Combat Dealers
Upcoming episodes
May 5th
300p
NAZI OCCUPIED BRITAIN
An excited Bruce has heard that a Martello Tower has come up for sale on the Channel Islands. This is a huge concrete fortification the Germans armed and used when they occupied these British islands. Bruce has always wanted one to house his collection and they rarely come on the market, so he heads straight over to Jersey and Guernsey. Not only is this a trip down memory lane, as Bruce bought some of his first items there, it’s a chance to hunt for items that tell the story of Nazi occupied Britain. Back at base, the twins have the dangerous task of getting a WWII Napalm filled flamethrower safe and ready for a buyer.
May 5th
400p
THE ITALIAN JOB
Bruce and Hus are on Italian road-trip. From Venice to Lake Garda they meet up with dealers whose objects tell the incredible story of Italy in WWII. Italian kit is going-up in value; if Bruce can increase his stock while it’s cheap and sit on it as it rises in value, it’s money in the bank. And it’s a perfect excuse to take in the sites of northern Italy. Back at base, Freddy and his son are rebuilding an authentic German troop carrier from scratch. But they only have two weeks as Bruce has found a dealer who wants to try before he buys when they meet at a Dutch military fare. So Freddy must get the transporter built, running and ready to ride.
May 6th
1000p
HOLLYWOOD’s CALLING
A Hollywood blockbuster war movie is being shot in the UK and they need genuine military vehicles and props. Knowing Bruce only deals in authentic kit, Hollywood comes calling. Renting out his vehicles to the movie could make Bruce a lot of money, so he organises a video to show-off his tanks and armoured vehicles in action. But is it enough to seal the movie deal? On the hunt for props to buy and then hire out, Bruce goes on a UK picking. To his surprise, in a warehouse in Leicester, he finds Hitler’s car and the door to the prison cell where Hitler wrote Mein Kampf.
May 7th
1000p
PHILLIPINES
Bruce hits the Philippines and when his para sidekick Freddy isn't throwing up in the local restaurants Bruce is digging up some treasures from the Pacific War. Through the objects he haggles for and buys, we discover the fascinating and dark history of Japanese occupation during WW2 and the bloody battles fought by the Allies to kick them out. Back in the UK Bruce has asked the twins to restore a rusty, super rare Japanese artillery gun, then a quick trip down under to purchase and amphibious assault vehicle … all relics of the Pacific War.
May 8th
1000p
AUSTRALIA
Bruce has managed to flog an Aussie museum half million quid’s worth of WW2 tank destroyer, but the shipping deadline is looming and the destroyer is missing one tiny detail … the barrel. While the twins set to work on the tank Bruce goes picking in former-Czechoslovakia where he acquires, among other things, an extraordinary non-magnetic, gyroscopic compass – designed to guide submarines under the ice to the North Pole. When Bruce, the tank and the team finally reach Down Under, they manage to lose the tank, but discover a Samurai sword, Commando dagger and other goodies, and have an adventure in Aborigine territory that rewrites history.
May 9th
1000p
GERMANY
Bruce accidently discovers Hitler’s toilet! (Or at least a toilet from Hitler’s state yacht). Bruce’s mate Kevin is spending over 5 million pounds restoring the world’s last remaining German torpedo boat and Bruce wants to be the dealer who supplies him with everything he needs for the job. From Kriegsmarine Kharzis to German anti-aircraft guns Bruce buys and sells his way from Plymouth to Illinois. His journey gives us a fascinating insight into the history of WW2 Naval warfare and how the Germans managed to terrorise Allied shipping. Freddy and the Twins are left back in Blighty struggling to restore a rare German gun.
May 10th
1000p
FINLAND
Bruce and Hus head to freezing Finland following a hot tip. Up near the Arctic Circle there’s a kind of Winter Wonderland of World War Two vehicles and equipment. Along the way we discover the fascinating story of the Finnish War. The Finns were masters of the winter guerrilla war, operating from deep within Finland’s huge forests. Their snipers instilled fear in the Russians, the Germans, who at various times tried to take over the country. We hear the story of ‘White Death’ the greatest sniper in history, and ex-soldier Bruce gets to try out his own sniping skills.
May 12th
300p
HIDDEN HEROES OF D-DAY
Bruce’s latest military acquisition is the fuselage of an original D-Day Dakota aeroplane. He wants this forgotten hero of history hung up and on display for all his clients to marvel at. Nick and Phil get the task of making this happen! With the 72nd D-Day anniversary coming up Bruce decides to travel to France buying up behind the scenes D-Day kit and vehicles that other dealers often overlook. On the way he investigates landing beaches, battle grounds and even gets to fulfil one of his bucket list items, a D-Day parachute jump out of a beloved Dakota! For Bruce, life doesn’t get much better than that!
May 12th
400p
THE PINK PANTHER
Christmas has come early for military artefacts dealer Bruce Crompton when he gets his hands on an incredibly rare German Panther tank. In its original undercoat this one is more pink than camouflage. There are just two working models in the world and fully restored his could be worth as much as five million pounds. But that's easier said than done - to do it up Bruce and his team must scour Europe to track down authentic parts, whilst mechanics, the twins, call in a WWII tank expert to do some detective work to uncover the secrets of the Panthers past; which ends with an explosive revelation about how the tank met its sticky end in the war.
May 13th
1000p
GERMANY
Bruce embarks on a huge project: to restore and rebuild a German Panther tank. But to pay for it, he has to do up and part with a couple of his beloved WW2 ‘halftracks’ (they’re the troop carriers you see in war films with wheels at the front and tank racks at the back). Easier said than done. The search for vital parts takes Bruce to the scene of a huge battle in France, where he also unearths some other gems, including some fascinating Nazi propaganda, one of the most valuable ash-trays on the planet, and a World War 1 cars which is said to have belonged to one Colonel (later General) George S Patton.