Funmurphys: the Blog

The War By Ken Burns II

OK, I'm not the only one disappointed in The War. After watching more episodes, I think what bothers me most is that as a collection of rememberances it's fine, but all that the ground eye views add up to is a bunch of ground eye views. Overall strategy is rarely discussed, and only to point out the flaws. So what you are left with is a litany of horor, and let's face it, it doesn't take long for the litany of war horrors to grow repetative. People die, are horribly maimed, starve, become inured to death and the suffering of others, and just want to kill as many of the enemy as it takes to get them to quit. Oh yeah, generals screw up and don't mind killing almost as many of their own men as the enemy. There, I've summed up the show, except for the part where American soldiers committed atrocities like killing prisoners and civilians and lots of our equipment was substandard.

Why were we fighting? From the show, one would think it was only because the Japanese attacked us. Although, it is informative to discover that even by late 1944 America was growing tired of the enormous casualties (Total American deaths in Iraq and Afganistan wouldn't even be a week's worth of American deaths in late 1944). Surely there must have been more to it than that?

Perhaps it's because my father served on a submarine, but I'm a amazed how the word hasn't even been mentioned yet (U-boat has as the Second Happy Time got it's due). Maybe Mr. Burns doesn't realize that submariners suffered the highest loss rate in the war (which isn't to minimize the losses or the terrible experiences of the infantry) but had a huge impact on Japan's ability to wage war. But by golly, I get to hear half the columns written during the war by some newspaperman who's name I've already forgotten.

With all the material, all the footage, all the time, all the money to work with, it should have been amazing. Instead, it's watchable.