Since the TV machine is on sort of a series hiatus between seasons, I was flipping through the channels and saw that The History Channel was playing "World Wars".
An assassination in Sarajevo sparks a global war. For the next 30 years, deadly fighting rages across Europe, Africa, China and the Pacific.
Hitler. Churchill. De Gaulle. MacArthur. Patton. Stalin. Mussolini. We know them as legends. But they first learn what it will take to rise to greatness as young soldiers, fighting for their lives on the frontlines.
This is the story of a generation of men who come of age in the trenches of World War I, only to become the leaders of World War II. The lessons they learn on the frontlines shape them as they rise to power—and haunt them as the deadly fighting breaks out again. Some become heroes, forged in courage under fire. Others emerge as the most infamous villains the world has ever seen.
I watched episode one for a bit and it was somewhat interesting as it dealt with the major players during WWI. Still the format where they come out of commercial and spend 2-3 minutes rehashing what you just watched is rather annoying, my short term memory ain’t that bad. Only factoid of interest was Patton mounting a machine gun on a car and conducting a surprise raid on a ranch house, killing one of Villa’s generals, and which was claimed he was the first to do so. This was in 1916 and the allies had mounted machine guns on everything they could by then. Whatever.
On to episode two and the start of WWII. Battle of Britian, stock footage of aircraft used for effect; here come the German bombers! Oh look there’s a formation of B-17s. And there’s a P-47. And ball turret gunners! And a waist gunners shooting 50 cal. M-2s. Fuck.
The Philippines come up next with the entry of the US. Here com Gen. Douglas McArthur in all his splendor with 5 stars on his collar. WTF! And at the White House there’s George C. Marshall with 5 stars too! Fuck me. Congress didn’t authorize the rank of General of the Army until 1944.
Then come the battle of Midway and low an behold there’s a Aegis Class Destroyer flying a Japanese flag. I was told to stop yelling at the TV or turn it off. I turned it off.