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The Last Days of World War II (History Channel) |  | Studio: A&E Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $5.89
as of 9/9/2010 04:08 MDT details
You Save: $24.06 (80%)
New (36) Used (17) from $4.64
Seller: thebookgrove
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 24027
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 279 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.4 x 1.3
MPN: AAE-71191
ISBN: 0767061802
UPC: 733961711912
EAN: 9780767061803
ASIN: B0001XARMW
Release Date: May 25, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
LAST DAYS OF WORLD WAR II
Amazon.com
The Last Days of World War II is actually three separate and outstanding History Channel documentaries about the horrifying, surreal violence that marked the decisive months of the war in Europe. The first film begins with Hitler's declaration that the Third Reich would last 1,000 years, yet by 1945 Germany was losing on every major battlefront. Still, tens of thousands of civilian and military lives would be lost before fighting ceased: in the Battle of the Bulge, pitting 600,000 Allied troops against a Nazi surge in Belgium; in Dresden, where Allied bombers spent days fire-bombing women and children; in the subway tunnels of Berlin, where refugees were drowned when a paranoid, sleepless Hitler ordered them flooded to stave off Russian soldiers. Plentiful interviews with former officers on all sides of the war, commentary by historians, and remarkable footage of battles, concentration camps, and the Nuremberg trials make this a compelling narrative rich with enlightening details. A second disc includes a superb piece about the destruction of a U.S. Navy submarine-chaser off the coast of Maine, and a strategic cover-up that denied, for more than 60 years, that the ship was torpedoed by a German U-Boat. Finally, the story of the German-Japanese alliance, and the role of a geography professor named Karl Haushofer (who coined the phrase "geopolitics") in a number of key wartime events, make a fascinating subject for the final production. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews:
The Last Days of WWII is Pretty Good February 18, 2010
David Ahlstrom (Hong Kong)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was surprised at a couple of the negative reviews of this DVD. Yes, this is the older "Last Days of WWII" produced in the 1990s (there is a newer version, available from The History Channel's website which has over 20 one hour segments - that one is excellent, though expensive). This DVD is not at all a 'cheap production'; it is well-made and gives some good information about WWII, and not all about the end of the war. For example, the segment on Karl Haushofer and his influence on German thought in the early 20th century (through the study of Geopolitics, the World Island, the heartland, etc) is very interesting. In addition, the long segment on the research by the Japanese on chemical and particularly biological weapons and the systems to deliver them (smart bombs, long range bombers, special carrier subs) is also very interesting, and one of the least-known aspects of WWII. The Japanese had extensively tested biological weapons in particular in China during the war; at least one outbreak of plague is linked to these tests - and they were field tests on live populations where it is thought that as many as 100,000 Chinese civilians died. If the Japanese and Chinese archives of this time are ever made available, perhaps the extent of these tests can be confirmed, but for now, this DVD, though made over ten years ago, is quite interesting and has stood up well to more recent research on German, Japanese, and Italian research into smart bombs and long-range bomber technology. This DVD is well-worth purchasing and is a good value. Of course also try to get the longer, series (made in 2005) by the same name, from the History Channel's website. It is excellent, but is complementary to this one.
The Last Days of WWII July 24, 2008
Joseph W. Alves (Miramar, Florida)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first disk is awesome. Lots of footage of bombing dresden and fighting in berlin. then theres a disk about the sinking of a ship by a uboat by maine. its interesting but its kinda slow.
 L:ast days of a desperate producer September 3, 2007
Deane S. Teitelbaum (Cary, N.C. USA)
1 out of 14 found this review helpful
With all the interesting lightly explored topics of World War II why waste time on might-have-beens of low probability? This was as bad a production as I have ever seen from the history channel. The title was misleading - I expected people cleaning their files, perhaps something on the "Imperial Conspiracy" or the impact of the end of the war on the colonial people, but not this trash.
 SO MUCH I DIDNT KNOW !!!!! June 20, 2007
Robert M. Bonnett (towson, md.)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have viewed a lot of WWII documentaries and still I find things I never knew about! This set of DVDs gave me so much information that I haven't received from the many , many others! Thrilling and exciting , compelling and informative is all I can say to describe this set! BRAVO !!! And the low price it was offered at cant be beat either....
Last Days of World War II: History Channel September 1, 2005
Lt Col L. Cantolupo
8 out of 15 found this review helpful
Sobering, well-done -- a valuable addition to the literature on World War II, its tragedy and its conclusion, in triumph. Amazon delivered the product on time and in superb condition.
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