Service On Celluloid

After 15 years as a historian at The National WWII Museum, Seth Paridon has accepted a position as Deputy Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.

"Stalag 17" is known for its attention to detail, but in this minisode we expand on aspects of the barracks in which the film did not highlight. Tune in as we discuss life at Stalag 17-B from the eyes of a prisoner at war.

Adapted from a play by fellow prisoners of the camp, "Stalag 17" is dubbed as one of the most realistic portrayals of the American POW experience in Europe. Follow along as we delve into the details—set decorations, acts of deception, morale, and more—in this 1953 film.

The controversy of the flag raisers was more complex than an identity crisis, but did it matter to the US Marines who were fighting on Iwo Jima? Hear a firsthand account from Colonel Dave Severance of E Company, 28th Marines speak about the moment the second flag was raised.

The flag raisers on Iwo Jima helped the Seventh War Bond Drive raise $26 billion dollars for the United States in 1945. Our panelists break down "Flags of Our Fathers" and whether the film accurately portrays the drama behind the most popular photograph of World War II.

"You nearly starve to death on a troop ship. We were really happy to get off that thing, even if it meant we were going to be killed,” said late US Marine, Dr. Sidney “Sid” Phillips. The fighting on Guadalcanal was just one purgatory of the first offensive in the Pacific.

In a film produced for the Home Front, "Guadalcanal Diary" was made to boost morale while capturing the hallmark of US Marine Corps history. Families back home got a glimpse of the Pacific theater, but were they being told the truth?

Operation Barbarossa launched Nazi Germany’s plot to conquer the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front in 1941. Death was certain for millions of soldiers and civilians.

Director Sam Peckinpah paints a slow motion picture of the Eastern Front during World War II, where German Wehrmacht no longer know why they are fighting. Tune in as we discuss if Sergeant Steiner and his men accurately represent history in "Cross of Iron."

Hear WWII veterans Edgar Cole, Harold Ward, and Roscoe Brown discuss their time in the segregated armed forces, where German POWs were treated better than African American soldiers.

The War Department’s production of "The Negro Soldier" was culturally significant in 1944, but what is missing from this film? Listen as we discuss the US government’s first acknowledgment of African American contributions to war in this Frank Capra documentary.

"The Remagen bridgehead causes the Führer much anxiety,” wrote German Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels in his diary. Tune in to hear the late Sergeant Charles Hensel of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion discuss the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge, and discover why Hitler was so anxious about the Americans entering Germany.

From lightning-speed tanks to real set demolition, we take on 1969’s "The Bridge at Remagen" this week. Tune in as we delve into the accuracy of this WWII film made at the height of the Vietnam War.

Hear veterans David Roderick and James Flanagan describe how they conquered “the Westwall” in this week’s discussion about Hitler’s most daunting defense—the Siegfried Line.

In our discussion of "Hell Is for Heroes" (1962), we talk about the repercussions of the “replacement soldier” during the stalemate warfare on the Siegfried Line in 1944. Listen as we discuss the accuracy of this forgotten film that depicts the overlooked 95th Infantry Division.

This week our panelists are joined by critically acclaimed author and professor, Dr. Alexandra Richie, to judge the 2008 thriller "Valkyrie." Tune in as we explore the role of Claus von Stauffenberg in the last assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler, and whether the film replicates the actual attack on the Nazi régime.

"Pearl Harbor" (2001) may not tell the most accurate version of history, but in this minisode we tell the real stories of heroes Doris Miller, Kenneth Taylor, and George Welch. Listen to our host Seth Paridon and the voice of Roy “Swede” Boreen, a sailor who was aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941, describe the date that will live in infamy.

This week we bring you the much-anticipated dissection of Michael Bay’s grandiose portrayal of "Pearl Harbor" at the turn of the 21st century. Tune in to hear our experts review Hollywood’s take on the event that plunged the United States into war.