World War 1 is often regarded as one of the most barbaric conflicts of all time, given its implementation of mass-casualty weapons including poison gas, full use of artillery, machine guns, and the brutal depictions of trench warfare. While true, this simplistic overview (especially the version taught in American schools) vastly oversimplifies the conflict.

Frankly, its a travesty that most believe that the assassination of the Archduke was “the” moment that sparked the war. It was simply a step on a long road to it which had been bubbling for years. I digress…

In now steps the YouTube channel The Great War which is providing a weekly update of the war exactly 100 years after it happened. Starting with events surrounding the war and now providing insight into battles, their scale, and the homefront, The Great War is a compelling watch.

The channel covers nearly everything, primarily with their weekly update on the war itself. After going strong for a few months, the channel has spun up other updates including “Out of the Trenches” which covers user questions and “Who did What in WWI” covering the key players across both sides of the war.

On a personal analysis the presenter, Indy Niedel is compelling in his delivery of each episode (and quite funny when dealing with user questions). The style is fast paced, but always keeps on-target to the horrors of modern warfare and the scale of which was never seen (and hopefully never will be again).

Fair warning, they are now about two years into the series, so those who have addictive personalities or are history buffs will be prone to lose a few days of time catching up, but the time is well worth it.

We’ve done some coverage of weapons and their use, but The Great War puts them into the larger picture.