clive's - Rented List
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World War II: 1941 and the Man of Steel (2011)World War Two: 1941 and the Man of Steel
Historian David Reynolds examines Josef Stalin's handling of the conflict between the Soviet Union and Germany during the Second World War. First broadcast to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Reynolds reassesses Stalin's role in the life-and-death struggle between the warring superpowers, which he argues was more critical for British survival than 'Our Finest Hour' in the Battle of Britain. He reveals how the dictator's mental frailties nearly caused his country to fall to the Nazis, and examines the compromises Stalin was forced to make to survive - dropping his Communist ideologies in favour of on appeal to the Russian people's nationalist fighting spirit. He also investigates the events that led to Stalin eventually siding with the Allies. The name Stalin means'man of steel' but Reynolds' penetrating account reveals that the man himself was anything but. Travelling to the sites of the main battles, he charts how Russia was almost annihilated within a few months as Stalin lurched from crisis to crisis, edging close to a nervous breakdown. Using original telegrams and official documents, he looks afresh at Winston Churchill's controversial visit to Moscow in 1942 and re-exomines how Britain and America were drawn into alliance with Stalin, a dictator almost as murderous as the Nazi enemy. - Director:
- Russell Barnes
- Cast:
- David Reynolds
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If the prime aim of World War II was to defeat Hitler, why did British and Allied troops spend so much of the conflict battling through North Africa and Italy? Historian David Reynolds reassesses Winston Churchill's conviction that the Mediterranean was the 'soft underbelly' of Hitler's Europe. Travelling to Egyptian and Italian battlefields, including Anzio and Cassino, which suffered some of the worst carnage in Western Europe, he shows how this perceived susceptibility became a dangerous obsession. Reynolds reveals a prime minister far removed from the bullish hero of Britain's 'finest hour' in 1940 - politically vulnerable at home, taking desperate measures to shore up Britain's crumbling empire, losing trust in his generals, and more than ready to deceive his American allies if it meant delaying direct conflict with the Germans in northern France. A startling account of the British Army's unreadiness for war on the ground across the channel, and the human cost of Churchill's greatest misjudgement. - Director:
- Russell Barnes
- Cast:
- David Reynolds
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Six classic two–hour episodes from the acclaimed TV series devoted to WW2's most momentous battles.
1. The Battle of France
Blitzkrieg's most astonishing triumph, establishing Hitler as unassailable within continental Europe.
2. The Battle of BritainThe two mightiest air fleets in the world clashed in tumultuous mortal combat. At issue was Britain's very survival.
3. The Battle of Midway
The stakes were no less dramatic when Americans met Japanese in this enthralling carrier-to-carrier battle of Midway. Both sides knew that the victor would rule the Pacific for years to come.
4. The Battle of Stalingrad
The annihilation of an entire army amidst the charred and frozen ruins of Stalingrad was catastrophe for Nazi arms. Thereafter, the colossus of the Red Army was never to lose the initiative in the East.
5. The Battle of Normandy
D-Day was the biggest amphibious operation in history. But even after the Allied troops had successfully forced a landing in strength, they still had to face a foe whose tenacity and resilience in defence was legendary.
6. The Battle of Berlin
The furious, climatic last battle of Hitler's war. Over half a million lives were lost as the Red Army finally crushed the last Nazi citadel.- Director:
- Not Available
- Cast:
- Not Available
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This blue-chip series explores the events leading up to WWII and the events of the war itself using unparalleled archive footage from one of the world's greatest archives, the British Movietone Library. Major events and rare stories are told through both eyewitness reports and sublime archive footage. The strategies employed and battles waged are compelling. They are explored to reveal the rise and fall of the great world powers.
1. The Gathering Storm
We survey the inter-war years, the rise of dictators, Japan's invasion of China, and the expansion of the Third Reich.
2. The Phony War
The invasion of Poland causes even the most resistant of powers to declare war.
3. Blitzkrieg
War explodes across Western Europe. Blitzkrieg - the German invasion of France.
4. Alone
Germany seeks to neutralise the strength of Britain, the only European country still opposing Hitler, from the air.
5. Barbarossa
The war in Europe is transformed when Hitler unleashes Operation Barbarossa and invades the Soviet Union.
6. A Date in Infamy
While the Germans are invading Russia, Japan continues to pervade the East and changes the war with an attack on Pearl Harbour.
7. Turning Point
Japan has escalated a War in the East, but has roused the might of the United States.
8. The End of the Beginning
The war turns inexorably in favour of the Allies.
9. The Beginning of the End
The momentum behind the allies increases as the Red Army begins its remorseless advance that will end in Berlin.
10. Overlord
The second front opens in Europe with the D-Day landings as the Germans continue to retreat from Russia.
11. Hell is on Us
The Allies continue their eastward liberation push, while an irresistible tide is running against the Japanese.
12. Unconditional Surrender
The Red Army force troops from Soviet territory, while in Japan, Okinawa comes under threat.
13. One Thousand Suns
Berlin falls and the war in Europe ends, Okinawa falls with terrible losses, a new weapon ends the war in the east.- Director:
- Various
- Cast:
- Adolf Hitler, Paul von Hindenburg, Kai-Shek Chiang
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