Description
Cities at War 2-DVD Set
Historical Documentary. No of discs: 2. Director: Michael Darlow. Black & White/Colour. Running Time: approx 225 minutes.
The story of four of the worlds great cities and how they, and their inhabitants, suffered during WWII. With footage of the hostilities and interviews with those who survived the horrors of the conflict. A testament to the resilience, courage and spirit of those who lived through the war from 1939-1945.
LONDON Includes interviews with Londoners who suffered the blitz. This film tracks the time from the declaration of war to VE day, demonstrating the strength of character of its inhabitants. At the beginning of the war in 1939, London was the largest city in the world, with 8.2 million inhabitants. Central to the British war effort, it was the favourite target of the Luftwaffe in 1940, and in 1944-45 the target of the V-1 cruise missile and V-2 rocket attacks. An estimated 18,688 civilians in London were killed during the war and 1.5 million were made homeless.
BERLIN Includes interviews with Berliners. The outbreak of war was celebrated in the bars of Berlin, but its occupants would pay a heavy price with the devastation and ultimate occupation of their city. The Battle of Berlin, one of the final battles of World War II, took place from April 20 to May 2 1945, and ended with the fall of Berlin to the Soviet Red Army, which took revenge for the suffering of the Soviet people since 1941.
PARIS Includes interviews with Parisians and German ex-officers. The city escaped much of the bombing and destruction, but Paris had to endure Nazi occupation, the humiliation of Hitler’s victory parade and revenge for the Treaty of Versailles until they were freed by the allies.
LENINGRAD Includes interviews. Starvation, the bitterly cold weather and the Nazi offensive did not break the spirit of the brave occupants of this heroic city. The siege of the city lasted for 872 days, from 8 September 1941 until 27 January 1944. One of the longest in history, some historians have classified it as genocide due to the systematic starvation and destruction of the city’s population.
