War Time Weddings

Following the Battles of Mons and Le Cateau the already near exhausted British Expeditionary Force, who had been marching and fighting for six days without a break , embarked on a nine day epic march across France. They headed back to the safety of the far side River Marne south of Paris rather than to the traditional haven of British Armies – the Channel Ports.The BHTV team of historians and battlefield guides take us to the scene of some sharp rear guard actions fought during the Retreat from Mons including the great cavalry actions at Cerizy and Nery, where the mounted British soldier established domination of his German counterpart. As they travel the highways and byways of France they analyze the decisions made by the commanders in that fog of war that together spelt the end of the Schlieffen Plan and set conditions for the 'miracle of the Marne'.

While the Allies were nearing panic as the Germans approached Paris, Marshal Foch quickly realised the German intent and that the Schlieffen plan was unravelling. In a master piece of military diplomacy he persuaded Filed Marshal French to join the Attack on the exposed flank of the Germans as it wheeled to the east of Paris. The battle was indeed a miracle, with the British playing a key part alongside the French in halting the German advance and driving them back behind the next river – The Aisne, where the Allied attack crossed the river and up onto the open ridges of the Chemin des Dames. The Germans held firm and Field Marshal French ordered the BEF to dig-in as a temporary measure but the line moved but little here in the next four years.With neither army able to make headway against modern small arms, the machine gun and quick firing artillery in a conventional frontal battle, the armies raced to redeploy into the uncontested ground north to the sea.

WWI: The Tunnels of Death

Produced by the Fox Movietone News arm of Fox Film Corporation and based on the book by Lawrence Stallings, this expanded newsreel, using stock-and-archive footage, tells the story of World War I from inception to conclusion. Alternating with scenes of trench warfare and intimate glimpses of European royalty at home, and scenes of conflict at sea combined with sequences of films from the secret archives of many of the involved nations.

How can the masses be controlled? Apparently, the American publicist Edward L. Bernays (1891-1995), a pioneer in the field of propaganda and public relations, knew the answer to such a key question. The amazing story of the master of manipulation and the creation of the engineering of consent; a frightening true story about advertising, lies and charlatans.

Horňácká svatba

Za trvalý mír

Based on diaries, records and eyewitness accounts, this is the story of the two Battles of the Somme from the perspective of British and German soldiers. It shows how the major lessons learned by the British Army leadership after the disastrous first attacks of July 1916 were turned into victory at the second attempt in September 1916, arguably the turning point for the First World War.

A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.

This short animated film is about Wop May, one of Canada's leading bush pilots in the 1920s.

Documentary to mark the WI's centenary. Lucy Worsley goes beyond the stereotypes of jam and Jerusalem to reveal the surprisingly radical side of this Great British institution.

Happy farmers, a wedding and some giant cauliflowers...

Filmed in the skies above France and the United States, The Lafayette Escadrille tells the story of the American volunteers who flew and fought for France in World War 1, becoming the founding squadron of American combat aviation.

A documentary of early airplane pilot and WW1 fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, famously known as The Red Baron.

In 1914 the German Attack on France was based on a later iteration of the plan that Von Schlieffen produced in 1905. The plan was aimed at fighting a war on 2 fronts against Russia and France. Von Molkte changed the plan when he replaced Schlieffen but the essentials were the same. Both plans were based on the following assumptions,Russia would take at least 6 weeks to mobilise,France would be easily defeated in 6 weeks, Belgium would not resist any German attack and Britain would remain neutral.All these assumptions were wrong and the new plan did not work. This film explains in detail why it failed.

On the 31st Oct 1914 the Germans were on the cusp of victory at Ypres. troops of the German 30th and 54th Divisions had broken the line at Geluveldt to the east of Ypres.The German troops were fired with enthusiasm as the Kaiser was said to be watching their action. If they succeeded the way to Ypres and even the coast was open, the BEF would be destroyed. This is the story of the last British reserve the 2nd Worcesters who were ordered to counter attack and drive the Germans out of Geluveld. Their attack was a success and was described by Field Marshall French as the " The Charge that saved the Empire".

In October 1914 as the Battle of the Aisne drew to a close both the Allies and the Germans started to dig in. In an attempt to go back to mobile warfare both sides tried to outflank the other by manoeuvring around their western flank. The Race to the sea had begun. As a result of this movement the BEF moved from just North east of Paris to the Allies western flank in Flanders. This is the story of the BEF's desperate attempts to outflank the Germans and prevent themselves from being outflanked.

Sarajevo, late June 1914: A Serbian nationalist shoots the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne and his wife. A few weeks later, war raged in Europe with devastating consequences.

An outlook on Wilhelm von Habsburg, an aristocrat who wanted to become the King of Ukraine and thus became an early fighter for the independence of Ukraine after World War 1.

A documentary and propaganda film which shows the British Army's preparations for, and the early stages of, the battle of the Somme.