First World War From Above.

[Flyby PC 23]

Sorry if this has already been flagged up - (Been busy, & bit out of date about threads).

 

BBC1 9pm tonight.

 

"The First World War Fom Above".

 

Quote - Fergal Keane examines a cache of recently discovered aerial footage and photographs of the conflict. A 48-minute film taken by a French airship in the summer of 1919, following the route of the Western Front, reveals the devastating impact of the war on the land, while a collection of 150,000 photos taken by First World War pilots, intended to provide commanders with a revolutionary view of the battlefield, tells a series of human stories that were visible only from above

[von Baur 54]

"Fergal"?

[Flyby PC 23]

It's an Irish name, sometimes spelled Fearghall or Feargal. Means a brave or courageous man.

 

Fergal Keane is a writer & war correspondent.

 

Only other Fergal I know is Feargal Sharkey, lead singer from the Undertones.

[Dej 17]

Thanks for the heads-up on that one, Flyby. We've guests tonight and I'd have missed it otherwise.

[Flyby PC 23]

Hmmmm. OK, but less talk, more images. I know what a trench is.

 

150,000 photos and a 78 minute film to show us, but we didn't see that much.

 

Maybe that's unfair. What I did see was remarkable, but I was hungry for a lot more. Even so, I must have read about Ypres cathedral and cloth house 100 times, but when the airship flew past them in all their distress, well a small penny dropped. Ypres looked as smashed as any bombed city I've seen from WW1 to present. Not a thing left standing.

 

I would like to see the film itself, all 78 minutes, and also spend a few hours going through the box collection. (The 150,000 aerial pics).

 

There was one clear example of the power of air photography. A German Barracks obscured by trees was spotted by the ornamental gardens the troops maintained beside the parade ground. Curious and terribly sad to see the before and after pictures once the artillery zeroed in.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Flyby PC

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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I went online to watch this at the BBC website, but it is not available for viewing in the U.S. :no2:

 

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[Von Paulus 8]

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I went online to watch this at the BBC website, but it is not available for viewing in the U.S. :no2:

 

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You've a PM.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Thanks VP.

 

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