The BEST episodes written by Indiana Neidell
#1 - Armistice - But Peace?
The Great War (2014) - Season 5 - Episode 46
On November 11 1918, the German delegation and the Allies reach an agreement for an armistice. At the 11th hour the guns go silent and the First World War is over, well at least the guns go silent but is it a peace already? Germany is struggling with revolution and civil war at home, the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire causes a lot of chaos. And in Romania, the men are taking up arms again.
Watch Now:Amazon#2 - The Battle of Verdun - They Shall Not Pass
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 8
The Germans start the biggest battle in history with an artillery barrage of over 1000 guns on a 20 km front. The Battle of Verdun is the first major German offensive since the Race to the Sea and Erich von Falkenhayn has high hopes to break through the French lines. Right before the offensive starts, the French are able to reinforce their defences, so they are barely able to hold the line. The French credo is: "ls ne passeront pas!" – they shall not pass!
#3 - In Dire Straits - Russia on Austro-Hungary's Doorstep
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 2
The Austro-Hungarian army resembles a better militia after six months into the war. After defeats against Serbia and Russia and still under siege in Galicia, the forces are in dire straits. Many casualties, especially among the officers, mean that an effective warfare is impossible. And all this while the Russians are close to entering the Hungarian plains. On another front, the Russians are winning the battle of Sarikamish which ends in a disaster for the Ottoman Empire. On the Western Front, each side still tries to gain a decisive advantage.
Watch Now:Apple TV#4 - The Battle of Jutland - Royal Navy vs. German Imperial Navy
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 22
The Battle of Jutland or the Skagerrakschlacht was arguably the biggest naval battle in history and a turning point of World War 1 as the German High Seas Fleet failed to break through the Royal Navy's blockade of the North Sea. The set trap of U-Boats fails to spring and even though more British ships were lost in the battle, it was a tactical defeat for the Germans.
Watch Now:Amazon#5 - The Sea Turns Red - Gallipoli Landings
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 18
Completely underestimating the Ottoman army at the Dardanelles, the British commanders decide to let the ANZACs take the Gallipoli peninsular as a gateway to the Bosporus and Constantinople. After the landing in ANZAC Cove and on Z Beach one thing comes clear though: Mustafa Kemal and his troops will fight for every inch of this piece of rock.
#6 - The Rape of Belgium And The Battle of Tannenberg
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 5
During their advance through Belgium, the German Army is committing atrocities against Belgian civilians. The Austro-Hungarian Army is perpetrating massacres against the Serbian civilian population to retaliate against Serbian guerrilla warfare. At the Eastern Front, German generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff succeed in one of the most important battles of World War I: The Battle of Tannenberg.
Watch Now:Apple TV#7 - Romania Joins The War
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 35
After more than two years of carnage, the war is still growing as Romania joins the war. The moments seems right to them as the Russians steamrolled the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Eastern front this summer. But can the unproven and under equipped Romanian Army really seize the moment? The German High Command wants to make sure that Romania regrets joining the Entente and sends two of their best generals: Erich von Falkenhayn and August von Mackensen.
Watch Now:Amazon#8 - Taxi To The Front – The First Battle of the Marne
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 7
The German army is so close to Paris that French soldiers are brought to the front by taxis. Together with the British troops, the French are fighting the German advance near the Marne river. Meanwhile, the Austro-Hungarian army is retreating to the Carpathian Mountains after a catastrophic defeat against Russia with hundreds of thousands of casualties.
Watch Now:Amazon#9 - The Death Of Franz Joseph - The End of The Somme
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 47
The year 1916 is slowly coming to a close. This year of battles has seen the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme with well over 2 million casualties alone. And this week 100 years ago, the Battle of the Somme ended with the last push at the Ancre. In Vienna, Emperor Franz Joseph dies after almost 7 decades on the throne and Serbian and French forces take Monastir.
Watch Now:Amazon#10 - Turmoil in Russia - The Assassination of Rasputin
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 52
The chaos within Russia, especially Petrograd, is getting more and more severe. In the centre of much controversy is the Tsarina herself and her trusted mystic and healer Grigori Rasputin. His influence over the Tsar and his wife are actively frowned upon and this week 100 yeas ago he is assassinated. At the same the Russians are facing the German Army on the Romanian Front.
#11 - The Tsar Abdicates - Baghdad Falls
The Great War (2014) - Season 4 - Episode 11
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.
#12 - Despair Everywhere
The Great War (2014) - Season 4 - Episode 32
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.
Watch Now:Amazon#13 - Welcome To The Dirt – The Beginning of Trench Warfare
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 8
After the advances and retreats during the early weeks of war, the front is coming to a grinding hold at the river Aisne. The German army is digging itself in on one side of the river and therefore a new, horrible chapter of World War One beginns: the trench warfware. To be prepared for this new kind of war, the British are recruiting over 400.000 soldiers, some of them still believing that the war will be over by Christmas.
#14 - Gas! - A New Horror On The Battlefield
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 6
After more than 6 months of stalemate, the German Empire is playing two new cards to gain a decisive advantage. On the Eastern Front, the Germans use gas on a huge scale for the first time. While the attack fails, the foundation for gas warfare is laid. At the same time Kaiser Wilhelm II agrees to unrestricted submarine warfare – any ship can be sank at any time.
Watch Now:Amazon#15 - Austria-Hungary Deisintegrates - The Ottoman Empire Leaves the War I
The Great War (2014) - Season 5 - Episode 44
The Ottoman Empire has been on the retreat in the Middle East since the renewed British offensive in September and now, as the allies are threatening the Turkish heartland and also Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire calls for an armistice. The Armistice of Mudros is signed as the remaining Central Powers also struggle to keep their Empires together.
#16 - The World at War - The Ottoman Empire Enters The War
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 15
Three months after the outbreak of the war, another world power enters the conflict: The Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman war minister Enver Pascha, a supporter of a new Turkish self confidence, wants to gain advantages for a future Turkey by declaring war. Meanwhile, another ship of the German East Asian Squadron is surprising the Royal Navy by sinking two of their ships near Coronel, Chile. Regardless, the battles on the Eastern, Western Front and in Serbia are continuing.
Watch Now:Amazon#17 - The Enemy Within - The German Army's Power Play
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 17
The commanders of the German army blame each other for the missing victories. Falkenhayn and Hindenburg both believe that they have the only solution to the problems. The German emperor feels more and more excluded when it comes to military decisions. His soldiers become pieces on a chessboard and the war of the 20th century also takes it's toll on some of the best commanders. The situation at the Western Front stays unaltered: the French and Germans fight each other between the trenches. On the contrary, at the Eastern Front the Russians and the Germans are battling in a heavy fight.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#18 - The Russian War Machine And The Race To The Sea
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 9
Sparked by the desperate state of the Austrians, the Russian army goes on the offensive. General Ivanov even tries to us his numerical superiority to make up for the German victories of a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the armies of the western front try to outflank each other as they race north to the sea. And in the North Sea itself submarine warfare really gets going while in the air, we see airplanes used in large military operations for the first time.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#19 - Dying In The Mud - Autumn Is Taking Its Toll
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 10
The autumn rain turns the battlefields into muddy landscapes. Mud in which the soldiers are hardly able to dig trenches and in which no artillery gun will stand. The first change of seasons is proving to be a big new challenge for the soldiers in Europe. While at the time, the longest siege of the war is starting, we can also see the first major battle in the south of Africa.
Watch Now:Amazon#20 - Cavalry, Spies and Cossacks
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 25
The war seems like a romantic novel this week: In the East the Russians are saved by Cossack Cavalry while August von Mackensen's artillery is plowing through Galicia. In the meantime, the British discover a German spy ring in London and the French gain a few miles in the west.
#21 - The Austro-Hungarian Empire Strikes Back
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 26
Just a few weeks ago Austria-Hungary's military laid in shambles. But with German support from August von Mackensen and other German generals, the tide is turning on the Eastern Front. Even Lemberg can be conquered again and the Russians are still on their Big Retreat.
#22 - The State Of World War 1 - As Reported by A Newspaper 100 Years Ago
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 38
This week Indy dissects a contemporary source from autumn 1915 - the Hobart Mercury Newspaper from Australia. You can find the whole newspaper right here: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/artic... While the French and British prepare a new offensive on the Western Front, their Entente ally Russia is still suffering in the East when Germany is moving on the last big Russian city of Vilnius. Even though the propaganda says otherwise, the situation for the ANZACs in Gallipoli still looks grim.
Watch Now:Amazon#23 - The Forgotten Front - World War 1 in Libya
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 47
12 war zones were not enough for this global war and this week an often forgotten theatre of war opens in Libya. Local Arab tribesmen fight against the British in guerrilla war. As if the Italians did not have enough problems at the Isonzo Front where Luigi Cardona is still sending his men into certain death against the Austrian defences. The situation for the Serbs is grim too and on the Western Front the carnage continues unchanged.
Watch Now:Amazon#24 - The Serbian Exodus Through Albania
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 49
Serbia's last stand is over and the remaining forces and civilians have to leave their home country across the inhabitable trails of the Albanian Alps. So, a whole nation is on the run while their enemies celebrate their successful military operation. The German Army is gladly relocating the much needed troops to other fronts while they leave the Austrians and Bulgarians to deal with the new situation on the Balkans.
#25 - Preparing for 1916 - The Year of Battles
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 53
1915 was a year for the Central Powers except on the Western Front where the stalemate continues. But plans are being made on both sides to gain an advantage. Preparations for huge offensives are on the way and one French fortress is the focus of the German Army: Verdun.
Watch Now:Amazon#26 - Equilibrium of Carnage at Verdun - Portugal Joins The War
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 10
The fierce battle of Verdun is still going on and the initial surprise momentum of the German Army under Erich von Falkenhayn is lost. Battles for hill tops and forts turn into carnage where even the winning side is loosing too much men to go on. The Siege of Kut is growing ever more desperate as the there is virtually no food left for the British Army. And in all that Portugal is joining the war.
#27 - Verdun - A Nightmare to Annex
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 13
After the huge failure at Mort Homme the Germans decide to take Cote 304 and therefore go to the western edge of the Verdun salient to make progress. On the Eastern Front the Russian 5th army loses 28,000 men in the Lake Naroch offensive and runs in its own artillery fire while at home, the Russian minister of war will be sacked. On the sea, German U-boats strike down a hospitalship and a ferry, which they thought were troopships.
#28 - Conrad's Cunning Plan - Hiding In Plain Sight
The Great War (2014) - Season 3 - Episode 20
Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff Conrad von Hötzendorf had a plan to finally force a decision against the Italians. He massed troops and artillery in a different sector of the front planning a surprise offensive. And even though everybody knew about his cunning plan, Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna believed everything was a ruse and fired a general instead of preparing against the attack.
#29 - A New War With Old Generals – Carnage on the Western Front
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 4
In the early days of World War 1, warfare is still based on ideas and ideals of 19th century generals. The technological progress during industrialisation clashes with obsolete war tactics. Tens of thousands of soldiers lose their lives in carnage at the Western front.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#30 - Russia Fails In The Mountains - Basra Falls
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 16
This week, generals on three different fronts show that they are not able to realise their mistakes. Basra falls to the British, the quick victory at the Dardanelles is getting more and more unlikely and the Russians are loosing their advantage in the Carpathians. But not the commanders have to pay the price for their mistakes, the soldiers have to.
Watch Now:Amazon#31 - Stopping Russia - Hindenburg's Final Offensive?
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 7
This week, well over 1 million soldiers are on the advance everywhere in Europe. General Hindenburgs tries to beat the Russians once and for all at the Masurian Lakes. Austria-Hungary is fighting the Russians with German support in the Carpathian mountains and on the Western Front the Champagne offensive is still going.
#32 - Prelude to Gallipoli - Naval Bombardement of the Dardanelles
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 9
To break up the stalemate and get a decisive advantage, France and Great Britain open up yet another theatre of war in the Dardanelles. The plan is to seize the strait and open eventually open up the Bosporus in order to ship supplies to the Eastern and Balkan front. And so begins the naval bombardment of ottoman forts as prelude to a big offensive which will we know to today as Gallipoli.
#33 - Iron, Steel and Oil - The Fight For Resources
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 18
Four months after the outbreak of the war, a new fight develops: the fight for the most valuable resources. The modern warfare and its war machines need one thing more than anything: oil. The influence is immense - on the battles and the life of the soldiers. Oil, iron, steel or cole resources can be a matter of life and death. Meanwhile, the situation at the Front is gridlocked, especially in the trenches of the Western Front. The Britain's advance into the Ottoman Empire and conquer the city Basra. Their goal is to secure their drilling facilities at the Arab Gulf.
Watch Now:Amazon#34 - The Raid On Scarborough - A Failed Attempt at Intimidation
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 21
German admiral Franz von Hipper reluctantly carries out his orders to bomb British costal towns. And indeed, this attempt to intimidate British civilians only makes them more united. British propaganda gets another opportunity to portray Germans as bloodthirsty and brutal. Meanwhile, the French start a new offensive near Vimy on the Western Front.
#35 - The First Battle of Champagne - Dying In Caucasus Snow
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 22
Right before Christmas the allied powers begin the Champagne offensive, which will last several months. In the snow and the mud, and under horrible living conditions not only the soldiers suffer. The images of a war fought with honour and glory are finally over as even the white flag is used for ambushes. Far away in the mountains of the Caucasian, Russia and the Ottoman Empire are fighting a grim battle, too, in which many soldiers die during interminable marches in the snow wearing summer uniforms.
Watch Now:Apple TV#36 - Plans Are Doomed to Fail - The Battle of Galicia
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 6
While the Germans are very close to reaching Paris, the Eastern Front proves to become a disastrous fail for the Austro-Hungarian forces. Conrad von Hötzendorf overestimated his skills and the strength of his troops. And after his too complicated plan in Galicia failed, the town of Lemberg falls into the hands of the Russians. Meanwhile, the war starts spreading into Asia, as Japan is besieging Tsingtao and New Zealand conquering German Samoa.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#37 - Fresh Meat - The Search For New Recruits
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 14
After some heavy casualties during the first months of war, the armies had to look for new recruits. While Great Britain undertook soldiers in military service to fill up their ranks, Germany was relying on reservists and inexperienced recruits. This fatal German mix was sent against smaller, but much more experienced British and French troops. The resulting carnage had no military effect, but was later on idolized by the German propaganda and is today known as the "Kindermord" (child murder) or Massacre of the Innocent.
Watch Now:Amazon#38 - Mission Accomplished? - The Austro-Hungarian Empire Conquers Belgrade
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 19
During the first week of December, Austria manages to capture Belgrad. Thereby Austria is the first nation to achieve one of its war aims. The victorious Austrians are joyful, but the Serbs strike back and the Austrian euphoria takes a sudden end. Meanwhile, the Russians fight against the German and Austrian troops in front of Cracow. But the Austrians are able to stop the Russian offensive and achieve yet another victory.
#39 - The Naval Battle At The Falkland Islands - The Death of Maximilian von Spee
The Great War (2014) - Season 1 - Episode 20
Near the far away Falkland Islands the story of the German East Asia Squadron is coming to an end: in a naval battle nearly the entire squadron sunk and Maximilian von Spee dies together with over 2000 German seamen. Meanwhile, the war of attrition is still going on in Europe and Austria-Hungary has to learn that their conquest of Belgrade is not putting a lid on the Serbian resistance.
#40 - The Ottoman Disaster - The Battle of Sarikamish
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 1
The Champagne offensive is still going on the Western Front without any side gaining a decisive advantage. In the Caucasus, Enver Pasha is showing how far he's willing to go to achieve his goals. Against his military advisors’ recommendations, he decides to send more and more troops to Sarikamish. Without supplies and with temperatures constantly below -20 degrees, thousands of them freeze to death before even reaching the frontline. When the Russians finally encircle the Ottoman Troops, defeat is inevitable.
Watch Now:Apple TV#41 - Zeppelins Over England - New Inventions For The Modern War
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 4
For a decisive advantage on the Western Front, the military commanders of both sides are trying to use technological advances. And so this week, German Zeppelins are flying their first air raids on English towns. Winston Churchill is outlining his ideas for what would later become the tank. Meanwhile at the Western Front, the soldier Adolf Hitler is thinking about how this war is going to continue.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#42 - The Fall of Przemyśl - Changing Strategy On The Western Front
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 13
The generals at the Western Front are slowly starting to adapt to the modern war. The battle of Neuve-Chappelle will be a blueprint for future operations and further improvements are supposed to finally bring the decisive advantage. In the meantime, after 133 days, the fortress of Przemyśl capitulates - the longest siege of World War 1.
#43 - Showdown In The Dardanelles - Bulgaria Flirts With The Central Powers
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 14
Not only the soldiers are suffering on the Eastern and Western Front, the Dardanelles or since this week also in Macedonia. More and more civilians become refugees in this modern war. Even far away from the battle grounds they are not safe anymore when German submarine sink civilian ships.
#44 - The Armenian Genocide
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 15
The leaders of the Ottoman Empire are looking for a scapegoat after their collosal defeat in the Caucasian Mountains a few month earlier. They start the systematic relocation and disarm Armenian troops among their ranks to end all calls for Armenian independence. Today's estimates place the death toll of the genocide up till 1.5 million men, women and children.
Watch Now:Amazon#45 - Gas On The Western Front - Baptism of Fire for Canada
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 17
After experiments on the Eastern Front, the German Army is using poison gas for the first time on the Western Front. At the beginning of the 2nd Battle of Ypres, the wind blows in a favourable direction; the wide spread use of chlorine gas has a devastating effect on the French troops. Even the Germans are surprised by it. The incredible sacrifice of the Canadian troops make it possible to defend Hill 60 in the end.
#46 - Sinking of the Lusitania & The Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 19
Ignoring the warnings and cruising carelessly slow the RMS Lusitania is hit by a torpedo of the German U-Boat U20. Almost 2000 people die during the sinking of the Lusitania. At the same time the German and Austro-Hungarian army start a combined surprise offensive in the Carpathians. The Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive is a huge success for German commander August von Mackensen.
#47 - The German Phalanx Chases Russia
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 20
The 2nd Battle of Ypres is still going but no side can gain a decisive advantage. The main reason on the British side is a lack of artillery ammunition. Even the delivered shells are not working correctly. But even the German supply lines are stretched thin. At the same time German South-West Africa falls to South African troops under Louis Botha.
#48 - The Battle of San River - Winston Churchill Gets Fired
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 21
The big success of the Gallipoli Campaign never came, thousands of soldiers died and so Winston Churchill is forced to resign. At the same time August von Mackensen is pushing back the Russians and forcing them to hide in Przemyśl fortress - the same fortress they just conquered from the Austro-Hungarians a few weeks earlier.
#49 - The New Alpine Front - Italy Joins World War 1
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 22
After the defeats of Austria-Hungary against Russia, Italy is seeing her chance to grab disputed territories from them. Even though they are not prepared for a full scale war economically or militarily, the declare war against the Central Powers. So, just one month after the landing at Gallipoli, yet another front is opened in Europe. Meanwhile the Russians are still on the run from August von Mackensen and in Gallipoli the fighting stops to collect the dead.
#50 - Artillery in World War 1 - The Key To Success
The Great War (2014) - Season 2 - Episode 23
When Przemysl falls for the 2nd time and when the British and ANZAC troops fail at Gallipoli again, one thing becomes clear: Artillery is the key for future battles. August von Mackensen had used it with great success at the Gorlice-Tarnow-Offensive and the French even diverted one million men to shell factories. Meanwhile German Zeppelins bombed London and the US sent submarines for aid.
Watch Now:Amazon