History | War
Station:
Yesterday (GB)
Status:
Running
Start:
2021-04-19
Rating:
0/10 from 0 users
Rob Bell presents an eight-part series on the defences that Britain put in place in 1940 to defend the country against the very real threat of a Nazi invasion. Over 6,000 structures were built, repurposed or requisitioned. This series looks at just some of the buildings that were designed to fight Hitler.
There is no Next Episode of The Buildings That Fought Hitler planned.
S1E6 - Keep the Home Fires Burning
With the blitz taking its toll, Britain had to keep it's manufacturing going, leading to the birth of shadow factories. These large underground hidden sites were crucial in the ammunition production; one of the most expansive being Drakelow Tunnels.
As Britain's victories mounted so did the prisoners of war. Across Britain a network of camps sprang up and the best remaining example is Eden Camp in Yorkshire. It remains a fascinating insight into life in the camps and what having POWs living in the UK meant for the locals.
Air Date: 24 May 2021 14:00 (CDT)
S1E7 - Fighting Back by Sea and Air
Britain needed to produce vast amounts of ammunition, to the extent that the Caernwent Explosives and Propellant Factory had to have its own railway. Chatham Docks on the Medway saw 142 ships set sail, and bomber bases like the Ridgewell RAF sprung up across the country, changing the landscape of Britain forever.
Air Date: 31 May 2021 14:00 (CDT)
S1E8 - The Day of Days
Rob Bell looks at how the greatest invasion in human history was being prepared in Southern England and the buildings that helped with D-Day and Operation Overlord. There were whole villages that were taken over by the MOD, and in the case of Tyneham, never returned.
Air Date: 07 Jun 2021 14:00 (CDT)