Hitler's Last Stand

As a series of short documentaries this is good. It shows some well-known and less knows 'incidents' and they are presented in an interesting way. The storytelling is good, the acting could have been better. I guess the budget wasn't huge, because many of the actors are seen in various roles over various episodes. OK, John Wayne played many roles in many films, but they were different kinds of films and not parts of a series. If watching this series, in one episode an actor is playing the role of a German officer and in the next episode a Canadian one and in another episode he's an American soldier. Also, when watching episodes concerning castles, all have the samen walls. And residential buildings all look the same: not very house-like. Even tank no. 14 seems to take part in many different battles.

My overall opinion: good intention, not so good execution.

The documentary series presents snippets of small unit action - battalion level - from the Western Front. The first two episodes I've watched covers the assault on "Abbaye D'Ardenne" by 1st Battalion Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment and the storm on "Fort Montbarey" by a battlegroup consisting of U.S. 121st Engineer Battalion, U.S. 1st Bn, 116th under Maj Tom Dallas and the "Crocodile" tanks of B Squadron, 141st Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps. The former is a snippet of the "Battle for Caen" and the latter "Battle of Brest".

The concept is good: Take an interesting battalion level small unit action, which by the way in both cases turn out to be an assault on a fortified position, from a larger battle and tell the story. The cases are also well chosen.

However the overall quality of reenactment is hideous. One can bear the usual low budget effects and scaled down extras, a few soldiers representing the companies, but by god acting is unbearable. The one playing the Kurt Meyer is especially annoying. The equipment is not accurate. Crocodiles represented by Shermans, British Tankers wearing American suits etc. The story telling is usually good except lausy order of battles. How many of the Germans were on those fortified positions we do not told and I had to look up internet in order to figure out "Regina Rifles" is a battalion strength unit. If you're going to tell us small unit action you have to do it properly and give us necessary details.

Overall; good concept, bad execution.

They seem to have decent writing, access to world-class historians like David O'Keefe, and a budget for CGI. The reenactments, however, are horrifyingly bad. I feel for the extras who have been given not only the wrong types of uniform and equipment to work with, but absolutely no informed instructions on how to wear any of it convincingly. Firearms carries are abysmal and modelled after modern day police tactics rather than what soldiers were doing in the field in 1944. Many won't notice much of this, but for those in the know, the reenactments are unwatchable. And they deserve to have been the centrepiece.

Watching this the Germans seem to win every battle and the Allies look like keystone cops??Allied victories are glossed over in few seconds. On the positive side realistic history of the tactics and historical battles are examined. Perhaps it does a good job of highlighting how difficult the advance was. Perhaps the directors took the view that only the most difficult battles are of interest. Having said that perhaps the Allied generals who became heroes like Montgommery had their limitations and seemed to make many tactical nlunders. The pristine soldiers uniforms are not that realistic but the horrors that the soldiers must have faced are highlighted.

The story tellers over dramatize everything. The reenactors were the wrong gear and carry the wrong weapons. It looks like it was put together by a high schooler in AV club with a bunch of his buddies playing the roles. On the plus side, the specifics of the battles are pretty accurate.