Battlefield - 1995/2004

Battlefield is a documentary series initially shown in 1994 that explores the most important battles fought primarily during the Second World War but also the Vietnam War. The series employs a novel approach in which history is described by detailed accounts of major battles together with background and contextual information.

Episode 1 - The Battle of France - 1995 - 114 Min.

Blitzkrieg's most astonishing triumph, establishing Hitler as unassailable within continental Europe.

Episode 2 - The Battle of Britain  - 1995 - 114 Min.

A documentary look at the Battle of Britain, the leaders and the units involved, the events leading to the battle and the key factors in determining the outcome. 

Episode 3 - The Battle of Midway  - 1995 - 114 Min.

A documentary look at the WWII battle of midway. The events leading up to the battle, the national and war leaders involved, and the critical events that lead to the outcome.

Episode 4 - The Battle of Stalingrad - 1995 - 114 Min.

This documentary is containing all Events details such as combat tactics and military strength of the Nazi Germany vs Soviet union during the Battle Of Stalingrad in World War II.

Episode 5 - The Battle of Normandy - 1995 - 114 Min.

A documentary look at the battle of Normandy and the events leading up to it. Profiles of the national and battle leaders, the units involved, and the events that were crucial to the outcome.

Episode 6 - The Battle of Berlin - 1995 - 114 Min.

The furious, climatic last battle of Hitler's war. Over half a million lives were lost as the Red Army finally crushed the last Nazi citadel.

Episode 7 - The Battle for North Africa - 1995 - 114 Min.

After a grim struggle that rolled back and forth across the North African desert for nearly three years, the North African campaign resulted in the first major Allied victory of the Second World War.

Episode 8 - The Battle of the Atlantic  - 1995 - 114 Min.

An analysis of the Battle for the Atlantic from September 1939 through the end of the war. Primarily a tale of the war against the U-Boats, background of Germany's experience during WWI, the Happy Time, the closing of the Atlantic Air Gap and the ultimate death toll .

Episode 9 - The Battle for Russia - 1995 - 114 Min.

Hitler's plan for the conquest of Russia called for a classic Blitzkrieg offensive, which would be pressed ruthlessly to its conclusion within the course of a single season's campaign.

Episode 10 - The Battle for Italy - 1996 - 114 Min.

When victory in North Africa seemed assured, Allied planners turned their attention to Italy. The objective was to seize Rome, knock Italy out of the war and push north towards Germany.

Episode 11 - The Battle of Leyte Gulf - 1996 - 114 Min.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought from 23 - 26 October 1944 and is considered the conflict's largest naval engagement. Returning to the Philippines, Allied forces began landing on Leyte on October 20. Responding, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched plan Sho-Go 1. A complex operation, it called for multiple forces to strike the Allies from several directions. Central to the plan was luring away the American carrier groups that would be protecting the landings.

Episode 12 - The Battle for the Rhine - 1996  - 114 Min.

During the last months of 1944, the British and Americans pressed steadily through France and Belgium to the western frontiers of the Third Reich.

Episode 13 - The Battle of Kursk - 2000 - 96 Min.

In the summer of 1943 more than 2,000,000 men of the German and Russian Armies and over 6,000 tanks were gathered together near the Russian town of Kursk. The scene was set for one of the war s most crucial engagements the outcome of which would have a vital bearing on the outcome of the conflict. This is a brand new episode from the landmark television series Battlefield . Featuring fascinating archive footage from all over the world the programme includes a review of the political and military situation before the battle, portraits of leaders and commanders, an explanation of weapons and tactics and the story of the battle itself. Vivid graphics place the battle into the context of the war as a whole.

Episode 14 - Airwar Over Germany - 2000 - 104 Min.

The Allied bombing campaign of Germany in World War 2.

Episode 15 - Manchuria: The Forgotten Victory - 2000 - 97 Min.

Tim Pigott-Smith narrates the story of the Soviet victory over the mighty Japanese Kwangtung Army in the mountains of Manchuria, which is one of the least known of the Second World War.

Episode 16 -   Pearl Harbor - 2000 - 99 Min.

A look at the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the fall of Singapore detailing the reasons, the national leaders and commanders involved, and the equipment used by both sides.

Episode 17 - Guadalcanal - 2000 - 95 Min.

Tim Pigott-Smith narrates the story of the battle for Guadalcanal and the capture of this strategically crucial island in World War 2 during which more than 25,000 Japanese lost their lives.

Episode 18 - The Siege of Leningrad - 2000 - 96 Min.

Tim Pigott-Smith narrates the story of one of the Second World War's most harrowing episodes - the 890-day siege of the Soviet Union's second city Leningrad which was not liberated until January 1944.

Episode 19 - The Battles for Tunisia - 2001 - 102 Min.

The campaign in Tunisia in World War Two saw the battles that finally ended the brutal war in the desert. We look at the weapons used and tactics and tell the story of the battle itself.

Episode 20 - El Alamein - 2001 - 103 Min.

Covering the leaders, the equipment, and the men, as well as the battles, it covers the period from the beginning of the war in Africa until the end where the Axis is expelled. The main battle covered here is the last battle of El Alamein.

Episode 21 - Monte Cassino - 2001 - 105 Min.

The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was to break through the Winter Line, and facilitate an advance towards Rome.

Episode 22 - The West Wall - 2001 - 104 Min.

This is the story of the construction and defense of Hitler's three-mile deep web of fortifications, pillboxes, troop shelters, and anti-tank obstacles that ran along Germany's western frontier. "The Siegfried Line," as it was nicknamed by the Allies, and the natural barrier formed by the Rhine River, were key to Germany's defense of its Western Front. The breaching of the Siegfried Line at the Battle of the West Wall, and the subsequent crossing of the Rhine barrier at Remagen, heralded the collapse of German resistance in the West.

Episode 23 - Operation Market Garden - 2001 - 104 Min.

Operation Market Garden was an attempt by the allies to use airborne units to seize key bridges and short-cut the slog into northern Germany thereby shortening the war. This is a look at the plan, the leaders and the equipment involved.

Episode 24 - The Battle for Caen - 2001 - 102 Min.

The French city of Caen was identified by the Allies as an early goal for troops coming ashore during the D-Day invasion. Rather than quickly falling, the struggle for Caen became a bloody, grinding affair that lasted for seven weeks due to intense German resistance. While a costly struggle, the fighting around Caen pinned down German troops which facilitated Operation Cobra in late July. This saw the Allies breakout of the beachhead and move to encircle German forces in Normandy.

Episode 25 - The Battle for the Crimea - 2002 - Part 1 (52 Min.) - Part 2 (52 Min.)

Hitler's obsession with the Crimea was the source of fierce disagreements with his General staff. So it was that the German 11th Army under Manstein broke through the Soviet lines in October 1941 - but this was only the beginning of a series of bloody battles that cost the Russians two whole armies. However, the tide turned after the disastrous German defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk. Cut off and isolated in the Crimea, the Germans faced massive Russian attacks and Sevastapol surrendered in May 1944. Twelve German and Rumanian divisions were completely destroyed and 25,000 prisoners were taken.

Episode 26 -  Part 1 The Russo-Finnish War (52 Min.) - Part 2 Scandinavia - The Forgotten Front (52 Min.) - 2004 

This episode take a closer look at the Russian aggression against Finland, and the German occupation of Norway.

Episode 27 - The War Against the U-Boats - 2002 - 99 Min.

An in depth look at the World War II Battle of the Atlantic, the people who commanded the fighting, the national leaders, and the equipment used.

Episode 28 - Destination Okinawa - 2002 - 104 Min.

Anticipating an excessive commitment of resources to take and hold the island, American war planners abandon an invasion of Formosa and focus directly on the Japanese home islands. They set their sites first on Okinawa to serve as a forward base of attack. Japan, seeking time to build defenses, plans to sacrifice Okinawa by fighting to the last man to delay the Allied advance. The Japanese are well prepared with layered defenses forcing American troops to fight a series of difficult, costly battles while naval forces deal with large, organized kamikaze attacks.

Episode 29 - Campaign in the Balkans - Part 1 The Balkans Explode  (52 Min.) | Part 2 War in the Balkans 1944-1945  (52 Min.)  - 2004

We examine the course of savage fighting in the Balkans in the latter half of the conflict in World War 2 where after the uprising by the Romanians, the Soviet Army moved swiftly to capture Bucharest.

Episode 30 - The Battle for the Mediterranean - 2002 - 99 Min.

We tell the story of the crucial battles for control of the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the irreplaceable oil fields in World War 2 and the story of the war in Greece.