Excellent historical drama about WWII American pilots shot down and taken prisoner by Hitler's forces. Overview of some of their plight while being transported to the holding camps and also once they arrived at those holding camps. True insight in to the minds of those being held prisoner. The followers as well as those that proved themselves to be leaders. You truly feel their horror, despair and joy during their ordeal. Makes you want to pat them on the back, right along with each other. Cry when they feel like there is no hope left and as they watch others suffer even worse than they. And shake the hands of those who stood up and did the only things they could to help each other.Interesting from a historical as well as social and human standpoint. I am so glad that the History Channel did this production. And would like to see those that played the core pilots in other productions. A must see if you are at all interested in the history of our country and our fighting men.
6 Reviews
An excellent story
holdyourfire23 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I first watched this on the History Channel 06 June. This story was executed much like other programs such as Shootout where they had actors play in some of the parts and filled in the rest with authors or historians describing the events from hindsight. I was impressed both by the story itself, and the promise it has to become an actual movie.
Throughout the show you see the best and worst humanity has to offer as this American WWII pilot is shot down, rescued by the French resistance, betrayed, captured, and treated without regard for the Geneva convention. I want to keep my description vague as to encourage others to see this amazing story. 8/10
Throughout the show you see the best and worst humanity has to offer as this American WWII pilot is shot down, rescued by the French resistance, betrayed, captured, and treated without regard for the Geneva convention. I want to keep my description vague as to encourage others to see this amazing story. 8/10
History in a Unique Way
wildernesstraveller24 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
If there's a place to find heroes, it's in stories like this one. Shot From the Sky is a combination of many threads. I have watched a few times and, even though I know how it will end, I'm on edge every time I watch it, wondering how Roy will get out of each situation he finds himself in.
Roy and his crew have faced dangerous missions before and lived to tell the tale. But only a few days after D-Day in June 1944, their luck ran out as German fighters couldn't be shaken and their bomber was shot down in still-occupied Nazi-held French countryside. Would Roy Allen ever return home to his wife and family?
It's a story about a young man, Roy Allen, whose courage, determination, skill, luck, loyalty, and stubbornness eventually led him home.
It's about the men that Roy served with and those who were prisoners with him. They tell how Roy affected their lives.
It's about the many people who helped Roy through his journey: the young schoolteacher and her family; the French Resistance (how they operated and how they aided the Allies); the squadron leader who showed determination, standing up to the guards and insisting on military discipline; the young flier who spoke to the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) officer (who helped get the American pilots out of the camp eventually); the French doc who constantly moved Roy from one bed to another in the prison "medical" center; the man who dared give Roy a pot of hot soup to share with the other fliers.
It shows the brutality of the Nazi regime. They didn't care who they picked up and put into concentration camps; American pilots were supposed to be treated under the rules of the Geneva Convention. The SS soldiers - and the criminals they employed as guards in the camps - used intimidation, then force, whenever they felt like it - using machine guns, baseball bats, and wood blocks. They crammed prisoners into poorly ventilated boxcars. Buchenwald was a concentration camp that was way overpopulated; death was everywhere; new prisoners were thrown outside with the elements; starvation and sickness was running rampant.
For anyone who enjoys a combination of oral history, historical backdrop, a realistic cliff-hanger movie, and meeting interesting people, Shot from the Sky is highly recommended.
Roy and his crew have faced dangerous missions before and lived to tell the tale. But only a few days after D-Day in June 1944, their luck ran out as German fighters couldn't be shaken and their bomber was shot down in still-occupied Nazi-held French countryside. Would Roy Allen ever return home to his wife and family?
It's a story about a young man, Roy Allen, whose courage, determination, skill, luck, loyalty, and stubbornness eventually led him home.
It's about the men that Roy served with and those who were prisoners with him. They tell how Roy affected their lives.
It's about the many people who helped Roy through his journey: the young schoolteacher and her family; the French Resistance (how they operated and how they aided the Allies); the squadron leader who showed determination, standing up to the guards and insisting on military discipline; the young flier who spoke to the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) officer (who helped get the American pilots out of the camp eventually); the French doc who constantly moved Roy from one bed to another in the prison "medical" center; the man who dared give Roy a pot of hot soup to share with the other fliers.
It shows the brutality of the Nazi regime. They didn't care who they picked up and put into concentration camps; American pilots were supposed to be treated under the rules of the Geneva Convention. The SS soldiers - and the criminals they employed as guards in the camps - used intimidation, then force, whenever they felt like it - using machine guns, baseball bats, and wood blocks. They crammed prisoners into poorly ventilated boxcars. Buchenwald was a concentration camp that was way overpopulated; death was everywhere; new prisoners were thrown outside with the elements; starvation and sickness was running rampant.
For anyone who enjoys a combination of oral history, historical backdrop, a realistic cliff-hanger movie, and meeting interesting people, Shot from the Sky is highly recommended.
More info for those interested in Roy Allen's story
grbaron16 December 2007
Roy Allen's story is well told in this documentary. For those interested in finding out more and also putting it in the context of other airmen who were with Roy in Buchenwald you might check out the book published by Art Kinniss and Stan Booker (two other survivors) titled "168 Jump Into Hell." Art is still alive (December 2008) as is Joe Moser who also survived and whose story is now being written as "Joe Moser: Buchenwald Flyboy."
Roy was one of the few who got left behind when the main group was rescued from Buchenwald on October 20, 1944 because he was still in the hospital. He was very fortunate considering what happened to many in that hospital. I agree with a previous commenter that while the story focuses on Buchenwald and the treatment there, the five day train ride in cattle cars and then the death march from Stalag Luft III in minus 28 degree weather was as torturous and dangerous as perhaps anything else. Another important detail is the August 24 raid of 129 B-17s on Buchenwald that these guys miraculously escaped from--an exceedingly close call.
Roy was one of the few who got left behind when the main group was rescued from Buchenwald on October 20, 1944 because he was still in the hospital. He was very fortunate considering what happened to many in that hospital. I agree with a previous commenter that while the story focuses on Buchenwald and the treatment there, the five day train ride in cattle cars and then the death march from Stalag Luft III in minus 28 degree weather was as torturous and dangerous as perhaps anything else. Another important detail is the August 24 raid of 129 B-17s on Buchenwald that these guys miraculously escaped from--an exceedingly close call.
Terrific Insight Into Life (and Death) in WWII-era Europe
EThunderbird26 March 2007
* What I have to say below does not contain a spoiler. I made a few general references to a some key events in the story. These references compel people to watch the movie and encourage others to discuss these comments...
"Gripping" is a far understated reference to the hold this story has on the viewer. Hollywood has spoiled us on foreshadowing to the point of cynicism, but the twists in this story eliminate all that. In fact, the twists never seem to end and once again it can be said that fiction has no grip like the truth.
The strength of this presentation is in its portrayal of the horror of life in Nazi-occupied Europe and the mentality of those who proudly served Hitler. When our elders tell us this war was terrifying, movies like this really bring home the message.
On the critical side, because this presentation makes the Buchenwald infirmary experience the turning point in the story, Allen's transfers throughout Germany are dismissed, and his liberation and reunification with his wife become anticlimactic. The danger is that the story becomes fixated on the horror Allen faced and not what was important to Allen.
I would like to know more about what motivated Allen and why he pushed himself to endure his hardships. I would like to know what others thought about Allen. Furthermore, I would also like to know more about the Luftwaffe officer and prison camp medic who showed Allen incomparable kindnesses. I suspect more could be said about Allen's French protector.
Likely these things are in the book, but aspects of these could have been written into the movie script. Nevertheless, these thoughts in no wise detract from a compelling story that can compete with major Hollywood movies of a similar subject.
"Gripping" is a far understated reference to the hold this story has on the viewer. Hollywood has spoiled us on foreshadowing to the point of cynicism, but the twists in this story eliminate all that. In fact, the twists never seem to end and once again it can be said that fiction has no grip like the truth.
The strength of this presentation is in its portrayal of the horror of life in Nazi-occupied Europe and the mentality of those who proudly served Hitler. When our elders tell us this war was terrifying, movies like this really bring home the message.
On the critical side, because this presentation makes the Buchenwald infirmary experience the turning point in the story, Allen's transfers throughout Germany are dismissed, and his liberation and reunification with his wife become anticlimactic. The danger is that the story becomes fixated on the horror Allen faced and not what was important to Allen.
I would like to know more about what motivated Allen and why he pushed himself to endure his hardships. I would like to know what others thought about Allen. Furthermore, I would also like to know more about the Luftwaffe officer and prison camp medic who showed Allen incomparable kindnesses. I suspect more could be said about Allen's French protector.
Likely these things are in the book, but aspects of these could have been written into the movie script. Nevertheless, these thoughts in no wise detract from a compelling story that can compete with major Hollywood movies of a similar subject.
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