Twentieth Century Battlefields poster

TV series

Twentieth Century Battlefields

20071 season8.5 / 10

Father-and-son team Peter and Dan Snow embark on an epic journey to describe battles that transformed the 20th century. Known for its extensive use of "sand table" CGI effects to help viewers visualize the battles.

Availability

Not streaming in United States

Checked Sep 3, 2026

Twentieth Century Battlefields premiered June 4, 2007. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.

Synopsis

Father-and-son team Peter and Dan Snow embark on an epic journey to describe battles that transformed the 20th century. Known for its extensive use of "sand table" CGI effects to help viewers visualize the battles.

Season 1 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

Episode 1

1918 Western Front

59m

The British army used new tactics to break the Germans and fought the biggest tank battle yet seen to achieve decisive victory. The Snows visit the scarred terrain of the Western Front in Northern France to tell the story of the 1918 Battle of Amiens.

Episode credits

Directed by Paul McGuigan

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Episode 2

1942 Midway

59m

It was the birth of a new type of sea warfare where bombers did all the damage, and enemy ships wouldn't even see each other. The Snows fly to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to recount the battle of Midway.

Episode credits

Directed by Ben Lawrie

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Episode 3

1942 Stalingrad

59m

While Soviet citizens held on for life in the shattered city, Hitler's army froze to death in the countryside. The Snows travel to Russia to tell the story of Stalingrad - one of the most epic battles of World War II.

Episode credits

Directed by Dan Kendall

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Episode 4

1951 Korea

59m

American landings at Inchon were one of the largest amphibious attacks in history, and a few hundred British soldiers on the banks of the Imjin river stemmed a tide of thousands of attacking Chinese. The Snows journey to the border between North and South Korea to examine two important engagements of the Korean War - a war between Communist and Nationalist forces that embroiled soldiers from around the world, and remains unsettled more than 50 years on.

Episode credits

Directed by Johanna Gibbon

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Episode 5

1968 Vietnam

59m

Communist fighters launched major attacks from a claustrophobic network of tunnels, and US marines had to flush them out. The Snows explore the Tet Offensive of 1968, the turning point of the Vietnam War.

Episode credits

Directed by Renuka Chapman

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Episode 6

1973 Middle East

59m

In Egypt's 1973 surprise attack on Israel, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of tanks crossed the Suez Canal and pushed into the Sinai desert, using the latest technology to stop Israeli tanks in their tracks. The Snows travel to Israel to unpack the complex history of conflict in the Middle East that culminated in the Yom Kippur War.

Episode credits

Directed by Paul McGuigan

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Episode 7

1982 Falklands

59m

Night-fighting and air support proved crucial when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982 - the last battle on British territory. The Snows fly 8,000 miles to the South Atlantic to tell the story of how the British Task Force fought back to regain control.

Episode credits

Directed by Renuka Chapman

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Episode 8

1991 Gulf

59mfinale

Allied air forces deployed revolutionary new technology like stealth bombers and precision-guided bombs while ground troops prepared for the possibility of Iraqi gas attacks. The Snows go to Kuwait to tell the story of Operation Desert Storm - a war dominated by cutting-edge technology and ruthless political calculation.

Episode credits

Directed by Dan Kendall

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Episode information updated Sep 3, 2026

More about Twentieth Century Battlefields

Cast

Peter SnowSelf - Presenter
Dan SnowSelf - Presenter

Production details

Status
Ended
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
8
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • BBC TwoUnited Kingdom
  • BBCUnited Kingdom
  • The Military Channel

Themes

20th centurybattle strategycombattactical warfareworld war ii