How one Machine Gun held up the German Army (WW1 Documentary)

In August 1914 Europe descended into a war which would ultimately rage for four years at the cost of millions of lives. Amongst the very first moves of that war, and one which brought Britain into the fight, was the launching of the famous German Schlieffen Plan. In an attempt to destroy the French Army, a huge assault had been made through Belgium with the objective of capturing Paris. Standing in their way was the small but highly skilled British Expeditionary Force. Those opponents would meet outside the Belgian town of Mons in a short but brutal engagement that set the scene for many more battles to come. This is the story of that first action and the remarkable personal bravery shown that August day, which resulted in the award of the first two Victoria Crosses of WW1. Creating these videos is a lot of work, and it would be possible without your support. If you like our work, you can help us with a regular or one - time payment: Support us via Patreon at:   / battleguide   One Time Support: https://battleguide.co.uk/support Newsletter: If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Not So Quiet On The Western Front! (Podcast): https://battleguide.co.uk/podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/64bg6Bv... Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Links: Podcast: https://battleguide.co.uk/podcast Patreon:   / battleguide   Twitter:   / battleguidevt   TikTok:   / battleguide   Instagram:   / battleguide.vt   Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:34 Situational Overview 01:35 The British Expeditionary Force 03:54 Germany Attacks 04:33 The British Situation 05:36 Mons 06:59 British Battlefield Positions 08:36 German Forces Arrive 09:02 The Battle Begins! 10:49 The Lone Sniper 11:37 Fighting at Nimy 14:24 Last Stand By Godly 15:36 British Withdrawal 15:54 Visiting the Battlefield Today Reference Material: S. Jones, The Great Retreat of 1914 (2018) APG Vivian, The Phantom Brigade (1930) JGW Hyndson, From Mons To The First Battle of Ypres (2014 Version) R. Dunlop & H. Puttkammer, The Battle of Mons: The Official German History (2020 Verison) Sources: The Fusilier Museum, London The Middlesex Regiment Museum The Battle of Mons (1926 Film) National Library of Scotland Image Archive War Diaries of the Battalions (Naval and Military Press) Commonwealth War Graves Commission Archive (CWGC) US National Archives (NARA) The National Archives, Kew (TNA) Google Earth Pro & Web Versions Memory Maps, Trench Maps of the First World War Maptiler Pro (Desktop Version) Credits: • Research: Dan Hill & Dr. Spencer Jones • Script & Narration: Dan Hill • Editing: Simon James • Thumbnail Design: Linus Klassen • Music & Sound Effects: Epidemic Sounds/Shane Greer