Search - National Archives WWII: In Color on DVD

Great Documentary.

Roberto Vitale | Orlando, FL USA | 03/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are interested in WWII, this is a great addition to your collection. You have seen sub-sets of this footage in documentaries like "War In The Pacific" and "The World At War". This is a foot-soldier or airman look at the war, not a strategic explanation of it.
These are the chapters available:

The Battle of Midway:
This is the poorest of them. Unfortunately, the audio consist of contemporary propaganda. But the video is worth it. It consist of on site scenes of the attack at midway, some shipboard scenes, and some wing camera footage

Thunderbolts:
This is the best of them. It is a well narrated view of the actions of a squadron of fighter-bombers in Italy. The great footage was obtained with multiple cameras attached in different parts of airplanes. This one justifies the purchase.

The Memphis Belle:
Another good one. Similar to the above, but with a B-17 bomber from England.

With The Marines at Tarawa:
About half of this film appears in other documentaries you have seen somewhere else. Still, it is a great documentary. I noted that the sad nature of this bloody fight makes it difficult to appreciate it's value.

Challenge to Democracy:
This film is used to justify the internment of Japanese-Americans. It is not at par with the rest of the presentation, but it has value if look at in the contemporary set of mind.

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