Battlefield: Series 4

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1 General Information
2 Cover
3 Information
4 Screenshots
5 Technical Specs
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[edit] General Information

War Documentary hosted by Tim Pigott-Smith, published by Discovery Channel in 2000 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

The BATTLEFIELD series provides a thorough and comprehensive picture of the World War II. This sweeping documentary series offers up detailed accounts of the key battles, combining extensive use of archival footage with full color 3D animation and a compelling and vivid narrative, complete with main weapon systems used and portraits of the principal leaders and commanders. Troop movements, arms deployed, motivation of key players, are all described in detail. In addition to the events, we can also learn about the motive for the outbreak of the battles and their consequences, along with the military and political situation of the age. Each battle is placed in the larger context of the global situation. Strategy and tactics are described in detail with excellent graphics, providing a fascinating analysis of the forces in conflict. Archival footage from several sources includes rare film from the Moscow archives. Battlefield is a series that chronicles the decisive events and critical battles that shaped history. Series provides a great opportunity to learn even more about the conflict, and the events of World War II that still have a great impact today. A Cromwell Production

[edit] The Battle of Kursk

In the Summer of 1943 more than 2,000,000 men of the German and Russian Armies and over 6,000 tanks were gathered together near the Russian town of Kursk. The scene was set for one of the war s most crucial engagements the outcome of which would have a vital bearing on the outcome of the conflict.
The German plan, codenamed "Operation Citadel", aimed to enclose the Russian forces north and south of the so-called Kursk bulge. But the Russians had learned a lot during the fierce battles against the German army. The area was heavily mined and fortified and the German tanks were met by murderous artillery fire.
The Battle of Kursk would turn out to be the largest tank battle of World War II. The Germans are unable to withstand the tremendous force of the Russians and are eventually forced to retreat beyond the Dnieper River. This to the dismay of Adolf Hitler, who has explicitly forbidden withdrawal. Ultimately, the Battle of Kursk would be the beginning of the advance of the Red Army and the downfall of the Nazis.

[edit] Air War Over Germany

This documentary shows you the bombing raids on Nazi Germany. From the first failed attacks by the Royal Air Force bombers in the early 1940s to the carpet of bombs on cities such as Dresden.
The RAF struggled hard to find a way to take the war to Germany after the Luftwaffe's attack on Britain tailed off during 1941. It eventually determined on The Strategic Bombing Campaign that was designed primarily to disrupt German war production and undermine civilian morale. The images of completely flattened cities make an indelible impression! The specially developed incendiary bombs and other weapons of destruction ultimately killed more than half a million German civilians, and countless connecting roads, factories, railways and military targets were razed to the ground. The greatest value of the offensive, however, turned out to be that they tied up almost all of the Luftwaffe's resources in the home defense.
The air war over Germany was one of the most controversial campaigns of the entire war and cost many thousands of Allied and German lives. In fact, the RAF's losses were so great during the years 1941-1943, that they almost stopped the operations. When the USAAF arrived, however, the situation improved and the raids continued without major losses from 1944 onwards. The result was costly in human life and great devastation, but this air war campaign turns out to have been crucial in the eventual victory over Nazi Germany.

[edit] Manchuria: The Forgotten Victory

The remarkable Soviet victory over the once mighty Japanese Kwangtung Army group in the mountains of Manchuria is one of the least known of the Second World War. This was no steam roller triumph of greater numbers and brute force but a victory for superior weaponry, brilliant tactical use of surprise and bold command that was achieved in little more than a fortnight.
After the outbreak of the Pacific war, the Kwangtung army transfers its best men and heaviest weapons to the islands in the Pacific. Then, despite a non-aggression pact between the two countries, Russia launches Operation August Storm. Totally unaware and taken by surprise, the Kwangtung army is soon given the order of surrender from Emperor Hirohito. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are taken to Soviet POW camps in Siberia and Mongolia.
This documentary chronicles the little-known victory of the Russian forces over the Japanese army at Manchuria. Archive footage and modern graphics are used to demonstrate how the Russian deployment of superior weaponry and daring strategy combined with bold leadership and the tactic of surprise to win the day.

[edit] Pearl Harbor

This documentary covers the period in the Pacific War during World War II when the Japanese armed forces were on the ascendant. In the west, the Japanese carrier fleet attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor; in the east, the Japanese army took the vital British base at Singapore.
December 7, 1941: Under the command of Admiral Yamamoto, 360 Japanese planes take off on a deadly mission. They will completely surprise and destroy America's naval base Pearl Harbor. America, which until then has remained neutral in World War II, loses on that day as many as 19 warships and 2000 soldiers.
The infamous Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was one of the most significant events of World War II. Brilliantly planned and executed though it was the attack bought the mighty USA into the war with disastrous consequences for the Axis powers.
The attack was masterfully planned and carried out, but it was as big a surprise for Hitler and Mussolini as it was for the Americans. Quite unnecessarily, they declared war on the United States, which led to American opinion turning against the Axis powers. Meanwhile in Malaya, the Japanese Army was sweeping through the country towards the vital British base at Singapore.

[edit] Guadalcanal

The attack on Pearl Harbor was supposed to obviate the need for the grinding attritional battle that was the hallmark for the bloody fighting of Guadalcanal. The capture of this strategically crucial island in the Solomans - during which more than 25,000 Japanese lost their lives - was the key to the US victory in the Philippines and paved the way for the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the final defeat of Japan.
Located in the middle of the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal was seen as the test of strength between the Japanese and Americans. The Battle of Guadalcanal enters the history books as the first lost battle of the Japanese in World War II and as the first American beach landing since 1898. Great losses are suffered during this most grim battle. The battle scenes vary from hand-to-hand combat and enormous artillery bombardments to heavy fighting between the different naval units! Ultimately, the Japanese lost 24,000 men against 6,000 dead on the American side, in what turned out to be the springboard for the attack on Japan.
It was the first time the Americans encountered the Japanese Bushido Code - the samurai's ancient warrior ideology stating that a soldier in the emperor's service has a duty to die, rather than be disgraced by being captured. Guadalcanal also sees the fantastic defensive victory when during retreat Edson's Raiders held out against 2,000 Japanese soldiers.

[edit] The Siege of Leningrad

This is the story of one of Second World War's most harrowing episodes. The 890 day siege of the Soviet Union's second city has come to epitomise the misery, suffering and savagery of the war on the Eastern Front. During this horrible period, the Germans hold the city in hand while the Russians isolate the city from the outside world. The conditions inside the city are hard to imagine. After Army Group North had surrounded the city, Leningrad's most important supply lines were cut off. This and constant bombardments, combined with running out of food supplies, meant that people were forced to ration hard. Those who did not obey this were shot.
Day after day, the city is bombed, but the city is finally liberated by Soviet troops in 19th January 1944 - by that time 600,000 of its citizens had starved to death and 200,000 more had perished in the bombing.
In this feature, we look back on those events and ask how on earth this was possible. How could the population last so long when supplies are hardly available? And how could the Germans resist for so long? We look at this pitch-black page in history, the struggle for Leningrad, including the battles for Luga, Narva, Pskov, and Ostrov, and how Germans were eventually forced into their long and costly retreat back toward Berlin.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4
Video Bitrate: 1 900 Kbps
Video Resolution: 720x552
Display Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 224 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 1 h 40 min
Number Of Parts: 6
Part Size: 1.50 GB
Source: DVD (Thanks to "blowan"@a.b.dvd )
Encoded by: DocFreak08