Weapons Races

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On land, at sea, and in the air, weapons races have told the story of modern warfare. Seen on Discovery’s Military Channel, featuring archival footage and expert commentary, this series follows eight weapons races through both World Wars to the present day: the race for the jet fighter, battle tank, radar and stealth, nuclear bomb, strategic bomber, strategic ballistic missile, nuclear submarine, and aircraft carrier.
 

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On land, at sea, and in the air, weapons races have told the story of modern warfare. Seen on Discovery’s Military Channel, featuring archival footage and expert commentary, this series follows eight weapons races through both World Wars to the present day: the race for the jet fighter, battle tank, radar and stealth, nuclear bomb, strategic bomber, strategic ballistic missile, nuclear submarine, and aircraft carrier. 8 episodes, 6 ¾ hrs, 3 DVDs, SDH, viewer’s guide.  
 
Since 1990, the British team of Philip Nugus and Jonathan Martin has created popular, critically acclaimed historical documentaries, including Hitler’s Bodyguard and The Century of Warfare.

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Disc 1
Episode 1:The Race for the Jet Fighter
Ever since the earliest dogfights over the Western Front in 1915, military combat has continually transformed the fighter plane. In the race for the ultimate combat aircraft, the fearsome F-22 Raptor leads the field.

Episode 2:The Race for the Battle Tank
The race that produced the M-1A2 Abrams tank begins with the lumbering behemoths designed to smash through the trench defenses in World War I. World War II accelerates the pace, propelling the tank to its position as king of the battlefield.

Episode 3:The Race for Radar and Stealth
Deployment of the world’s first radar-controlled defense system during the Battle of Britain triggers a decades-long struggle between technologies to detect attacking aircraft and countermeasures to evade detection.

Disc 2
Episode 4:The Race for the Nuclear Bomb
The deployment of a four-ton atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 marks the end of one arms race and the beginning of another—to develop the power of these weapons and the means of delivering them.

Episode 5:The Race for the Strategic Bomber
Since the days of the Zeppelin airships of World War I, military planners and engineers have dreamed of a strategic bomber that can win wars by targeting an enemy’s economy and not just its frontline forces.

Episode 6:The Race for the Strategic Ballistic Missile
The Trident D5 intercontinental ballistic missile can reach the other side of the world in a little over 30 minutes. It is a descendant of the very first ballistic missile, Adolf Hitler’s V-2 terror weapon.

Disc 3
Episode 7:The Race for the Nuclear Submarine
The commissioning of the first operational nuclear-powered submarine in 1954 launches a transformation in naval warfare that ends a half-century later when the USS Virginia puts to sea.

Episode 8:The Race for the Aircraft Carrier
As soon as the first planes take to the skies in the early 20th century, farsighted naval officers plan on ways to use them in warfare. By World War I, aircraft are taking off from converted cargo ships; today, they land on nuclear-powered supercarriers.
  • 16-page viewer’s guide with articles on European peace movements, Reagan’s Star Wars program, the Skunk Works advanced development facility, the Bletchley Park decryption center, and the history of dogfighting
  • Biographies of notable weapons innovators
  • Timeline and discussion questions at athenalearning.com
Packaging: Boxed set
Run Time: 400 minutes
Format: Full screen
Number of discs: 3
Language: English
Subtitles: No
Color or B&W: Color and Black & White
CC: No
SDH: Yes
Region Code: 1
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Rating: NR
Since 1990, the British team of Philip Nugus and Jonathan Martin has created popular, critically acclaimed historical documentaries, including Hitler’s Bodyguard and The Century of Warfare.