Description

The story of tanks, told from the first models used in WWI right through to the fighting behemoths of the Cold War era. There is extensive coverage of World War Two armour, especially on the Eastern Front where Tigers and Panthers came up hard against the Soviet T-34 at Kursk, and in the Western Desert where British and US armour under Patton and Montgomery fought pitched battles.

Full description from the producer:

This collection looks at the changing face of tank warfare is a fascinating DVD collection not to be missed by those with an interest in military history and weapon development. The three discs are ‘Story of Tanks’, ‘Tank Battles of WW2’ and ‘Hitler Strikes East’.

‘Story of Tanks’ looks at the changing face of tank warfare. The first tanks were produced from late 1914 by Great Britain and France to break the deadlock of trench warfare on the Western Front. Their first use was during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Britain and France built thousands of tanks, while Germany only developed and bought into service 20 vehicles of a single design. This DVD also looks at the development of tanks throughout history including the German tank division, Russian tanks, U.S. tank development and tanks in the Cold War.

‘Hitler Strikes East’ is about when Hitler expounded his intention to invade Russia and his generals looked at him in horrified silence. The Soviet Union was vast and had matchless resources. Hitler’s whole plan depended upon striking a swift and decisive knock-out blow. Get sucked into a long, drawn-out war and Germany would surely lose. Hitler was certain his forces could do it. No one had so far defeated them. But there had never been a military gamble like it… This film turns to Stalingrad and the battle of Kursk, the biggest tank battle in all of history.

‘Tank Battles of World War II’ This programme focuses on the German tank strategies and the invasion into Russia in 1941. Though outnumbered two to one, the German’s superior training and tactics gave them the edge in capturing the city of Kiev. They were stopped only 20 miles from Moscow by the powerful Russian T-34 tanks and the bitterly cold winter, which historians consider being a turning point in the war.

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