World War Two DVDs

A moving account of the bombing raids on the Bath area in World War Two. Baths civilian population was subjected to a fierce onslaught during three nights in April 1942. The Luftwaffe ravaged Bath with high explosive bombing, destroyed many of the citys buildings with incendiary bombs, then returned to machine gun the unprotected streets. 417 people lost their lives and a further 425 were injured. 19,000 buildings were damaged, and 1,200 buildings had to be demolished. Personal recollections of the bombing, together with previously unreleased archive film and dramatic photographs, recount this tragic tale. Proceeds from the sale of this title contributed to the cost of a commemorative plaque, at the entrance to Victoria Park, as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives.

During the Second World War, the ancient city of Bristol faced a bitter struggle for survival against German air raids. The bombing lasted from the night of June 19th 1940, when Luftwaffe aircraft first took off to attack the area, until the final all clear sounded in the early hours of May 16th 1944. Between September 1940 and May 1941 Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed city in England. It was never purposely subjected to indiscriminate terror bombing as a means of smashing civilian morale. However, the inaccuracy of the heavy attacks mounted against Bristols vital harbour facilities and aircraft factories, caused widespread damage, death and destruction in a number of the citys most populous districts. By June 1944, 1,396 people in the Greater Bristol area had fallen prey to the bombing, and 89,000 properties in the city had been either damaged or destroyed. With the help of archive film and illustrations, together with visits to historic locations and interviews with those who lived through the Bristol Blitz, you will see how the city defended itself against Hitlers onslaught. This documentary also reveals the full impact of the conflict upon ordinary Bristolians, thrust overnight into the front line of the war against Germany's mighty Luftwaffe.

This souvenir presentation commemorates the 60th anniversary of VE-Day. After six years of bitter warfare with Nazi Germany, May 8th 1945 signalled the official end to hostilities in Europe. It was the end of a conflict that had seen Bristol suffer greatly, so the reaction was greeted with an uninhibited outpouring of joy. Celebrations were confined not only to those serving in the armed forces and their immediate families, but extended to everyone: young and old, rich and poor. With the help of eye-witness accounts, and rare archive material including priceless colour footage of VE-Day celebrations in Bristol - you will see exactly how local people chose to celebrate the occasion. A musical thread runs through the production, with some delightful renditions of wartime songs and historical re-enactments, thanks to St Lukes Church Players of Brislington. The 60th anniversary festivities in Bristol are also included, together with a Bristol Cathedral service to commemorate the part played by women in World War Two.

The Second World War had a huge impact upon the civilian population of the West Country. The story is told with the help of personal recollections, and enhanced by extensive archive film, including some remarkable colour footage of Bristol, rare audio recordings, photographs and documents. Eminent war historian John Penny explains how the government used radio and newspapers to boost the morale of the country, and how the mood of the nation was secretly monitored. Evacuation from Bristol often came as quite a culture shock, and children also escaped the Blitz by attending rural summer camps. Ordinary people defended their homes and workplaces by doing extraordinary things, as revealed by war historian George Scott, and there is also a special feature on how a sufficient diet was maintained, despite the devastation of the Nazi blockade. It was vital to maintain high levels of productivity, as confirmed by the memories of a Bevin Boy who wanted to join the RAF but found himself hewing coal in South Wales. During the build-up to D-Day, there was a steady build-up of American forces, and their presence in the West is still fondly recalled by those who survived some of Britains darkest days.

Today, Dorset is considered by many to be the archetypal rural English county. However, in the Second World War, Dorset was front-line territory in the struggle with Nazi Germany, whose forces lay just across the English Channel in occupied France. As the tide of war turned in the Allies favour, Dorset played a crucial role in the Normandy Landings, and ultimate victory. In this 85-minute documentary, Dorset historian and author Colin Pomeroy conducts a tour of the countys war sites, some of which are very well known, while others are now virtually forgotten. Illustrated extensively by rare archive photographs, maps and drawings, this historical journey begins at Portland, where remnants of the Mulberry Harbour that fuelled the Normandy Invasion still stand. The tour continues to Weymouth, the embarkation point for thousands of American soldiers, and then Chesil Beach, which had been heavily defended earlier in the war, when it was feared that a Nazi invasion could strike at Lyme Bay. Other highlights include visits to Tyneham Village, where American troops trained in readiness for the invasion of the continent; Warmwell aerodrome, from where Spitfires defended Britain, and USAAF Lightnings took the fight to the enemy; and St Aldhelms Head, where TRE Worth Matravers performed such vital work in the development of radar. Dorchester, Lyme Regis, Winyards Gap, Sherborne, Blandford Forum, Bournemouth, Poole and Studland are also among the locations visited in this tribute to an extraordinary period in Dorsets history.

Between 1942 and 1945, 3 million young American service personnel came to Britain and their presence over a short period of time would have a lasting effect on the communities they visited. This film examines the different types of relationships that were forged between the British public and their American guests at that time. Some people worked with the Americans, provided them with accommodation, or lived near their camps. Others were affected by the presence of their war machinery, or their music, cinema and dancing. We see how they enjoyed their spare time; how they romanced British girls; the marriages that resulted from these relationships; and their strong bond with British children. It is an unbiased study, examining the bad points as well as the good, including racism. Ultimately, it attempts to recapture the atmosphere of a unique period in British history, based on the bestselling book of the same title.

"Fighting The Blue" is a social history documentary series featuring stories of human interest during 1940, exploring the courage and resilience of the human spirit during the Battle of Britain era. The programmes feature stories from people who were there and helped to save Britain from the onslaught of the German Air Force. The interviews are illustrated by re-enacted film footage and gripping out takes from the Battle of Britain 1969 film. A two DVD set with extras including photo gallery and extra programme. As seen on & produced in association with UKTV History.

This is a true story of human endeavour. A contest between the British and German air forces as they fight for air superiority over England during 1940. Using unseen footage from the ground breaking feature film Battle of Britain, interviews with those who took part in the battle and re-enactments, this series offers an unbiased account of a country preparing to defend itself against a rising German empire.

Special Features include: A documentary on the Sea Hurricane, a picture gallery and a background to The Battle of Britain. 2 DVD set

"Spitfire, Birth of a Legend" tells the story of the Spitfire from a radical design on the drawing board to the fighter aircraft that became the symbol of Britain’s determination to fight on to victory. It celebrates the history of this acclaimed aircraft, the men who designed and built it, and those who flew and fought in it. The story, along with dramatic archive and colour film of aerial combat, graphically illustrates the appeal and fascination the Spitfire has maintained since it faced and fought the fighter and bomber formations of the Luftwaffe.

As seen on & produced in association with the History Channel.

"The Last Of The Few" takes a detailed and in depth look at the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight as it prepares for its 50th year of display & commemorative flying including a display at the Biggin Hill International Air Show - 2007.

As Spitfires and Hurricanes undergo servicing and maintenance, the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber of the Flight is stripped back to its skin for a major in-depth overhaul. ‘The Last Of The Few’ follows the work involved as these aircraft are reinstated in the markings and colour schemes of machines flown by courageous and outstanding aircrew of World War II.

Exclusive interviews with personnel of the Memorial Flight reveal the passion and enthusiasm that lies behind the expertise of those who maintain and fly these magnificent aircraft. Pilots who have previously flown the latest jet fighters, describe the excitement, as well as the challenges, of flying these classic warplanes, especially the huge Lancaster bomber. "The Last Of The Few" is a salute to the aircraft of the Flight, the men who fly them today and the memory of those who flew them in the past.

This arts history programme explores the career and techniques of the artist Paul Day as he produces sculptures for the Battle of Britain monument situated on the Victoria Embankment. The programme follows the project from conception through to its construction and subsequent unvailing by HRH the Prince of Wales. This programme is a unique and only record of the creation of this monument to freedom, ensuring the memory of this critical phase of our history is never forgotten.

"Fighting The Blue" is a social history documentary series featuring stories of human interest during 1940, exploring the courage and resilience of the human spirit during the Battle of Britain era. The programmes feature stories from people who were there and helped to save Britain from the onslaught of the German Air Force. The interviews are illustrated by re-enacted film footage and gripping out takes from the Battle of Britain 1969 film. A two DVD set with extras including photo gallery and extra programme. As seen on & produced in association with UKTV History.

This is a true story of human endeavour. A contest between the British and German air forces as they fight for air superiority over England during 1940. Using unseen footage from the ground breaking feature film Battle of Britain, interviews with those who took part in the battle and re-enactments, this series offers an unbiased account of a country preparing to defend itself against a rising German empire.

Special Features include: A documentary on the Sea Hurricane, a picture gallery and a background to The Battle of Britain. 2 DVD set

"Spitfire, Birth of a Legend" tells the story of the Spitfire from a radical design on the drawing board to the fighter aircraft that became the symbol of Britain’s determination to fight on to victory. It celebrates the history of this acclaimed aircraft, the men who designed and built it, and those who flew and fought in it. The story, along with dramatic archive and colour film of aerial combat, graphically illustrates the appeal and fascination the Spitfire has maintained since it faced and fought the fighter and bomber formations of the Luftwaffe.

As seen on & produced in association with the History Channel.

"The Last Of The Few" takes a detailed and in depth look at the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight as it prepares for its 50th year of display & commemorative flying including a display at the Biggin Hill International Air Show - 2007.

As Spitfires and Hurricanes undergo servicing and maintenance, the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber of the Flight is stripped back to its skin for a major in-depth overhaul. ‘The Last Of The Few’ follows the work involved as these aircraft are reinstated in the markings and colour schemes of machines flown by courageous and outstanding aircrew of World War II.

Exclusive interviews with personnel of the Memorial Flight reveal the passion and enthusiasm that lies behind the expertise of those who maintain and fly these magnificent aircraft. Pilots who have previously flown the latest jet fighters, describe the excitement, as well as the challenges, of flying these classic warplanes, especially the huge Lancaster bomber. "The Last Of The Few" is a salute to the aircraft of the Flight, the men who fly them today and the memory of those who flew them in the past.

This arts history programme explores the career and techniques of the artist Paul Day as he produces sculptures for the Battle of Britain monument situated on the Victoria Embankment. The programme follows the project from conception through to its construction and subsequent unvailing by HRH the Prince of Wales. This programme is a unique and only record of the creation of this monument to freedom, ensuring the memory of this critical phase of our history is never forgotten.

At the outset of World War II, US and UK Military Aircraft designs were woefully behind Nazi Germany's technologically superior planes. German designers had already flown the first jet, but the genius and ingenuity of innovators on both sides of the Atlantic closed the gap. They produced planes such as the Chance Vought Flying Pancake (a saucer-shaped Naval fighter that could almost take of vertically), the Northrop MX-334 Flying Wing (a rocket-powered fighter with armoured wings designed to ram German bombers) and perhaps the biggest secret project outside the Manhattan project to build the atomic bomb, Churchill's plan to build a fleet of giant aircraft carriers made of ice, designed to act as floating airfields for the invasion of Japan.

This programme traces the development of the Japanese industry and its famous creations like the Nakajima K1-43 Oscar and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, but the programme also exposes the frantic, top-secret programs to produce weapons that would have made these legendary planes seem tame by comparison - Helicopters, jet-bombers, rocket fighters and a huge, long-range aircraft designed to strike directly at the US west coast with biological weapons. We tell for the first time how the plans for Nazi jet and rocket aircraft were taken to Japan by submarine and how the Japanese converted these designs for their own use.

The innovative aircraft profiled in this programme include A.S. Moskalyov's plan for a supersonic delta-wing aircraft in the 1930s and Andrei Tupolev's long distance bomber that flew non-stop across the North Pole to California in 1937, and there are weirder Soviet planes including a flying tank prototype and a submarine-bomber that could land on water and then submerge to attack its prey. We also show rare footage of the MiG 1-270 rocket fighter and the MiG-8, a prototype that secretly tested swept-wings despite Stalin's order to concentrate on conventional aviation technology.

'The Untold Story' includes a remastered and revised version of the epic bombing raid PLUS footage of the triumphant return of the Belle to the United States. Extra footage features colour pictures of the first long distance raid on Ploesti in Romani as well as a full study of the development of the B17s and the B29s, the never produced Douglas B19 and the awesome U.S. build up of men and machines that finally defeated the Luftwaffe and vindicated the deadly policy of daylight bombing