The Germans had the right idea. If your plan isn't working, change it. If there's an opportunity to exploit, exploit it. If you think something must be done now, do it. Every decision is a risk, but making no decision is the worse thing possible for a commander.
To be fair Moreland did redeem himself somewhat latter on in the War, he was in command at the Battle of Messines in 1917 which he won. Sure he made mistakes but then again so did Napoleon in Russia and at Waterloo but folk don't take him to task about it.
The point is he learnt from his mistakes and put the lessons into good use latter on, if he was truly bad he would have put on supply duty.
@Freddie1980 Ya but only issue is he led hundred's of British life's into a quick and pointless death,Just because he was too arrogant to change plan's :)
Could you please make a decent statement of why British were "sillier" than French, Germans, Russians, and Austro-Hungarians by waging the same kind of static warfare that all belligerents nations waged at the period given the available rudimentary equipment.
@cuzcatlan36 Britain suffered 20% of WW1 casualities. America suffered 2%. More French died at the battle of verdun than Americans died in the whole of the war. America meant nothing to WW1. You spit on millions of graves when you say America won ww1. I'm not even going to talk to you. You disgust me.
@dakotajim That's what they teach you in biased American schools, dipshit. Why do you believe the biased bullshit they teach at your schools? Learn some unbiased history, and you'll realise what a retard you sound like.
@qwertyuiopm250 no we didn't. we killed a lot of un-armed civilians and tested weapons on un-suspecting villagers, and we also infected a lot of americans with deadly quimical stuff. over all, it was a human tragedy all around. militarily, I suppose the pentagon got what they wanted( a war) and weapons manufaturers sold their weapons for millions. I guess they won!
@Eurofighter19 great point, im sure the same thing repeated over and over in other battles, this one just happens to show the British. Its just that they came back to win the same battle 3 years later. I bet if i watched a bunch of battles lost due to obsolete tactics and "military intelegence" and there was no happy ending, just sad letters, I'd probably want to slit my wrists. also its a cool perspective to see the "winning side" all giddy because thier tactics are working so well.
Many historians agree that WWI was a technological war (it marked the birth for modern warfare as we know it today) in which the firepower of defense was greater than the firepower of offense.
Infantry men walking slowly, carrying their rifles and a handful of grenades are not match for well developed multi-level trenches protected by machine gun nests and lethal artillery fire.
The battle of Cambrai would prove that only armored vehicles could puncture such defenses effectively.
It was through that kind of costly battles that the Allies eventually gained the experience enough to achieve a breakthrough, force the Germans to retreat and eventually win the war.
The Germans too gained invaluable experience throughout the war, the tactics used during the last year of the conflict , tactical air-to-ground support and the use of highly experienced storm troops moving fast and bypassing trenches, astonished Allied soldiers in both the Western and Eastern fronts.
@Eurofighter19 But the offensive that used those new tactics en masse(the michaels offensive/Kaiserschlacht) was the same one which bled all of gemanys last reserves to breaking point
sutch a bad general should be court-marschaled for the way he handeled the situation. A man who sends his men to slaugther by his own unflexability and dont uses his advantages should not be in the army!
Time and again documentaries never state what many of the British generals were.
in WW1. Arrogant, careless, utterly incompetent, morons, who happily had their own men shot for the lie of cowardice. These people had no right to hold the position of officer never mind general
@moelman100 That is an untrue assertion committed by war poets who are taken literally. The commanders were often very troubled by the experiences of their men, post war alot of commanders are behind things like 'veterans services' and pensions. At the time they were forced to attack by political leaders regardless that Haig, Kitchener and other senior commanders knew the army would NOT be ready until 1917.
It's ironic that the useless fat English Officers killed more British soldiers than the Germans did.
If they had sent reserves to help the Ulstermen, it would have saved thousands of the Ulster division, and then the village of Thiepval would probably have been taken in a few hours, or at least by nightfall.
@rockinbillyboy Yea, its true, but it was the turn of the century so most officers who had studies at military academies were taught warfare techniques used in the 1800s, they werent used to new inventions like machine guns etc. Still though they were incompetent, any good general should be able to adapt to a new type of warfare and toss what he had been taught aside.
@rockinbillyboy u fucking idiot!, its not the officers you dumbasses its the generals and commandings, officers are the guys that have the pistols that are usally the first ones to get shot, there with there men through everything, they do what the general tells them u fucking idiot how dare u disgrace them
@DJsharp707 Oh DJ......you're not really all that "Sharp" are you?...eh?
My term "Officer" encompasses all Officers..Generals and Commanders (not commandings)..lol
A lot of these Officers made decissions that wiped out hundreds of thousands of good men!!...men who knew better than they did...the only thing that separated them was their Father's money!
It was also these fine upstanding Officers, who used that very pistol you mention, to shoot poor young lads who suffered from shell shock.
@DJsharp707 ..and one other thing DJ not-so-sharp......perhaps if the Yanks had got here YEARS earlier..then those Officers wouldn't have had the opportunity to wipe out so many good men.
The war started in 1914...............you guys got here 3 years later!!!
@rockinbillyboy u have to realize that the british generals did not realize this at the time, its only looking back on it later that we realize there mistakes
@edpacunana460 Way too many problems with your feeble suggestion. The men leading the battle had years of training to teach them how and the sad reality was that in this instance there was little to avert this. Strategically the attack needed to happen in a similar manner. Further night operations? That would be too difficult for an attack of such scale with poorly trained troops. Also given the issue of artillery fire there would be no way to observe where the shells were falling.
@HappyCaddy That is where the commander is supposed to be, you cannot command from the Frontlines, regardless of what hollywood movies make out. How could he say change an order, move troops or alter an attack IF he is being shot, shelled or killed in the front? Your comment is irrational or ill conisidered!
@AchidMelch I normally would agree with you. However, I feel that in a documentary about the bloodiest day in the history of the British army it is appropriate to focus on the British casualties.
@Karamojo7mm Whilst this documentary is good it fails to highlight 2 things.
1. Rawlinson, who was not bad in his own right, was a junior commander (who was not fully informed by those above him) and had no right to change the plan unless he could physically see what was going on (and then where would the supplies and support batttalions go not in his jurisdiction).
2. Hindsight is 20/20, even if he did do it and if failed it probably could have led to a massive disaster if it failed
The Germans truly were military Geniuses, the inflexibility of the British Military establishment almost cost them this war and the second world war. I wonder if it was that such upper class gentlemen felt scant concern for their men and viewed them as expendable lower class resources.
@ginjaninja1988 Adapting to situations is standard procedure in commanding, Germans were not military geniuses for doing that, it was just the British commanders were total clowns.....
@BitingOsprey The British were not total clowns, previously they showed alot of ingenuity, but had NEVER ran a battle this large. This was their first day at running an op this large. After this battle day in the battle (if anyone actually watches the whole of this doco) they learn how to run a flexible and well planned operation. Those clown generals won the war
@BitingOsprey Rawlinson was actually a very good commander and had earlier engineered good successes. At the Somme he was in a junior role and could not overide as easily as this Documentary ssuggests. Also He goes on to become a very Good General. Allenby was talented and eventually went on to blitz the Ottomans. Haig- for all his problems had a very hard job as Field Marshall but overtime developes better plans to allow commanders more autonomy - he was not the best but he did improve.
@fp470 The british officers were clowns, they didn't win off thier own back but off american technology and their own tanks, and that is what wins the war
@AchidMelch The British Officers were not clowns and were quiet capable put ina very hard circumstance. Anglo-French Command lead a number of innovations which make German 'wins' unsustainable and begin to inflict servere defeats on the German Army. The American technology is an odd comment given that the AEF were the least advanced army technologically at the time (amongst major players) and tanks did not win the war but a new combined arms theory invented by the Anglo-French commanders!
@AchidMelch Fact for you: US forces in the American Expeditionary Force used BRITISH and FRENCH equipment, including tanks. And anyway, there were almost no US tanks in WW1, they just used the British Tank Corps and the French Armour to support themselves
@zozottine In what regard? The British do suffer a horrible set back at the Somme on the first day but win the operation, kill more Germans, take terrirotyr and creat the pre-conditions of victory at Verdun. The French and British became superior to the Germans after 1916, up until mid 1916 the German enjoyed a number of superiorities.
Actualy the allies won because some of the lesser-informed German commanders signed a surrender because they thought they were loosing, whereas infact, towards the end of the war, the German army was actualy progressing and starting to win. Or at least that's what it says in my history books.
@zozottine The French lost way more than the british and the british actually used what they had better than france, it was a British and USA Offensive that won the war not a french one, in fact, if Britain hadn't stepped in, we would live in a very different world and Germany would of overwhelmed france
@06GondelleAnt The Commanders did give a shit, many of them actually have alot of emotional issues about their job after the war. Many more denote large portions of their time and money after the war to benevloent societies. Also many commanders were rather intelligent and like in all wars commanders take time to come to fruition.
We shouldn't think of the dead and wounded here as being cowards. The Rembrance Day parades are there for the great victories. English ladies considered the wounded cowards and handed them the white feathers. The heroic officers who came back were showered with honors. Many did not even fight.
Arrr, no ladies tended to hand young fit men who werent enlisted white feathers. It was not on a massive scale nor in every country. A number of men who returned with grevious injuries were actually used as guests of honour to raise funds for the war.
Are you listening to what the doco is saying. He is at a forward post trying to communicate with men in the field and the arty guys miles behind him. Rawlinson was a rather junior general and lacked the authority to change the plan. It is not just his fault per se but the entire system. As a result of the Somme the system was changed. Also Rawlinson was placing himself very far forward to try and keep abrest of developments.
Rawlinson was one of the far more apt commanders and was looked down upon by the other British commanders....Haig was a calvaryman and Rawlinson was an infantryman. Rawlinson would have been better suited to be involved in the planning. He could have saved some lives.
Easy for you to say, you dont have to plan a battle now do you. They are very hard to plan and there are alot of things that this doco misses out. Although it is one of the better docos if you watch the whole thing.
The Central Powers did indeed kill more Entente members. The war however would require a strategy that did not involve waiting for the otherside to run out of men. The Germans never go that and lost the war at the strategic level.
The Germans created an environment where they struck first and spent much of the war defending.
As such they never were able to develop their forces for new attacking strategies and tactics. The Entente were able to expand and grow from thier mistakes readily
Ramstoned. Literacy levels in 1914 UK almost equal todays. The economy was booming so few joined because they had to. Insulting the intelligence and education of the men who fought and died adds nothing to your argument. My History PhD has more to do with my understanding rather than watching videos or games. The poor understanding of history prevalent below is a reflection of the TV/YouTube generation who have never read a serious book, let alone original source material or spoken to a vet.
I Know how you feel mate, its amazing how many people think they are experts on ww1 becasue they watch videos. Although this is really a solid documentary if you watch all of it, but there is a 30,000 view discrepency between part 1 and 8. Also I was shocked to learn that some schools show youtube clips to help teach about ww1 and use All quiet on w. Front as a documentary.
I'm a soldier. Served in the British Army for 20+ years now in another Army. Been shot at, bombed, bricked and fire bombed; and I still love it. We become soldiers because we like being put in harm's way. I have understood the issue in every conflict I have been involved in and I still went AS WILL MOST OF US professional soldiers. I suspect most guys in the VOLUNTEER British army that fought on the Somme also understood the issues. Why must pacifists thin they are the only people with insight?
I served 5 years in the Airborne and I didn't have to stay longer to notice the brainwash effect it had in the person I'm today.I'm not a pacifist, I'm just happy that my great grandfather made it through the war otherwise I wouldn't be here.Still how can anyone say that war is good for anything? Only someone addicted to movies an video games can come up with something like that.!
How could you compare yourself with the men that fought at the great war? 90% of those men couldn't even sign their name on a piece of paper. They went to war because everyone else did, because they had nothing else to loose.
If you watch the entire documenatry and not just make such broad sweepoing Generalisations( much more true of the US and Russian approaches to tactics in the war) you would realise that the British become a hihgly advanced, flexible army using small unit tactics paired with large scale tactics that eventually win the war
@fp470 you stated, "If you watch the entire documenatry and not just make such broad sweepoing Generalisations( much more true of the US and Russian approaches to tactics in the war) you would realise that the British become a hihgly advanced, flexible army using small unit tactics paired with large scale tactics that eventually win the war."
I suppose your amazing British tactics is the reason you needed America and Russia to come save you WW2.
you would do us all a great favor!Why don't you jump in front of a train ?It has the same effect, and we'll say you did it it in a very heroic way.(bubblehead)
Im impressed, Ive never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.If that was supose to be a joke you forgot to include the punch line.Why Dont You Slip Into Something More Comfortable. Like A Coma?
Please can I have a well descripted reason as to why there are so many twats on youtube who won't let me just watch a video and put my opinion across please becauseI fail to see what I've done to piss you off so much. All I've done is said that the we won I didn't mean to offend you but thats the fact
Well overall I would say the British and the French won the war America lost the same amount of men and barely got there feet wet. So I wouldn't say they helped out
oh fuck this I don't care anymore I'm sorry I care about the young boys tat were sent away to fight in wars thwey didn't start, I'm sorry I support the troops fighting to this day I don't see what you want from me I cae on here to watch a film an put my opinion across not have abuse thrown at me
Perhaps but the fact that he is totally aloof from the battle and completely far away from his men shows to me callousness and carelessness on his part.
Actually he is a forward position trying to see his entire corps. British officers since waterloo were trained to find a hill (but this part of france is flat) and observe their soldiers and send runners to give orders. However by 1914 the size of armies was too huge for such voice control to work. So really he is trying to adapt, but his training is too old school for the time but its not really his fault. Also notice how telephones never seem to work- made the somme worse.
''sticking with the original battle plan'' was very stupid of that commander. he should have taken the field reports in consideration and encircled the theippes from the schwaben strong hold. this is why the most important position MUST be given in any battle to a commander ACTUALLY on the ground seeing whats happening.
Well it was difficult for the Great war since it was the first truly modern war where mass armies were beyond the scope of the G.O.C. Even in Vietnam you had Generals in helicopters radio-ing down to soliders on the ground contradicting the orders their own Lt.Cols and Majors were giving them.
Still as we see in the reset of the doco, this lesson is learned. Its that flexibility that helps win the war for the Anglo-French forces.
cleareyes1984. What a load of tosh. The great war was fought for patriotism and mates fighting with mates. Learn your history befoe you comment on brave men who died for their mates and country. the army as most military regimes do lead from the back. No point losing the most important first.
one man! one man killed many!! one man!! politics, leaders, commanders. just one man tells another to GO GO GO! over the top one man pass it on to the next man. One man! In a Cascade of Grief
War is homoerotically gay. The masses will never learn. They LOVE dying for the ruling classes almost as much as they love team sports, celebrity gossip, and the lottery. They prefer it to being labeled traitors or cowards because they fear being "outsiders" more than dead. What a lovely war!
1:15 yeah im sure it will work this time. not to be mean but what difference will there be from the first few time?!!!
1937ninjaboy 6 months ago
The Germans had the right idea. If your plan isn't working, change it. If there's an opportunity to exploit, exploit it. If you think something must be done now, do it. Every decision is a risk, but making no decision is the worse thing possible for a commander.
323guiltyspark 6 months ago 2
To be fair Moreland did redeem himself somewhat latter on in the War, he was in command at the Battle of Messines in 1917 which he won. Sure he made mistakes but then again so did Napoleon in Russia and at Waterloo but folk don't take him to task about it.
The point is he learnt from his mistakes and put the lessons into good use latter on, if he was truly bad he would have put on supply duty.
Freddie1980 7 months ago
@Freddie1980 Ya but only issue is he led hundred's of British life's into a quick and pointless death,Just because he was too arrogant to change plan's :)
TheDawnOfTheGood 7 months ago
the brits should've lost this war! their generals are sooooooo ssssttttttuuuuuupppppiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sparticool 7 months ago
@sparticool Thank god the Canucks were thier :0
MrFreedomrequired 6 months ago
tanks did help, lets just hope they don't make thier one decide to use them on us in the future
thegoof171 7 months ago
Germans always take the initiative from their field officers.
CMMY81 7 months ago
All those generals deserved to be executed, for the luxury they had while their men suffered bullets.
HawK047 9 months ago
@HawK047 its not like one of their troops in the trenches gets pissed from that and starts his reich
shadowfilter 9 months ago
silly brits
cuzcatlan36 9 months ago
@cuzcatlan36
Could you please make a decent statement of why British were "sillier" than French, Germans, Russians, and Austro-Hungarians by waging the same kind of static warfare that all belligerents nations waged at the period given the available rudimentary equipment.
Eurofighter19 8 months ago
@Eurofighter19 the britts are silly because they are british
cuzcatlan36 8 months ago
@cuzcatlan36
That pretty much confirms to me your poor level of intellect, no further statement is required from you.
Eurofighter19 8 months ago
@cuzcatlan36 Stupid pratt
TheLiberalKnight 7 months ago
@TheLiberalKnight that's why the brits always need the americans to bail them out of wars they can't handle!
cuzcatlan36 7 months ago
@cuzcatlan36 Britain suffered 20% of WW1 casualities. America suffered 2%. More French died at the battle of verdun than Americans died in the whole of the war. America meant nothing to WW1. You spit on millions of graves when you say America won ww1. I'm not even going to talk to you. You disgust me.
TheLiberalKnight 7 months ago
@TheLiberalKnight America was the turning point. Germany would have run over the French and Brits.
dakotajim 7 months ago
@dakotajim That's what they teach you in biased American schools, dipshit. Why do you believe the biased bullshit they teach at your schools? Learn some unbiased history, and you'll realise what a retard you sound like.
TheLiberalKnight 7 months ago
@cuzcatlan36 i suppose you think you won in vietnam as well? idiot.
qwertyuiopm250 7 months ago
@qwertyuiopm250 no we didn't. we killed a lot of un-armed civilians and tested weapons on un-suspecting villagers, and we also infected a lot of americans with deadly quimical stuff. over all, it was a human tragedy all around. militarily, I suppose the pentagon got what they wanted( a war) and weapons manufaturers sold their weapons for millions. I guess they won!
cuzcatlan36 7 months ago
@Eurofighter19 great point, im sure the same thing repeated over and over in other battles, this one just happens to show the British. Its just that they came back to win the same battle 3 years later. I bet if i watched a bunch of battles lost due to obsolete tactics and "military intelegence" and there was no happy ending, just sad letters, I'd probably want to slit my wrists. also its a cool perspective to see the "winning side" all giddy because thier tactics are working so well.
thegoof171 7 months ago
@thegoof171
Many historians agree that WWI was a technological war (it marked the birth for modern warfare as we know it today) in which the firepower of defense was greater than the firepower of offense.
Infantry men walking slowly, carrying their rifles and a handful of grenades are not match for well developed multi-level trenches protected by machine gun nests and lethal artillery fire.
The battle of Cambrai would prove that only armored vehicles could puncture such defenses effectively.
MegaGuitar87 7 months ago
@thegoof171
It was through that kind of costly battles that the Allies eventually gained the experience enough to achieve a breakthrough, force the Germans to retreat and eventually win the war.
The Germans too gained invaluable experience throughout the war, the tactics used during the last year of the conflict , tactical air-to-ground support and the use of highly experienced storm troops moving fast and bypassing trenches, astonished Allied soldiers in both the Western and Eastern fronts.
Eurofighter19 7 months ago
@Eurofighter19 But the offensive that used those new tactics en masse(the michaels offensive/Kaiserschlacht) was the same one which bled all of gemanys last reserves to breaking point
DeHerg 4 months ago
@DeHerg
That's true.
For the Germans it was a race against time, to achieve a swift and decisive victory before collapse.
Eurofighter19 4 months ago
There were such bad generals in Gallipoli.So they caused thousands of Anzaks and New Zellands.
formulaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 10 months ago
There is a special place in hell for the British commanders of this disaster.
northvilledavis8 10 months ago
sutch a bad general should be court-marschaled for the way he handeled the situation. A man who sends his men to slaugther by his own unflexability and dont uses his advantages should not be in the army!
SamuelFriberg 10 months ago
in my opinion, they had to shoot all british comanders, I can not understand, 20000 dead, my god...
nikita1344 10 months ago
Foolish commanders!
EpicHawk 10 months ago
That general was a gaycunt
Pyroteers 11 months ago
@Pyroteers just shows what you know
a gay guy in Afganastan has just won the MC so much for your stupid comments grow up
nylonTS 10 months ago
@nylonTS Ease up nylonTS, it's just youtube. And I was calling him a gaycunt because he looks like my math teacher :P Sorry I forgot to state that.
But anyways, have a good day
Pyroteers 10 months ago
@Pyroteers you must remmember my dear freind there are lots of gay soilders serveing in the British Army today
But I do see your point your makeing I had a teacher like that too
Thanks for a good reply and you have a good week too thanks
nylonTS 10 months ago
Time and again documentaries never state what many of the British generals were.
in WW1. Arrogant, careless, utterly incompetent, morons, who happily had their own men shot for the lie of cowardice. These people had no right to hold the position of officer never mind general
moelman100 11 months ago
@moelman100 Wilfred Owen wrote about that :P
Shadowfang3000 11 months ago
@moelman100 That is an untrue assertion committed by war poets who are taken literally. The commanders were often very troubled by the experiences of their men, post war alot of commanders are behind things like 'veterans services' and pensions. At the time they were forced to attack by political leaders regardless that Haig, Kitchener and other senior commanders knew the army would NOT be ready until 1917.
fp470 10 months ago
Unfortunatly you have to be a tosser, to run and give commands to those you know have to die... if you wasnt a tosser you ain't a general.
plasticbudgie 11 months ago
It's ironic that the useless fat English Officers killed more British soldiers than the Germans did.
If they had sent reserves to help the Ulstermen, it would have saved thousands of the Ulster division, and then the village of Thiepval would probably have been taken in a few hours, or at least by nightfall.
The term "Lions led by donkeys" is so very apt.
Damn those Officers!!!
rockinbillyboy 1 year ago 29
@rockinbillyboy Yea, its true, but it was the turn of the century so most officers who had studies at military academies were taught warfare techniques used in the 1800s, they werent used to new inventions like machine guns etc. Still though they were incompetent, any good general should be able to adapt to a new type of warfare and toss what he had been taught aside.
thedicklick1 6 months ago
@rockinbillyboy u fucking idiot!, its not the officers you dumbasses its the generals and commandings, officers are the guys that have the pistols that are usally the first ones to get shot, there with there men through everything, they do what the general tells them u fucking idiot how dare u disgrace them
DJsharp707 3 months ago
@DJsharp707 Oh DJ......you're not really all that "Sharp" are you?...eh?
My term "Officer" encompasses all Officers..Generals and Commanders (not commandings)..lol
A lot of these Officers made decissions that wiped out hundreds of thousands of good men!!...men who knew better than they did...the only thing that separated them was their Father's money!
It was also these fine upstanding Officers, who used that very pistol you mention, to shoot poor young lads who suffered from shell shock.
rockinbillyboy 3 months ago
@DJsharp707 ..and one other thing DJ not-so-sharp......perhaps if the Yanks had got here YEARS earlier..then those Officers wouldn't have had the opportunity to wipe out so many good men.
The war started in 1914...............you guys got here 3 years later!!!
So, go and fuck yourself you silly wee lad!!!
rockinbillyboy 3 months ago
@rockinbillyboy we joined later because at the outset of the war we didnt have any reason to go to war with germany
puck889 1 month ago
@puck889 because america wanted to choose a time to go in where the profited the most, a gready army and country!
tho10001 3 weeks ago
@tho10001 a greedy government most defenantly, but not all americans are greedy
puck889 2 weeks ago
@rockinbillyboy u have to realize that the british generals did not realize this at the time, its only looking back on it later that we realize there mistakes
puck889 3 months ago
@puck889 Its Capt. Hindsight talking...
elvee88 1 month ago
The men were all brave and true,their leaders less than competent.
It's too bad that General Currie 's plan was not accepted earlier.
Had the war lasted another year Currie would of been in charge of all of the British forces.
dave777blaster 1 year ago
they shouldve attacked att nightfall providing more cover and higher chances of flanking the enemy instead of wasting a lot of good men at morning
edpacunana460 1 year ago
@edpacunana460 Way too many problems with your feeble suggestion. The men leading the battle had years of training to teach them how and the sad reality was that in this instance there was little to avert this. Strategically the attack needed to happen in a similar manner. Further night operations? That would be too difficult for an attack of such scale with poorly trained troops. Also given the issue of artillery fire there would be no way to observe where the shells were falling.
fp470 11 months ago
lol look at the british army in ww1, look at them now with their SAS xD.
MonsterPianos 1 year ago
i am no historian or general. i say it takes guts to go over the top and advance walking pace into the german machine gun fire.
23Revan84 1 year ago
@23Revan84 if u only trust ur guts then attack those machine guns head on u and ur men will get shredded to peices
edpacunana460 1 year ago
how the fuck did that idiot become general
aris20598 1 year ago
God, Everything I've ever learned about WW1 is so goddamned disconcerting. What a tragic horror show.
TheScientist0000000 1 year ago
that generals a rite dumb cunt, what a dopey fucker
MrBrentage 1 year ago
that generals a rite dunmb cunt, a propper dopey fucker
MrBrentage 1 year ago
The definition of insanity: trying the same thing and expecting a different result each time.
Well, I'd have to say the British higher-ups like Mullen were insane then.
PrUnEJuIcEtHeThIrD 1 year ago
i have been to one of those cemeteries and have seen the grave of the youngest soldier who died. He was 15.
AyePalTube 1 year ago
6:22 thats a canadian war cemetery
APPLEPIE978 1 year ago
LOL that british general just sits up in his perch while his men get mowed down. The shame....
HappyCaddy 1 year ago
@HappyCaddy That is where the commander is supposed to be, you cannot command from the Frontlines, regardless of what hollywood movies make out. How could he say change an order, move troops or alter an attack IF he is being shot, shelled or killed in the front? Your comment is irrational or ill conisidered!
fp470 1 year ago
that general was a tosser
SirOneoneselfandone 1 year ago 31
@SirOneoneselfandone I wonder how the fuck he got General.
Jimbo5able 11 months ago
My grand granddad was taken prisoner there - by the french
musvet100 1 year ago
it's annoying how no one cares about our german losses and the problems the german people and soldiers faced
AchidMelch 1 year ago 11
@AchidMelch I normally would agree with you. However, I feel that in a documentary about the bloodiest day in the history of the British army it is appropriate to focus on the British casualties.
MasterKman0 1 month ago
to me commanders/genrals were so stupid in ww1/ww2 risking thousands of troops to thair deaths god rest thair souls
dasrever 1 year ago
my great great uncle billy was killed on the second week of this at Pozieres. he was 18
Metalhead04792 1 year ago
1:15 - What a Cretin!
Karamojo7mm 1 year ago
@Karamojo7mm Whilst this documentary is good it fails to highlight 2 things.
1. Rawlinson, who was not bad in his own right, was a junior commander (who was not fully informed by those above him) and had no right to change the plan unless he could physically see what was going on (and then where would the supplies and support batttalions go not in his jurisdiction).
2. Hindsight is 20/20, even if he did do it and if failed it probably could have led to a massive disaster if it failed
fp470 1 year ago
@fp470 Morland rather
fp470 1 year ago
commanders were the real cowards
Gtaivownz 1 year ago
@Gtaivownz no, they fought a war no one had ever seen before to their best abilities and every general on every side did the same.
actually the casualties amongst generals and officers were far higher than in ww2
THthefirst 1 year ago
What a clown that British General was
BitingOsprey 1 year ago
The Germans truly were military Geniuses, the inflexibility of the British Military establishment almost cost them this war and the second world war. I wonder if it was that such upper class gentlemen felt scant concern for their men and viewed them as expendable lower class resources.
ginjaninja1988 1 year ago
@ginjaninja1988 Adapting to situations is standard procedure in commanding, Germans were not military geniuses for doing that, it was just the British commanders were total clowns.....
BitingOsprey 1 year ago
@BitingOsprey The British were not total clowns, previously they showed alot of ingenuity, but had NEVER ran a battle this large. This was their first day at running an op this large. After this battle day in the battle (if anyone actually watches the whole of this doco) they learn how to run a flexible and well planned operation. Those clown generals won the war
fp470 1 year ago
@fp470 no they didnt, they were replaced with competent commanders and they were the ones that won the war
BitingOsprey 1 year ago
@BitingOsprey Rawlinson was actually a very good commander and had earlier engineered good successes. At the Somme he was in a junior role and could not overide as easily as this Documentary ssuggests. Also He goes on to become a very Good General. Allenby was talented and eventually went on to blitz the Ottomans. Haig- for all his problems had a very hard job as Field Marshall but overtime developes better plans to allow commanders more autonomy - he was not the best but he did improve.
fp470 1 year ago
@BitingOsprey Haig actually was never relieve of his command and held his position
right up through the war
AchidMelch 1 year ago
@fp470 The british officers were clowns, they didn't win off thier own back but off american technology and their own tanks, and that is what wins the war
AchidMelch 1 year ago
@AchidMelch The British Officers were not clowns and were quiet capable put ina very hard circumstance. Anglo-French Command lead a number of innovations which make German 'wins' unsustainable and begin to inflict servere defeats on the German Army. The American technology is an odd comment given that the AEF were the least advanced army technologically at the time (amongst major players) and tanks did not win the war but a new combined arms theory invented by the Anglo-French commanders!
fp470 1 year ago
@AchidMelch Fact for you: US forces in the American Expeditionary Force used BRITISH and FRENCH equipment, including tanks. And anyway, there were almost no US tanks in WW1, they just used the British Tank Corps and the French Armour to support themselves
heatedpete 1 year ago
The Brits were just terrible compared to the French and Germans in WWI....
zozottine 1 year ago
@zozottine how dare you
TheAntman2006 1 year ago
@zozottine In what regard? The British do suffer a horrible set back at the Somme on the first day but win the operation, kill more Germans, take terrirotyr and creat the pre-conditions of victory at Verdun. The French and British became superior to the Germans after 1916, up until mid 1916 the German enjoyed a number of superiorities.
fp470 1 year ago
@zozottine how u little rascal have the balls to say that
Xiia0Sn00pY 1 year ago
@zozottine ur a fag
ExOfficerJimLahey 1 year ago
@zozottine WHO INVENTED THE TANK HUH !?!?!?!?!?
danrox127 1 year ago
@zozottine then how come we won? if we were terrible then the germans must have been even worse
Worthog117 1 year ago
@Worthog117 well you guys won due to things like Tanks, Americans and an eventual intelligence to copy our doctrines and tactics
AchidMelch 1 year ago
@AchidMelch
Actualy the allies won because some of the lesser-informed German commanders signed a surrender because they thought they were loosing, whereas infact, towards the end of the war, the German army was actualy progressing and starting to win. Or at least that's what it says in my history books.
TylerRVG 1 year ago
@zozottine The French lost way more than the british and the british actually used what they had better than france, it was a British and USA Offensive that won the war not a french one, in fact, if Britain hadn't stepped in, we would live in a very different world and Germany would of overwhelmed france
AchidMelch 1 year ago
fucking commanders dont give a shit. lions led by donkeys
06GondelleAnt 1 year ago
@06GondelleAnt The Commanders did give a shit, many of them actually have alot of emotional issues about their job after the war. Many more denote large portions of their time and money after the war to benevloent societies. Also many commanders were rather intelligent and like in all wars commanders take time to come to fruition.
fp470 1 year ago
War sucks...
88Grabarz 1 year ago
We shouldn't think of the dead and wounded here as being cowards. The Rembrance Day parades are there for the great victories. English ladies considered the wounded cowards and handed them the white feathers. The heroic officers who came back were showered with honors. Many did not even fight.
swanningaround 1 year ago
Arrr, no ladies tended to hand young fit men who werent enlisted white feathers. It was not on a massive scale nor in every country. A number of men who returned with grevious injuries were actually used as guests of honour to raise funds for the war.
fp470 1 year ago
@swanningaround White feather were never given to the wounded, only to fit men who didn't fight
muzlinkage 1 year ago
"I'm sure it will work this time." Doesn't he have a view of the battlefield somewhat?? Watching his men die?
RizzMB30 1 year ago
Are you listening to what the doco is saying. He is at a forward post trying to communicate with men in the field and the arty guys miles behind him. Rawlinson was a rather junior general and lacked the authority to change the plan. It is not just his fault per se but the entire system. As a result of the Somme the system was changed. Also Rawlinson was placing himself very far forward to try and keep abrest of developments.
fp470 1 year ago
@fp470
Rawlinson was one of the far more apt commanders and was looked down upon by the other British commanders....Haig was a calvaryman and Rawlinson was an infantryman. Rawlinson would have been better suited to be involved in the planning. He could have saved some lives.
RizzMB30 1 year ago
@RizzMB30 He innovative tactics is what impressed me, but what really made me like his tactics was his small and not-so-costly objectives in battles.
DakkTribal 1 year ago
@cyclekarl orah to that
craphunter 2 years ago
Donkey's leading lions...
GamerWildWeaSel 2 years ago
Easy for you to say, you dont have to plan a battle now do you. They are very hard to plan and there are alot of things that this doco misses out. Although it is one of the better docos if you watch the whole thing.
fp470 1 year ago
Did I miss something? Why would they send such young inexperienced men into battle? Suicide.
ibtnm25 2 years ago
the germans killed more allies but still lost the war
0LuckyInternetUser0 2 years ago
The Central Powers did indeed kill more Entente members. The war however would require a strategy that did not involve waiting for the otherside to run out of men. The Germans never go that and lost the war at the strategic level.
The Germans created an environment where they struck first and spent much of the war defending.
As such they never were able to develop their forces for new attacking strategies and tactics. The Entente were able to expand and grow from thier mistakes readily
fp470 2 years ago
the allies eventually got smart and used new tactics to overcome trench warfare, like tanks and such
Nitoryuu 2 years ago 7
Ding Ding Ding!!!! Your the only person on this page to get the point of this documentary.
Good work at being able to watch the doco and be willing to learn. Now if only the other 200 comments on here were as enlightented
fp470 2 years ago
still the tanks weren't very effectiv cause the germans new they where easely destroyed
yordi193 2 years ago
@yordi193 Thats true, but its all in the intimidation of having a tank. How would u feel if this big metal box started shooting at you lol.
Nitoryuu 2 years ago
hmmm... i would feel... sort of dead
yordi193 2 years ago
@Nitoryuu Little Willy FTW
XzMrBobozX 8 months ago
no swearing its mean
WRigGLes96 2 years ago
@WRigGLes96 fuck
34ytrhtrghrf 2 years ago
ooooo burn (dontcare)
WRigGLes96 2 years ago
Ramstoned. Literacy levels in 1914 UK almost equal todays. The economy was booming so few joined because they had to. Insulting the intelligence and education of the men who fought and died adds nothing to your argument. My History PhD has more to do with my understanding rather than watching videos or games. The poor understanding of history prevalent below is a reflection of the TV/YouTube generation who have never read a serious book, let alone original source material or spoken to a vet.
VaucluseVanguard 2 years ago 2
I Know how you feel mate, its amazing how many people think they are experts on ww1 becasue they watch videos. Although this is really a solid documentary if you watch all of it, but there is a 30,000 view discrepency between part 1 and 8. Also I was shocked to learn that some schools show youtube clips to help teach about ww1 and use All quiet on w. Front as a documentary.
fp470 2 years ago
man, those generals were taking breakfast while their troops were shot to pieces :(
1993heavenshallburn 2 years ago 42
@1993heavenshallburn They should have got some American N**gers and sent them in first !
walleyrt69 1 year ago
@walleyrt69 no, they should have taken their general and sent them in first.
1993heavenshallburn 1 year ago
@walleyrt69 dude dont be such a racist
edpacunana460 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@1993heavenshallburn
"man, those generals were taking breakfast while their troops were shot to pieces "
People were killed at any moment at any given time? When were they supposed to eat?
BurningFiresofIce 11 months ago
I'm a soldier. Served in the British Army for 20+ years now in another Army. Been shot at, bombed, bricked and fire bombed; and I still love it. We become soldiers because we like being put in harm's way. I have understood the issue in every conflict I have been involved in and I still went AS WILL MOST OF US professional soldiers. I suspect most guys in the VOLUNTEER British army that fought on the Somme also understood the issues. Why must pacifists thin they are the only people with insight?
VaucluseVanguard 2 years ago 3
I served 5 years in the Airborne and I didn't have to stay longer to notice the brainwash effect it had in the person I'm today.I'm not a pacifist, I'm just happy that my great grandfather made it through the war otherwise I wouldn't be here.Still how can anyone say that war is good for anything? Only someone addicted to movies an video games can come up with something like that.!
Ramstoned 2 years ago
YOU stupid aren't ya?
How could you compare yourself with the men that fought at the great war? 90% of those men couldn't even sign their name on a piece of paper. They went to war because everyone else did, because they had nothing else to loose.
Ramstoned 2 years ago
These poror men volunteers who were good men
spanner224 2 years ago
"I'm sure it will work this time" *facepalm*
Lynn15 2 years ago
typical british - unimaginative and unflexible
afslachten 2 years ago
doesn't matter whats the situation or where ever you are you are still going to enjoy your afternoon tea
doippa123 2 years ago 3
If you watch the entire documenatry and not just make such broad sweepoing Generalisations( much more true of the US and Russian approaches to tactics in the war) you would realise that the British become a hihgly advanced, flexible army using small unit tactics paired with large scale tactics that eventually win the war
fp470 2 years ago 5
fp470: The naval blockade and war fatigue in the German civilians won the war. Not a military victory on the field.
Finn001abd 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@fp470 you stated, "If you watch the entire documenatry and not just make such broad sweepoing Generalisations( much more true of the US and Russian approaches to tactics in the war) you would realise that the British become a hihgly advanced, flexible army using small unit tactics paired with large scale tactics that eventually win the war."
I suppose your amazing British tactics is the reason you needed America and Russia to come save you WW2.
RomeAndMarty4Ever 1 year ago
Dont judge British people till you know more about them dumbass.
Dragon22873 2 years ago 4
suck ma balls
givemethelotion 2 years ago
we won though
lewisUK9393 2 years ago 2
what did you win kid?
Ramstoned 2 years ago
I didn't fight in it but if ever the chance aroused I'd gladly march upto a german machine gun
lewisUK9393 2 years ago
you would do us all a great favor!Why don't you jump in front of a train ?It has the same effect, and we'll say you did it it in a very heroic way.(bubblehead)
Ramstoned 2 years ago
Whoa I'd like to know who turned you into such a cunt, can't you tell a joke when somone tells one and if not I sugest socalising more
lewisUK9393 2 years ago
Im impressed, Ive never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.If that was supose to be a joke you forgot to include the punch line.Why Dont You Slip Into Something More Comfortable. Like A Coma?
Ramstoned 2 years ago
Please can I have a well descripted reason as to why there are so many twats on youtube who won't let me just watch a video and put my opinion across please becauseI fail to see what I've done to piss you off so much. All I've done is said that the we won I didn't mean to offend you but thats the fact
lewisUK9393 2 years ago
who is "we"? You British or the French your gunpowder colonials or the USA who needed to help you out?
GinTonicdrink 2 years ago
Well overall I would say the British and the French won the war America lost the same amount of men and barely got there feet wet. So I wouldn't say they helped out
lewisUK9393 2 years ago
sounds like bullshite despite the fact that you were low on manpower
GinTonicdrink 2 years ago
oh fuck this I don't care anymore I'm sorry I care about the young boys tat were sent away to fight in wars thwey didn't start, I'm sorry I support the troops fighting to this day I don't see what you want from me I cae on here to watch a film an put my opinion across not have abuse thrown at me
lewisUK9393 2 years ago 4
all because they were told to walk.
lemondorkhead 2 years ago
This sorry excuse for a human being general reminds me of General Melchett in Black Adder goes forth. Its comical but at the sametime tragic.
EL20078 2 years ago
Who are you to judge? Corps commanders had a very hard time and I am sure he didnt send men to their deaths deliberately as does the buffon Melchett.
fp470 2 years ago
Perhaps but the fact that he is totally aloof from the battle and completely far away from his men shows to me callousness and carelessness on his part.
EL20078 2 years ago
Actually he is a forward position trying to see his entire corps. British officers since waterloo were trained to find a hill (but this part of france is flat) and observe their soldiers and send runners to give orders. However by 1914 the size of armies was too huge for such voice control to work. So really he is trying to adapt, but his training is too old school for the time but its not really his fault. Also notice how telephones never seem to work- made the somme worse.
fp470 2 years ago
My great granddad died in this =( RIP
pollytoffeefudge 2 years ago 38
sry 2 hear tht
mar1lon4 2 years ago
your gramps is one of the millions who died in war, they are considered heroes
lxgiwylgta 2 years ago
@pollytoffeefudge
really?how old are you?
belgamie 1 year ago
@pollytoffeefudge rest in piece, yes, he was a brave man.
spinynorman230 1 year ago
''sticking with the original battle plan'' was very stupid of that commander. he should have taken the field reports in consideration and encircled the theippes from the schwaben strong hold. this is why the most important position MUST be given in any battle to a commander ACTUALLY on the ground seeing whats happening.
BanditoXYZ192 2 years ago
Well it was difficult for the Great war since it was the first truly modern war where mass armies were beyond the scope of the G.O.C. Even in Vietnam you had Generals in helicopters radio-ing down to soliders on the ground contradicting the orders their own Lt.Cols and Majors were giving them.
Still as we see in the reset of the doco, this lesson is learned. Its that flexibility that helps win the war for the Anglo-French forces.
fp470 2 years ago
cleareyes1984. What a load of tosh. The great war was fought for patriotism and mates fighting with mates. Learn your history befoe you comment on brave men who died for their mates and country. the army as most military regimes do lead from the back. No point losing the most important first.
wapdink 2 years ago
one man! one man killed many!! one man!! politics, leaders, commanders. just one man tells another to GO GO GO! over the top one man pass it on to the next man. One man! In a Cascade of Grief
floted 2 years ago
War is homoerotically gay. The masses will never learn. They LOVE dying for the ruling classes almost as much as they love team sports, celebrity gossip, and the lottery. They prefer it to being labeled traitors or cowards because they fear being "outsiders" more than dead. What a lovely war!
cleareyes1984 2 years ago
clear eyes u obviously know nothin bout ur history lol
Thizalixa 2 years ago
there are things more important than ones life....your country is one of them
janak19771977 2 years ago
french had flame throwers and gas also,
War is BS ,fuckin pawns in chess
TeRRoRx503 2 years ago