The Great War: 1918 - The Year of Breakthroughs
The fifth season of The Great War continues its comprehensive examination of the global conflict as it enters its fourth year. Despite three and a half years of continuous fighting, the warring nations remain committed to the pursuit of victory. The narrative arc focuses on the strategic decisions and military preparations made by these nations as they organize increasingly larger offensives. These efforts are driven
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- The series documents the historical progression of the global conflict known as the First World War.
- Indy Neidell serves as the primary presenter for the documentary series.
- The narrative follows the chronological timeline of the war as it reaches its fourth year of activity.
- The conflict is characterized by the persistent engagement of multiple warring nations seeking a decisive military outcome.
Season overview
The fifth season of The Great War continues its comprehensive examination of the global conflict as it enters its fourth year. Despite three and a half years of continuous fighting, the warring nations remain committed to the pursuit of victory. The narrative arc focuses on the strategic decisions and military preparations made by these nations as they organize increasingly larger offensives. These efforts are driven by the collective goal of achieving a decisive conclusion to what was famously described as the war to end all wars. The season explores the persistent nature of the combatants and the escalation of military operations that defined this stage of the conflict. By documenting the ongoing mobilization and the scale of the planned campaigns, the series provides insight into the motivations and expectations of the involved powers during this critical period. The presentation remains focused on the historical reality of the conflict, detailing how the nations involved continued to commit resources and personnel to the battlefield in hopes of breaking the existing stalemate. This season serves as a continuation of the broader historical account, maintaining the series commitment to detailing the progression of the war through its later stages and the relentless pursuit of a final resolution.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Machinations In The British High Command - Week 180
Jan 4, 2018 · 9 min
1918 starts with machinations in the British High Command since Prime Minister Lloyd George is holding back troops and generally would like to replace Sir Douglas Haig as commander
Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points - Week 181
Jan 11, 2018 · 10 min
In the first full week of 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlines his points for peace. In the Caucasus, the increasing instability leads to daily skirmishes between the Armen
Assassination Attempt on Lenin - Chaos in Romania - Week 182
Jan 18, 2018 · 10 min
This week in Russia, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin was almost killed by sharpshooters in Petrograd and the Constituent Assembly meets. Tensions rise as Russia issues an ultimatum
Civil War in Finland and Ukraine - Week 183
Jan 25, 2018 · 10 min
This week in the Great War, two more wars start - the Finnish Civil War and the Ukrainian War of Independence. Meanwhile, David Lloyd George pulls some strings in France, even as L
Strikes and Mutiny - Week 184
Feb 1, 2018 · 10 min
Public opinion is turning against the war for the Central Powers but not only that, mutinies are also happening more frequently. Winning the war will be a race against time for Lud
Austro-Hungarian House of Cards - Week 185
Feb 8, 2018 · 10 min
The situation for Austria-Hungary is dire, even after the success in Italy and the peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk. Strikes and mutinies break out across the Empire and the eme
No War, No Peace – Trotsky's Gamble - Week 186
Feb 15, 2018 · 10 min
The negotiations between the Bolsheviks, the German High Command and Austria-Hungary reach a new low this week 100 years ago. Leon Trotsky is playing for time since the revolutions
Operation Faustschlag - Germany Advances In The East Again - Week 187
Feb 22, 2018
Germany has had enough with the stalling tactics by the Bolsheviks and is unleashing its military might on the Eastern Front again to show who is in charge. Within the first days o
Ludendorff's Window Of Opportunity - Week 188
Mar 1, 2018
German victory in the East, chaos in the British High Command, stable fronts in the Balkans and Italy, the US still not in full strength; German General Erich Ludendorff has a wind
Peace In The East - The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - Week 189
Mar 8, 2018 · 10 min
Germany and the Russian Bolshevik Government sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending hostilities on the Eastern Front. Previously Germany had resumed the war in the East to put pre
Allied Unified Command On The Horizon - Week 190
Mar 15, 2018 · 10 min
While Germany is occupying a territory from the North Sea to the Black Sea and planning it's huge spring offensive, the Allies are still trying to get behind the idea of a unified
Kaiserschlacht - German Spring Offensive 1918 - Week 191
Mar 22, 2018 · 10 min
It was all or nothing for the German Army under General Erich Ludendorff now: They unleashed the biggest offensive of the entire war on the Western Front trying to split the Britis
Backs To The Wall - All Eyes On Amiens - Week 192
Mar 29, 2018 · 10 min
The German Operation Michael continues this week and after some uncertainty, the Germans put their eyes on Amiens. The city is a vital communications and transport hub for the Ente
Operation Michael Runs Out Of Breath - Week 193
Apr 5, 2018 · 10 min
Two weeks after the initial success of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael looses pace and direction. The German supply situation is dire and when the troops find cattle
The Battle of La Lys - Operation Georgette - Week 194
Apr 12, 2018 · 10 min
A year after the US entry into the war, the German Spring Offensive 1918 continues with operations Archangel and Georgette. The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps has to pay the price
Knocking Out The Hejaz Railway - Week 195
Apr 19, 2018 · 10 min
While the Germans are still advancing in Flanders (Operation Georgette), the other fronts are not always quiet. In Palestine, the British forces and the Arab Revolt are taking the
The First Tank-on-Tank Battle in History - The Zeebrugge Raid - Week 196
Apr 26, 2018 · 10 min
At Villers-Bretonneux, German and British tanks clash marking the first tank-on-tank battle in history. In the same week, the most successful flying ace of World War 1 is shot down
Pershing Under Pressure - The End Of La Lys - Week 197
May 3, 2018 · 10 min
Even though the German spring offensive is not able to gain any ground in Flanders, the allied casualties are mounting. This increases the pressure on John J. Pershing and the Amer
The Ostende Raid - Peace of Bucharest - Week 198
May 10, 2018 · 10 min
Even though the first raid on Ostende and the Raid on Zeebrugge were not entirely succesfull, the Royal Navy is still determined to block access to the German submarine ports in Be
Rebellion - Week 199
May 17, 2018 · 10 min
The summer of 1918 saw many ethnic and political groups within the warring empires to openly rebel. The Austro-Hungarian Army saw open mutiny every week, the Irish rebelled against
Bombs Away - German Thirst For Caucasian Oil - Week 200
May 24, 2018 · 10 min
In the 200th week of the war, the total nature of modern warfare is truly showing its face. The warring nations escalate their bombing campaigns and the German troops in the Caucas
50 Miles To Paris - Third Battle Of The Aisne - Week 201
May 31, 2018 · 10 min
The German spring offensive has lost some traction over the past few weeks but the Allies are still under pressure. With Operations Blücher and York, the Germans are getting within
The Battle of Belleau Wood Begins - Week 202
Jun 7, 2018 · 10 min
The German Army is still threatening Paris and the situation for the Allies looks dire. Reluctantly, General Pershing agrees to put some of the American troops into action at Belle
The French Counter Attack At Matz - Week 203
Jun 14, 2018 · 10 min
The French have cracked the German radio code on the Western Front and use their advantage for a counterattack at Matz. The already hastily planed German attack during Operation Gn
Second Battle of the Piave River - Week 204
Jun 21, 2018 · 10 min
Even though Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal Svetozar Boroević von Bojna warns against, the Austro-Hungarian Army goes on the offensive in Italy again. In a two-pronged attack Boroje
The Run For The Baku Oil Fields - Week 205
Jun 28, 2018 · 10 min
While the Ottoman Army of Islam is marching on Baku and the Caspian Sea, multiple other players are trying to stake their claim of the Baku oil fields.
The First Modern Battle - The Battle of Hamel - Week 206
Jul 5, 2018 · 10 min
The Battle of Hamel is considered as the first modern battle. Masterminded by Australian general John Monash, it included meticulous planning and integrated tanks, artillery, airpl
The Gardeners Of Salonica Prepare A New Offensive - Week 207
Jul 12, 2018 · 10 min
The Macedonian Front has been quite since the recapture of Monastir except for some minor battles like at Skra. But the five nation Army of the Orient wants to change that and is r
2nd Battle Of The Marne - Turning Point On The Western Front - Week 208
Jul 19, 2018 · 10 min
The German Army launches an diversionary attack from the Rheims-Soisson salient and increases the pressure on Paris. But the Allies knew about the attack and for the first time, th
Ludendorff's Last Swing - Week 209
Jul 26, 2018 · 10 min
All of Germany's recent offensives have been building up to Operation Hagen: An offensive in Flanders that was to divide the Allies and drive the British off the continent. But thi
Four Years of War - Week 210
Aug 2, 2018 · 10 min
As the war turns 4 years old, there is still no end in sight. From the Western Front to the Caucasus and the Middle East; in every theater the war is still raging on.
The Black Day Of The German Army - The Battle of Amiens - Week 211
Aug 9, 2018 · 10 min
Ludendorff and his generals didn't think the Allies had it in them, but this week they attack with the might off several hundred tanks near Amiens, the Black Day of the German Army
A Resounding Victory - German Morale Plummets - Week 212
Aug 16, 2018 · 10 min
As the Battle of Amiens is coming to an end, the Germans are desperately trying to stem the Allied advance and fortify new positions. But morale is crumbling and German High Comman
Over By Christmas? - Growing Allied Confidence - Week 213
Aug 23, 2018 · 10 min
With the recent "Black Day of the German Army" and the success of the new strategy of Allied attacks along the Western Front and with the renewed offensives in Palestine, British C
The American First Army Gears Up - Germany Retreats - Week 214
Aug 30, 2018 · 10 min
As the German Army withdraws along the Western Front, the Entente prepares for ever more offensives. This includes the newly founded American First Army which will have the task to
Red Terror in Soviet Russia - Week 215
Sep 6, 2018 · 10 min
After an almost successful attempt on Lenin's live, the Tscheka under Felix Dzerzhinsky responds with a terror campaign to consolidate Soviet power through fear. At the same time,
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel - Week 216
Sep 13, 2018 · 10 min
The American First Army joins the fray on the Western Front with the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. All along the Western Front, the Allies are attacking or planning new attacks. The situ
Allied Breakthroughs In Palestine And Macedonia - Week 217
Sep 20, 2018 · 10 min
In a turbulent week of the First World War, the Allies break through at the Macedonian Front during the Battle of Vadar and in Palestine during the Battle for Palestine. At the sam
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Bulgarian Collapse - Week 218
Sep 27, 2018 · 10 min
This week, the biggest American military operation in history kicks off with 1.2 million American soldiers trying to take the Krimhilde Stellung. At the same time the Army of the O
Germany's Reckoning - Bulgarian Armistice - Week 219
Oct 4, 2018 · 10 min
While Bulgaria signs the Armistice of Salonika and effectively exits the war as the first of the Central Powers, the Hindenburg Line is broken on the Western Front. It dawns among
The Hindenburg Line Breaks - The Lost Battalion Returns - Week 220
Oct 11, 2018 · 10 min
The Hindenburg Line or Siegfriedstellung is the backbone of the German defenses on the Western Front and this week 100 years ago, the Allies break through during the Battle of St.
The Battle of the Selle - Ludendorff Resigns - Week 221
Oct 18, 2018 · 10 min
As the Germans are retreating further and further during the Battle of the Selle, Erich Ludendorff – the German Quartermaster General, one half of Germany's military dictatorship a
Italy Attacks - The Battle of Vittorio Veneto - Week 222
Oct 25, 2018 · 10 min
After the Battle of the Piave, the Italian front had been relatively quiet and stable. But just as unrest and instablity spread through the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Italian Arm
Austria-Hungary Disintegrates - The Ottoman Empire Leaves the War - Week 223
Nov 1, 2018 · 10 min
The Ottoman Empire has been on the retreat in the Middle East since the renewed British offensive in September and now, as the allies are threatening the Turkish heartland and also
Revolution in Germany - Armistice in Austria - Week 224
Nov 8, 2018 · 10 min
Unrest within the German Empire is spreading, resentment against the war, the hunger and the elites is turning into revolutionary action and with a mutiny in Kiel the wheels begin
Armistice - But Peace? - Week 225
Nov 15, 2018 · 13 min
On November 11 1918, the German delegation and the Allies reach an agreement for an armistice. At the 11th hour the guns go silent and the First World War is over, well at least th