I found this series very interesting for multiple reasons. First of all it's very refreshing and interesting to see the German side of the war. Most of the movies depict the American or the allied side. That it only took part at the eastern front isn't illogical because 85% of the German soldiers died at that front and not in the west or the south (Italy and Africa). It also shows that antisemitism was widespread in Europe and not something that only existed in Germany and that a lot of eastern-European peoples assisted the Germans (in many ways off course, being in the SS is the worst of many possible ways to collaborate).
What a lot of Poles (who act like they've been stung by a bee) don't seem to get is that these series is NOT about Poles. It's about how average Germans underwent the war, why they did what they did and most of them (those who survived at least) didn't talk about it for decades. Yes, it shows that there were antisemitic partisans, but that's a fact that also polish historians don't deny. Nobody claims that all Polish partisans/Poles were antisemitic or that they build the concentration camps.
In my opinion the series was very well made, from a unique point of view, the uniforms and locations were very good and accurate despite some minor flaws (MG42 in 1941?) and all of the actors did a really good job. Especially the role of Friedhelm and the evolution his character went through was superbly done. Although it's a German production, it avoids no topics. We see German protagonists shooting prisoners of war, shooting and hanging innocent civilians (even children), burning houses, hunting people through a minefield,.. It's idiotic to say they 'whitewash' history. What IS shown is, that under given circumstances, ordinary people do terrible, terrible things. People and life are not black-white. What would you have done?
What a lot of Poles (who act like they've been stung by a bee) don't seem to get is that these series is NOT about Poles. It's about how average Germans underwent the war, why they did what they did and most of them (those who survived at least) didn't talk about it for decades. Yes, it shows that there were antisemitic partisans, but that's a fact that also polish historians don't deny. Nobody claims that all Polish partisans/Poles were antisemitic or that they build the concentration camps.
In my opinion the series was very well made, from a unique point of view, the uniforms and locations were very good and accurate despite some minor flaws (MG42 in 1941?) and all of the actors did a really good job. Especially the role of Friedhelm and the evolution his character went through was superbly done. Although it's a German production, it avoids no topics. We see German protagonists shooting prisoners of war, shooting and hanging innocent civilians (even children), burning houses, hunting people through a minefield,.. It's idiotic to say they 'whitewash' history. What IS shown is, that under given circumstances, ordinary people do terrible, terrible things. People and life are not black-white. What would you have done?