Customer Reviews

America's Atomic Bomb Tests - The Collection

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this collection at the same time I bought the "Atomic Bomb Collection". I found these two packages to be very complimentary. While the "Atomic Bomb Collection" contained documentaries focusing on nuclear weapons development and testing that were intended for general audiences (very good, by the way), this collection contains documentaries prepared by the US government as technical briefings for military and other government personnel. They provide a lot of interesting information, although it is likely to be a little more technical than some may prefer. But anyone with a high school level understanding of science can easily follow what's presented.

One will learn a lot about nuclear weapons and their effects from these films. Personally, I found them fascinating, and I'm sure I will watch them again to improve my understanding and address new questions that may arise in my mind. For those interested in science, Cold war history, or technological development, I recommend these films highly.

p.s.: The documentaries are from the late 50's, and they are presented in the style that was common in those days. That, in and of itself, is an interesting look back for the historian.

This DVD is a great complement to the DVD's offered by VCE(Trinity and Beyond, Nukes in Space, etc). By itself, it is a highly technical look at the process of testing materials, military equipment, and building materials during three atomic test series covered on the DVD set. The quality of the film varies between the three discs. The last Civil Defense video on Disc 2 suffers a lot of audio warble, unfortunately. But, it is nice to see these important historical documents preserved in a digital format.

I've owned Trinity and Beyond for several years, and I really enjoy the way it is presented. But, it has to cover so many tests in a short amount of time that it skims over a lot of information about testing procedures, etc. You begin to get the impression that the military was doing these tests for their own amusement. After watching this DVD, I have a much better understanding of the entire process. It's easy to see why the military was eager to do so many tests in the early days of the atomic weapons program. The science of the atomic bomb was a moving target, and this DVD outlines the research they made.

Though I would never like to see anyone use atomic weapons ever again, their sheer power is fascinating, beautiful, and frightening at the same time. If you are interested in the science of atomic testing, you should really take a look at this set.

If you are looking for video of actual bomb tests, this video is NOT for you. It is basically actual D.O.D reels declassified. It shows many in-depth testing measuring blast waves, heat etc. Good if you are of the sceintific nature, but gets a little boring if you are just looking for some 'action'.

Awesome detail on atomic bomb tests. Great for the nuclear hobbiest, especially if you want more detail on the tests.

As others have pointed out it is very technical!

Some sections discuss and show troops interacting with the tests and the narrator talks how there were plans to set off nuclear explosions with troops on regular bases, so the troops would feel at ease with nuclear explosions going off next to them in battle!

If you like details these DVDs are for you.

These videos are a compilation of military films detailing our atomic bomb programs after World War Two. Some provide very good information on how energy is propogated and released from a nuclear bomb ignition and explains how the energy released seems apparantly greater than what scientists believed the bomb originally contained. What was actually happening was a confluence of shock waves that magnified the force of the bomb itself.
Although the Cold War is over, we still see countries developing nukes. India and Pakistan developed them and our Intelligence Services exclaimed "HOW THE *** DID THAT HAPPEN????" well, now we hear Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
Or are they?
Well, our fearful leaders say they are.
These videos give a glimpse of our own nuclear history through our own historical materials and provide an insight into this chapter of American military history.

See it up close and personal, atomic blasts that are horrific and the attempt to get humans to somehow survive the blast! Insane!