WWII Programming on CPTV

World War II Programming on CPTV Throughout CPTV's yearlong initiative in 2007-08, a variety of World War II-related programs will air in primetime viewing slots. We'll reprise a number of CPTV original productions that focused on World War II, including "Home Front," "Battlefront" and "Heroes," the three documentaries that comprise the "Connecticut During World War II" trilogy.

Pacific War: They Filmed the War In Color

Airing: Tuesday, August 7, 9 p.m.
The Gates of Hell - The program begins by explaining why Roosevelt sent cameramen to the Pacific front - mainly to galvanize civilian support for a war which seemed very far away and arouse civilians to make sacrifices by showing for the really first time in newsreels very realistic footage from the front. John Ford and other directors sent to the largest theatre of war - the Pacific. From the battle of Midway, through Pearl Harbor to Shanghai, Japan where scenes before the war of include geishas and samurais. This production gives a wide portrait of the world during this time including scenes of Pearl Harbor and ends in Saipan which was invaded at great cost since from there, American bombers could reach Japan.

Prelude to Apocalypse - begins in Saipan where 20,000 marines landed. Incredible battle footage as well as some shots of Japanese civilians committing suicide by jumping over cliffs so they would not be taken prisoner 2/3 of population committed suicide. The film goes from Saipan where 3500 Americans died, to Seattle showing civilians at home and ships leaving port, to Iwo Jima, Burma, Okinawa, and then the dropping of the atomic bomb.

Churchill

Airing: Wednesday, August 8, 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.
This first hour tells the story of Churchill's early life -- his aristocratic birth, his search for glory on the battlefield, his rise up the political ladder and his fall from it. It follows his journey from being a young Conservative star to a leading Liberal social reformer, from the disgraced head of the British Royal Navy in WWI to the senior position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. This episode ends in 1931, when Churchill is left out of the national government, and his career seems to be over and his destiny unfulfilled.

The second hour focuses on the 10 years between 1929 and 1939, which have become widely known as the "Wilderness Years" during which Churchill was variously described as a "maverick", a "spent force" and a "fanatic". But then, through a remarkable set of circumstances, the war years from 1939 to 1945 became the most famous period in his amazing life. "The Lion's Roar" traces Churchill's leadership of Britain through its finest hour during the Battle of Britain to its darkest hour in 1942. His character was tested at every moment of the war. His famous speeches evoked everything about Britain that he thought was great, and so galvanized the nation.

The final hour opens with Churchill's day trip to the Normandy beaches in June 1944. When victory in Europe finally came, Churchill led the celebrations. But in private, he was depressed, brooding about the dangers of Stalin and communism. During a 1951 election he pledged to lead Britain in the post-war age, and determined to forge a peaceful alliance between the two superpowers, the USA and USSR. One month short of his 77th birthday, Churchill became Prime Minister again. But the pressure of leadership quickly began to show and in April 1955, he resigned as Prime Minister. Incredibly, Churchill confided to a friend that he felt he hadn't achieved anything in his life. He was depressed at the lack of Britain's power and the death of the British Empire. Churchill was the embodiment of Britain and the age of imperial grandeur. When he died in January 1965, it was not only the end of an incredible life, but also the end of an era.

PBS Previews: The War

Airing: Thursday, August 9, 11 p.m., Monday, August 13, 9 p.m., Sunday, August 19, 4 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
This exclusive, revelatory "first look" at The War and its creation provides excerpts from the series, insights from the on-screen participants, behind-the-scenes looks at the production and thoughts from co-producers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on the critical importance of creating this series at this time. The audience sees some of the work that went into making the seven-part documentary about World War II. Excerpts are introduced by interview footage of the filmmakers or participants in the film.

The Blitz: London's Longest Night

Airing: Monday, August 13, 9:30 p.m., Sunday, August 19, 2:30 p.m.
On the evening of December 29, 1940, the German luftwaffe dropped tens of thousands of incendiary bombs on the heart of London. This was the night Hitler hoped would break the spirit of the British people and leave them begging for peace. As firemen and workers fought all night to control the burning, many risking their lives, Londoners fled to shelters, uncertain if their homes would survive the bombing. The following morning they emerged after a terrifying and sleepless night to face the smoking ruins of the city. Based on more than two years' research uncovering eyewitness accounts, this program transforms intimate true stories into emotional drama. The film innovatively mixes CGI and archival footage to create spectacular scenes that bring the awful night to life.

The Perilous Fight: World War II in Color

Airing: Tuesdays, August 14, 21 & 28, 9 p.m.
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 - the first episode takes viewers from the years leading up to the outbreak of World War II through the Nazi invasion of Poland that triggered the joint British and French declaration of war on Germany to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. Among the many scenes captured in 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.

Government Girls of World War II

Airing: Monday, August 20, 9 p.m., Thursday, August 23, 8 p.m.
The story of the young women who flocked to Washington, DC during the 1940s to help in the mobilization for WWII and how their experience during the war years changed their lives, the city and American society. Spies, code breakers, strategic analysts, clerks. Young women, nearly a million strong by war's end streamed into Washington filled with patriotism and enthusiasm to aid the World War II homeland effort. They came for reasons of patriotism, excitement and independence. The war opened opportunities for wage earning employment for women that were unheard of before. There were many more opportunities for professional advancement and financial independence than were previously available and the government was actively recruiting women. It was even more of a breakthrough period for African-American women and other women of color. It afforded them a chance many had not had before and large numbers of them jumped at it. Government Girls of WWII is a one-hour documentary. It combines oral histories of the eyewitnesses to the period and interviews with noted humanities scholars who are experts on the role of women in the 20th century. It uses archival film footage, and still photographs most of which have never before been used in television documentaries. Narrated by Cokie Roberts.

City At War: London Calling

Airing: Monday, August 20, 10 p.m.
This documentary, hosted by Walter Cronkite, examines how American journalists reporting from London were instrumental in changing American public opinion and ultimately influencing America's decision to enter World War II to help the British.

Left to Die

Airing: Monday, August 20, 11:30 p.m.
Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau tells a horrifying but true story of survival during World War II, and one of the least known scandals of that war. Following a Guadalcanal Sea battle, which resulted in the sinking of the USS Juneau and the eaths of about 550 crew members, some 140 blast survivors were left at sea, cliging to debris and ignored by nearby ships and top U.S. Naval command. After eight days of extreme heat, night of bitter cold, and frequent shark attacks, only ten survivors lived to tell their story.

WWII Programming on WNPR

As part of Connecticut Remembers…World War II, WNPR is please to offer radio specials throughout the month of August. These World War II stories are from both the home front and the battlefront and paint a picture of what life was like for those serving our country during and after the war.

The Silent Generation: From Saipan to Tokyo

Airing: Friday, August 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Eugene "Bud" Clark, a pint-sized scrapper from Macon, GA, mowed down Banzai warriors, watched mass suicide on Saipan, and was severely wounded on Iwo Jima.

Howard Terry was traumatized by his accidental killing of an Okinawan boy, returned home angry, belligerent and unable to hold a job.

Anthony Daddato lost his best friend to friendly fire,contracted dengue fever,malaria and tuberculosis, and spent three embittered years in hospitals before a feisty nun's advice changed his outlook.

Giles McCoy went down with the Indianapolis in one of the worst naval disasters in history.

These are just a few of the voices in "The Silent Generation", a one-hour documentary that follows more than a score of men through the definitive year of their lives. Men from all walks of life and all corners of the nation. Men who melted quietly back into civilian life and kept silent for decades. Men who, as time grows short, have been moved to speak with unflinching honesty of events that changed them forever.

Their memories are not for the faint-hearted. Here is a view of war from the foxhole. A side of war as relevant today as in 1945. To listen is to understand why they, like tens of thousands of others, could not speak for so long. "The Silent Generation" closes with their unblinking, often wrenching remarks on how combat later affected their attitudes, identity and everyday lives.

Producer/Narrator Borten knits their stories into a chronological whole, adding archival newscasts, live reports from the battlefield, and little-known historical details that, together with these unforgettable stories, bring a momentous, searingly brutal chapter in history to life.

More information: http://www.dav.org/news/thesilentgeneration.html

Prisoners of War: A Story of Four American Soldiers

Airing: Friday, August 17, at 8:00 p.m.
Prisoners of War tells the story of four World War Two veterans -Harrison Burney (84), William Busier (86), Cliff Austin (79), and Robert Norton (80) - all of whom were captured in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge and imprisoned for the remainder of the war. The hour-long program runs without narration, building its story by intercutting excerpts from extended field recordings with each of the men. It begins with the men remembering the chaos and confusion of the battle itself and moves quickly to each man's capture, interrogation, foreced march, and transport by rail car to slave labor camps in Germany and Germany-controlled territory. The programs focuses in detail on the fabric of daily life in these camps, particularly starvation, disease and the brutality of the German guards. It follows the men through their liberation, debriefing, repartriation, and reintegration into American society. And it chronicles their stuggle with the life-long aftereffects of trauma and the shame they felt for having surrendered.

More information: http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/multimedia/radio/pow/index.htm

The Story of the GI Bill

Airing: Friday, August 24, at 8:00 p.m.
As World War II came to a close, the United States began mobilizing to support those who had honorably served the nation, offering returning soldiers a remarkable set of benefits.

The Story of the GI Bill examines that extraordinary package of educational and financial support affectionately ? and often reverently ? known as the GI Bill. Signed into law as the war ended, the GI Bill propelled millions of Americans into the middle class. It helped push the nation's economic growth to levels that were simply unimaginable when the war began and was a crucial factor in the longest period of sustained prosperity in the nation's history.

In this radio documentary hosted by KALW News director Holly Kernan, the history of the GI Bill is explored by some of its first recipients: the men and women who, raised in the Great Depression and transformed by the war, returned home and became part of a changing America. They include beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, philanthropist Bill Gates Sr., and former Congressional Black Caucus chairman Ronald Dellums. Their stories and others illuminate just how central the GI Bill was to the creation of modern America.

More information: http://www.kalwnews.org