The Great War S01E17 · The Enemy Within - The German Army's Power Play - Week 17

Overview

The commanders of the German army blame each other for the missing victories. Erich von Falkenhayn and Paul von Hindenburg both believe that they have the only solution to the problem. The German emperor Wilhelm II 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 its toll on some of the best commanders of World War 1. 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.

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Episodes

1. 1 1. The Outbreak of WWI - How Europe Spiraled Into the GREAT WAR - Week 12014-07-28 · 7mAfter the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary is determined to put a lid on Serbia once and for all. Germany wanted to go to war with Russia sooner than later, becaus
2. 2 2. Germany in Two-Front War and the Schlieffen-Plan - Week 22014-08-07 · 9mAustria-Hungary starts the bombardment of Belgrade. What follows is a deployment race of armies between all major powers in Europe. Nobody wants to be unprepared in case of an atta
3. 3 3. To Arms! The Deployment of Troops - Week 32014-08-14 · 8mThe first few days of war were a combination of failed organisation and chaos. The Austro-Hungarian supreme command lacks combat experience, and their irrational actions in Serbia
4. 4 4. A New War with Old Generals – Carnage on the Western Front - Week 42014-08-21 · 10mIn 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
5. 5 5. The Rape of Belgium and the Battle of Tannenberg - Week 52014-08-28 · 9mDuring their advance through Belgium, the German Army is committing atrocities against Belgian civilians - justified as response to resistance and sabotage against their advancemen
6. 6 6. Plans Are Doomed to Fail - The Battle of Galicia - Week 62014-09-04 · 10mWhile the Germans on the Western Front are very close to reaching Paris, the Eastern Front proves to become a disastrous failure for the Austro-Hungarian forces. Conrad von Hötzend
7. 7 7. Taxi to the Front – The First Battle of the Marne - Week 72014-09-11 · 8mThe German Army is so close to Paris that French soldiers are brought to the front by taxis. Together with the British Expeditionary Forces, the French are fighting the German adva
8. 8 8. Welcome to the Dirt – The Beginning of Trench Warfare - Week 82014-09-18 · 8mAfter the advances and retreats during the early weeks of war, the front is coming to a grinding hold after the Battle of the Aisne. The German Army is digging itself in on one sid
9. 9 9. The Russian War Machine and the Race to the Sea - Week 92014-09-25 · 9mparked by the desperate state of the Austrians, the Russian army goes on the offensive. General Ivanov even tries to use his numerical superiority to make up for the German victori
10. 10 10. Dying in the Mud - Autumn Is Taking Its Toll - Week 102014-10-02 · 9mhe 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
11. 11 11. Back for Christmas? - The Illusion of a Short War - Week 112014-10-09 · 9mIn the trenches on the Western Front and in the mud on the Eastern Front, hundreds of thousands of soldiers die and with them dies the illusion of a short war. After heavy casualti
12. 12 12. Learning From Napoleon – Russia, The Underestimated Enemy - Week 122014-10-16 · 9mAfter defeating the Russian Army in the early weeks of the war, the German and Austrian generals hope to push the Russians back with combined forces. But, like Napoleon 100 years e
13. 13 13. A War to End All Wars - Home Front Propaganda - Week 132014-10-23 · 9mThe first weeks of war already took hundreds of thousands of lives and the daily struggle to survive in the trenches on the Western Front has nothing to do with the promised glory.
14. 14 14. Fresh Meat - The Search For New Recruits - Week 142014-10-30 · 9mAfter 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 ran
15. 15 15. The World at War - The Ottoman Empire Enters the Stage - Week 152014-11-06 · 10mThree 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 co
16. 16 16. The Defensive War on the Western Front - Week 162014-11-13 · 9mThe German army dug in at the Western Front and waited for the next Russian attack at the Eastern Front. Even though the Germans outnumbered their opponents, they barely stood a ch
17. 17 17. The Enemy Within - The German Army's Power Play - Week 172014-11-20 · 9mThe commanders of the German army blame each other for the missing victories. Erich von Falkenhayn and Paul von Hindenburg both believe that they have the only solution to the prob
18. 18 18. Iron, Steel and Oil - The Fight for Resources - Week 182014-11-27 · 8mFour months after the outbreak of the war, a new objective develops: the fight for the most valuable resources. The modern warfare and its war machines need one thing more than any
19. 19 19. Mission Accomplished? - The Austro-Hungarian Empire Conquers Belgrade - Week 192014-12-04 · 9mDuring the first week of December, Austria manages to capture Belgrade. Thereby Austria is the first nation to achieve one of its war aims. The victorious Austrians are joyful, but
20. 20 20. The Battle at the Falkland Islands - The Death of Maximilian von Spee - Week 202014-12-11 · 9mNear 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 is sunk and Maximilian von Spee dies
21. 21 21. The Raid On Scarborough - A Failed Attempt at Intimidation - Week 212014-12-18 · 9mGerman admiral Franz von Hipper reluctantly carries out his orders to bomb British costal towns. And indeed, this attempt to intimidate British civilians only unites them. British
22. 22 22. The First Battle of Champagne - Dying in Caucasus Snow - Week 222014-12-25 · 9mRight before Christmas the allied powers begin the Champagne offensive, which will last several months. In snow, mud,and under horrible living conditions not only the soldiers suff