Discovery Channel - Tanks Armoured Warfare (1998) Part 4 Blitzkrieg Lightning War

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 4 Blitzkrieg Lightning War

This is the powerful story of the creation and deployment of the Panzer Divisions, the chief cog in Hitler's war machine. A new form of warfare to which Germany's enemies had no answer. The story of 'lightning war' – Hitler's terrifying, ruthless but highly effective tactic which brought countries such as Poland and Czechoslovakia to their knees during the early months of World War Two. Originally conceived during the Great War, the Germans added air power and the crucial element of political surprise to the concept of Blitzkrieg. Featuring rare archive film, stunning 3D graphics, new footage of surviving machines and unique insights from Dr Niall Barr of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and Professor John Erickson from the University of Edinburgh, leading authorities on armoured warfare.

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