Customer Reviews

War of the Century - When Hitler Fought Stalin

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It war of the twentieth century was fought in the Eastern Front. In terms of scale of men involved and in casualities, the Western Front pales in comparison. The man who did the most to defeat Adolph Hitler was not F.D. Roosevelt or Winston Churchill but Joseph Stalin.

This BBC documentary is very valuable because, being developed only a few years ago, it incorporates new, unclassified material. Although his secret agents told Stalin about a massive invasion on June 1941, Stalin did not believe it. So he made no plan for a possible attack from Germany. When operation Barbarrossa was launched, it took the Red Army by surprise. This documentary, unlike any other that I know of, shows that Stalin tried to negociate peace with Hitler --although to no avail.

The interviews in this documentary are also very moving: a general urging his son to take his leave befor the declacle of Stalingrad, a woman from the secret organization of SMERSCH candidly telling she would be considered a mass murderer in the West after carrying out orders to assassinate prisoners of war, a partisan guerrilla leader admitting he and his men did not take prisoners, and so forth. Perhaps, the most shocking detail of the documentary was the revelation that, at Stalingrad, the average life expenctancy of a Soviet soldier was merely 24 hours.

The documentary is impeccably edited.

I first saw this on the History Channel several years ago and was quite impressed. There aren't enough WW2 documentaries on the eastern front and this one sheds new light on several areas of the conflict. For example, newly-declassified Soviet documents shown in this film prove that secret "peace talks" between Soviet and German officials did in fact take place and furthur more, evidence is shown that Stalin had refused to believe that Hitler would ever invade the Soviet Union after their peace pact was signed in 1939.

There is incredible footage shown of Barbarossa, including rare color scenes which I'd never scene before. Of course, famous battles like Stalingrad and Leningrad are covered, but I wish there'd been more coverage of lesser-known battles. But there's only so much you can show in 200 minutes. There are very interesting interviews with Russian and German soldiers and civilians, each one telling of their experiences in the brutal conflict in which millions lost their lives. Several of the veterans, both Russian and German, admit to killing innocent civilians and executing prisoners (one even says "What else could we do?").

The segment on the fall of Berlin was one of the most compelling in my opinion. One Russian veteran admitted that rival Russian units were competing to see who could take over the capitol first, and they even shot at each other! And of course, German civilians tell of the many rapes and murders committed by the Russian troops as they sought vengeance on the German population. On the other hand, Russian civilians tell of the many executions committed by the Germans, especially the feared SS units. Overall, I'd say that this documentary is one of the better ones on the eastern front and is recommended for both the novice and the historian.

When I think of the War on the EASTERN FRONT--of the TOTAL war waged between the German and Russian peoples from 1941 to 1945--I draw up a fantastic image in my mind's eye:

I see a panoramic landscape of melancholic chaos. The dark winter sky, illuminated by roaring artillery fire, and the rolling Russian steppe lands, littered with the burning hulks of destroyed tanks, and the earth drenched in the cogealing blood of tens of millions of dead soldiers and civilians.

This is what Laurence Rees' WAR OF THE CENTURY brings to light for those interested in gaining a general but intriguing understanding of the Russo-German conflict during the Second World War. What this documentary may lack in breadth of subject (i.e., blow-by-blow logistical order of battle info for each facet of the Eastern Front), the BBC production certainly makes up for in presenting primary sources: actual first-hand accounts and interviews from those Germans and Russians who were there.

Having watched this fascinating documentary several times now, I still take some new bit of insight or knowledge away with me after each new viewing. And for me, the most important revelation to me thus far regarding the Eastern Front War would have to be this:

Such conflicts of high atrocity and cruelty will continue to arise so long as selfish individuals, or gangs of selfish individuals--in positions of power--perpetuate them.

The war between Russia and Germany was essentially a war waged between Adolf Hitler/Nazi Party and Josef Stalin/Communist Party in an effort for each entity to secure their own greedy ambitions. Reinforced by strongly established military/para-military states, and the fact that two directly opposite socio-political ideologies could not be allowed to exist together (Nazism versus Bolshevism), the Soviet Union and the Third Reich were pre-ordained to clash to the death with each other.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARY!! NOT TO BE MISSED!!!

Whenever I think of the Second World War, the two places I usually think about in terms of carnage is the Eastern Front; and the war between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. The other is the Pacific Campaign between the USA and Japan. One of the reviewers wrote, "I'm glad the Russian Won." So am I. And what a bloody war it was. The number of casualties and amount of destruction make what occurred in the others parts of the globe [except Asia] seem pale in comparison. The Russians suffered greatly at the hands of the Germans, and the German army paid one hell of a steep price.

Also, it was in the east where the Germans committed some of the most horrendous atrocities known to mankind. It was in the east where extermination camps were set up to murder millions of Jews: The German program of the 'Final Solution.' Everything I have ever read about the Second World War concerning the eastern front is one of brutality on a scope that is horrifically mind-boggling. It's as if life were cheap and each day may have been the last. This documentary does a very decent job in attempting to address the fighting between these two armies. From Barbarossa to Berlin, it is one of the best documenatries out there. At least for the 200 minutes that the film devotes to the eastern front. I don't believe this is the definitive documentary, as more and more information is being released now that the Soviet Union is no more. But for now, I highly recommend this film. [Stars: 4.5]

This is a great stand alone eastern front documentary. If you are looking for a solid overview of the eastern front, this is your documentary. In America we skip the battle in the east and focus on the west, for obvious reasons. This documentary is worth your time. Great interviews. Get past the fact that this documentary was produced by the BBC.

I have spent many years studying the Soviet Army and its operational art and tactics. Consequently, I have read many books and seen many documentaries on the "Great Patriotic War" or the Eastern Front, depending on your perspective. War of the Century is easily the best documentary that I have ever seen. I knew that the series would be extraordinary when I discovered that COL David Glantz and Dr. John Erickson had been historical consultants for the film. They have been mining the formerly classified Soviet archives for decades providing a much more balanced view of this colossal struggle than the many German-focused accounts of the fighting. Another unique aspect of this series is that, although it does a very good job of describing in broad strokes military operations over the course of the war, the series also emphasizes the horror and destruction for soldiers, POWs, and civilians alike that were the result of Hitler's and Stalin's ruthlessness in fighting this conflagration. The series devotes an entire episode describing the violent chaos that occurred behind German lines due to partisan acts and German reprisals from the perspective of the participants and those caught in the middle between the two, and sometimes three sides (I am including such groups as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) here). It also has some of the most candid interviews from the survivors of the war that I have ever seen, especially from the individuals who served in KGB and SS units. In some cases, I do not understand how some people who are interviewed had not died in the aftermath of the war. In one case, a Ukrainian student had been a translator for the Germans seeing them when they arrived as liberators from Communist oppression. He later turned against them due to their treatment of the populace but instead of joining the Soviet partisans, he became a member of the UPA who the Soviets ruthlessly hunted down after the war. Another Russian interviewee had been captured early in the war and had spent the remainder of the war in a German POW camp where the Soviet prisoners where generally left to starve to death. After the war, Stalin sent the surviving POWs, despite their weakened states, to the Gulag reasoning that they must have collaborated with the Germans in order to have survived these death camps. Obviously, this series is not for the faint hearted. However, it is very much worth the time of anyone who is interested in a true account of World War II and the carnage in the East.

What the viewer must has in mind when he chooses this documentary film, is that it is not a complete history of the war in the Eastern Front and it doesn't attempt to be one either. The footage is good and the interviews with the old warriors from both sides are very impressive and, at times, really chilling. Of course the interviewers try many times to "teach" the German veterans that they should feel guilty for what they did many years ago, but this is not so annoying because it gives us the chance to watch the old men's reactions and excuses. One of the four episodes is devoted to the attrocities commited by both sides and especially during the partisan operations and has some surprises for those who think that only the Germans did barbarous acts. A good film which manages to bring the atmosphere of the 1941-45 war to the modern viewer, without delving into endless and monotonous details.

this series is one of my favorites, and would get 5 stars except that the narrator samuel west is just ok. the history channels version is almost exact word for word but has a different narrator whom i don't know his name but he's done other H.C. programs as well. his narration voice is much more compelling and when i thought i bought that version (not realizing there were 2) i was disappointed. i really didn't like it as much. also in the bbc version there are subtitles for the translation of the german and russian interviews, as the american version uses a german and russian translator to translate with much better effect. this one with sam west narrating gets 4 stars and the History Channel version gets 5. if you can find the H.C. version get it. if not this series is still well worth owning.

There aren't a whole lot of documentaries about the Russian Front in WW2, which I find ridiculous because I find it to be the most decisive theater of the European war, so this series is valuable particularly because of the wealth of first hand accounts. However, there is a lot of filler like another reviewer mentioned, that could have been devoted to covering other battles. One of the most crucial omissions I found, is the complete lack of information about the battle of Kursk. This I cannot accept, because Kursk was one the the most important battles on that front, second only to Stalingrad. It was the last great German offensive, the largest tank battle in history, and ended once and for all any prospect of a German victory in the east, which baffles me why there isn't so much as a mention of it in this series.

Although I was slightly familiar with Stalin's atrocities, this film helped me realize how insecure, suspicious, and paranoid this bloody dictator was. The interviews with the Russian and German veterans whose taste for brutality was so "matter of fact" was amazing, even after all these years. You realize and appreciate how the British and Americans were so much more civilized - almost a trip to Disneyland compared to the Eastern Front. Also the involvement of the Partisans was very interesting as I knew nothing about their involvement. A great new learning experience for me as I love WWII history and this was an area I am now enlightened in. Highly recommended.