Vickers Wellington

When it entered service in 1938, the twin-engined Vickers Wellington began an operational career that spanned the whole of the Second World War.Rugged and reliable, it was operated by Bomber Command, Coastal Command and Transport Command, possessing a level of versatility second to none, serving in almost every theatre of war.By Autumn of 1945 nearly 11,500 had been built. As the last one rolled off the Vickers’ production lines, the “Wimpy” as it was affectionately known, had secured its place in history, as one of the truly great aircraft of the Second World War.

Hitler's War

This documentary illustrates Hitler's ruthless aspirations and savage victories, as his armies blitzed their way through Northern Europe and invaded the Soviet Union; the disappointment and defeat that followed the collapse of his "Russian Adventure," and the Allies closing in on the German capital of Berlin. Hitler's fateful decision to invade the Soviet Union proved to be the decisive turning point that led to his defeat in Europe. Though 1941's successful Operation Barbarossa netted huge swaths of Soviet territory, the Nazis' attempt on Moscow was derailed by the harsh Russian winter, while the subsequent Battle of Stalingrad completely destroyed Nazi forces. Both of these disastrous campaigns ultimately led to the weakening of both the German military and Hitler's own psyche, resulting in the Allies' march into Berlin and the Fuhrer's suicide shortly thereafter.

Battlefield - El Alamein

Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat. Winston Churchill's words illustrate clearly why the two battles fought near the Egyptian coastal town in the western desert during 1942 were a turning point of World War Two.

Battlefield - The Battle Of France

Tanks! Blitzkrieg

This is the powerful story of the creation and deployment of the Panzer Divisions, the chief cog in Hitler's war machine.

Tanks! The Evolution of the Legend: The Fall Of France

The Fall Of France is a major new documentary film which traces the role of the armoured forces on both sides in the dramatic battles which led to the great German victory in 1940.

The Enemy Below

Set during the Battle of Atlantic during the Second World War, "The Enemy Below" tells the story of the cat and mouse Destroyer Escort/U-Boat hunt. For the Americans, a former Merchant Mariner who saw his wife killed when his freighter was torpedoed by the Germans. For the Germans, a veteran U-Boat commander who sees no honor in the German aims of the war. Both of these highly experienced men must now battle each other, knowing that only one will survive.

Battlefield - The battle of Berlin

The Battle of Berlin was a colossal battle that ended the war in Europe. The Western Allies, pushing from the West, and the USSR encircling Berlin from North and South doomed Nazi Germany. Controversy still remains in Eisenhowers decision not to take Berlin and leave the greatest trophy claimed in World War II to Stalins Soviet Union...

Carrier Fortress at Sea

Carrier: Fortress at Sea is a documentary filmed aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN-70) as it embarked on its 6-month mission to enforce the "No-Fly Zone" over Kuwait. You'll get a close-up look at the 24-story state-of-the-art Navy aircraft carrier with its 3 million gallons of jet fuel, and you'll marvel at the F/A-18C Hornets, EA-6B Prowlers, and F-14D Tomcats that take off from its deck. You'll experience the triumphs and disappointments of the courageous 6000-member crew as they go about their daily routines. Narrated by actor Martin Sheen, the 92-minute film features extraordinary camera views from under the wings of a fighter jet as well as interviews with the crew from pilots to cooks.

Dunkirk - Battle For France

So long as the English tongue survives, the word 'Dunkerque' will be spoken with reverence"...The glowing language with which the New York Times greeted the extraordinary rescue of the beleaguered British Expeditionary Force from otherwise certain defeat and captivity on the continent, was in many ways typical of the time. In Britain, despite Churchill's stern reminder that "wars are not won by evacuations", a tangle of myths quickly sprung up around Dunkirk, which came to be regarded almost as a major victory. A major victory it certainly was not. Dunkirk was a brilliantly executed withdrawal of land forces - minus all their equipment - across the Channel, following a series of unparallel military disasters. Indeed, to the Germans, Dunkirk was virtually a sideshow. Intent on completing the conquest of France, they no longer regarded the small British army as posing any significant threat.

For the French, Dunkirk became a bitter symbol of British betrayal. Quarrels and misunderstandings had beset the Alliance, and at one stage the British were near to systematically deceiving their partner. Yet the evacuation owed much to the unstinting bravery of the French troops fighting at the Dunkirk perimeter or beyond, and gratitude was not wanting.

The visions conjured up of a ragged fleet of fishing boats, yachts and dinghies sailing the Channel, their pilots risking life and limb to save our soldiers from certain defeat and captivity, is vividly realised using very rare footage only recently obtained and painstakingly reassembled.

The German War Files - Panzer I And II - Germany's WW2 Light Tanks

The first of Germany's tanks to enter production for the German war effort are consistently overlooked in many documentaries, and all but non-existant in any Hollywood blockbuster. It is therefore refreshing to find a documentary that focuses specifically on Germany's first tanks to enter the war en-masse; the Panzer I and II. The documentary covers the inception of the Panzer I and II in battle from the Spanish Civil War, and then during the invasion of Poland and France. Good footage and well researched. The only major flaw is that narration audio levels are often difficult to hear over the loud soundtrack of the video footage.

Battlefield - Destination Okinawa

The battle for Okinawa claimed more lives than any US campaign against Japan in the Pacific war. Situated between the Ryukyu group of islands north of Formosa and the Japanese home islands, it was chosen as the final springboard for the invasion of Japan itself that was for so long felt vital to bring the war to an end.

The Japanese, under Lieutenant General Ushijima, fought for every inch of ground and had constructed a formidable series of defensive lines against the US invasion force. The fighting on the island itself was some of the most savage of the war, while at sea at 700-plane Kamikaze raid sank several US destroyers. The Japanese could not resist the US invasion assault force forever though, and despite seeing their commander General Buckner killed in action, had won victory by June 1945.

US casualties were estimated to be 49,000. More than 110,000 Japanese were killed and 7,000 taken prisoner. Within weeks, the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki had done their work, bringing the war to a sudden end.