You choose the next WW2 Documentary

Hi everybody,

I have a question to ask you and would love to hear all of your thoughts on it.

If you could commission the next WW2 Documentary to be made what would it be about?

It could be anything.

I personally would love to see a documentary on what famous WW2 sites look like today or a search of what is left of Hitler's belongings.

What would would you like to see?

Ross

 

You have listed exactly what I would like to see, my favourite passtime is visiting WW2 RAF airfields and seeing what is still there, many sites are difficult to find or even unaccessable so would be great to see along with a well researched commentary.

 

I'd like to see life on the home front. And anything and everything on heavy trucks.

Dave

 

First thought would be a D-Day documentary that isn't about Omaha, but something substantial on the Indian Army (not just Gurkhas) would be a bit different.

 

Idler
Might be an idea to spell out which D day did you mean - as the Indian Army were well represented with the 8th Army with the 4th - 5th - 8th and 10th Divisions since 1940 and while they were not involved in landings as such - they played their part in most battles in the desert- East Africa and Italy - so perhaps their activities as of the second battle of Cassino to the end would fit your bill -can't see it though as the Gothic Line Battles apparently never happened - so it will be back to Omaha

Cheers

 

I'd like to see more on the obscure campaigns, The Keren, Syria or Madagascar for instance.
No ''sexy'' German tanks or Waffen-SS in their Gucci kit to show the same stock footage of.
Just the common soilders of the Commonwealth fighting Italians & Vichy French.

It'll never get on TV will it ?



You left out 'crack' and 'elite' when you mentioned Waffen-SS. TV always uses one or both of those! :smile:

Dave

 

Lecture by Mr. M. HEALY, K.C. on the “Human side of Life”. The lecturer well known to all ranks from his B.B.C. postscripts, spoke on the need to be contend with the present “waiting conditions” of a Soldier’s life.

This would be Maurice Healy, son of the Irish nationalist politician of the same name. "His attempt to out-Joyce Joyce was not a success," historian Sian Nicholas suggests:

"His anti-German invective, his 'sneering' references to Lord Haw-Haw and the citing of a barrister friend whose income had fallen by £1,000 since the start of the war as an example of the sacrifices of working people attracted considerable adverse comment. Rather than uniting the nation, his Postscripts were accused of dividing public opinion, and 'lowering [the] dignity' of broadcasting."

In early May, 1940, Healy was replaced by the more famous Postscript broadcaster J.B. Priestley.

Best, Alan

 

No need for a documentary. Just start broadcasting the IWM film archives in prime time.

Start at 1936 or so and go on from there.

I don't mind what, newsreel, training films, propaganda, I'll watch it all.

 

Owen
couldn't agree more with a documantary of the East African campaign with less than two divisions against 100,000 Italians - it was on the Keren Heights that the 4th Indian Div established their prowess in mountains and thus became odds on favourites to tackle the mountains around Cassino- after they had silenced the French Syrians then back to the desert and Italy and finally Greece - a few notables showed up at East Africa in those early days such as Bill Slim and Orde Wingate- who went on to Burma - another neglected campaign

Cheers

 

How about the Landing Craft that rose from very little to about 100,000 crewmen and many variatians of vessels during WW2. Every operation from North Africa to the Rhine crossing relied on them, let alone the ongoing resupply for all campaigns.
Just a thought.

 

No need for a documentary. Just start broadcasting the IWM film archives in prime time.

Start at 1936 or so and go on from there.

I don't mind what, newsreel, training films, propaganda, I'll watch it all.

Rich I'll second that!

 

I would like to see something on basic infantry training and Army camp life, also the voyage to India aboard a troopship from an ordinary Tommy's point of view.

There is supposed to be a series of documentaries on in the late summer/early autumn about men who have extrcated themselves out of tricky situations. I will see if I can find the details.

 

It seems to me that documentary that followed my Field Company RE from Sword to Bremen would make a great film.....It would certainly be one that had a lot of action.
Sapper

 

Search for "documentary" on the BBC website will show as one of the top hits a link to: : Britain Through a Lens: The Documentary Film.", an hour's long programme playable on i-player.

In the first few minutes there is footage from " Listen to Britain" ( 1941)
which the commentator refers to as an " early masterpiece of the British Documentary Movement, very simply made without "voice-over" telling you what to think, it presents itself as documentary truth."

The footage includes film of some fighter planes, Spitfires I think, and harvesting ( I have not seen it all.)

I would have a TV channel devoted to showing films made without the so-called personalities and without adverts. I would quite happily watch the old intermission film of the potter's wheel which I first saw on the BBC when my grandparents passed on their TV set. It could not get ITV.

The modern style of documentary making is designed for the generation which has an attention span of about 2.9 seconds. Cameras are taken to a place of historical importance and instead of filming the scene all we get are close ups of the presenter with the scene behind.

So the answer to your question is to show the old films and set up a training scheme for the modern documentary makers to be taught how to do it without patronising the viewer.

Radio documentaries are far better than modern TV documentaries.

 

Anything that isn't 'An untold story!' (rehash of an old memoir), or contains 'shocking revelations!' (Hitler was a bit naughty), or 'A Previously Hidden Tale!' (of something bleedin' obvious), ditch the hyperbole & Cliche.

Anything that doesn't contain 'Dramatic Recreations!' (some actors, pretending).

Anything that actually contains good detail, maybe something genuinely new or interesting, a good historical editor or two actually checking the facts, and then rechecking before the final edit.

Preferably presented by a slightly dull expert that really knows his stuff, a quality talking head, maybe with a style akin to Starkey on his recent Henry VIII programmes.

Anything even remotely approaching the solidity of 'The World at War' (just update that, I'd be happy.)

Anything that doesn't contain the same old film clips we've seen a hundred times before (haha, seen the price of some major archive's clippage? corrr...)

Anything that's the opposite of the broad bulk of WW2 documentaries.


Or what he said.
Though I do seem to recall being told that the IWM was a tad full-on with the aforementioned prices...


Aye to all the above. I hate same old same old.

 

For me it would be about 1st Airbornes Seaborne Tail that ended up being on the road with XXX Corps on the road to Arnhem after Operation Transfigure was cancelled on their arrival in France

 

On at least two occasions overseas I found myself being filmed by a military camera man.

By sheer coincidence, the setting was the same on both occasions, with my vehicle just coming off a bailey bridge in Italy, the first time in my 15 cwt Bedford Wirelss truck and the second time in our Stuart tank.

I live in fond hope that one day I might see the film clip just so that I can confirm my memories but, to date, there has been no joy.

The documentary I would like to see made is therefore "British troops in Italy crossing Baily bridges"

What do you think my chances are ?

Ron