BROTHERS in arms
The TACTICS AND TECHNOLOGY that turned the tide of World War Oneé
NEW DOCUDRAMA
100 Days to Victory
Thu, BBC2 HD, 8pm (Scot, Tue, 9pm)
WHEN GERMANY LAUNCHED its Spring offensive in 1918, it looked as though World War One would soon be over. After months of stalemate, German forces advanced 40 miles in three days, closing in on Paris.
But in July of 1918, a plan was conceived by Allied generals to halt their advance and launch a devastating counter-attack.
The story of their initiative is told using archive footage, reconstructions, testimony and expert analysis in fascinating two-part BBC2 docudrama 100 Days to Victory.
3D WARFARE
Masterminding the Allied attack were British Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Canadian General Arthur Currie and Australian General John Monash.
Described as ‘all arms warfare’, the new battle plan would combine infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft as never before.
‘You can term this “3D warfare”,’ says Patrick Watt, curator of the National Museum of Scotland. ‘You have tanks, airplanes, a huge artillery bombardment and a creeping barrage. All working in tandem with different armies, all thinking off the same page.’
NEW TECH
Technology also played a role, with ‘sound ranging’ allowing the artillery to pinpoint batteries. As a result, 95 per cent of the German gun batteries were taken out of action before the Allied advance began. New powerful tanks and smoke shells, which gave the illusion of a gas attack, offered them a further advantage.
Success came at a cost, though – of the 200,000 Allied troops, 40,000 were wounded or killed. But the decisive moment was thanks to innovative tactics and new technology.
‘There was an evolution of tactics throughout World War One,’ says Canadian historian Dr Tim Cook. ‘Most people thinking about the war have a vision of the Somme – but, in fact, there was a continual learning process.’