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"World War III TV Mini-Series Official DVD Release" Topic


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owenmp29 Mar 2013 10:06 a.m. PST

The 1982 NBC television mini-series World War III has finally been officially released on DVD by Warner Bros. Studios.


Warner Bros. Studios Online Store – World War III (1980, DVD)
wbshop.com
link
Item Number 1000366599


Amazon.com – World War III (1980, DVD)
amazon.com
link
ASIN: B00A92MFQG
DVD Release Date: November 20, 2012


Internet Movie Database – World War III (TV 1982)
imdb.com/title/tt0084919


--
Michael P. Owen
Seattle Washington Autoduel Team
link
owenmp.wordpress.com

owenmp29 Mar 2013 10:11 a.m. PST

Spoiler Alert: A transcription of the ambush planning scene is written below.


Colonel Jake Caffey – So, this little excursion is the opposite of everything we've been taught about the new warfare. You're going have do some instant rethinking. If you can't, you're going to die miserably, and be very badly remembered by the President of these United States. We have to defend a fixed point, not an active defense, but a static one. There's no room to maneuver.

Now, in order to secure a castle life, Leonardo da Vinci, I'm sure some of you have heard of him, devised a series of defensive parapets at an angle so that the enemy could never see into his positions.

(Draws several foreshortened circles in a horizontal line on the blackboard. Next, vertical lines are drawn on each circle to create sections of pipe seen from an overhead view.)


Colonel Jake Caffey – In 'Nam, General DePuy dug his foxholes in the same way. The North Vietnamese had their version. We called that the Buzzsaw."

(Writes the word "BUZZ" on the top of the blackboard.)


Colonel Jake Caffey – Now, we're going to do the same thing here. We're going to use those sections of pipe outside. You see their relative positions here.

(Points at the section of pipe written on the blackboard holding a piece of chalk.)


Colonel Jake Caffey – Each man will cover the area directly in front of him, in front of his pipe, which ever way that's facing. If you see something, shoot.

(Draws an arrow from the center of an opening of a pipe downward in the center of the field of vision from that pipe.)


Colonel Jake Caffey – Anything that falls outside of your field of vision will fall into someone else's.

(Draws two field of vision lines downward from the pipe section to the right of the pipe section labeled with the arrow.)


Colonel Jake Caffey – You see? And they'll care of it. Any questions?


National Guard Soldier #1 – (Raises hand.)


Colonel Jake Caffey – Yes, corporal.


National Guard Soldier #1 – That's pretty hairy, isn't it sir, when you can only from one direction?


Colonel Jake Caffey – The name of this game is depend on each other. I realize that without the combat experience a lot of you have not seen this put into practice. Very soon now you'll going to have the chance to see how it all works. Trust the guys in the pipes on your right and left. They can see what you can't. And trust the system. Because without all of its teeth, the Buzzsaw will not work. All right, to your positions, and remember every round counts.


Colonel Jake Caffey – Trust you were right Sergeant?


Sergeant Parson – Yes, sir. They're one ridge over. They'll be here in 25 minutes.


Colonel Jake Caffey – (Addressing Captain Angel Cordobes) All right, Captain. Let's see if da Vinci was in his right mind.


--
Michael P. Owen
Seattle Washington Autoduel Team
link
owenmp.wordpress.com

Dynaman878929 Mar 2013 10:20 a.m. PST

That pipe discussion reminds me, that was a TERRIBLE miniseries…

Bill Rosser Supporting Member of TMP29 Mar 2013 10:23 a.m. PST

Couldn't agree more with DYNAMAN8789. This was just stupid.

owenmp29 Mar 2013 10:43 a.m. PST

This recent story on CNN reminded me of the ammunition shortage situation in World War III.


Desperate times: Marines told to 'save every round'
link
CNN
March 18, 2013


There is a novelization of World War III that has a larger National Guard force defending the pipeline station.


Amazon.com – World War III by Brian Harris and Robert L. Joseph (Paperback)
link


--
Michael P. Owen
Seattle Washington Autoduel Team
link
owenmp.wordpress.com

ubercommando29 Mar 2013 4:20 p.m. PST

I haven't seen it since it was first aired but this is what I remembered:

1. Rock Hudson's president was a dick to the Russians and could have easily resolved the conflict diplomatically.

2. The tubes. They worked for about 2 minutes before the Russians killed every American in them.

3. The M-16's had clear plastic foresights because…hey…it's the near future.

4. The screechy opening titles.

5. If the US grain is so damned important to risk war over, why wasn't the Alaskan grain depot better guarded against attack?

darthfozzywig29 Mar 2013 5:28 p.m. PST

I loved it. I was busy painting my green army men white and white with spots (like the Russians). Good times.

owenmp29 Mar 2013 6:24 p.m. PST

@ubercommando

The U.S., Canada and Australia had enacted grain embargoes against the U.S.S.R. I have not read the novelization yet, but the reason may have been the continued invasion of Afganistan started in 1979.

The station in Alaska that had pipe sections was a pumping station for the Alaskan oil pipeline. It could be used to destroy a large section of the pipeline. The Soviet Union wanted to capture the facility to blackmail the U.S., Canada and Australia to drop their grain embargoes.


@darthfozzywig

I remember reading last year on a blog someone recreated the pumping station defense with pipe section using G.I. Joe figures when he was a child. Awesome.


Look at this blog entry about Iraq in 2007.

Anyone remember the miniseries ‘World War III'?
link
Murdoc Online
April 24, 2007


The pumping station would be fun to simulate in a tabletop wargame or a computer game. A real-time CRPG like Fallout Tactics would be a great gaming platform for the scenario.

Gennorm31 Mar 2013 5:41 a.m. PST

I remember the pipes causing much amusement at school the day after it was shown. Truly dire series not even worth watching again for a laugh.

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