IS IT BOLLOCKS?

Film Buff investigates the facts behind outlandish movie plots.

Does 1917 get its message across in a plausible fashion?

THIS MONTH 1917

In 1917, two lance corporals are sent across enemy lines on the Somme to deliver a message about German troop activity to British troops at the front. Spot on? Or poppycock?

TIMOTHY WILLIAMSON

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HISTORY OF WAR MAGAZINE

According to director Sam Mendes, 1917 is inspired by real experiences of his grandfather who served during the Battle of Poelcappelle in October 1917. He was sent alone through No Man’s Land to locate three missing companies who had become separated during the battle. By 1917 during WW1, a huge network of telegraph and telephone cables connected the frontline trenches to headquarters further back. However, these cables were prime targets for enemy artillery and were often destroyed, as described in 1917’s setup. But would the fate of two battalions rest on the pluck and luck of two soldiers traipsing through No Man’s Land? No.

The film crafts an implausible scenario where the fastest route to warn the regiment is through miles of recently abandoned enemy territory. How and why would a colonel be planning a grand attack while entirely cut off from the rest of the army? In reality, he’d be sitting tight, and sending messages for help to re-establish the line. Carrier pigeons were often called upon to act as messengers back from the front, notably by tank crews who could send word to HQ if they became stuck or broke down. Of course, these winged warriors were not entirely reliable, being easy targets for the enemy. Dogs were occasionally used to carry messages over short distances, but most often a despatch rider – mounted either on a horse or motorcycle – would deliver the all-important intel.

VERDICT SEMI-BOLLOCKS