The Weather At War - Rain - Enemy Or Ally? DVD

The Weather At War - Rain - Enemy Or Ally?

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'This simple word rain, which means nothing to the civilian with a roof over his head, this simple word encapsulates the horror of the men in the field'. So wrote one miserable soldier in the early 20th Century and his sentiments have been shared not only by generations of ordinary fighting men but also by the commanders whose battle plans have been thrown into disarray when the heavens opened. This episode of `The Weather At War' explores the effects of rain on some of the most crucial battles and campaigns in history. The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 saw a small, depleted and vulnerable English force come face-to-face with a French army outnumbering them 3 to 1. Yet thanks to the sudden onset of heavy rain, and some French over eagerness, one of the biggest upsets in military history saw Henry V's troops inflict a heavy defeat on his enemy. The French were again on the unfortunate end of a change in weather some 300 years later when once more the two old foes met, this time at Waterloo. For all Napoleon's undoubted military brilliance, even he could not control the weather. This DVD also looks at how rain affected the great campaigns of World War Two, including the D-Day landings, the fight for Italy and the campaign in Burma, proving modern warfare is no less susceptible to the impact of a sudden or prolonged downpour.