Part 1: The War in the Desert – The rugged battlefront of
North Africa is the stage for a desperate three-year seesaw conflict pitting
the resourceful Afrika Korps of Germany’s Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox,”
against the inspired leadership of Britain’s Lt. General Bernard Montgomery,
aided by U.S. forces.
Part 2: The War in the Skies – World War II saw the skies
over Europe, Africa, and the Pacific battlefronts roar with the sound of
dogfights. Bombers methodically destroyed whole cities. The war began with
wooden biplanes and ended with advancements in fixed-wing aircraft, culminating
in jet planes.
Part 3: Great Sea Battles – From the very outset of World
War II in 1939, control of the sea lanes was essential for the movement of
troops and supplies fueling the war effort. The Pacific and Atlantic
battlefronts and their seas became hostile waters where the fortunes of nations
followed deadly engagements.
Part 4: Tank Battles: El Alamein to the Volga – The mighty
German tank fueled the lightning war for Nazi conquest. Yet advancements in
tank design kept Britain in the fight to capture the North African
Battlefront. The great tank battlefronts of Russia saw powerful Soviet tanks
sweep the Nazis back west to face Russian and U.S. tanks.
DVD 2 – Twilight for the Axis
Part 1: Paris to the Rhine – Fortress Europe itself is
the battlefront in France after D-Day. Using films from the Imperial War Museum
in London, we see the war as Allied newsreels of the time captured events. It
is a fascinating record of how World War II was a struggle to push the Nazi’s
to the brink.
Part 2: The Rhine to Victory – The Germans are in retreat
on all battlefronts as the net slowly tightens around the once-proud Reich.
Newsreels once again portray the Russian onslaught, constant day-and-night
bombing from British and Americans, and encroaching Allies from the west and
south as they seal Germany’s fate.
Part 3: Kamikaze: War in the Pacific – What started
off as a great victory at Pearl Harbor soon reversed as the outcomes that
followed at Midway, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima had the Japanese Imperial Navy
reeling with island after island falling to the Americans. The price is
incredibly high as the fanatical enemy warrior code persists, culminating in
the blazing fury of the Kamikazes.
