Plot Synopsis

This six-part series uses films, captured by amateur filmmakers, who witnessed the war first-hand -- the evacuation of Paris; the stoicism of the British throughout the Blitz; the hardships of the Russian campaign experienced by German soldiers. Deemed 'unfit' for civilians to see, the films were stashed away and forgotten. Thanks to the efforts of a few private collectors and archivists, these forgotten films have been rediscovered and restored, giving audiences an unprecedented sense of the reality of war not conveyed by the stock, newsreel or propaganda footage.