PADDLE STEAMER KINGSWEAR CASTLE DVD
A Voyage Through her Life...
Kingswear Castle is Britain's last coal-fired paddle steamer. Beautifully restored the ship now steams from The Historic Dockyard Chatham and from Rochester on Kent's River Medway. In this programme see the ship today sailing on the Medway and discover the paddler's origins on the River Dart in Devon, where she was built in 1924 and was operated until 1965. We also see the ship's restoration through historic archive footage and meet some of the people key to bringing Kingswear Castle back to life.
£14.99
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HORATIO NELSON DVD
Victor at Trafalgar
The name of Britain's most celebrated naval tactician is inextricable linked to "victory". Whether in reference to his famous ship or in memory of his many triumphs, Horatio Nelson lived a charmed existence upon the waves. His life on dry land, however, was to prove less "victorious" and far more controversial as his personal dealings became something of a scandal. A married man, flaunting his affair with Lady Emma Hamilton, Nelson caused outrage in both London society and within the higher echelons of the navy.
£8.99
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WOODEN SHIPS~IRON MEN DVD
The Age of the Mighty Man-Of-War
HMS Victory is perhaps the most famous warship ever to grace the waters around Britain. This programme examines the living conditions of the men and the weapons and tactics of the era with the use of archive material and footage shot on board the fully restored HMS Victory. It also includes a comprehensive look at the Battle of Trafalgar and how the legend of Nelson was born.
£8.99
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THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR DVD
Nelson's Victory
Nelson's celebrated signal opened the Battle of Trafalgar, the most famous engagement of the age of sail. Tragically he would not live to enjoy his crowning glory. This programme features dramatised re-enacted accounts shot aboard Nelson's famous flagship HMS Victory. Also features special 3D graphic images and superb contemporary images to tell the story of a momentous day in naval history.
£8.99
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TUDOR NAVY DVD
The Golden Era of British Naval Supremacy
Graceful and majestic, the Golden Hinde is a living link to a bygone age of adventure, which has inspired countless tales of privateers and Spanish gold. The raised skeleton of another famous ship, the Mary Rose, allows us to take a firsthand look at how the ships of the Tudor age were constructed and imagine what life on board would have been like for sailors during the golden era of British naval supremacy.
£8.99
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IRONCLADS DVD
The Rise of Armour-Plated Vessels and the Fall of Wooden Warships
As the Industrial Revolution clunked and hissed its way into life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the possbilities new technologies brought were swiftly utilised by the armed forces of nations across the globe, in particular the opportunity for new ship design. This programme goes aboard one of these new breed of ships, the HMS Warrior - a ship so feared and respected that its mere presence in British waters was sufficient deterrent to all potential enemies, so much so she has never fired a shot in anger.
£8.99
THE DUNKIRK STORY DVD and BOOK
The Evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force
Documentary DVD Dunkirk was a brilliantly executed withdrawal of land forces - minus all their equipment - across the Channel. This is vividly realised using very rare footage only recently obtained and painstakingly reassembled.
Fully Illustrated Hardback Book The remarkable story of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk is one of heroism, tragedy and extraordinary determination. This fully illustrated book gives a detailed background account of the events leading up to the evacuation as well as in-depth analysis of the men, machines and the operational requirements of this unparalleled rescue.
£17.99
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN STORY DVD and BOOK
The Fight for the Sky
Documentary DVD Perhaps the most famous aerial conflict of all time, the Battle of Britain stands as testament to those who gave their lives in defending Britain and all that freedom stands for. Using newly discovered footage, this documentary gives full justice to the exceptional commander Hugh Dowding, to Keith Park, his second-in-command and to all the men and women who inflicted the first defeat on German arms.
Fully Illustrated Hardback Book This fully illustrated book includes a brief background to the events preceding the fight and a comprehensive account of the battle. Detailed accounts of the aircraft involved and in-depth analysis of the battle plans which ultimately lead to Britain's "finest hour".
£17.99
THE WAR AT SEA DVD
Surface Raiders and Underwater Killers
The Battle for Control of the Seas
Domination of the sea, both above and below the waves was an essential criterion for either side to win the war. The balance of naval power ebbed and flowed throughout the conflict with each success or failure coming at great cost, both in financial terms and in the number of lives lost.
£8.99
SUBMARINE WARFARE DVD
Menace from the Deep
In the late 1800s the father of submarines, Mr John Holland, hit upon the idea of powering a submarine with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. This DVD features rare archive footage, stunning 3-D graphics and film of some of the last surviving World War Two submarines. It is a priviledged glimpse into the world of submarine warfare.
£8.99
VICTORY AT SEA DVD
The World Slips Inevitably Towards All-Out Conflict
Design for War As Europe collapsed, Britain and America embarked on a monumental operation of survival on land, sea and in the air in a battle to control the Atlantic and secure vital supply routes.
The Pacific Boils Over The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour was a well orchestrated and shrewd battle plan which all but crippled the US Pacific Fleet in December 1941.
Sealing the Breach Following the "day of infamy", the destruction of Pearl Harbour in December 1941, the American war machine moved into top gear with the mobilisation of all armed forces and in particular deployment of naval convoys around the coast and in the Atlantic to stop the German threat.
Midway is East As the forces of Imperial Japan moved irresistibly across the South East Pacific former strongholds of Britain and America began to crumble. Cities such as Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore were now in enemy hands
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VICTORY AT SEA DVD
Across the Globe the War Rages
Mediterranean Mosaic The British presence in and around the Mediterranean Sea was a constant thorn in the side of Hitler's expansionist vision. Occupation of Malta and Gibraltar and a large naval fleet insured an ever ready and formidable force that proved an insurmountable object for the Axis Powers.
Guadalcanal The 90 square miles of steaming jungle that constitute the island of Guadalcanal was the scene of some of the most fierce, dogged and brutal fighting of the Second World War. The previously innocuous island became the epicentre of a war within a war as Allied Forces began to drive the Japanese out of the Solomon Islands.
Rings Around Rabaul Following its early successes, the forces of Imperial Japan swept almost unhindered through the South East Pacific. Rabaul was selected as a strategic springboard and was quickly reinforced with thousands of Japanese men and machines. If the Allies were to gain control of the region, Rabaul would have to be taken.
Mare Nostrum "Mare Nostrum" was the Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea adopted by Mussolini to explain his vision of Italian domination and the reestablishment of a Roman Empire. Even with immense German assistance in Europe and Africe, the cold realities of war and the determination of those he sort to dictate ended any such dream and spelt the end for ll Duce.
£8.99
VICTORY AT SEA DVD
The Fight Above, On and Below the Waves
Sea and Sand In an attempt to draw the attention of the German forces pounding on the gates of Russian cities, an Allied offensive in North Africa was launched in a two pronged attack. After negotiating the hostile reception from the forces of Vichy France, the Allies collided with arguably Germany's greatest and most well respected commander, the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel.
Beneath the Southern Cross The waters of the South Atlantic Ocean were a hive of activity as warring sea-powers from acros the globe sort to outmanoeuvre, outthink and outgun their opposition. Packing the mightiest punch was the German pocket battleship Graf Spee, the pride of the Kriegsmarine and the scourge of Allied shipping.
The Magnetic North The usually desolate waters of the Arctic Ocean played host to a flourishing array of naval activity as both sides attempted to gain ground and disrupt the others war plans. An essential supply route to aid the beleaguered Russians had to be secured against the fury of the German and Japanese Navies and the forces of Mother Nature.
Conquest of Micronesia The vast region of Micronesia was a ferociously fought battleground of small islands where every inch of land and water was painstakingly acquired at great cost. Shipboard life was a tiring mix of monotony and high drama as the Allies pushed to gain an all-important foothold on the islands.
£8.99
VICTORY AT SEA DVD
The Tide Begins to Turn
Melanesian Nightmare In July 1942 Japan pinpointed Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea as an essential objective, the capture of which would open the floodgates to the rest of Melanesia and more crucially Australia. Over the following months Japanese efforts to secure the "Black Islands" would meet with stiff Allied resistance and dogged determination.
Roman Renaissance After four years of conflict, Hitler's "Pact of Steel" was fast melting away as Italian frailty and failure became an all to familiar scenario, leading to Italy signing an armistice in September 1943. Now fighting alone, Germany was quick to turn Italy into a formidable fortress - one she would defend to the death.
D-Day The liberation of Europe would require an assault on an unprecedented scale against fortifications which had been years in the assembling and an enemy intent on repulsing any form of attack. Yet on the 6th June 1944 an Allied invasion force stormed the beaches at Normandy and gained the first all-important foothold on the west coast of Europe.
Killers and the Killed Despite mounting success on land, German dominancy in the Atlantic was a cold reality which the Allied Forces had to address if final victory was to be achieved. U-Boats roamed the waters killing at will and sinking millions of pounds of vital supplies, crippling the Allied war effort. Air supremacy was the key to combating the underwater threat and to winning the battle for the Atlantic.
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VICTORY AT SEA DVD
Freedom at a Heavy Cost
The Turkey Shoot The capture of the poorly fortified and underprepared American territory of Guam in 1941 helped Japanese forces tighten their grip on Micronesia. After two and a half years of occupation punctuated with unspeakable atrocities, Allied warships finally breached the Japanese wall of steel and targeted the liberation of the island. Across the waves the largest aircraft carrier battle in history was beginning to simmer as the Imperial Japanese Navy stumbled into a well orchestrated trap.
Two if by Sea Peleliu is a name unkown to many, yet the battle which took place upon this small Pacific island in 1944 was one of the bloodiest of World War Two, costing the lives of over 10,000 Japanese soldiers. The liberation of the small neighbouring island of Angaur was yet another hard-fought encounter against an enemy for whom surrender was not an option.
The Battle for Leyte Gulf As the US Navy's 3rd and 7th Fleets powered their way across the Pacific Ocean to aid in the liberation of the Philippines, few of the sailors on board could have foreseen or imagined the scale of the battle they were about to be consumed by. Loss of the Philippines meant an end to vital supply changes and so Japan committed the entire remains of her naval fleet in a last fatal role of the dice.
Return of the Allies The Japanese occupation of the Philippines has become synonymous with a brutal regime forced upon an unwilling population and war crimes on a grand scale. In late 1944 the Allies re-entered the region with an irresistible fighting force and one goal in mind - it liberate the Philippines. On land, sea and in the air a monumental military operation pushed the Japanese Imperial Forces to the brink of collapse.
Full Fathom Five World War Two saw the submarine emerge as a crucial and illusive weapon of destruction. Their crews had to acclimatise to cramped conditions, long journeys and an entirely different strategy of war. Prowling the Pacific Ocean they targeted military and merchant shipping alike, sinking countles tonnage that the Axis Forces were unable to replace or recover.
£8.99
VICTORY AT SEA DVD
The Forces of Evil are Defeated
The Fate of Europe 1944 saw the high tide of Nazi conquest ebbing as the previously besieged Russian Forces pushed outwards to recapture vital seaports in the Black Sea including Sevastopol and Odessa. In the west, preparations were underway for a mass invasion through the south of France which would ultimately rid the country of German occupation and lead the Allies to the gates of Berlin.
Target Suribachi As Allied bombs tore through the heart of Tokyo, the final acts of the global conflict were being played out on the small Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Strategically important due to its airfield and proximately to Japan, the island became a byword for pain, suffering but also for tenacity and determination as both sides fought out a gruelling and bloody battle.
The Road to Mandalay Japan's war philosophy of "blood and iron" saw unbridled aggression lavished on all those who stood in the way of her imerial vision. China, Burma, Siam and India were first int he firing line and suffered terrible losses, adopting a "scorched earth" policy in a futile effort to halt the intruder. Overtime and with careful planning and accumulation of forces, the ousted nations returned to reclaim their lands and deal a killer blow to Japan.
Suicide for Glory In 1945 the long arm of Allied sea-power reached out to throttle the final strongholds of the Japanese Army. After years of dictating events in the Pacific Ocean, the mighty empire was already on her knees when Allied troops landed on the island of Okinawa. In one last desperate roll of the dice, the Japanese authorities rallied the nation to give one last final effort to repulse the approaching Allies whatever the cost - the "divine wind" was about to blow.
Design for Peace 8:16am August 6th 1945 - the date a country died as the Japanese city of Hiroshima became the unenviable target of a new weapon - the atomic bomb. It spelt the end of the war for Japan and peace in the Pacific for the first time in 4 years. As the guns fell silent and the dust settled across Europe and the rest of the world, all that was left was to count the costs of war and plan for a peaceful future.
£8.99