YMMV / Blackadder S 4 E 1 Captain Cook

• Aluminum Christmas Trees: WWI generals deliberately ordering hopeless attacks on well-defended enemy positions just to lull them into a false sense of security ahead of a more viable attack on a different location? That happened in the actual conflict. Granted, the real-life counterparts of Melchett weren't insane enough to sacrifice whole battalions in the process, instead relying mostly on air and artillery bombardments ... but they weren't above getting some soldiers to throw their lives away to give credibility to their feints.