WW1 Triple DVD Box Set - Containing Armistice (BBC1), War Horse (Channel 4) and WW1 Top Gun Revealed (Channel 5) DVD

War Horse This is the extraordinary and deeply moving true story of the million British horses who served in World War One. It is told using rare archive and testimony combined with the latest historical research. The story begins with the mass call up of horses from every farm and country estate in the land. Brough Scott tells the tale of his aristocratic grandfather Jack Seely and his beloved horse Warrior. He would become the most famous horse of the war renowned for his amazing courage. In a new era of mechanised trench warfare the deep bond that developed... between man and horse helped both survive the hell of the Somme and Passchendaele. The finest hour of the cavalry came in spring 1918 when led by the warhorse Warrior they broke through the German lines and helped win the war. But there was further heartache for the horses when the war came to an end. 85 000 of the oldest were sold for horse meat. Half a million were sold to French farmers to help rebuild the countryside. Only 60 000 made it back to Britain. Six black horses that survived the war together would pull the body of the unknown warrior to its last resting place in Westminster Abbey. But the most famous war horse of all to return in glory was Warrior. Armistice Professor David Reynolds takes a fresh look at the extraordinary events and personalities involved in the Armistice which brought the First World War to an end in 1918. He uncovers a story of wounded egos political scheming and brinkmanship behind the lines as statesmen and generals haggled over the terms of peace while at the front the soldiers fought on as the cost of human life escalated. In a journey that takes him through command centres and battlefields he explores why half a million men were killed or wounded in the bitter endgame of the 'Great War' and he unravels how Germany ultimately plunged to total defeat. In March 1918 the Germans nearly won the war; in November they not only lost it their country also fell apart in revolution leaving them unable to resist the Allies' harsh terms. So for many Germans the new order was a betrayal of all they had fought for a lasting resentment that would eventually fuel Adolf Hitler s rise to power. The events that led up to the Armistice are vividly told in this fascinating programme explaining exactly how Germany lost the war. November 11th proved to be a doomed peace - a prelude to a century-long struggle for mastery of Europe. David Reynolds argues that it was the frenetic politicking and brutality of the fighting in 1918 that sowed the seeds of the even bloodier Second World War just 20 years later. WW1 Top Gun Revealed This fascinating programme tells the untold story of how the pilots of WW1 and the pioneering aircraft mechanics engineered victory for the Allies turning an eccentric folly into a deadly weapon. In this film we explore the brave new world of aerial reconnaissance artillery spotting bombing dogfights and also chart the technological evolution of the first air force. On both sides of the war experimental engineers scrabbled for superiority of the skies with British pioneers like Geoffrey de Havilland competing to outdo Anton Fokker the Dutchman whose planes helped Germany dominate the sky for a time. WW1 Top Gun will bring history to life by mixing present day airplane reconstruction with expert interviews and gripping archive footage. Action-packed demonstrations and experiments with the aviators will vividly portray the mechanical evolution of military air power by the Allies and Germany to reveal how visionary technology at all times in response to the increasing demands of a new age in conflict saw the emergence of the first fighter planes and a major shift in modern warfare. Highlights of the narrative will reveal how the rivalry between German and Allied engineers pushed the plane to new heights. Click Image To Enlarge [show more]

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