World War I: The Western Front

One hundred years later, the landscape still carries painful reminders of World War I, the "war to end all wars," which engulfed Europe from 1914-1918. This Globe Trekker special returns to the scenes of carnage, now the sites of unusual cemeteries and peaceful countryside. As in many wars, soldiers on all sides had little idea of what they were in for, wrongly assuming that the conflict would be over quickly. Colorful uniforms made soldiers easy targets for snipers, and as industrialized warfare began to swiftly pile up casualties, men were often buried where they fell, many times mixed together with the bones from opposing army infantrymen. After early bloody battles, campaigns quickly hardened into stalemates, as armies sought advantage through trench warfare and tunnels, as well as the use of tanks, poison gas, and eventually airplanes. Furious fights would often net only a few yards of ground. Local guides and experts here point out landmarks from Verdun and the battle of the Somme, as well as poignant spots such as a simple chapel located within a quarry cave—a temporary shelter to pray in before soldiers went on to face almost certain death. The program also looks at the origin of John McCrae's famous poem "In Flanders Fields," and examines artifacts that are still being unearthed from battlefields. In a tragic irony, one of the war's most bloody battles was fought on the last day, continuing even after the armistice was signed—an appalling capstone to a futile war that cost 10 million lives. Combining incisive commentary with outstanding views, this historical travelogue is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)