With the 100th anniversary of WWI, we will see many specials and documentaries about the Great War - this may be one of the best.
The first episode deals with the battle of Mons (August 1914). The situation: after declaring war on Germany for their invasion of Belgium, the British sent 80,000 professional soldiers to the north of France and Belgium. Mons was the first serious engagement of the war for the British. The 4th Royal Fusiliers are featured in this episode.
This episode perfectly captures the naiveté and lack of reality the "boys" had before engaging in combat. They were joking and even fighting amongst themselves, just hours before first contact with the German army. This naiveté was symptomatic of all of Europe, which believed this would be a short war - the boys would be home by Christmas. No one recognized the horrors which were ahead of them during the next 4 years.
An interesting sidelight before the battle begins is the scorn of the Royal Fusiliers towards the new weapon - the machine gun. The Fusiliers were famous for very accurate and rapid shooting by which they could deliver approximately 15 shots a minute - an amazing rate with bolt action rifles. But the Vickers machine gun could deliver 600 rounds a minute. The efficacy of the machine gun would no longer be debated just minutes after the battle starts.
This episode presents the tactical situation just before and during the battle with over head shots of the Mons-Conde canal, using what looks like heat sensing capabilities to show troop deployments.
The role of runners - trying to relay the tactical situation between headquarters and the front line is a key feature in this episode. The futility of this method of communication was well demonstrated as the situation being faced by the men at the front was not understood by those "directing" the battle and often changed minutes after the runner had taken off with the information. One sees how dangerous this job was as basically the runner had no protection as he ran along the fire lines. Casualties among runners was horrendous.
This is one of the slightly irritating things about how the film was shot. Following the runners, the camera was jolted to simulate the actual experience of running. It was very realistic as running in this type of situation is anything but smooth, but I have never enjoyed the "jumpy camera" approach - whether it is a runner in WWI or a scared kid in the Blair Witch woods. Being fain though, had they not done this, I would have been critical of it not being realistic.
Finally the depiction of the actual fighting is very real. What struck me was the futility of calling for a stretcher during the height of the battle - an entirely fruitless effort. Casualties and deaths were occurring at such a rate, that saving anyone who was injured was at best, impossible at worst, suicidal.
Other reviewers commented unfavorably about the choice of music (80's rock). I guess I was so captivated by the action, I did not notice the music. The documentation for the specifics of the fighting (who did what) was the result of the actual citation written by Lt. Steele (who lived only three weeks past Mons). The document is shown in the Fusiliers museum in the Tower of London. Seeing the actual artifacts of historic events like this has always been very impactful for me.
Having seen only episode 1 of this series, I am already bemoaning the fact that there are only 2 episodes left. Recommendation: if you are interested in the action of WWI, this is a must see for you. If you are put off by scenes of violence and death, better pass on this one.
I am constantly humbled by the sacrifice made by men and women of both sides of this conflict which, in my opinion, is the most fascinating event in history.
The first episode deals with the battle of Mons (August 1914). The situation: after declaring war on Germany for their invasion of Belgium, the British sent 80,000 professional soldiers to the north of France and Belgium. Mons was the first serious engagement of the war for the British. The 4th Royal Fusiliers are featured in this episode.
This episode perfectly captures the naiveté and lack of reality the "boys" had before engaging in combat. They were joking and even fighting amongst themselves, just hours before first contact with the German army. This naiveté was symptomatic of all of Europe, which believed this would be a short war - the boys would be home by Christmas. No one recognized the horrors which were ahead of them during the next 4 years.
An interesting sidelight before the battle begins is the scorn of the Royal Fusiliers towards the new weapon - the machine gun. The Fusiliers were famous for very accurate and rapid shooting by which they could deliver approximately 15 shots a minute - an amazing rate with bolt action rifles. But the Vickers machine gun could deliver 600 rounds a minute. The efficacy of the machine gun would no longer be debated just minutes after the battle starts.
This episode presents the tactical situation just before and during the battle with over head shots of the Mons-Conde canal, using what looks like heat sensing capabilities to show troop deployments.
The role of runners - trying to relay the tactical situation between headquarters and the front line is a key feature in this episode. The futility of this method of communication was well demonstrated as the situation being faced by the men at the front was not understood by those "directing" the battle and often changed minutes after the runner had taken off with the information. One sees how dangerous this job was as basically the runner had no protection as he ran along the fire lines. Casualties among runners was horrendous.
This is one of the slightly irritating things about how the film was shot. Following the runners, the camera was jolted to simulate the actual experience of running. It was very realistic as running in this type of situation is anything but smooth, but I have never enjoyed the "jumpy camera" approach - whether it is a runner in WWI or a scared kid in the Blair Witch woods. Being fain though, had they not done this, I would have been critical of it not being realistic.
Finally the depiction of the actual fighting is very real. What struck me was the futility of calling for a stretcher during the height of the battle - an entirely fruitless effort. Casualties and deaths were occurring at such a rate, that saving anyone who was injured was at best, impossible at worst, suicidal.
Other reviewers commented unfavorably about the choice of music (80's rock). I guess I was so captivated by the action, I did not notice the music. The documentation for the specifics of the fighting (who did what) was the result of the actual citation written by Lt. Steele (who lived only three weeks past Mons). The document is shown in the Fusiliers museum in the Tower of London. Seeing the actual artifacts of historic events like this has always been very impactful for me.
Having seen only episode 1 of this series, I am already bemoaning the fact that there are only 2 episodes left. Recommendation: if you are interested in the action of WWI, this is a must see for you. If you are put off by scenes of violence and death, better pass on this one.
I am constantly humbled by the sacrifice made by men and women of both sides of this conflict which, in my opinion, is the most fascinating event in history.