Product Description

History® is proud to present the definitive collection of documentary programs on World War One. Experience the world-changing events from the birth of what became known as The Great War to the tragic, final day where over 13,000 men died. In the four year period from 1914 - 1918, the war was responsible for over 40 million casualties and over 20 million deaths. Join the brave servicemen of land, sea, and air as they valiantly fought alongside their Allied brothers in this "war to end all wars."

Set includes:

Disc 1:
Most Decorated: The Doughboys
Comprised of innocent teenage farm boys, the doughboys in Europe faced a most horrific warfare with machine guns, mustard gas, and artillery shells. New weapons and old tactics turned an infantry charge into an act of mass suicide for the brave young soldiers of WWI.

WWI: Death of Glory
World War I was in every way more epochal and earth-shaking than World War II. After World War I, nothing was recognizable. What was rebuilt was a shadow of the greatness and history that had been destroyed.

Secrets of World War I
Experts discuss the political personalities and intolerance behind the "War to End All Wars." Discover the history behind the first weapons of mass destruction, why they were created, and how they were made. Look at documents that were once classified for reasons of national security and discover why they were kept secret until now.

Disc 2:
The First Dogfighters
Cinch your goggles and fly with the first great aces of WWI. Experience a time when, with open cockpits and unaided targeting, aces literally saw the whites of their foes' eyes. In canvas-and-wire biplanes, these dashing warriors engaged in classic duels, inventing tactics "on the fly".

Red Baron and The Wings of Death
The legendary World War I flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen, managed 80 kills over WWI Europe. Watch this pioneer of the dogfight as he meets his greatest challenge- a warplane seemingly designed for the express purpose of bringing him down.

Airships
From bombing runs to the high-flying spy balloons that soared out of the reach of enemy planes and guns, see how airships, dirigibles, and zeppelins affected World War I.

Mystery U-Boat of WWI
A veteran of the brutal naval battles of World War I, the German submarine UB-107 was discovered on the floor of the North Sea in 1985. An important find itself, it harbored a surprise that would force experts to re-examine the records of the epic conflict.

Disc 3:
World War One: Jutland
What really happened when catastrophe befell the mightiest fleet in the world? See the remarkable new analysis of the epic battle that sent Britain's unconquerable super-deadnoughts to the seafloor.

World War One: The Somme
In just one day almost 60,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded. Why was this first day on the Somme such a disaster for the British?

Halt U-Boats in Zeebrugge
Drawing on eyewitness accounts from survivors, expert testimony, rare photos, and military documents from the battle, discover the events of April 22nd, 1918, when a flotilla of British warships led by the cruiser HMS Vindictive set sail for the fortified harbor of Zeebrugge, defended by coastal batteries, a deadly mole, and a seawall bristling with guns.

John J. Pershing: The Iron General
From the fading frontier to the trenches of World War I, follow the career of one of the most important American generals of all time, taking a 128,000-man force and transforming it into a juggernaut of four million soldiers that won a war.

Disc 4:
Dear Home: Letters from World War I
It was a conflict the likes of which the world had never seen, embroiling 15 nations and 65 million people, and fought with weapons unprecedented in their power to maim and kill. Drawing in on the  millions of letters written home by American doughboys, nurses, drivers, and clerks; reveals what it was like to fight in the "Great War".

Christmas Truce
Amidst the trench warfare that defined World War I, a few days of spontaneous peace broke out. Without a signed treaty, surrender, or armistice, German and Allied soldiers alike were able to share Christmas cheer together.

Last Day of WWI
Discover why more soldiers died on the final day of WWI than on D-Day, as this chilling indictment of the horror and pointlessness of war is captured by rare footage and photos.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10690 in DVD
• Brand: A&E HOME ENT.
• Released on: 2009-03-31
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 750 minutes

Features

• HISTORY is proud to present the definitive collection of documentary programs on World War One.Experience the world-changing events from the birth of what became known as The Great War to the tragic, final day where over 13,000 men died. In the four year period from 1914 - 1918, the war was responsible for over 40 million casualties and over 20 million deaths.Join the brave servicemen of land, sea

Customer Reviews

Not a documentary series, but nonetheless interesting
Since it's not mentioned in any of the info, I felt it might be useful to mention that this DVD set is not a documentary "series" like most of the other Great War DVD sets out there, but rather a broad collection of different A&E and History Channel shows about The Great War from the past 15 years. As one would expect from two American television channels, much of the content is fully or mostly America-centric, but this isn't necessarily a problem if you have other Great War sets to "even" out the presented information. If one considers the price of this set on Amazon (which one shouldn't, because it is available at many other retailers for drastically less), it would probably lose another star. All things considered, it's a good addition to any Great War buff's collection.

Great for the History Channel fan
For those who truly enjoy watching videos concerning the First World War and who as well avidly watch the History Channel, then this is the perfect set. Each disc contains a variety of previously played programs from both A&E and the History Channel (the main source). Some is rather old programing, being from the 1990's but there are the gems in the collection. Most of the programs are produced after 2003. All but one is 50 minutes in length; the other, 90 minutes.
On the second disc are such programs as "The First Dogfighters" (from the series "Dogfights") and "Red Baron and The Wings Of Death," which comes from, "Man, Moment, Machine." On the third disc, there is the shows, "WWI: Jutland" and "WWI:The Somme," both of which I believe are from the "Battlefield Detectives" series.
Overall, when one buys such a collection, it must be assumed that all the shows are those that have been played on television before. The reason to buy is because one wants to have it in their collection minus commercials or because it is unavailable elsewhere. This is by far one of the better collections on World War One and would be a prize for any fan of military history to have in their collection.