Episodes
100 Days to Victory: The Fightback (BBC Four Wednesday 18 October 2023)
100 Days to Victory: The Fightback airs Wednesday 18 October 2023 on BBC Four.
What is this episode about
At Amiens, the Allies achieve a decisive victory. The tide is beginning to turn, but the victors know it. The German Army is still a formidable adversary because of the Hindenburg Line, the strongest defensive line in military history. The only way for the Allies to win is if they can break through the German iron curtain.
The generals devise a grand strategy that makes extensive use of the innovative ‘combined arms’ approach. The central, northern, and southern parts of the Hindenburg Line are attacked with coordinated barrages of artillery, tanks, aircraft, and ground troops. It is now obvious that Germany can be defeated only with the combined strength of the Allies on the Western Front.
The line is broken through a series of battles led by the generals. On September 29, 1918, an allied force from Australia, Britain, and the United States finally pushes through after the Canadians and the French had come so close. The Germans are helpless in the face of this onslaught and eventually negotiate a ceasefire.
Gallipoli, the Somme, and Passchendaele are widely recalled today. It was a total washout. It is also important to recall the extraordinary successes of the Allies in the battlefields of France during the war’s final months. Some have called the Allied victory over Germany at Amiens and the Hindenburg Line the greatest military achievement of the 20th century. This victory was led by the Australians and the Canadians.
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When can we see the episode
100 Days to Victory: The Fightback airs Wednesday 18 October 2023 at 9:00pm on BBC Four
Featured Image Credit: BBC Four