Featured battle : Actium

Part of Rome's Civil War Second Triumvirate

Date : 02 September 0031 bc

For political reasons Antony and Cleopatra had advanced only as far as the Adriatic coast of Greece. For Antony to land on the mainland of Italy with an invading 'foreign' army would be an unsound move. This handed the initiative to Octavian who besieged the land forces and blockaded the coast. With their supply lines cut Antony attempted a breakout by sea which was unsuccessful. Cleopatra fled and Antony followed, deserting his forces. Although the struggle continued for a while this battle effectively ended Antony's chance of becoming Emperor.

Arnhem. Battle for the island and evacuation.

Battlefield History TV Team
When I saw the picture on the case of this DVD I had very low expectations of the contents. The main character in the foreground is holding a Sten gun by its magazine and aiming it when it isn’t cocked. This is very wrong firstly because when fired the magazine easily shakes loose and secondly one would need to move the weapon away from the sighting position in order to cock it.
When I came to watch the DVD I got a pleasant surprise, proving the old adage ‘don’t judge a book [or DVD] by its cover’.
I found a beautifully presented, accurate account of the final stages of the battle. This is the fourth film in the Operation market garden series. The strategic plan is simply told as is the tactical execution. There is a good balance of talk to camera by the experts and some veterans. The location of the battle as it is today is used as backdrop to aid the explanations of the developments. To balance the talk the film also includes maps, archive footage and re-enactor footage.
All in all it is good material well presented which kept me interested and entertained for the whole 80 minutes.

Pen & Sword Digital, 2013