Weapons of War - A History of Military Tools and Machines

Superfighters are the world's most capable fighting aircraft. Some have multiple roles, others are air-to-air masters, but all are formidable opponents.

The full potential of the helicopter as a deadly attack gunship was not fully realized until 1955. Today, however, the attack helicopter dominates the battlefield with its advanced weaponry.

Aircraft carriers have always been a key tool in enforcing US foreign policy. Today, as a crucial element in the ongoing war against terror, they are more important than ever before.

A necessary tool in global conflicts, submarines, such as German U-Boats in World War I, have always been used to great effect. With this film, discover the fascinating history of submarines in World War I and II, the Cold War, and beyond.

Airborne operations may be best associated with World War II - when paratroopers and glider-borne troops made an impact out of all proportion to their numbers - but the well-armed, fast -deploying "skytrooper" is just as valuable today.

Able to defeat machine gun nest and navigate through shell-torn landscapes, tanks restored mobile warfare during World War 1. This episode explores why the tank remains a decisive and dominate factor in land war.

No warship has ever matched the sheer destructive power of the battleship. Until World War II, it was the centerpiece of the world's most dominant navies and was armed with some of the most powerful artillery ever devised.

In the early years of World War II, Britian stood alone. Hitler planned to defeat the island nation with his U-boat fleet. And after the US entered into the war, U-boats quickly ravaged shipping off its eastern seaboard.

There may be more sophisticated and expensive weapons on the battlefield, but when a commander needs to bring devastating firepower upon the enemy, artillery is often the first choice.

Originally designed to deliver infantry to the battlefield, armored fighting vehicles have developed into formidable military machines armed with heavy guns, machine guns and howitzers.

The combat rifleman's firepower has steadily expanded since early last century and his role is as valuable as ever. The assault rifle, immune to tactical change but keeping pace with technology, remains vital to infantrymen, commandos and guerrillas alike

When Hitler's Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the world was stunned by the use of a new and fast-moving form of warfare - Blitzkrieg, or lightning war

Since the 1920's, drones have been used as targets during naval gunnery exercises. Today, advanced technology allows the modern drone - or UAV - to fly complex, autonomous missions.

After the loss of the Pacific Fleet battleships at Pearl Harbor, it was left to the US carriers to take the war to the Japanese. Carrier-based air power proved critical to the US Navy's successful "island hopping" campaign.

In a lightning-quick campaign, Coalition forces assembled in the Gulf threw Saddam Hussein's Iraqi invaders out of occupied Kuwait in the early months of 1991.

At the outbreak of World War II, Germany boasted one of the world's most effective air defense systems. This episode follows the course of events that led up to the collapse of that remarkable operation.

Discover some of the most technologically advanced systems in the world, such as the US's latest fighters - the F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

This episode tells the story of an air war. Follow the largest air combat force ever assembled, as Coalition counties fought to liberate Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm.

The Battle of Normandy began with the legendary D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 - the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Find out how the US entered the conflict in Southeast Asia and how US tacticians planned to bring the war to a swift end through sustained bombing campaigns.

Following the end of World War II and the collapse of the old colonial powers, a new type of military operation emerged.

The main function of amphibious assault is to get soldiers ashore in the shortest possible time, with highly mobile troops riding into battle in a range of vehicles.

The work of the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operator may not be glamorous, but it is critical to the maritime balance of power.

From the pre-World War I bombers, like the cumbersome German Zeppelin, to the 20th century, and the USAF's sleek, sophisticated B-2 Spirit, bombers have come a long way. Track the evolution of this deadly aircraft and understand the vital role it plays.

Before any action can be sanctioned, civilian and military leaders need to know exactly what an enemy is planning and what his capabilities are.

Nazi Germany's war machine produced some of the most radical and advanced military developments in World War II.

Among the most feared fighting formations of World War II, the men of the Waffen SS were renowned for exceptional fighting qualities, but also for atrocities committed against POWs and civillians.

The two atomic bombs dropped on Japan to end World War II dramatically slammed the door on one era and opened another to the future - a world with nuclear weapons.

Since the earliest days of aviation, aircraft weapons have proliferated, ranging from simple bombs and rockets to sophisticated guided weapons that can drop a bomb through a window from a hundred miles away.

As much a part of modern land warfare as the tank and the howitzer, the machine gun completely changed combat, making it possible for a large number of troops to be killed by a single weapon.