Kritiken (1)
From a formal point of view, Clash of Warriors is a well-executed documentary, as the series utilizes all classical and modern production techniques, such as attractive archival footage, computer animation, and an appropriately selected musical background. If the viewer is not a knowledgeable fan of military history, it is rich enough to introduce them to the topic. In terms of content, I do have some remarks, and they are quite significant... The series contains some inaccuracies, which are not essential and can be overlooked due to the scope of the work. Very few extensive documentaries can completely avoid them. What is worse and unacceptable for me is the overall concept. The authors of the series fall into the traditional Western tendency of downplaying the importance of the Eastern Front, where the battleground in North Africa or Italy had a purely secondary significance in terms of the overall course of World War II. For example, the capitulation of Axis forces in Tunisia was not caused so much by the skill of the Allied officers and the enthusiasm of Anglo-American troops, but rather by the complete "undernourishment" of the German-Italian units, as the overwhelming majority of reinforcements and weapons were sent to the Eastern Front. Especially the American units were a truly desperate sight. The significance of the battles on the Western Front was far from reaching the importance of the clashes in the East, and these battles were decided due to a significant superiority in weaponry and the number of soldiers. Completely overlooked were the battles in which German and Japanese units prevailed in the early stages of the war, although they often involved brilliantly prepared and executed actions. Especially the large encirclement operations of the Wehrmacht in 1941, such as the liquidation of the southern grouping of Soviet troops in the Kyiv cauldron. The selection of individual battles was therefore very biased, with operations involving the American army being unreasonably highlighted. Furthermore, the fact that many operations were not won by the commanders, but rather by the staffs and, more importantly, by the economies of the participating countries, is omitted. The balance of forces is not adequately taken into account, and the commentary is often so pathetically, typically bombastic American, e.g., "this battle was supposed to decide the fate of the entire war" or "this general was the only one who could save...," etc. Sometimes, the commentary contradicts the outline of the situation and its subsequent detailed description. Overall impression: 65%.
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