D-Day commemorated with high-tech programs

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - 20:00 YT&Twebzine

Beyond the broadcast networks' coverage of the 70th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, several cable networks offer modern-day special effects in programs about the commemoration.

Some programs run more than once, so check listings for times.

D-Day in 3D (American Heroes Channel; Discovery Channel): This is a look at how futuristic 3-D photography helped mapped the Nazi defenses.

Modern Marvels: D-Day Tech (History channel): The show explores the scientific and mechanical breakthroughs used on D-Day.

Heavy Metal: “Machines of D-Day” (History channel): Archival film and color re-enactments show hardware used during D-Day.

D-Day in HD, (History channel): The two-night special transforms original D-Day film into high-definition TV. D-Day veterans share their memories.

D-Day Sacrifice, (National Geographic Channel): The 80 days between the D-Day landing and the liberation of Paris are explored in two episodes that tell the stories of civilians, soldiers and leaders who participated in those events.

D-Day 360 (PBS): The film focuses on the logistical effort of D-Day. During the invasion, 3,000 planes dropped 23,000 airborne troops behind German lines, and 7,000 vessels shipped 20,000 military vehicles and 130,000 soldiers to the beaches. The show uses a special technology to re-create the landscape and combine big-picture scenes with close-ups of soldiers on the battlefield.

NOVA: D-Day’s Sunken Secrets, (PBS): Historians, archaeologists and others use submersibles, underwater robots and 3-D mapping to identify relics from D-Day.