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This documentary series dates from about 1972 and is a British Production. The episode dealing with the "Fall of France" has a decidedly British take on the subject, blaming the loss on a French post-WW I malaise. [Only one member of the French General Staff was willing to be interviewed for the episode, obviously fearing a "hatchet job," which from a French interpretive point of view it no doubt is.] Most modern historians attribute the loss to an incompatibility in France's military doctrine of "elan" (i.e. that of the offensive) with its static defensive position of the Maginot Line, together with a tactical failure to commit its strategic reserve until it was too late. Also, the episode dealing with the "War in the Atlantic" is also incomplete as it fails to benefit from the revelation in 1973 by Cave Brown of the War's biggest secret: Ultra [the Allie's cracking of the German War cyphers]. It is impossible to understand how the tide of this campaign changed against Germany in 1943 after the peak then in German U-boat successes against Allied tonnage, and notwithstanding such technological breakthroughs as the snorkel [allowing diesel engines to operate while the submarine was submerged rather than relying on battery power, which significantly reduced speed], without a knowledge of how the Allies used Ultra information. Contrary to the explanations offered in the "World at War" episode on the subject - better equipment [i.e. sideways radar, more escort ships and destroyers], the close of the "gap" in air coverage mid-Atlantic, better training, etc., the real explanation of how this aspect of the War was won was the knowledge from Ultra decrypts as to where in the Atlantic the U-Boat packs were hunting. Through the development of "Allied Control of Shipping", they were essentially able to route convoys away from the U-Boats and "starve them to death." [This strategy proved so effective, that Doenitz eventually pulled the U-Boats from service prior to Normandy, confining them to their pens in France, because of their inefficacy.] One of the best episodes of this series is "Red Star," dealing with the German "Barbarossa" campaign in Russia, and the eventual counter-offensive by Zhutkov. Notwithstanding the efforts by the Allies to mount the largest amphibious invasion in human history at Normandy, in point of fact Germany's armies were "broken" and attrited on the Eastern Front at a tremendous cost in life and suffering by the Russian people on a scale that the vast majority of North Americans are wholly unaware of. This episode is a welcome antidote to the western pre-occupation with its liberation of Europe, which would have been impossible, notwithstanding the commitment to and sacrifices of this battle, had Hitler's armies not been pre-occupied and over-taxed on the Eastern Front. Lastly, the episode dealing with the "Holocaust" does not address the subject within the meaning of this term, as the historiography on the subject had not as yet evolved. Instead, the episode deals with the issue using terms and concepts of the time of its making: genocide, and atrocities of war. But despite these minor qualifications, this is one of the most balanced and reasoned treatments of the subject in video format you will find. The breadth of its use of materials from German, Russian, and Japanese, archives alone makes this an essential addition to the Video Library of anyone seriously interested in the subjectVollständige Rezension lesen
These programs are every bit as compelling as when I first saw them over 20 years ago. I've only scratched the surface of this set of DVDs, but the content, presentation and attention to quality are evident. The packaging is slick, but the historical documentaries contained therein are genuine. This is no "modern documentary" that features a "team" exploring themselves as much as the topic, WW II. This is an entertaining and informative compilation of period video and still pictures interspersed with interviews from contemporaries, all united concisely by thoughtful, intelligently written narration. The only fault I would find with this set is that episodes are on both sides of the disc, and the titles are written in the ring around the center and are virtually unreadable with the naked eye. If you are familiar with this series, this is the definative set advertised on late night television. If you are not and you are at all interested in WW II, you you owe it to yourself to investigate this most superb collection of documentaries.Vollständige Rezension lesen
An interesting and thorough (32 hrs, including all the extras) history of WW II, but somewhat dated (1974) and the sound quality is not great (mono, not stereo, according to the box).
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The first DVD of the five in the set was defective. It "froze" while watching and lost audio as well as having a scrambled picture. I was very disappointed and have not even tried to view any of the other DVD's in the set.
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This World War II series was filmed in 1973-1974 when direct witnesses were still alive. It isn't just a dry overview of some far away history. The series makes the war personal through the emotive interviews of people that lived through it. Common folk like you and I tell their tales among rare film footage and excellent narration. All of it combines to bear witness to the suffering, the strength, and the fortitude of men and women in a world at war.
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