Landships II

If it's the same one, then Wonder Weapons of World War One? is the BBC doco from about 1996, one of the Timewatch strand.

It's OK but doesn't tell you much that we don't already know. There's quite a bit about the Home Front - propaganda value, fund-raising, etc. - but, like so many docos on the subject, would lead you to believe that there were only three Tank actions; Somme, Cambrai, and a bit on Amiens. The A7V gets a couple of minutes, of course (why is everyone fascinated by it?) but there's not even a mention of French Tanks. Plus a mystifying bit in the middle where a fat bloke compares the Tank to "smart" weapons, accompanied by irrelevant footage of bunker-busters from Desert Storm. Ho hum. Also, David Fletcher makes a rare public appearance.

It's been on BBC terrestrial a couple of times and is occasionaly rerun on BBC History. It's entry-level really, as you'd expect for a mainstream channel production, but this is handy for non-BBC viewers who haven't had chance to see it.

I've also got a very old (1970s) doco from a series called Soldier in which a young Frederick Forsyth looks at the history of the Tank. It contains a couple of sections on 1914-18 with good colour footage of Bovington's Mk IV in action, but again only mentions the 3 above actions. Naturally, there's footage of the A7V going round in circles. Unusually, there is footage of Schneiders, a St. Chamond, and an FT17 in a montage, but no explanation at all in the commentary as to what they are.

Roger,

got it to work. I dont have a particularly speedy connection (just average broadband) so it took about 5 hours to download.

you're right, it is very good quality, much better than Youtube.

I think putting these videos out will make WW1 more popular. And that might make a few manufacturers consider making a few more models.

so, well done