Country after European country falls before the unstoppable German blitzkrieg.Country after European country falls before the unstoppable German blitzkrieg.Country after European country falls before the unstoppable German blitzkrieg.
Photos
Robert Powell
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
Adolf Hitler
- Self
- (archive footage)
Wladyslaw Sikorski
- Self
- (archive footage)
Karl Dönitz
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Adm. Karl Doenitz)
Maurice Gamelin
- Self
- (archive footage)
Gustaf Mannerheim
- Self
- (archive footage)
Erich von Manstein
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Gen. Erich von Mannstein)
Winston Churchill
- Self
- (archive footage)
Philippe Pétain
- Self
- (archive footage)
Charles de Gaulle
- Self
- (archive footage)
Joseph Stalin
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Iosif Stalin)
Storyline
Featured review
Glaring historical inaccuracy
The episode incorrectly states that Polish cavalry charged German armoured units with lances. This is a glaring historical inaccuracy that continues to tarnish the memory of the Polish armed forces in September 1939. What actually happened was that the Polish cavalry was effective at scattering German infantry, until they were rescued by German armour, which then made short work of the Poles. The Polish cavalry caught in tank attacks, for their part, did not attempt to charge tanks with lances or swords, but at most attempted to retreat or lob grenades at them. Furthermore, Polish cavalry acted as reconnaissance and rapid transport for light anti-armour artillery and cavalrymen armed with anti-tank rifles. Had these weapons been produced in adequate numbers, they would have been more than a match for the thinly-armoured German Panzer I and II tank models, and would have been able to hold their own against the Panzer III and even IV. Despite being woefully outnumbered and outgunned, the Poles managed to knock out around eight hundred German armoured vehicles in September 1939, a respectable result considering the fact that more than 2,400 tanks had been deployed.
I understand this series, as with most documentaries concerning the Second World War, offers a very abridged account of events, but its presentation of the September 1939 campaign makes no effort to consider the Polish perspective. It continues to lazily rely on false German propaganda (in the twenty-first century!) and is therefore inadequate. In fact, the footage of the charging Polish cavalry was lifted from German propaganda films.
I understand this series, as with most documentaries concerning the Second World War, offers a very abridged account of events, but its presentation of the September 1939 campaign makes no effort to consider the Polish perspective. It continues to lazily rely on false German propaganda (in the twenty-first century!) and is therefore inadequate. In fact, the footage of the charging Polish cavalry was lifted from German propaganda films.
helpful•01
- holdedoor
- Feb 10, 2019
Details
- Runtime51 minutes
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content