Machinery of War
From the beginning of the twentieth century to today, war was radically transformed. Through mechanization and industrialization, the methods used to settle conflicts have made the art of war more hi-tech, more expensive, and more devastating than ever before. Violence, it seems, is the mother of invention. This six-part series explores the evolution of engineering in warfare; as glamorous cavalry units were forced from the battlefields and replaced with tanks. As artillery entered the realms of science fiction and even the infantryman became a lethal weapons system. This mechanization of war demanded the rapid growth of armaments factories, all competing to build weapons bigger, better, faster, and deadlier. In the twentieth century war took over the skies, biplanes evolved into drones and randomly dropped bombs into pinpoint weapons that can level entire cities. Naval combat has also been revolutionized, where the most potent weapons are now launched from the angled decks of aircraft carriers or from deep beneath the waves. From tanks to bombers, howitzers to aircraft carriers, Machinery of War features expert interviews and cutting-edge animation to help explore why these machines were created and follows their journey from the factory floor to the battlefield.
- 2019-2019
- 1 season
- Documentary
From the beginning of the twentieth century to today, war was radically transformed. Through mechanization and industrialization, the methods used to settle conflicts have made the art of war more hi-tech, more expensive, and more devastating than ever before. Violence, it seems, is the mother of invention. This six-part series explores the evolution of engineering in warfare; as glamorous cavalry units were forced from the battlefields and replaced with tanks. As artillery entered the realms of science fiction and even the infantryman became a lethal weapons system. This mechanization of war demanded the rapid growth of armaments factories, all competing to build weapons bigger, better, faster, and deadlier. In the twentieth century war took over the skies, biplanes evolved into drones and randomly dropped bombs into pinpoint weapons that can level entire cities. Naval combat has also been revolutionized, where the most potent weapons are now launched from the angled decks of aircraft carriers or from deep beneath the waves. From tanks to bombers, howitzers to aircraft carriers, Machinery of War features expert interviews and cutting-edge animation to help explore why these machines were created and follows their journey from the factory floor to the battlefield.
Season 1 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 2019
Episode 1
Battlefield Behemoths
Explore the behemoths of war, the grumbling armored monsters like the Panzer III and the gravity-defying bulk of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, that dominate their arenas of war with their size and power.
Episode 2
Stealth Systems
Delving into the world of covert operations and strategic strikes, the range of stealth technology, from the simple concept of camouflage suit, to radar-reduction capabilities.
Episode 3
Defensive Designs
With the increasing destructive output of weapons, countermeasures had to be developed. As the nature of ware has changed over time, we see modern applications of destructive measures in smaller-scale developments.
Episode 4
Mass Movement
The story of how machines have been used, and are being used, to transport armies and all of their equipment over land, across sea, and in the air.
Episode 5
Accelerating Warfare
Maneuverability, speed, and efficiency. The pace of tactical responses, button-click warfare, and lightning-fast strikes are all defined by developments in the agility of machinery.
Episode 6
Mass Destruction
Explore the destructive capability of machinery across all scales, the inventions designed to unleash maximum carnage, then and now.