DOCUMENTING VICTORY

May 8, 1945, is the official day noted in the history books. Reels and reels of film were taken that day to commemorate the surrender of Nazi Germany.

Documentaries made in the 50 years since the liberation of Europe are often used as reminders of a chapter of global conflict from which much can still be learned.

Here are some of the documentaries and films airing this week and throughout May:

A&E;

The Last Days of World War II (Sunday at 5 and 9 p.m.; airs simultaneously on the History Channel, part of the A&E; Television Networks): Roger Mudd hosts a three-hour documentary depicting the events leading up to V-E Day, the events of the day itself and its aftermath, including the Nuremberg war-crime trials.

The documentary uses archival footage and stills, plus interviews from experts and survivors.

The Discovery Channel

Great Fighting Machines of World War II focuses on “Allied Bombers” (Monday at 10 p.m); “Allied Armor” (Tuesday at 10 p.m.) and “Allied Fighters” (Wednesday at 10 p.m.).

The Disney Channel

George Stevens: D-day to Berlin (Monday at 9 p.m. and Tuesday at 1:45 a.m.): During World War II, film director George Stevens (“A Place in the Sun”) organized a film unit to cover the Allies in Europe. Lt. Col. Stevens was in charge of the coverage of D-day, the advance through Normandy and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Stevens also shot what is believed to be the only color footage of these historic events--with 16mm Kodachrome home movie film. The footage remained in storage for 40 years.

World War I: A Personal Journey (Part I, Monday at 10 p.m.; Part II, Tuesday at 9 p.m.; Part II, May 16 at 9 p.m., and Part IV, May 23 at 9 p.m.): Glenn Ford hosts a four-part documentary chronicling the history of the war through remembrances of some of its survivors. President Gerald Ford, Sen. Daniel Inouye, cartoonist Bill Mauldin and Mike Wallace discuss their recollections of the conflict.

Ike: The Commander (Tuesday at 10 p.m.; Wednesday at 3:30 a.m.; May 21 at 10:30 p.m.): An overview of the years that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Allies to victory in Europe. The series features archival footage and interviews with former CIA director William Colby and ambassador to France Pamela Churchill Harriman.

The History Channel

War and Remembrance (Monday at 8 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, May 14-19 and May 21 at 5 and 9 p.m.): The award-winning 1989 sequel to Herman Wouk’s “The Winds of War” opens with the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor and follows the lives of naval officer Pug Henry (Robert Mitchum) and his family throughout World War II. John Gielgud, Jane Seymour, Sharon Stone, Hart Bochner, Polly Bergen and Victoria Tennant also star.

During breaks, host Sander Vanocur and six World War II historians will compare the miniseries with what really occurred.