The War

[Scar]

Ken Burn's new miniseries about WWII debutes on PBS this Sunday, September 23 at 8:00. If you are fan of his "The Civil War" and "Baseball" (and who isn't ;)) I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[prprincess]

Thanks for the reminder! I saw an ad for it in a magazine that I was reading, and showed it to my husband. He'd been asking me to let him know when it was, and I'd totally forgotten.

[TKDONALD]

I happen to be a WW2 collector and a vintage baseball card and autograph collector. On November 9 through the 11 there is a opening of a new section of the National D- Day museum. It ill be call When Baseball went to War. Ther will be many former big leaguers including HOFer Bob Feller, Dom Dimaggio, Tommy Lasorda and many more. They will be a banquet for dinner and lunch.

It should be really interesting. Plus like yall said earlier, Baseball and history cant go wrong. I bought my tickets for it and if any one is interested go to the National D-Day museum website.:baseball:

[Scar]

... Baseball and history cant go wrong.A medal goes to the first person who can answer this and give the reference...


"Texas"

[Ian]

So has anyone been watching this? I think it's been terrific (not surprisingly).

The one thing I'm a bit disappointed in is the amount of time that's being spent on the negatives from that era (like some of the racial issues and the internment camps).

I know they were an ugly part of the war, but I just think there was so much positive that America did during that time period it's a little unfair to spend as much time as he has focusing on the few questionable decisions that were made.

The footage, though, has been amazing. Anyone besides me see like three or four scenes where you could see for sure that Spielberg had copied the footage for SPR?

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I have been loving this! I was glued to the TV when "The Civil War" premiered. I hope that it will be shown again, as I missed the second episode (basketball game).

It gives just an inkling of what sacrifice the vast majority of Americans gave to the cause of freedom. You also get much more of an idea of how hard the war was to win. I guess I always had the impression that we went to Europe, the Pacific, Africa and won battles much more easily than was the case.

[Ian]

You also get much more of an idea of how hard the war was to win. I guess I always had the impression that we went to Europe, the Pacific, Africa and won battles much more easily than was the case.I think that's the part that struck me, as well.

I mean I'm a bit of a WWII buff, so I consider myself more knowledgeable about it than the average American. But even so, I was pretty surprised by how costly some of those battles were. It wasn't unsual for the Americans to lose thousands of soldiers in just a few days of fighting, especially in the war in the Pacific. Things were very brutal there.

[PirateLover]

The one thing I'm a bit disappointed in is the amount of time that's being spent on the negatives from that era (like some of the racial issues and the internment camps).

I know they were an ugly part of the war, but I just think there was so much positive that America did during that time period it's a little unfair to spend as much time as he has focusing on the few questionable decisions that were made.
I agree to a certain extent, but then again so many WWII shows have been done that glossed over those parts. I mean in school, those things were just a blip in the textbook or a video. I never really understood the scope of the issues until recently, so I don't mind that much that they talked in depth about those aspects.



The footage, though, has been amazing. Anyone besides me see like three or four scenes where you could see for sure that Spielberg had copied the footage for SPR?

The pictures were great, the soundtrack was great... but you're right, the footage took the cake. It's very compelling when you realize you aren't watching a movie depiction... this is the real deal.

[Mousefever]

I, too, having been watching "The War". I had never known much about what happened in the Pacific theater aside from watching "Victory at Sea" episodes with my dad. Although "Band of Brothers" was not a documentary (apart from the interviews), I feel that I learned much about the brutality of WWII from that miniseries. I have enjoyed learning about what Americans sacrificed on the home front, sacrifices that I'm not sure the majority of people today would be willing to make. On the other hand, perhaps it was easier for those living through WWII to make sacrifices given that they had just survived the Great Depression, and were therefore used to sacrifice.

I have been struck by the dignity with which the Japanese-Americans who are interviewed, have spoken about their experiences during the war. Although their pain over being separated from the rest of society is evident, I would have expected more bitterness in their stories. It seems that their pain comes not as much from their internment as from the denial of their patriotism. I'm glad that Ken Burnes has chosen to focus on their experience. It is a good reminder to us as we deal with the tendency to sometimes mistakenly equate someone's race with their ideology.


:dory:

[Advnt05]

It's been an excellent series. I've missed several of my favorite shows in order to watch this.
I too found it surprising how hard it was in some of the battles. I was under the impression that once we landed in Normandy, we pretty much swept right up through France and into Germany. I have not heard of many of the islands in the Pacific where the battles were fought.
I also agree with the dignity of the Japanese American soldiers. I'm not sure I could fight for a country who was actively interning my family at the same time. The same could be said for African Americans who fought as well.
I've found it interesting how some of the men interviewed seem solumn and affected by the War even after 60 years. A few seemed excited about it and even laughed and spoke faster when talking about the killings. It's an interesting psychological study.
I hope he covers how the country handled the Japanese Americans after they were released from the camps.
I was born in Japan in the 60s. My folks felt welcome in Japan at the time.
On an interesing side note, there is a protest going on in Japan right now due to the government wanting to change the text books to soften some atroscities that Japanese soldiers did during the war.

[ibrowse17]

Being from Mobile, I have really enjoyed seeing the old pictures of our town and the stories from our neighbors. It has been very interesting.:thumbsup:

[Scar]

I haven’t been able to watch all of it as I’ve been wasting my time watching some stupid baseball games, but what I have seen has been excellent.

My only compliant is that, for me, there could really be more details about the battles. He only spent about 10 minutes on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it is impossible to really go into too much detail in 17 hours. Too bad he didn’t do two separate series, one on the Pacific and one on Europe.

[Advnt05]

I agree on the separating the Pacific from the European battles. Right now, the series stands at 7 nights. I'm not sure you could get the public support if you separated it into two 14 night series. I'm fascinated by the Pacific conflict. I seem to be more familiar with the European stories. Outside of Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, I really didn't know much about the Pacific battles.
Tonight should be interesting as it's the last night. I'm hoping they should how the soldiers integrated back into society. There can probably be lessons learned that are applicable to our current conflict.
In the words of one of the guys in the series, they were 18-20 years old and all they were trained to do for 2 or more years was to kill. How do you return to wives, children, and towns and be normal after that?

[Ian]

Last night was great. One thing that stood out to me was how many great stories there are out there about WWII. The one story the woman told about her and her friends getting mobbed by the returning soldiers while trying to get them donuts and coffee had me HOWLING!

In the midst of such horror, it's kinda nice to see there was some relief at times.

Also, was anyone else struck by how un-Godly high the civilian casualties were? I don't know that I ever quite realized how bad that got. I mean they said that just during the firebombing of Dresden alone over 300,000 civilians were killed.

[Advnt05]

Civilian casulties usually go unheralded. When you compare the 300,000 to the 400,000 American soldiers lost in the total war effort, that's astronomical.
I guess there is no way to leave your town or area once the battle starts. You can see pictures of entire towns that look completely demolished. It's a shame.

[Scar]

Wow! That last episode was pretty darn sobering. :cry:

Was anyone else thinking about that scene in “Jaws” where Quint is talking about the Indianapolis?

[Advnt05]

It was very touching. I've seen the videos and images many times now but you can never get used to it.

The comment that I found intersting last night involved the woman who was held as a child with her family in the detention camp in the Phillipines. When she returned, her neighbors kept telling her how tough they had it with the gasoline rationing and milk rationing. She would not tell her story as they didn't want to hear it. It really does change one's perspective on life when you see how bad others have had it.


On a side note, it's a little depressing how little people have watched this. There are more comments about Rock of Love and such than on this thread. I also threw out a post yesterday on the watercooler forum to list people you know in the military as a sort of tribute. So far, no posts unless something changed this afternoon. Hmmm.

[Melanie]

We aren't getting this series here as of yet, so I think we are going to purchase the DVD.

I enjoy Ken Burns' work and look forward to seeing this. Glad to see you guys give it positive reviews.

[Mousefever]

Was anyone else thinking about that scene in “Jaws” where Quint is talking about the Indianapolis?

That's exactly what I was thinking about!

It's interesting that we've heard so much about the psychological trauma from more recent wars, Vietnam, Gulf War, our current war, but very little from WWII. I know that it was different back then. You sucked it up and dealt, without any help with integration back to civilian life. Yet you know that WWII vets were just as traumatized as more recent veterans. Several last night spoke about the lasting impact their experiences had on their lives. It makes me sad that these men, who were little more than boys, endured so much, and then didn't have professional support when they came home. It made their friendships with other WWII veterans that much more important.


:dory:

[Ian]

Was anyone else thinking about that scene in “Jaws” where Quint is talking about the Indianapolis?As silly as it is, that's the first thing I always think about whenever anyone talks about the Indianapolis.

Although, maybe I shouldn't feel silly, since even the documentary that Discovery Channel did this year as part of Shark Week had that Quint scene in it.


It made their friendships with other WWII veterans that much more important.It's sort of coincidental that you mention that, because just yesterday morning I was listening to one of our local talk radio stations and they had two well-known local WWII vets on.

They were both members of Easy Company (from Band of Brothers, if you're a fan) and met in England for the first time, even though they both lived only about 8 blocks away from each other in South Philadelphia.

William J. "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron became inseparable after their time overseas and they talked extensively about just what you say ... they had no professional counseling for their war trauma, but they had each other and that's how they coped.

In the sixty-two years since they came home, they have talked every single day. Truly amazing ...

I've been fortunate enough to actually meet and speak with Wild Bill (I worked with his Grandson) and all I can say is ... WHAT A CHARACTER!

You can read more about Wild Bill here (http://www.wildbillguarnere.com/).

[Scar]

On a side note, it's a little depressing how little people have watched this. There are more comments about Rock of Love and such than on this thread. I also threw out a post yesterday on the watercooler forum to list people you know in the military as a sort of tribute. So far, no posts unless something changed this afternoon. Hmmm.I don't get depressed, but I do shake my head in disbelief when I see people more interested in Britney Spears or Paris Hilton than in History. It’s really something that is incomprehensible to me, but to each his own.

I do know two soldiers serving, but I think it’s inappropriate to post their names without their permission.

... since even the documentary that Discovery Channel did this year as part of Shark Week had that Quint scene in it.I half expected for Burns to put that scene in that episode. He has used movie clips before in his films.

And that is a huge clue to the answer of my question that has gone unanswered.


... Baseball and history cant go wrong.


A medal goes to the first person who can answer this and give the reference...


"Texas"

[Ian]

I don't get depressed, but I do shake my head in disbelief when I see people more interested in Britney Spears or Paris Hilton than in History. It’s really something that is incomprehensible to me, but to each his own.I'm a little less sanguine about it than you are ... I take that a sign of the impending collapse of the United States. ;)

[Hammer]

I watched as much as could , between baseball games (which weren't stupid on our end ;) ) and I really enjoyed it, as I have all of Burns' works.

I, for one, am glad they spent a portion of the series on the Japanese internment camps. Too many other historical programs gloss over the negative. How are future generations supposed to learn from our country's mistakes if they never hear about them? America is a great nation, but it is flawed; we need to accept that.

[Earnhardt321]

I was able to catch 2 nights of the miniseries. I was glued to my TV. I find history very interesting and I enjoyed the parts of the series I saw. I was impressed with the interviews with the veterins. Sure makes you thankful that there were and are men and women out there fighting for our freedom. It is not something I will take forgranted any more.