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February 2007
Sam travelled to London to meet Dan Snow in January 2007. They met up at the British Museum, where Sam asked Dan ten questions about his love of history (especially military history!!)
You can read some of Sam's interview in issue 131 of Young Archaeologist, but if you're a Dan Snow fan, and want to find out more, check out the whole of Sam's interview with Dan below...
Sam: If you could be a famous person from history, who would you be and why?
Dan: I would be an explorer like Marco Polo or Hernán Cortés. They were not very nice people but it would have been very exciting. I think that being one of the first Europeans to see Lake Victoria in Africa or the Aztec people in South America would have been pretty good!Sam: How did you decide which battles to feature in Battlefield Britain?
Dan: Basically me, my Dad (co-presenter Peter Snow) and a load of people from the BBC sat round a table and argued! There had to be a geographical spread and a chronological spread. We featured battles from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and all from different parts of the timeline. The series started with Boudicca's Rebellion against the Romans (in AD 60) and ended with the Battle of Britain (AD 1940).Sam: Do you think the British Empire was most successful because it was controlled by the British Navy and was on the sea, compared to others that were on the land?
Dan: I think the control of the sea is the most important aspect of an Empire; no long war has ever been won by those not controlling the sea. And no Empire can survive long without the control of the sea because they need supplies.Sam: Which battles are you looking at in your new TV series 20th Century Battles?
Dan: One of the battles we are looking at is the Battle of Amiens from the First World War. It took place in 1918 and was the beginning of the end for the Germans. The programme will show how tanks were used effectively for the first time and look at the new battle tactics that were employed. Another battle featured in the series is the Battle of Imjin River. It was part of the Korean War in 1951. The programme will show how well the British, USA and Commonwealth forces, which numbered only 750 men, held out and beat off attacks from the 10,000-strong force from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. Some of the other battles that the series is exploring are: the Battle of Midway between the USA and Japan during the Second World War, which took place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in 1942; the Falklands War; and the Gulf War. The series will be on BBC2 in either April or May 2007, so make sure you watch out for it!Sam: Why do you think the Generals (in the First World War) still used trench warfare when it was costing so many lives?
Dan: Good question!! Trenches did save lives. More lives were lost in 1914 and 1918 when the soldiers were not in trenches. However, the trouble with trench warfare was there was no way to break a stalemate. If you ran at the enemy they'd machine gun you down, artillery was inaccurate and it churned up no-man's land. In 1918 the stalemate was broken by aircraft, tanks and the invention of the wireless radio. The wireless allowed the men in the trenches to talk directly to the artillery and the aircraft, and help them target their attacks into the enemy trenches. Before the invention of the wireless, messages were actually run, by hand, from the trenches back to the artillery!Sam: If the Germans had invaded Britain in the Second World War, do you think they would have succeeded?
Dan: Yes - if they'd got ashore I think that they might have, but that's a big 'if'. If they had beaten the RAF in the Battle of Britain they would have had control of the skies, but the British Navy still had control of the sea. The Germans would have had problems with supply routes. But if they had broken through, Britain had no heavy equipment to fight back with because it had all been left in Dunkirk. So if the Germans had landed I think that they would have swept the Home Guard aside.Sam: The Battle of El Alamein in Egypt during the Second World War - Do you think that it was more a victory for the people at home, or the soldiers themselves?
Dan: Maybe it was a victory for the people at home, but it was also a great victory for the soldiers too. The veterans I've spoken to said that they needed it. It was a first clear cut victory. The people at home were so pleased they rang church bells. It gave out the message: we are going to win!!Sam: Do you think the Gulf Wars (in Iraq) are modern-day 11th Century crusades?
Dan: No not really. In the crusades people went for land and money, and they'd win everlasting life if they died on a crusade. The modern Gulf Wars are not about conquering new land, the USA and UK don't want to stay; they want to spread democracy. It's a shame some people think it looks a bit like a crusade, though.Sam: Do you think that computer/Playstation games that are based on battles are a good way to learn?
Dan: Whatever gets you to enjoy history is great! I love Sharpe, Braveheart and playing computer games; they're great starting points. Band of Brothers and the Horrible Histories are both brilliant too. The computer game I really like is Age of Empires.Sam: Do you think York is the most historical city in the world?
Dan: York did have the Roman and Viking influence, and is really historical but I don't think it is the most historical city in the world. The trouble is that Britain tends to think of itself as the centre of the world. However, while we were still living in caves, the Chinese for example were building libraries and had central heating! So I think that other cities to compare with York are Rome, Istanbul and Beijing.
Sam said: "After the interview, I went round the British Museum with Dan as my ace guide. He showed me all sorts of ancient artefacts and tombs; there was even a 6,000-year-old mummy!
But my favourite object had to be the chair made entirely of AK-47 machine guns! I really enjoyed meeting Dan because we have the same sorts of interests. He was really easy to talk to, we had good fun talking about the battles he'd looked at on his series Battlefield Britain."