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S01E61 - "Patton & MacArthur"
Aired on Nov 6, 2018, 12:00 PM
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Episodes (1 Season · 61 Episodes)
The Red Baron
Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron, was one of the most popular figures of the Great War. Until his death in April 1918, he was one of the best pilots and revolutionised aerial warfare with his skills and his adaptation of the Dicta Boelcke. But who was Manfred von Richthofen and how did he become one of the aces of the war, idolised by friends and enemies alike? Find out all about the biography of Manfred von Richthofen with Indy.
Oct 28, 2014
4 min
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941), Germany's last emperor, was born in Potsdam in 1859, the son of Frederick III. and Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria. Wilhelm became emperor of Germany in 1888 following the death of Frederick II. During his rule, Germany's relations with Britain, France and Russia became strained. His behaviour and the "blanc cheque" for Austria-Hungary are seen as important factors for the outbreak of World War 1 after the July Crisis.
Dec 1, 2014
6 min
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch was one of the most famous Entente generals of World War 1. He already began his military career in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71. Until the end of WW1 he rose to the rank of Commander in Chief of the allied forces. War had always been central to Foch's life, though neither he nor anyone else really foresaw the size, scope, and horrors of World War One. In this video we're showing his impressive life.
Dec 15, 2014
5 min
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, also known as the Lion of Africa, was commander of the German colonial troops in German East Africa during World War 1. His guerilla tactics used againd several world powers of the time are considered to be one of the most successful military missions of the whole war. In Germany, he was celebrated as a hero until recently. But recent historical research show a picture much more controversial than the one of a glorious hero.
Jan 26, 2015
7 min
Maximilian V. Spee
Vice Admiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von Spee is one of the most famous admirals of World War One. When the war broke out, he and his East Asian Squadron are stationed in the Pacific. But instead of surrendering to his superior enemies, he manages to reach South America during an audacious cruiser war. At the Battle of Coronel, he ends the legend of the invincible Royal Navy.
Feb 16, 2015
8 min
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler later said about his experience on the Western Front of World War 1 that it was the happiest time of his life. This time on the front and at home influenced his understanding of society and nation, the military gave his life structure for the first time and the chaotic times after the German Revolution paved the ground for his rise to power. Indy tells you everything about the early life of the man who later would become the FĂĽhrer.
Mar 23, 2015
7 min
Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II was the last tsar of Russia and the last ruler of the Romanov dynasty. His reign and his command are considered especially inauspicious today. Everything you need to know about Nicholas II of Russia in our portrait.
Apr 13, 2015
8 min
Hötzendorf
Conrad von Hötzendorf was one of the main figures pushing for war and escalating the July crisis in 1914 leading to World War 1. His failure as commander in chief of Austria-Hungary were staggering but still today some consider him a military genius. Who was this man who polarizes military scholars till today and played such a huge role in the downfall of the Habsburg empire? Find out in our biography.
May 4, 2015
9 min
Mustafa Kemal
Mustafa Kemal or simply AtatĂĽrk was the founder of the modern, secular Turkish Republic. He earned his stripes as an officer in World War 1 as the defender of Gallipoli against the ANZAC troops. You can find out all about Mustafa Kemal AtatĂĽrk during the last years of the Ottoman Empire in our biography.
May 18, 2015
7 min
Churchill
Winston Churchill's life is actually too big for just one video. Even before World War 1, some biographies about him were published. His career during the Great War saw sheer brilliance like the modernisation of the Royal Navy and utter failure like the Gallipoli Landings. Find out all about Winston Churchill in our portrait.
Jun 1, 2015
7 min
Remarque
All Quiet On The Western Front is surely the most prominent anti-war book and book about World War 1 of all time. The German author Erich Maria Remarque fought on the Western Front until he got wounded. During his recovery he collected stories from his comrades and started writing the book. Just one year after publication, a movie was made in the US where Remarque later emigrated to.
Jun 15, 2015
7 min
Fritz Haber
Fritz Haber is one of the most famous German scientists. His inventions made it possible to feed an ever growing human population and influence us till this day. But Fritz Haber had a dark side too: His research made the weaponization of gas and the increased production of explosives possible. Find out more about the life of Fritz Haber in our biography.
Jun 22, 2015
6 min
Louis Barthas
Louis Barthas was a French soldier who served on the Western Front for 54 months. He served in the Battle of Verdun and other major battles of World War 1. His War Diary gave a voice to the senselessness of war. As a socialist, Barthas was a supporter of the French mutinies of 1917 and a vocal enemy of the war. All about Louis Barthas in our biography.
Jul 6, 2015
6 min
Milunka Savic
Even though Milunka Savic was one of the highest decorated soldiers of the entire Great War, she was forgotten soon after it ended. Her great deeds for the Serbian Army and even the impossible fact that she was serving as a female soldier became lost and were only recently discovered. Find out all about the forgotten Serbian fighter which is now considered a war heroine with Indy.
Aug 10, 2015
5 min
Otto Dix
Otto Dix was a German artist known for his unforgiving depiction of the Great War and the society of Weimar Republic. His works in the series Der Krieg (The War) are among the most well known depictions of the horrors of war. Together with George Grosz and Max Beckmann, he is considered one of the most important artists of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity).
Oct 12, 2015
7 min
J.R.R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (JRR Tolkien) served on the Western Front of World War 1. It is believed that his experiences of the horrors war were a direct inspiration for his Lord of the Rings-Books. The struggle between good and evil and the price for victory are strong motives in his work. Find out which other similarities there are between the Lord of the Rings and the First World War.
Nov 2, 2015
8 min
Billy Bishop
William "Billy" Bishop was not only the top Canadian flying ace but also one of the most successful flying aces of World War 1. With 72 confirmed victories, he soon became the fear of the German Jagdstaffeln who actually put a bounty on his head and called him Hell's Handmaiden. Surviving one of the bloodiest theatres of war, the sky above the Western Front, Billy Bishop's skill made him a national hero.
Nov 30, 2015
9 min
King Albert I
King Albert I of Belgium was not was by any means no regular monarch. It was already unlikely that he became King in the first place and when he did, he tried everything he could to distance himself from King Leopold II who had reigned before him. After the outbreak of World war 1 he tried everything he could to keep up the morale on the Yser Front, the last part of Belgium not occupied by the Germans.
Dec 14, 2015
6 min
John French
British Field Marshal John French was a soldier through and through and had a glorious career during the colonial era of the British Empire, but all the battles around the world couldn't prepare him for modern war. His experience in the Boer Wars and in the Mahdist War made John French a rising star in the military. But when he was leading the British Army landing in Belgium in August 1914, neither he or the public were prepared for the new realities of World War 1 with huge casualties and trench warfare.
Dec 21, 2015
5 min
Mata Hari
Mata Hari or Margaretha Geertruida Zelle is one of the most fascinating women of the 20th century. Not only did the Dutch woman charm half or Paris with her exotic and erotic dancing. After several up and downs she ended up as a spy for love gathering intelligence for the German secret service. When she was caught by the French, her live ended as unglamorous as it started.
Jan 4, 2016
8 min
Arthur Currie
Arthur Currie is one of the few universally acclaimed generals of World War 1. His refusal to send is troops into battle as canon fodder and his detailed planning and training made the Canadian Corps a force to be reckoned with on the Western Front. Find out all about the man who was only serving in the militia before the war.
Jan 11, 2016
9 min
Edith Cavell
The execution of British nurse Edith Cavell by German soldiers in 1915 was instrumental to British propaganda at that time and the story became legend. But who was Edith Cavell really? Find out more about the humble nurse in Brussels and if she was really a spy after all.
Feb 1, 2016
8 min
Tsar Ferdinand I
Even the appointment of Ferdinand I to become ruler of Bulgaria was not without controversy. All across Europe, leaders didn't see him fit to do the job. Controversy followed him throughout his life, the Balkan Wars and the First World War when he had to see the defeat of his country. Find out all about that other Tsar in our episode.
Feb 15, 2016
8 min
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel had his baptism of fire during the initial offensives of World War 1 on the Western Front. His fearlessness and daring actions made him rise through the ranks quickly. When the German infantry tactics changed and the new Stormtrooper regiments were built, Rommel was the kind of officer needed. During the war in Romania and the battles of Italy he distinguished himself and already started building his legendary reputation that followed him into World War 2 as the Desert Fox.
Feb 29, 2016
9 min
