Hell on Earth: World War II Narratives

This chapter deals with the historical realities behind one of the worst and most covered wars in the twentieth century. The chapter looks at some of the most important German and English documentary formats, including docudrama series and period war dramas in the two countries. The main comparative analysis is of the British docudrama series Dunkirk (2004), where fictional sequences are mixed with documentary dimensions and sequences, and the international German success Unsere Mütter – Unsere Väter (Generation War) (2013). Dunkirk represents a new kind of war narrative, taking a radical soldier’s viewpoint, whereas Generation War introduces a new German generation’s more direct and realistic look at World War II. The chapter also discusses the European reception of World War II dramas.