How to Go to War

Imagine you’re in charge of an army of 150,000 men. Before you can even get near the fighting, you have to work out how to feed them 4, 000 calories a day, find them warm clothes and sturdy boots, move them, their ammunition and their supplies over thousands of kilometres, keep them clean and parasite-free, and give them a place to sleep, store their weapons and go to the toilet. It isn’t the glamorous side of the job, and it’s unlikely to win you any medals, but it’s your ability to meet these demands that will really determine whether or not you win the war. Packed full of surprising facts and new perspectives, this series offers a fascinating guide to the secret world of army logistics, hosted by military historian Saul David. Each episode looks at a different branch of the discipline, taking viewers from the deep past to the present day by focusing on key stories from some of history’s greatest conflicts. Saul travels across Europe and across history to explore how armies have been moved, fed, clothed, and kitted, getting hands-on to see how life in the field really worked. He helps to butcher a cow to understand how Wellington’s travelling herd of cattle was critical to fighting the Napoleonic wars; drives a tank to get to grips with World War Two communciations; and goes in search of rusting remnants of the D-Day landings. Saul walks battlefields from Agincourt to the Crimea, meeting archaeologists and experts. And he meets veterans of war who have extraordinary tales to tell.