DVD Review: Heroes of World War II and Weapons of World War II

By Jeff Swindoll Nov 18, 2007, 14:28 GMT

Heroes of World War II: With access to over 500,000 hours of rare archive film together with new state-of-the-art computer graphics, Heroes of World War II examines how the contributions of a handful of individuals had a far-reaching impact on the outcome of the most devastating conflict in human history. This is the inside story of how Germany and Japan were eventually defeated by the skill, bravery and ingenuity of ...more

Another documentary from the BBC that covers different aspects of World War II, if you liked the other documentaries then you’ll want to continue collecting.  This is another set of interesting tales from the big war.  

Heroes of World War II: With access to over 500,000 hours of rare archive film, much of which appears for the first time, together with new state-of-the-art computer graphics, Heroes of World War II examines how the contributions of a handful of individuals had a far-reaching impact on the course of the war.

This is the qualification for including their stories, which are intended to show today's viewer the inside story of how Germany and Japan were eventually defeated by the skill, bravery and ingenuity of people whose lives were changed forever by World War II.

The episodes include: The Men Who Invented Radar, The Man Who Designed The Spitfire, The Man Who Stood Up to Hitler, The Men Who Cracked the Enigma, The Men Who Stopped the Bismarck, The Man Who Saved Britain’s Cities, The Man Who Hoodwinked Hitler, The Men Who Liberated Belsen, The Men Who Lit Up Germany, and The Men Behind D-Day.
 
Weapons of World War II: In 1939, the world went to war. Yet most countries used obsolete weaponry. Even Germany's largest armies still relied on horse-drawn transport equipment. In order to gain supremacy it was necessary for an army of designers, inventors and manufacturers to develop and implement the manufacture of more and more sophisticated killing machines.

Weapons of World War II charts the development of each weapon system, from the outbreak of war through to its 1945 climax.  The episodes include: Tanks, Midget Submarines, Gliders, Aircraft Carriers, Fighter Bombers, Heavy Bombers, Battleships, Rockets, Machine Guns, and Fast Attack Boats.

This set of documentaries is narrated by Robert Powell and from the same series as Gladiator of WWII and Secrets of WWII.  They all make perfect companions to each other as each cover a particular aspect of the war.  This series focuses on the heroes of the battles, espionage, and other facets. 

Even more interesting are the ones that focus on the weapons of war, some of which are not really talked about as much as they should be.  The war buff will find something to enjoy in this set (and the entire series and collections).  The documentaries are presented across two double-sided discs.  

Both Heroes and Weapons of World War II are presented in fullscreen as they were aired on television.  There are no special features since the documentaries are what are special about the set.  

Another intriguing set of documentaries about a war that will go down in infamy.  Any of these sets would make a great gift for the buff, but also for those that enjoy history channel type documentaries.  Another fine set from the BBC that will look great sitting on the shelf with the other two.  

Heroes of World War II and Weapons of World War II is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.