]

And thank you for giving plenty of air time to the French perspective! So many English language sources (even high quality well researched ones) acts as though the Western Front was just Little Britain vs the Hun.

[@jessealexander2695]

That was an absolute priority for this episode!

[@matthewwhitton5720]

Yes ! That is so very true ! At times, watching other channels, one could be stupidly misled into the utterly spurious notion that France was ‘ merely ‘ a battleground for the British Empires forces to clash with the ‘ Hun ‘. Preposterous !

[@celtspeaksgoth7251]

@@matthewwhitton5720 I thought the French army imploded after Verdun - so it was solely British Empire forces after that

[@vortex1603]

@@celtspeaksgoth7251 Imploded ? I think the French soldiers were more numerous than the British troops on the Western Front, even after Verdun. They always defended a larger warfront than the British.

[@Taurox220]

@@celtspeaksgoth7251 not at all. Verdun was a French victory and the French were the main allied land force on the Western front

[@rodgerjohnson3375]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Great War series. It was so interesting I traveled to Europe in the summers of 2018 and 2019 to visit the many war zones. However. TGW was fast paced and only highlighted the many battles. The in depth review today was great. More of this please.

[@TheGreatWar]

thanks, there will be more soon

[@jay_kay709]

@@TheGreatWar Bring Reciepts, biblography and open sourced historian nerd scrutiny... fakes go silent quickly. knowign aint endorsement.

[@Aryathehound]

Thank you for sharing old beautiful history film!

[@FuzzYSrb]

History should be taught this way in schools! I enjoy every single second of the video! Great content, as expected!

[@dclark142002]

When you finally take your hard earned learnings into your offensive plans...and then discover that your enemy has ALSO adapted, and adapted better and more quickly than you have...

[@ianjay4596]

I love these vids. Keep it up!!

[@leothecat9609]

Yessssss exactly the sort of content we need

[@majorianus8055]

Thanks for keeping up the videos!

[@sacredxgeometry]

The mere fact that you pronounce all their names properly in their own language proves that this is the best channel on this topic to me.

[@samarkand1585]

Awesome, would love to get one like that for the spring 1918 German offensives too

[@ernieengineer3462]

Great video. Thanks for posting.

[@adambrorson1751]

The intros to your intros are fantastic, they're great man, chefs kiss!

[@yoda5565]

"In battle, the enemy gets a vote". Well put.

[@omarreyes5023]

This was a great video, thank you

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff!

[@keithyork7691]

You mentioned the Battle of Bullicourt. the were two battles fought at that time he first in April by the 4th Aust. Div, which you cover...the second battle was in May and fought by the 2nd Aust Div. It too was a very bloody affair but Bullicourt was taken, and remain in Allied hands until lost during the German Spring Offensive in March 1918. during those two battles the AIF lost 10,000 casualties. Australian troop again fought in the area on 29 Sept 1918 as the Australian Army Corpes including 2 US div(under Australian command).

[@mnpd3]

I once wondered the purpose of the pair of studs on the side of the German helmet. I found out decades ago while touring a war museum.... those studs mate to a bulletproof plate that fits to the front of the helmet... nice for peering over the top of the trench.

[@TheGreatWar]

Watch our WW2 Documentary series 16 Days in Berlin on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/16-days-in-berlin-01-prologue-the-beginning-of-the-end

[@robertjarman3703]

Rule numero uno in warfare: "Plans never survive first contact with the enemy."

[@KanJonathan]

A word play on Richard Overy's "Why the Allies Won"?

[@flashgordon6670]

“The best laid plans of mice and men.”

[@hotstepper887]

LOL @ this nonsensical absolute garbage, could we not also say this? "Why The Germans Couldn't Overcome Allied Trenches in Spring 1917" (WW1 Documentary).

[@hotstepper887]

This channel is just one of those, that reals off American propaganda as if real history.

[@Kaiju-Driver]

I'm amazing contact it was a very enjoyable listen while at my work today keep up the great work

[@Ashtoni001]

Just discovered your superb channel in the last week. I’m finding the post war Central and Eastern European most interesting. Thank you.

[@somewhereelse000]

My grandfather fought in the 15th Btn. A.I.F. at Bullecourt! He was captured when his section ran out of ammunition after being cut off by the Germans, just as you stated. Thank you so much for this video, as it illustrates his war diary.

[@OriginalMergatroid]

Those new tactics for Vimy Ridge were designed by Canadian Arthur Currie. He believed it was smart to learn lessons from earlier attacks that had failed and cost so many lives. He had the men practice the attack in Britain, evn going so far as having the layout of the practice area similar to the actual battlefield, and having them practice the timing of advancing under a creeping barrage of artilary. The changes he recommended at a lecture

[@colinhunt4057]

Quite right. Arthur Currie is by far the most brilliant soldier and commander ever to emerge from the Canadian army. He managed the epic stand of the Canadians in 1915 at 2nd Ypres. In 1918, his was the leadership of the Canadian corps during the epic Hundred Days offensive. He won a string of victories including the incredible crossing of the Canal Du Nord as the Canadians were among the principal formations in routing the German army out of France and back into Belgium. During that time, Currie showed that he could handle battles of maneuvre rather than only set-piece battles like Vimy. HIs recognition by Canadians should be far larger than it is. That can be blamed on the spite and hatred of Prime Minister McKenzie King for anything connected to the military in Canada. King was a despicable man who refused to attend the commissioning of the Vimy Memorial in1936. He was quite rightly despised by all WW1 veterans.

[@Zygmunt-Zen]

Just discovered this channel. Great episode! (Subscribed!)

[@alexamerling79]

Great stuff like always!

[@rikterandersson3568]

I would love a special on the ''what if's''. For example talk about the anti-ludendorff clique in German High Command who wanted to win in Italy and close all tertiary fronts down in 1918 rather than the Kaiserschlachts. Or talk about the potential plans for 1919! There were so many interesting things going on. Love these!

[@ferdblu1946]

Great idea!

[@indianajones4321]

That’s a really cool idea

[@yolomanolo2601]

Would have been a better timeline for Europe if CP somehow won :( The wrong side was victorious sadly.

[@jakobrinsdorf7791]

@@yolomanolo2601 how would it have been better, what do you think?

[@Skewebjor]

​@@jakobrinsdorf7791 If the Germans hadn't lost maybe there where no Hitler and no USSR as a superpower. But this is not for sure. After all a victorious german Kaiserreich could have continued to democratize itself like the other monarchies in europe.

[@derarbeitslosehaider203]

This is what ive been waiting for♡

[@rebekahlikesmusic2723]

Really interesting 💯 Great video, well done

[@blueduck9409]

Excellent video! I enjoyed it. Thank you!

[@DanteTheAbyssalBeing]

I can't imagine witnessing the soul-destroying death and devastation of WW1 at 17 years of age. Must have been horrendous for them.

[@johnapple6646]

wow this channel is still around! Thank you for putting out this content

[@TheGreatWar]

not going anywhere 😉

[@micahistory]

Wow this was a throwback I wasn't expected

[@Rohilla313]

Excellent presentation!

[@crazygrainger2006]

16:35 - The battalion Jesse mentions (16th Battalion, AIF) is from Perth, Western Australia. I have seen the Drake-Brockman name appear all over the place.

[@Carolinian4372]

My Great Grandfather was wounded fighting on the western front in WWI. RIP George Patrick Coppedge 1894-1988 ✝️

[@davem5308]

What branch was he serving in?

[@Jaxxy-tu7wy]

Just came across you’re channel and its absolutely incredible

[@TheGreatWar]

welcome to the show

[@Jaxxy-tu7wy]

@@TheGreatWar my Great grandad was a medic at Vimy ridge one of the rare English soldiers there. He was gassed in the 3rd ypres and sadly died a few days before armistice day . His name was Thomas Tudor which i have his middle name .

[@TheHololo1234]

I just watched the movie on Netflix 'All quiet on the western front' Went on a WW1 history tour on KZbin. Glad I found this channel. This war was insane.

[@charleskobold115]

They failed to break the deadlock but the British army did hone their tactics to the point that on the offensive they were no longer suffering a ridiculous ratio of casualties compared to the Germans in defense, which differed greatly from 1915 and 1916. A serious improvement in artillery (both quality and coordination) was one of the main reasons. I think at 3rd Ypres the casualties were roughly 5:4 in favor of the Germans, which they certainly could not sustain. It was a serious step in the right direction.

[@DraftTheHippies]

“There is only 1 way this war ends, last man standing”

[@user-cd4bx6uq1y]

Absolutely amazing

[@michaelfugate2404]

Brilliant breakdown!

[@suxcawks]

Sweet, Great War video.

[@moss8702]

Nivelle makes me so angry. Years into the war and he learned nothing. Discarding the German defenses as a whole despite the war being one of endemic stalemate shows how disgusting most WW1 commanders were with lives of their men. I don't understand why they thought it was too hard to observe the line thoroughly, reissue and design a plan based off of the newly formed line, and then keep your mouth shut about it. It bewilders me.

[@ledoynier3694]

You basically summarized one of the main causes of the french defeat in 1940. Old commanders stuck in their obsolete beliefs, misusing an army that could have fought with success otherwise.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Gentlemen, the French and British and Canadian and Aussie generals were the winners, the German generals were the losers. Keep your perspective.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

General Pershing had watched WW1 for three years and on the first big action by the Americans they charged headlong into m/gun fire without artillery support. He didn’t learn either.

[@moss8702]

@@anthonyeaton5153 We won the Battle of Cantigny with very few losses compared to the French and British. The next major battles were Belleau Wood and Chateu. We didn't have the artillery or air support at the time. But almost all of our offenses were highly successful

[@josephahner3031]

@@ledoynier3694 the French doctrine of the second world war was a modern, developed doctrine. It was not at all dated or obsolete. It was the French reliance on obsolete communication methods that doomed them in 1940. Their combat doctrine was fine and where the French communication system did work, the French Army took quite a toll on the attacking Wehrmacht. The problem was that the German Panzer and motorized forces spearheading the attack were faster than the French communication runners once the telephone wires were cut.

[@AJ-et3vf]

awesome video! THank you!

[@wpankey57]

Another great video. Thanks!

[@SwineBuster]

This channel deserves more subs for its authenticity creativity and accuracy.

[@NoMoreCrumbs]

Never thought I'd be nostalgic for a war. These actions were first covered half a decade ago. Where has all the time gone?

[@TheGreatWar]

yeah, hard to believe we're soon entering the 9th year of production

[@steveclapper5424]

The war to end all wars! A personal favorite.

[@johnharrington1800]

Masterfully done

[@Corristo89]

How often have these "battles to win the war" ever worked? Yes, eventually a battle will become the last battle, but I can't really think of any which had the humble goal of ending an entire war in one fell swoop. The result is always the same: Thousands of dead, an embarrassed high command, morale in the gutter and valuable equipment lost. The Germans understood that they were most likely not going to go on the offensive again like in 1914, but they were masters of defense and dug in, essentially forcing the Entente to go on the offensive and attack them from weaker positions.

[@joeyjohnson4826]

I suppose they figured if they could blow a hole in the line big enough they could get to the enemy's flank and rear which would put them in a check position. Now you can either destroy the enemy's army or the enemy will sue for peace. That's what they were hoping for. 😁

[@joeya6795]

Winning enough battles will win the war, but only if you're annihilating troops with each win.

[@joeyjohnson4826]

@@joeya6795 there is always the hope that one striking blow will in the war. In the 19th and 20th century early 20th century warfare you hear this. It is more of a hope than anything. But had they been able to spearhead the line and turn the enemy's flank it would have put the Germans in perilous position. Unfortunately, the insane charging into machine gun fire never worked out much for them. 🤷‍♂️

[@ommsterlitz1805]

It only worked for Napoleon but he is on an other league of Genius among geniuses

[@joeyjohnson4826]

@@ommsterlitz1805 if he was such a genius he would have been able to adapt as his enemy learned his own tactics and used them against him. He was not able to find a new bag of tricks. And Wellington knew him better than he knew himself he ended him 😁

[@vksasdgaming9472]

So it was this offensive which during it's early moments claimed lives of these four British servicemen: - Blackadder, Edmund, Captain - Darling, Kevin, Captain - St Barleigh, George Colthurst, Lieutenant - Baldrick, S. Private Notable detail is that Blackadder Family which could trace it's unbroken lineage back to Richard IV of England through Prince Edmund Plantagenet ended on that day.

[@TheGreatWar]

could be yes. Haig definitely moved his drinking cabinet 6 inch closer to Berlin with this one.

[@bustersanderson9727]

@@TheGreatWar A herculean effort indeed. *Wibble

[@taesonslane2513]

Looks like only the bankers lending money to both sides were the real winners of WW1. This is what gave birth to the Jewish conspiracy because some of the bankers happened to be Jewish, but obviously that is irrelevant. You would be surprised just how many wars are conspired by bankers who then lend money to both sides.

[@tillposer]

13:38 A comment here: the defensive positions at Vimy were old structures that had accreted over two years of to and fro fighting at Lorette, Givenchy and Neuvill-Saint-Vaast and hammered by incessant mining warfare. Bullecourt on the other hand was nearly the end fortification of the newly constructed Siegfried-Stellung, what the Entente called the Hindenburg Line, forward positions extended as far as Henin-sur-Cojeul. This position was a totaly different proposition, carefully constructed concrete fortifications in the manner shown earlier in the video.

[@adamneville1809]

Great as always.

[@bustersanderson9727]

The most lethal combination of 1917: Nivelle as the supreme commander with Charles Mangin leading from the front.

[@thomasandrewo]

"Even if you won, you lost" Modern warfare in a nut shell

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Most wonderful history coverage

[@gamedevyoutube3.030]

Great video!!!

[@ChristopherNFP]

Thank you for remembering and explaining the Battle of Bullecourt. The citizen soldiers of the Australian 1st Battalion were incredible. Both there and at Pozieres in July 1916.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

25% of the Australian army were British born and a further % had British parentage.

[@xalleem8117]

Canada's contributions to WWI AND II are often overlooked..from battles in no man's land to D-day they had a lot of success amd contributed to overall victory for the allies in a lot of way....thank you O 🍁!

[@danglover4254]

I find stuff like this so interesting

[@georgebethos7890]

Well done 👍

[@MrChaostheorie13]

You have no idea how happy I am to see the First World War on this channel again and that's saying something, considering the terrible mess that it was

[@OneofInfinity.]

The 120k + French casualties paid the price of inability to adapt at the front, a hard lesson for their loved ones.

[@ledoynier3694]

a hard lesson for military command.. a tragedy for their loved ones.

[@BlueCadet3_]

love ur channel - are you going to go over All Quiet on the western front?

[@TheMomanslm]

I intend to listen only but must watch as the film footage is remarkable.

[@leeetchells609]

My great uncle was killed in this action 1917. He is buried in Morley France. He was just 24 years old.

[@Murray.Sutherland]

My understanding was that it was the New Zealand tunnelling company that was at the battle of Arras, the division it's self was not, as such it was an Australian attack and technically not an ANZAC one (even though the name AZAC corps was used it didn't always have New Zealanders in it) I believe the the New Zealand division it's self was in Flanders at that time preparing for the battle of Messines.

[@vanlendl1]

And you tell me now, when Germany declared war on New Zealand.

[@Murray.Sutherland]

@@vanlendl1 first world war, we had no foreign minister, so when Britain declared war, we where also at war. Second War, we had an independent foreign policy and actually declared war because we wanted to.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Murray don't forget the British.

[@matthewwhitton5720]

Ah ! At long last ! It’s always well worth the wait, but I must confess to always being impatient to watch another marvelous production from ‘ The Great War ‘…..

[@TheGreatWar]

we try to publish every four weeks roughly

[@williamkolina3988]

Jesse another great presentation