The Somme 1916 - From Both Sides of the Wire - Season 1
Season 1
Historian Peter Barton explores the events of the Battle of the Somme.
Episodes
First Day - Erster Tag
Historian Peter Barton explores the events leading up to and on the notoriously bloody first day of the Offensive.
Walking the battlefield, he explains the failures that led to over twenty thousand British deaths. Barton argues that to get a better understanding of events, you should not only confront what the British did badly but what their enemy did better.
The Germans were able to skilfully use the landscape of the Somme to maximize casualties amongst their enemy. And based on research in German archives, Barton shows just how much they knew in advance about Allied plans through captured documents and interrogations of captured British prisoners and deserters who were persistently 'spilling the beans'.
Defence in Depth - Verteidigung in Der Tiefe
Historian Peter Barton concentrates on the second phase of the battle, from the middle of July to the middle of September 1916.
Barton reveals how an Allied advance on objectives which should have lasted days and weeks took months and resulted in yet more carnage on the Somme battlefield.
Whilst British tactics were unvarying, that of their German enemy evolved using the changing landscape of the battlefield. The slowness of the Allied advance during this period Barton explains by the emergence of new German tactics - defence in depth.
End Game - End Spiel
Historian Peter Barton concludes his history of the battle in the final months of the campaign. He shows how a remarkable German tactical revolution begun in the summer of 1916 continued throughout this period to frustrate the Allied advance. This would have profound implications, tragically extending the entire First World War far beyond Allied expectations. Barton also presents a new narrative which argues that the battle of the Somme ended not in the winter of 1916, but in the spring of 1917. And he reaches the conclusion that there was no British victory.
Recently Updated Shows
The Sex Lives of College Girls
The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four lovably chaotic suite mates on a mission to grow into their truest, freest selves while attending Vermont's prestigious Essex College.
General Hospital
General Hospital, which celebrated its golden anniversary on April 1, 2013, continues its tradition of passion, intrigue and adventure that takes place in the fictional town of Port Charles in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. As always, love, danger and mind blowing plot twists continue to abound on General Hospital with contemporary storylines and unforgettable characters.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Jimmy Fallon brought NBC's "The Tonight Show" back to its New York origins when he launched The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Rockefeller Center. Fallon puts his own stamp on the storied NBC late-night franchise with his unique comedic wit, on-point pop culture awareness, welcoming style and impeccable taste in music with the award-winning house band, The Roots.
Sweetpea
Sweetpea tells the story of Rhiannon, your average girl next door, who is living quietly with her boyfriend and little dog. By day her job as an office manager is demeaning and unsatisfying. By evening she dutifully listens to her friends' plans for marriage and babies. Rhiannon never complains, smiling through it all with reserves of serenity and a sparkling wit. She has become skilled at keeping it together.
Being normal. But behind this mask is a ferocious power lying dormant, and a long-buried secret that Rhiannon wishes she could forget. When a chance encounter with a stranger leads to a shocking act of violence, Rhiannon's mask slips completely and she is forced to confront the darker side she has long kept hidden. The girl everyone overlooks might just be able to get away with murder.
Alone
Alone places ten hardcore survivalists alone in the wilderness - no camera crew, no teams, no producers - on a single mission to stay alive. At stake is $500,000 awarded to the person who can last the longest. They will face extreme isolation and psychological distress as they plunge into the unknown, self-documenting their experience.