The battle of Crete was one of German's most successful battles in the war, as well as being one of their most difficult. This film contains archive footage prior to the battle, including the lead up to the fall of both Yugoslavia and Greece, interviews with two of the four German commanders that led the military operations and with the soldiers that were involved in the assaults; action, plus fascinating footage from the paratroopers, air-landed infantry, the Naval forces and the Luftwaffe, plus hand to hand infantry battles, sea warfare and aerial dogfights
Operation Zitadelle, the great German offensive designed to deliver a knockout blow against the salient at Kursk was to prove the last great armoured clash in the East. New machines such as the Elefant took their bow and the trust Panzer III came to the end of the line. Featuring strong 3D graphics, rare archive film and the unique insights of leading authorities in armoured warfare, this is a powerful insight into the greatest clash of armour in World War Two.
One of the most potent weapons used by the German army during the first two years of the war was the use of the infamous 'Stormtrooper'. Soldiers who where sent in advance of the main thrust of the attack - taking their targets by complete surprise - in a quick, but immensely effective, short outburst of heavy force. These raids were carried out by top units of trained marines, paratroopers and infantry and proved to be highly successful time after time. Includes archive footage showing various attacks plus interviews with stormtroopers.
The highly specialised and adapted British armour played a leading role in the tank battles in Normandy. The Churchill AVRE, the Sherman Duplex Drive and a host of other variants each played their part in defeating the forces of Nazi Germany. Made with the help of the Tank Museum at Bovington, The Battles for Normandy features rare archive footage, the experiences of the veterans and the unique insights of Dr Stephen Badsey of The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and David Fletcher of The Royal Tank Museum at Bovington; Britain's leading authorities on tanks in combat.
The Evolution of a Legend 1939-1945 The Famous Tiger tanks of the German Panzer forces were only available at the hard-pressed front in modest quantities, but this tiny force forged a legend out of all proportion to it's size. This episode contains: Extensive use of rare footage from Russian, German and Allied sources. Superb 3D graphics to illustrate the design and development of the Tiger Tanks. The view of the worlds leading tank experts and historians, including David Fletcher and Professor John Erickson. New footage of surviving Tigers.
By 1943 the tide of the war had finally started to flow in favour of the Allied forces. As the industrial might and great cities of Germany began to suffer under the constant aerial bombardments, Hitler promised a devastating revenge. "Vengeance weapons" were developed and deployed and were soon causing indiscriminate damage to cities such as London and Antwerp. Although deployment of V1 and V2 rockets signalled the death throws of the crumbling Third Reich, given more time they could have completely changed the outcome of the war. The detailed analysis and stunning computer graphics within this programme clearly describe the fascinating story of the "Doodlebugs".
Hidden in territories held by Nazis were forces that inspired a greater level of fear in the individual invader than any other. These were the partisans; organised civilian groups who fought military actions and campaigns of sabotage, disruption, espionage and protest against the occupying forces. This video looks at the French Resistance, amongst others, and asks searching questions about their effectiveness while seeking to separate fact from fiction. Other perhaps less well documented groups also fall under the spotlight, including the successful partisans of Yugoslavia and of Russia. Klaus Schmider of the Sandhurst Military College, testimony from World War Two veterans and informative maps and graphics depicts a side of the war that was hugely successful but also resulted in savage reprisals.
There are many weapons of war; fighter planes, heavy tanks and skilled infantrymen but it could be argued that none is more powerful than the power of suggestion. Propaganda and the war worlds played an undoubtedly vital role in both the successes and failures of World War Two. Governments struggled to gain the upper hand in the war away from the battlefield, but one man proved to have a deft talent for spin. Joseph Goebbels honed the art of mass communication until, in the early days at least, it became one of Germany's most effective weapons. This video features rare examples of propaganda posters and campaigns, and insight from Chris Read and Robin Lenman both of Warwick University into the huge part propaganda had to play within World war Two.
In 1915 the armies of the Great War were locked in a stalemate of the trenches but a new form of combat would soon put an end to stationary battles - the aerial duel. Almost from its conception air-warfare captured the popular imagination, turning men into heroes, pilots into Fighter Aces. High above the trenches the courage and skill of men such as Baron Von Richthofen, Oswald Boelcke, Edward 'Mick' Mannock, Billy Bishop and Hermann Goering would make them legends in their own lifetime. During the Spanish Civil War a new generation of German Aces won its spurs, with the tactics and machines being perfected for the forthcoming "Blitzkrieg". Throughout the Battle of Britain the hastily trained fighter pilots of the RAF learnt tactics "on the wing" against the Luftwaffe veterans of Spain. The heroisms and determination of the RAF Aces such as Joseph Frantichek and Ginger Lacey were all that stood between Britain and invasion. In Europe and North Africa the flying skills and tactical genius of men like Werner Moelders, Adolf Galland and Hans Marseilles won the respect of friend and foe alike. On the Eastern Front Erich Hartmann, the Ace of Aces won 352 victories, an astonishing achievement never equalled in the history of aerial combat. This video charts the history of aerial combat from the Great War to the dawn of the jet age using rare archive footage, much of which has been unavailable in the West since World War Two.
The German Luftwaffe entered World War II in September 1939, employing as its main day fighter the Messerschmitt Bf-109, one of the classic fighter aircraft designs of all time. When war broke out, it was already riding high on a reputation derived from its successful blooding in the Spanish Civil War. 1941 saw the introduction of the Focke Wolf Fw-109 over the English Channel. Its superiority over the Spitfire Mk. V saw it rapidly become the Luftwaffe fighter arm's 'second iron' and was to play a major role in the widening conflict from 1941 onwards. This programme covers the operations of the Bf-109 in its role on all fronts, to 1942 and the early missions by the Fw-190 over France and the English Channel.
After the horrors of the Great War, an uneasy peace prevailed. Britannia ruled the waves - but for how long? The mid 1930's saw Germany rebuilding her fleets, defying the Versailles Treaty as Hitler planned to encircle Britain with his Kriegsmarine. Within hours of war's declaration, a U-boat had claimed its first victim in an underwater reign of terror that struck merchantmen and warship alike. By April 1940, Germany had sunk one million tons of Allied shipping. The entrance of Mussolini's Italy shifted the balance of power in the Mediterranean. However the course of Naval warfare was changed in 1941 when torpedo bombers from HMS Illustrious decimated the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto, crippling three of their battleships in the first Allied victory since the fall Of France. Japan soon learned the lesson - to America's cost. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbour on 7th December 1941 dwarfed Taranto, With 19 Warships and 190 aircraft lost and 22,500 dead. Sea power proved crucial in the Pacific. The battle of the Coral Sea was decisive in denying Japan a gateway to Australia and was a naval first - opposing forces, launching air attacks 120 miles apart, were never in sight of each other. After the US strike On Midway, there was no doubting the tide had turned. Leyte Gulf Was the last and greatest sea battle of World War II, leaving the Imperial Fleet all but destroyed. The era of the battleship had long gone: the aircraft carrier was now the undisputed master of naval warfare.
In 1929, Winston Churchill ceased to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Detective Sergeant Walter Thompson sadly stopped guarding the man he had come to regard as a friend. However, within two years, Winston's outspoken views had gained him fresh and deadly enemies. Walter was recalled, but the next threat to Winston's life came from a totally unexpected direction. In almost any piece of film you'll see of Britain's great wartime leader, he is the man in the background anonymous and secret. Until now his critical role in saving the life of Churchill from a series of attacks has been hidden from the wider public. After the war Walter Thompson's censored book told just part of the story. His full memoirs were suppressed even by Churchill himself only now can we recount the number of assassination attempts on Churchill's life. Many foiled by Walter. This thirteen part series, with unique access to these incredible memoirs, reveals for the first time, die story of Walter's life with Winston. Together they travelled thousands of miles on precarious journeys to meet Stalin and Roosevelt and other world leaders. Together they rode with Lawrence of Arabia, dodged German assassins, were nearly shot down by enemy aircraft, lone gunmen, U-boats and IRA hitmen.
Soon alter he became Winston Churchill's personal bodyguard, Walter Thompson was given the challenge of keeping his boss alive during a visit to the Middle East. A leading British politician was a natural target for assassins, and on several critical occasions, Walter was rescued by one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th Century - Lawrence of Arabia. In almost any piece of film you'll see of Britain's great wartime leader, he is the man in the background anonymous and secret. Until now his critical role in saving the life of Churchill from a series of attacks has been hidden from the wider public. After the war Walter Thompson's censored book told just part of the story. His ftill memoirs were suppressed even by Churchill himself only now can we recount the number of assassination attempts on Churchills life. Many foiled by Walter. This thirteen part series, with unique access to these incredible memoirs, reveals for the first time, the story of Walter's life with Winston. Together they travelled thousands of miles on precarious journeys to meet Stalin and Roosevelt and odier world leaders. Togedier they rode with Lawrence of Arabia, dodged German assassins, were nearly shot down by enemy aircraft, lone gunmen, U-boats and IRA hitmen.
In the background of almost every piece of footage in Britain's great wartime leader Winston Churchill, is an anonymous figure: his bodyguard, Detective Inspector Walter Thompson of Scotland Yard. This is the story of how these two very different characters met, and how the poor boy from London's East End saved his boss from an IRA assassination attempt. In almost any piece of film you'll see of Britain's great wartime leader, he is the man in the background, anonymous and secret. Until now, his critical role in saving the life of Churchill from a series of attacks has been hidden from the wider public. After the war Walter Thompson's censored book told just part of the story. His full memoirs were suppressed even by Churchill himself. Only now can we recount the number of assassination attempts on Churchill's life, many foiled by Walter. This thirteen part series, with unique access to these incredible memoirs, reveals for the first time the story of Walter's life with Winston. Together they travelled thousands of miles on precarious journeys to meet Stalin and Roosevelt and other world leaders. Together they rode with Lawrence of Arabia, dodged German assassins, were nearly shot down by enemy aircraft, lone gunmen, U-boats and IRA hitmen.
The famous Tiger tanks of the German Panzer forces were only available at the hard pressed front in modest quantities, but this tiny number forged a legend out of all proportion to its size. This fascinating programme plots the history of its conception and evolution against the background of World War Two tank development. Expert analysis is provided by tank and military historians David Fletcher and Professor John Erickson, and also includes new footage of surviving Tiger tanks.
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