May 172015
 

Churchills-Toyshop

Discovery Channel – Friday 22nd May 9pm.

This one-off documentary explores the secretive and strange arms race between Britain and the Nazis during WW2. 

Convinced that the path to victory lay in out gunning the Nazis but faced with limited resources, British weapon manufactures were forced to improvise. 

To combat the problem, Winston Churchill himself set-up a secret clandestine research institute, dedicated to coming up with super weapons that would give troops the edge in battle. He christened the department Military Defence 1 but it quickly becomes known as Churchill’s toyshop.

Screen Shot 2015-05-17 at 5.20.01 amUsing rare archive and interviews, the one-off special tells the story of the department and some of the most fantastic and improbable weapons ever created. With the help of modern experts and contemporary blue prints the series will also recreate some of the lost technology. [Source: Sky]

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Many items used by the Auxiliary Units were designed by Major Millis Jefferis and Stuart Macrae including the Sticky Bomb and the Pressure Switch. This can be bought in our shop.

Read our page all about the Toyshop here.

There is also a very good book on the subject called ‘Churchill’s Toyshop’ Which can be bought here.