World War I: The Great War

Comprised of innocent teenage farm boys, the doughboys in Europe faced a most horrific warfare with machine guns, mustard gas, and artillery shells. New weapons and old tactics turned an infantry charge into an act of mass suicide for the brave young soldiers of WWI.

Its names are loaded with irony. "The Great War" saw chivalry and honor on the battlefield replaced by technology and firepower that swept millions to their deaths. "The War to End All Wars" was followed less than 25 years later by an even deadlier conflict. WORLD WAR I: THE DEATH OF GLORY shows how this epic struggle had a more profound effect on civilization than any other war in history. New countries had to be built on the ruins of a continent. It was the end of kings, empires and innocence, and the beginning of weapons like the U-boat, the machine gun, the tank and poison gas. Graphic footage captures the horrors of trench warfare in battles like Verdun, where over one million men died. Riveting commentary from leading experts details the awesome effects of new technology on the battlefield, and the revolutionary changes that the end of the war brought.

World War I was in every way more epochal and earth-shaking than World War II. After World War I, nothing was recognizable. What was rebuilt was a shadow of the greatness and history that had been destroyed. Visit the killing fields where history was made, and relive the horrors of the conflict through period commentary and archival artifacts. From the fateful shot fired by Gavrilo Princip to the birth of the modern world and warfare, this is the story of WORLD WAR I: THE DEATH OF GLORY.

Experts discuss the political personalities and intolerance behind the "War to End All Wars." Discover the history behind the first weapons of mass destruction, why they were created, and how they were made. Look at documents that were once classified for reasons of national security and discover why they were kept secret. We uncover the forgotten story of the secret deals government mistakes political intolerance and America's role in the war. We mine formerly guarded vaults and archives worldwide reviewing once top-secret footage and declassified materials to search for the facts behind the thrilling stories with which we've become familiar.