Set contains films one to nine on three DVDs - The Gathering Storm, Hitler Strikes East and Turning The Tide. DVDs. These nine films have a total running time of 450 minutes of colour footage.

Sub-titled 'The Generation Who Built, Supported and Flew Britain's Most Beloved Fighter', the book chronicles the extraordinary national effort to construct the fighter aircraft that gave the Allies a critical edge over the Luftwaffe. It is the story of how these fast and lethal little planes helped win the Second World War and the book is peppered with women and many of the stories are told in the decades since the conflict. Despite the many films and TV programmes with spiffy moustaches and aerial acrobatics, the Battle of Britain was in the main actually fought and won by teenagers. The average age of an RAF fighter pilot was just 20 years old. Many of the men and women who designed and built their planes were even younger. Based on a BBC World Service podcast Spitfire: The People's Story, the book uses contemporary diaries and memoirs, many previously unpublished, to tell the story of the Spitfire through the voices of the young people who risk everything to design, build and fly her. It is a story of young people tested to the very limits of their endurance, an incredible tale of courage and sacrifice that celebrates arguably Britain's greatest generation. They were vital in keeping the RAF fully operational, building parts, constructing radar systems, coordinating supplies, ferrying planes, while the Luftwaffe above tried to bomb them into destruction. Through fresh interviews and war diaries and personal correspondence, BBC Radio Producer Alasdair Cross recounts an incredible tale together with historical advisor David Key who has researched and reconstructed the stories of the men and women who designed and built the Spitfire. 359pp, paperback. Photos.

Sub-titled 'Savagery and Spectacle In Ancient Rome', these spectacles have become proverbial for their cruelty, bloodlust and glory. In the Arena, the games were savage and brutal and gladiators fought each other to the death, wild animals were put to fight each other, and criminals were executed by barbaric means. Military victories were marked by the Triumph when generals paraded through the city, the defeated were sacrificed to the gods, and food and wine were offered free of charge on a lavish scale. Meanwhile the citizens received free bread to prevent hunger and the riots it could provoke. Chapters cover Spartacus, the varieties of killer, naval battle, wild animal hunts, chariot racing, Roman festivals, imperial excess, barbarian triumph, war in Sicily, banquets of debauchery, the seduction of Cleopatra, the grain fleets and a double page map looks at the Roman Empire AD211 with the Roman Empire, its frontier, provincial border, Africa province and Alans, regions outside Empire. From entertainment to hysterical obsession until their eventual decline and disappearance, the book looks at savage gladiatorial spectacles and explains how they still have influence on contemporary public life. 240 page illustrated paperback.

Late in 1938 the German Navy Supreme Command commissioned a report into the combat effectiveness of its airborne divisions. As a result of its findings, the German High Command instigated a major construction programme for planes with a specifically maritime role - carrier-borne, reconnaissance, mine laying and most importantly, long-range units were all developed. In this volume in the outstanding series, the author showcases a photo history of the development of the Kriegsmarine airborne capability from the early Condor missions to the introduction of Me262 A-1a jet fighters in 1944. More than a hundred rarely seen pictures illustrate the gradual turning of the tide against Germany in the war for the skies over the Atlantic. As the German war machines struggled to match demand for aircraft, so the pilots attempting to control crucial supply routes struggled to compete with mounting Allied technical and numerical superiority. It also discusses other Gruppen of KG40, the He177A, Do217 and Ju88 before those units were renamed or disbanded. Includes colour photos and the text closes with proposals for experimental aircraft to be used in the Atlantic battle. 72 pages, large paperback, some colour.

As far as prestige and standing in the world were concerned, the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 was the worst disaster to befall the USA since the War of 1812 when British forces burned the Whitehouse. Badly planned and organised and littered with mistakes from start to finish, not least an inept performance by John F. Kennedy and his new administration, supposedly an attempt by Cuban exiles to regain their homeland, the whole operation was funded and equipped by the USA. When things began to go wrong with the landings at Playa Larga and Playa Giron on the south-eastern coast of Cuba, President Kennedy and his advisors began overruling military decisions, with the result that the invading Brigade 2506, made up of Cuban exiles, was left with little or no air cover, limited ammunition, and no easy escape. Fidel Castro made great play of his success and the American failure at the Bay of Pigs. He, like Nikita Khrushchev, thought Kennedy was weak. The Cuban Missile Crisis of the following year was almost an inevitable consequence of the disaster. A good quick overview of important events and characters leading up to the Kennedy assassination, well illustrated, some colour, 128 page large softback in the Cold War 1945-1991 Series.

The English Civil War between King Charles I and Parliament during the 1640s caused some of the most tumultuous years in British history as society found itself 'by the sword divided' and neighbours disagreed on politics, religion and the economy. This stunning book looks at the conflict by taking apart the history of London at the time. Discover how a rift began to grow between King Charles I and parliament in January 1642 when the monarch made two constitutional errors, firstly invading the Commons, and then Guildhall, in search of five members of parliament, and secondly by leaving London entirely, abandoning the government as a result. Learn about the monumental Militia Ordinance, passed on 5 March 1642 to give parliament the power to appoint military commanders without the king's approval. While the ordinance itself asserted its purpose was to protect the king and kingdom's safety, it is thought of as one of the first steps that led to war in August that year. The book includes fantastic black and white photos of parts of London today to help readers visualise the history. The site of the Haberdashers' Hall in Gresham Street appears via a shot of the City of London plaque, a photographic reference to the book's detail that the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers purchased 150 muskets for the parliamentarian cause in 1643. There is a photo of a section of the old Roman Wall, with enhancements, which formed the inner ring of defence for the City of London during the war. Busts are also pictured, including likenesses of King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell who rose from military commander during the civil wars to the country's Lord Protector. Paperback, black and white images, thorough endnotes, 140pp.

Feudalism, war and life in medieval times condensed into one short and accessible book. Originally warriors mounted on horseback, knights became associated with the concept of chivalry as popularised in medieval European literature. They were expected to fight bravely and honourably and be loyal to their lord until death if necessary. Later chivalry came to encompass activities such as tournaments and hunting and virtues including justice, charity and faith. The Crusades were instrumental in the development of the code of chivalry, and some crusading orders of knighthoods such as the Knights Templar have become legend. By the 15th century advances in warfare had rendered knights obsolete, but the 'knight' had survived as an honorary title granted for services to a monarch or country and remains an icon of popular culture. This short history covers the extensive training, specific arms and armour, tournaments and the important concept of chivalry in chapters entitled 1066 and All That, Kingdom of Heaven, Longshanks, Braveheart, St Crispin's Day, Game of Thrones and Ivanhoe. A Casemate illustrated paperback, 160pp.

Step back in time to experience the might of the Romans. This short history is an accessible and authoritative introduction to how Rome's legions were a force to be reckoned with as they conquered, subdued and ruled on behalf of the empire. The legionary was an elite soldier who, clad in a helmet and banded iron armour, carried a body shield, lead-weighted javelins and a vicious stabbing sword. This book looks at the Principate legionary of the 2nd and early 3rd centuries AD when the empire was at its peak. Chapters include a look at the Republic and empire, the legionary, the soldier on campaign and in battle, non-conflict roles, and a brief look at other Roman troops. Learn that soldiers marched 'on their stomachs', according to 4th century military author Vegetius who decreed they should never be without corn, wine, vinegar and salt. Discover that the fighting style of the legionary was predominantly martial, with drills using wooden replica swords and wicker shields to practice thrusting the weapon rather than slashing as it was a more difficult blow to anticipate. Illustrations and photographs celebrate the success of the Roman forces, from a cross-section diagram of siege lines at Alesia in 52 BC, to an artistic rendering of the legionary legate overseeing the deployment of Legio II Augusta and a photograph of Severan land walls of London near Tower Hill tube station which was built by Roman military. This is a bitesize rundown of every aspect of Roman legionaries and the empire's military success. Paperback, black and white images, 160pp.

Publius Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (AD56-AD117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works, the Annals and the Histories, examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors. The works span the history from the death of Augustus in AD14 to the death of Emperor Domitian in AD96. Tacitus as a young man studied rhetoric in Rome to prepare for a career in law and politics. In 112 or 113 he held the highest civilian governorship, that of the Roman province of Asia in Western Anatolia and wrote and published the Agricola and Germania and is considered one of the greatest Roman historians, living in what was called the Silver Age of Latin literature. As well as the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, he is known for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics. Here, the text to 'Tribes of Ancient Britain' and 'A Treatise on the Situation, Manners and Inhabitants of Germany' has been edited and introduced by historian Bob Carruthers. With footnotes, 105pp in softback.

'For far too long, 1953 has been thought of as a monochrome year; just another twelve months in the boring 1950s. Now Roger Hermiston explodes that theory by showing it all in all its most vivid colours. His is a gripping account of the death of Stalin, the discovery of DNA, Winston Churchill's stroke, Dwight Eisenhower's presidency and so much more will stay with readers long after they finish the last page...' - Andrew Roberts. January 1953 and it is eight years on from the most destructive conflict in human history, and the Cold War has entered its most deadly phase. An Iron Curtain has descended across Europe, hostilities between the US and the Soviet Union have turned hot on the Korean peninsula as the two powers clash in an intractable and bloody proxy war. Meanwhile the pace of the nuclear arms race has become frenetic. The Soviet Union has finally tested its own atom bomb, as has Britain, and now in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the United States has detonated its first thermos-nuclear device, dwarfing the destruction unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WW2. For the first time, the Doomsday Clock is set at two minutes to midnight, with the chances of a man-made global apocalypse becoming increasingly likely. As the Cold War powers square up in political and military battles around the globe, every city has become a potential battleground and every citizen a target. 1953 is set to be a year of living dangerously. We read eagerly about the discovery by the brilliant young scientists Francis Crick and Chicago born colleague James Watson unravelling the double helix molecular structure of DNA, the young Elvis performing his unique blend of African-American blues, Christian gospel and country music with his unique gyrating hips, the Match of the Century between home side England, the inventors of football, and Hungary, the mystery men from behind the Iron Curtain who were the finest team in the world at the time, and sugar and sweets are finally freed from controls in Britain that year. Films and magazines informed us that for most young American couples an affordable, attractive home equipped with gleaming gadgets was within reach as the new American urban middle class developed and a rising tide of affluence which excluded black people in the South with segregation. There was talk of the abolition of the death penalty in the UK and it was a time of capitalism versus communism, supposed freedom versus assumed tyranny. Mistrust had deepened, political uncertainties abounded, and nuclear arsenals had mushroomed, shaped by an event way out in the Pacific Ocean in November 1952 with the largest explosion in the history of the planet. Written by the assistant editor of BBC Radio 4's Today Programme 1998-2010. 446pp.