Aired
January 06, 2016
During World War I, the Allies and Germans repeatedly struggled to break the hideous stalemate of trench warfare. In the winter of 1916, Allied engineers devised a massive surprise attack: over 1 million pounds of explosives hidden in secret tunnels driven under German lines. Building the tunnels was desperate work, with tunnelers at constant risk from flooding, cave-ins, and enemy digging teams. In June of 1917, the planted mines at Messines were simultaneously triggered, killing an estimated 10,000 German troops instantly. Now, archaeologists are revealing the extraordinary scale and risks of the Allied tunneling operations in one of the biggest excavations ever undertaken on the Western Front. “Secret Tunnel Warfare” opens a unique window on the frenzy of Allied mining activity that led up to the attack and its bitter aftermath.
Episode 10 of Season 43 from NOVA — available to stream in HD on any device.
Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!
Recommended
ODB: Wu Tang Forever
The Great Art Fraud
Bespoke Inns
Hestepigen fra helvede
Most Wanted: Julius Kivimäki
Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams
Cities by the Sea
Dadolescence
Chuck et la cuisine des premiers peuples
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television
Search for movies, TV shows, collections, manga, or people
Trending Now