The Great Underground War

An exploration of newly discovered fortresses, dugouts, and bunkers tells the story of the innovative German engineering that made defenses resistant to massive bombardments.

The story of how a unique British tunneling technique developed for the mud of Flanders was employed to win the strategic ground during the gruesome trench warfare of the Ypres Salient.

For three years the Germans and French blew each other up with massive explosions, using a maze of underground galleries and tunnels. The whole story is told through the preserved diaries of Herman Hoppe, a German engineer who built many of the tunnels.

The largest mine blown on the Italian front literally destroyed half the mountain side of this strategic point in the Dolomite mountains. We explore trenches and tunnels and interview descendants of the Austrians and Italians who fought under and above this treacherous terrain.

A personal account of the tragic battles that unfolded amid the sharp gullies and ravines of the Dolomites, requiring men to perform the nearly impossible: excavate and tunnel through solid granite in freezing weather.