The War

As a 1951 baby boomer, I am the proud son of a world war 2 vet. Growing up, Dad talked little about the war. What I learned about the war was from history books and war movies. But Ken Burns has changed all of that for me and I am sure the Millions who have seen and will see this incredible documentary. For now I am not just the son born after the war but someone who knows and feels what went on for 5 years in Europe,North Africa, in the Pacific and the Far East. I have learned things no book or film ever taught me: the sights, the smell and the taste of the horrors our boys faced as we fought toward victory. This is a movie that is going to be too late for the many Vets that have passed on during the 62 years since V-J day. But it is now here , for the record , for all us now and future generations to say "THANK YOU" to the greatest generation for saving the world from the most brutal humans that were ever put on this earth. Again, Thank you Ken Burns for this incredible experience.

I'm glad that the other reviewers here have seen, and enjoyed "The Civil War" by the same filmmaker. However, I don't see why it is so important to them to explain that they enjoyed it more than this film. Especially without explaining if they enjoyed this film more than other documentaries ON WORLD WAR TWO! It's apples 'n oranges folks.

I, for one, am enjoying it (last installment, tonight!) immensely. And, I would say, MORE than any other WORLD WAR TWO DOCUMENTARY I have ever seen (and I believe that I've seen most all of them). Focusing on four American towns was just the right size character study for this subject. Very, very, good film.

This beautiful work of art touches the heart and soul. Truly one of the best things ever written and constructed in film. I've seen it five times and still moves me to my core Thank you mr Ward and mr Burns for this most important piece of historic telling for us an all our future generations

I have not watched this yet but was motivated to write this "review" in response to a bizarre criticism I kept encountering while browsing the reviews. Apparently some people become enraged at the very thought that an American filmmaker making an American documentary for an America audience about America's part in a historical event might present an American point of view. How appalling!!! How selfish and unfair and propagandistic to have a point of view!!! Filthy Americans!!!

We can play this game with every single country. The Soviet Union saw the war in Eastern Europe as the entirety of the war. They didn't give a damn what happened elsewhere. In fact, they never even referred to it as a World War. French accounts massively overplay the importance of the Resistance, and the British thought that Monty was an important general and that El Alamein made a difference. Why is America the only country that's not allowed to have a point of view?

For those of you who hate giving America any credit for anything, you're gonna hate this even more: without American support, Britain would have been starved into submission and the Soviet Union would have collapsed. How do you think they reinforced and resupplied the Red Army in the first place? They did it to a great extent using the stuff America provided: over 400,000 trucks and jeeps, 13,000 armored vehicles (including 7,000 tanks), 11,000 aircraft, thousands of locomotives and rail cars, several million tons each of food, gasoline and high-octane aviation fuel.

After Britain's surrender, an additional several hundred thousand soldiers would have been moved from the Atlantic Wall to the Eastern Front. A bigger army, Britain out of the fight, no distraction in Greece, and the USSR lacking the necessary transport & supplies all mean that Hitler wins, Britain becomes an irrelevant footnote, and the Soviet Union ceases to exist. Europeans fought in Europe because they had to. Americans didn't have to go there for the Second Damn Time. Americans fought there because it was the right thing to do. Americans have earned the right to have a damn point of view. Your very ability to complain about us exists because we saved your ass.

"Dear God, we need your help real bad. Don't send anyone else but yourself, neither. Not even Jesus. 'Cause this is no place for kids."

I'm half way through the series and am absorbing it like a sponge. Fantastic story tellers, especially that pilot, Quentin Annensen (sp?). Oscar-winning actors couldn't have done it any better, telling chilling stories that make me realize how lucky I am, as a young man, to not have to experience such things. (...And I thought I had drama in my life.)

My Grandfather survived the war on various submarines, so I've been a bit disappointed there's been no mention, so far, of sub warfare. But as the series describes, "there were millions of people involved and millions of stories." I'm not too upset.

To the filmmakers, terrific job. To the vets, I'll always remember you.