BRITAIN AT WAR - OUR FINEST HOURS DISC ONE - D-DAY - ASSAULT ON FORTRESS EUROPE Early in the morning of 6th June 1944, a vast and bizarre armada ploughed steadily against stiff head-winds through the rough waters of the English Channel, heading for the Normandy coast. Amongst the 5,000 vessels were many of the best British and American warships of stupendous collective firepower, as well as ancient battleships and tankers on their last voyage, destined to be sunk to provide breakwaters. Thousands of the craft had been built to make one short journey only; to ferry the invading allied forces, together with their immense diversity of equipment on the last difficult, dangerous stretch from the transports to the shore of enemy-occupied France. It was D-Day. DISC TWO - BATTLE OF BRITAIN - THE FIGHT FOR THE SKY With the surrender of France on 22nd of June 1940, Britain and her Commonwealth stood alone against the might of the German armed forces. In that dark summer of 1940, the threat of invasion hung heavily over Britain and children were once more evacuated to the countryside. The army was still recovering from its defeats in France and could offer no real defence against invasion. Britain had a strategy to meet the German threat, which was due to one man, Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding. Against enormous internal pressure, Dowding had resisted committing the majority of his Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons to the battle on the Continent, knowing that the major battle was yet to come - the battle for Britain itself. DISC THREE - DUNKIRK - BATTLE FOR FRANCE “So long as the English tongue survives, the word ‘Dunkerque’ will be spoken with reverence”... The glowing language with which the New York Times greeted the extraordinary rescue of the beleaguered British Expeditionary Force from otherwise certain defeat and captivity on the continent, was in many ways typical of the time. In Britain, despite Churchill’s stern reminder that “wars are not won by evacuations”, a tangle of myths quickly sprung up around Dunkirk, which came to be regarded almost as a major victory. A major victory it certainly was not. Dunkirk was a brilliantly executed withdrawal of land forces - minus all their equipment - across the Channel, following a series of unparalleled military disasters. Indeed, to the Germans, Dunkirk was virtually a sideshow. Intent on completing the conquest of France, they no longer regarded the small British army as posing any significant threat. Cat No: PGDV3BX001 Length: 163 mins 5 050725 100139 THE RAF AT WAR Three one hour DVDs depicting in detail the glorious effort of the Royal Air Force operations during World War Two. A force that grew to be the finest air force in the world. A fascinating and educational account of the men, machines and organisa- tions that flew “against all odds” into battle against the mighty Luftwaffe. Outnumbered in manpower and machines by overwhelming odds, yet turning the tide of the war in favour of the Allied Forces. Including the Personnel and Ground Crews, Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Com- mands, the overseas Theatre Of War and Reconnaissance and Transport. Cat No: PGDV3BX002 Length: 180 mins 5 050725 100238 BRITAIN AT WAR - DEFENDING THE EMPIRE DISC ONE - THE BOER WAR When Britain went to war against the Boers in October 1899, the British public expected the fighting to be over by Christmas. As it turned out, The Boer War, in Kipling’s famous phrase, gave the British “no end of a lesson”. Using accounts of the soldiers who fought in this bitter and bloody clash of arms and remarkable contemporary photographs, this programme tells the story of Britain’s last great Imperial war. DISC TWO - THE GREAT WAR - THE STORY OF WW1 1914-1918 These new and updated visual accounts of the first world war combine a rivetting story line with much newly gathered information and truly devastating pictures of the eerie landscape of war on the grandest scale. It is a compelling exploration of warfare at its most horrific. DISC THREE - THE HISTORY OF WORLD WAR TWO Britain’s response to Germany’s Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland, in 1939, was the British Expeditionary Force, sent to Europe to prevent the Germans following their successful airborne invasion of the Low Countries, with an armoured assault against France. The BEF’s enforced, heroic withdrawal at Dunkirk left the RAF, under Sir Hugh Dowding, to win the Battle Of Britain and postpone invasion plans indefinitely. As World War Two entered its second, decisive phase, the British Army showed its teeth at El Alamein where Montgomery’s victory halted Rommel’s armoured sweep through North Africa. Further East, Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union proved suicidal: German surrender at Stalingrad left Russia poised to punch into the heart of the Reich. In the Far East, Japan followed their pre-emptive strike at Pearl Harbour with rapid territorial gains before being pushed back from Midway by American naval might. In Europe, RAF Bomber Command blitzed German cities as the D-Day invasion of Normandy was taking shape. By April 1945, American and Russian forces had Berlin surrounded - the liberation of Europe was complete. These momentous events are portrayed through front-line film footage and carefully researched contemporary accounts. Cat No: PGDV3BX003 Length: 290 mins 5 050725 100337 THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WORLD WAR TWO This three DVD set covers the major events of World War Two including: the Blitzkrieg through Poland, Denmark, Norway and the Low Countries to the fall of France... Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the savage Blitz... the duels in the Desert and the Atlantic... the invasion of Russia, the assault on Pearl Harbour... the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, Monte Cassino... the 1,000 bomber raids on Germany, the battles for the Pacific... the D-Day landings and the push to the Rhine, the reversals at Arnhem and the Ardennes... the fall of Berlin, the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps... and the awesome finale of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Cat No: PGDV3BX004 Length: 172 mins 5 050725 100436 BRITISH FIGHTER AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II DISC ONE - THE STORY OF THE SPITFIRE With the courage and skill of fighter aces like Johnnie Johnson, ‘Sailor’ Malan and Bobby Tuck, the Supermarine Spitfire helped change the course of the war in favour of the Allies. The only match for the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Spitfire played a major role in the success of the Battle of Britain. The classic combination of airframe, Rolls Royce Merlin engine and dual cannon/machine gun armament struck terror into the hearts of the enemy’s most fearless flyers and won the aircraft a place in history as a timeless thoroughbred fighter. The Spitfire fought in the front line throughout the war, and rightly remains an aviation legend today. Combining dramatic wartime film with colour footage of surviving Spitfires in flight, this is the definitive documentary of the Supermarine Spitfire. DISC TWO - THE STORY OF THE HURRICANE Its eight wing-mounted Colt-Brownings spitting flame, the Hawker Hurricane swooped to dispatch over two-thirds of all enemy aircraft destroyed in the Battle of Britain. Courageous Squadron Commander Douglas Bader, 14 - kill hero ‘Cobber Kain’, Ginger Lacey - the top Battle of Britain ace with 18 victims - and many other RAF pilots owed their reputations and their lives to this toughest mount of all. The Hurricane was outnumbered but never outclassed, designed to hit the enemy hard, absorb tremendous punishment yet live to fight another day. Featuring colour footage of the last surviving aircraft, alongside original combat film, this is an exceptional programme of a fighter plane that truly changed the course of history. DISC THREE - DE HAVILLAND MOSQUITO In 1941 the RAF was being pressed to fill new and ever more demanding roles in the war against Hitler. Although first-class modern fighters - Hurricanes and Spitfires - were in abundant supply, the Air Chiefs had a serious problem with the bomber force. This uncomfortable gap was filled by a revolutionary fighter bomber, one of the most original and versatile designs of the entire war - the De Havilland Mosquito. Cat No: PGDV3BX005 Length: 168 mins 5 050725 100535 2 CLASSIC CARS ON SHOW DISC ONE - FABULOUS FORDS From the 1930s to the 1970s Ford cars have been a familiar sight on our roads. Enthusiasts have collected and restored many models to show to the public at rallies all over the UK. We look at some of the best selling and much loved models over the years. The classic Consul, Anglia, Cortina, Zephyr, Zodiac; remember the boy racer’s Ford Capri?! Reflect on some of the 1970s giants like the Ford Granada, the Escort RS and many more. There’s plenty to see on this special look back at those Fabulous Fords. DISC TWO - A NOSTALGIC LOOK AT CLASSIC SPORTS CARS On a sunny day there’s nothing better than to put the roof down and get some wind in your hair. So join us on a special journey to rediscover those Classic Sports Cars. The famous MG’s and some rare Austins, plus many more are featured in this open top motoring extravaganza. We meet the owners to find out the stories behind the vehicles and take a trip to Brooklands, the home of motor racing, to see some very rare models going flat out up the famous test hill. So foot to the boards and hang on for a ride back in time to see those Classic Sports Cars. DISC THREE - THE SWINDON NOSTALGIA SHOW - VINTAGE VEHICLES Motoring enthusiasts from around the UK come to Swindon every summer.