"Words are ammunition. Each word an American utters either helps or hurts the war effort. He must stop rumors. He must challenge the cynic and the appeaser. He must not speak recklessly. He must remember that the enemy is listening."

-- Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry, Office of War Information
"Civilians must have the war brought home to them. Every individual must be made to see the immediacy of the danger to him. He must be made to understand that he is an integral part of the war front, and that if he loses the war, he loses everything."

-- Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry, Office of War Information
"These jobs will have to be glorified as a patriotic war service if American women are to be persuaded to take them and stick to them. Their importance to a nation engaged in total war must be convincingly presented."

-- Basic Program Plan for Womanpower, Office of War Information
"Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, Latch on to the Affirmative, Don't Mess with Mr. In-Between."

-- Hit song, 1945; music by Harold Arlen; lyrics by Johnny Mercer

A New Seven-Part Epic Documentary About World War II

The War, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns: Waterbury Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and the tiny farming town of Luverne, Minnesota. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history - a worldwide catastrophe that 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.

More than 12,000 men and 500 women from Waterbury served in the armed forces during the war; the mayor saw them all off at the railroad station. Each man received a prayer book and a carton of cigarettes, courtesy of the Shriners; 282 of those who served lost their lives.

The civilian men and women of Waterbury contributed to the war effort in hundreds of ways, large and small. War bonds were sold from "Liberty House," set up in the middle of the town green on the site where similar bonds had been sold to help defeat Germany during the First World War, and local residents bought $270 million worth. They also collected 68,500 pounds of rubber; 5,097,421 pounds of scrap metal; 8,255,640 pounds of paper; and 150 tons of waste fat.

Connecticut and WWII

Approximately 210,000 men and women from Connecticut served between 1941 and 1945 in the conflict that spanned the globe. About 4,500 Connecticut men between the ages of 16 and 49 were killed in action or died of combat wounds; approximately 1,000 others died of illness or in accidents. Aircraft and submarine manufacturers, already stalwarts of the defense industry, revved up to meet growing demand. Factories and mills that had turned out toys and silk fabric were quickly transformed - churning out bullet casings, uniform buttons, parachutes and thread for those parachutes, and much more - all to feed the fighting machine.

To honor those who fought on the battlefront and those who labored on the home front, and to pass the light of understanding on to a new generation, CPTV has developed a yearlong initiative built around the new PBS program, "The War," a Ken Burns documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Part one of The War premieres Sunday, September 23, 2007, on CPTV.

CPTV's Presentation of The War is sponsored locally by:


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Please note that The War presents historical images and footage that depicts real combat and its aftermath.
Viewer discretion is advised.

The War will air over two weeks, beginning Sunday, September 23, 2007 (four nights the first week and three nights the second week).

Sun., Sept 23, 2007
8-10:30 p.m.; 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Mon., Sept. 24, 2007
8-10 p.m.; 10 p.m.-12 a.m.
Tues., Sept. 25, 2007
8-10 p.m.; 10 p.m.-12 a.m.
Wed., Sept. 26, 2007
8-10:30 p.m.; 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Sun., Sept. 30, 2007
8-10:30 p.m.; 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Mon., Oct. 1, 2007
8-10 p.m.; 10 p.m.-12 a.m.
Tues., Oct. 2, 2007
8-10:30 p.m.; 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Special Preview

Attend a Special Preview Screening of The War, Introduced by Ken Burns

Monday September 10 at 7 p.m.
Palace Theater, Waterbury

Join CPTV for a special preview screening of The War at the historic Palace Theater in Waterbury. The screening includes compelling clips from the seven-part series that explores the history of World War II from an American perspective. Burns, an award-winning filmmaker, will introduce the screening and highlight Waterbury's distinction as one of only four communities in the country featured in this landmark series. After the screening, Burns will be available for what is certain to be a captivating question and answer session with the audience.

For tickets to this historic event, contact the Palace Theater Box office at 203-755-4700 or click here to visit their website

A New Seven-Part Epic Documentary About World War II

Featured Town: Waterbury, CT

Connecticut and WWII

CPTV's Presentation of The War is sponsored locally by:

Watch it on

Special Preview