PBS - The Perilous Fight: America's World War II in Color (2003) / AvaxHome

Throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, film archivists unearthed millions of feet of color footage shot by both professionals and amateurs during WWII but long tucked away and forgotten due to reasons of security and economics. Several TV series and specials were culled from these vivid color images; foremost among these is the four-hour PBS documentary The Perilous Fight: America's World War II in Color. Narrated by Martin Sheen, this remarkable assemblage includes disturbing on-the-spot film coverage of the aftermath of Pearl Harbor (reportedly shot by John Ford's military unit) and the Warsaw Ghetto, some heart-stopping combat coverage of the landings in North Africa and Normandy, and fascinating glimpses of the home front in both city and country. The images were complemented by poignant off-camera readings of correspondence written by the combatants and their friends and families back home, and by pointed editorial comments about the role of women and minorities in the war years. The Perilous Fight was first telecast on February 12 and 19, 2003 (two hour-long episodes per night), and was tied in with the publication the coffee-table book America at War in Color.

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Part 1: "Infamy" (1919-1942)
Opening with some of the earliest color motion picture images ever filmed-of a victory parade in Paris at the end of World War I-this episode takes viewers from the years leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War, through the Nazi invasion of Poland that triggered Britain's and France's declaration of war on Germany, to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. Among the many scenes captured by color footage are life in Depression-era America; huge Nazi rallies in pre-war Germany; the sinking of a British merchant ship six weeks into the war and the rescue effort mounted by a passing American vessel; civilian refugees streaming along the roads of occupied France; the devastation at Pearl Harbor as photographed by a Navy film unit working for Hollywood director John Ford; and the U.S. victory over the Japanese at Midway–the decisive sea battle of the Pacific war.

Part 2: "Battlefronts" (1942-1944)
The second episode focuses on the years 1942 to 1944, from the massive buildup of America's military and industrial capabilities to preparations for D-Day. Among the many images captured in color are the mobilization of women and African Americans on the industrial home front and in the military; the internment of Japanese Americans; American troops landing in North Africa, and tank battles in the North African desert; training of African-American aviators at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute; the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto; activity behind Nazi lines in Yugoslavia, and Yugoslavian resistance fighters helping downed U.S. airmen; and the boarding of troops onto landing craft bound for Normandy, scene of what was to be the largest amphibious invasion in history.

Part 3: "Wrath" (D-Day to VE Day)
Covers the months from June 1944 to May 1945. Scenes include seizure of a German U-boat; the Allied assault on Normandy; liberation of Paris; the first Jewish Sabbath service at liberated Dachau; and VE Day celebrations.

Part 4: "Triumph" (The Pacific, 1943-1945)
Shows U.S. troops landing on Tarawa; the American flag atop Iwo Jima; and U.S. aircraft carriers under fire during the battle for Okinawa.

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Menu
00:00:00.000 : Chapter 01
00:01:53.533 : Chapter 02
00:15:02.633 : Chapter 03
00:22:12.066 : Chapter 04
00:26:55.900 : Chapter 05
00:28:31.666 : Chapter 06
00:30:52.066 : Chapter 07
00:33:38.033 : Chapter 08
00:35:42.833 : Chapter 09
00:36:59.533 : Chapter 10
00:38:03.666 : Chapter 11
00:39:05.633 : Chapter 12
00:43:49.466 : Chapter 13
00:45:18.300 : Chapter 14
00:46:51.033 : Chapter 15
00:50:36.800 : Chapter 16
00:53:22.966 : Chapter 17

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