What UK available TV channel covers Military Aviation History WW2 ?

Hi.
Military Channel, Discovery Wings, Military Wings….we only seem to have History2 full of progs on UFO’s on Virgin Media.

When there is a channel its 100% USA. as if no one else fought WW2.

When is the last time we saw something new on the Luftwaffe ?

TV viewing of WW2 aviation seems to have dried up ? So much dribble and dumbo TV out there that we pay for and dont watch.

I am with Virgin and have to pay top whack just to get any decent channel likely maybe to show such.

What channels are out there I am not aware of ?

Is there something called Military Wings or is this just 100% USA ?

The last interesting progs were Dig1940.

No airshow progs…simply nothing anymore. except all the base level intelligence stuff.

DBenz

A good call,

There were a fair few programs previous but all seemed to of dried all of a sudden.

Sorry DBenz but your statement that airshows are as big a draw as football is simply not true. It was a “fact” made up by an American airshow organiser to bolster his numbers for a show he was promoting and has been quoted ever since. Other “sports” with a greater attendance include cricket, rugby union, rugby league and horse-racing just off the top of my head. but your point is well made that there isn’t a lot of aviation on the box in general.

Movies for Men, sounds good, I would love to see the 109 prog, never heard of this channel though, what channel number is that and is it Sky or Virgin or ?

I am paying Virgin for TV then finding I havent much worth watching. If TV companies got paid only every time someone viewed a program of thirs they would soon buck up their ideas !

The channel prog makers simply lack the vision, they havent a clue unless someone puts an idea to them on aviation.
The first thing that will spark their interest is the fact that airshows are as big a spectator ‘sport’ as football, amazing stats but true.
I read accounts of WW2 aviation that would be edge of the seat stuff. RAF V Luftwaffe I mean. When we get to see dogfights its USA aircraft CGI.
I study a dumb channel and think why spend time on that dribble, the viewing for aviation would far exceed it.

So far then it sounds like we havent got aviation channels anymore for cable TV ?

DBenz

Movies for men do them every now and then, the Bf109 is on at the moment.

Hmmm, if only. I work at the Discovery Channel in London, old cars and old motor racing is my thing. I’ve produced 3 motorsport documentaries that have aired on Motors TV in the past. Early last year I tried to interest Discovery in some new car programmes. Guess what? Not interested, only interested in more along the lines of ‘Wheeler Dealers’ etc., not something more ‘in depth’. It’s a great pity, but I’ve really no idea where you could place some aircraft doco’s unless you want to start your own channel. I’m sure we all remember Discovery Wings……

I seek progs on RAF fighters and bombers, on Luftwaffe etc.

when is the last time we saw a decent TV prog about wellingtons, or Halifaxes or Hampdens, Stukas or Dorniers, Me109s or anything of that nature.

Never ever seen one about the aircraft of the RAF on TV, or the types flown by the Luftwaffe, except Wings of the Luftwaffe series (the VHS set) that covered the 109, 110, Ju87, Ju88, Me110/410, Me262.

With Virgin you have to pay XL max package to get at the channels that might, just might, once in every 5 years, feature a decent quality (youtube no) half or one hour prog on RAF and Luft.

Talk Talk dont even have history, or H2, or nat geo, or discovery. Can we go much dumber down ?

I remember back to Jack Curry and a prog on Mossies called The Watchtower. I recorded it on Betamax. I can see myself ditching TV broadcasts and playing back my hundreds of recordings from when we did get to see aviation on TV. There were also airshow progs. Trouble is flat screen TVs cant display SD footage without losing definition. CRT TVs (Sony namely) could show all the detail in such. So I need to hang onto the Sony Wega and my SD recordings.

Military Wings channel I fear will be all USA, that is if I can get it, seems like SKY is the only option there. Virgin not interested.

Unless a USA company take an interest in things beyond the coast of the USA we have had it. No Brit TV companies seem to be doing WW2. The occasional BBC prog.

Consider this, Airshows is the biggest spectator event next to football. not reflected in TV progs though. mostly Motorway and traffic progs, drugs, soaps, shopping channels, betting, etc. auctions…do I detect that such habits came from the USA TV viewing theme ?

Its all about how easy it is to make a prog, airshows though just involve pointing cameras, not much editing there. Maybe airshow organisers feel that by denying such progs it encourages people to go there instead.

A series on aircraft restoration and conservation. An in depth look at the work of the Michael Beetham Centre RAF Cosford would be great viewing.

Combat tactics of the RAF and the Luftwaffe, the role of the ops room in the BoB, look at the effectiveness of low level Luft raids. A prog on just Aug 18th would be fantastic.

Maybe the TV companies are not even aware. We are as we are into this, but they are not into anything in particular, maybe someone has to put an idea forward.

DBenz

There was a programme on QUEST earlier this week on the Martin Mars flying boat/water bomber which was well done. They also had a Canadian series on GA flying in Canada which was on a 10 am which isn’t easy for everybody but interesting nonetheless.

There’s tons of it on the Youtube channel.

In the UK we all pay the TV license if we have a TV…..

Just wait until you are 75. It’s free! Thank goodness I recorded some excellent documentaries in years gone by.

In the UK we all pay the TV license if we have a TV, but there is no obligation to pay anything more. I have Freeview which provides about 300 channels more than I want.
But you are right there is little anywhere on what you and others would like.
Write off to a few channels and ask the question.