Twentieth Century Battlefields (2007)
Synopsis
Father-and-son team Peter and Dan Snow embark on an epic journey to describe battles that transformed the 20th century. Known for its extensive use of "sand table" CGI effects to help viewers visualize the battles.
Creator
Jane Aldous
Network
BBC Two
Episodes
1918 Western Front
The British army used new tactics to break the Germans and fought the biggest tank battle yet seen to achieve decisive victory. The Snows visit the scarred terrain of the Western Front in Northern France to tell the story of the 1918 Battle of Amiens.
1942 Midway
It was the birth of a new type of sea warfare where bombers did all the damage, and enemy ships wouldn't even see each other. The Snows fly to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to recount the battle of Midway.
1942 Stalingrad
While Soviet citizens held on for life in the shattered city, Hitler's army froze to death in the countryside. The Snows travel to Russia to tell the story of Stalingrad - one of the most epic battles of World War II.
1951 Korea
American landings at Inchon were one of the largest amphibious attacks in history, and a few hundred British soldiers on the banks of the Imjin river stemmed a tide of thousands of attacking Chinese. The Snows journey to the border between North and South Korea to examine two important engagements of the Korean War - a war between Communist and Nationalist forces that embroiled soldiers from around the world, and remains unsettled more than 50 years on.
1968 Vietnam
Communist fighters launched major attacks from a claustrophobic network of tunnels, and US marines had to flush them out. The Snows explore the Tet Offensive of 1968, the turning point of the Vietnam War.
1973 Middle East
In Egypt's 1973 surprise attack on Israel, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of tanks crossed the Suez Canal and pushed into the Sinai desert, using the latest technology to stop Israeli tanks in their tracks. The Snows travel to Israel to unpack the complex history of conflict in the Middle East that culminated in the Yom Kippur War.
1982 Falklands
Night-fighting and air support proved crucial when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982 - the last battle on British territory. The Snows fly 8,000 miles to the South Atlantic to tell the story of how the British Task Force fought back to regain control.
1991 Gulf
Allied air forces deployed revolutionary new technology like stealth bombers and precision-guided bombs while ground troops prepared for the possibility of Iraqi gas attacks. The Snows go to Kuwait to tell the story of Operation Desert Storm - a war dominated by cutting-edge technology and ruthless political calculation.
Cast
Details
Original Title
Twentieth Century Battlefields
Status
Ended
Seasons
1
Episodes
8
Production
BBC, The Military Channel
