This came in the mail today. My wife has heard me talk about this series as our only regular WWII documentary in the 70's. At the time, some WWII vets had still not reached the age of 50 years, yet, from my child's perspective, WWII was always fought in actual black and white. Color footage, still sparse today, had yet to be unearthed.
In today's age of revisionist CGI History Channel specials, I don't know if I'm watching the Disney Channel or History. In this new, often silly-looking, media - obviously designed to appeal to today's generation - it becomes ever more apparent, "Only the winners write the history." WaW, in contrast, was produced when the war was still fresh in the minds of Americans, Vietnam was still going on and the Second World War was not yet romanticized as it is today. Vets were still struggling with their inner demons and few shared their stories. WaW was raw and emotionless which let you take away from it what you would - often a dark feeling. Despite that, I look forward to watching all 34 hours - my wife ordered the entire series for me!
World at War was on Thursday nights at 8pm on PBS - back when there were only five stations. I remember being fixed to the screen and disappointed when I would turn it on and it was partially over. My only other WWII info came from weekly trips to the library. I still don't know what my mother and sis were doing but I could always be found on the floor in the "war section".
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