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The Great War: 1915 - Stalemate

53 episodes · first aired Jan 1, 2015

The war was supposed to be over by Christmas 1915 but instead of peace, 1915 brings ever more escalation. The Ottoman Empire and Italy join the war, gas warfare is introduced and the Eastern Front sees huge battles between Russia, German and Austria-Hungary.

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  1. 1 The Ottoman Disaster - The Battle of Sarikamish - Week 23 Jan 1, 2015 · 9m The Champagne offensive is still going on the Western Front without any side gaining a decisive advantage. In the Caucasus, Enver Pasha is showing how far he's willing to go to achieve his…
  2. 2 In Dire Straits - Russia on Austro-Hungary's Doorstep - Week 24 Jan 8, 2015 · 9m The Austro-Hungarian army resembles a better militia after six months into the war. The defeats against Serbia and Russia and still under siege in Galicia - the forces are in dire straits…
  3. 3 Onwards! - The Western Front Of Early 1915 - Week 25 Jan 15, 2015 · 10m French general Joseph Joffre is stuck in a dilemma: the Champagne offensive has been going on for weeks now - without any of the expected results. Should he dig in and tolerate the enemy…
  4. 4 Zeppelins Over England - New Inventions For The Modern War - Week 26 Jan 22, 2015 · 8m For a decisive advantage on the Western Front, the military commanders of both sides are trying to use technological advances. And so this week, German Zeppelins are flying their first air…
  5. 5 All Or Nothing - Winter Offensive In The Carpathians - Week 27 Jan 29, 2015 · 10m Konrad von Hötzendorf has to prevent the Russian army from entering the Hungarian plains. He starts a huge offensive in the Carpathian Mountains - in mid winter. He also wants to…
  6. 6 Gas! - A New Horror On The Battlefield - Week 28 Feb 5, 2015 · 10m After more than 6 months of stalemate, the German Empire is playing two new cards to gain a decisive advantage. On the Eastern Front, the Germans use gas on a huge scale for the first…
  7. 7 Stopping Russia - Hindenburg's Final Offensive? - Week 29 Feb 12, 2015 · 8m This week, well over 1 million soldiers are on the advance everywhere in Europe. General Hindenburgs tries to beat the Russians once and for all at the Masurian Lakes. Austria-Hungary is…
  8. 8 Hindenburg's Cunning Plan - A 2nd Tannenberg - Week 30 Feb 19, 2015 · 9m After more than six months of war, the first big mutiny breaks out in Singapore. The endless battles in which big powers sacrifice thousands of soldiers are leading to an organised…
  9. 9 Prelude to Gallipoli - Naval Bombardement of the Dardanelles - Week 31 Feb 26, 2015 · 9m To break up the stalemate and get a decisive advantage, France and Great Britain open up yet another theatre of war in the Dardanelles. The plan is to seize the strait and open eventually…
  10. 10 Playing With Fire - The First Flame Thrower - Week 32 Mar 5, 2015 · 8m Modern war already took place in the sky and under water but the waring nations also wanted to gain an advantage in the trenches. So this week, we see the first use of another merciless…
  11. 11 The Battle of Neuve-Chapelle - Week 33 Mar 12, 2015 · 9m The British Expeditionary Forces are starting their first major offensive since the beginning of trench warfare. Near Neuve-Chapelle they attack the Germans and try to "bite and hold"…
  12. 12 A Slice of The Pie - Splitting Up The Middle East - Week 34 Mar 19, 2015 · 9m Even though the Entente offensive near Constantinople didn't really take off yet, the allied powers were already dreaming about splitting up the Ottoman Empire between themselves - and…
  13. 13 The Fall of Przemyśl - Changing Strategy On The Western Front - Week 35 Mar 26, 2015 · 9m The generals at the Western Front are slowly starting to adapt to the modern war. The battle of Neuve-Chappelle will be a blueprint for future operations and further improvements are…
  14. 14 Showdown In The Dardanelles - Bulgaria Flirts With The Central Powers - Week 36 Apr 2, 2015 · 9m The Ottoman Navy is finally able to fend off the Russian and Royal Navies in the Dardanelles, Bulgaria is considering joining the Central Powers, Austria-Hungary is fighting off the…
  15. 15 The Armenian Genocide - Week 37 Apr 9, 2015 · 9m The leaders of the Ottoman Empire are looking for a scapegoat after their collosal defeat in the Caucasian Mountains a few month earlier. They start the systematic relocation and disarm…
  16. 16 Russia Fails In The Mountains - Basra Falls - Week 38 Apr 16, 2015 · 9m This week, generals on three different fronts show that they are not able to realise their mistakes. Basra falls to the British, the quick victory at the Dardanelles is getting more and…
  17. 17 Gas On The Western Front - Baptism of Fire for Canada - Week 39 Apr 23, 2015 · 9m fter experiments on the Eastern Front, the German Army is using poison gas for the first time on the Western Front. At the beginning of the 2nd Battle of Ypres, the wind blows in a…
  18. 18 The Sea Turns Red - Landing At Gallipoli - Week 40 Apr 30, 2015 · 11m Completely underestimating the Ottoman army at the Dardanelles, the British commanders decide to let the ANZACs take the Gallipoli peninsular as a gateway to the Bosporus and…
  19. 19 Sinking of the Lusitania - The Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive - Week 41 May 7, 2015 · 10m Ignoring the warnings and cruising carelessly slow the RMS Lusitania is hit by a torpedo of the German U-Boat U20. Almost 2000 people die during the sinking of the Lusitania. At the same…
  20. 20 The German Phalanx Chases Russia - Week 42 May 14, 2015 · 9m The 2nd Battle of Ypres is still going but no side can gain a decisive advantage. The main reason on the British side is a lack of artillery ammunition. Even the delivered shells are not…
  21. 21 The Battle of San River - Winston Churchill Gets Fired - Week 43 May 21, 2015 · 9m The big success of the Gallipoli Campaign never came, thousands of soldiers died and so Winston Churchill is forced to resign. At the same time August von Mackensen is pushing back the…
  22. 22 The New Alpine Front - Italy Joins World War 1 - Week 44 May 28, 2015 · 9m After the defeats of Austria-Hungary against Russia, Italy is seeing her chance to grab disputed territories from them. Even though they are not prepared for a full scale war economically…
  23. 23 Artillery in World War 1 - The Key To Success - Week 45 Jun 4, 2015 When Przemysl falls for the 2nd time and when the British and ANZAC troops fail at Gallipoli again, one thing becomes clear: Artillery is the key for future battles. August von Mackensen…
  24. 24 Rex Warneford Destroys A Zeppelin - Austria Digs Into the Mountains - Week 46 Jun 11, 2015 · 9m Reginald Warneford is important to Britain's war effort. Not just because he shot down a German zeppelin, but because he is made a hero in times when heroes are needed. He receives a…
  25. 25 Cavalry, Spies and Cossacks - Week 47 Jun 18, 2015 · 8m The war seems like a romantic novel this week: In the East the Russians are saved by Cossack Cavalry while August von Mackensen's artillery is plowing through Galicia. In the meantime, the…
  26. 26 The Austro-Hungarian Empire Strikes Back - Week 48 Jun 25, 2015 · 9m Just a few weeks ago Austria-Hungary's military laid in shambles. But with German support from August von Mackensen and other German generals, the tide is turning on the Eastern Front…
  27. 27 On the Move but going Nowhere - Optimism is Failing! - Week 49 Jul 2, 2015 · 9m Two months after landing in Gallipoli the fight has become a trench warfare. In Mesopotamia British troops were losing the optimism, they had felt just a few weeks ago. The change of…
  28. 28 Adapt or Die - The Artillery Barrage - Week 50 Jul 9, 2015 · 9m The Great Retreat of the Russians during the last weeks has shown one thing: Artillery is the key to success. More specifically, a new kind of artillery tactic called the artillery barrage…
  29. 29 The Tumbling Giant - Russia's Army On The Verge Of Collapse - Week 51 Jul 16, 2015 · 9m The German-Austrian offensive on the Eastern Front had undone all of Russia's territorial gains in the last weeks. Lemberg had fallen and the German troops were at the gates of Warsaw. The…
  30. 30 Scorched Earth - Russia's retreat goes up in flames! - Week 52 Jul 23, 2015 · 10m This week Russia premieres her tactics of „Scorched Earth“. A new strategy of burning their own land is to avoid enemies profiting from their conquests. Russia had been retreating from the…
  31. 31 Russian Roulette - Germany Helps The Bolsheviks - Week 53 Jul 30, 2015 · 9m After Russia's Great Retreat and the defeat on the Eastern Front, the Russian Army is demoralized and even revolution is in the air. Germany is fanning the revolutionary flames by sending…
  32. 32 Warsaw Falls - The Fokker Scourge Begins - Week 54 Aug 6, 2015 · 9m After the Russian defeats on the Eastern Front, Warsaw falls. The first time in over 100 years a new foreign power occupies the city. The German onslaught in the East seems to be…
  33. 33 The Ruse at Gallipoli and the Siege of Kovno - Week 55 Aug 13, 2015 · 9m Another 20.000 soldiers fresh from the barracks are supposed to turn the tide at Gallipoli. But Mustafa Kemal is an Ottoman commander to be reckoned with. With a tactical ruse and the…
  34. 34 Escalation At Sea - Russia Up Against the Wall - Week 56 Aug 20, 2015 · 9m he Entente was in desperate need of American supplies and so the German submarine campaign in the Atlantic was a real problem. The British started to run false flag operations with so…
  35. 35 The Battle of Hill 60 - Lunatic Persistence in Gallipoli - Week 57 Aug 27, 2015 · 9m Peter Hart described the state of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 as "lunatic persistence in the face of the obvious" - and the Battle of Hill 60 proved just that. Outgunned and with a lack…
  36. 36 The Western Front Awakens - The Tsar Takes Over - Week 58 Sep 3, 2015 · 9m The Western Front has been relatively quiet the whole summer while the Russians were on their Big Retreat. The French and British generals have been busy trying to find a new strategy to…
  37. 37 The Socialists Call for Peace - But the Plans Do Not - Week 59 Sep 10, 2015 · 9m While the Socialist movement gathers in Switzerland and calls for peace on the Western Front, on the Eastern Front and the Balkans the signs are set for the opposite: An escalation with…
  38. 38 The State Of World War 1 - As Reported by A Newspaper 100 Years Ago - Week 60 Sep 17, 2015 · 9m This week Indy dissects a contemporary source from autumn 1915 - the Hobart Mercury Newspaper from Australia. While the French and British prepare a new offensive on the Western Front…
  39. 39 The German Occupation of Lithuania - Unrest in Russia - Week 61 Sep 24, 2015 · 9m When the Germans take Vilnius, they set their plans of "germanizing" the whole area into motion. Erich Ludendorff believes that Courland and other areas near East Prussia are culturally…
  40. 40 The Battle of Loos - New Offensives On The Western Front - Week 62 Oct 1, 2015 · 9m After weeks of preparation the French and British Armies unleash a new offensive on the Western Front. Not only is it supposed to relieve pressure on the Russians on the Eastern Front but…
  41. 41 Serbia Is Invaded Once Again - The Entente Lands in Greece - Week 63 Oct 8, 2015 · 9m The Central Powers want to open a direct supply connection between Berlin and Constantinople. So, they start a new offensive on Serbia to defeat them once and for all. It's an open secret…
  42. 42 Learning Lessons From Loos - Bulgaria Enters The War - Week 64 Oct 15, 2015 · 9m By the numbers the Battle of Loos was a defeat for the British Army but they learned valuable lessons for the future on the Western Front. The creeping artillery barrage is used for the…
  43. 43 "The Crime That Shook the World" - The Execution of Edith Cavell - Week 65 Oct 22, 2015 · 9m Edith Cavell was a British nurse serving in a nursing school in occupied Belgium. She was executed by the Germans for treason and espionage in Brussels. Her death and the surrounding…
  44. 44 Russia Stems The Tide - Winter Is Coming - Week 66 Oct 29, 2015 · 10m After the Great Retreat during the summer, the Russians are finally able to fight back the Germans at Dvinsk. With a new type of trench warfare, they are able to render August von…
  45. 45 The Third Battle of the Isonzo - French Despair On The Western Front - Week 67 Nov 5, 2015 · 10m For the third time the Italians had tried to conquer the Austrian positions at the Isonzo front and for the third time they had failed. And like the other defeats before, the Third Battle…
  46. 46 Serbia's Last Stand Against The Central Powers - Week 68 Nov 12, 2015 · 9m erbia's Army cannot hold out much longer against the invasion of the Central Powers. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria are relentlessly pushing forward through the Balkan country. The…
  47. 47 The Forgotten Front - World War 1 in Libya - Week 69 Nov 19, 2015 · 9m 12 war zones were not enough for this global war and this week an often forgotten theatre of war opens in Libya. Local Arab tribesmen fight against the British in guerrilla war. As if the…
  48. 48 Pride Comes Before The Fall - British Trouble in Mesopotamia - Week 70 Nov 26, 2015 · 9m Far away from the Western Front, the British Indian Army gets intro trouble in Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire. In the Alps, the Fourth Battle of the Isonzo is proving just as…
  49. 49 The Serbian Exodus Through Albania - Week 71 Dec 3, 2015 · 9m Serbia's last stand is over and the remaining forces and civilians have to leave their home country across the inhabitable trails of the Albanian Alps. So, a whole nation is on the run…
  50. 50 Britain On The Run - The Siege of Kut Al Amara - Week 72 Dec 10, 2015 · 9m Serbia is breaking under the pressure of the Central Power invasion and the last troops and civilians flee through the Alps. The final decision to evacuate Gallipoli is made and the…
  51. 51 Despair And Mutiny On The Italian Front - Week 73 Dec 17, 2015 · 9m The morale of the Italian Army at the Isonzo Front is on an all time low. Catastrophic defeats against the Austrians, bad and broken equipment, unsanitary conditions, no supplies, no front…
  52. 52 The Beginning Of The End - Evacuation At Gallipoli - Week 74 Dec 24, 2015 · 9m While the Western and Eastern Front freeze over and the armies there have to fight the harsh conditions as much as the fight the enemy, the evacuation of Gallipoli is set into motion…
  53. 53 Preparing for 1916 - The Year of Battles I THE GREAT WAR - Week 75 Dec 31, 2015 · 10m 1915 was a year for the Central Powers except on the Western Front where the stalemate continues. But plans are being made on both sides to gain an advantage. Preparations for huge…