clive's - Rented List
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The German Propaganda Kompanien II (PK) captured the events of Hitler's war on every front. Their footage was used to produce Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a weekly cinema newsreel detailing the events of World War II on land, sea and air. For the first time these unique primary source films have been collated, edited and translated into English in order to produce a complete military history of the Third Reich drawn exclusively from German primary sources. This amazing range of films captures the events of World War II exactly as they were presented to contemporary cinema audiences while the actions on the battlefield were still unfolding. This volume featuring translated Wochenschau newsreels records the titanic Battle of Stalingrad which led to the destruction of the Sixth Army. The heavy losses sustained by the German army make it arguably the turning point of World War II. - Director:
- Hugh Raggett
- Cast:
- Andrey Yeryomenko, Hermann Göring, Franz Halder
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High speed patrol boats, the smallest surface torpedo carriers, had already made an appearance in the First World War. "The Stuka dive - bombers of the seas" was how the high-speed German patrol boats of the Second World War came to be known. They were the most important offensive weapon amongst the warships deployed along the coastline. During the War approximately 200 boats were built in several versions. These were deployed in all the maritime theatres of war, especially in the Channel, but also in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, to which they had been transported by land. In all their operations they achieved considerable success - 40 warships, including 12 destroyers and escort destroyers, as well as mote than 100 merchant ships, were sunk by them during the War. "Stuka dive - bombers of the seas" achieved the remarkable speed of up to 42 knots. 149 of these ships were destroyed by the enemy in the course of the War. - Director:
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The Imperial War Museum Collection features rare and fascinating original films preserved in the Museum's archive. Many have never been released to the public before and are presented here, complete and uncut, for the very first time. These films are of great historical importance and are essential viewing for anyone interested in British military history. This collection features seven different wartime films looking at life in London from the outbreak of war through the Blitz to the V-Bomb menace.
London Can Take It! (1940)
This celebrated film, co-directed by Humphrey Jennings, was aimed at American audiences, with reporter Quentin Reynolds praising the courage and resilience of Londoners during the Blitz.
The First Days (1939)
A quiet portrait of London in the first days after war had been declared, awaiting the inevitable onslaught.
Neighbours Under Fire (1940)
This inspiring short film, shows Londoners rallying around to help one another during the fury of the Blitz, when - in just one night alone -1200 people suddenly found themselves homeless.
Christmas Under Fire (1941)
A moving and vivid portrait of Christmas 1940,
when Londoners swapped the intimacy of the fireside for shelter in the capital's tube stations.
Ordinary People (1942)
A day in the life of ordinary Londoners, trying to get on with their lives and contribute to the war effort - and waiting for the seemingly inevitable air raid sirens to sound again.
London Scrapbook (1942)
Bessie Love, Basil Radford & Leslie Mitchell star in this vivid portrait of London at war, intended for American audiences to help them appreciate the experience of living in a war-torn city.
Second Battle Of London (1944)
A tribute to the work of Anti-Aircraft Command under General Sir Frederick Pile in defending London against waves of German V-1 Flying Bombs.
Manchester Took It Too (1941)
A short film showing the bomb damage to Manchester caused by the German air-raids of 22 and 23 December 1940, produced by the Manchester Co-op to show that other cities apart from London were standing up to the bombers. The film was a direct response to London Can Take It.- Director:
- Humphrey Jennings
- Cast:
- Bessie Love, Quentin Reynolds, Basil Radford
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Gladiators of World War II: The Desert Rats (2002)Gladiators of World War 2: The Desert Rats
21st July 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the 7th Armoured Division: "Dear Desert Rats! May your glory never fade! May your laurels never fade! May the memory of this glorious pilgrimage of war which you have made from Alamein, via the Baltic, to Berlin never die! It is a march unsurpassed in the history of war". The legend of the Desert Rats began with the destruction of the Italian 10th Army in 1940. When Nazi General Erwin Rommel arrived in Libya with his Afrika Korps, the ebb and flow of desert warfare pitted the two great forces against each other. As part of the 8th Army under General Bernard Montgomery, the Desert Rats played a key role in the crucial battle at El Alamein which forced the Afrika Korps into retreat. On the 11th May 1943, the Axis forces in North Africa finally surrendered, and the desert war was over. After four years of fighting the veterans were still not finished. They fought their way across Europe from D-Day to the surrender of Berlin, with the spirit and determination that made them some of the most famous Gladiators in the British army. - Director:
- Charles Messenger
- Cast:
- Robert Powell, Claude Auchinleck, Harold Alexander
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Words for Battle, Writers at War (1945)Britain's Home Front at War: Words for Battle
The Imperial War Museum Collection features rare and fascinating original films preserved in the Museum's archive. Many have never been released to the public before and are presented here, complete and uncut, for the very first time. These films are of great historical importance and are essential viewing for anyone interested in British military history. This collection features no less than nine stirring and inspirational films urging the nation to fight on and to preserve our British heritage and way of life.
Words for Battle (1941)
Laurence Olivier reads extracts from great works by the likes of Milton, Blake and Kipling, illustrated by inspirational film of both a timeless pastoral Britain and a modern armed Britain poised for war.
Lift Your Head, Comrade (1942)
A powerful propaganda piece looking at German and Austrian anti-fascists who have volunteered to service with the Pioneer Corps to help Britain its war against Germany.
The New Britain (1940)
This MOI production evokes the utopia that Britain could have become in the decades following the Great War, if only German fascism had not raised its head.
Worker and Warfront No.8 (1943)
Stanley Holloway provides the voiceover in this animated warning about a worker too tough to get his wounds checked - and who then contracts blood poisoning.
Britain at Bay (1940)
J. B. Priestley provides the commentary for a film produced immediately after the fall of France, celebrating British values and reminding us that, in the months ahead, Britain stands alone and at bay in guarding 'the future of the civilised world'.
Essential Jobs (1942)
A fascinating film showing how all unglamorous jobs actually contribute to the war effort.
Albert's Savings (1940)
Stanley Holloway delivers an 'Albert'-style monologue as he persuades the nation to invest in Savings Certificates for the war effort.
A Diary for Tomothy (1945)
Michael Redgrave, John Gielgud and Myra Hess contribute to Humphrey Jennings' impressionistic portrait of a Britain finally poised to celebrate the end of the war.
New Towns for Old (1942)
An MOI film looking at urban regeneration in the fictional industrial town of 'Smokedale'.- Director:
- Humphrey Jennings
- Cast:
- Laurence Olivier, J B Priestley, Stanley Holloway
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Gladiators of World War II: Waffen-SS (2002)Gladiators of World War 2: Waffen - SS
The Waffen SS began as Hitler's elite bodyguard and grew into one of the most formidable fighting forces of Nazi Germany. Although part of the infamous SS - and indelibly linked with the excesses of the feared Gestapo, the concentration camps, and the extermination squads, the men of the SS saw themselves as combat soldiers, respected for their courage, feared for their ruthlessness and fanaticism. For these were political soldiers; mature men, recruited for their physical perfection and pure Aryan ancestry. They were drilled in Nazi ideology, indoctrinated to believe in themselves as the master race and their enemies as subhuman. They became the cornerstone of the German defences, who carried on fighting, even when all hope was gone. But they are remembered for their brutality. They killed captured British, Canadian and American soldiers in cold blood, and massacred unarmed French, Belgian and Russian civilians. They were Gladiators on the battlefield, who fought on against impossible odds, but the Waffen SS will forever be tarnished by the atrocities they committed as the willing servants of an evil regime. - Director:
- Charles Messenger
- Cast:
- Léon Degrelle, Robert Powell, Sepp Dietrich
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Gladiators of World War II: The Anzacs (2002)Gladiators of World War 2: The Anzacs
The Anzacs - the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, first saw active service in Libya with the British, when they forced the Italian army to surrender. The real test came when Rommel and his Afrika Korps entered the desert arena. At Tobruk, the largely Australian garrison, known as 'the rats of Tobruk', held out against overwhelming odds to repel the Axis forces. Initial defeats in the Mediterranean in Greece and Crete against the German Blitzkrieg might have disillusioned lesser troops, but not the indomitable Anzacs. The war took on new meaning for them after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese invaded Malaya, and the Anzacs suddenly found their own territory under threat. A typical Anzac victory occurred in the jungle of Papua New Guinea. Half trained Australian troops fought a desperate battle against superior Japanese forces on the 150 mile long Kokoda Trail, both sides suffered from disease and supply line problems, but against all the odds, the Australians emerged triumphant. The contribution made by the Anzacs to ultimate victory in World War II was out of all proportion to the size of the populations of Australia and New Zealand, but the cost had been high. - Director:
- Charles Messenger
- Cast:
- Robert Powell, Claude Auchinleck, Thomas Blamey
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Gladiators of World War II: The SAS (2002)Gladiators of World War 2: The SAS
Captured on camera, on the 5th of May 1980, the British Army's elite Special Air Service stormed the Iranian Embassy in London, where hostages were being held by Iraqi terrorists. Within ten minutes, the terrorists were killed, and the remaining hostages rescued. Who were these black-clad men in balaclavas, who resolved the conflict with such ruthless efficiency? This programme examines the SAS, from its conception as a small, deep-penetration raiding force led by Commando Officer David Stirling in the deserts of Libya and Egypt in World War II, to its work on the modern day battlefields in the Falklands and Gulf wars. Today the SAS is among the best special services in the world. Its men are the toughest of the tough, and those who have served in it over the 60 years since its inception have lived and fought unswervingly under the motto on their cap badges: 'Who Dares Wins'. - Director:
- Charles Messenger
- Cast:
- Robert Powell, Harold Alexander, Claude Auchinleck
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Six classic two-hour episodes from the acclaimed TV series devoted to WW2's most momentous battles.
1. The Battle for North Africa
The long struggle for North Africa provided US forces with invaluable battle experience, paving the way for the eventual re-conquest of Europe.2. The Battle of the Atlantic
For the British the longest and most critical battle of the entire war. The German intention was to sever Britain's trading links with the world, guaranteeing her capitulation.
3. The Battle for Russia
Hitler's plan for the conquest of Russia called for a classic Blitzkrieg offensive, which would be pressed ruthlessly to its conclusion within the course of a single season's campaign.
4. The Battle for Italy
When victory in North Africa seemed assured, Allied Planners turned their attention to Italy. The objective was to seize Rome, knock Italy out of the war and push north towards Austria.
5.The Battle of Leyte Gulf
To restore American prestige in the Pacific, Roosevelt authorised an invasion of the Philippines, a former US territory and the scene of a humiliating defeat at the hands of Japan in 1942.
6. The Battle of the Rhine
During the last months of 1944 the British and Americans pressed steadily through France and Belgium to the western frontiers of the Third Reich.- Director:
- Andy Aitken
- Cast:
- Not Available
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Gladiators of World War II: The Royal Navy (2002)Gladiators of World War 2: The Royal Navy
In World War II the Royal Navy saw action in every one of the world's oceans. At the beginning of the war it was the largest navy in the world, and with Winston Churchill as the First Lord of the Admiralty, it was a fearsome opponent. From the Home Fleet base at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys, and the Mediterranean Fleet base at Alexandria, the sacrifice made by the Royal Navy during World War II was great: 5 capital ships, 10 carriers, 31 cruisers, and 146 destroyers. Over 50,000 of its personnel perished. With archive footage and computer graphic reconstruction, this programme shows a selection of the crucial battles and missions of the Royal Navy in World War II, including the Battle of the Atlantic, the Arctic Convoys, the Battle of the River Plate and the sinking of the Graf Spee. Also featured: the battle between HMS Hood and the Bismarck, and the story of Convoy ONS5, which proved that the Navy-escorted convoys were a match for the U-boat menace. - Director:
- Charles Messenger
- Cast:
- Robert Powell, Winston Churchill, Andrew Cunningham
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Gladiators of World War II: The Paras and Commandos (2002)Gladiators of World War 2: The Paras and Commandos
Occupied Europe endured four long years of Nazi domination in World War II. Angered by the defensive strategy which had brought disaster to Allied forces in 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanded an elite raiding force - specially formed to take the fight back to Nazi-occupied countries, and bring hope to the people enslaved there. The result was the Commandos, initially ten units, each of 500 men, recruited from every regiment and corps in the British Army. They were supremely fit, and highly skilled, experts in unarmed combat and trained to use a variety of weapons. They operated behind enemy lines in intense danger - any Commando taken prisoner was to be executed immediately, on Hitler's orders. From the Commandos came the Paras, a troop of men trained to use parachutes to drop them into enemy territory. Archive footage from the Paras' and Commandos' greatest raids, and interviews with former commandos are brought together in this programme to bring their famous exploits back to life: Bruneval, Saint Nazaire, Dieppe, Pegasus Bridge and Operation Market Garden. - Director:
- Charles Messenger
- Cast:
- Robert Powell, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler
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For the first time on television, this series tells the true story of Stalin's encounters with the Nazis and then with Churchill and Roosevelt and, consequently, their enormous impact on World War II and, later, the fate of post-war Europe. An enthralling mix of high politics - including the inside story of the Allies' meetings at Tehran, Yalta and Postdam - and the dramatic personal experiences of those who bore the consequences of the decisions made by the powerful. Astonishing dramatic reconstructions carefully sourced from archive material, reveal how the great leaders decided the future shape of the post-war world. These decisions had immediate and often harrowing effects for those on the ground. Their story is told through documentary footage, dramatic reconstructions and illuminating interviews - including contributions from former Soviet secret policemen, Allied seamen who served on the Arctic convoys and Red Army veterans who experienced hand-to-hand fighting on the Eastern Front. Written and produced by award-winning film-maker Laurence Rees (Auschwitz - The Nazis and the 'Final Solution', War of the Century, Nazis - A Warning from History), this series is a compelling new way of understanding the most secret and dramatic events of the Second World War. - Director:
- Laurence Rees
- Cast:
- Aleksey Petrenko, Bob Gunton, Paul Humpoletz
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This exciting documentary begins with a brief history of Russia and the wars fought on her homeland. Then the program moves into World War II and the invading Nazi forces, using incredible newsreel footage of the actual fighting. The Nazis are victorious at Moscow and Leningrad but, like Napoleon's troops, are utterly defeated at the battle of Stalingrad. - Director:
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The Submarines of World War II (2011)The Submarines of World War II: The Silent Service
This fascinating series from History will explore the world of the U.S. Navy Submariner in World War II. We'll dive deep to periscope depth in the Pacific and hunt a convoy of Japanese freighters, surface in the Atlantic and fire upon a stricken German U-Boat and we'll sneak into Tokyo Bay and wreck havoc upon the Japanese Fleet. We'll learn about the men who lived and hunted under the sea, while discussing the different submarines and their use in war and explore the tactics used to destroy the enemy. Plus we examine how submarines contributed to the final defeat of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. Take a journey beneath the waves and discover the incredible story behind 'The Submarines of World War II: The Silent Service'. - Director:
- Not Available
- Cast:
- Not Available
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The Imperial War Museum Official Collection features rare and fascinating original films preserved in the museum's vaults. Many have never been released before and are presented here, complete and uncut, for the very first time. These films are of great historical importance and are essential viewing for anyone interested in British military history. Produced by the Crown Film Unit for the Ministry of Defence and the Admiralty in 1943, "Close Quarters" is an authentic impression of a routine war time Royal Navy submarine patrol in the North Sea, off the coast of Norway. At first patrol is uneventful until HMS Tyrant comes across a U-boat... This quietly gripping and totally believable story of a routine patrol by a Royal Navy submarine was produced by the Crown Film Unit in the documentary style for which it has become famous. All the roles were performed by serving submarines (led by Lieutenant Commander Gregory) and much of the film was shot on a British submarine which was still in service. In general, writer and director Jack Lee got a fine performance from his amateur cast, and the scenes of humour and comradeship are particularly convincing. Moreover, as one would expect, all the tasks and commands aboard ship are carried out with complete assurance and conviction. The interior shots were filmed at Pinewood in a superb full-size model of the submarine, built by a team of riggers led by the art directors Peggy Gick and Edward Carrick. - Director:
- Jack Lee
- Cast:
- Lieutenant Commander Gregory
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