The Great Underground War

Season 1

With Andy Hawkins, Julia Richardson. Series on the great underground battles that characterized World War I.

5 episodes · First aired 2014-08-10

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Episodes

Page 1 of 1

Showing 5 at a time

S1 E145 min

The Mines of Ypres

The British successfully used a mining technique known as 'clay kicking' to plant mines under German tunnels during three battles in Flanders. 500,000 soldiers were killed for 900 metres of gains.

S1 E245 min

Monte Paterno

A personal account of the tragic battles that unfolded amid the sharp gullies and ravines of the Dolomites, requiring men to perform the nearly impossible: excavate and tunnel through solid granite in freezing weather.

S1 E345 min

Vauquois, Hill of Death

For three years, the Germans and French blow each other up with massive explosions, using a maze of underground galleries and tunnels. This story is told through the preserved diaries of Herman Hoppe, a German engineer who built many of the tunnels.

S1 E445 min

Col di Lana

Exploring trenches and tunnels and interviewing descendants of the Austrians and Italians who fought under and above the treacherous terrain of the Dolomite mountains.

S1 E545 min

The Secret of the Somme

An exploration of newly discovered fortresses, dugouts, and bunkers tells the story of the innovative German engineering that made defenses resistant to massive bombardments.