July 9, 2007
Former ‘Newsnight’ presenter Peter Snow and Military Historian son Dan Snow present eight battles of the twentieth century that shaped the modern world. Starting with the Battle of Amiens (1918) in World War I the selection ends with the first Gulf War in 1990–91. The analytical approach of Peter Snow offers illuminating fine detail and much humour; In Seoul the two are mistaken for brothers! To complement this, Dan Snow effortlessly paints the human angle of battle by recreating the soldier’s experience by, for example, going dog-fighting in a fighter plane that is spiraling to the ground. Dan tells the story of the Battle of Stalingrad (1942), between Nazi Germany and Soviet Union for the city (now Volgograd), a turning point in World War II, with vivid colour. Troops fight each other on the same floor of a building for occupation of a single room for weeks at a time until eventually the Russians circle the Nazis.
The talk is a super companion to their highly successful BBC 2 series that is currently being broadcast Mondays at 9pm. Tales from the other side of the camera lens intrigue. Egypt would not allow filming to proceed, missing the opportunity for representation of the October 1973 Battle of Yom Kippur War. The intrepid presenters visit Hawaii and reflect on how the internet technology of Google Earth now allows viewers to locate the USS Arizona, which still leaks oil after Pearl Harbor Attack (1941). Veterans involved in the battle ask to have their ashes scattered there. ‘Stormin’ General Norman Schwarzkopf’s ability to out-number the enemy is championed in an outline of the Kuwait Gulf War. The massive achievement of the Falklands War is shown to affect domestic politics as well as championing democracy. And as with all battles this begs the question: what ensures victory? In the case of the Falklands it is revealed that the determination of the Argentinian pilots to fly low meant some of the bombs dropped did not detonate. The accompanying book ‘The World’s Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields‘ is noted for its clear maps to simplify complex battle plans.
After a series of telling visual aids, father and son field questions from the audience. As a journalist Peter Snow spoke directly to soldiers engaged in battle in the Vietnam War which is told as one of the first battles where the media plays a major role. Son Dan faces similar danger when presenting the Battle of Imjin River (1951) of the Korean War. He stands on the Military Demarcation Line dividing North and South Korea with a sniper pointed at his head. The Korean conflict is yet to be resolved but the huts in which the parties hold talks are shown. One resonant observation is made: wars are produced by miscalculation of the enemy’s response to an action and this misjudgment is usually the result of lack of clarity. This starts wars that no one really wants.
The talk is a super companion to their highly successful BBC 2 series that is currently being broadcast Mondays at 9pm. Tales from the other side of the camera lens intrigue. Egypt would not allow filming to proceed, missing the opportunity for representation of the October 1973 Battle of Yom Kippur War. The intrepid presenters visit Hawaii and reflect on how the internet technology of Google Earth now allows viewers to locate the USS Arizona, which still leaks oil after Pearl Harbor Attack (1941). Veterans involved in the battle ask to have their ashes scattered there. ‘Stormin’ General Norman Schwarzkopf’s ability to out-number the enemy is championed in an outline of the Kuwait Gulf War. The massive achievement of the Falklands War is shown to affect domestic politics as well as championing democracy. And as with all battles this begs the question: what ensures victory? In the case of the Falklands it is revealed that the determination of the Argentinian pilots to fly low meant some of the bombs dropped did not detonate. The accompanying book ‘The World’s Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields‘ is noted for its clear maps to simplify complex battle plans.
After a series of telling visual aids, father and son field questions from the audience. As a journalist Peter Snow spoke directly to soldiers engaged in battle in the Vietnam War which is told as one of the first battles where the media plays a major role. Son Dan faces similar danger when presenting the Battle of Imjin River (1951) of the Korean War. He stands on the Military Demarcation Line dividing North and South Korea with a sniper pointed at his head. The Korean conflict is yet to be resolved but the huts in which the parties hold talks are shown. One resonant observation is made: wars are produced by miscalculation of the enemy’s response to an action and this misjudgment is usually the result of lack of clarity. This starts wars that no one really wants.