Сомма – от поражения к победе (ТВ) The Somme: From Defeat to Victory 2006 смотреть онлайн

Format: DVD Verified Purchase I first saw 'The Somme From Defeat to Victory' back in July of 2006 when it was first broadcast to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the first day of the battle. When I first viewed the film, it was very entertaining and quite informative. I had put off buying the DVD release for years until just recently.
I am very glad that I finally own this excellent documentary film. Basically, it covers the British army's experience during the Battle of the Somme campaign of the First World War. However, it sticks to one particular company of the British army - the Salford Pals Division. By doing this, the BBC used first hand accounts of the men who fought which allowed them to present the film as a documentary and a drama. Needless to say, it works out really well.
The film also presents first hand accounts of the Somme from the German side, too, meaning that no stone is left unturned, which makes this film all the more excellent.
By using first hand accounts of the men who fought, the viewer gets to see exactly why July 1, 1916 is considered the darkest day in the history of the British army; the viewer sees clearly the mistakes made by the commanders, mistakes that sent so many men to their death. Ultimately though, the first hand accounts allow the viewer to also witness the improvements made by the British, improvements which enabled them to defeat the Germans eventually.
Put simply, all of the above means that this film does exactly what it says on the tin, to use the expression. It aims to show how the British army went from defeat to victory, and it does so by using first hand accounts of the men who were there, on both sides, and combines these with documentary footage and the use of drama. Overall, it makes for a very entertaining and excellent watch. Read more ›
Format: DVD As you watch this impeccably researched 59min DVD, commisioned to mark the 90'th anniversary of the battle, and listen to the actual words of just a few of the men who fought and died in it; it puts the problems we face today into genuine perpective.
The programme centres around a few volunteers of the 2'nd Salford Pals Battalion/16'th Lancashire Fusiliers; as they attacked and were mown down, by their Westphalian opposite numbers in the 180'th Inf Regt, holding the French chateau of Thiepval on 1'st July 1916. It's hard to believe now, but 19,240 British soldiers were killed, with 37,000 wounded; on the first day of a battle which lasted six months!
This programme differs from many others however, in that it documents the entire Somme 'campaign' which continued on until December 1916. It illustrates how the British Army reacted to those losses; permitting use of initiative by junior officers, introducing combined attacks, creeping artillery barrages, first deployment of tanks, and use of aircraft for observation.
Using these radical new tactics, the British Army and their French allies eventually 'won' the battle of the Somme. German pressure on Verdun was reduced as they were forced to replace 500,000 casualties lost on the Somme; which enabled France to hold at Verdun. Total British casualties were 432,000, France lost 'only' 200,000, plus another 543,000 at Verdun!
This programme attempts to justify those losses by explaining how the Generals 'learned' lessons; and by applying those lessons, eventually emerged victorious from World War One. Read more ›