Instruments of Death

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[edit] General Information

War Documentary hosted by Karl Ude-Martinez, published by UKTV in 2012 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Documentary series which takes a look at the various weapons used on the battlefield throughout history and examines the devasting effects they would have had on the human body. In days gone by, death came at close quarters. This was a time when warriors stood toe-to-toe with their enemy; when battlefields were confused hell holes where men hacked desperately at each other; where no mercy was expected and none was given. This series explores the realities of taking a crushing blow from a battle axe or being hit by a deadly arrow from a longbow. The experience of facing mortar and artillery fire; or of attacking into a hail of bullets from muskets or machine guns. Instruments of Death place some of history s deadliest weapons in your hands. Through a series of innovative tests and modern experiments, you'll see at first hand the effects of the blade and the bullet on a human being. You'll find out how just effective shields, armour and helmets actually were. And how the wounds suffered by ordinary soldiers were treated on the battlefield. This is a fascinating and immersive look at the stark truth of yesterday's wars a world far away from statistics and numbers and co-ordinates and demonstrates the dangers faced by those who were sent into battle to do or die This exclusive 6-part series goes back to a time before precise pin-point weapons, computer guided missiles and drone strikes and looks at the hand-to-hand combat which for centuries saw soldiers standing toe-to-toe with their enemies hacking at each other with hand held weapons until one of them yielded. From Roman times all the way through to WW1 the series takes a hands on approach with war re-enactments, first-hand tests and modern experiments; the viewers will discover the effects of blades, bullets and arrows on the human body and how they would be treated by surgeons on the frontline. Each episode focuses on a different famous battle from history, and investigates why these Instruments of Death were created to inflict the most untreatable, bloody and mortal wounds possible. A 'Top Gear' for weapons, Instruments of Death is a fascinating and modern look at the stark realities of battle! Filmed and Directed by James Fowler ; A Like A Shot/Definition Media Production in Association with Yesterday/UKTV

[edit] The Great War: The Somme 1916

Karl Ude-Martinez investigates weapons used during 1916's Battle of the Somme. 'Two years in the making, ten minutes in the destroying' was famously said about the Pals and Chums battalions that went into battle on the first day of the ill-fated Somme campaign on July 1st 1916. The Somme campaign resulted in loss of life on a terrible scale. That day alone saw 60, 000 British soldiers become casualties and the Somme has come to epitomise the waste, horror, and futility of the Great War. Karl visits the scene of the battle in France, demonstrates the machine gun, the Lee Enfield rifle, and looks at the terrible effects of poison gas.

[edit] The Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Towton 1461

Part of Blackadder's History. Presenters Karl Ude-Martinez and Kevin Hicks continue their look at how weapons and body armor were developed, taking a look at the impact of the Battle of Towton during the War of the Roses. Find out how the longbow, crossbow, falchion and hand cannon turned Towton into a very bloody battle. Towton was the single bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil – it’s believed that 28,000 men were hacked to death in a single day. The Lancastrian and Yorkist armies who stood toe-to-toe in pitched battle that day were armed with deadly Longbows and Crossbows, Falchion Swords and Pole Axes; we'll see the weapons and the damage they did here, along with a new weapon that appeared on battlefield at that time - the hand cannon. We'll also hear about the rudimentary battlefield medicine of the day.

[edit] The Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo 1815

What was it like to face a Napoleonic cavalry charge? Find out as the cannon, grenade and Brown Bess musket go under the microscope. This episode features a real first – an examination of the recently-discovered remains of what is believed to be an English redcoat, with the musket ball that felled him still lodged in his ribs. Karl presents this episode from the field of Waterloo - the battle that decided the fate of an entire continent and saw the final defeat of the despotic Emperor Napoleon. This was the age of the British Redcoat army, so brilliantly commanded by The Duke Wellington. We'll watch as Karl shoulders the famous Brown Bess musket, sees the effects of the cannon and the grenade and gets some idea of what it was like to face a Napoleonic cavalry charge.

[edit] Queen Boudica's Revolt: The Battle of Watling Street AD 61

Karl Ude-Martinez tests out swords, spears and armour as he revisits the bloody British uprising against the Roman Army. The Roman Army was the best equipped, best trained and most fearsome fighting machine of the age. When the united tribes of ancient Britain rose in revolt under the charismatic Iceni Queen Boudicca, it was fully put to the test before achieving final bloody victory at Watling Street in AD61. In this episode, Karl Ude-Martinez gets to use a Gladius sword and a Pilum spear, to test Roman armour and to hear how tactics were developed to inflict the worst possible wounds on the enemy.

[edit] The Norman Invasion: The Battle of Hastings 1066

Karl Ude-Martinez demonstrates how Danish battleaxes, Saxon shields and Norman lances played their part in the Battle of Hastings. 1066 is perhaps the most famous date in British history and Hastings the most famous battle. The winner-takes-all clash between the warriors of William Duke of Normandy and King Harold's Saxon army is a bloody tale of Danish battle axes, Saxon shields and Norman lances. How effective was chain mail against blows from swords and daggers? We'll find out in this episode, with real life experiments using weapons of the age, which is presented by Karl from the battlefield itself.

[edit] The English Civil War: The Battle of Naseby 1645

Karl Ude-Martinez and Kevin Hicks explore how weapons and body armor were developed, beginning with a look at the impact of the 1645 Battle of Naseby during the English Civil War. Get a first-hand look at the fascinating artillery used in 17th century England, including flintlock muskets and mortar bombs. With families at war with each other and a monarchy fighting to survive, conflict in 17th century England reflected the times - brutal and unforgiving. With the decisive battle of Naseby as its backdrop, this episode demonstrates some of the deadly new weapons of the age including first hand tests with real flintlock muskets and mortar bombs, while Karl Ude-Martinez is shown how the wounds they inflicted were treated.

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[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4.1
Video Bitrate: 3 719 Kbps
Video Resolution: 1280x720
Display Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 50 min
Number Of Parts: 6
Part Size: 1.22 GB - 1.64 GB
Source: HDTV
Encoded by: TViLLAGE