Battlefield
Series Five – 2001
A documentary series on the key battles and campaigns of World War 2. For each episode we see the key commanders involved, main weapons, key units, strategy and tactics, the development and history of key factors to that point and the history and outcome of the battle.
Where to Watch Series Five – 2001
6 Episodes
- The Battle for TunisiaE1
The Battle for TunisiaThe campaign in Tunisia saw the battles that finally ended the brutal war in the desert. The arrival of the British 1st Army gave the Allies a six-to-one numerical advantage in troops and a fifteen-to one superiority in tanks, guns, and aircraft. The Allied blockade in the Mediterranean also began to bite, making the beleaguered Germans short of fuel, food, and ammunition. Eventually, all German troops in Tunisia surrendered. - The West Wall
E4The West WallThis is the story of the construction and defence 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 defence 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. - Operation Market Garden
E5Operation Market GardenThis episode tells the tragic story of the "bridge too far" and the ill-fated Operation Market Garden--the Allied operation that was supposed to end World War II in 1944. Montgomery's rather fanciful conclusion that Market Garden was "90% successful" was hardly supported by the facts. The operation was an unmitigated failure. - The Battle for Caen
E6The Battle for CaenCaen, perhaps the greatest major obstacle for the Allied advance inland after the landings in Normandy, 6 June 1944. Consequently it was a key objective for 3rd British Div. landing on Sword Beach. The Allies were unable to capture the strategically important city on D-Day in the teeth of armoured counter-attacks from 21st Panzer Div. Renewed attempts by 3rd Canadian Div. on 7-8 June were foiled by 12th SS Panzer Div. 'Hitlerjugend', as were 7th British Armoured Divs. thrusts towards the city on 11-14 June. On 25 June Operation 'Epsom' was launched to take Caen. Preceded by RAF Bomber Command attacks, further British & Canadian assaults on 4 July stalled before the whole of the city could be taken. On 7 July Operation 'Charnwood' forced the Germans to withdraw from northern Caen. Heavier bombardment opened Operation 'Goodwood' on 18 July, in the course of which the Canadians finally managed to liberate the rest of Caen, by now largely demolished after five weeks of intensive fighting.
