This was a nice buy from a reputable E-Bay seller. Released by Green Umbrella, the pack contains 3 individual DVDs which are: (1) Dangerous Missions of WWII - The Dambusters (in association with the History Channel,) (2) How The War Was Won - Bernard Montgomery and (3) The Battle of Britain. (1) The Dambusters. You can tell from the title sequence which features BBMF Avro Lancaster PA474 flying low over the Derwent Dam in it's days as PM-M(2) that this DVD is going to be a skillfully researched and well presented account of one of the most famous landmark events of World War 2. A very cleverly assembled chronology of the developments and events which lead up to the May 1943 Ruhr Dams raid as flown by 617 Squadron RAF. Plenty of actual footage and expert opinion relating to events interspersed with clips from the 1954 film 'The Dambusters' make this account of Project Upkeep one of the better ones I have seen. Details of the little-known sister project to Upkeep, known as Highball and how a similar weapon was developed in Germany after the capture of one of the 'bouncing bombs' from a crashed Lancaster (with footage) provides good additional, relevent knowledge to the central project within this DVD. Another bonus that comes with this DVD and never seen before in any other televised account of the May 1943 raid is the complete list of aircraft that survived the raid, along with those which 617 Squadron lost. Additional material after the May 1943 Dambusters raid concludes the 'Upkeep' story on the DVD details the other weapons that Barnes Wallis was able to develop as the result of the development of the Avro Lancaster providing an effective overall conclusion to the DVD. EXCELLENT - 5/5. Running Time - 45 mins. (2) How The War Was Won - Bernard Montgomery. Even though this DVD is out of my subject area, it will not disappoint in my opinion. His battlefield strategies confounded Rommel and made Montgomery an international hero. Bernard Law Montgomery served in the trenches of WW1, where he was horrified to see enlisted men routinely sent to their deaths by incompetent, uncaring officers. Throughout his career, 'Monty' championed the common soldier, vowing never to waste what he considered as the most valuable asset of any army. His compassion and skill came together in some of World War 2's most famous engagements from the Battle at El Alamein to the D-Day Invasion. Plenty of actual footage dramatically shows how Montgomery transformed the desert armies into well-organised fighting machines that ultimately turned the tide of war whilst friends, family and servicemen who fought alongside 'Monty' reveal the man beneath the uniform. Those with an interest in this subject area of World War 2 will not be disappointed. VERY GOOD - 4/5. Running Time - 52 mins. (3) The Battle of Britain. This DVD tells the full story of events between September 1939 and September 1940 resulting in an action-packed, condensed account of one of the most thrilling chapters of Western civilization. Plenty of original Pathe footage is included which at times has heart-stopping impact. Rather than just focusing on (but including plenty of information on) the roles of Hitler, Churchill, the RAF and the Luftwaffe events are also examined from the points of view of civilians, evacuees, refugees as well as the inclusion of features about life in the Home Guard (Dad's Army) 1939-40. RECOMMENDED 5/5. Running Time - 50 mins.Read full review
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