Operations torch and neptune were two of the largest, most spectacular and successful operations conducted by the royal navy during the second world war. Using only rare and previously unseen archive material from diverse sources, royal navy historian roland r. Smith has compiled unique and extensive film records of these truly colossal naval operations. They stand alone as the best available by far film accounts of the operations and the ships that took part in them. The great armada operation torch operation torch was the codename given to the allied landings in north africa in november 1942. This film collects together much of the best surviving footage of the royal navys participation, from the sailing of the core battleships of force h the nelson, duke of york and renown from the clyde to their rendezvous with the carriers formidable and victorious and their journey into the mediterranean. The film also follows an assault convoy and takes the story through to the shielding role adopted by force h after the landings. Highlights include fleet air arm seafires, martlets, fulmars and albacores in american markings, scenes of force h under air attack, the battleship rodney in action against coastal batteries and a royal visit to the battleship howe at algiers. D day reflections of operation neptune operation neptune was the code name given to the naval operations within the overall plan for the allied invasion of normandy. In all, some 6,833 vessels participated in the operation and the sheer size of events is captured in some breathtaking footage featured here. From early preparations, through embarkation, the great rendezvous off the coast of the isle of wight and the mass steaming for france, the film captures the scale and grandeur of the operation up to the d day landings and then continues to look at naval operations over the next month. Among the hundreds of warships and support ships featured are the cruisers sirius, dispatch, diadem and belfast, the destroyers furious, scorpion, onslaught, virgo, cotswold, glasgow and enterprise and the battleships rodney and warspite running time 120 minutes region all regions release date 16 05 2011