Discovery Channel - Tanks Armoured Warfare (1998) Part 12 On Campaign

World War II was the first great technological war. Innovations included long range missiles, submarines, fighters and bombers and of course Tanks! Armoured clashes were on a scale never seen before or since. Tanks were a significant factor in most of the main fighting theatres, from North Africa to Russia and northern France. They featured in some of the critical battles of the war, such as El Alamein in 1942 and Kursk in 1943. Some of the largest tank battles took place in the desperate struggle between Germany and Soviet Russia. The Russians had the T-34, a tank that was well armed, versatile and manufactured in huge numbers. It played a key role in helping turn the tide on the Eastern Front in favour of Soviet Russia. In the early years of the war, Germany held the initiative. German forces used Blitzkrieg tactics in France in 1940, making full use of the speed and armour of tanks to break through enemy defences. By the later years of the war, the German advantage had lessened. Whilst German forces benefitted from the huge armaments of tanks like the Tiger, the industrial might of the Allies meant they had tanks in larger quantities. Allied tank designs also improved, as did their tactical use of armour. This 12 episode series takes the viewer inside the steel clad fighting machines who helped define this conflict. Experience the desert campaigns of the Tiger Tanks, roll out with the German legendary Panzer Divisions and conquer the enemy with the Sherman Duplex Drive. This unique series features rare footage from Russian, German and Allied sources, superb 3D graphics, interviews with the world's leading tank experts and historians, including David Fletcher, Professor John Erickson, Dr Simon Trew and Dr William Atwater, and film footage of the surviving tanks today.

Part 12 On Campaign

The everyday lives of the men who drove and fought the machines of World War Two. They had to be not only warriors, but engineers and mechanics. What did you see through the limited view of the drivers vision slit? How exactly did you aim the main gun of a Tiger? This is a powerful and penetrating insight into the lives of the tank crews who fought in the Panzer divisions during World War II. On Campaign paints a comprehensive picture of how the tanks fought, how the crews functioned and the measures the infantry took to combat the armoured juggernauts. With rare archive footage, stunning new animation and the views of leading authorities on armoured warfare including Dr Simon Trew of the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and Dr William Atwater of the US Army Ordnance Museum in Washington.

Full Version Available Upon Request
Related Documentary