DOCUMENTARIES

Fields of Armour: vol 2

The history of armoured warfare is a history of tactics, technology and human genius. Relive the great tank battles from World War I through to today's cyber wars.

The Discovery Channel
(2000)
180 minutes per volume
E

By Richard Moore

Few things have changed the face of war on land as the tank has done. The armoured gun platforms can wreak havoc on an enemy and today's tanks are precision killing machines.

In Fields of Armour, the Discovery Channel examines the history of the tank from its first use in World War I to today's Cyberwars - where crews are tested in combat conditions via simulators and giant computer games.

But it goes further and seamlessly works the tank into the larger picture of some of the most devestating conflicts mankind has seen.

The first volume covers World War One, which witnessed the birth of the tank, World War II when Germany seemed to know how to use the weapons better than anyone else, the Desrt War between Rommel and the British, Kursk, the biggest tank battle in history, breaking out of the Normandy beachhead after D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.

Volume 2 sets its sights on the Cold War and Korea, the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the Gulf War and how new technology and computers can train troops to the stresses of real-life combat.

Apart from wonderful film footage this series includes marvellous interviews with the men who fought inside tanks. Many tell of their fears of being burned alive if their vehicle is hit and horrific stories of what they saw on the battlefield.

It is fair to say that I found the entire series a fascinating one and will not only interest history buffs, but also those modern fans who love to see just how powerful these tanks have become.

Highly recommended.

85%

Volume I
The Devil's Coaches.
The Debacle.
The Gentlemen's War.
Hammer into Anvil.
Nightmare in Normandy.
Bulge - Wave of Terror.

Volume II
Cold War - War of Nerves.
The October War.
Vietnam - Into the Killing Zone.
Afghanistan - The Bear Trap.
The Quick and the Dead.
Hyperwar.