Matrix Games Forums

I'm sure some of you have visited the Military history site on the web. For those of you who haven't, GO! NOW!

I have included a link to the European theatre section where you can navigate to some great info, including real strategic and tactical battle maps of WW2. There are also sections for the Pacific theatre as well.

These maps are high scan images and they are gorgeous!
The maps give you a feel for the batles that you are experiencing in SPWAW.

I have saved all the map images for my millitary history collection.
if you have ever seen the TV series "Battlefield", these maps will remind you of that great series!

THe rest of the site is awesome, so go have a look, and bookmark the site!


http://militaryhistory.about.com/cs/europeantheater/


John

Thanks for the info. I'll check it out. and yes I do remember"Battlefield" and how professionally it was done. I hope they reprise the series on TLC or Discovery channels

Yea Drex, Battlefield was an amazing series.

I was smart enough to tape them when they were shown on a local PBS station.

Also got Battlefield Vietnam and many other millitary history stuff
from the TV over the years!

The above shows as well as others I have like Vietnam: A Television History, Victory At Sea, Air Power, World At War and one I don't have but want to get, Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War, are available on VHS at Amazon.com.

Now, if they were only available on DVD!;)

John

I could kick myself for not taping them. I remember watching the 10000 day war on TV and am suprised you can't get it through your regular sources. It isn't that old is it?

Every tuesday night on my PBS (In the Area that I live I get 2) which in this case is GPTV at midnight we get Battlefield.
Its an excellent show.
Is it done by BBC?

A very useful link, thanks. But I'd still like to find detailed topographical maps, that are free, to help with my map making.

This seems an excellent source for organizing a series of battle or CL operational level modules. Post this in the hall of fame?

1) Drex, sorry to make us all feel a little older, but Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War was made in the early 80's!:eek:

2) Fallschirmjager ,Yep, Battlefield was done by the BBC.

3) REMF, me too. I'd love to find those kind of maps !

4)Larry, the site is a great source, and there is so much content within it!


John

I believe it was a Battlefield episode that showed a SturmTiger firing at a large building I believe it was during the Warsaw uprising.I had taped most episodes during one of my past relationships but when we split up I left some of me behind like alway's.......To you a hero is some kind of weird sandwich...Oddball

J.D. - thanx alot for the link. It's bookmarked alright.

This is a treasure

Belisarius,

I'm very glad you like the site.

With so many people here being so helpfull and full of knowledge about so many different things, I am glad to be able to contribute in anyway I can!

That is what our community here at Matrix is all about

John

To John David: Heck John, I remember watching "Victory at Sea" when it first came on TV. Now that's an old program and very dated. doesn't play well nowadays.

Drex,

I don't agree. Yes the show is from the mid 1950's as is Air Power with Walter Cronkite, but history and the story behind these great battles never goes out of style.

True, with todays TV technology and computer graphics, we get fancier looking documentary's, but the older shows still have lots of merit. Besides, I still like the look of the older B&W shows.
I still love those old B&W Bogart movies, and something like the movie The Longest Day is still great.

ruxius. Your welcome! I'm glad you find this site usefull! Enjoy


John

Come on John, Victory at Sea is pure propaganda and doesn't compare to "battlefield" although the music will live forever. It was entertaining but couldn't spend enough time on any facet of the Pacific Campaign to really be called a documentary.

Drex,

Yes there was allot of propaganda in Victory At Sea. There is allot of propaganda in almost ALL military documentaries.

Take Battlefield for example. I loved it. It was one of the best series ever.

Yet, it was done by the BBC. If you watch the North Africa campaign, the discussion on it was mostly after Montgomery became commander, and it almost totally ignores the German campaign with Rommel in 1941! Added to that, the part played by Patton and the 7th army is given only a perfunctory shrug of recognition, as is 7th army's role in the episodes of the Battle for Italy!

I don't know if you saw the extra 2-hour part called Battlefield: The Battle of the Riehnland. This was narrated by and American,
where as the other parts in the series was aptly done by an Englishman.

The whole tone of that part was completely different in the way it stressed more of the American participation, then the other Allies.
Obviously, that part was written and produced by a predominately American crew. Most of Battlefield, if you watch and listen carefully, had allot of British slant towards it. Sure, it wasn't as blatant as Victory At Sea, but then Victory was done just a few years after the war!

Do I think either the British or American slant in the Battlefield series take away from their enjoyment and usefulness. Absolutely not! That series was outstanding! Just don't think that there was no propaganda in that!!

Lastly, anyone interested in history or military accounts of wars, should never base their opinions solely on one series or one book. A person must have a well rounded exposure from all sorts of information to get a better understanding of the whole even, along with being able to judge an individual TV show or book in the greater context of their own knowledge.

Again, I agree, of all the series on TV, Victory had more propaganda then most anything else, But as I stated here, taking it into context, it is still a valuable series that I would want people who have never seen it, to view it for what it was.

Just my opinion:)

John

And I respect that opinion John. In fact I enjoyed the series (Victory) immensely for years after but as my knowledge of the war grew, I came to realize it as only an icing on the cake. Yes, all documentaries have a slant. Unfortunately, I never saw the episodes of Battlefield that you mention so I'll take your interpretations of them as accurate. Still, it was the way they organized their material - very logical)like the British)- and the in depth coverage they were able to give. I wish I had seen the whole series but I only viewed a few and was very impressed obviously with what I saw. I think nowadays I demand a documentary to be thorough and hopefully show me something i didn't know before.

Drex,

I agree. I also like documentaries that are more in depth and well balanced. Victory has it's place, even though it is in the past. However, I would still recommend it to viewers who had never seen it.

The Battlefield series is available on VHS from Amazon.com,
but like everything else these days, it isn't cheap:( .
I'm just glad that I taped them when they were shown here in 1998!

In fact Drex, all the shows I mentioned in one of my earlier posts on this thread, are ones that I was fortunate enough to tape when they were shown. I doubt that I could afford to buy them all today!

I hope you get to see them again someday, it is a great series, along with the others I mentioned:)

John

Originally posted by John David
The above shows as well as others I have like Vietnam: A Television History, Victory At Sea, Air Power, World At War and one I don't have but want to get, Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War, are available on VHS at Amazon.com.

Now, if they were only available on DVD!;)

World At War certainly is; I've seen it listed in the NetFlix rentals... it's one of my "GIMME!" specials, ever since watching eps at various times on WTBS back when they were just starting satellite/cable broadcasting.

Karnaaj
,

Yes, I forgot that World At War is out on DVD.

I'm sure that more will become available as time goes on.

John