Product Description

Disc 1. The Stumble to War & The End of the Illiusion 1 x 104:00 min WWI was ended by the Versailles Treaty. However, Britain's commitment to appeasement, America's inward gaze and Mussolini's fascist leadership created an ideal environment for Hitler's consolidation for war. After bluffing England and France at the Munich Conference, Hitler focused on his weaker neighbours. When Czechoslovakia and Poland fell, public mood in England changed from appeasement to opposition. Disc 2. The Waar That Wasn't & A Kind of Victory 1 x 104:00 min The weeks after the destruction of Poland were known as the Phoney War', a period were neither side wanted to engage the other. After the surrender of France the enemy was now just 20 miles away, across the English Channel and plotting an invasion. In Churchill's words: The Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain has begun.' Disc 3. Time of Legend & The World Holds its Breath 1 x 104:00 min Hitler's initial aim of total air supremacy over Britain proved complicated. Meanwhile, Japan and Italy attached their destiny to Hitler and America introduced peacetime conscription. As 1940 drew to a close the conflict was spreading. Erwin Rommel established his North Afrika Korps and Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, an attack designed to cripple the Soviet Union. Disc 4. The Day of Infamy & Six Months to Run Wild 1 x 104:00 min Eager to remove outside influence in the Pacific, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and, with one stroke, brought America into the war. In 1942, the war was fought on all fronts. In the Pacific, Japan looked to become the dominant force, in Russia, German losses failed to deter Hitler's ambitions and in North Africa, the fighting had intensified. Disc 5. The End of the Beginning & The Beginning of the End 1 x 104:00 min By 1942, the conflict was worldwide. In the desert, Rommel and Montgomery battled on, America fought for Guadalcanal, Allied forces were crushed at Dieppe and the Germans began their siege of Stalingrad. In early 1944, the forces of the Axis were in retreat. Rommel was driven out of Africa, the Italians deposed Mussolini and surrendered and Germany lost the great tank battle near Kursk. Disc 6. Operation Overlord 1 x 52:00 min On the 6th June 1944, the Allies mounted a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy in what was known as Operation Overlord. In the Pacific, Japan was struggling and resorted to the suicide tactics of the Kamikaze. In Europe, the Nazis were being rolled back, but a series of Allied defeats in badly-planned battles meant that the war continued into yet another year. Disc 7. Unconditional Surrender 1 x 52:00 miin The final months of conflict saw Allied troops enter the territory of the Third Reich only to uncover the full horror of concentration camps. In Berlin, as the Russian Army laid siege to the city, Hitler retired to the safety of his bunker and committed suicide. On the 8th May 1945, the war in Europe came to an end. However, the war in the Pacific still raged on. Disc 8. We Shall Never Forget 1 x 52:00 min Even after the triumph of VE Day, there still remained a war to be fought. The final act of WWII was played out in the skies above Japan. A new US President, Harry Truman, took the grim decision to deploy a new weapon against the forces of Japan. The atomic bomb was dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the dreams of Imperial Japan were ended at a stroke.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3178 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-06-25
• Rating: Exempt
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Number of discs: 8
• Running time: 660 minutes

Synopsis
This comprehensive programme charts the complete history of World War II, using archive footage and fascinating eye-witness accounts.

Customer Reviews

Great
This is one of the best put together docos on W.W.2 that i have seen, its a pity that the commantury was spoilt by having a yank do it. still well werth buying. 99 percent of the film i have not seen before. lets have more like it the britts make the best war docos that i have seen.