The War

I don't know if many of you have been watching Ken Burns' latest documentary The War but it has been absolutely amazing. When it is released on DVD, I would like to own it, not just for me but for Mark when he gets older as well. Jason Kottke has one of memorable lines in the series on his blog and it is a series of memorable stories, images, and tells a version of the Second World War that many of the Allies don't like being reminded of, especially atrocities committed by American and Allied troops (Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers has similar stories in it). I remember sitting down over breakfast with a friend of the family years ago and him explaining to me the fighting in Ortona and later Holland and how brutal the fighting was but especially the horrible choices that are made by a patrol leader in the middle of the night when one is out numbered. Despite have read a couple hundred books on the Second World War over the last two decades, The War seems to have made it more real which I guess is a good thing but a disconcerting thing at the same time.

 

Technorati tags: The War, Ken Burns, Band of Brothers, World War II, history