PBS has a fantastic documentary series about World War II called The War by Ken Burns. It took Burns six years to create the film series, which follows the lives of soldiers that actually fought the war and their families:
Sixteen million American men and women served in uniform during the war; more than 400,000 lost their lives. Find out from those who were there what the war was like on the front lines - in the air, at sea, and on the ground. Discover how they trained and how they fought - and what it was like for them to come home.
Link - Thanks Steve Pearson!
but when do we see any acknowledgment of our allies?
you know, the millions of troops from other countries, like Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, France, Poland, etc.
and, any bets on how much time this documentary devotes to the Nisei and Negroes who served in our army?
... and the Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos ...
This documentary isn't so much about the war as about the American experience of the war—on the homefront and on the front lines. If that's not your cup of tea, don't watch.
The interviews with former veterans is simply awe inspiring. What continues to amaze me is the savagery and brutality of the battles in both theaters of World War 2. What also struck me was how the war department censored all news coming from the front, especially the Pacific theater, to keep all the horrendous casualties out of the public eye. It wasn't until 1943 and the battle of Tarawa that a horrified American public became aware of the tremendous cost.
Indeed the generation that fought WW2 was the greatest generation. There is no way our current generation would have the stomach to fight a war like that, where a single campaign that lasted a few months would exceed the current casualty rate from Iraq by a factor of two or more.
http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5267.htm
sh*t. that made me cry.
Wow. Great work all around, and I can't wait to see the finale. WWII was such a different war, and everyone in America was indeed touched by it.
I'll check it out, but honestly world war 2 has been done to death! It will be interesting to note how many of these shows are made once all the veterans of WW2 have passed away.
the Chinese had been fighting the Empire of Japan since the early 1930's, years after the Japanese had occupied Korea.
Poland was invaded in September 1939. France attacked May 1940, and the Battle of Britain started that same year.
Russia started fighting Germany in June 1941.
America entered the war December 1941.
the USA was, in fact, the LAST major power to enter the war.
http://www.mgtrust.org/index.htm
It's been a long time coming but I'm glad to see it finally up since many folks from the Caribbean, Africa and the India subcontinent (present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - henceforth referred to, for convenience, as ‘India’) will get some acknowledgment for their sacrifice.
Just to be exact: the French did not attack. they declared war, and then waited like a sheep for the slaughter.
And true, having watched a lot of French documentaries, they aim a lot on the Resistance, much less on the Debacle or the fate of the French navy... All documentaries have a domestic (or else) prism indeed.
I do not understand the FCC fines referring to the cursing. The images within the film are in no way suitable for children, and honestly, if you can handle a close up shot of a baby starved to death at a concentration camp, you can handle a few four letter words.