Warriors

I'm a typical history and military history fan. I've seen and read a lot about the stuff that this show presents. So I it was a pleasant surprise to learn some new stuff. Especially how the weapons were used... some of the tactics and how they were wielded.

Initially I thought the host was goofy and overly enthusiastic. That he was being silly about saying "cool" all the time. Yet after a few episodes I'm actually part having fun at this style and partly actually feeling that he REALLY is enjoying getting to learn about their culture. It grows on you and you get carried away by the host's antics and slang.

Something I also always enjoy are the so called weapons and history specialists that seem like nerdy middle aged men with an over the top hobby.

So don't mind the silly parts... you might actually learn something. You certainly will have fun watching the history or the host. It is very well produced, interesting and sometimes might surprise even the hardcore military history buff.

Beyond the academic information about the warrior cultures is a great amount of context information regarding the historical period and the position of warriors in the society at large. Terry is phenomenal - he brings a honesty and passion lacking in many such documentaries. There are many scenes of him and the local warriors bonding. He tackles each in good weather and bad, suffers accidents, and brings his own experience as a Green Beret and military officers forward to show how many aspects are universal and still relevant today. This goes beyond any documentary - it immerses you in living, breathing versions of past and current warriors. This has something for the hobbyist, educator, lay person, and specialists - its extraordinarily well presented. Excellent show, REALLY, REALLY wish they would do another season.

I love this show. Warriors with Terry Schappert is interesting. It takes a look at various warrior cultures. Last night it was about the Germanic tribes who united under Arminius to defeat the Roman governor Publius Quintilius Varus, and three Roman legions, in the Battle of the Teutoberg Forest. The Romans hated fighting in forests. Why? Because they didn't know where the enemy was. The first episode was about the Maya. There the second episode, which aired last week, and again last night, was about the Vikings. The reason why the Romans HATED fighting in forests was the same reason why we hated fighting in forests during World War II. The show is, as I said before, interesting. The host is a Green Beret medic. Mr. Schappert

helps explain everything with the help of local re-enactors. They help him explain the weapons used at the time.

I am basing this review as someone who had never seen any previews and only found it by channel surfing, seeing the title, reading the description and then watching it. In other words I did not know about the show beforehand and went in expecting a documentary on a particular battle and warrior from history.

Another nouveau-documentary series which almost seems to focus more about the host (in this series) or crew than the actual subject. This seems to be the new style, at least in America.

Each episode is supposed to be about a particular warrior and/or battle in history. Yet, most of it is spent with the host showing you how cool the weapons were and how they were used with very little time actually spent on the battle or warrior in question. It all seems a bit misleading.

The host seems like he is having fun and is energetic but treats the viewers as if they were school kids with his dialogue and constant use of the word, "cool". It feels as if he is trying to make history seem, for lack of a better word, cool for today's kids. There is nothing wrong with that but there is also nothing really meaty here and you won't walk away learning much about history. The weapon info is interesting but too much time is spent on them.

At the end of the show you get a brief historical lesson on the subject battle or warrior. Which begs the question...

Shouldn't the title have been, "Look at me playing with all these cool weapons from history" instead?

The show is great; however, in the Zulu episode, Terry should have added that the British had trouble trying to bring ammunition to their men. According to several books regarding the Zulu War of 1879, the Zulu soon noticed that the British soldiers were no longer firing because of running out of bullets and then one Zulu warrior let out a war cry and the rest of the warriors got up and quickly smash the British lines.

If the German tribes use the night and the forest to their advantage, why didn't the German Army use that knowledge to develop better night and forest fighting tactics? In World War I and II, several German officers stated that the Russian Army were masters at night fighting and forest fighting. You think that the German Army been the world's greatest night and forest fighters since their forefathers were doing it for years among themselves and the Romans.