Around 70 million people were killed during World War 2. It was the most destructive and brutal war in human history. This World at War episode, the only one (I think) to not be narrated by Laurence Olivier, is one of my personal favorites and a standout in a series already filled to the brim with unforgettable moments. Yes, I know it's technically not part of the main show, but it does have the same music and a lot of the same war footage. The episode is simple to explain, since it doesn't focus on overly complicated ww2 military operations or events. All it is is 52 minutes of archive footage taken during the war, while former servicemen talk over it about their experiences. We see some of the conflict's most iconic and definitive points, such as marines landing on the blackened, sandy shores at Iwo Jima, German and British planes clashing over the English Channel, and American forces trying to hold back Hitler's last attempt at an offensive campaign during the Battle of the Bulge. Like every other World at War installment, the things being shown onscreen go together with the interviews like bread and butter. Here however, it feels even more moving because none of the people being interviewed are ever seen. One of the them recalls the agonizing experience of being on a navy ship towards the end of the war in the Pacific, as Japanese planes dove in to make suicide attacks on US fleets. Just one hit from a kamikaze plane was enough to turn a huge aircraft carrier into a smoking wreck. The huge amount of gunfire being shot into the sky really makes you wonder how any japanese planes managed to get through, but many did. One particularly horrible piece of footage shows someone operating a flamethrower and attacking japanese positions. Someone who looks to be no older than a teenager stumbles out of some foliage on fire and then collapses. At the end, we hear the voice of Colonel Paul Tibbets as he recounts the fateful day where he attacked Hiroshima with the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. Although he's technically responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of people instantly and many more later on from radiation, he said he did what he had to do. I won't go into absolutely everything that Warrior showcases, but these are some of the things overflowing with history that you'll find here. If you're like me and think World at War is the best series ever made on ww2, there's no reason you shouldn't watch this. It's great to hear the things these men went through, since in just a dozen or so more years, everyone who fought in this war will be gone for good. My only complaint is a lack of Soviet perspectives, which might show up at some point but I can't remember.
