Summary

• 1917, while not entirely accurate to history, is rooted in real WWI experiences, showcasing trench life and No Man's Land with care.
• Characters like Schofield and Blake were inspired by real WWI messengers, reflecting the high stakes and danger of their missions.
• The impactful story of 1917 was inspired by director Sam Mendes' grandfather's WWI experience, echoing real events like the Battle of chendaele.

Sam Mendes' Oscar-nominated WWI epic 1917, which is currently available to stream, provides a brief yet realistic snapshot of trench life, No Man's Land, and actual combat from The Great War, and it's clear that great care was taken to ensure accuracy to history. It effectively demonstrates the monotony of trench warfare, which was punctuated by moments of extreme violence.

The mission undertaken by George MacKay's Lance Corporal Schofield and Dean-Charles Chapman's Tom Blake at the center of 1917 seems perfectly realistic, but it didn't actually occur during the course of World War I. However, the characters involved, the military maneuverings at its core, and the locations depicted in the movie are all based on real World War I events and soldiers. While the movie's plot may not be accurate to history, the stories and battles that inspired it were no less harrowing and intense than what's depicted on the big screen.

Will Schofield & Tom Blake Aren't Real People, But Are Inspired By Real Soldiers' Experiences

The characters act as stand-ins for the real young men who fought

Per TIME, Chapman's Blake and MacKay's Schofield are characters based on the real messengers of World War I. While sending men across No Man's Land would have been unlikely due to its low probability of success (even with a withdrawn enemy army), the concept of sending a pair of messengers was common practice in WWI. The threat of death from artillery fire, poison gas, land mines, and snipers was so high that two messengers were sent so that if one was killed, the other could still potentially carry out the message.

That high level of danger meant that messengers were only used in the most desperate of circumstances. The mission at the heart of 1917 certainly qualifies as such, and as was so commonplace for the real WWI messengers, one of the two young men dies in the process of delivering the message. Schofield and Blake were not real soldiers on record, but the journey they underwent accurately portrays the real collective experience of messengers on the front lines of WWI.

Sam Mendes' Grandfather Inspired 1917's WWI Mission

Mendes was moved by his grandfather's tales of his WWI combat experience

Alfred Mendes, Sam Mendes' grandfather, was one of those "runners", and it was his stories about his experience in World War I that inspired Sam Mendes as he created 1917. Alfred was a 19-year-old British Army soldier who served on the Western Front, which is where the events of 1917 occurred. While 1917 isn't a direct retelling of his experience obviously, fragments of the stories that Alfred told his grandson served as the inspiration for the mission at the center of the movie.

Alfred Mendes was sent home from the war in 1918 after inhaling poisonous gas.

Alfred was wounded and gassed making his way across No Man's Land with messages during the war, and it's clear how that experience informed what happens to Blake and Schofield along their journey. Per the Smithsonian Magazine, Alfred Mendes' autobiography contains his of a similar mission in which he was to track down three companies that had lost with his own company, so that a cohesive strategy could be implemented. He participated in the real Battle of chendaele, which also helped inspire the events of 1917.

The Real Operation Alberich Explained

The army maneuvering seen in the movie is based in history

The impetus for the mission at the heart of 1917 was a clever maneuver by the German army: a planned withdrawal that appeared to be a retreat, but in reality was meant to draw British forces into pursuit as a trap. That strategy is derived from an actual German operation that occurred between February and March 1917 named Operation Alberich. That operation included a similar strategic withdrawal, with the end goal of shortening the front.

1917 is streaming on Netflix as of June 1st, 2024.

The German army retreated to a much more heavily fortified position known as the Hindenburg Line, which allowed them to shorten the front and condense their troops. As they withdrew, they decimated the area that was left behind them while also laying land mines and booby traps. The scene in 1917 in which Blake and Schofield barely survive a rat-triggered booby trap left in an abandoned German trench reflects that element of Operation Alberich. Despite the bad publicity that the German army gained from destroying the countryside as they left, the operation severely disrupted the Allies' plans in the spring of 1917.

1917's Operation Was Based On The False Assumption Of A German Retreat

The central plot is driven by a shrewd military maneuver

The reality of Operation Alberich very clearly inspired the German operation chronicled in 1917, which entailed a feigned German retreat as well. In the movie, it's played as a deception intended to draw the British forces into pursuit so that the now-heavily-fortified German positions can hammer the exposed troops. Lance Corporal Schofield barely made it to the front line in time with General Erinmore's message to call off the attack, but there wasn't quite as much urgency during the real Operation Alberich. The real military operation was focused on defense, not offense.

How Accurate 1917's Depiction Of "No Man's Land" Is To Real WWI Battles

Experts have weighed in on the movie's accuracy

Alexander Falbo-Wild, Chairman of The Western Front Association, wrote in his review of the movie that 1917 captured many of the "important realities" of WWI, and makes specific mention of No Man's Land in that assessment. The devastation wrought upon the Earth by the incessant shelling of both sides that was captured in 1917 reflects the reality faced by those wishing to traverse No Man's Land. Miles of barbed wire and other obstacles, shell holes and sinkholes dozens of feet deep, and the unfathomable sea of mud are all accurate based on historical s.

No Man's Land could separate the opposing sides by as little as 16 yards, a short enough distance to lob hand grenades across. After the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, on the other hand, No Man's Land stretched to more than half a mile.

Specifically, the Battle of chendaele, which was the real major battle that helped inspire the events of 1917, was known for the excessive mud that covered No Man's Land and the trenches on both sides. After artillery fire destroyed virtually all vegetation, the vast stretch of barren land turned to mud after a deluge of rain. Per History Crunch, in some places the mud was deep enough to trap and drown soldiers, and could even smother artillery shells before they had a chance to explode. In that regard, the No Man's Land depicted in 1917 was extremely accurate.

What Really Happened In WWI On April 6, 1917

It was one of the most pivotal single days of the war

The designated date of the events depicted in 1917 is intentional. Schofield's race against time on the front line occurred on the morning of April 6th, 1917, one of the most important dates of the entire war. After nearly three years of working to maintain the United States' neutrality, President Woodrow Wilson requested a declaration of war on in a t session of Congress on April 2nd. Four days later, the United States officially entered the war on April 6th, 1917, after Congress and the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in of it.

Source: TIME, Smithsonian Magazine, The Western Front Association, History Crunch