The text is a detailed analysis of various scenes from First World War movies by Alexander Watson, a professor of history at Goldsmiths, University of London. He focuses on the realism of battle scenes, pointing out inaccuracies and improbable elements. Watson criticizes the use of flamethrowers, warning gongs, and the absence of barbed wire in trenches. He also highlights the ineffectiveness of tracer bullets and the implausibility of tanks entering trench networks. Watson points out that the use of gas was an offensive weapon and was not used by frontline machine guns. He also explains that trenches were built to defend one way, and that tanks were vulnerable to artillery fire. Watson discusses the use of flares by pilots, the use of barrage balloons, and the involvement of Indian troops on the Western Front. He concludes the analysis by giving a rating to each scene based on its realism and historical accuracy.
1. The speaker is Alexander Watson, a professor of history at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is an expert on the First World War and has written three books .
2. The main topic of discussion is the depiction of battle scenes in First World War movies .
3. The Germans made significant efforts on their trenches, including bringing heavy weaponry to defend them .
4. There was a key omission in many depictions: the lack of barbed wire in no-man's-land, which would have been a significant obstacle for attacking forces .
5. By 1918, the German army was not solely composed of riflemen. They had access to light machine guns, minenwerfers (light mortars), and even specialized anti-tank weapons .
6. Tracer bullets or incendiary bullets were used in the First World War, but mainly for anti-aircraft work and not by frontline machine guns .
7. The scene in question features gas, but it is incorrectly portrayed. In the First World War, gas was used from 1915, starting with chlorine and later phosgene which was more lethal .
8. The scene also features tanks, but they are incorrectly portrayed. In 1918, they would have been vulnerable to artillery fire, and defenders would have used anti-tank weapons .
9. The scene incorrectly portrays trenches as being defended in both directions, which was not the case in reality .
10. Flamethrowers were used from 1915 onwards, but not in the way depicted in the scene .
11. The scene incorrectly portrays an attack on the morning of the 25th of April, 1915, during the Battle of Gallipoli. The Turks started firing when the boats were in rifle range, not when the soldiers got off the boats .
12. The scene also incorrectly portrays the use of machine guns in the bows of landing craft, which would have resulted in casualties among the attacking forces .
13. The scene exaggerates the bloodiness of the landing, with about 50 casualties on either side in reality .
14. The speaker's favorite representation of the war is "Journey's End," not for any realism of battle scenes, but for how it realistically represents the tension and claustrophobia of waiting for an attack in the First World War .