DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 725 [Main Title]

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  • Title: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 725 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: GWY 227
  • Other titles: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 1944/32 [Alternative Title]
  • Summary: I. Hitler receives Mussolini after Bomb Plot attempt. Camera pans round devastated interior of room at Wolfsschanze where "a criminal attempt was made by a small circle of unscrupulous officers on 20th July against the Führer and the staff of the Wehrmacht leadership. A just Fate foiled the attempt." A few hours later Mussolini's train, protected by two 2cm Flakvierling, pulls in to station, and Duce, followed by Marshal Graziani, steps down to be welcomed by Hitler, who uses his left hand to greet his Italian guests. Hitler's entourage includes commander of Home Army Himmler, Bormann, Goering and von Ribbentrop. Train pulls out as leaders say farewell.
  • Description: I. Hitler receives Mussolini after Bomb Plot attempt. Camera pans round devastated interior of room at Wolfsschanze where "a criminal attempt was made by a small circle of unscrupulous officers on 20th July against the Führer and the staff of the Wehrmacht leadership. A just Fate foiled the attempt." A few hours later Mussolini's train, protected by two 2cm Flakvierling, pulls in to station, and Duce, followed by Marshal Graziani, steps down to be welcomed by Hitler, who uses his left hand to greet his Italian guests. Hitler's entourage includes commander of Home Army Himmler, Bormann, Goering and von Ribbentrop. Train pulls out as leaders say farewell. II. Meeting Of German Armaments Industry. Speer addresses small gathering of civilian leaders at meeting (at Platterhof on the Obersalzberg) to consider development of new weapons. Speer presents Knights Cross to Kriegsverdienstkreuz to Dr Kessler (Generaldirektor of Bergmann-Elektrizitätswerke and President of the Armaments Council in Speer's Ministry), Reichslastenverteiler Dr Fischer, Max Langenohl (Direktor of Deutsche Eisenwerke and Leader of Foundry Division in same Ministry) and Dr Lüschen (Generaldirektor of Siemens and Halske and Leader of Main Board for Electronics, Precision Mechanics and Optics in the RMfRuK - and in charge of development of electro-acoustic apparatus and electric motors for Type XXI and XXIII U-boats). Reported highlight of meeting is speech by Hitler, seen arriving with Speer. Speer, who wears Organisation Todt armband, later visits new armaments work and officially starts production plant. III. German Panther tank and anti-tank weapons on trials. Pzkpfw V and captured US M3 Lee tank demonstrate their respective capabilities climbing slope and crossing concrete obstacle; Lee tank fails. Pzkpfw V then demonstrates speed along road. Close combat weapons confirm superiority of German weapons over those of enemy in demonstration on firing range of Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck piercing armour plate. IV. Germans withdraw while repelling Soviet attacks. Animated map of Eastern Front from Lake Peipus to Kovel. Illustrating German leadership's tactic of elasticity to prevent breakthrough by Soviet mass pressure, horse carts and military vehicles speed rapidly along road from screen right to left, past parked Pzkpfw V guarding route. Battery of Wespe guns fire from field, as heavy artillery, including Hummel and Sdkfz 251 towing ca 15cm gun, move to new positions. German soldiers detonate charges to destroy railway tracks and so delay Soviets. Rearguard units leave village after reported heavy fighting and long line of refugees with children and farm animals pass, fleeing to escape reported Bolshevik terror, in opposite direction to new reserves of Pzkpfw IVs and StuG IIIs. Battle scenes show StuG III, 12cm GrW, MG 42 and Pzkpfw VI firing against Soviet spearhead; tank explosion and knocked out Sherman are evidence of reported heavy losses by Soviet thrusts. V. Stukas support ground forces on Eastern Front. Pilots and observers of Junkers Ju 87s check maps outside before taking off to attack roads along which Soviets are advancing; five planes dive against supply road, causing explosion in wood, and release more bombs. Soviet flak, visible as puffs, hits Stuka wing. Another Ju 87 dives and releases bomb beneath fuselage (filmed from below). VI. Fighting in the Caen area. Animated map from Antwerp to Brest. Heavy shells are loaded onto truck, part of supplies transported to forward area in Waffen SS lorries camouflaged against air attack and with lookout scanning sky. (End of Reel 1) Truck halts during air alarm. Bombers overhead attack Caen, causing smoke on horizon; evening sky is marked by their flares and puffs of flak. Supply columns move by night, past burning houses. Morning reveals damaged city, around which infantry now take up positions; unshaven faces reflect hard battle and readiness to fight to last breath. Three Sdkfz 301 tracked demolition charge layers speed past followed by StuG III and other armour. Soldiers, one carrying Panzerfaust on his shoulder, march along road; paratroopers, with helmets camouflaged, cross road within sight of enemy and take cover in trench from shelling. Germans start counterattack with 10.5cm leFH 18 fire from edge of wood, causing explosions on horizon; knocked out Sherman. Breakthrough by US armour into village held by infantry and paratroops is foiled when Sherman passes and is knocked out by paratroops armed with Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust (fired) and grenades. Remote-controlled Goliath Sdkfz 303 demolition charge sets off and explodes in distance against "fifth" enemy tank. US losses include "badly wounded" soldier, others in captivity and knocked out Cromwells. Walking wounded head for field dressing station. Close-ups pick out faces of US POWs from the "USA melting pot" and also show British POWs; poor quality (16mm blown up ?) film of large number of POWs along road. Elsewhere, on French coast, German PK cameraman lifts telephoto lens to fit onto tripod-mounted and camouflaged Askania camera and presses face to eyepiece; view of white cliffs of Southern England reveals radar masts. Area is now under attack by V1 (fired) in answer to Allied terror bombing.
  • Alternative Title: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 1944/32 [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: GWY 227
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM-GERMAN © The rights holder (GWY 227)
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-07-27-1944-07-27
  • Production Country:Germany
  • Production Details:Ufa (Production company) Schafgans (*) (Production individual) Baumgartl (Production individual) Böllinghaus (Production individual) Dahlmeier (Production individual) Dressler (Production individual) Elsigan (Production individual) Erlenkämper (Production individual) Fischer, Arthur (Production individual) Gutscher (Production individual) Lusteck (Production individual) Saxinger (Production individual) Voigt (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics:Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: German Title language: German
  • Technical Details:35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 2 Footage: 1633 ft; Running time: 18 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    GWY 227

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