Decisive Weapons

1. S01E01T34: The Queen of TanksSeptember 18, 1996—The story of the Soviet T34 tank, the manufacture of which heralded the largest industrial migration in history. In 1941, the Soviets faced
2. S01E02The Bell Huey - Vietnam War HorseSeptember 25, 1996—The Bell-Huey helicopter was designer and built for air mobility, the rapid transport of troops and the provision of gun and rocket support.
3. S01E03The P-51: Cadillac of the SkiesOctober 2, 1996—In 1943, the large and slow Flying Fortresses, used in the US Air Force's daylight bombing raids, were being shot out of the sky at a rate o
4. S01E04The Bayonet - Cold SteelOctober 9, 1996—
5. S01E05The Longbow - Wood Against SteelOctober 16, 1996—The longbow was the lethal weapon of the Middle Ages, a killing machine that could stop a fully-armoured knight dead in his tracks. Its simp
6. S01E06The Harrier - Jumping Jet FlashOctober 20, 1996—Untested in combat and generally derided by the British military establishment, the Harrier proved itself in the Falklands conflict when jus

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01The Forgotten Fighter: Hawker HurricaneSeptember 8, 1997—Documentary looking at the design and role of the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain and World War II, and how it actually played a larg
2. S02E02Wings Over the Ocean: Aircraft CarrierSeptember 15, 1997—First invented by the British during the First World War, the aircraft carrier was frowned on by traditionalists. But Japanese recognition o
3. S02E03Lock, Stock and Barrel: The Springfield RifleSeptember 22, 1997—Accurate over distances of 500 metres, and with a vastly increased rate of fire, the Springfield rifle marked a great leap forward in rifle
4. S02E04U-Boat Killers: The Anti-Submarine WarshipSeptember 29, 1997—Initial U-Boat success in strangling the transatlantic supply routes began a battle to protect the Atlantic convoys. The Allies developed so
5. S02E05The Soul of the Samurai - the Japanese SwordOctober 6, 1997—This programme looks into the origins and history of the samurai sword, considering the processes and engineering that went into its design
6. S02E06Darkness Visible: the Stealth FighterOctober 13, 1997—The F-117 A Stealth Fighter is the world's first operational combat plane designed to be invisible to radar. But while powerfully impressive

Season 2 ranked & reviewed