The Fightback
Two-part series charting how the Allies won World War I. After defeating the Germans at Amiens, the Allies need to find a way to smash through the Hindenburg Line.
The Allies win a great victory at Amiens. The tide is turning, but the victors are under no illusions. The German Army remains a daunting fighting force and it has an ace up the sleeve: the Hindenburg Line - the most formidable defensive system in military history. If the Allies are to have any hope for victory, they need to find a way to punch through Germany's wall of steel.
The generals formulate an ambitious plan incorporating newly minted 'combined arms' tactics on a massive scale. They commit artillery, tanks, aircraft and troops in careful concert, to attack the Hindenburg Line in the centre, the north and south. It becomes clear that only the combined might of the Allies on the Western Front can finally defeat Germany.
The generals lead their forces in a series of battles to break the line. The Canadians get close, the French get close, then on 29th September 1918, a combined Australian, British and American force breaks through. The Germans have no answer to this onslaught and soon seek peace negotiations.
Today, we widely remember Gallipoli, the Somme and Passchendaele. All were failures. And yet, the extraordinary achievements by the Allied armies on the fields of France in the final months of World War I should also be remembered. At Amiens and the Hindenburg Line, the Allies - spearheaded by the Australians and the Canadians - forced a crushing defeat upon Germany to win the war in what some call the finest feat of arms of the 20th Century.
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In 1918 the Germans invented the world鈥檚 first anti-tank rifle
Duration: 01:54
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
General John Monash | Ben Mortley |
Marshal Ferdinand Foch | Denis Lamonde |
Field Marshal Douglas Haig | Malcolm Taylor |
General Arthur Currie | Bruce Turner |
General Henry Rawlinson | Brian Scott Carleton |
General Henry Horne | Gord Mackenzie |
General Julian Byng | Ralph MacLeod |
Narrator | Jamie Lee |
Director of photography | Marcus Elliot |
Director of photography | Torstein Dyrting |
Camera Operator | Andrew Curr |
Sound Recordist | Adrian Tucker |
Actor | Laurie Chlanda |
Associate Producer | Aidan Denison |
Production Coordinator | Kate Dunn |
Production Manager | Matt Watier |
Production Manager | Ella Wright |
Composer | Greg Johnston |
On-line editing | Terry Taplin |
Colourist | Caitlan O'Connor |
Sound Mixer | Ric Curtin |
Producer | Ingrid Longley |
Producer | Tara Elwood |
Executive Producer | David Harron |
Executive Producer | Andrew Ogilvie |
Executive Producer | Julie Bristow |
Executive Producer | Andrea Quesnelle |
Executive Producer | Phil Craig |
Executive Producer | Marlo Miazga |
Director | Tim Wolochatiuk |
Writer | Greg Beer |
Director | Don Featherstone |
Writer | Don Featherstone |
Production Company | Electric Pictures |
Broadcasts
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Remembering World War One
A collection of documentaries marking the 100 year anniversary of World War One.