World War I - Mines of Ypres

Hello and good morning!  I will continue World War I and World War II documentaries for November.  This is a documentary that comes from World War I.  World War I was the war that introduced trench warfare.  This documentary is looking at the trench warfare of Ypres.  The run time for this episode is 44:42.  It is part of the Great Underground War Series.  It is called the Mines of Ypres.

World War I was going to be the war to end all wars.  New technology was introduced such as the airplane and more technologically advanced guns.  Gas was introduced.  Trench warfare was introduced.  This would have been a change to warfare and the soldiers who lived in the trenches would have faced difficult conditions.  There was endless mud and the trenches flooded.  How did these soldiers endure in these mud pits?

These trenches scar the landscape in Europe.  The area around Ypres is particularly scary as it was the site of three major battles during World War I.  It was the site of the largest man-made explosion during the war.  The British and French took the high ground for the first time.  Thousands of men died in the blast.  Two archeologists go to the site to explore the tunnels.  They will learn more about tunnels and trenching around this area during World War I.

The story about digging the tunnels is told from the perspective of one of the tunnel diggers.  Geoffrey Bosby was writing to his girlfriend Edith about digging the tunnels.  Edith’s son explores the letters that this soldier wrote to his mother.  This soldier talks about all the mud that he encountered.  I do not know if mentioning this person was appropriate for this documentary, or if his words would be better used if the filmmaker followed him through the documentary as he dug the trenches instead of the jumps.  Then there is a discussion on Ypres and how the war impacted the city.  The Germans occupied the high ground while the British and the French occupied the lower lands in the marshes.

Then there is an examination of the weapons that were involved during World War I and the discussion on the no man’s land.  Even though trenches were not safe from grenades launched into those trenches.  The conditions were harsh for the soldiers during World War I.  There is an interview with a German historian who talks about the challenges of the trench life.

The roots of trench warfare were inspired by digging trenches for sewers.  The British were convinced that they could dig tunnels under the Germans.  However, the Germans would learn that they were digging and they would answer.  They blew up a group of Indian soldiers who were digging.  Their trenches would be a challenge to dig on this sandy plain.  Eventually, quieter digging methods were developed and the Germans could no longer hear that the British were digging.
However, where the Germans occupied the ridge the soil was sandy and the British were occupying where there was clay. 

The British could easily build good trenches in this clay.  The historians explore the tunnels that were dug.  There were still challenges because the water table was very high so the diggers would have to be careful building these trenches.  The water tables would rise and fall with the weather.  I am finding it challenging to write out this review, things are furiously jumping around with this documentary.  Then there was a discussion on the soldier who was attached to a trench-digging regiment and the letters are explored more.  Anyway, to learn more about trench warfare during World War I continue to follow this documentary.

At times this documentary was hard to follow and I found myself drifting away.  I ended up having to rewind and pause the documentary several times throughout writing this review.  The archeologists were suddenly at the trenches and the landscape archeologist was suddenly present.  Maybe a different approach to editing would make this documentary flow better.  It was just difficult to get through period.  As far as showing this to a history classroom, this is one I would skip showing.  If it I was a challenge for me to follow along, then it will be a challenge for a student to follow.