Purgatory

Overview

In March 1916 at the battle of Verdun, Captain Charles De Gaulle is wounded by a bayonet and forced to surrender to German forces. It’s a bitter moment for the battle-hardened officer. His time as a German POW shapes his impressions of Germany, and will have a profound impact on his stance during World War II and right into the post-war era. Meanwhile, Herman Goering makes reconnaissance flights over the battlefield of Verdun and downs a number of enemy aircraft. He’s fighting the ‘chivalrous war’ in the air. Would their later actions have been different, had their WWI experiences have taken an alternative shape?

Episode Information

Guest Stars

Annette Becker

Self - Author

Stefan Martens

Self - Historian

Nicolas Beaupré

Self - Author

Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany

Self (archive footage)

Hew Strachan

Self - Historian

Czar Nicholas II of Russia

Self (archive footage)