Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Lewie

The Great War BBC from 1964, on Youtube

Recommended Posts

I hope I'm not posting a 205, but I just discovered this series, in it's entirety on Youtube.

 

 

If you've seen the series it's a deep historical study of the of WWI and it causes, unfortunately for us propeller heads it's a bit scant on actual WWI aircraft.

 

It's in 10 minutes sections totalling 4 per episode, I believe it's all of 28 episodes so prepare some time for watching.

 

 

Cheers

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A great series, yes. It's also available on DVD. Much more enjoyable to watch like that than to have to struggle with Youtube.

 

Besides, I bet the friendly German censors have already blocked poor Olham's access to that material. :grin:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nope, been there - seen some of it!

And with the install of "HotSpot", maybe I can also see many more other previously blocked vids.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hmm, I'd better contact your Youtube-Polizei and inform them that you are trying to avoid their friendly censorship. :grin:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:rofl: Imagine, the YouTube Polizei sitting behind their screens in a big, dark, smoky room.

"Ah, there goes Olham again! Nooo - I can't believe it - the bastard is watching that Iron Maiden

content, which we have censored for Germany! We must get the record industry informed!!!!

If even the Germans won't pay for these things anymore, they will all get bankrupt!!!"

:lol:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

.

 

Thanks for sharing the link Lewie. I haven't seen this series in many years, and it is one of the best from the BBC.

 

BTW, if I haven't already said so, welcome to the OFF skies Sir. New lads buy the drinks!

 

:drinks:

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

.

 

And Olham, get ready for the knock on your door. "Open up Herr Olham! This is Inspector Iben Watchennewe from YouTube! We know you're in there! Come out peacefully and no one needs to get hurt."

 

.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll be prepared for that! (I always wanted to use this "Smiley" - now is the right moment): :minigun:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've bought a Hong Kong copy ( :grin: ) eight or ten years ago on the Ebay. The BBC wanted 150€ for the series, while the poor Chinese wanted only 35€.

One day I'll buy the original. It's a great, great documentary, a seminal one. It was a model that was followed later by the great of the greatest war documentaries (Ken Burns, please forgive me) "The World at War".

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:rofl: Imagine, the YouTube Polizei sitting behind their screens in a big, dark, smoky room.

"Ah, there goes Olham again! Nooo - I can't believe it - the bastard is watching that Iron Maiden

content, which we have censored for Germany! We must get the record industry informed!!!!

If even the Germans won't pay for these things anymore, they will all get bankrupt!!!"

:lol:

Olham, didn't you saw "Das Leben der Anderen"? :rofl:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not yet - I hate oppression and arbitraryness.

German Gestapo and StaSi - to see that in detail makes me sick! Couldn't even watch "Inglorious Basterds".

I know too much about that already, and I feel so helpless - I have an idea about how far you can drive people

with using terror and fear. My humour absolutely fails there - like a stalling aircraft - sorry.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not yet - I hate oppression and arbitraryness.

German Gestapo and StaSi - to see that in detail makes me sick! Couldn't even watch "Inglorious Basterds".

I know too much about that already, and I feel so helpless - I have an idea about how far you can drive people

with using terror and fear. My humour absolutely fails there - like a stalling aircraft - sorry.

Sorry Olham, if it disturbs you. I didn't meant it.

But I think you should see Das Leben der Anderen, at least it's a great movie. I don't share the same opinion about the Inglorious.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey, I know, von Paulus, I know. :drinks:

 

That's probably the German inheritance from the last century. It shouldn't shadow your mind.

In fact it shouldn't even shadow mine - I wasn't born so early to live as a Nazi, and I was not

living in the DDR; my dad was just a radio operator on board of an iron ore freight ship, which

travelled from Kiruna, Norway, to Germany and back; he never killed anyone - but it does put

shadows on my mind anyway. Those who have done those unthinkable deeds were my people,

somehow. They made me feel like a stranger in my own land, in a way.

Not sure if anyone can understand that - you lucky ones had your parents and grand parents

outside of all that.

 

And I will surely watch "Das Leben der Anderen" some day - I heard it was good.

I have even seen excerpts - couldn't get any closer yet.

 

But hey, chins up - I'll put some music on and will enjoy my freedom of choice!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey, I know, von Paulus, I know. :drinks:

 

That's probably the German inheritance from the last century. It shouldn't shadow your mind.

In fact it shouldn't even shadow mine - I wasn't born so early to live as a Nazi, and I was not

living in the DDR; my dad was just a radio operator on board of an iron ore freight ship, which

travelled from Kiruna, Norway, to Germany and back; he never killed anyone - but it does put

shadows on my mind anyway. Those who have done those unthinkable deeds were my people,

somehow. They made me feel like a stranger in my own land, in a way.

Not sure if anyone can understand that - you lucky ones had your parents and grand parents

outside of all that.

 

And I will surely watch "Das Leben der Anderen" some day - I heard it was good.

I have even seen excerpts - couldn't get any closer yet.

 

But hey, chins up - I'll put some music on and will enjoy my freedom of choice!

 

You know, even in the US During WWII there were effects of nationalities from the past of immigrants names. My father worked for the petroleum industry during the war. He is descended from a family that spoke both German and English in the household and he had a slight German lilt to his speech. He had to move to a different city when the plant he worked at expanded production. He soon discovered that the head of the new plant was very hateful of Germans.

 

Well with my father's surname and his accent, Dad was actually kept under close watch and was subject to subtle harassment. His own father was born here in the US but because they had lived in a community that spoke mostly German, well the accent and the surname was suspect and he eventually had to leave the new cracking plant and return to the original. It caused Dad considerable distress.

 

Thanks for sharing that about your Father Olham.

 

Cheers

 

Lewis

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The reality is that what happened in Germany in the 1930s could just as easily happen in any nation given similar circumstances, which is the prime lesson that any democratic state needs to take from that experience. As far as the DDR goes... well, it was basically an extension of the Soviet state and we all know how those chaps were. My father visited Germany for his work just a few years after the Wall went up, and he was one of the few permitted to travel freely from West to East for a time. He has rather fascinating stories about the contrast between the two sides of Berlin in the 1960s.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When the wall was opened again, I used to ride per bicycle through east Berlin a lot.

It was another world. I should have taken many pictures; it's unbelieveable, how much

the face of east Berlin has changed now we are re-united.

In 1990, you could clearly see, where former East-Berlin began. Not anymore now.

 

But in the heads of people, it will only really grow together, when the generations are gone,

which have lived departed.

 

A funny sidenote: it's the same with the animals.

They have planted chips under the skin of the deer populations along the former DDR border.

Now they could check their ways per satelite (or godknowshow).

Until today, the deer from the east do not move over into "western terrain" - although there is

no wall nor any other hindrance anymore. Same for the "western" deer - they remain on the

western side of the former border.

Edited by Olham

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When the wall was opened again, I used to ride per bicycle through east Berlin a lot.

It was another world. I should have taken many pictures; it's unbelieveable, how much

the face of east Berlin has changed now we are re-united.

In 1990, you could clearly see, where former East-Berlin began. Not anymore now.

 

But in the heads of people, it will only really grow together, when the generations are gone,

which have lived departed.

 

A funny sidenote: it's the same with the animals.

They have planted chips under the skin of the deer populations along the former DDR border.

Now they could check their ways per satelite (or godknowshow).

Until today, the deer from the east do not move over into "western terrain" - although there is

no wall nor any other hindrance anymore. Same for the "western" deer - they remain on the

western side of the former border.

 

 

 

 

I really didn't know that about the animals. That's interesting! I'll look that up later today, sounds like interesting reading.

 

My father said that the difference between East and West Berlin in the 60s was startling. The West was neat, orderly, automobiles, pretty. The East side was run down, he said when he was there a lot of buildings still had extensive battle damage, as if repairs hadn't begun at all. The people were grimmer, there were long foodlines, and soldiers everywhere. He had a discussion with a young soldier from Ukraine, whom he describes as a thoroughly nice chap. These other military officers (I don't know if they were German or Russian or what, don't remember) told him that in the "inevitable" war they would steamroll the capitalists, and my father says he felt like telling them they were crazy and "Have you seen what they have over there?". After visiting East Berlin he was convinced that they would not win any conflict with the West.

 

I'm not so sure of his conclusion as he is as I tend to think East Berlin was so poor specifically because they were throwing all their funding into the military. Still, I'm quite happy the "inevitable" war never panned out.

 

 

 

p.s. I don't know why I forgot to mention this, on this forum of all places, but he also said that when he was in Germany he met an old veteran of Jasta 11 who flew with Richthofen. I ought to call him up and ask if he remembers the man's name so we can look him up.

Edited by Javito1986

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not so sure of his conclusion as he is as I tend to think East Berlin was so poor specifically because they were throwing all their funding into the military. Still, I'm quite happy the "inevitable" war never panned out.

 

The whole of Eastern Europe was nothing but a huge military camp during the Cold War. If WW3 had happened, it is most likely we wouldn't be here having this conversation. The Warsaw Pact had such massive military power in Europe that large parts of Western Europe would have been overrun. Without stronger American presence, the European NATO countries were simply too weak. But it would have taken some time to concentrate all the US military power into Europe. Weapons of mass destruction would have been needed to slow down the Reds, and that would have lead to a nuclear holocaust sooner or later.

 

It would be great if you could find out more about that Jasta 11 pilot. :drinks:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, that's interesting about the Jasta 11 pilot.

 

When I saw "Thirteen Days" I only understood, how close the wipe-out of mankind was during the Cuba crisis.

I was a little boy then, and I still remember, how my dad seemed like glued to the radio (we didn't have TV then).

One day, when he had late shift, I tried to follow it, and when he came home, I told him "Nothing bad happened

with the Cuba crisis, dead." I didn't have a glimpse, what it was all about. There may be differing opinions about

the Kennedy brothers here (which is normal, cause it's politics), but I am very grateful, that "Jack" and "Bobby"

managed to keep the control and sanity & reason. We could have all burned.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..