Ultimate Collections - World War II

World War II encompassed some of America’s greatest triumphs and most bitter defeats. HISTORY ULTIMATE COLLECTIONS: WORLD WAR II is a comprehensive and intimate survey of this epic war featuring nearly 30 of its greatest World War II documentaries, each packed with original archival footage, interviews with military experts and historians, and gripping reenactments.

VOLUME 1: WORLD WAR II: THE WAR IN EUROPE: Take a commanding view of the battles and strategy, the men and machines, and the horror and heroism that marked the epic conflict in Europe.

DISC 1:

THE GREATEST CONFLICT: From the German Blitzkrieg to the Allies’ bloody battle for Berlin, experience a breathtaking overview of the savage global fighting that marked the war.

NORTH AFRICA...THE DESERT WAR: This riveting account details the German attack on Kasserine Pass, where the British 1st Army and untested American troops faced the full force of Germany’s seasoned Africa Corps.

THE BEACHHEAD AT ANZIO: Follow the story of the Allied landing, the brutal German counterattack, and the final Allied offensive that would turn the tide of this historic battle.

D-DAY...THE NORMANDY INVASION: The day the Allies threw the full weight of their forces at Hitler at Normandy remains the largest amphibious assault in world history.

DISC 2:

PURSUIT TO THE RHINE: In a daring offensive move, the Allies boldly thrust forward under tactical air support to break through German lines, and the enemy resistance ultimately crumbled.

THE BOMBER OFFENSIVE: AIR WAR IN EUROPE: The Allies launched this historic penetration raid on a German munitions factory and ultimately paid an extraordinary price in men and machines, but this battle would prove to be a turning point.

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE: It was the largest pitched battle in American military history, the last major engagement of the European campaign, and the scene of some of the war’s fiercest fighting, leading to a final blow against the Nazis.

THE BATTLE OF GERMANY: The final campaign of the European theater and unfolded in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge with the British and Canadian offensive, the historic crossing of the Rhine at Remagen, and Eisenhower’s final drive to Berlin.

VOLUME 2: WORLD WAR II: THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC: Experience the drama and intensity of World War II’s turbulent Pacific Theater through extraordinary footage and intense expert commentary. The epic battles between the United States and the imperial forces of Japan come alive in these complex portraits of the war from the air, on land, and across the seas.

DISC 3:

ISLAND HOPPING: THE ROAD BACK: Follow the epic story of the Allies’ island-by-island Pacific campaign in which they utilized massive amphibious assaults.

JUNGLE WARFARE: NEW GUINEA TO BURMA: In the steamy jungles of the Pacific, soldiers battled not only the Japanese, but malaria, heat exhaustion, and swarms of parasites.

AIR WAR IN THE PACIFIC: Chronicling the war’s first days through the suicidal Kamikaze attacks and the bombing missions that brought the war to the Japanese homeland, this documentary utilizes extensive air combat footage.

THE BLOODY RIDGES OF PELELIU: From the opening Naval bombardment, to the hand-to-hand combat and vicious guerrilla warfare, this is the complete story of this brutal and historic battle.

DISC 4:

THE RETURN TO THE PHILIPPINES: From MacArthur’s strategy to the heroics of the ground troops, the 7th Fleet’s naval forces, and the pilots of the Air Force, the heroic saga of the Philippines is a stunning story of unstoppable determination.

OKINAWA…THE LAST BATTLE: Winston Churchill described it as the most intense and famous battle in military history. Witness the desperate, suicidal resistance of the Japanese in the final battle of the Pacific campaign.

BIOGRAPHY: ADMIRAL WILLIAM "BULL" HALSEY: NAVAL WARRIOR: One of the most celebrated naval commanders in American history, Admiral Halsey led the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and helped neutralize the Japanese offensive.

VOLUME 3

DISC 5:

BIOGRAPHY: GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR: RETURN OF A LEGEND: General Douglas MacArthur was one of America’s greatest and most complex commanders, a warrior so tough and determined that he helped win World War II with a simple promise: “I shall return.”
MacArthur was a soldier’s soldier: the son of an officer, the star of West Point, and the Army’s youngest-ever full general. He was already a retired hero when he was recalled in 1941 to face his biggest challenge--defending an unprepared Pacific force against a seemingly unstoppable Japanese war machine. But everything about MacArthur’s life was extraordinary: from his army brat childhood to his rogue war in Korea, the magnificent stand in the Philippines, and a head-to-head confrontation with an angry Harry Truman.

Featuring rare footage and interviews with MacArthur’s comrades, family, and friends, this compelling BIOGRAPHY program reveals the man who remains a hero to millions.

DISC 6:

OKINAWA: THE FINAL BATTLE: The war in the Pacific was long and bloody, and when the final battle came, it was perhaps the fiercest of all. At Okinawa, over 250,000 people fought a desperate battle for control of the island, in which nearly half of them died.

OKINAWA: THE FINAL BATTLE is a riveting look at one of the most storied engagements in military history. Soldiers who were there, including USMC General Victor Krulak and Colonel Joseph Alexander, recall the extraordinary circumstances that made Okinawa unique. The Japanese defenders, in an all-or-nothing attempt to stop the Americans, employed guerilla tactics, bolstered their defense with women, and sent wave after wave of Kamikaze planes at the attackers.

Dramatic footage--some of it unseen for decades--captures the chaos and destruction of this ultimate battle, and military historians probe its lasting legacy. OKINAWA: THE FINAL BATTLE is a gripping portrait of one of the most important engagements in military history.

VOLUME 4

DISC 7:

EMPIRES OF INDUSTRY: WAR PLANES OF WORLD WAR II: Flight was born in America at the turn of the century. But World War II saw more planes built in a single year--300,000--than had been built in the previous forty.
World War II turned the American aviation industry into a huge, high-tech giant. Among the aircraft built for World War II were some of the greatest planes of all time: the C-47 transport (the "Loony Bird"); the rugged B-17 Flying Fortress; the B-24 Liberator, mass-produced by Ford on the world’s longest assembly line; the P-51 Mustang, the greatest prop-driven fighter; and the scrappy Grumman "Iron Works" output--Wildcats and Hellcats that leapt from the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers to maul the Japanese air force.

Modern shots of restored aircraft, historic footage ranging from factory floors to dogfights, and interviews with pilots and designers recapture the aviation industry’s finest hour.

DISC 8:

NUREMBERG: TYRANNY ON TRIAL: World War II didn’t end on the battlefield--it ended in a courtroom. The Nuremberg Trials bore witness to some of humanity’s darkest hours and revealed the full scope of the atrocities of Nazism, culminating in the execution of many top Nazi leaders.

NUREMBERG: TYRANNY ON TRIAL follows the hearings from accusation to sentencing, offering insight into the cases of such defendants as Rudolph Hess and Hermann Goering. Discover how the trials galvanized modern principles regarding the laws of nations and established a new standard for atrocity: "Crimes against Humanity." Meet some of the men who witnessed the hearings and those who presented the cases, including the chief counsel for the prosecution, while history balanced on their every word.

Join THE HISTORY CHANNEL for an in-depth investigation of the Nuremberg Trials, a moment in history the world has promised to never forget.

VOLUME 5: GREAT BLUNDERS OF WORLD WAR II

DISC 9:

THE GERMAN BLUNDER AT DUNKIRK: How Hitler’s reckless plan of attack turned his chance to destroy the British into history’s greatest escape.

HITLER’S DECLARATION OF WAR ON THE U.S.: How the Japanese attack brought the previously hesitant United States into the war, and led Hitler to make a foolish decision to ally with Japan.

THE PILOT WHO BOMBED LONDON: How a lost and confused Luftwaffe pilot unintentionally ignited what became known as the Blitz, which pushed Britain’s durability to its furthest limits.

HITLER’S FLYING BLUNDERS: How Hitler’s strategy of using lighting-fast, short-range fighter-bombers in support of highly mobile ground forces went horribly awry.

Bonus Blunders “Battle of the Bulge” and “Bridge Too Far”

DISC 10:

JAPAN’S MISTAKES AT MIDWAY: How blind arrogance and the underestimation of American willpower led the Japanese war machine to disaster.

THE FAILURE OF THE KAMIKAZE: How the kamikaze forces on land, sea, and air sacrificed themselves in battle in a desperate bid for victory.

DEATH AT STALINGRAD: How Hitler’s underestimation of both the Russian winter and the steadfastness of the Russian people led to his defeat at Stalingrad.

OPERATION SEA LION: How the postponement of a Nazi invasion of Britain, even in the wake of the British Army’s flight from France, ultimately led to the Allied victory.

Bonus Blunders “Bomb Plot To Kill Hitler” and “The Scattering of Convoy PQ17”

Upplagd i sortimentet: 8 April, 2009