AirDate: 12/31/2009 |
Overview: Discover why more soldiers died on the final day of WWI than on D-Day, as this chilling indictment of the horror and pointlessness of war is captured by rare footage and photos. At 11am on November 11, 1918, World War I ended victory was assured and final territory agreed upon. How is it possible, then, that more soldiers died on this day than on D-Day? Based on Joseph Persico s book 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, World War I and Its Violent Climax (2004), THE LAST DAY OF WORLD WAR I focuses on the little-known events of the war s Armistice Day, revealing the outrageous excuses Allied leaders found to send 13,000 men to their deaths against a defeated enemy. Some leaders desired promotion, others retribution, while one commander chose to capture a town solely so that he could bathe. Despite the devastating human toll, nothing was gained and the territories taken on this day were eventually returned to Germany. |