Submarine Warfare: Menance From The Deep

In the late 1800s the father of submarines, Mr John Holland, hit upon the idea of powering a submarine with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. For a hundred years since the first semi-successful attempts during the American Civil War, submarine warfare had been fraught with difficulties and failure. In 1901, the Holland I was launched by the Royal Navy and submarines have been an integral part of the Navy ever since. The Second World War showed the first widespread use of these underwater vessels and their major advantages. Today nuclear submarines roam waters all over the world, for exploration and to keep the peace. This episode features rare archive footage, stunning 3-D graphics and film of some of the last surviving World War Two submarines. It is a privileged glimpse into the world of submarine warfare.

Carrier Warfare

It was in the late summer of 1943 that the American Navy launched its operation to drive the Japanese from the central Pacific. The aircraft carrier was to play a crucial role in its success, for not only did the new carriers give the Americans enormous fire-power, but also, the US shipyards were turning them out at a rate of one per month. This programme tells the dramatic story of the desperate struggle for the Pacific. It features rare archive footage of aircraft carriers in action and examines their function in this vital theatre of war. 'Carrier Warfare' also includes informative 3-D computer graphics.

D-Day to VE-Day - From Paris to the Rhine

The celebrations in newly freed France contrasts starkly with the grim events of autumn and winter 1944-45, as the German Reich convulses in its final death throws. The invasion forces can now be counted in their millions, closing in from Russia in the east,
Italy and France in the south and from Belgium and Holland in the west.
contains

- The British advance through Belgium
- US 3rd Army's advance to the Moselle
- The miraculous PLUTO fuel line
- US 1st Army's assault on Aachen
- The Anvil landings in the South of France
- Airborne assaults at Graves, Nijmegen and Arnhem
- Churchill in Paris and De Gaulle in Moscow
- The Russians crossing into Poland
- The hideous first discovery of the concentration camps
- The Warsaw uprising
- War in Italy and the Balkans

German Frontier - Battle of the Bulge

By late 1944, the Western Allies were infected with the over-confidence that flowed from the sweeping victories they had gained since the Breakout from Normandy and that by December had carried them to the very borders of the Third Reich. They were confident that the war would soon be over, but they were sadly mistaken. On December 16, German forces launched a massive attack through the Ardennes, the opening blows of Operation Watch on the Rhine, known to history as the Battle of the Bulge.

Dive Bombers & Combat Aircraft of WW2

For many in the opening years of the Second World War, the vision of the menacing, gull-winged Stuka dive bomber, plunging vertically earthwards, its sirens wailing like banshees before releasing its bomb load, became the very embodiment of the terror created by the new form of 'Blitzkrieg' warfare unleashed on Europe by the German Wehrmacht in September, 1939.
Designed to assist ground operations, the Stuka was always to be found operating with the leading elements of the army in France, North Africa, and Russia as 'flying artillery'. In this wide-ranging presentation the Stuka is seen in action on all fronts, as well as the Hs-129s and Fw-190 in action in Russia.

The Ultimate History of the Messerschmitt

A history of Messerscmitt aircraft from the 1930s, through WWII and beyond. With excellent and rare footage of some of the company's less well known models.

German Night Flyers of World War Two

The concept of a long range, fast, heavy fighter or 'zerstorer' (destroyer), lay close to the heart of Hermann Goering during the early years of the growth of the new German air force. The chosen design came out of the Messerschmitt stable, the first prototype of the Bf-110 taking to the air in 1936. Although fast, the size of the Bf-110 left it unable to dog-fight with the more nimble RAF fighters, and was revamped for further employment as a night-fighter, serving alongside other types, especially the Junkers Ju-88, the Luftwaffe's premier type in the nocturnal battles with RAF Bomber Command. Using combat footage from all fronts and from film shot in the skies by night and day over Germany, this programme provides a dramatic account of the contribution made by the heavy fighters of the Luftwaffe in World War Two.

Great German Battleships of World War II

The documentary release The War File: Great German Battleships of World War II culls from material including vintage archival footage, interviews with former Nazi officers, and file photographs to provide a detailed exploration of the British Royal Navy's pursuit of several German maritime vessels during the Second World War. Each chapter is devoted to one subject; topics include the Dreadnoughts, the Scharnhorst, the Bismarck, Channel Dash and Tirpitz.

Panzer Battles: Hitler's Tanks in Action

For many the awesome image of German tanks streaming unchecked across open European countryside is the ultimate depiction of German superiority during the early part of World War Two. There can be no doubt that the immense strength, speed and coordination of the Panzer divisions facilitated the success of the Blitzkrieg tactic, and hence European domination. However, the myth of German tank invincibility would soon be shattered as Allied technical advancement and sheer numbers coming out of Russia would turn the tide on the battlefield. Made with the cooperation of the Bovington Tank Museum this DVD discusses the power, tactics and designs of tanks, as well as their role in the overall outcome of World War Two.

German Support Aircraft & Gliders

Although taking the lead from early experiments with paratroops carried out by the Soviet Union, it was the German Luftwaffe who first employed paratroops and glider-borne troops in 1940. From the paradrops in Norway and Holland, and the glider landings on the Belgian forts at Eben Emael, to the climax of German airborne operations with the assault on Crete in May 1941, the Ju-52 was the transport workhorse of the Wehrmacht, the German Armed Forces. 1942 saw the appearance of the Messerschmitt Me-323 'Gigant', a six-engined variant of the Me-321 glider.
Covered in this program are glider operations in Italy, and even the employment of DFS 230s to re-supply garrisons on the Oder front in 1945. Also shown are reconnaissance, trainer and liaison aircraft, which made a vital contribution to the role of the Luftwaffe on all fronts in the Second World War.