Could You Survive as a Spitfire Pilot in World War Two?

Are These The Rarest Planes of World War Two?' In this History Hit exclusive video, Luke Tomes and Louee Dessent travel to the Battle of Britain Airshow at Imperial War Museums Duxford to find the rarest, whackiest and most unique aircraft that saw active service in the Second World War. Starting their day at the Aircraft Restoration Company hangar, Luke and Louee are shown two incredibly rare British World War Two planes by director and pilot John Romain MBE. First, Luke sees a restored Bristol Blenheim fighter-bomber, used in the early years of the war and during the Battle of Britain, which remains the only aircraft of its kind in the world. John then takes Louee around a Westland Lysander, used to rescue pilots and transport spies in occupied Europe. The Lysander is one of only three planes of its kind that remain airworthy in the world. Louee then makes his way to the Fighter Collection hangar where dozens of unique aircraft spanning both world wars are in the process of reconstruction. There he stumbles upon and half-built Fiat CR.42

Join Historian Dan Snow as he answers the most googled questions about the American War of Independence: You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

By looking through secret footage that was taken by Hermann Goering, we're able to take a deep dive into the life of one of the most prominent figures of the Nazi Party. From his early days as a WW1 pilot to his rise to power as Hitler's right-hand man, we examine Goering's key role in the establishment and operation of the Nazi regime. We also explore his downfall, eventual capture by the Allies at the end of WWII and how he met his end during the Nuremberg trials. War Stories is your one stop shop for all things military history. From Waterloo to Verdun, we'll be bringing you only the best documentaries and stories from history's most engaging and dramatic conflicts. You can find more from us on

We met up with Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, to learn about a weapon that was made famous by the Boer and Zulu Wars: the Martini-Henry rifle. During the 1860s, several European armies began to equip their troops with modern breech-loading rifles, leaving behind the now-outdated muzzle-loading musket. By the turn of the decade the British had adopted a breech-loading single-shot lever-action rifle - the Martini-Henry, named after Friedrich von Martini, a Swiss engineer and Alexander Henry, a Scottish gunsmith. Produced at the Royal Small Arms Manufactory at Enfield, the Martini-Henry Rifle became the standard issue weapon for the British army from 1871 until 1889 and was used in campaigns across the British Empire, in Afghanistan, the far east, Sudan and South Africa. The speed of innovation during the mid-19th Century was truly staggering. Within a few decades of the Napoleonic Wars, the British army’s standard issue weapon had evolved from a heavy, smoothbore Brown Bess musket to a deadly rifle equipped with a new breech-loading, ignition and rifling system. The

Military history expert and TV presenter Dan Snow reviews the most realistic movie battle scenes of all time. Spanning the ancient world to the Second World War, he chooses some of the most iconic scenes from cinema history, and a few surprises. First up, he reviews The Battle of Gaugamela 331BC as recreated in the movie Alexander (2004). He praises the film for its attention to historical accuracy, faithfully depicting the climactic clash between the Macedonian Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III. Next, it's the Battle of Loudoun Hill as portrayed in Outlaw King (2018), which took place in May 1307. Although the movie has Robert the Bruce's Scottish force facing off against Edward, Prince of Wales (who wasn't actually there), Dan still rates the film highly for its vision of a northern European medieval battlefield. Dan then reviews the ambush scene from one of his favourite movies, Last of the Mohicans (1992), in which a Britsh redcoat column is wiped out in the forests near Fort William Henry. Although this large scale battle never took place

In 1944, the British considered assassinating Adolf Hitler. But then they decided that he was such a useless warlord, he was more useful alive than dead. The "Halt Order" at dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and Operation Barbarossa all rank among the most disastrous decisions taken by Hitler. War Stories is your one stop shop for all things military history. From Waterloo to Verdun, we'll be bringing you only the best documentaries and stories from history's most engaging and dramatic conflicts. You can find more from us on