52 Episodes
Episode 1
Superfighters
Jan 2, 2006
Superfighters are the world's most capable fighting aircraft. Some have multiple roles, others are air-to-air masters, but all are formidable opponents.
Episode 2
Attack Helicopters
Jan 2, 2006
The full potential of the helicopter as a deadly attack gunship was not fully realized until 1955. Today, however, the attack helicopter dominates the battlefield with its advanced weaponry.
Episode 3
US Navy Carriers
Jan 2, 2006
Aircraft carriers have always been a key tool in enforcing US foreign policy. Today, as a crucial element in the ongoing war against terror, they are more important than ever before.
Episode 4
Submarines
Jan 2, 2006
A necessary tool in global conflicts, submarines, such as German U-Boats in World War I, have always been used to great effect. With this film, discover the fascinating history of submarines in World War I and II, the Cold War, and beyond.
Episode 5
Airborne
Jan 2, 2006
Airborne operations may be best associated with World War II - when paratroopers and glider-borne troops made an impact out of all proportion to their numbers - but the well-armed, fast -deploying "skytrooper" is just as valuable today.
Episode 6
Tanks
Jan 2, 2006
Able to defeat machine gun nest and navigate through shell-torn landscapes, tanks restored mobile warfare during World War 1. This episode explores why the tank remains a decisive and dominate factor in land war.
Episode 7
Battleships
Jan 2, 2006
No warship has ever matched the sheer destructive power of the battleship. Until World War II, it was the centerpiece of the world's most dominant navies and was armed with some of the most powerful artillery ever devised.
Episode 8
Battle of the Atlantic
Jan 2, 2006
In the early years of World War II, Britian stood alone. Hitler planned to defeat the island nation with his U-boat fleet. And after the US entered into the war, U-boats quickly ravaged shipping off its eastern seaboard.
Episode 9
Artillery & Rockets
Jan 2, 2006
There may be more sophisticated and expensive weapons on the battlefield, but when a commander needs to bring devastating firepower upon the enemy, artillery is often the first choice.
Episode 10
Armored Fighting Vehicles
Jan 2, 2006
Originally designed to deliver infantry to the battlefield, armored fighting vehicles have developed into formidable military machines armed with heavy guns, machine guns and howitzers.
Episode 11
Combat Rifleman
Jan 2, 2006
The combat rifleman's firepower has steadily expanded since early last century and his role is as valuable as ever. The assault rifle, immune to tactical change but keeping pace with technology, remains vital to infantrymen, commandos and guerrillas alike
Episode 12
Blitzkrieg
Jan 2, 2006
When Hitler's Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the world was stunned by the use of a new and fast-moving form of warfare - Blitzkrieg, or lightning war
Episode 13
Battle Drones
Jan 2, 2006
Since the 1920's, drones have been used as targets during naval gunnery exercises. Today, advanced technology allows the modern drone - or UAV - to fly complex, autonomous missions.
Episode 14
Carrier War
Jan 2, 2006
After the loss of the Pacific Fleet battleships at Pearl Harbor, it was left to the US carriers to take the war to the Japanese. Carrier-based air power proved critical to the US Navy's successful "island hopping" campaign.
Episode 15
Desert Storm - Tank War
Jan 2, 2006
In a lightning-quick campaign, Coalition forces assembled in the Gulf threw Saddam Hussein's Iraqi invaders out of occupied Kuwait in the early months of 1991.
Episode 16
Reich Air Defense
Jan 2, 2006
At the outbreak of World War II, Germany boasted one of the world's most effective air defense systems. This episode follows the course of events that led up to the collapse of that remarkable operation.
Episode 17
Fighter
Jan 2, 2006
Discover some of the most technologically advanced systems in the world, such as the US's latest fighters - the F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
Episode 18
Desert Storm - Air War
Jan 2, 2006
This episode tells the story of an air war. Follow the largest air combat force ever assembled, as Coalition counties fought to liberate Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm.
Episode 19
Normandy Invasion
Jan 2, 2006
The Battle of Normandy began with the legendary D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 - the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Episode 20
Vietnam Air War
Jan 2, 2006
Find out how the US entered the conflict in Southeast Asia and how US tacticians planned to bring the war to a swift end through sustained bombing campaigns.
Episode 21
Peacekeeping
Jan 2, 2006
Following the end of World War II and the collapse of the old colonial powers, a new type of military operation emerged.
Episode 22
Amphibious Assault
Jan 2, 2006
The main function of amphibious assault is to get soldiers ashore in the shortest possible time, with highly mobile troops riding into battle in a range of vehicles.
Episode 23
Anti-Submarine Warfare
Jan 2, 2006
The work of the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operator may not be glamorous, but it is critical to the maritime balance of power.
Episode 24
Bombers
Jan 2, 2006
From the pre-World War I bombers, like the cumbersome German Zeppelin, to the 20th century, and the USAF's sleek, sophisticated B-2 Spirit, bombers have come a long way. Track the evolution of this deadly aircraft and understand the vital role it plays.
Episode 25
Spyplanes
Jan 2, 2006
Before any action can be sanctioned, civilian and military leaders need to know exactly what an enemy is planning and what his capabilities are.
Episode 26
Hitler's Secret Weapons
Jan 2, 2006
Nazi Germany's war machine produced some of the most radical and advanced military developments in World War II.
Episode 27
Waffen SS
Jan 2, 2006
Among the most feared fighting formations of World War II, the men of the Waffen SS were renowned for exceptional fighting qualities, but also for atrocities committed against POWs and civillians.
Episode 28
Strategic Weapons
Jan 2, 2006
The two atomic bombs dropped on Japan to end World War II dramatically slammed the door on one era and opened another to the future - a world with nuclear weapons.
Episode 29
Aircraft Weapons
Jan 2, 2006
Since the earliest days of aviation, aircraft weapons have proliferated, ranging from simple bombs and rockets to sophisticated guided weapons that can drop a bomb through a window from a hundred miles away.
Episode 30
Machine Guns
Jan 2, 2006
As much a part of modern land warfare as the tank and the howitzer, the machine gun completely changed combat, making it possible for a large number of troops to be killed by a single weapon.
Episode 31
Battlefield Recon
Jan 2, 2006
Historical records dating as far back as the 3rd Century AD show how military conflicts have been supported by units dedicated to reconnoitering the battlefield and reporting back to commanders to allow them to plan the movement of their fighting units.
Episode 32
NATO's Navies
Jan 2, 2006
As it had been in World War II, the Atlantic Ocean once again hosted naval competition as Soviet and Western fleets vied for influence and supremacy in the Cold War.
Episode 33
Marine
Jan 2, 2006
Calling upon a devastating array of land, sea and air warfighting systems, the US Marine Corps continues the proud tradition of those who valiantly fought and died a Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima and Khe Sanh.
Episode 34
Electronic Warfare
Jan 2, 2006
Since World War II, warfare has increasingly meant electronic warfare. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the case of aerial combat operations.
Episode 35
WWII Desert War
Jan 2, 2006
Follow the progress of the desert war, from the early Allied successes against Mussolini's Italian forces to the epic Anglo-American Torch landings of 1942.
Episode 36
Helicopter Assault
Jan 2, 2006
During the Civil War, Nathan Bedford Forrest declared that winning battles was all about "getting there first with the most men." Mechanization greatly sped up the process, but the key transport element on the modern battlefield is the helicopter.
Episode 37
Cargo Haulers
Jan 2, 2006
The aircraft has revolutionized the movement of troops and supplies from home bases to the battlefield. Explore their use in World War II, including the Allied resupply missions "over the hump" of the Himalayas.
Episode 38
Cold Warriors
Jan 2, 2006
During the years of superpower standoff between the US and the Soviet Union, Central Europe was ground zero for military buildups and for any potential conflicts.
Episode 39
Close Air Support
Jan 2, 2006
Close air support (CAS) is the use of military aircraft in a ground -attack role against targets in close proximity to friendly forces. With aircraft serving as "airborne artillery" to direct support of the troops, CAS requires detailed integration with the fire and movement of ground forces.
Episode 40
Surface-To-Air
Jan 2, 2006
In the 19th century, military balloons were targeted by artillery pieces. In WWI, machine guns took aim at early planes. since then, air defense has rapidly developed into a sophisticated network of radar, communications and anti-aircraft missiles to provide a virtual shield in the sky.
Episode 41
Fleet Air Defense
Jan 2, 2006
Faced with the threat of increasingly advanced naval strike aircraft and air-launched anti-ship missiles, the defense of the fleet is as important today as it was to the US Navy in the Pacific during World War II.
Episode 42
Vietnam River War
Jan 2, 2006
During the war in Southeast Asia, the Movile Riverine Force was a joint US Army and Navy operation that made up a substantial part of the "brown-water navy" that patrolled inland waterways.
Episode 43
Tank Killers
Jan 2, 2006
Since its introduction in World War I, the tank has been a dominant force on the modern battlefield. However, its presence has inspired the development of a wide variety of anti-tank weapons.
Episode 44
Surface Combatants
Jan 2, 2006
Battleships and aircraft carriers have traditionally grabbed the limelight in the war at sea, but smaller vessels - cruisers, destroyers and frigates - have actually done most of the work since World War II.
Episode 45
Special Forces
Jan 2, 2006
Special forces are a relatively recent innovation in warfare. Study their develompent through operations by the British Commandoes of WWII to the highly trained SEALs of the modern US Navy.
Episode 46
Vietnam Ground War
Jan 2, 2006
Young, inexperienced and usually drafted into service, the "grunts" who fought the ground battles in the jungles of Vietnam experienced a war unlike any other.
Episode 47
Korean War
Jan 2, 2006
For many, the fight for Korea in the early 1950's remains a forgotten war. Fought at one of the most tense periods of the Cold War, the conflict saw a US-led force attempt to roll back the communist invaders.
Episode 48
21st-Century Warfare
Jan 2, 2006
Whether on land, at sea or in the air, the use of advanced technology is now a key aspect of modern weapon systems, with the aim of dominating the battlespace.
Episode 49
WWII Tank Warfare
Jan 2, 2006
Born in the stalemate of WWI trench warfare, the tank was subject to much development between the wars, as tacticians and theorist debated how best to use this devastating weapon in future conflicts.
Episode 50
Infantry Support
Jan 2, 2006
Infantry support weapons include grenades, mines, mortars and light assault weapons that have been developed through the ages to boost the firepower of the individual soldier and his platoon.
Episode 51
Pacific Land War
Jan 2, 2006
The battles fought against Japan in the China, Burma and India (CBI) theater in World War II may be less well known than those of island battles like Iwo Jima and Tarawa, but they were just as vital to the course of the war.
Episode 52
Air-To-Air Combat
Jan 2, 2006
Air-to-air combats are typically fought between fighter that are relatively evenly matched in terms of performance and armament; often, it is the skill and training of the pilot that is the deciding factor.