Attack of the Dead Men - Russia's Zombie Army - WW1

Get your special offer for MagellanTV here: https://try.magellantv.com/darkdocs. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! Start your free trial today. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 3,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation, the series Doomsday WW1: Descent into Global Madness: https://www.magellantv.com/series/doo...

In the summer of 1914, German top brass ordered a full-frontal assault on Osowiec Fortress, located in north-eastern Poland. Germany saw Russia as a significant threat to their rising power, and the Osowiec Fortress remained one of the main obstacles to their advancement into Russian territory.

Three times the Germans tried to gain control of the fortress, and three times they failed. The fourth time, though, was different.

Germany sent no less than 14 battalions of infantry, sappers, siege guns, and artillery for the last attack on the fortification. However, unlike previous assaults on the fortress, they had a new weapon that would make all the difference: chlorine gas.

The Russians only had 1,000 men defending the fort, and less than half of them were conscripted militiamen.

At four o'clock on August 4, a dark green cloud of a chlorine and bromine mixture floated towards the Russians positioned at the fort's front. When the gas combined with the water in the air and their lungs, the substance turned the chlorine into hydrochloric acid, and the Russians began to dissolve from the inside out.

Because the soldiers had either no mask or a rudimentary version of one, the comrades had little to no protection when the fumes arrived at the fort.

When the Germans triumphantly strutted over to the defense barrier and began to march towards the inner fortifications, they were met by a gruesome sight that would haunt their dreams forever.

Instead of surrendering to the assault, the agonizing Russians decided to counterattack and fight for their country until their very last breaths.

And thus ensued a terrible gory battle, where roughly 100 Russians charged at the 7,000 German soldiers with their bayonets. The Germans turned and ran away, terrified at the horde of melted-faced zombie-like men charging through the darkness and attacking mercilessly.

This is the dire tale of the brave Russian soldiers who fought for their country despite being outnumbered and experiencing unimaginable physical pain. It's also a great reminder of why chemical warfare is banned all over the world.

---

Dark Docs brings you cinematic short military history documentaries featuring the greatest battles and most heroic stories of modern warfare, covering World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and special forces operations in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.