The War (2007–2007)

TV ShowEndedWar, History1 season, 7 episodes
The War poster

Plot

The War, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns: Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; and 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 demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives. Including interviews and archive footage, the film honors the bravery, endurance, and sacrifice of the generation of Americans who lived through what will always be known simply as "The War."

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Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01The War S01E01A Necessary WarS01E01 · 8.2December 1941 - December 1942: The tranquil lives of the citizens of Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; and Luverne, Minnesota are shattered on December 7, 1941, as they, along with the rest of America, are thrust into the greatest cataclysm in history.
  2. 02The War S01E07A World Without WarS01E07 · 8.2March 1945 - December 1945: 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.
  3. 03The War S01E02When Things Get ToughS01E02 · 7.8January 1943 - December 1943: Americans mobilize for total war at home and overseas. Factories hum around the clock, while in 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.

Episodes by season

Season01Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode7Episodes2007Aired 7.7Season avg
  1. S01E01The War S01E01Season's bestA Necessary WarSeptember 23, 2007 8.2December 1941 - December 1942: The tranquil lives of the citizens of Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; and Lu
  2. S01E02The War S01E02When Things Get ToughSeptember 24, 2007 7.8January 1943 - December 1943: Americans mobilize for total war at home and overseas. Factories hum around the clock, while in North Africa a
  3. S01E03The War S01E03A Deadly CallingSeptember 25, 2007 7.5November 1943 - June 1944: Americans are shocked by terrible losses on the Pacific atoll of Tarawa, while in Italy Allied forces are stalled
  4. S01E04The War S01E04Pride of Our Nation / A Volunteer BasisSeptember 26, 2007 7.5June 1944 - August 1944: On June 6, 1944, D-Day, 1.5 million Allied troops take part in the greatest invasion in history, but then bog down
  5. S01E05The War S01E05FUBARSeptember 30, 2007 7.5September 1944 - December 1944: Victory in Europe seems imminent, but in Holland, the Vosges Mountains, and the Hurtgen Forest, GIs learn pa
  6. S01E06The War S01E06The Ghost FrontOctober 1, 2007 7.5December 1944 - March 1945: Americans are shocked by Hitler's massive counterattack in the Ardennes forest - but by mid-March, 1945, they ar
  7. S01E07The War S01E07A World Without WarOctober 2, 2007 8.2March 1945 - December 1945: A few weeks after the death of President Roosevelt shocks the country, Germany surrenders. Meanwhile, American s

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Castfull cast & details

Keith DavidKeith DavidNarrator (voice)Tom HanksTom HanksNarrator / Al McIntosh (voice)Josh LucasJosh LucasNarrator (voice)Bobby CannavaleBobby CannavaleNarrator / Babe Ciarlo (voice)Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonNarrator (voice)Eli WallachEli WallachNarrator (voice)Robert WahlbergRobert WahlbergNarrator / James A. Fahey (voice)Adam ArkinAdam ArkinReader (voice)

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