National Geographic: Classic Collections: World War 1 (2014)
3h 8min
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- Synopsis:
National Geographic Classic Collections showcase memorable programming in sets the perfect way to explore this incredible catalogue. In our Classic Collection on World War 1, we present four enlightening programmes exploring key episodes of World War 1 history.
Jungle Navy:During World War I, British Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Spicer-Simson led a troop of 28 men into the heart of Africa. Their task: To destroy three German ships on Lake Tanganyika. Few wartime achievements match Spicer-Simson's successfully executed mission, which involved a nine-thousand-mile trek, dragging two ships through wild terrain, down rivers, and up mountains. This true story formed the basis for Hollywood's 'African Queen.'
War Heroes: During the First World War, railways played a heroic role moving troops and supplies to the front using a technology that came from the hills of Wales narrow gauge railways. Dan Cruickshank shows us how and why the technology worked in moving heavy slate down the Welsh hills and how narrow gauge was perfect for northern France.
Sinking of the Lusitania: Why did Germany torpedo the Lusitania, a civilian vessel? Why did such an enormous ship sink so fast? Take a high-tech plunge beneath the Irish Channel and relive one of the century's most mysterious maritime tragedies. The date is May 7, 1915, just nine months into World War I. A German U-boat torpedoes the Lusitania one of the largest luxury liners in the world. Of the 1,959 passengers aboard, nearly two-thirds will die-many are trapped inside the ship as she sinks in just eighteen minutes.
Survivors recount a mysterious second blast following the torpedo hit. Was the Lusitania carrying a secret cargo of explosives from the neutral U.S. for Britain? Explorer and scientist Dr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of R.M.S. Titanic, has doubts. Join the great undersea detective on a classic National Geographic adventure, as he probes the sunken liner for clues that could rewrite history.
Gallipoli's Deep Secrets: Dr. Robert Ballard, examines one of the greatest turning points of the 20th century. In what was to become one of the bloodiest and most futile battles of the modern era, Ballard wants to examine how it went so horribly wrong. The answers lie not only on the battlefields but beneath the waves. Ballard reveals the story of Gallipoli as it has never been told before, through its wrecks. Diving into ancient waters off Turkey, Ballard uncovers the wrecks where the might of the British Navy was outwitted by a weakened Ottoman Empire, unleashing a terrible carnage where hundreds of thousands of young lives would be wasted. But amongst the tragedy Ballard discovers heroes including a lone Australian submarine that achieved what no submarine had ever done before. On this extraordinary and poignant journey, Ballard unlocks Gallipoli's deep secrets.- Genres:
- Documentary