The World at war

I saw the first few episodes of this at High school. Its a British TV series. That sets out the History of the Second world war. I did not study the second world war directly at High school.
From than on, I have caught various episodes, on various history channels. I was at a loss for something to do, one night. I had tided out my wardrobe, so. I put them on..

Narrated by Laurence Olivier, before he was knighted. The series was filmed in 1974. I think it holds up well. The only mentions of the contemporary world. Are references to fighting in Vietnam. A father, a veteran telling his children, that burning child, is a person. It could as well, have been Iraq. Or the foothills of Helmund.

Well as History, it has held up well. The series, gives a good broad account, of World war, 2. Its strength, is bringing home, the War what it meant

Its cast of thousands, but from both upstairs and downstairs.

Lord Avon, shares the stage with Albert Speer, and the Marquis Ito,( One of the higher ups, in the Japanese cabinent/ Karl Doneiz, Doeniz, sounds almost like a comic german. `Ve have vays'' Mark Clark, and Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten would become a casualty of another war, a few years later. There are Russian officers and Bomber Harris. Harris is unrepentant and there is a French General. Speaking of the collapse of France. Hitler's Valet and Secretary, talk into the Cameras about life, in the Bunker.

Than there are Berliners, who were waitresses, and cooks. Sailors, who describe the battle of the Atlantic. Sleeping dripping wet on lockers, for less money then there wives made in the factories. A British soldier talks about Burma. A land, where Bully beef, became liquid. There is Dame Vera Lynn, as a young woman, with her long legs bare, and smile, entertaining the forgotten army in Burma. A Dutch Woman, still pretty, despite her age, talks of her life, as the Holocaust swept her up. She was spared because of all things, scarlet fever. She was took sick for a concentration camp. Dutch civil servants, and policemen, talk about how they became unwitting tools, in mass murder.

The series, often ends an episode, on a low note. The Normandy episode, which ends with the liberation of Paris, concludes with images of bloody street fighting. A man firing a rifle, over a huddled crowd, including children. The occupation episode, finishes with the words, that thousands of Dutchmen, and women and children would starve, before there liberation.

An episode about life on the British Home front. Does not paint a pretty picture, of the war. It ends with a newsreel, showing a redheaded, public school boy who had been conscripted into the mines. Much to his surprise, his peers would have become officers. The Series had tracked him, down and interviewed him. It concluded, with the observation, that such measures would not change the problems,

Finally, its final episode, has Steven Ambrose, summing up fruits of the British contribution, as a moral victory. Saving themselves from the dark night of Nazism. Not to be dismissed, but compared to the Two Superpowers.

Something I have taken, from the episode. Which may not have struck the viewers, at the time. Is that this is a world I knew. I see the Allies crossing the Rhine at Cologne. They are about 100 m upstream from the Chocolate factory and sports museum. I see Kiev, and it looks familiar, I swear. A German talks, about reading the papers, at the Hauptbahoff, in Colonge. There are the buildings of Berlin. ( I took, the war walking tour there)

Than there is the horror of the holocaust episode. It starts slowly. Its interesting to observe, that the episode criticises Nazism, on quite strong Christian grounds. The SS are portrayed as a perverse mockery of the Jesuits. The 1970s, were a time, in which the UK thought of itself, more of a Christian country, than it did today. I noticed the choirboys and Bishops at a service at the Centotaph.

The horror of those events, escape my words. I am not sure, this blog is the place. To try. My notes mention a woman, who had hidden under a pile of corpses somewhere in the US. The bodies included her child

I saw Lord Avon recount the House of Commons condemnation of those events. A well meaning man, at the limits of his power. I do not think its fair to criticise individuals, but the impotence, of the action. Struck me.

Speaking of Parliament. The series shows us, that the Past truly is a foreign country. I have mentioned the visibility of the Anglican Church. Newsreels, of the mainland, have Catholic priests everywhere. The series, is at pains to mention the role of Indian soldiers, in the Far East Campaign, Dutch Muslim soldiers, from the Indes, and African American GI's are shown. Mark Clark, mentions he commanded Muslim troops in Italy. There are discussions of the events in the House of Parliament. At a time, when the House, was the life blood of British politics. An attempt to foist Churchill from leadership fails, when the Tory MP, who rises to speak. Suggests the Duke of Gloucester for reasons best known to himself, and the almighty.

The last image I was left with was the Africa corps reunion, which Australians, and British attended.

A vision of a different world. A horrible one, but an excellent attempt to explain it. A fine and ennobling piece of television