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Documentary
Using witness testimony, archive and archaeological evidence, this three-part series reveals the untold story of the preparations to defend World War Two Britain by the Home Guard.
The first programme of the series tells the story of Tom Wintringham - the Red Revolutionary - one of the leading journalists of his time, a former communist and freedom fighter from the Spanish civil war. His vision was to mould the Home Guard into a vast guerrilla army. In the unlikely setting of a stately home on the outskirts of London, he established one of the most sophisticated military training centres in the country. Surviving Home Guard veterans explain what life was like and demonstrate how they were trained to tackle the Nazis.
Archaeologist Francis Pryor explores the secret sites and the hidden network of WWII bunkers that riddle Britain and meets the men who built and manned these vast fortifications.
The final film of the series examines Britain's secret resistance army, codenamed the Auxiliary Units. Effectively a suicide squad, no one was expected to survive beyond two weeks.
Narrator
Over the past 60 years Britain's Special Air Service regiment has carried out a wide variety of clandestine missions - from deep-penetration raiding to hostage release operations - which have made it respected and feared for its professionalism and daring. The SAS prides itself on doing its work in the shadows, never allowing any publicity and never claiming credit for any of its extraordinary achievements. But, over the years, sufficient information has emerged for a picture of the regiment's exploits to be clear. This series uses interviews with former members of the SAS; detailed and painstaking reconstructions; and cutting edge 3-D graphics to recreate seven great missions which show why the SAS is today regarded as the world's leading special forces unit.
From tunnels to towers, artillery sites, resistance nests and communication centers, Nazi Germany left their footprint throughout the world. To this day, silent remains still exist, sentinels guarding clues about plots that Hitler was unable to carry out. The collapse of the Third Reich left as many secrets as it did relics. Still today, remnants of the Nazi's schemes lie concealed in structures scattered across the globe. Skeletons of projects give way to mysteries. Conspiracies abound about science fiction scenarios. The Nazis were nothing if not methodical, and a deeper look reveals even darker plans. From tunnels to towers, artillery sites and communication centers; the remains of these schemes lie waiting to reveal truths about the Fuhrer's tactics and dreams in Secret Nazi Bases. What did Hitler have planned?
How did 20th Century Europe's most liberal democracy fall into the hands of fascists? From Hitler's political scheming that turned Germany's parliament into a House of Cards, his War on Truth leading to book burning, and his scapegoating of minorities, this series explores in extraordinary detail the events leading up to the outbreak of World War II.
In June 1941, Hitler decides to break the German-Soviet pact and set the German army in motion toward Moscow. From summer to winter, and from Kiev to Leningrad, previously unseen archival footage, some recolored, retraces the bloodiest military operation of World War II. Testimonies from soldiers and civilians recount these endless months of battles and sieges.
