Band of Brothers 'pales in comparison' to WW2 drama fans 'can't stop watching'

World War 2 buffs are 'obsessed' with one historical drama miniseries that has flown under the radar - and some are calling it "the German version of Band of Brothers". Consisting of just three episodes, it follows five friends who go out to war and promise each other they'll return for Christmas.

The German series, released in 2013, follows the friends as they separate into their separate groups - two heading to the Eastern Front to fight as Wehrmacht soldiers, one acting as a war nurse, one an aspiring singer and another a Jewish tailor. Across four years from Berlin in 1941, Generation War runs all the way until the war's end in 1945.

Despite getting millions of views when the series first aired, it attracted its fair share of controversy. While critics called the "intense" series "well crafted" and "unsparing in its depiction of combat on the Eastern Front", others fumed that the show didn't show enough of the Nazi's atrocities against Jews.

Journalist Alan Posener wrote of the series: "While the shows dealing with communist East Germany are realistic, the Third Reich gets off too lightly. None of the new productions directly addresses the Holocaust or other Nazi crimes."

However, The New Yorker praised it, writing: "Generation War has the strengths and the weaknesses of middlebrow art: it may be clunky, but it's never dull, and, once you start watching, you can't stop."

Fan reviews, however, are firmly in favour of the series, which has an average of 8.4 stars out of 10 on IMDb: "This is one of the most moving, nuanced and graphic (both physical & psychological) depictions of war that I have watched."

Someone else said: "This one went under the radar and I'm so glad someone recommended it as a great circa WW2 movie. I highly recommend this to anyone for a good drama."

And a third echoed: "Perhaps the most touching story about WWII I've encountered (and I've seen many). The plot is complex and multi-layered, with both overt and subtle messages. It avoids typical 'Hollywood-style' setups or special effects. The battle scenes feel natural, not overdone.

"Unlike acclaimed series like Band of Brothers (which I also enjoyed, though it pales in comparison), this isn't just an hour of explosions and gore."