By early September 1914, the German advance had reached within 30 miles of the French capital. Executing a modified version of the Schlieffen Plan, designed to quickly attack France through neutral Belgium before turning southwards to encircle the French army on the border, the German army had made significant inroads into enemy territory.

But after a series of successful counter-offensives by the French and British armies, the German Army was forced to retreat and ultimately dug in north of the Aisne River. This signified an end to mobile warfare and an introduction to static warfare – a stalemate that would last for the next three years…

In this episode, Luke Tomes joins the Imperial German Army on the Western Front, where he’ll find out whether conditions were any different to those on the opposing side of No Man’s Land – how new, ingenious strategies would shape your experience on the battlefield and determine your chances of survival…

So the question is, could you survive the trenches as a German soldier during the First World War?

Filmed at: La Main De Massiges, Hooge Crater Museum
Archive Images: Rob Schäfer @GerMilHistory

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#historyhit #worldwarone #ww1

00:00 Introduction
02:20 1914 – The Schlieffen Plan
03:59 German Uniform
07:03 Military Equipment
08:23 Mauser Gewehr 98 (Bolt-Action Rifle)
10:19 Grenades
11:44 MG 08 (Machine Gun)
13:42 German Fortified Bunkers and Rations
17:13 Gas Attacks
22:24 Gas Masks
28:52 Mining and Tunneling
32:06 1917 – 1918 (New Equipment and Weapons)
37:10 Combating Tanks
41:59 Shellshock

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29 Comments

  1. We hope you enjoyed this second episode of our 'Could You Survive' WW1 special! If you've enjoyed these videos, please do like and comment below where you'd want Luke to travel to next (as well as what time period) 👇

  2. Good luck in getting beaten by Canadians who are way superior in fighting comparing to the Germans that tend to be NPCs that doesn't know how to shoot properly. Germans don't know how to shoot properly because they are conscripta.

  3. In the discussion about gas, the guy you're talking to (I didn't catch his name) quite clearly, several times says "phosgene" with a G.
    Why, several seconds later, when describing the artillery shells, do you then say "phosphene" and "di-phosphene". If you google phosphene, you'll find that "phosphene" is not a gas but a pseudo-visual phenomena.
    It really detracts from the credibility of your doco when you show an inability to receive and pass on accurate information and don't fact-check yourself. I found it quite disappointing in an otherwise interesting vid.

  4. Poor bastards like the rest. The Von Schl plan was not a miracle move as most German leaders believed. Too much depended on everything going right, that the armies would swing around in unison, easier said than done.
    I do wonder about the alternate, if the Germans made it to Paris. Would millions of men been spared? The oppressive nature of the Nazis was not present, would life in Belgium and France been so different?
    That is if the Armies stayed which was not likely.

  5. My great-uncle fought with the Canadians and closed the gap at Ypres. Sadly he succumbed to his wounds a few days later, and his grave was consequently lost in the ensuing battles. His brother was killed later in the year.

  6. I did like the video but i feel history hit videos are always a bit british-biased. Is anybody else sensing this or is it just me?

    Nevertheless, really nicely made video

  7. A family member of mine fought the Germans after the U.S got involved in the Great War, and he brought back a Seitengewehr 98 as a souvenir which I still have to this day. Whenever I look at it, I wonder who the German was that it originally belonged to.

  8. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
    — Romans 3:23

    And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
    – Jeremiah 29:13

    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
    -John 3:16

    Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.
    – Acts 3:19

    If you’re in North America, please go check out any of the churches available to you: PCA, OPC, Rpcna, Urcna, or a Canrc church.
    (These are conservative and actual Reformed/Presbyterian churches)

    If you’re Scottish, I recommend the Free Church of Scotland and the APC.
    (Different from the Church of Scotland)

    If you’re English I recommend the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England & Wales and the Free Church of England.
    (Different from the Church of England)

    Also online you can look up church finders for each of the groups, it’ll show you locations.

    And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
    – Hebrews 10:24-25

  9. Some of these Mines used at Messine are still there today. They didn't exploded.

    In Germany we had a name for when we fired some chemical weapons together, we called it "Buntschießen". For example lung-damaging Chemicals were called "Grünkreuz" or Green Cross, other were Yellow, Red and Blue Cross. They all would work in another way.

    It was not a Peace "treaty". Shame of Versaille is the better name (and in my eyes the only correct one).
    “This is not peace. This is a twenty-year truce.”, Marshal Foch said this as the Shame of Versaille was signed and he should be right!

  10. Im half american and half german and i sometimes think that theres a possibility that people from both sides of my family could have fought each other in both world wars

  11. Poems give absolutely no value to historical information. There is no reason to cite a poem instead of giving information. Poems suck I want historical information

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