BBC History of World War II

Why is this a fantastic effort by the BBC to document WWII?Both black and white and colorized original footage is used. When no footage exists, they create incredibly realistic scenes.In most scenes, characters and eyewitnesses speak their native tongue (with subtitles); in some cases, a reader talks over the native speaker. In any case, using native speakers makes the scenes realistic; it doesn't get in the way of the narrative.The series relies on eyewitness talking heads; its sobering, watching this series in 2020, that most of these people are probably now dead. It's haunting.The recreated battle scenes leave you feeling like you're there doing the fighting.In the original footage, the series does not hold back on some pretty grotesque scenes.The actors playing the major personalities do very good as they are synchronized with newsreel footage.Overall it's a great way to take stock of what was sacrificed to create that world we now live in.

A remarkably deep and penetrating analysis of a war that changed the world forever has come to us from the BBC, and I must confess that I am impressed by the scope of this production.With commentary provided by noted Hitler biographer, Ian Kershaw, and other noteworthy eyewitness accounts and featurettes, these all raise The BBC History of WWII to the status of near-epic. Comparisons to the World At War, I'm afraid, are not really applicable here. World At War was meant to be a comprehensive examination of WWII from A to Z (Autobahn to Zeitgeist?), this series offers a more analytical examination of specific issues and their far-reaching consequences on the war and the players involved--not a battle by battle account of the war. "The Nazis: A Warning From History" is a case in point. In depth interviews reveal German psyche and attitudes towards Hitler and the Nazi party in the early days of the Reich; for some, joining the Party was the "thing to do" and for others, Hitler was the answer to restoring German prestige in a time when most of Europe was reeling from the physical and economic devastation of WWI. All fascinating stuff that goes beyond the scope of battlefield's winners and losers and bodycounts.In my opinion, the installments on Nazi Germany and Auschwitz are worth the price for this magnificant collection of over 30 hours of programming. Anyone who has World At War would do well to purchase this set as well since this offers an up front and detailed look at a war that still haunts us today. Some of the re-enactments utlilizing actors, especially those of the Battle of Dunkirk, are questionable, but do not really detract from the overall quality of this set.My grandfather served with the Alpine Division in the Italian Army before he emigrated to the Bay Area in the late '30's, so the installment on Italy's involvement in the war was of particular interest and well-handled by the BBC team. Some great footage was preserved and included in this set.But why only four stars? Well, to echo the claims of the other reviewers, the war against Japan gets little coverage confined to the one disc "Horror in the East," but don't let that keep you from purchasing and enjoying this series.

This would be good if it weren't so one-sided. They mention Patton once and spend a huge amount of time telling us how wonderful Monty was. That's nonsense. Monty didn't beat Rommel, the RAF and British Navy did. Rommel left his tanks in the desert when they ran out of fuel and ammunition. After D-Day the Brits did about 10% of what the American did and the Brits landed on the easy beaches.

This set is a collection of BBC programs, aired over a span of years. Different directors, narrators, and approaches to story-telling mean that it is not a single integrated history. Perhaps it's best to back it up with a reading of, say, Anthony Beevor's book on the History of WWII. Doing so adds searing images from archive footage as well as reconstructions that fix the history in ones mind. I wish every high school student in the world, especially in Europe and the USA, would have the experience of being taken through this series with the aid of a knowledgeable teacher to fill in supporting detail. And what of the politicians who speak so glibly of undertaking war? Could they continue that after experiencing this series?

The BBC always puts out a quality product and this is no different. The Nazis: A Warning from History, Auschwitz: Inside the Auschwitz State, And Dunkirk are featured, but there are also programs on Dunkirk, the Japanese conduct of the war, and the Battle of the Atlantic. I'd seen two of the features before, but wanted them for my permanent collection. Well worth the price -- as always with BBC documentaries I found a few details here and there I wasn't familiar with, and that is the joy of watching these little known documentaries.

This is a compilation of several years worth of documentary on WWII by the BBC. It is exceptionally well done....very hard to watch sections on Nazi treatment of Jews, this is news footage from the time not a movie. I believe Americans should watch this to really grasp the scope of the events that led to the war. Understanding the political posturing of that time offers insights to many of today's events. The US still views itself as protected by oceans as we did in the 1930s. This series would be an eye opener for many.

Still haven't seen all of it but the segments Ive watched are outstanding in presentation and information. Often tough to stomach but frankly I was relieved to find I could still be repulsed by the inhumanity of it all after having so much exposure to the subject matter. I believe it was this DVD set also that shocked me to find GB turned over 4 jews when the channel islands were overrun but Italy was not complicit to turn over its jews although allied with hitler.

Very informative. Learned so much from this series. Gave a very different view of the facts in regards to all those involved. It cleared up so many questions. It pulled no punches and gave fair and honest facts as concerned all sides.

The second part of the series "Nazis: A Lesson From History" is missing. The second DVD is labeled as episodes 4-6 but actually contains episodes 1-3, just like the first DVD in the set. Fortunately I already have this series on another DVD set, so I did not 'miss' anything. However, the seller should be made aware of this error.

I bought these videos/documentaries for my friend for Christmas. He is obsessed! Can’t stopped watching them. I thought he knew everything about World Wat ll until he began watching these docs. Great buy!

Wonderful documentary with a great vision of the WWI. It is a thinking series that one will want to pass on to their children and grandchildren

This is a very comprehensive documentary about world war II (has the title says...) I love the fact that they show testimony from everyone, from persecuted jews but also from german soldiers at the time. They make you understand why the war started, all from a very neutral point of view. So, BBC rocks, as always!

Engage this series. E drying should have historical insight into Witnd WR 11.