Produced by Cromwell Productions
This offering from the military historical documentary makers Cromwell is described on the cover blurb as "Military archaeology at its best" (Discovery Channel quote). Part of their WWII "Scorched Earth" series, it is a fairly comprehensive look at the development of the Panzer and its use in massed armoured warfare.
Mainly concentrating on German armour it also includes some of their British (in North Africa) and Soviet counterparts as well, starting from the origins of the 'Blitzkrieg' concept used in Poland 1939 and the Battle of France, 1940 before moving on to the North African theatre and then the Eastern Front, culminating in the Battle of Kursk, the greatest tank battle in history which is illustrated with some awesome 'live' battle footage.
This production contains some rare archival film of panzers in action; if you watch carefully you can see where the odd 'still' that graced the cover and pages of "Signal" came from. While it is primarily German war footage (and not all of it from the usual propaganda films!) it is frequently interspersed with some British and Soviet footage. It also features a great deal of material from the Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset, one of the largest collections of WWII tanks & AV's in the world.
The doco is divided into segments for instance, the North African campaign is divided into 'North Africa', 'Afrika Korps 1941', 'The Desert Fox', 'The British Response', 'The Fox At Bay' etc, in a logical sequence. This helps break down the information (and there's a lot of it) into more 'bite-size' chunks. If ever televised (a fat chance in this country!) it also gives the station producers convenient breaks to put the ads in without breaking the continuity. Each segment has cutaways to the Bovington Museum and plenty of rich detail of the real thing 'as she is', expertly preserved (including shots of the world's only 'working' Tiger!) and each tank is profiled on a spec sheet with armourment, speed etc, before you see film of the real thing - warning: armour buffs will drool!
It's not all 'techtalk' as the narrator gives a potted history lesson as he goes pointing out such little nuggets as the fact that when Hitler's generals 'rewrote the rule book of warfare' with the Blitzkrieg it was not through the superiority of German armour (for much of the early years of the war it wasn't) but in the way they used it in conjunction with the other arms and in particular air power. Combined with excellence in training and tactical methods, they had a huge advantage over most of their opponents. Again, there are also plenty of examples of the armour used (and now details such as preserved) at Bovington - itself a must-see for enthusiasts on that trip to England. For balance they also describe the armour and its developments of the German's main adversaries in North Africa and Russia. Even the good old out-gunned, out-performed "Maltilda" is described as the 'Queen of the battlefield' for a brief time that is, until the Germans arrived in North Africa! The only disappointment here is that there is scant reference to or footage of their even more out-gunned and out-performed Italian opponents.
This doco is not just a technical exposé - it also gives a quite graphic description of what it was like to be a tankie. They remind us just how grim armoured warfare was for those who fought in it - there was nothing romantic or glorious about the reality of meeting your end in a tank in the desert or anywhere else.
In short, you get the tanks, the history and some of the most amazing war footage - most of it obviously 'live'. If I have a criticism it is only of the soundtrack, which is distinctly inferior to the rest of the production. The narrator, Ross Duncan, while obviously knowing his stuff and having a pleasant Scots brogue, lacks any inflection in his voice which tends to make it somewhat monotonous - not helped by the poor quality of the sound. This is a pity as it spoils what is otherwise an excellent production. Nevertheless, if you are a WWII armour enthusiast or historian, you will find " " fascinating and rewarding viewing, worthy of gracing the collection of any military video library.
Recommended viewing
Rating: Good viewing, worth the investment
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