Watch Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI

Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI is a 2017 documentary film directed by award-winning photographer and explorer Jeff Gusky. The film tells the untold story of American soldiers who lived and trained in a vast underground city during World War I. The soldiers constructed intricate tunnels, rooms, and passageways beneath the trenches of the Western Front in France, which they used for shelter, communication, and medical facilities.

Narrated by journalist and filmmaker Joe Szymanski, the film features stunning footage of the underground city's interior, along with still photographs and interviews with historians, archaeologists, and relatives of soldiers who served in the war. Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI sheds light on a hidden chapter of American military history, revealing how soldiers coped with the harsh conditions of trench warfare and how they forged a unique identity in their underground city.

The film begins by setting the scene of the Western Front in France in 1918. American troops have just arrived in Europe in large numbers, and they are being thrown into the bloody battles of the war. The soldiers are facing constant danger from enemy fire, poison gas attacks, and diseases like trench foot. The film portrays the grim reality of life in the trenches, where soldiers must endure freezing temperatures, the stench of rotting corpses, and the constant fear of death.

But then the film takes a turn as it reveals the secret underground city that the soldiers have built. Gusky provides an in-depth exploration of the intricate tunnels, rooms, and passageways that the soldiers created. The film showcases the ingenuity of the soldiers, who worked tirelessly to dig through the hard clay and rock beneath the surface. We see how they laid down wooden planks to create floors and walls, how they installed pipes for ventilation and drainage, and how they used electricity from generators to power lights and medical equipment.

As the film delves deeper into the underground city, we learn about the different functions that it served. The soldiers used it as a hospital, with doctors and nurses tending to the wounded and sick. They had a bakery, where they cooked fresh bread for the troops. They even had a theater, where they showed films and staged plays to keep morale high. The underground city was also a hub of communication, with soldiers using telegraphs and phones to stay in touch with headquarters and other units.

The film also highlights the human stories behind the underground city. We meet relatives of soldiers who served there, who share their family's memories and artifacts. We hear from historians who have researched the site extensively, including experts on World War I and specialists in archaeology and geology. Through these interviews, we come to understand the profound impact that the underground city had on the soldiers who lived and trained there.

Overall, Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI is a fascinating and moving account of a little-known aspect of American history. Gusky's stunning photography and Szymanski's insightful narration bring the hidden world of the underground city to life, and the interviews with experts and relatives of soldiers provide a rich context for understanding its significance. The film offers a unique perspective on the experiences of American soldiers during World War I, shedding light on their hardships, heroism, and remarkable innovation in the face of adversity.

Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI is a 2017 documentary with a runtime of 51 minutes.