Sword, Musket & Machine Gun: A History of Armed Combat
Historian Sam Willis charts the history of armed combat, examining the pivotal events that brought about the changing weapons of war.
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Episode Title:Cut and Thrust
Episode 1. Duration 50 minutes
Dr Sam Willis receives a lesson in swordsmanship and finds out what the Bayeux Tapestry reveals about the brutal reality of combat.
Episode Title:The Big Bang
Episode 2. Duration 50 minutes
Dr Sam Willis looks at the drive to develop ever more precise weapons on the battlefield, from artillery shells to rifles to the Maxim machine gun.
Episode Title:Rapid Fire
Episode 3. Duration 50 minutes
Rapid Fire Dr. Sam Willis looks at the impact of gunpowder on the battlefield, from the first cannons to early handheld weapons, and finds out what it's like to fire an English Civil War musket.