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?

In August and September 1918 the German Army suffers defeat after defeat, overwhelmed by Allied superiority in supplies, men and machinery – a crushing experience for a devout nationalist like the young Walter Model. The emerging American tank troops have been trained by Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton. At the end of September 1918, he leads some tanks into battle and is wounded. Recovering from his wounds he witnesses the end of World War One. Germany has been brought to its knees. But could the bitter pill of defeat have created a generation of young Germans, ready to avenge the humiliation of WWI?