Great Raids of World War II

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2 Cover
3 Information
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5 Technical Specs
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[edit] General Information

War Documentary hosted by Robert Powell, published by BBC in 2003 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

World War II was the greatest military confrontation the world has ever known. On land and sea and in the air the scale of the conflict was unprecedented. But amid the great campaigns were many smaller-scale operations which were vital to Allied success - occasions when small numbers of men could have an effect out of all proportion to their numbers; occasions when the course of the war hinged on their courage and daring. This series looks at six such raids. With the use of veterans' accounts; carefully researched archive film; meticulous reconstructions and 3-D graphics the viewer is put right into the heart of the action - whether it was foiling Hitler's attempts to acquire an atomic bomb, or discovering the secrets of the air defences of the Nazi Reich. The recreated raids include the British and Norwegian mission to smash Hitler's nuclear programme; the canoe-borne commando assault on Bordeaux to disrupt supplies of raw materials essential for Hitler's war machine; and the paratroop capture of a key German radar installation at Bruneval, which brought back information vital to enable Britain's bombers to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany. All six episodes from the series are included on this set. Produced by Nugus/Martin Productions for BBC Worldwide Ltd

[edit] Stopping Hitler's A-Bomb

It was Hitler’s deadliest secret - his scientists had promised him an atomic bomb. If he got it first, Nazi domination was assured. But the Germans needed one ingredient - heavy water - which was only produced in one factory - deep in the heart of occupied Norway.
In 1943 a team of Norwegian raiders was sent to destroy it - their success or failure could decide the outcome of the war.

[edit] Prison Busters

In late 1943, the Resistance asked for help - some of their top operatives were being held in Amiens prison and facing interrogation, torture and execution. They must be rescued.
The plan which evolved depended on a very special aircraft - the Mosquito fighter-bomber - and the skill and courage of its pilots in flying low enough to breach the prison walls with their bombs.

[edit] Radar Beam Raiders

As RAF Bomber Command began to strike back at Nazi Germany, it was soon suffering unsustainable losses from the Nazi air defence system. At its heart were as yet unidentified radar systems using wavelengths which urgently needed to be cracked.
At last, in December 1941 a key German radar installation was located at Bruneval near the French North Sea coast, and a team of Britain's new paratroops were sent in to seize it.

[edit] Storm at St. Nazaire

The great dry dock at St Nazaire was the only one on the Atlantic coast of occupied Europe large enough to repair Germany's giant battleship Tirpitz. If it could be put out of action the chances of the Nazi raider threatening Britain's Atlantic lifeline would be greatly reduced.
On 26 March 1942 the destroyer HMS Campbeltown, packed with commandos and explosives set out on a daring mission to achieve this.

[edit] Cockleshell Raiders

The French port of Bordeaux was vital to Hitler's war machine. Through it came many of the vital raw materials from the Far East essential to keep the Nazi armies fighting. But Bordeaux was 90 miles up the heavily-guarded Gironde river and seemingly unassailable.
Then Royal Marine Major 'Blondie' Hasler came up with the idea of a sending a special raiding force in canoes.

[edit] Arctic Commando Assaults

As Britain faced Nazi Germany alone in July 1940, Winston Churchill's response was to set up the Commandos - an elite fighting force to raid enemy coasts.
In December 1941 on his orders a major assault on Vaagso in northern Norway, convinced Hitler that the country was a vital strategic target. Subsequently more than 250,000 Nazi troops were pinned down there uselessly for the rest of the war.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4
Video Bitrate: 2 454 Kbps
Video Resolution: 720x544
Display Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 23 min 42 s
Number Of Parts: 6
Part Size: 449 MB
Source: DVD (Thanks to old Rapidshare upload)
Encoded by: DocFreak08