Twentieth Century Battlefields

Peter and son Dan collaborated on an earlier show, Battlefield Britain, that was just spectacular. They carry that excellence over to this show, which focuses on battles occurring in the last century. They make their presentation through many different medium, including stock footage, computer displays and current-day visits - they always present these shows from the location where the fighting occurred. When you're doing this multi-style presentation it's awfully hard to do justice to the subject in an hour, but the time constraints force them to summarize in a way that actually helps the viewer. Dan is a direct ancestor of Lloyd George, one of the two most influential Brits of the first part of the last century, which only adds to the fun. To paraphrase Theodore Sturgeon, when you start watching one of these you know you are in most capable hands.

From the Snow boys we have a second excellent military history contribution. This show focuses on some of the most decisive battles in 20th century warfare, from Amiens in WW1 to the Gulf War of 1991.

The format is similar to Battlefield Britain. We are shown the location of the conflict on a world map, and get a birds eye computer simulation view of the developing battle. This concept in particular really makes the show for me, as I can see the battle from a unique perspective that only aerial reconnaissance could provide. The show is accentuated by frequent accounts from soldiers on either side, as well as civilians who were often in harm's way. There are numerous weapons and other demonstrations, as in BB, that show the destructive effect of such devices like artillery, or the effects of a ship engine room fire. Few shows I have ever seen provide such interesting and meticulous details to the battles of history.

I have few criticisms for the show. I have mixed opinions about the graphics of the "mapcase" for showing the battles. It is more stylized, or less realistic, than in Battlefield Britain. It is a bit cartoonish in appearance, yet it does make it easy to distinguish the opposing sides and their movements. Many of the sides in BB would wear uniforms that would make it easier to tell them apart, while modern uniforms tended to be drab colored and difficult to distinguish except up close.

My meager criticisms do not in any way tarnish what remains to be among the best military history programs I have ever seen. Along with Battlefield Britain, this is a show that any with an interest in such history would be loathe to miss. I only wish that the Snows could have continued to cover more historical conflicts. Dan has a new outstanding program called "Filthy Cities" and hopefully he will someday return to battlefield history.

This is an excellent series that covers all sorts of battles. Dan & Peter Snow do a really good job covering all sorts of battles. They each take different sides to the story & are really energetic & seem to be knowledgeable on all sorts of the subjects. I don't know if they know all they are talking about, but they sure are enthusiastic about the way they tell the stories, which brings you right in. This is an excellent series which is well produced & presented & would make a great addition to anybody interested in some of the major historical battles. I'm not sure if more episodes have been done or not, but this has the makings of a fantastic history channel series as there are many battles that haven't been covered. Again if you haven't seen this, be sure to catch Father & Son Snow investigate these historical battles.