The BEST episodes of The Great War (2014) season 4
Every episode of The Great War (2014) season 4, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Great War (2014) season 4!
'The Great War' shows you the history of the First World War in the four years from 1914 to 1918, exactly 100 years ago. Our host Indy takes you back week by week and shows you what was going on in the past. Learn more about the Allies and the Central Powers, archdukes, emperors, Winston Churchill, Franz Ferdinand, Wilhelm II, soldiers, battles and of the life aside the battlefield.
#1 - Despair Everywhere
Season 4 - Episode 32 - Aired 8/10/2017
This week Russo-Romanian forces clash with the Central Power´s counteroffensive in the Second Battle of Oltuz. The failure of the Kerensky Offensive disheartens the Russian army and radicalizes the homefront. While the Bolsheviks were calling for "Peace, Bread and Land", the new commander of the Russian army Lavr Kornilov strives to become a strong authoritarian figure for the political right. And the Battle of Passchendaele reveals a scarred, broken battlefield of mud and destroyed equipment. Despair is everywhere.
#2 - The Tsar Abdicates - Baghdad Falls
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/16/2017
The protests that emerged in Russia this week are growing stronger and the Tsar is increasingly isolated until even his generals are pushing for his abdication. And after 300 years of Romanov rule, Tsar Nicholai II abdicates and when his brother refuses to take up the throne, the dynasty is no more. Meanwhile in the Middle East, the British are taking Baghdad effectively seizing control over a large area.
#3 - Turmoil In The Reichstag - The Kerensky Offensive
Season 4 - Episode 27 - Aired 7/6/2017
The German home front is shaken by a political scandal this week 100 years ago. A member of the Center party reveals that the German unrestricted submarine warfare is not achieving what the German high command had hoped for. Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, who pretty much run Germany as a military dictatorship by now, also dispose of chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg. Hollweg was actually secretly involved in peace negotiations but that chance is gone with him too. Russia unleashes their Kerensky Offensive on the Eastern Front and puts further pressure on the Central Powers.
#4 - Ludendorff Plans for a Spring Offensive
Season 4 - Episode 52 - Aired 12/28/2017
This week, the peace negotiations are underway at Brest-Litovsk. Meanwhile, the German High Command begins to plan for a game-changing offensive in the spring. There’s action in Italy on the Piave Front, and the Ottomans try to recapture the Holy City.
#5 - Operation Beach Party - Mustard Gas Unleashed
Season 4 - Episode 28 - Aired 7/13/2017
British Commander Sir Douglas Haig is still convinced of his coming offensive in Flanders. But the Germans now that something is afoot and launch a spoiling attack at the Yser River - the name of the operation is Strandfest or Beach Party. They use blue cross gas for the first time there and two days later also use another new chemical agent which will be known as mustard gas.
#6 - July Days In Petrograd - Blood On The Nevsky Prospect
Season 4 - Episode 29 - Aired 7/20/2017
The tensions between the Russian Provisional Government, between the civilians and the Bolsheviks turn violent this week 100 years ago. Machine Guns fire into the demonstrations on the Nevsky Prospect and arrest warrants are issued for Lenin and Trosky. At the same time the preliminary bombardment for the Battle of Passchendaele begins on the Western Front.
#7 - Three Years of World War 1
Season 4 - Episode 30 - Aired 7/27/2017
Christmas 1914 - that's when the war was supposed to be over. And now, in the summer of 1917, it entered its fourth year and there was no end in sight. The British Army was about to launch a new offensive near Ypres, Russia drowned in chaos and the central powers' defences were still holding. Though in Romania, the combined Russian and Romanian attack put a few cracks into the German self esteem.
#8 - The Battle of Passchendaele - Mutiny in the German Navy
Season 4 - Episode 31 - Aired 8/3/2017
Douglas Haig had been busy since the Battle of Arras came to an end. He amassed huge artillery concentration, got his hands on the new British Mark IV tanks and had a cunning plan that even involved a naval landing along the Belgian coast. And the opening of the battle was definitely more promising than the Battle of the Somme one year earlier. In Germany, a small naval mutiny is put down at the same time.
#9 - The Battle of Hill 70 - Mackensen Advances in Romania
Season 4 - Episode 33 - Aired 8/17/2017
The Battle of Passchendaele has turned into a muddy mess, the weather conditions take a toll on both the defenders and the attackers alike. The Canadians relieve some pressure on the British Army in the Battle of Hill 70 south of Ypres. Meanwhile, August von Mackensen is fighting back the Romanian offensive that was unleashed last week.
#10 - The 2nd Battle Of Verdun - Lost Opportunities On The Isonzo River
Season 4 - Episode 34 - Aired 8/24/2017
The 11th Battle of the Isonzo river continued this week and the Italians manage to break through parts of the Austro-Hungarian lines, they hesitate to exploit the breakthrough though and the opportunity is lost. Meanwhile the French break through the German lines at Verdun and Herbert Plumer comes up with a plan to defeat the German Hindenburg Line.
#11 - The Moscow State Conference - Black Sea Revolutionaries
Season 4 - Episode 35 - Aired 8/31/2017
The political factions that oppose the rise of Bolshevism in post-revolutionary Russia come together for a conference this week 100 years ago. But apart from the Moscow State Conference, some people in the military actually aim for a military dictatorship to restore order in Russia and continue the war. At the same time the 2nd Battle of Verdun comes to an end with a French victory and revolutionary fever also spreads across the Black Sea Fleet.
#12 - The Fall of Riga - 11th Battle of the Isonzo River
Season 4 - Episode 36 - Aired 9/7/2017
The German Army under Oskar von Hutier and his artillery officer Georg "Durchbruchmüller" Bruchmüller takes Riga from the Russians, the French government is reshuffled and the 11th Battle of the Isonzo River continues.
#13 - Attempted Military Coup in Russia - The Kornilov Affair
Season 4 - Episode 37 - Aired 9/14/2017
The situation in Russia further escalates as Lavr Kornilov attempts to gain complete power with a military coup. The result is a disaster for him and thousands of armed Bolsheviks in the streets of Petrograd.
#14 - British Advance At Passchendaele
Season 4 - Episode 38 - Aired 9/21/2017
Herbert Plumer had a cunning plan to crack the German defences at Passchendaele, he would "bite and hold" only small pieces of the German Hindenburg Line instead of aiming for the big breakthrough. It was still a costly tactic but it achieved results and the Germans under Ruprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, were worried.
#15 - Battle of Polygon Wood - Betrayal At The Italian Front
Season 4 - Episode 39 - Aired 9/28/2017
The British and Australian forces under Sir Herbert Plumer continue to advance at Passchendaele. Plumer's new tactic comes with a high price in men and material but it also gets results. German flying ace Werner Voss fights his last legendary fight and on the Italian Front, some Austro-Hungarian officers want to end the war sooner than later - and not in their countries' favour.
#16 - Sabotage In The Desert - Battle of Broodseinde
Season 4 - Episode 40 - Aired 10/5/2017
While the regular British forces were advancing towards Jerusalem and Baghdad, T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt were causing havoc behind the lines. This week 100 years ago, they were continuing to attack the important Hejaz railway which was one of the vital supply routes for the Ottoman Army. On October 4, the Battle of Broodseinde was fought near Ypres and the costly British victory there caused real headaches for German general Erich Ludendorff.
#17 - Operation Albion - Passchendaele Drowns In Mud
Season 4 - Episode 41 - Aired 10/12/2017
The situation for the German Army on the Western Front looks grim, but in the East they have the upper hand and this week begin to put pressure on the Russians in Operation Albion - an amphibious landing operation in the Estonian archipelago. At the same time, the Battlefield at Passchendaele is turning into a muddy swamp.
#18 - Operation Albion Concludes - Allied Failures In Belgium
Season 4 - Episode 42 - Aired 10/19/2017
100 years ago this week, Operation Albion comes to a successful end for the Germans, as revolution is on the horizon in Russia. The Allies aren’t faring quite so well on the Western Front, where the weather continues to worsen and the death toll climbs ever higher. Haig believes a breakthrough is imminent and German morale is tested. The stalemate continues, but sooner or later the Battle of Passchendaele must come to an end.
#19 - The Battle of La Malmaison - Breakthrough at Caporetto
Season 4 - Episode 43 - Aired 10/26/2017
The French score a morale boosting victory over the German at La Malmaison, but the Canadians were not so successful elsewhere on the Western Front. Whilst the Germans continue on through the Estonian Archipelago and onto the Russian mainland, the 12th Battle of the Isonzo takes place on the Italian Front. Unlike the 11 battles that came before it, this one was initiated by the Central Powers and was their biggest breakthrough yet on that front.
#20 - Battle of Beersheba - Canadian Frustration - Balfour Declaration
Season 4 - Episode 44 - Aired 11/2/2017
On the Western Front this week, the Canadians under Sir Arthur Currie attempt to advance once more, whilst Haig remains optimistic about an imminent breakthrough. Following Caporetto, the Italian retreat continues, whilst the British Army enjoys success on the Palestine Front, with a little help from mounted ANZAC troops. With Lenin’s return, the revolution looms over the Russian capital, whilst the Balfour Declaration is issued in Britain.
#21 - The Russian October Revolution 1917
Season 4 - Episode 45 - Aired 11/9/2017
After the turmoil of the past weeks in Petrograd, the Soviets and the Red Guards seize the opportunity and topple the provisional government under Alexander Kerensky. Their first goal is to pull out of the war. The Italians were still in full retreat during the Battle of Caporetto and the British Army was still advancing in Palestine.
#22 - The End Of Passchendaele - Fighting in Petrograd
Season 4 - Episode 46 - Aired 11/16/2017
The Anti-Bolshevik forces in Russia are trying to fight back last week's revolution. The Battle of Passchendaele ends after 3 months of fighting and at least 500,000 casualties on both sides. The British are still advancing on Jerusalem and the Italians set up defences behind the Piave river.
#23 - Tank Corps Unleashed - The Battle of Cambrai
Season 4 - Episode 47 - Aired 11/23/2017
After stopping the offensive at Passchendaele, the British Army launches another, albeit more limited, offensive. Almost 500 tanks are put into place and the initial success is remarkable. But the Germans had ben training in anti-tank warfare and are supported by fresh troops from the Eastern Front.
#24 - All Quiet On The Eastern Front - Action in East Africa
Season 4 - Episode 48 - Aired 11/30/2017
This week in the Great War, the Battle of the Ngomano was fought in East Africa between the Germans and Portuguese, which was a decisive win for Lettow-Vorbeck’s men. On the Eastern Front, the fighting stops and Trotsky published the secret treaties that Russia and the other Allies had signed. The Battle of Cambrai continued, with attacks and counterattacks from both sides, including the implementation of the new Hutier assault tactics. Armando Diaz was making changes for the better on the Italian Front, with the express aim of improving the morale among his men.
#25 - Halifax Explosion - Peace in the East?
Season 4 - Episode 49 - Aired 12/7/2017
This week in the Great War, we see some action in Italy and none at all in Russia - the peace negotiations are well underway. The Allied Supreme War Council meets for the first time as the Battle of Cambrai comes to a close. Two ships collide in Nova Scotia resulting in a deadly explosion.