Band of Brothers ‘pales in comparison’ to WW2 drama | UK News

World War 2 buffs are ‘obsessed’ with one historic drama miniseries that has flown under the radar – and some are calling it “the German version of Band of Brothers”. Consisting of just three episodes, it follows 5 buddies who exit to conflict and promise each other they’ll return for Christmas.

The German collection, launched in 2013, follows the buddies as they separate into their separate teams – two heading to the Eastern Front to battle as Wehrmacht troopers, one performing as a conflict nurse, one an aspiring singer and another a Jewish tailor. Across 4 years from Berlin in 1941, Generation War runs all the way in which until the conflict’s end in 1945.

Despite getting hundreds of thousands of views when the collection first aired, it attracted its truthful share of controversy. While critics called the “intense” collection “well crafted” and “unsparing in its depiction of combat on the Eastern Front”, others fumed that the show didn’t show enough of the Nazi’s atrocities against Jews.

Journalist Alan Posener wrote of the collection: “While the shows dealing with communist East Germany are realistic, the Third Reich gets off too lightly. None of the new productions directly addresses the Holocaust or other Nazi crimes.”

However, The New Yorker praised it, writing: “Generation War has the strengths and the weaknesses of middlebrow art: it may be clunky, but it’s never dull, and, once you start watching, you can’t stop.”

Fan reviews, however, are firmly in favour of the collection, which has an average of 8.4 stars out of 10 on IMDb: “This is one of the most moving, nuanced and graphic (both physical & psychological) depictions of war that I have watched.”

Someone else said: “This one went under the radar and I’m so glad someone recommended it as a great circa WW2 movie. I highly recommend this to anyone for a good drama.”

And a third echoed: “Perhaps the most touching story about WWII I’ve encountered (and I’ve seen many). The plot is complex and multi-layered, with both overt and subtle messages. It avoids typical ‘Hollywood-style’ setups or special effects. The battle scenes feel natural, not overdone.

“Unlike acclaimed series like Band of Brothers (which I also enjoyed, though it pales in comparison), this isn’t just an hour of explosions and gore.”