Great Blunders Of World War II is a documentary series looking some of the worst errors of World War II that affected the course of history. They are the decisions that have gone down in infamy, the battles determined not by bravery and brilliance but by incompetence and arrogance.
Ike: Countdown to D-Day is a 2004 American television film originally aired on the American television channel A&E, directed by Robert Harmon and written by Lionel Chetwynd.
Tom Selleck portrays General Dwight D. Eisenhower, US Army, popularly known by his nickname of "Ike". The film deals with the difficult decisions he made leading to up to D-Day, including dealing with the varied personalities of his command: General Omar N. Bradley, US Army, Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr., US Army, General Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, British Army and General Charles De Gaulle, Free French.
The film does not have action sequences, focusing instead on the inner workings of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force that led to the successful D-Day invasion of World War II. Concentrating on decisions actually made by Eisenhower and the pressures brought to bear on him personally, it includes his personal relationship with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his own Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith, US Army.
The film is also notable for being the only major production in which General Montgomery's portrayal concentrates on his role as a competent military professional, instead of focusing on his alleged personality disorders, while still showing his egocentricity and foibles. General Patton's complex personality is also outlined in a very brief set of scenes played by Gerald McRaney.
Series looking at how WW2 was documented by German and British amateur home movie makers.
Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH. The show has brought a large number of detective series and television movies—most of them British productions from the BBC or the ITV companies and usually adapted from mystery fiction literary sources—to air on American television. In 2002, they added an American-produced series based on the novels of Tony Hillerman to their roster.
Mystery! is noted for its animated opening and closing title sequences based on the cartoons of Edward Gorey and animated by Eugene Federenko, Derek Lamb, and Janet Perlman, with music by Normand Roger. For the Hillerman episodes, the American flag was worked into this opening title sequence.
One of Mystery!'s early successes was Rumpole of the Bailey. Other noted successes include The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett in the title role, Inspector Morse with John Thaw, Brother Cadfael starring Derek Jacobi, and Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren. The last one proved so popular that the series was moved to Masterpiece Theatre for higher ratings. Agatha Christie has been well represented with several seasons' worth of stories featuring Hercule Poirot starring David Suchet as well as two versions of Miss Marple's mysteries. The 1980s and 1990s saw Joan Hickson in the title role in Miss Marple while 2005 and 2006 featured Geraldine McEwan as the small-town sleuth in Marple. Beginning in 2009, Julia McKenzie has taken over the role of Miss Marple.
WWII’s Greatest Raids is a series that takes you into the heart of an elite band of soldiers in the heat of a key action in their history, and follows them on the mission to show just how these men put their unique combination of skills, training and equipment to the test of combat. We’ll explore just how celebrated outfits such as the U.S. Army Rangers, the British Special Air Service and the Black Devil Brigade have changed the course of a battle, or perhaps even a war, through their courage, daring and commitment.
The SS was the Nazi state’s instrument of domination and oppression, responsible for the intelligence services and the police. The SS committed a horrific range of atrocities, including the Holocaust, the persecution of political opponents, and brutal war crimes. Millions of people were victims of the Schutzstaffel, and many of the perpetrators were unrepentant to the end.
This six-part documentary provides a comprehensive overview of the SS, describing how a small group of thugs rose to become the most feared organ in the Nazi state. With the help of international experts, the film examines common myths about the organisation. Interviews with eyewitnesses and unapologetic perpetrators take us closer to the psyche of the SS supporters in an attempt to make the inconceivable comprehensible.
Dieppe is a two-part Canadian television mini-series that aired on CBC Television in 1993. It was based on the book Unauthorized Action: Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid by Brian Loring Villa. The series chronicled the events that led up to the infamous World War II Dieppe Raid on August 19, 1942, which resulted in 3,367 Canadian troopers either being captured, wounded or killed.
It was criticized for not being completely accurate, and overdramatizing the events that took place.
A look at the military strategy of aerial bombardment and its effect on 20th century wars, and the future of warfare.
Stories about the impact of World War I around the regions.
As part of the RAF's centenary, model aircraft enthusiasts from Britain and Germany recreate the Battle of Britain in miniature, to understand and commemorate the pilots.
Documentary series about Swedish volunteer pilots who fought alongside Finland in World War II.