Silver Spring, MD — Hitler’s Bodyguard, the fascinating WWII documentary seen on Discovery’s Military Channel, debuts on DVD from Athena on February 2, 2010 (DVD 4-Vol., $79.99, www.AthenaLearning.com). The darkest chapters of the 20th century come to light in this captivating 13-part documentary about Adolf Hitler’s inner circle.

How did Adolf Hitler manage to survive more than 40 assassination attempts—some by his own generals? Using captured SS documents and eyewitness interviews, this documentary series reveals the secrets of the elite bodyguards who swore loyalty oaths to the Führer himself. It explains how Hitler cultivated rivalries among his security services to ensure his safety, and how his purposefully unpredictable behavior saved his life several times.

Carefully assembled archival footage offers rare glimpses inside Hitler’s infamous strongholds—the Berghof, the Wolf’s Lair, and the Berlin bunker. Computer-generated graphics detail the security measures used in his trains, planes, and touring cars. And meticulous re-enactments bring lost incidents to life. In 13 riveting episodes, this Military Channel favorite brings fresh, fascinating context to the 20th century’s most evil and destructive tyrant.

Since 1990, the British team of Philip Nugus and Jonathan Martin has created popular, critically acclaimed historical documentaries, including Churchill’s Bodyguard and The Century of Warfare.

Episodes: How Hitler’s Bodyguard Worked; Early Attempts on Hitler’s Life; Kill the New Chancellor!; Night of the Long Knives; Jewish and Émigré Attempts to Kill Hitler; Kill Hitler Before War Starts; Bombs and Paranoia; Dangerous Car Journeys; Flights into Danger; Hitler’s Dangerous Train Journeys; Attempts to Kill Hitler at the Wolf’s Lair; Nearly Assassinated at the Berghof; and Poison Gas Plot in the Bunker

BONUS FEATURES

• 20-page viewer’s guide with highlights, questions to consider, avenues for further learning, Who’s Who among Hitler’s Bodyguard, and a guide to Hitler’s security units.
• Killing Hitler in the Movies filmography
• Photo galleries

Street: February 2, 2010
SRP: $79.99
DVD 4-Vol. Boxed Set: 13 episodes - Approx. 611 min. - SDH subtitles

Athena is Acorn Media Group’s new home video brand for consumers interested in lifelong learning through documentary programming. Each Athena release provides an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming, along with a host of extras to extend the learning experience beyond the screen. Athena’s 2009 releases included Playing Shakespeare, The Shape of the World, The Adventure of English, The Genius of Charles Darwin, among several others. Special web content and clips are available at www.athenalearning.com. Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.