Anyone watching Storming Juno on History Channel?

[Byrns]

Pretty good so far, is it a Canadian production?

www.stormingjuno.com

[CaptainCrunch]

Yes, it was extremely well done.

[ken0042]

Watched a well produced 6 hour series on National Geographic. Basically each episode covers a year from 1939-45.

It really hit home some of the sacrafices my grandfather and his generation went through.

[CaptainCrunch]

Apocalypse

Which is based on rarely seen war photographers and film makers.

One of the best war documentaries that I can think of.

[worth]

I recorded this. Was happy to see this kind of production.

[burn_this_city]

I missed the first 5 minutes, so I'm recording it when its replayed later this week. I thought it was a fantastic show, it was definitely difficult to watch at a few parts. The tank battle show that followed was about the Canadian tank company that landed on Juno. They had a pretty good battle with the SS for Caen. Pretty sad parts in that one as well. When they talk about the Canadians taken prisoner by the SS being murdered.

[mykalberta]

No but I will based solely on that sweet website.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I missed the first 5 minutes, so I'm recording it when its replayed later this week. I thought it was a fantastic show, it was definitely difficult to watch at a few parts. The tank battle show that followed was about the Canadian tank company that landed on Juno. They had a pretty good battle with the SS for Caen. Pretty sad parts in that one as well. When they talk about the Canadians taken prisoner by the SS being murdered.

Kurt Meyer was the SS officer who executed the Canadians', he was considered to be one of the great Tankers of the war, but the man was a completely commited Nazi.

He was tried for War Crimes after the War and spent 9 years in prison.

As an add on there's another exceptional show on the history channel called Tank Battles, and this week covers the Normandy invasion, and they did a excellent job of recreating the battle using CGI

[FurnaceFace]

I appreciated two things the most: they didn't build the guys up to being supermen, because they didn't have to. By using the real accounts of what happened the soldiers they followed seemed easier to connect with while at the same time their bravery, determination and sheer will came through. Whenever I see things like this I wonder if faced with such a situation I'd be able to react even half as well.

The other thing I appreciate is the veterans who were willing to be interviewed and recount those dark days. It can't be easy openly discussing what they saw and what they went through. As at least one of them said "I can close my eyes and see it all" and another one said something like "my wife says I talk [about the war] in my sleep every night." For something to leave such an indelible mark after 65 years is sobering. With more WWII vets disappearing every year I think shows like this are extremely important so we can get their story recorded so we don't lose it.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Kurt Meyer was the SS officer who executed the Canadians', he was considered to be one of the great Tankers of the war, but the man was a completely commited Nazi.

He was tried for War Crimes after the War and spent 9 years in prison.

As an add on there's another exceptional show on the history channel called Tank Battles, and this week covers the Normandy invasion, and they did a excellent job of recreating the battle using CGI

Its a shame they didnt hang him for war crimes.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

I appreciated two things the most: they didn't build the guys up to being supermen, because they didn't have to. By using the real accounts of what happened the soldiers they followed seemed easier to connect with while at the same time their bravery, determination and sheer will came through. Whenever I see things like this I wonder if faced with such a situation I'd be able to react even half as well.

The other thing I appreciate is the veterans who were willing to be interviewed and recount those dark days. It can't be easy openly discussing what they saw and what they went through. As at least one of them said "I can close my eyes and see it all" and another one said something like "my wife says I talk [about the war] in my sleep every night." For something to leave such an indelible mark after 65 years is sobering. With more WWII vets disappearing every year I think shows like this are extremely important so we can get their story recorded so we don't lose it.

They for the most part, were farm boys, and factory workers and high school dropouts. They weren't towers of muscle and anger. They were ordinary kids that under great pressure did extraordinary things, and a lot of the time these were things that weren't done for their country, but were done for their brothers and friends.

The one thing about Canadian's that we don't realize but other countries do is that we are slow to anger and react, but when we do it is with passion, and determination. They rely and respond to one of the best training programs in the world, but the raw material is always there.

Put a Canucks back in the corner, and you will get a Canuck that will desparately fight out of that corner.

But our soldiers have a generous humanitarian streak that you don't see in other armed forces in the world. The first thing that we learn is that our job is not really to project Canadian power, but to fight for the weak who can't fight and protect the innocent thats why we've made good peacekeepers in bad situations, thats why you don't read about Canadian Troops involved in slaughters. Thats why nearly every soldier that I've talked to thats gone to or is going to Afghanistan feels like some good is coming out of it and we get so many that return countless times.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Its a shame they didnt hang him for war crimes.

True, but he was really at the bottom of the ladder in terms of war crimes, by the time the leaders and high ranking officers had been tried and executed, a lot of that rage and anger had been burned out of the allies, and it allowed them to show some compassion and mercy.

There was some question over how his orders were interpreted at the time, in his defense when he issued the orders he merely ordered that his men give no quarter to the enemy including one's who surrendered. The IIRC judges at his war trial agreed and stated that there were other significant examples of officers ordering their men to give no quarter and that it couldn't be interpreted as an order to execute prisoners.

If he hadn't been a non repentant facists, if those executions hadn't happened, he would have been looked at as one of the best military officers that the armoured world had ever seen and his life would have turned out differently.

Instead he died at 51 hated but respected even by Canadian Forces Officers who went out of their way to talk to him when he worked for a german brewery after his prison sentence.