The War

In this PBS documentary series, the directors aspired to honor the experiences of those who lived through the Second World War by providing the opportunity for them to bear witness to their own history. The producers partnered with the Veterans History Project in order to capture the stories of men and women who experienced the war firsthand. The film is therefore an attempt to describe, through eyewitness testimony, what the war was actually like for those who served on the front lines, in the places where the killing and the dying took place, as well as what it was like for their loved ones back home. The series does not sentimentalize, glorify, or aestheticize the war, but instead simply tells the stories of those who fought. The accompanying website provides primary and secondary sources on World War II. It includes a timeline, witness accounts from the battle and the home front, and several other resources.