The Century of Warfare

The Century of Warfare

The Century of Warfare is a 26 part British TV documentary first released in 1993 and shown on A&E Television Networks. It was narrated by Robert Powell, and produced by Nugus/Martin Productions Ltd, and coincided with another Powell/Nugus-Martin project called Great Crimes and Trials.

Genre: DocumentaryWar & Politics

Cast:Robert Powell


1Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 1 - The Violent Century

October 18, 1993

THE CENTURY OF WARFARE opens with a look at the defining characteristics of modern war and the development of the weapons that revolutionized combat.

2Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 2 - The World Goes to War

October 25, 1993

Explore the factors that led to the outbreak of World War I and see why efforts to prevent the coming conflict failed.

3Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 3 - Blood and Mud

November 1, 1993

Harrowing photos and rare footage show the grim reality of trench warfare on the Western Front.

4Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 4 - War of the Eagles

November 8, 1993

Three empires clash on the Eastern Front, until the Russian Revolution topples the Czar and the nation withdraws from the fight.

5Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 5 - Battle Fleets and U Boats

November 15, 1993

Naval warfare in World War I, from submarine attacks and supporting forces on land to the Battle of Jutland.

6Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 6 - Aces High

November 22, 1993

See how the plane became a weapon, fly with the pioneers of military aviation, and relive the exploits of legendary pilots like the Red Baron.

7Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 7 - War to end all War

November 29, 1993

The entry of the United States helped bring World War I to a close, but the harsh conditions of the Versailles Treaty paved the way for a greater conflict to come.

8Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 8 - Enter the Dictators

December 6, 1993

The years between the World Wars were marked by the rise of totalitarian states in Europe and a growing militancy in the Far East.

9Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 9 - The War Clouds Gather

December 13, 1993

Conflicts in China, Spain and Africa presaged the horrors to come, while Hitler cemented his power and prepared for his bloody campaign of aggression.

10Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 10 - Blitzkrieg

December 20, 1993

Germany's invasion of Poland introduced the world to a new brand of warfare. Less than a year later, the fall of France left Britain to face Hitler essentially alone.

11Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 11 - Britain Stands Alone

December 27, 1993

The extraordinary heroism demonstrated by British citizens and soldiers and a vital lifeline from across the Atlantic kept England from falling into Nazi clutches.

12Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 12 - Sand and Sea War

January 3, 1994

In and around the Mediterranean, Monty battled Rommel, American doughboys got their first real combat experience, and the Italian campaign gave the Allies a foothold in Europe.

13Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 13 - Hitler Turns East

January 10, 1994

Operation Barbarossa--the largest land invasion ever mounted--sent 3 million German troops and 3,300 tanks into the Soviet Union.

14Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 14 - The Long Road Back

January 17, 1994

Defeated at Stalingrad and denied entry to Moscow, the Wehrmacht embarked on a two-year delaying action as it retreated to Germany.

15Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 15 - Normandy to the Rhine

January 24, 1994

Follow the preparations for D-Day and the course of the war in Europe after the successful invasion.

16Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 16 - The End in Europe

January 31, 1994

As Germany was squeezed in the vice of the Allied advance, the Big Three met at Yalta to plan for the aftermath of war.

17Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 17 - Oriental Blitzkrieg

February 7, 1994

Analyze the forces that drove Japan to war and relive the initial victories that gave the Imperial forces an air of invincibility.

18Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 18 - Jungle and Ocean

February 14, 1994

The American island-hopping campaign drove the Japanese from their Pacific strongholds, but it would take a weapon of a different order bring the war to an end.

19Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 19 - The War at Sea

February 21, 1994

This sweeping overview of World War II's naval engagements includes footage from Atlantic convoys, major Pacific battles and the amphibious landing at Normandy.

20Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 20 - Air War

February 28, 1994

Fly in a B-17 on a harrowing daylight bombing raid, see how British aviators staved off the Luftwaffe, and watch as carrier-based fighters battle Zeros in the skies over Midway.

21Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 21 - Iron Curtain

March 7, 1994

Divided at the end of World War II, Europe was a potential flashpoint for 40 years as the superpowers maintained an uneasy peace built on deterrence.

22Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 22 - Oriental Communism

March 14, 1994

From the withdrawal of the old Colonial powers to the conflict in Korea, instability, regional conflicts and the boiling over of Cold War tensions marked much of the 20th century in Asia.

23Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 23 - Wars in Peace

March 21, 1994

The perennial problems of civil war, terrorism and bilateral wars have taken on a new urgency in the years since the end of the Cold War, and the international community is struggling to deal with them.

24Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 24 - Vietnam

March 28, 1994

It was a war that proved that might and money do not lead inevitably to victory, and its harsh lessons forced America to rethink its role in the world.

25Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 25 - War in the Middle East

April 4, 1994

From Israel's continual battles to defend itself to inter-Arab squabbles and the role of oil, trace the many conflicts that have shaken this tumultuous region.

26Season 1

The Century of Warfare: Season 1 (1993): Episode 26 - Gulf Wars and the Future

April 11, 1994

The Allied victory over Iraq showed showcased a new generation of weapons and tactics, but evolving threats--particularly from weapons of mass destruction--require a new approach to deterrence.