Age of Tanks

My area is WWI and its immediate aftermath, so I can only speak with any authority on Episode 1. It takes a different approach from that with which English-speakers are familiar, but manages to convey the broad sweep of the story. To begin with the Austrian Gunther Burstyn's Motorgeschütz is unusual but an argument can be made for it. On the other hand, there's nothing to support the implication that Burstyn's vehicle in any way influenced the French or that the French had even heard of it.

French bias? Well, all three writer/producers are German and live in Germany, but the production companies are, I think, French. It should be remembered that French and British tank development took place at the same time, so to begin with the French story is perfectly justifiable, if unusual in the English-speaking world.

The Episode's biggest problem is that is littered with historical errors large and small and makes some dubious and debatable assertions. Soldiers described as Austrian are actually Italian, and supposed Germans are Austrian. The British tanks are shown in a completely random chronology, but that's quite usual in such documentaries. On the other hand, a lengthy reference to the French Renault FT is accompanied by film of the American Ford Three Ton tank, and what we are asked to believe is film of a battle on the Western Front is actually footage of manoeuvres in the USA in the 1920s featuring tanks that didn't take part in the War. Producers of films on this subject often have to make do with such material as is available, but one gets the impression that this one contains howlers that the makers just haven't spotted.

So this just about keeps pace with historical fact, and it might be that the layman would not be troubled by many of the inaccuracies. Good use is made of the diaries of tank designers and commanders (a few odd translations notwithstanding) and the Curator of the British Tank Museum gives a good performance as in-vision commentator.

On the whole, this is let down by some poor research and careless production. I wouldn't recommend that anyone use it as a serious reference. A missed opportunity.

The history of the powerful weapon on land, the tank. Covers its entire history, from paper designs of the early-1900s to the beasts of the present day.

Quite basic. Anyone with a decent knowledge of tanks and their history will find this pretty weak, even inaccurate. The main problem is that the content is dumbed-downed for ignorant audiences. Every major war and battle in history is looked at only from a tank perspective, massively over-simplifying and misrepresenting warfare. Some of the claims are laughably bad, e.g. the US only managed to stop the North Korean advance in the Korean War because of the introduction of the Patton tank!

Also not very comprehensive. By spending so much time convincing us that events like the Hungarian and Czechoslovakian revolutions were major turning points in tank development we miss out on many interesting developments and tank models. For example, with regard to WW2 we only get to hear about the T-34, Tiger (and Tiger II) and Sherman. There were plenty of other designs and innovations, including things like tank destroyers, which aren't mentioned at all.

There are some interesting, lesser-known facts, but these are few and far between. There are also some interesting interviews, but many of the interviews also seemed dumbed-down and superficial.

Avoid, especially if you already have at least the merest of knowledge about tanks.

I'm always deeply interested in 20th century history particularly the world wars and the cold war. This documentary tells 20th century history from a whole new angle - tanks. It is a fascinating journey of following the primitive tanks from the Great War, through WW2 to the modern age

This sweeping series starts with the creation of the tank as an powerful innovation which helped to overcome the grinding deadlock of WW1 and follows tank use and design through to modern day questions about whether tanks may be obsolete. I am not a 'tank expert', and from my point of view this documentary contained some new and fascinating insights that I had not come across before, often via interesting interviews. In particular, Russian and French experiences with tank development and tank tactics stand out. However, the series also inexplicably leaves a huge amount of widely available and important information out. The almost complete absence of commentary on US and Commonwealth tanks from WW2 was particularly conspicuous (apart from a short part on the US Sherman tank). It's commentary on the geopolitical contexts of the events being described also sometimes seemed to be lop-sided at times.

If you want a different perspective on tanks and tank warfare, you may enjoy this series. However, be aware that it skims over or completely omits significant events and details, and conveys a number of interpretations and opinions as though they were facts.

Brilliant doco, but the statement that all of Germanys A7V tanks were scrapped is incorrect. One was seized by Australian troops and snuck into Australia. Currently a permanent display in Brisbane.