DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 723 [Main Title]
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- Title: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 723 [Main Title]
- Film Number: GWY 225
- Other titles: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 1944/30 [Alternative Title]
- Summary:
- Description: I. Wilhelm von Scholz celebrates his seventieth birthday. German writer walks outside his house beside a lake, with his dog. Author of novels and dramas is then filmed standing on staircase covered with theatre programmes and writing in his study. II. Girls replace men in Bavarian sawmill. Four sisters who replaced brothers, away on active service, in their father's sawmill receive letter from postwoman stating brothers are proud girls are now doing men's work. Girls, who make up in skill for what they lack in strength, operate saw and stack planks high. III. Girls break in horses for Wehrmacht. Leaving men free for other tasks girls in uniform take over breaking in of animals, jumping, trotting, accustoming horses to working in pairs and riding cross-country and cantering. IV. Reichsarbeitsdienst Art Exhibition in Prague. View across Vltava to Hradcany Castle, and exterior of National Gallery, at top of Wenceslas Square, adorned with German slogan "Honour Work". RAD leader Hierl climbs staircase to open 1944 Exhibition of works by RAD artists and results of competition for Reichsarbeitsführer's prize, which show work of male and female members of his organisation. Reichsprotektor Karl Hermann Frank attends occasion. Hierl admires sculptures and two girl visitors stand in front of image of female endeavour. Knights Cross holder Oberfeldmeister Pfitzner admires Stübner's tetralogy "The Seasons". Musical theme is Solemn Entry of Knights of Malta by Richard Strauss. V. Goebbels addresses mass audience on final victory. Mass meeting inside vast indoor stadium in Gau capital (Breslau) in eastern part of Reich opens with parade of banners by SA, including one from Lemberg. Goebbels, accompanied by his former personal assistant and present Gauleiter of Lower Silesia Karl Hanke, then enters to speak from podium on the need for every single part of the nation to contribute to the total war effort. Goebbels then describes (live) the surprise effect of the V1 on Britain. He recalls how after the air-raids on Berlin on 21 and 22 November (1943) he had promised that the hour would come when the British would be paid back. The British press had asked mockingly whether the new weapon was from the Ministry of Propaganda instead of from the Armaments Ministry. He had not bothered to reply, since he thought that the longer the British belief that nothing would come, the greater would be their surprise, "for surprise is also a weapon" (loud applause). The British had been led to believe by their government that they were now over the hill and that victory was now only a matter of days, or at most, weeks away. They had wrongly thought that when women and children had been evacuated from Berlin that the war was over. But the Führer's faith in the steadfastness of the German people had been justified, and this virtue would lead the nation to victory. Cut-ins of members of the audience, including nurses and servicemen, and loud applause conclude speech. VI. Germans reinforce Finnish Army. Animated map of Finland and Barents Sea area. Finnish-German agreements, confirmed by years' old brotherhood in arms, have foiled enemy's plans to surrender Finnish allies to Bolshevism. Finnish and German soldiers together unload supplies and uncouple field kitchen; Gebirgsjäger and Finnish soldiers (with polar bear emblem on left upper sleeve) demonstrate comradeship. Gebirgsjäger company crosses lake on barges transporting supplies, including one vessel bearing horses, and then disembark. Elsewhere in Finnish forested landscape young boy called Teppo attached to Finnish cavalry unit rubs down horse, saddles up and sets off to deliver message, riding along forest road. Two Lottas (Finnish nurses) greet him with a hug at his destination. Finnish vintage artillery gun opens fire across devastated forest to repel Soviet push. VII. German reserves join fighting on Normandy Front. Animated map of Channel Coast from Brest to Antwerp. Combat reinforcements, seated in trucks which are camouflaged against constant threat of air attack and which are moving up to front along straight road through rain, wave cheerfully as they pass camera. Sign indicates single-way route to front. Frontline newspaper is handed out to troops passing by on bicycles; headline reads "Eisenhower has not surprised us; calm and caution on the German side". Cyclists pass through muddy village. Roadside sign in German warns traffic against raising dust, "otherwise you will cop one on the roof", as trucks pass civilian cars with French number plates lying upturned by roadside. Soldier on open vehicle looks skywards in anticipation of aerial attack; enemy planes pass overhead and (1943 film) cyclists take cover by roadside. 10.5cm Flak opens fire and four-engined, single-finned bomber hurtles earthwards. Sign to Vire and Avranches in devastated town. Combat reinforcements pass through French coastal resort on motorbike pillion, in Citroën car with soldier perched on bonnet and in Sdkfz 251. During pause in fighting bespectacled soldier plays organ in church partially destroyed by British artillery; camera tilts and pans over rubble and gaping hole in roof. Advance section of Waffen SS Panzer unit is briefed in village prior to moving forward in camouflaged armour and trucks. Nebelwerfers concealed on edge of field are uncovered, loaded and fired. During another pause in fighting Grenadiers are filmed eating and with their mascot boar. At advanced battle position camouflaged soldier scans country through binoculars; ground is morass after rain. Assault unit of Waffen SS reconnoitres, with one soldier concealed in tree, crossing open country crouching for cover against enemy fire; camouflaged Pzkpfw V, with Grenadiers on top, and other Grenadiers moving under cover of edge of wood, prepare to counterattack. Camera pans from French road sign indicating Beauquay 5kms and Aunay 7kms to camouflaged Pzkpfw V. Counterattack opens with artillery fire from covered wood position, Nebelwerfers in action and infantry moving forward. Blaze in distance and close-ups of wrecked Shermans imply success of German attack; crew of StuG III under Knights Cross holder Oberleutnant Franz Ludwig who destroyed 16 British tanks in a single day are decorated with Iron Cross and paint their gun barrel with another victory ring. Commentary concludes item by stating that German infantry are now the terror of enemy tanks and that six weeks after the invasion the Anglo-Americans have still hardly made any progress forward, said over infantry assault montage.
- Alternative Title: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 1944/30 [Alternative Title]
- Colour: B&W
- Digitised:
- Object_Number: GWY 225
- Sound: Sound
- Access Conditions: IWM-GERMAN Attribution: IWM – GWY 225
- Featured Period: 1939-1945
- Production Date: 1944-07-13
- Production Country: Germany
- Production Details: UFA (Production company) Baumgartl (Production individual) Elton-Jensen (Production individual) Ertl (Production individual) Gutscher (Production individual) Haller (Production individual) Kotlin (Production individual) Pahl (Production individual) Proppe (Production individual) Schafgans (Production individual) Tetzlaff (Production individual) Wehrhahn (Production individual)
- Personalities, Units and Organisations: Scholz, Wilhelm von (person) Meyer (Sisters) (person) Hierl, Konstantin (person) Frank, Karl Hermann (person) Pfitzner, Hans (person) Goebbels, Paul Joseph (person) Hanke, Karl August (person) Ludwig, Franz (person) German Army, Riding School (regiment/service) Reichsarbeitsdienst (regiment/service) German Army, Gebirgsjager (regiment/service) Finnish Army (regiment/service) German Army (regiment/service)
- Keywords: arts, German - literature: von Scholz, Wilhelm (object name) agriculture, German - arable: forestry (object name) animals, mammals: horse (object name) arts, German - fine arts: exhibition (object name) arts, German - music: Strauss, Richard & Solemn Entry of Knights of Malta (object name) weapons, German air - missile: V1 (object name) supplies, Finnish, movement [RA] - misc (object name) animals, mammals: horse (object name) journalism and record, German: front newspaper (object name) Germany & Bavaria (geography) Czechoslovakia & Prague, Bohemia <Hradcany Castle> (geography) Czechoslovakia & Prague, Bohemia <National Gallery> (geography) Czechoslovakia & Vltava (River) (geography) Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland (geography) Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland (geography) Finland (geography) Normandy, France (geography) (concept) propaganda (concept)
- Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: German Title language: German Subtitle language: None
- Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 2 Footage: 1934 ft; Running time: 21 mins
- HD Media:
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