Dunkirk: Memories of "The Winds of War"

Just some of the cast of "The Winds of War". In back from left are
Warren Henry, played by Ben Murphy; Janice Lacouture Henry, played by Deborah Winters;
Palmer Kirby, played by Peter Graves; Madeline Henry, played by Lisa Eilbacher; and Byron Henry,
played by Jan-Michael Vincent; while in front from left are Rhoda Henry, played by Polly Bergen;
Victor "Pug" Henry, played by Robert Mitchum; and Natalie Jastrow, played by Ali McGraw.

Source: https://www.moviemarket.com/the-winds-of-war-294454/

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It was a heroic moment at a desperate time. In the early days of the Second World War, the Germans had boxed in a vast number of Allied troops, surrounding them on three sides, with the icy cold of the ocean on the remaining side.

It would take a miracle to rescue those men – and that’s what they got.

It became known as the “Miracle at Dunkirk”, and I recently saw the movie that told its incredible story.

The movie “Dunkirk” also reminded me of where I first learned about that episode of the Second World War, and much of my knowledge of that period – from the epic miniseries “The Winds of War”.

World tour

“Winds of War” was based on the 1,000-plus-page novel by Herman Wouk. It centered on Victor “Pug” Henry and his family. Henry was an envoy for the United States government, and he toured the world, providing the perfect opportunity to see what was happening in Washington, London, Berlin, Rome and Moscow. He travelled to all those capital cities, and met with Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Josef Stalin.

It was epic in scope, taking an entire week in primetime and more. The first episode was on a Sunday and the final episode was the following Sunday.

More than just through the eyes of Pug Henry, the miniseries was shot almost as a documentary, as we could see the world leaders, particularly Roosevelt, Churchill and Hitler, planning, discussing the situation with their advisors, and a narrator explaining exactly what was happening.

It starts before the war, and the invasion of Poland, when Henry could still freely have access to all these countries, and concludes after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into the Second World War.

Family ties

Beyond Pug, there was his wife and children and their connections. His wife Rhoda, played by Polly Bergen, seems like the perfect navy wife but, feeling taking for granted and neglected, she strays into the arms of Palmer Kirby, a debonair diplomat played by Peter Graves. That’s okay, because Pug strayed long before Rhoda did, with a much younger woman, the British naval officer Pamela Tudsbury played by Victoria Tennant.

There are also three Henry children. The middle child is Byron Henry, played by Jan-Michael Vincent. He falls in love with a Jewish woman, Natalie Jastrow, played by Ali McGaw, Byron ends up in the navy, serving in battle, while Natalie is trapped in Poland with her grandfather Aaron, played by John Houseman, and they end up in a concentration camp. She called Byron “Briny”.

The oldest is Warren Henry, a decorated naval pilot, played by Ben Murphy, who leaves behind a beautiful wife when he goes off to war, and there is their daughter Madeline Henry, played by Lisa Eilbacher.

The cast

“Winds of War” was a breakout for Jan-Michael Vincent, and a comeback for Ali McGraw. Vincent would go on to star in the helicopter adventure series “Airwolf” where Wikipedia tells me he was paid $200,000 per episode, the highest salary of its kind at the time. McGraw had a memorable performance in the romantic tearjerker “Love Story” opposite Ryan O’Neill. After “Winds of War” she would land a role in the night-time soap opera “Dynasty”.

It introduced Robert Mitchum, a classic Hollywood leading man, to a new generation of fans, and gave Polly Bergen, who had an Emmy nomination in 1958, another one for her role as Rhoda Henry. She would receive a second nomination for the same role in “War and Remembrance”, the sequel to “Winds of War”.

The book

I took the time a few years ago to read all 1,000-plus pages of “The Winds of War”, and it proved you had to make it into a miniseries. A two or three hour movie just would not suffice (I said the same thing about Stephen King’s “The Stand” which also was made into a miniseries, not boiled down to a two or three hour movie). There  was so much history and detail to be covered, the producers of “Winds of War” did an exceptional job.

The miniseries

Hyped for about a year, “The Winds of War” was the very definition of an epic. Sixteen hours over seven nights, it took over the primetime schedule on ABC, debuting on Feb. 6, 1983. All original footage, it used 438 locations around the world and took us to Berlin, London, Rome, Washington, Moscow, Warsaw and Pearl Harbor. It attracted 140 million viewers for all or part of it over the seven nights it aired, making it the most watched miniseries at that time.

Captivating

Every night I anxiously waited to watch the next episode of “Winds of War”. I already had some knowledge of the history, but this show provided a lot more detail. Some of the most memorable moments for me were the speeches.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressing the House of Commons in London and declaring, “We shall fight on the beeches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets; we shall never surrender…”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressing a joint session of Congress after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and declaring, “A date which will live in infamy…”

Then tragedy struck. Friday night, when part six was airing, there was a junior high dance. It was a tough decision, but I decided to go to the dance. To this day, I still have not seen part six. However, I was able to catch up on what I missed because they did a little review of the previous episode.

There was no episode on Friday, so the final three-hour installment aired on Sunday night, February 13, 1983. It became apparent the story would not be wrapped up, and it wasn’t. The final scene has Pug Henry and Pamela Tudsbury walking off into the distance in the snow in Moscow as the world, including the United States, is now at war.

It was a cliffhanger that would not be resolved for five years, and another epic miniseries. It turned out there was a second half, based on another book.

Parting thoughts

“The Winds of War” left a deep impression on me as a 12-year-old. I recited bits of Churchill’s speech at school and on the playground. I learned details about the war, such as the “Miracle at Dunkirk”, Hitler’s “Blitzkrieg” strategy, and that he postponed the attack on Poland before finally invading. There was much, much more, that I still remember. And it was a compelling miniseries with a lot of engaging characters, especially Pug Henry and his son Byron. It also took us behind the scenes in to the offices, back rooms and war rooms of the world’s leaders of the time.

It was just so well done.

Now, I heard recently, Canadian actor Seth Rogan is going to attempt to remake “The Winds of War”. I will be curious to see how that turns out.

I wish him luck.

“The Winds of War” was an epic.