History

The War

The War is the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns. The war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America and demonstrated that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.

A World Without War

2h 7m

A few weeks after the death of President Roosevelt shocks the country, Germany surrenders. Meanwhile, American sailors, soldiers and Marines endure the worst battle of the Pacific - Okinawa. In August, American planes drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Japanese, too, surrender. Millions return home - to try to learn how to live in a world without war.

Episodes

  • A World Without War: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A World Without War

    S1 E7 - 2h 7m

    A few weeks after the death of President Roosevelt shocks the country, Germany surrenders. Meanwhile, American sailors, soldiers and Marines endure the worst battle of the Pacific - Okinawa. In August, American planes drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Japanese, too, surrender. Millions return home - to try to learn how to live in a world without war.

  • The Ghost Front: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Ghost Front

    S1 E6 - 1h 59m

    Americans are shocked by Hitler's massive counterattack in the Ardennes Forest - but by mid March, 1945, they are across the Rhine, while Russians are 50 miles from Berlin. In the Pacific, after weeks of desperate fighting, Iwo Jima is secured, and American bombers begin a full-fledged air assault of Japan.

  • FUBAR: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    FUBAR

    S1 E5 - 2h 6m

    Victory in Europe seems imminent, but Holland, the Vosges Mountains, and the Hurtgen Forest, GIs learn painful lessons as old as war itself - that generals make plans, plans go wrong and soldiers die. Meanwhile, on the island of Peleliu, the Marines fight one of the most brutal and unnecessary battles of the Pacific.

  • Pride of our Nation: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Pride of our Nation

    S1 E4 - 2h 19m

    On June 6, 1944, D-Day, 1.5 million Allied troops take part in the greatest invasion in history, but then bog down in Norman hedgerows for weeks. Saipan proves the costliest Pacific battle to date, while back home dreaded telegrams for the War Department begin arriving at an inconceivable rate.

  • A Deadly Calling : asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Deadly Calling

    S1 E3 - 1h 52m

    Americans are shocked by terrible losses on the Pacific atoll of Tarawa, while in Italy Allied forces are stalled for months at Monte Cassino, and a risky landing at Anzio fails utterly. At home, as overcrowded "war towns" boom, economic transformation leads to confrontation and ugly racial violence.

  • When Things Get Tough: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    When Things Get Tough

    S1 E2 - 1h 57m

    Americans mobilize for total war at home and overseas. Factories hum around the clock, while North Africa and then Italy, inexperienced GIs learn how to fight. Meanwhile, in the skies over Europe, thousands of American airmen gamble their lives against preposterous odds on daylight bombing missions.

  • A Necessary War: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Necessary War

    S1 E1 - 2h 24m

    The tranquil lives of the citizens of Mobile, AL; Sacramento, CA; Waterbury,CT; and Luverne,MN are shattered on December 7, 1941, as they, along with the rest of America are thrust into the greatest cataclysm in history.

Extras + Features

  • Joseph Medicine Crow: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Joseph Medicine Crow

    S1 - 8m 41s

    Joe Medicine Crow, the last war chief of the Crow Tribe of Montana is profiled in The War, a film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

  • Intro: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Intro

    S1 - 5m 35s

    Watch the first few minutes of The War.

  • Why We Fight: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why We Fight

    S1 - 4m 39s

    Burnett Miller, Ray Leopold and Sam Hynes talk about why they fought.

  • The Four Towns: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Four Towns

    S1 - 11m

    An introduction to the four towns featured in THE WAR – Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; and Luverne, Minnesota.

  • D-Day Invasion: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    D-Day Invasion

    S1 - 2m 13s

    On June 6, 1944, D-Day in the European Theater, a million and a half Allied troops embark on one of the greatest invasions in history; the invasion of France.

  • Making Of | An Intimidating Project: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Making Of | An Intimidating Project

    S1 - 2m 21s

    Filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick talk about why “The War” was such an intimidating project and how they made the film.

  • The Holocaust: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Holocaust

    S1 - 7m 45s

    Ray Leopold, Burnett Miller, Dwain Luce and others discuss the horror of the Holocaust and how it haunts them still.

  • Babe Ciarlo in Anzio: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Babe Ciarlo in Anzio

    S1 - 5m 52s

    Serving on the front lines at Anzio beach, Babe Ciarlo never revealed his experiences in his letters home.

  • FDR: Day of Infamy: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    FDR: Day of Infamy

    S1 - 1m 29s

    President Franklin Delano Roosevelt speaks to the country following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

  • Kinship: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Kinship

    S1 - 5m 22s

    Marines Pete Arias and Bill Lansford land on Iwo Jima.

Schedule

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