Pay TV Tuesday, April 6
The Age
Thursday April 1, 2010
Clash of the WarriorsHistory, 9.30pmA SOBER and utterly enthralling documentary about the legendary US Army general Omar Bradley and his German adversary Walter Model, whose forces met at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in December 1944. The biographies of the two generals are interesting for what they are but, in the end, they're little more than thumbnail sketches overshadowed by the momentous battle itself. Even if you've seen other documentaries about the Battle of the Bulge, it's still well worth revisiting. Bradley's army of raw recruits and hardened veterans fatigued by recent fighting unexpectedly found itself under heavy and sustained attack by a German force of 240,000 commanded by Field Marshall Walter Model, a man whose successes in salvaging desperate situations had earned him the nickname "Hitler's fireman". Interestingly, both generals' higher-ups seem to have had big influences on the outcome. Apparently, Bradley initially saw the German offensive as no more than a spoiler operation but General Dwight D. Eisenhower (pictured) ordered other Allied forces to flank the Germans anyway. By contrast, Model's own plans ended up being overruled by Hitler. The documentary does a good job of explaining the progress, logistics and significance of the battle, which claimed more than 19,000 American lives (including 90 prisoners of war massacred by the SS at Malmedy) and probably a greater number of German ones.Weird and Wonderful HotelsNat Geo Adventure, 9pmSURPRISINGLY enough, these hotels really are weird and wonderful. And they don't include any of those silly ice hotels. First stop is the Null Stern Hotel in Teufen, Switzerland. As the name suggests, it's a proud no-star hotel, an old bomb shelter beneath a block of flats that eccentric artist twin brothers have turned into a dormitory-style hostel with communal showers and sleeping areas. More adventurous guests, the brothers suggest, should come and go via a tunnel that leads to an overgrown ventilation shaft in the garden. Other hotels tonight include a former military prison in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana (artists have turned each of the cells into remarkable themed installations) and a caravan park on the roof of a tallish building in Cape Town. The wry and cheeky narration and the eccentricity of the hotel owners make it a delight to watch.Redline TVDiscovery, 8pmBLOKE sets out to build a superbike capable of competing in the MotoGP.Worth a lookMy Workout (LifeStyle You, 6.30am)Mike Reid's Under Par (Discovery Turbo Max, 2.30pm) Golf tips.Eat Yourself Sexy (LifeStyle You, 8pm)
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