VICTORY AT SEA

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

PALADIN85020 posted about a carrier ops during WWII. Got me to thinking about the terrific WWII documentary of 26 episodes of Victory at Sea. Looked it up on-line and played an episode just so I could hear the theme song and hear the narrators voice. My wife is a German immigrant. Her father was an officer in the German Army. She had never seen this documentary. When I played one of the episodes, she heard the theme song and rushed in to see what I was doing. The episode was on the war in the Atlantic and she was so fascinated by the German U-boats, she made me promise to watch them all, together.

I have seen these more than a few times. I know STCM has also because these were mandatory watching in Navy Bootcamp in the '60's. If you have never seen them, do yourself a favor and check them out.

 

[DWalt]

There is/was a DVD set of all VAS episodes. Is probably available reasonably on eBay.

 

[diamonback68]

They played them along with the feature film at least once or twice a week on board our ship when we had nightly movies and this was back in the early 50's.

 

[planojack]

The series is available from Amazon prime. Members can watch for free. Not trying to sell Amazon Prime. I'm about half way trhough the series.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Have seen all of them once, most of them several times.
Might pull a Ringo and buy the DVDs.
At the start of the war, those Uboats just ran wild.
I know a family up in Santa Fe whose dad was on a ship returning from working in Panama.
The ship he was on was sunk out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.
When he finally got home to Santa Fe, he found a draft notice awaiting.
Since he had all that tropical experience, the Army promptly sent him to Alaska.

 

[Jinglebob]

My uncle was an aircraft mechanic aboard the USS Wasp. He was on the ship when the Japanese torpedoed it during WWII. He has some fascinating tales about the war on the ocean. Whenever I see an episode of Victory at Sea I think of him.

After the war, passenger air service was starting to boom. My uncle had lucrative offers from the major airlines but turned them down and went back to farming. He is now in his nineties and still lives on his farm.

 

[jlrhiner]

I have them on DVD, along with most of the other war documentaries.

(That's the one benefit of being narrow-minded and difficult to shop for)

My favorite segment of VAS was the demolition of the oil tank. You can see the blast wave coming and it rolls the guy who set it off.

 

[RudyN]

I remember watching the series on TV when I was a kid. I now have the series on DVD. I wish they made that type of documentary now a days.

 

[alde]

I picked up the dvd set at Walmart last year for under $20. I have not watched it yet but remember seeing a lot of it when I was a kid.

My dad was Merchant Marine on Liberty Ships from 1942 until just after the war ended. I have all his shipping papers and have done a bit of research. He was at Normandy off loading supplies and taking off wounded. He was only 15 when he joined. He and his brother used it to get out of a horrible foster home situation and to do what they could to help the war effort. The armed services wouldn't take them because of their age. His last cruise was a troop transport from Liverpool to Boston taking the boys home. He was an old man of 19 by then.

 

[STCM(SW)]

Victory at Sea and Navy Log were two shows that influenced me to join the Navy.
We showed them many times on weekends.
And sometimes our side did not come out on top just as it really happened.

 

[rwsmith]

Not in a long time.....

I haven't seen any V.A.S. episodes in a long long time. You've got me wanting to see (and hear) them again.

The thing that I've noticed about movies though is that when the battle is going on, there's NOBODY playing any music. I even walked in the desert in the SW and didn't hear anybody playing a harmonica or anything for that matter.

 

[jdlii]

Great series and I have a "set" that my Dad recorded on VHS but, now don't have a VCR to watch them on any more.

In addition to being historically accurate, if you are ever having trouble sleeping, jut start watching an episode! The narrator has the most melodic voice and if I am not careful, in find myself in "snooze city"!

 

[Jack Flash]

I remember watching the series on TV when I was a kid. I now have the series on DVD. I wish they made that type of documentary now a days.

No luck. Nowdays the IRS spends our money on making a silly Star Trek spoof.

 

[cmort666]

It has one of the truly great soundtracks of all time. I listen to various cuts from it all the time.

I remember one Fourth of July, the local PBS station showed it, which shocked me. I suspect some older guy at the station thought to himself, "I've got your 'No More Hiroshimas Day' right here buddy!".

 

[Harkrader]

My parents were both WWII Navy and they loved that series. I think we watched it through several times, and I know Mom bought the record of the music.

Thanks for bringing it up. It brings back so many memories of my mom and dad.

 

[Frank237]

I can recall watching it IIRC on Sundays way back in the late 50's early 60's? I was just a kid. My Dad and all my Uncles had been in WW2, most USN, only my Dad and one Uncle were USMC.

I can recall some morbid comments from time to time...None of them had any love for the japanese.

 

[M1A]

I saw this series on the B&W TV when it was first shown. I've got the vinyl album somewhere. You can Google "vinyl album", incase you're not familiar with the term.

 

[Arney]

watched the series for years. Never get tired of seeing them over and over again.

 

[shouldazagged]

I saw this series on the B&W TV when it was first shown. I've got the vinyl album somewhere. You can Google "vinyl album", incase you're not familiar with the term.

So did I, and played the soundtrack album till I damn near wore it out.

I haven't seen any of it in at least fifty years. May have to pick up the DVD set.

 

[cowart]

FWIW Walmart sells the set of 26 episodes for $5.04!