Unsolved Mysteries of World War II (1992– ) User Reviews

Objective, Honest, Candid.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 30 May 2015]

I can only judge from the one episode I've seen, dealing with Hitler's decision to stop the panzers from obliterating the remaining French and British soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk.

And I'm compelled to give the writers a lot of credit for their dispassionate description of events leading up to the order to halt.

So why did Hitler issue the stop order? It's always convenient, but usually a mistake, to look for a simple answer, as if an event had only one determinant. "B was caused by A." But God didn't create a universe that was so easy for humans to understand. There were several reasons why the panzers were stopped, some more relevant than others. There's even a statistical technique for judging the relative importance of these factors, called multiple regression.

Hitler stopped the panzers because he was worried that his left flank was open to attack, because he was busy with plans to conquer the remainder of France to the south, because the panzers had had a rough time and were short of fuel and in need of maintenance, because Göring had promised that the Luftwaffe would force a surrender at Dunkirk, and because he hoped that Britain would sue for peace.

This -- and more -- is all laid out neatly and logically in this above-average documentary. If the one episode I've watched is an example, the series is well done.

Just the Facts, If There are Any to Be Found

[davefoss · 7/10 · 19 April 2021]

"Unsolved Mysteries of World War II" is in the style of an extended news reel. It consists entierly of narrated archival footage and photographs. No animation or expert/on-the-scene interviews that have became a standard part of historical documentaries since the release of this series are included. Nevertheless it is a fast-paced, information-rich and engaging series.

As the title suggests the series focuses on strange behavior of Nazi personalities that still puzzle historians. The Nazi propensity for secrecy surly helped create these enigmas. Each episode provides the relavent history leading up ot the event in question, explains what is known about it and describes the lingering questions. In some episodes there is a bit of speculation about the reason for the Nazis' behavor.

Unfortunately, following the fall of the Soviet Union and the declassification of intelligence reports from the era have brought to light a good deal more infromation that sheads light on many of the topics featured leaving the series rather dated. "Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War" is a good alternative series providing extensive, updated information on many of the topcis reviewd in this series.

Episode 6 - Kill Hitler

[kutwiwupxc · 11 November 2020]

In the midst of watching this interesting documentary something the narrator said made me think. Under the subtitle of "The Night of the Long Knives" the narrator states that on June 31, 1934, Rohm and the SA Leaders were rounded up by Himmler's SS and murdered.

After some research, June 31, 1934 never happened because it isn't a real date. If that's the case, when did the Night of the Long Knives occur? Did the events actually happen? Is this just another mystery of WW II?