Search - Hitler's War (4pc) (W/Book) on DVD

Good Honest Attempt

W. B. Smith | Auckland New Zealand | 04/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This box set is a good honest attempt to provide a thorough examination of specific battles or campaigns during WWII. This is not solely a German viewpoint collection as its back cover case may suggest but perhaps a more balanced & detailed viewpoint is portrayed than other DVDs. Only a few battles/campaigns are covered off in this box set including:

The Fall of France
The Battle of Britain
The U-Boat War
The Desert War
Stalingrad
The War in Italy
Normandy to the Rhine
Stalingrad to Berlin

There are obvious omissions e.g. Invasion of Poland, Norway, Barbarossa, Kursk, Air War Over Germany. However, having said that, the battles selected have been covered off well in some detail. The most disappointing feature is that the majority of the film coverage I have seem before & there is absolutley no colour footage. Also, perhaps a little more care should have been given in the editing because at times the commentary does not match the film shot. e.g commentary on Junkers 88 bombers but showing the antiquated Junkers 52, showing film coverage of Erich Hartmann (Eastern Front ace & was still training in 1940-41) while commenting on Luftwaffe airman during the Battle of Britain. This is probably nit picking but it is annoying to the trained eye. However, overall I thought the commentary was good with some sound analysis.

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Good for Anglophiles

S. Swink | Bay Area, CA | 03/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 4-DVD version of Hitler's War covers major events quite thoroughly, has great footage and is really quite well done overall as far as production values. However, it suffers from an extreme level of rah-rah Anglophilia and Germanophobia that is very off-putting for non-Churchill worshippers. A more accurate title would be 'The War on Hitler' or 'Churchill's War' as it is from the British point of view.

Hitler did not undo the Versailles Treaty without firing a shot, take over Europe and North Africa, and almost conquer the USSR by being a moron or a madman. And Churchill did not declare war on Germany only to lose the British Empire and destroy Europe by being a strategic genius. Don't even get me started on the war crimes of Stalin and FDR.

Acknowledging these facts and a bit more balance would have made this a genuine 5-star effort. I suggest Hitler's War for a more balanced view of Hitler and Germany in WWII, from their point of view.

Edit: I recently re-watched this series and abandoned the effort after watching for less than 10 minutes. It is literally unwatchable due to the omnipresent editorializations. If they had stuck with facts, it would have been great. I would now give it 1 star."