DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 730 [Main Title]

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  • Title: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 730 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: GWY 231
  • Other titles: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 1944/37 [Alternative Title]
  • Summary:
  • Description: I. German theatres close as part of Total War policy. Front pages of Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung and Berlin's Lokal Anzeiger for Friday 25 August 1944 announce new measures for Total War: closure of all theatres and places of entertainment from 1 September (only film and radio remain open); reduction in print and press output; basic working week extended to 60 hours. (Another headline reports "Treachery in Rumania", dismissal by King Michael of Marshal Antonescu.) Newspaper kiosk in Berlin street shows wide variety of newspapers available to German citizens, including SS Das Schwarze Korps, Der Stürmer and Völkischer Beobachter. Metal grilles close entrances to Theater des Volkes (Kraft durch Freude), Deutsches Opernhaus (Im Admirals-Palast), Schiller Theater and Staatstheater Lustspielhaus. August programme details include Goethe's Urfaust directed by Heinrich George and Lessing's Emilia Galotti, and at Opera Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, unspecified Special Performance for Hitler Youth, Ballet evenings, Le Nozze di Figaro and Tiefland. II. Conscripted females start work in Vienna. Group of mostly elderly women, who will free men for the front and whose personal documents reveal their varied backgrounds (all have addresses in Vienna), tour factory which will be their future workplace, and reportedly find that it differs from what they imagined. Females' delicate touch enables them soon to work independently turning screws and performing other simple operations. III. Improvised transport in Berlin saves fuel. One of many new street sights in wartime is Schultheiss brewers dray drawn by oxen and unloaded in Berlin. Elsewhere in capital tram marked Berlin Mitte Frankfurter Allee acts as goods transporter, and another tows a truck, to save fuel. IV. German civilians dig border defences. As in East Prussia, thousands of civilians organised by the Party and Wehrmacht dig trenches, here mostly headscarved women seen at work in hilly district. V. Germans recapture lost territory in Courland. Animated map of Eastern Front from Narva to Warsaw. Strengthening of German resistance on Northern and Central Sectors has reportedly stabilised Front, while blockade of Riga has been broken and Tukkum and Kemmern have been freed. Counterthrust is suggested by transport and armour, with grenadiers seated on Pzkpfw VI, passing by, past knocked out T-34 at roadside. Grenadiers make their way through pine woods, supported by Pzkpfw V, and static Pzkpfw VI firing, causing explosions at close range. Camera tracks behind Pzkpfw VI and shows through tank visor a blazing house; Pzkpfw V passes between haystacks. Off coast of Courland, German naval light forces (2nd Task Force under Prinz Eugen, not seen) shell Bolshevik pockets of resistance, creating clouds of smoke over coastline (action filmed from sea and land). On land Russian plane is brought down and 8.8cm Flak fires in ground role against Russian armour, causing big explosions. Grenadier waits (on training ground) before firing Panzerfaust at approaching T-34; 3.7cm Pak fires. Goose on string flutters as soldier carrying ammunition runs past. Elsewhere on Eastern Front infantry on StuG IIIs and Pzkpfw VI move up; grenadier fires MP 40 from Sdkfz 251 and StuG III opens fire, part of reconnaissance unit approaching village. Burning T-34 and victorious but tired grenadiers, one smoking, convey outcome of hard battle. Swastika is raised on tower over liberated Kemmern. Oberleutnant Jansky and Jäger Siegler are awarded Knights Cross by one-armed holder of Oak Leaves Generalmajor Ziehlberg (? - not listed in Seemen) and receive congratulations from their comrades (Jäger-Regiment 49). (End of Reel 1) VI. German V1 flying bombs hit Southern England. Animated map of Invasion Front from Le Havre to Brest. Film from US newsreel gives British perspective on V1s in flight over Southern England and London, passing unharmed through black flak puffs fired by what is reportedly largest concentration of anti-aircraft guns ever concentrated in such a small area, before exploding in countryside and on farm (?) building. VII. German anti-aircraft guns fight off ground and air attacks in Normandy. StuG III and Sdkfz 251 halftrack, both camouflaged by foliage, move along country road, on watch against enemy air attacks which are reportedly causing Germans severe problems. Soldiers take cover near vehicle wreckage as Anglo-American bombers pass overhead before releasing flares over target in summer countryside. Two 8.8cm Flak camouflaged in centre of field open fire, as does 2cm Flakzwilling, and planes crash; close-up of burning wreckage. Pzkpfw V passes by and 3.7cm Flak is towed into position to fire at enemy-occupied wood (view through sight, loading and firing). Infantry rush forward through orchard to make successful attack; burning M10A1 and captured and wounded Americans lie by roadside. 2cm Flakvierling and 3.7cm Flak fire reportedly foil enemy attempt to form bridgehead beyond wide river, though film shows figures on near side. Burning tanks by roadside support statement that "everywhere burning tanks are burning in the French roads".
  • Alternative Title: DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 1944/37 [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: No
  • Object_Number: GWY 231
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM-GERMAN Attribution: IWM – GWY 231
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-08-30
  • Production Country: Germany
  • Production Details: UFA (Production company) Anhoeck (Production individual) Dahlmeier (Production individual) Gaigals (Production individual) Joest (Production individual) Kiel (Production individual) Mahla (Production individual) Moser (Production individual) Stelzhammer (Production individual) Stoitzner (Production individual) Stollsteimer (Production individual) Voigt (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Jansky, Paul-Vincenz (person) Siegler, Hans (person) Ziehlberg (Generalmajor) (person) Kraftdurch Freude (regiment/service) Schultheiss (regiment/service) German Army, Jager-Regiment 49 (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: arts, German - theatre: closure (object name) arts, German - theatre: Goethe, Johann & Urfaust (object name) arts, German - theatre: Lessing, Gotthold & Emilia Galotti (object name) journalism and record, German: Das Schwarze Korps (object name) journalism and record, German: Der Stürmer (object name) journalism and record, German: V"lkischer Beobachter (object name) journalism and record, German: Lokal Anzeiger (object name) journalism and record, German: Deutsche allgemeine Zeitung (object name) industry, Austrian - armaments (object name) transport, German civilian - rail: tram (object name) transport, German civilian - animal: ox (object name) defences, German - emplacement (object name) armour, German - tank: Pzkpfw V (object name) armour, German - tank: Pzkpfw VI (object name) armour, Russian - tank: T-34 [wrecked] (object name) weapons, German - smallarm: MP 40 (object name) weapons, German - projector: Panzerfaust (object name) weapons, German - gun: 8.8cm Flak [AT] (object name) combat, German naval: bombardment (object name) weapons, German - gun: 3.7cm Flak [AT] (object name) weapons, German - gun: 2cm Flakzwilling [AT] (object name) armour, United States - tank: M10A1 & [destroyed] (object name) weapons, German - missile: V1 (object name) Germany & Berlin, Berlin <Deutsches Opernhaus> (geography) Germany & Berlin, Berlin <Schiller Theater> (geography) Germany & Berlin, Berlin <Staatstheater Lustspielhaus> (geography) Germany & Berlin, Berlin <Theater des Volkes> (geography) Austria & Vienna, Vienna (geography) Germany & Vienna, Vienna (geography) Germany & Berlin, Berlin (geography) Russia & Kemmern, Latvia (geography) GB, England & <southern England> (geography) Seine (River), France (geography) (concept) ersatz (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: 1241 ft; Running time: 14 mins
  • HD Media:
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    GWY 231

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