Cromwell historical videos of the Battlefield series of World War Two videos produced by Cromwell  including El Alamein, Monte Cassino, Leningrad, Kursk and others .  These Cromwell and Pegasus military videos are available from the Military Shop, a division of Cranston Fine Arts.  

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For postage please add £3.00 per video with a maximum charge of £6 for UK. For overseas orders add £8 plus £2 per video. All videos compatible with UK and European video systems which are the same for most of the world except the USA and Canada.

   DVD Only.  Running time 50 mins.  Order Code CROMDVD1111.  Price £13.99.

Battlefield - Destination Okinawa

The battle for Okinawa claimed more lives than any US campaign against Japan in the Pacific war.  Situated between the Ryukyu group of islands north of Formosa and the Japanese home islands, it was chosen as the final springboard for the invasion of Japan itself that was for so long felt vital to bring the war to an end.  The Japanese, under Lieutenant General Ushijima, fought for every inch of ground and had constructed a formidable series of defensive lines against the US invasion force.  The fighting on the island iotself was some of the most savage of the war, while at sea a 700 plane Kamikaze raid sank several US destroyers.  The Japanese could not resist the US invasion assault force forever though, and despite seeing their commander General Buckner killed in action, had won victory by June 1945.  US casualties were estimated to be 49,000.  More than 110,000 Japanese were killed and 7,000 taken prisoner.  Within weeks, the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki had done their work, bringing the war to a sudden end.

   DVD Only.  Running time 50 mins.  Order Code CROMDVD1112.  Price £13.99.

Battlefield - The Battle for the Mediterranean.

The struggle for control in this vital theatre of World War II gave the conflict some of its most compelling and powerful stories.  The great battles between the Italian navy and Britains Royal Navy dominated the seas during the early years of the war as both sides sought to support their land campaigns in Egypt and Africa.  At the same time, Britain struggled to maintain its toehold on Malta, dubbed the unsinkable aircraft carried.  This episode also explores the story of the war in Greece, which was invaded by the Italians in 1940, the Germans in 1941 and finally by the British in 1944.  It looks at the constant fight against the German Luftwaffe, which arrived in the Mediterranean in 1941 and did terrible damage to Allied shipping, resulting in the loss of bases in North Africa.  The programme also delves into the fascinating story of Operation Mercury, the German invasion of Crete, the bloody battle which cost 10,000 lives and the story of the fight for the island of Sicily in 1943, which saw the miraculous evacuation of some 100,000 Axis troops.

   DVD Only.  Running time 50 mins.  Order Code CRFOMDVD1113.  Price £13.99.

Battlefield - Scandinavia - The Forgotten Front

The vicious 14 week was between the Finns and the Russians ended in March 1940 when the Finns finally surrendered a large part of their territory to the Soviet invaders.  500,000 were evacuated from the Karelian isthmus the scene of the wars most terrible fighting.  It was a hollow victory, since for much of the war the Russians took a drubbing from the determined and resourceful Finns, who organised the defence of their country brilliantly.  It is believed that one million Russians lost their lives during the fighting and the weaknesses of the Red Army were exposed for the world to see.  Hitler was suitably encouraged, for he had already determined on the invasion and conquest of his erstwhile allied partner.  Meanwhile, during he early months of the war, Hitler became increasingly aware of the potential threat of Norway and mounted the worlds first airborne invasion there in February 1940.  At the same time, German forces invaded Denmark.  Over the next few years, the horrors and intrigues of the Quisling government in Norway unfolded amidst determined Norwegian resistance.

   DVD Only.  Running time 50 mins.  Order Code CROMDVD1114.  Price £13.99.

Battlefield - The War Against the U-Boats

The convoys that sailed time and again across the Atlantic and Arctic oceans to bring vital supplies back to Britain faced one of the greatest and most deadly threats of the entire war.  Hidden deep beneath the waves were the German U-Boats, which wreaked havoc among the Royal and Merchant navies.  This desperate struggle - sometimes known as the real battle of Britain - was vital to the outcome of the war.  If the U-Boat menace had not been met and defeated, Britain could very easily have been starved into submission.  The war against the U-Boats cost 100,000 lives.  Nearly 200 Allied warships and 2500 merchant ships were sunk during the fighting in this most terrible theatre of battle.

   DVD Only.  Running time 50 mins.  Order Code CROMDVD1115.  Price £13.99.

Battlefield - Campaign in the Balkans.

Although the crucial Russian campaign in the Balkan states is perhaps one of the wars lesser known stories, it is a saga packed with drama.  In August 1943 the Romanians - no doubt prompted by merciless Allied bombing - overthrew their leader Antonescu and changed sides.  Thereafter, events moved swiftly - the Russians soon captured the vital Ploesti oilfields, a huge loss to the German war effort, and within days the Soviets had taken Bucharest itself.  A nervous Bulgaria sued for peace with the Allies, but the Russians pushed on into Sofia.  Despite the German delaying tactics, Hungary fell next, although there were reinforcements from Axis troops stationed in Greece and Yugoslavia.  In Yugoslavia itself the Germans held on grimly to Belgrade until October.  The bloody fighting over, the Balkans were carved up and left to Soviet control in the immediate post war era, and the area remains a volatile political and ethnic mix to this day.

   DVD Only.  Running time 50 mins.  Order Code CROMDVD1116.  Price £13.99.

Battlefield - The Battle for the Crimea.

Hitlers obsession with the Crimea was the source of fierce disagreements with his General staff, who, according to the Fuhrer, knew nothing about the economies of war.  So it was that the German 11th Army under Manstein broke through the Soviet lines in October 1941 - but this was only the beginning of a series of bloody battles that cost the Russians two whole armies.  For his bombardment and capture of Sevastopol, Manstein was promoted to Field Marshal.  However, the tide turned after the disastrous German defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk.  Cut off and isolated in the Crimea, the Germans faced massive Russian attacks and Sevastopol surrendered - against Hitlers orders - in May 1944.  Twelve German and Rumanian divisions were completely destroyed and 25,000 prisoners were taken.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

This is the story of the construction and defence of Hitler's three mile deep web of fortifications, pillboxes, troop shelters and anti-tank obstacles that ran along Germany's western frontier opposite the French Maginot Line.  As the war progressed and the tide turned against the Reich, breaching the West Wall caused the Allies a huge problem as they pushed for final victory.

Run time 100mins. Order code CROM0847.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1012.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

The campaign in Tunisia saw the battles that finally ended the brutal war in the desert.  The arrival of the British 1st Army gave the Allies a six to one numerical advantage in troops and a fifteen to one superiority in tanks, guns and aircraft.  The Allied blockade in the Mediterranean also began to bite, making the beleaguered Germans short of fuel, food and ammunition.  Eventually all German troops in Tunisia surrendered.

Run time 100mins. Order code CROM0846.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1011.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

The Battle for Normandy

From the Battlefield series of videos.

In August 1944 the Falaise gap, south east of Caen, represented an escape route for German forces, who were in danger of being encircled by the advancing allied troops.  The fighting in the lanes and fields was intense, as the Allies battled hard to overcome determined resistance by some 80,000 German troops.  The Gap was closed on the 19th August, leaving only a small pocket of german resistance that was overrun several days later.  The losses for the Germans were catastrophic.

Run time 100mins. Order code CROM0845.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1010.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

This episode tells the tragic story of the 'bridge too far' and the ill-fated 'Operation Market Garden' - the Allied operation that was supposed to end World War Two in 1944.  Montgomery's rather fanciful conclusion that Market garden was '90% successful' was hardly supported by the facts.  The operation was an unmitigated failure.  

Run time 100mins. Order code CROM0844.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1009.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

Monte Cassino

From the Battlefield series of videos.

During 1944, the Allies tried desperately to break through the German winter defensive line that blocked the advance to Rome.  At the centre of the line was the heavily fortified town of Cassino, which was dominated by a sixth century Benedictine monastery.  This imposing hilltop site became the subject of bitter controversy and a symbol of some of the most savage fighting of World War Two.

Run time 100mins. Order code CROM0843.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1008.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

"Before Alamein we never had a victory.  After Alamein we never had a defeat."  Winston Churchill's words illustrate clearly why the two battles fought near the Egyptian coastal town in the western desert during 1942 were a turning point of World War Two.

Run time 100mins. Order code CROM0842.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1007.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

This is the story of one of the Second World War's most harrowing episodes.  The 890 day ssiege of the Soviet Union's second city has come to epitomise the misery, suffering and savagery of the war on the Eastern Front.  The city was not finally liberated by Soviet troops until the 19th of January 1944 by which time 600,000 of its citizens had starved to death and 200,000 more had perished in the bombing.  

Run time 100mins. Order code 629.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1006.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was supposed to obviate the need for the grinding attritional battle that was the hallmark for the bloody fighting of Gaudalcanal.  The capture of this strategically crucial island in the Solomons, during which more than 25,000 Japanese lost their lives, was the key to the US victory in the Philippines which paved the way for the horrors of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and ultimately the defeat of the Japanese Empire.  

Run time 100mins. Order code 628.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1005.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

The infamous attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was one of the most significant events of World War II.  Brilliantly planned and executed though it was, the attack brought the mighty USA into the war with disastrous consequences for the Axis powers.  Meanwhile in Malaya, the Japanese Army was sweeping through the country towards the vital British base at Singapore.

Run time 100mins. Order code 627.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1004.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

The remarkable Soviet victory over the once mighty Japanese Kwantung Army in the mountains of Manchuria is one of the least known of the Second World War.  This was no steam roller triumph of greater numbers and brute force but a victory for superior weaponry, brilliant tactical use of surprise and bold command that was achieved in little more than a fortnight.  

Run time 100mins. Order code 626.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1003.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

The RAF struggled hard to find a way to take the war to Germany after the Luftwaffe's attack on Britain tailed off during 1941.  They eventually decided on the Strategic Bombing Campaign that was designed primarily to disrupt German war production and undermine civilian morale.  The air war over Germany was one of the most controversial campaigns of the entire war and cost many thousands of Allied and German lives.

Run time 100mins. Order code 625.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1002.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.

From the Battlefield series of videos.

In the summer of 1943 more than 2,000,000 men of the German and Russian Armies and over 6,000 tanks were gathered together near the Russian town of Kursk.  The scene was set for one of the war's most crucial engagements, the outcome of which would have a vital effect on the overall conflict.  

Run time 100mins. Order code 624.  Price £13.99.

DVD available.  Order Code CDVD1001.  Special Promotional Price £13.99.