Customer Reviews

Great Battles of WWII: Fury in the Pacific

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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My grandfather was stationed at one of the many American Army bases in the surrounding islands around Japan during WWII, so he is sort of an afficianado when it comes to WWII documentaries and videos when it comes to the war in the Pacific. He enjoys reading and watching various videos and films on the subject so I picked up this DVD set for him. After watching some of it with him, I could tell that this had quickly moved to the head of the list as his favorite film on the subject.

The set naturally begins with Pearl Harbor and follows the trail of war along the major islands in the Island Hopping campaign. So much of this set is actual footage from wartime cameramen that its almost staggering. The commentary was informative and entertaining and the comments and insights from men actually stationed on the various islands the film is discussing at that time adds a feeling of the true vastness of this campaign, triumph at victory and the sadness at the loss of human life.

Like another reviewer, I managed to pick it up for half the Amazon asking price and it was a steal. For people interested in the subject it's worth the full forty bucks. A great addition to any War film collection.

I found this collection of DVDs to be very interesting and the footage to be as good as most other documentaries. However, I purchased this set for less than HALF what Amazon is asking... So I'd watch out for a good deal...

This is a three DVD set that is fantastic. We get to see firsthand the great battles fought during World War II across the vast Pacific Ocean. This shows us some of what occured during this war through the lenses of combat cameramen. And told by those who were there and experience the events depicted.

It begins with the suprise attack at Pearl Harbor, to the initial USA counterattack at Guadalcanal, to ultimate victory in the island hopping campaign. If you want some idea of what transpired in the Pacific during World War II....You will want to get this DVD set.

This is an excellent overview of the Marines and Navy in the South Pacific during WWII. For those of you looking for an overview or detailed account of the Army during WWII in the South Pacific, look elsewhere, because you will find next to nothing about the Army in "Fury in the Pacific". If one didn't know differently, after watching this DVD set one might think that the Army had no involvement at all in the South Pacific.

For anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of the South Pacific beyond the Marines and the Navy, a good book to start with is the "25th Infantry Division: WWII" originally published in 1946 and reprinted by the Battery Press Inc. in 1996. If it's not available on Amazon, it can definitely be found elsewhere on the internet. I also HIGHLY recommend "Across the Dark Islands: The War in the Pacific" by Floyd W. Radike. It is an excellent first person account of what the Army infantry contributed and experienced in the South Pacific. It is available on Amazon and elsewhere.

Despite being disappointed by the tunnel vision of this set, I would still recommend it as a "must have" in any WWII video collection. The first section, focusing on Pearl Harbor, is excellent and very informative. The interviews with Pearl Harbor survivors are truthful, engaging and heartbreaking. The black and white and color footage throughout the series is great and the entire set includes interviews with Marine and Navy veterans from every battle mentioned.

I have been trying to find a DVD collection that covers the Pacific battles aspect of WWII and this video pretty much covers it in detail. I was not disappointed and neither will other viewers be who want to learn about America's final victory and remember those thousands of brave heroes who lost their lives as well as those who survived. Pro's and cons of video:

pros: Film footage is of good quality, material is presented very well in chronological order and does not jump around from battle to battle like some others I have seen, the interviewed veterens tell the stories the best and you can really get a feel of what being in their shoes must have been like.

cons: The narrator speaks in a slow and dronning voice that is muffled and might make you drowsy. The sound quality of the interviewees is muffled and not equalized - some speakers you can barely hear and some are blarring loud so must continuously adjust he volume. The old fashion 50's style background music adds to the dullness of the narrator.

All in all I recommend this to anyone interested in learning of the Pacific battles we have fought and won and want to in a small way pay tribute to those brave sailors and marines we have lost.