Decisive Weapons

Episodes

1. 1
   Episode 1: 1. T34: The Queen of TanksSeptember 18, 1996

   The story of the Soviet T34 tank, the manufacture of which heralded the largest industrial migration in history. In 1941, the Soviets faced almost certain defeat by the Germans, until the arrival of the Red Army's ultra-secret new tank, the T-34. In the hands of those who built and then drove it, this was the tank that led the fightback, all the way to Hitler's bunker in 1945.
2. 2
   Episode 2: 2. The Bell Huey - Vietnam War HorseSeptember 25, 1996

   The Bell-Huey helicopter was designer and built for air mobility, the rapid transport of troops and the provision of gun and rocket support. It gave the Americans an early advantage in the jungles of South Vietnam, but the North Vietnamese soon learned to lure the Hueys to the places they wanted to fight. Through such films as Apocalypse Now, the Huey came to symbolise the American involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
3. 3
   Episode 3: 3. The P-51: Cadillac of the SkiesOctober 2, 1996

   In 1943, the large and slow Flying Fortresses, used in the US Air Force's daylight bombing raids, were being shot out of the sky at a rate of up to 60 per day. Only one fighter plane could save them - the single-seat P51 Mustang. The P51 enabled American pilots to fly eight-hour missions - by the end of the war, it accounted for half of all German planes destroyed, either in the air or on the ground. American and German veterans recount the legend that was the Mustang.
4. 4
   Episode 4: 4. The Bayonet - Cold SteelOctober 9, 1996
5. 5
   Episode 5: 5. The Longbow - Wood Against SteelOctober 16, 1996

   The longbow was the lethal weapon of the Middle Ages, a killing machine that could stop a fully-armoured knight dead in his tracks. Its simple form and devastating power made it the ideal weapon for the English when they invaded France in 1415 and, at Agincourt, faced a massive French army.
6. 6
   Episode 6: 6. The Harrier - Jumping Jet FlashOctober 20, 1996

   Untested in combat and generally derided by the British military establishment, the Harrier proved itself in the Falklands conflict when just 20 of them took on a 200-strong Argentinian air force.

Images

Credits

Film and series details

FIRST AIRED

September 18, 1996

LAST AIRED

October 13, 1997

PRODUCTION COMPANY

BBC

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