WW1 Documentaries - First World War

Category: WW1 Documentaries --- See Latest World War I news here. See also 'WWI Films, Footages', 'Memorabilia, Militaria', 'Bravery Medals'.

Freddie Stowers: The only African-American Medal of Honor recipient from WW1
Freddie Stowers signed up to fight in the First World War: It didn't matter that he was one of the few African-American soldiers to fight, or that he was passed on to the all-black 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division, due to segregation. Stowers, the only African-American medal recipient from WWI, died on a battleground in France. German forces raised a white flag during a battle, but when his men came out from their trench, the Germans fired, hitting Stowers, who continued to lead his mean, crawling on the ground and yelling encouragement. His story is part of "Red Hand Flag" episode of "History Detectives", which focuses on the 371st Regiment. [ greenvilleonline.com :: 2008-07-12 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

Forging the Anzac Tradition: The Untold Story :: 9-part documentary
Over 2 years ago Alan Young chanced on an article describing how the awful Anzac losses on the Western Front had been overshadowed in Australia's consciousness by the fateful Gallipoli campaign. Since then he has dedicated his time to making a documentary series that tells the story of those men who fought on the Western Front. While the success of books such as Les Carlyon's The Great War have led to a better understanding of the losses on mainland Europe, Young hopes that "Forging the Anzac Tradition: The Untold Story" will bring a greater awareness of the bloody Western Front to a wider audience. [ theage :: 2008-03-09 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

The only cine-film of Gallipoli campaign on Australia's documentary heritage list
The only known cine-film of the 1915 Gallipoli campaign has been included to a list of Australia's documentary heritage. The film - Dardanelles Expedition: Heroes of Gallipoli - was made by English war correspondent Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett in 1915, showing scenes at Anzac Cove, Cape Helles and Suvla Bay. Only 20 minutes of footage has survived, 20% of the original 3000m of film, because of the unstable nature of early nitrate film stock. The film has been listed with the Unesco Australian Memory of the World programme. The footage is a unique record of the Gallipoli campaign. [ nzherald :: 2008-02-20 :: Films, Movies & Footage ]

The Western Front: The Last Great Offensives
"The Western Front - The Last Great Approaches" comprises 2 documentaries made for Canadian tv. They make up part of a longer series "Far From Home: Canada and the Great War". The main feature disc is called "The Last 100 Days". Given the source, its emphasis is on the Canadian soldiers' story, but the experiences were common to soldiers of all nationalities. Using archive footage, still photographs, a narrator reading accounts and diary entries, it tells the story of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). The extra is another documentary from the same series, "Sam's Army" about Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence, Sir Samuel Hughes. [ dvdtimes :: 2007-06-18 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

World War 1 - An American Legacy --- DVD Review
History documentaries seem to take one of two approaches: One is linear, the other is focusing on various aspects of the theme. "World War 1: American Legacy" is in the second camp. It summarizes the linear history of "The Great War" in 21 minutes. The remaining 90min focuses on a variety of Americans and their participation in the war, using them as the vehicle by which to explore the American involvement in WW1. The documentary is not limited to the time period of the U.S. military involvement. Instead, it looks at those who joined the Allied effort before the U.S. formally did so in April 1917. [ blogcritics :: 2007-01-24 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

Choctaw WW1 Code Talkers documentary
Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle announces that the premiere of a 20-minute documentary "Telephone Warriors: The Story of the Choctaw Code Talkers" by Valerie Red-Horse on the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I is scheduled for Jan. 12 at the Oklahoma History Center. This is also an opportunity to see the Code Talker exhibits - combination of the Smithsonian "Native Words, Native Warriors" and the Center's "Hidden Voices, Coded Words". Many Choctaw men volunteered in WWI. 18 of these veterans have been documented as the first to use a Native American language as a "code" to transmit military messages. [ durantdemocrat :: 2007-01-10 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

Documentary: Blood And Oil - The Middle East In World War I
Advance interest seems to be strong for documentary "Blood And Oil - The Middle East In World War I." Producers are already getting orders before the release date is announced. "Blood and Oil--The Middle East in World War I" examines nine years of military struggle and political intrigue that set the stage for wars, revolts, coups, and Western intervention in the Middle East. The feature-length documentary film follows conflict from the Ottoman Empire's entry into the Great War in October 1914 to the Allied victory and the new Turkish Republic in 1923. [ sys-con :: 2006-08-22 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

High Definition World War 1 Documentary Now in Production
Inecom announced that production is in full swing on "World War 1 -- American Legacy," the next DVD in the Minutes of History® Series. Although some thought it would be the "War to End All Wars," the Allied victory in World War 1 directly lead to World War II and drew the borders of nations where conflict continues to this day. Out of the Great War came many developments that have carved the culture of 21st century. Writers like Ernest Hemingway turned tragedy into literary masterpieces. African-American soldiers from units like the Harlem Hell Fighters made history. Female volunteers risked their lives and prompted the start of a new era. [ sys-con :: 2006-06-22 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

The March of the American Bonus Army - Documentary
In 1932, 300 unemployed WWI vets set out for Washington to petition for a "bonus" that had been promised. Word of their protest spread and their ranks swelled to 45,000. Many saw them as a mob and President Herbert Hoover ordered their "eviction" in one of the more shameful episodes in US history. The soldiers who carried out their removal are familiar names: Gen. MacArthur, Maj. Eisenhower, Maj. Patton. They used tear gas, tanks, cavalry and burned the marchers' camps. It was such a brutal episode that some think it led to the defeat of Hoover. But the new president was no help, as Franklin Roosevelt 3 times vetoed the bonus until Congress overrode him. [ findarticles :: 2006-05-29 :: WW1 Documentaries ]

First World War in the News is an edited review of hand-picked World War I 1914-1918 articles.