39-45 : L'humanité en guerre

I binged this series. What I enjoyed the most was the ability to show every country's suffering, in spite of what we may have been told or read growing up; it reminds you that suffering came from all over the world and that many didn't want to fight, but had a duty. Watching the footage and knowing this was actual footage, and actual accounts by those enduring the war was what touched me the most. It is important that documentaries like these are continued to be made so that we remember how people suffer , and continue to suffer in this world. Other reviewers have mentioned that there are historical inaccuracies in the series, I cannot attest to this, but it definitely leaves the viewer with a lot of questions. But again, if you want to learn more or verify, you have the ability to do that , this series was a good way to get witnesses' accounts of the war.

Amazing restored footage and personal interviews but misses the mark on accurate history. Went out of the way to show the actions of the Allies that cast them in a bad light. Makes no mention that Germany targeted civilians first in the Battle over Britain. Made no attempt to explain the loss lives in the invasions of the smaller islands that led the US to estimate the millions that would have died in fighting for the main islands of Japan. Italy did not conquer Greece either. Jon Boyega's narration was terrible. You would think English was not his native tongue. I would say it's worth watching for the interviews and restored frontline film. Take the history as slanted and in some cases just wrong.

The series tells the story of ww2 with a remarkable lack of context. There is little explanation as to WHY things happened. However, the picture restoration is impressive. It can be useful as an introduction to ww2, but this series is useless if you seek a deeper historical understanding.

There is no mentioning of the Great War, which was an important factor as to why ww2 started in the first place. Nor any mentioning of why Germany and England started bombing each other's capitals.

As a documentary, these shortcomings ruin the experience.

It is however interesting to hear what people who actually lived the war experienced. I'm just frustrated by the lack of historical context...

If you feel that this series insults your intelligence, maybe you are not the target audience. This series is an engaging way to familiarize students and non-WWII buffs with some of the events and emotions of one of the most influential eras in modern history - without making it feel like ancient history. If you are somehow offended by its simplicity, or the fact that there is nothing you didn't already know, or that the narrator doesn't sound like all of the other WWII documentary narrators you've heard, maybe reframe your expectations and try watching it through a different lens - or don't watch it at all. I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know.

Basic and inaccurate Netflix series, which hides historical facts of great importance. Its greatest merit is the sound and colorization of scenes. There is a vast amount of filmed material presented here and, therefore, it was worth watching this series. In historical terms, there is a minimalism in information that is very uncomfortable. Little is said (or not even said at all) about the infamous agreement between Stalin and Hitler, the non-aggression pact. There is no mention of the siege of Leningrad. Another inaccurate fact is the terrible situation in which Great Britain found itself at a certain point, alone fighting against Hitler. It is unacceptable not to highlight this fact and this great courage to continue fighting. The definitive documentary of the Second World War already exists. It's French and called Apocalypse and was produced in 2009.