Scorched Earth

ARMY LOGISTICS: For every one army in the field during World War Two, there were two behind, helping to cloth, feed, house, arm, and supply and organize. It was said to take three men to put one effective man onto the field of battle and, for the High Command all armies, supplying their front line forces presented as big a problem as securing victory over the enemy.It was once famously said that an army marches on its stomach - 'The Sinews Of War' proves that adage to be very true. This episode highlights those whose job it was to 'keep things moving' in theatres of conflict all over the globe during World War Two plus in-depth interviews with military authorities.

This episode provides an intriguing look at the part played by propaganda as Governments struggled to gain the upper hand in the war away from the battlefield. Methods were sometimes less than subtle, or in some cases, non-existent; however, Josef Gobbels honed the art of mass communication until, in the early days at least, it became one of Germany's most effective weapons. Gobbels was the master of advancing the cause of National Socialism to his own people, although the attempts to take the message to his enemies were less successful; the British people treated the rantings of 'Lord Haw-Haw' -the traitor William Joyce - with derision. This episode features rare examples of propaganda posters and leaflets. There are also interviews propaganda and military experts.

In many theatres of operation during World War Two, men did battle from afar. Bombs dropped from the skies, torpedoes fizzed from submarines, long - range artillery rained shells, tanks blasted through cities. Many battles, however, were fought at close quarters and it was here that the infantry looked to the power of small arm fire to gain the upper hand. This episode compares and contrasts some of these weapons, highlighting their development and use by all armies involved in the war. The weapons under review include Mortars, Landmines, Bazookas and Hand Grenades - some of the most feared instruments of war ever invented. 3D graphics and animation is featured to illustrate the workings and capabilities of the weapons and there are interviews with historians and military authorities.

The Allied invasion of Italy began in September 1943 and the operation remains one of the most controversial of all the campaigns of World War Two. It was fought against the background of bitter Anglo-American disagreements over strategy --indeed, had Mussolini not fallen and Sicily not surrendered, the Italian campaign might never have been fought at all. The bloody fighting is epitomised by the events around Monte Cassino as the Germans defended the infamous Gustav Line, which, in some areas, was shored up by rows of turrets from tanks. This episode features illuminating interviews with battle experts, who shed light on the military and political complexities of the campaign. The archive footage includes film of 'Anzio Annie', one of the notorious German heavy guns which caused such devastation during the Anzio landings.

During World War Two, Britain was absolutely reliant on maritime trade for its survival and therefore the protection of its merchant fleet became an issue of paramount importance. After June 1940, however, German U-boats began to operate in the Atlantic and appalling losses were inflicted on allied merchant shipping. Arctic convoys were twice suspended in 1942 as German aircraft and submarines wrought havoc on the waves - the trip to the Russian port of Murmansk, for instance, became known as the 'Death Trip' because so few ships returned. For men aboard, there was little hope of escape should a ship go down; they could expect to survive for only a few minutes in the icy waters. Featuring the filmed memories of convoy veterans this is the story of one of World War Two's most pitiless theatre of operations, where men lived in constant fear of the unseen dangers of the deep. The programme also uses 3D graphics and animation to show the realities of a submarine attack and the mechanics of a ships' defences. Leading maritime and military experts are also featured.

The story of the war behind the lines uncovers the importance of organised civilian groups, partisans, who fought military actions or performed espionage, sabotage, disruption and protests against occupying forces.