Spoiler Alert
The idea behind this series - to show how for a number of key figures (Roosevelt, Hitler, Patton, Mussolini, Churchill, Tojo, De Gaulle and MacArthur) their experiences in WW1 influenced the actions in WW2 - is worthwhile. Unfortunately it's about the only thing in this series that is. Here I refer to the six one-hour episodes shown in Europe as opposed to the three two-hour shows shown originally in the US. In fairness it signals its awfulness from the start. We see the British launching a night attack with gas on 16th October 1914! A German soldier can't get his gas mask to seal because of his handlebar moustache! After surviving by holding his breath he uses a knife or bayonet to shave the bars off leaving a toothbrush moustache. He looks up at the camera to show us the face of a young Hitler. It's a spot-the-deliberate-error competition. Apart from the fact that attacks tended to occur in daylight and that Hitler didn't change his moustache style until recovering from a wound in 1916 the real howler is that neither side used poison gas in 1914 though the Germans and French did use tear gas. Later in the episode the Hitler/Tand(e)y story which may or may not be an urban legend - Hitler may not, as he claimed, by the soldier whose life was spared by Tand(e)y - is presented unequivocally as a fact. In part 4 we have both Churchill giving part of the 'finest hour' speech (which actually occurred on 18th June 1940) and being brought back into the cabinet (which actually occurred on 3rd September 1939) before the war started on 1st September 1939. They have him giving the 'we shall fight' speech after the fall of France rather than after Dunkirk but before the fall of France. Then they put the Blitz before the Battle of Britain. In part 5 we have the Battle of Moscow starting after Pearl Harbor and Hitler's declaration of war on the US! These are just a sample of the numerous factually inaccuracies inflicted on the viewer. Basically they're putting carts before horses to suit their narrative. At times this got so painful to watch that more than once I considered stopping watching but I decided to stick it out so I could give a review based on the whole series and to see if it has any redeeming feature. It hasn't. Why did I give it one out of ten? Because imdb won't let you give zero.
The idea behind this series - to show how for a number of key figures (Roosevelt, Hitler, Patton, Mussolini, Churchill, Tojo, De Gaulle and MacArthur) their experiences in WW1 influenced the actions in WW2 - is worthwhile. Unfortunately it's about the only thing in this series that is. Here I refer to the six one-hour episodes shown in Europe as opposed to the three two-hour shows shown originally in the US. In fairness it signals its awfulness from the start. We see the British launching a night attack with gas on 16th October 1914! A German soldier can't get his gas mask to seal because of his handlebar moustache! After surviving by holding his breath he uses a knife or bayonet to shave the bars off leaving a toothbrush moustache. He looks up at the camera to show us the face of a young Hitler. It's a spot-the-deliberate-error competition. Apart from the fact that attacks tended to occur in daylight and that Hitler didn't change his moustache style until recovering from a wound in 1916 the real howler is that neither side used poison gas in 1914 though the Germans and French did use tear gas. Later in the episode the Hitler/Tand(e)y story which may or may not be an urban legend - Hitler may not, as he claimed, by the soldier whose life was spared by Tand(e)y - is presented unequivocally as a fact. In part 4 we have both Churchill giving part of the 'finest hour' speech (which actually occurred on 18th June 1940) and being brought back into the cabinet (which actually occurred on 3rd September 1939) before the war started on 1st September 1939. They have him giving the 'we shall fight' speech after the fall of France rather than after Dunkirk but before the fall of France. Then they put the Blitz before the Battle of Britain. In part 5 we have the Battle of Moscow starting after Pearl Harbor and Hitler's declaration of war on the US! These are just a sample of the numerous factually inaccuracies inflicted on the viewer. Basically they're putting carts before horses to suit their narrative. At times this got so painful to watch that more than once I considered stopping watching but I decided to stick it out so I could give a review based on the whole series and to see if it has any redeeming feature. It hasn't. Why did I give it one out of ten? Because imdb won't let you give zero.