I just started watching this series of documentaries, and ended up binge-watching both seasons over the course a few days. The description of a CGI component put me off initially, until I saw just how well it was done - very, very well, that is.

This series has been out since 2011 and was produced in Russia for Russian television. It's in English, though. I have to say, it's one of the better WWII documentary series I've seen. It's extremely detailed, down to dates and times of battles and events. It is, obviously, about WWII on the eastern front, and the final episode is about the Soviet Union's war with Japan in August 1945.

The series is a mix of narratives, actual footage, CGI and live acting. And it's done exceptionally well. I would have thought that a Russian produced series might have been very nationalist, and minimized the war on the western front, but it doesn't, and presents a very fair and often humiliating confession of how the war was prosecuted from the Soviet view point. This is what The History Channel ought to produce.

If you have time and Amazon Prime, and like WWII history, give an episode or two a watch. You might get hooked, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Operati...t-video%2C164&sr=1-1

Thanks for the info! I'm very much looking forward to watching this.

Not trying to "steal your thunder", but I found out it's available on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...SsXFcIH-ba0nWuNbHOM6

I'm in the middle of reading a book by the fantastic author Antony Beevor; "The Fall of Berlin 1945".
It's a great read, that begins at the start of 1945, chronicling both German and Russian militaries and civilian experiences.

He also wrote a book on the battle of Stalingrad.

I highly recommend these books anytime, but especially now for you after having watched the documentary.

Episode and a half in. The blend of newsreel footage, still pictures of prominent people & events, live actors and CGI seems to be working better as I get used to it. Will keep watching but probably not binge.

12.30.20 ETA: Still watching. I found the episode on the Caucasus particularly interesting since I know someone who climbed Mt. Elbrus.

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Good to know, I'll check them out.

Not looking for spoilers, but did they cover the Nazi Soviet Non Aggression Pact and the Katyn massacre?

Those are kind of bellwether events - honest coverage of those from Russian sources would be noteworthy.

I’ve watched the first two and they are really well done.
I wouldn’t have thought they were produced by the Russians from watching.

The Cyrillic names for the Russian cities on the maps would have you wondering.

I'm on Episode 4. it's a genuinely good series, with lots of good insights. I already had it in my watchlist, but hadn't started it yet because the name of it seemed so generic it had me wondering if it was another dog.

Speaking of generic names, a friend of mine from Jr High had a brother in school two years behind us. "Fuckin' John" he muttered one day. I chuckled and asked what he had done. He told me John had turned in a book report and gotten an A grade. I said "so what?"
He said it was for a book entitled Hitler: The Face of Evil. "But the book doesn't actually exist, he made it all up".
That's the first time I realized just how many books and TV shows were all essentially the same, and very remedial for most people who had done any real reading. And that was in 1981. Even today, most are still crappy dogs. And they'll do anything about Hitler and or/Nazi's: Hitler's Chauffer, Hitler's Secret Plans, Hitler's Herb Garden, Hitler's Pencil Box, etc.

Micropterus has it right, this is what the history channel should be producing.

I’m impressed by the accuracy and neutrality of the series. It describes, for example, the summary judgments against Pavlov and other Soviet generals who had been defeated by the Germans, and their rapid execution.

I may finally have a reasonable understanding of the war in the East.

Right now I’m seeing Guderian flying to Berlin to plead in vain that his group not be sent to the south. Hitler’s insistence on the order led to the catastrophe at Stalingrad.

Thanks for the suggestion. I watched several episodes yesterday. Seems to be pretty accurate.

I got through with Moscow last night.

This show makes it easy to see where others have had to give just an outline, omitting details and consolidating facts to save time. Very enlightening viewing.

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I finished it this morning. No spoilers, but the final episode really pissed me off.

Not surprisingly, it skips over Soviet atrocities and even much of the German ones too.
Still more unbiased than NPR.
The blend of old footage with new graphics is impressive and gives a much better picture than old fuzzy photos.

Another minor gripe is that about 50% of the show is narration over maps, but while the narration is translated into English, the maps are all still in Cyrillic. Makes it a little tough to follow along at times.

But redoing the narration in English was assuredly way cheaper and easier than redoing all the animated maps would have been.

I am enjoying it.