The German 'Band of Brothers' starts this Saturday on BBC2. Definitely going to watch this.
Also 'Combat Dealers' on Wednesday 10.00pm on Quest. Nice little bit in the Radio Times on a chap who has got a rather nice collection of WWII stuff. His Hetzer alone is valued at over £400K!
watched this on the plane to usa
its brilliant and captures eastern front well I think
interesting and well acted
Saw the article in the RT. The guy has a kettenkrad and a schwimwagen too - how cool is that! 8) 8) 8)
I enjoyed it , bit sterotypical in parts but will definatly watch the rest
Yep watched it - it was okay, but nothing sensational
Not sure about lack of a blackout in Berlin in 1941 given the night raids of the RAF got as far as there every now and again
Also army officers not knowing about the "Commissar Order" was a bit surprising. Officers, teachers, doctors, state officials all to be shot. Usual blame stuff that it was special troops that did the massacres and the army was largely blameless.
The knackering effect on overstretched units being constantly in the line was very well portrayed - the soldiers did look shattered.
Hope Episode 2 picks up the pace a bit, but yet to feel much sympathy for any of the characters, which might be the essence of the series
Usual faults - never emptying MP 40 mag, Russian Newsreel purporting to be German attacks. Tactics were about right.
IanS
We enjoyed it and will watch again.
Got it taped for when it's my turn for the big TV with the recording box...probably about a week on Tuesday knowing my luck.
Much of the micro detail was quite good but I agree I never saw anyone loading the MP40,
Also agree that it fitted in with the stereotypes and plot did seem on reflections little predictable . I guess one
May hope that there will be some inclusion of the German resistance movt which is little written about
Quote from: ianrs54 on 27 April 2014, 11:04:19 AM
Usual faults Russian Newsreel purporting to be German attacks. Tactics were about right.
IanS
Yes I saw that one. Also one of the wrecked T34s looked like a T34/85 rather than the 76mm gunned version it should have bee
It never ceases to amaze me that programme and film makers go to endless lengths and do lots of research into getting things right, then make very obvoious and easily rectified mistakes - There must be loads of footage of the German advance into russia
Just seen last episode of the series
Unfortunately only 2 of the 4 Nazi war criminal heroes died. We were required to feel sorry for the two left who made up their friendship with the Jewish survivor.
I hope the Polish & Ukrainian govts sue the producers for the portrayal of the AK Polish home army and the Ukrainian partisans as being more anti-Jewish than the German army.
It was no band of brothers and the belief that the moral equivalence of what Allies did to the Germans as to what Germans did is quite absurd.
Such a shame as could have been as good as "Das Boot" or "Come & See"
Does anyone know where to find Episode 1? I saved them all on my Sky box, but the 1st one has mysteriously disappeared and now I can't find it on any of the on-demand services?
:(
Is it not on iplayer
Quote from: Fenton on 11 May 2014, 03:54:16 PM
Is it not on iplayer
Only Episode 3 as far as I can tell.
thats a bit strange there usually up there for quite a while
I thoroughly enjoyed it because I know bugger-all about tanks and machine guns. Of course if they'd made one on the FPW and had the wrong guns etc. I too would now be moaning.
I thought it was well done and didn't "airbrush" the actions of the Germans to any great extent.
Given that it was aimed at a general audience, most of whom couldn't tell a Panther from a pillbox, it did pretty well on the hardware and equipment side too.
Slightly miffed that Virgin seem to have a glitch with Martha Kearney's program on the realities behind the series whereby it plays the Beeb Two trailer then drops back to the menu. I dare say I can pick it up online but watching it on a 19" PC screen is not ideal. :(
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series and thought it covered a lot of the 'sensitive issues' extremely well. Having a very good knowledge of the period certainly helped, as I had to point out a lot of things to the family that could only be briefly touched upon, given the length of the programme.
Quote from: Bernie on 11 May 2014, 02:45:11 PM
Just seen last episode of the series
Unfortunately only 2 of the 4 Nazi war criminal heroes died. We were required to feel sorry for the two left who made up their friendship with the Jewish survivor.
I hope the Polish & Ukrainian govts sue the producers for the portrayal of the AK Polish home army and the Ukrainian partisans as being more anti-Jewish than the German army.
It was no band of brothers and the belief that the moral equivalence of what Allies did to the Germans as to what Germans did is quite absurd.
Such a shame as could have been as good as "Das Boot" or "Come & See"
What the Russians did to the Germans in Pomerania, Silesia and East Prussia came damn close.
with regard to the comment that govts should sue for the portrayal of their partisans as anti jewish
are we seriously suggesting that the Ukrainian and poles in ww2 did not have anti jewish elements?
I have watched it all and did not feel sorry for the survivors and don't believe that was the intention
many of the atrocities in the east were aided by the local populations
I would love to see either government sue the producers as a more accurate picture of ww2 beyond us and them may be seen
I abhore the holocaust and all its perpetrators
i have spent 30 years teaching it and trying to show that it can happen again and must not
but reducing it to the level that it was a simple occurrence done by the enemy doesn't help
Hi
Thought it was quite good.
I watched the debate after part 3 with some experts and they pulled bits of it apart especially the friendship with viktor and the polish home army.
Getting back to several points that have been made,
1) it did show the Wehrmacht killing civilians not just the special troops.
And 2) there was a bit when lieutenant winter pulled out an empty mag of his mp40 (not that important) .
I thought it showed the change in uniform quite well from grey and jackboots to camo smocks and ankle boots.
Jim
Just catching up on this thread and must agree with Sakura. From all my readings etc, the Poles appear to be more anti Semitic than the Germans, and I thought this was portrayed rather well. After all, when Germany finally went into Czechoslovakia, the Hungarians and the Poles took a slice each as well, the Poles the large chunk. All in all, a very enjoyable mini-series.