Two Riveting Accounts of Courage Under Fire .
Ace In The Hole
The Compelling Story of How U.S. Troops Captured Saddam Hussein
Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut
Six Episode Collection Spans World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Includes Exciting Footage Not Seen on Television
On DVD September 6
Culver City, CA (July 4, 2005) -- Ace in the Hole and Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut -- two Military Channel documentaries that vividly bring to life gripping stories of the valor of war -- will be released on DVD September 6 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Discovery Global Licensing. Ace In The Hole, which aired on Military Channel in May 2005, will be available for $19.94 SLP. Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut, a three-disc set, composed of episodes of the Military Channel series, Battlefield Diaries, will sell for $39.95 SLP.
Ace In The Hole is the front line story of how U.S. troops captured a disheveled and powerless Saddam Hussein in a small backyard spider hole after the Iraq War. Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut, is an exciting six-episode collection of real-life military diaries, presenting the most compelling personal accounts of war as seen through the eyes of those closest to the action, the rank-and-file soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen. Coming to DVD after premiering on Military Channel, Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut will contain additional footage not shown on television.
DVD Details
Ace In The Hole
Ace In The Hole provides a gripping first-hand account of the pursuit and capture of Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, including in-depth interviews with some of the soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division who -- with a special operations team called Task Force 121 -- conducted the final victorious raid marking the end of Hussein's reign of terror. The documentary also reveals how U.S. forces found weapons and about $750,000 in U.S. $100 bills with the former dictator and provides viewers with a detailed account of how coalition forces tracked down and killed Uday and Qusay, Saddam's sons.
Baghdad fell after just 21 days of combat, but the capture of Saddam Hussein took an additional eight months, played out amid a brutal guerrilla war in which the hunters frequently became the hunted. The dictator had simply disappeared, and the U.S.'s top priority became finding him dead or alive. The search for Saddam quickly became a real-life crime drama as investigators combined sophisticated software and old-fashioned police work to tighten the noose on Saddam's inner circle. Ace In The Hole is the first-hand story of the U.S. Army investigators who relentlessly chased every lead until their final raid uncovered the Iraqi dictator cowering in his spider-hole.
Special Features include:
. Bonus Episode - Hunting Saddam: Wanted Dead or Alive - Is Saddam Hussein dead or alive? The Iraq war began with an assassination attempt: President Bush ordered a secret air strike against Saddam's bunker. But Saddam, an assassin himself, has proven to be a survivor many times before. Hunting Saddam examines America's decade-long quest to kill Saddam Hussein -- one of the biggest, costliest, and most frustrating manhunts in history.
Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut
Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut goes beyond the military history books and presents the most compelling personal accounts of war as seen through the eyes of those closest to the action -- the rank-and-file soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen. Each episode features a single battle in a war, from WW2 to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The stories are brought vividly to life through on-camera testimony of the actual participants, their diaries, letters, and never-before-seen personal photographs and home movies. Battlefield Diaries presents, in the most personal way, the fears, heartbreak, inner struggles, and triumphs of the most "ordinary people" who in one unforgettable moment -- experienced the most extraordinary test of the human spirit.
Disc 1
D-Day: First Men In
This episode focuses on members of the 82nd "All American" Airborne Division, some of the first American troops to land behind enemy lines on D-Day. Their primary mission was to capture and secure the small town of Sainte-Mère-Église, their soon-to-be Normandy headquarters, as well as two bridges two miles west of the town. This was crucial in order to prevent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Panzer Divisions from joining the fight on the coast and decimating invading forces on the beach. The Airborne Forces were charged to secure these inconspicuous bridges for at least four days, until the 4th Infantry Division reaches the Merderet River from Utah Beach. However, widely scattered troops made reaching their objectives much more difficult than originally planned.
Raid at Cabanatuan
Only eight hours after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese leveled Manila and important military targets on the main island of Luzon. The aerial strike was followed by land invasions, making the G.I.s in the Philippines the first American fighting forces in World War II. By 1944, Japan slowly lost its grasp on the Philippine Islands and when the Imperial Army saw prisoners as an unnecessary nuisance during its retreat, they began executing POWs. News of this atrocity spread quickly to Allied headquarters, where immediate plans were made to rescue the remaining men in the Cabanatuan prison camp on Luzon.
Disc 2
Last of the Buffalo Soldiers
In August 1950, North Koreans begin to hit U.S. forces hard on their western flank, causing a swift retreat to protect their much needed supply lines. The 24th Regiment, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, the last segregated, all-black Army Unit, is sent to patrol the areas around Masan and Haman. Ill equipped and poorly trained, the "Deuce-Force" overcomes great obstacles to complete their mission. This was one of the last missions of the historic Buffalo Soldiers unit, which was deactivated in 1951 and integrated into other units.
Lam Son 7 19
From January 30 through March 24, 1971, Lam Son 719 was a major operation of the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam. Their mission: cut the supply lines of the North Vietnamese Army. American Helicopter Units provided transportation for the South Vietnamese troops and experienced heavy fire from the North Vietnamese Army. Although American involvement was restricted to support, the operation left an indelible mark on U.S. Army aviation as many soldiers were killed, wounded, or became missing in action.
Disc 3
Battle of Al Khafji
American air power dominated the Persian Gulf War early on, but Saddam Hussein was not about to stay on the defensive. To draw American and Coalition forces into an early ground war, the Iraqi Military launched a surprise invasion on Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia. During the 3-day battle, Army Specialist Melissa Rathbun-Nealy became the first female POW since WWII, while Saudi and Qatari ground forces became the troops responsible for retaking the city from Iraqi control. The Battle of Al Khafji is recognized as the most important battle of the Gulf War.
Ambush In Iraq
March 20 2003, 5:34 a.m., citizens of Baghdad awake to air raid sirens signaling the beginning of the second war in Iraq and the impending destruction of Saddam Hussein's regime. The next day, the 1st Marine Division and Coalition Forces begin their two-pronged attack toward the Iraqi Capital. The 350-mile march to Baghdad was one of the fastest advances in military history. On April 4, the 2nd Tank Battalion of the 1st Marine Division and the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the 5th Marines faced their fiercest resistance of the campaign and suffered the highest causalities in the long day of battle. Then on April 9, Coalition Forces regained a stronghold in the heart of Baghdad and broke the backbone of the Iraqi Armed Forces. Saddam Hussein's regime was beaten, but not yet defeated.
Battlefield Diaries Extended Cut
Not Rated
Color/Closed Captioned
Running Time: approx. 297 minutes
DVD Cat #: 11682
UPC Code: 0-43396-11682-5
DVD Order Date: 7/28/05
SLP: $39.95
Ace in the Hole
Not Rated
Color/Closed Captioned
Running Time: approx. 60 minutes
DVD Cat #: 11669
UPC Code: 0-43396-11669-6
DVD Order Date: 7/28/05
SLP: $19.94