Has anyone been watching WWII in HD on the History Channel?

[LeesburgSkinFan]

Fascinating and bad ass stuff. I'll have to get the DVD when it's over...some of the images are amazing.

[TGI Jef]

i agree that this has been pretty awesome.

ive watched a lot of it multiple times.

check out the Ken Burns "The War" documentary if you like this. it is arguably better, and uses the same "tell the whole story using individual stories" type format.

either way, this has been cool to have on pretty much constantly. looking forward to watching the rest of it.

[skinsfan_1215]

I watched this for about 2 hours last night. Pretty awesome footage.

[Elessar78]

Dude! I risked my wife's wrath last night by taping WWIIINHD over Biggest Loser. So worth it.

I think the one thing these shows clarified is why dropping the A-bomb was necessary. Seeing how tough it was to win in small islands like Saipan and Iwo Jima and the Japanese' willingness to go on suicide missions to take out as many American lives as possible, I think an invasion of mainland Japan would've cost a ton of American lives. Not to mention that unlike in the European theater we had allies, from what I gather we were pretty much solo against Japan.

[Heisenberg]

It's been a good week for this stuff.

Apolocalypse: The Second World War in HD on The Smithsonian Channel is excellent also.

[spjunkies]

That footage is awesome, but some of it makes my tummy hurt :(

[Henry]

I've only been able to see part of it. It's really interesting stuff.

I'll probably buy it when I get the chance.

[TGI Jef]

watched some of this with a friend who was awarded a bronze star for his work in Iraq. he said that stuff like this actually helps him gain respect for the ENEMY in those battles, which i found interesting. he said he had a lot more respect for how the enemy faught that war as opposed to how the current enemy is fighting in iraq/afghanistan.

dont mean to turn this into a political/war discussion, as i have no real opinino on that sort of thing. but i did find that to be an intersting statement.

[zoony]

I used to have the old Victory at Sea series on tape years ago- that was also a great series. Not sure if that's even available anymore

Anyways I've caught a few parts of this series- I would love to watch more but my wife despises these programs and I normally only watch TV with her :(

[Henry]

Anyways I've caught a few parts of this series- I would love to watch more but my wife despises these programs and I normally only watch TV with her :(

That sounds familiar. :)

[Boots]

I've been watching it when I can. Yesterday, the footage of people commiting suicide on Saipan was pretty disturbing. Good to see the reality of war, and that it's not like a John Wayne movie.

[helptheSKINS]

Have the first 2 on DVR. Can't wait to watch

[Cheers, Beers and Mountaineers]

Watching it right now, pretty cool.

All the voice overs are actors too, Rob Lowe, Amy Smart, LL Cool J are some of the names they have.

[georgiaredskin]

Have the first 2 on DVR. Can't wait to watch

Second that. We're taping all of it and can't wait to watch. Thanks for the thread.

[Painkiller]

I'm a huge WW II buff. I've done a lot of reading about the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. This documentary has probably been the best I've seen overall with regards to images, and time line. The graphic nature of some of the images really struck me. People tend to detach a bit when all they know of a major historical event such as WW II is what they were taught in school. When you SHOW them, it gives a totally different perspective.

Very rarely is the distinction between right and wrong, good vs. evil, so clear as it was during this time.

[Elessar78]

I'm a huge WW II buff. I've done a lot of reading about the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. This documentary has probably been the best I've seen overall with regards to images, and time line. The graphic nature of some of the images really struck me. People tend to detach a bit when all they know of a major historical event such as WW II is what they were taught in school. When you SHOW them, it gives a totally different perspective.

Very rarely is the distinction between right and wrong, good vs. evil, so clear as it was during this time.

I'm currently reading a book called The Fall of Berlin 1945 about the days leading up to the end for Germany WWII. It's really good.

Any recommendations for reading?

[Bang]

I'm DVRing a bunch of episodes tonight
Thanks for the heads-up!

~Bang

[Elessar78]

Haha. I'm recording 'em too but it's definitely gonna DVR over Glee so I'm preparing for my own WWII tonight when the wife comes home. :)

[Painkiller]

I'm currently reading a book called The Fall of Berlin 1945 about the days leading up to the end for Germany WWII. It's really good.

Any recommendations for reading?

I've read what most consider to be the definitive book on Nazi Germany.
"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer

The book was written around 40 years ago, but it's the best account I know of for Nazi Germany's rise to power. The book was mostly written using intelligence confiscated by the Allies after the fall of Berlin. Very thick book, and takes a while to read.

I also have read "The Illustrated History of the Third Reich" by Alex Hook. Provides extensive background into the key players of Nazi Germany, basically from Hitler on down. Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Goebbels, Alfred Rosenberg, Rudolph Hess, and Hitler's top ranking Nazi commanders. If you like pictures with your text, this is your book.

There is so much material, you really can't go wrong.

[Vicious]

Charred mutilated remains.. there's a lesson in there.

[Baculus]

I've been watching this show for the past week. It's really quite fantastic, and up there with Ken Burn's quality programs.

[Capt Rich Fla]

I'm watching it. Really fascinating. In the begining they show a soldier giving a small child a drink of water. The child is shaking. I actually burst into tears when I saw it. My heart broke for that scared little child. I hope that kid was OK after that. It would be nice to think that the soldier could have taken the little one home. :(

[stevenaa]

It's hard to reconcile seeing people standing in a firing squad, or being strung up wth a rope around their necks being so complacent. It's hard to imagine not fighting for you life, but seeing the reality of the futility is striking. It's also so hard to imagine the brutality the german soldiers so willingly committed. You just watch and ask yourself where their sense of right and wrong went. I also wonder what they think about their actions years removed. Do they have remorse for their actions, or remorse they didn't succeed in their quest.