If you like my work and want to support the channel, consider subscribing to my Patreon for more, exclusive content! patreon.com/GermanWWIIArchive Or buy me a Kaffee here: www.buymeacoffee.com/germanwwiiarchive Remarks: 00:36 Carl Krauch (1887-1968) was a German chemist, industrialist and a key figure in the chemical armament industry in Nazi Germany. He worked from 1912 at BASF, being a board member, and later the notorious IG Farben, where he was a board member from its founding in 1925, and chairman of the board from 1940 to 1945. He was Plenipotentiary for Chemical Productions and contributed to Germanys re-armament by focusing the chemical industry on the production of explosives and gunpowder. He was also a board member of Kontinentale Öl, a German company responsible for oil production in Europe, e.g. mainly Romania. After the war, he was sentenced to six years imprisonment in 1948 for his role in using slave labor in the German war industry but was released in 1950. After that, he worked again as a manager the chemical industry. He was awarded the Iron Cross in 1939 and the Knight’s Cross of the War Merrit Cross in June 1943. 01:15 This sign reads “100 years ATV” (Allgemeiner Turnverein, General Gymnastics Club). The ATV was the oldest gymnastics club in Dresden, founded in 1844. It was closed down in 1945, after the end of WWII. 01:56 Heinrich George (1893-1946) was a German stage and film actor and movie director, who appeared in dozens of films and theater plays. A very talented and famous actor, George was actually a communist and a member of the Communist Party of Germany during the Weimar era, because of that, he initially didn’t get any jobs when the Nazis came to power. George eventually arranged himself with the Nazis, appearing in several Nazi propaganda movies such as Jud Süß (1940) or Kolberg (1945). He was made chief of the Schiller theater in Berlin by Goebbels in March 1938, a position he held until the end of the war. After the war, George was arrested and released by the Soviets several times in May and June 1945, before being sent to the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp, now a Soviet prison camp. There, he lost a lot of weight and died of an appendicitis in September 1946. 01:59 The Schiller theater was badly damaged during a bombing raid in September 1943. George received the War Merrit Cross 2nd class by Goebbels for personally helping putting out fires in the theater after the bombing. 02:39 Faust, written in two parts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethes (1749-1832), is considered one of the most important works of German literature, especially the first part, which is still read by almost all German students in High School. 02:51 The translations here are not done by me, I have rather taken them from the official English translation of Faust. 04:03 The Battle of Monte Cassino refers to a series of four assaults by Allied troops on Monte Cassino, a rocky hill (and the Abbey on top if it) around 130km south of Rome. The battle lasted from 17th January to 18th May 1944, and was one of the bloodiest and heaviest battles in the Italian campaign. Allied troops, the British 5th and American 8th Army, around 240,000 men in total, faced the German 10th Army with around 140.000 men. The battle was famous because on the allied side, a lot of units from different nations fought, including Polish, Indian, South African, New Zealand etc., and on the German side, the famous 1st Paratroop-Division.The Allied attacks on the easy to defend hill were bloody, and the Allies suffered 55,000 casualties, compared to only 20,000 Germans. 04:11 Bern von Baer (1911-1981) was a German officer in WWII. He joined the German army as a cadet in 1930, and took part in the invasion of Poland and France as a Captain. From January 1941 to March 1942, he worked in the General Staff in the Berlin, where he was the youngest staff officer. In April 1942, he was made Supply Officer in the Staff of the 16th Tank Division, which was part of the 6th Army advancing towards Stalingrad. He survived the Battle of Stalingrad, being flown out on of the last machines out of Stalingrad by personal order of General Paulus. He was made again a staff officer of the newly created 16th Tank Division, fighting in Italy and later on the Eastern Front, before being made staff officer of the 1st Tank Parachute Division Hermann Göring in May 1944 and Chief of Staff of the Parachute Tank Corps Hermann Göring in October 1944. After the war, he served as a Genera the West German Army, his last position being the vice commander of the III. Corps. 04:23 Waldemar Müller (1910-2002) was a German officer during WWII. Not much is known about his life, but he received the 4 year service medal in October 1936, indicating he joined the German Army around October 1932. He received the Knights Cross as commander of the 2nd Battalion of Grenadier Regiment 211 in early March 1944. He was captured by French troops on May 17th, 1944, and was released in February 1944. 05:15 The soldier speaking here is either a Feldwebel (Technical sergeant) or a Oberfeldwebel (Master sergeant), it’s a bit hard to clearly tell. He is actually sitting next to an Oberst (Colonel), which is pretty strange because usually high-ranking officers would not sit on the same table as NCOs, so this was probably staged for the film crews. You can also see what appears to be an Air Force private sitting on the left side, again, this would never happen in real life, as enlisted men, NCOs and officers all were sitting on their own tables. 06:33 This is referring to Operation Margarethe. After Hungary started secret negotiations for a separate peace with the Allies in Summer 1943, declined a German request for garrison troops for the Balkans and asked Germany to move occupation troops from Ukraine and Belarus back to Hungary, Germany became worried Hungary would leave the Axis and sent troops in March 1944 to Hungary to make sure it would stay on Germany side. On March 19th, while the Hungarian leader Horthy was returning from a meeting with Hitler, German troops moved into the country. This came as a surprise, and with the exception of a few small skirmishes between German and Hungarian troops, Germany managed to effectively occupy Hungary. Horthys train back to Hungary was deliberately delayed by the Germans, and when he arrived in Budapest, the occupation was already finished. 06:37 This vehicle is an Sd. Kfz. 7/1, a transport tractor with added armored plates and a quadruple 20mm AA-gun. Around 12,000 Sd. Kfz. 7 were made between 1938 and 1944, and the Sd. Kfz. 7/1 was produced from February 1940 to December 1944, around 800 were made. This made the Sd. Kfz. 7/1 one of the most commonly produced AA-vehicles of the Wehrmacht during the war. 06:39 15 This is an Sd. Kfz. 251, Germanys standard APC during WWII, with 15,252 built between 1940 and 1945. 06:26 This is again an Sd. Kfz. 7, this time in the standard variant, towing an 8,8cm FlaK 36 AA/AT-gun. 07:23 The Fisherman’s Bastion is one of the best known monuments of Budapest, located near the Buda Castle, built between 1844 and 1851. 07:34 Since both officers who are named in this scene (see entries below) served at the 23rd U-Boat Flotilla at that time, this footage was most likely taken at the 23rd U-Boat Flotilla in the Baltic Sea. The 23rd U-Boat Flotilla was formed in Greece in September 1941, operating in the Mediterranean with nine U-Boats. They sank 12 ships with 50,820 tons, before being merged into the 29th U-Boat Flotilla in May 1942. It was re-raised in September 1943 in Danzig as a training flotilla. It was finally disbanded in March 1945. 08:04 Otto von Bülow (1911-2006) was a German Navy officer in WWII. He joined the Navy in April 1930, initially serving as an officer on cruisers and battleships, before transferring to the U-Boat branch in April 1940, commanding U-404 for most of his career. He sank 15 ships, including the British destroyer HMS Veteran, on six patrols between January 1942 and Juli 1943. From September 1943 to the end of the war he was commander of the 23. U-Boat flotilla in Danzig, which main task was to train new crews. He joined the West German Navy in 1956 until his retirement in 1970. 08:17 Friedrich Markworth (1915-1994) was a German Navy officer of WWII. He joined the navy as an officer in April 1934, initially serving as an officer on the heavy cruiser Blücher, with which he took part in the invasion of Norway, he was one of the few survivors when the Blücher was sunk by Norwegian coastal artillery. He then transferred to the U-Boat arm, serving as officer on U-103 and later as commander of U-66, where he sunk 15 ships on four patrols from June 1942 to September 1943. He then served from October 1943 to the end of the war as instructor at the 23. U-Boat flotilla.
Remarks, Part II: 11:53 Ernst Busch (1885-1945) was a German field marshal of WWII. He joined the Imperial German Army in 1904 and never left, meaning he indeed celebrated 40 years of uninterrupted military service in 1944. He took part as a company, later battalion commander, in WWI on the Western Front, earning both classes of the Iron Cross and the Pour le Mérite. During WWII, Busch commanded the VIII Army Corps during the Invasion of Poland, and the 16th Army during the Battle of France. He took part with the 16th Army in Operation Barbarossa, advancing into the Baltics. During the Soviet winter offensive of January 1942, part of his 16th Army became encircled, and he had to use his reserves to avoid a destruction of his troops. The commander of Army Group North, von Küchler, wanted to replace Busch, but this was refused by Hitler. Busch had a close relation to Hitler which helped him in his military career, for example, he was promoted to Field Marshal in February 1943, despite his mediocre performance. Busch was made commander of Army Group Centre in October 1943, a position he couldn’t handle. He was more interested in winning Hitler’s approval and refused to disobey any of his orders. While it wasn’t his fault that the Soviets easily broke through the front during Operation Bagration, his lackluster leadership and his refusal to allow retreats contributed largely to the destruction of Army Group Centre, for which he was relieved of his command on June 29th. He was appointed commander of Army Group H in March 1945, and in the last days of the war commander of all German troops in North Germany. He died of a heart infact in British custody in June 1945. 12:13 This gun is a 7,5cm PaK 40 AT-gun. Introduced in early 1942, it became the backbone of the German AT-forces, being able to penetrate almost all enemy tanks. 23,300 guns were made between late 1941 and 1945. 12:15 The Pripyat Marshes are a large wetland area in Ukraine and Belarus. Sometimes, lone Stalkers can be seen wandering these areas… 12:55 On the left arm, the rank insignia of a Lieutenant (Leutnant) can be seen. These are special insignias for camouflage jackets. Normally, the rank of a soldier is indicated by his shoulder boards; when they are not visible, a special insignia is sewn on the left upper arm. 15:09 Albert Kesselring (1885-1960) was a German Field Marshal during WWII. Joining the Bavarian Army as an artillery officer in 1904, he took part in WWI on the Western Front, being awarded with the Iron Cross 1st class, and served briefly on the Eastern Front in 1918. He continued his service in the army during the Weimar era. In September 1933, against his direct wishes, he was transferred to the Air Force, and learned to fly at age 48. During WWII, he commanded Air Army 1 in the Polish campaign. In January 1940, he was made commander of Air Army 2, which took part in the Invasion of France. His Army also famously took part in the failed Battle of Britain. He further commanded German Air Forces in the Soviet Union and North Africa, before commanding German forces in Italy. On November 21st, 1943, he was made commander of Army Group C, effectively commanding all German forces in Italy. He gained a reputation there for successfully organizing German defenses. After the war, he was tried by a British military court in May 1947 and sentenced to death for the shooting of Italian civilians, but the death sentence was converted to life in prison in July, to 21 years in 1948 and he was released to due poor health in October 1952. 15:11 Richard Heidrich (1896-1947) was a German General of the Paratroopers during WWII. He volunteered for service in 1914, serving in WWI and receiving several decorations, including both classes of the Iron Cross. He became a Paratroop officer in 1937. He took part, as commander of the Paratroop-Regiment 3, in the invasion of Crete. In August 1942, he was made commander of the 7th Flieger-Division, and in Summer 1943, commander of the 1st Paratroop-Division, with which he fought in Monte Cassino. Promoted to General in October 1944, he was assigned the command of the 1st Paratroop-Corps in November 1944, but was seriously wounded in late January 1945, and became a POW in May 1945. Released in July 1947, he died in December 1947 in Hamburg, probably due to his grave wounds sustained. Was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross in June 1941, the Oak Leaves in February 1944 and the Swords in March 1944. 15:52 Indeed, originally there were no German troops in the Monte Cassino abbey, as later confirmed by the Vatican. Yet, it was heavily bombed by the Americans because they believed it was used by German observers. After the bombing, German troops moved in and used the ruins for cover, which made the capture of the hill more difficult to the Allies. 17:18 German paratroopers would often put up significantly more resistance and fought harder then “normal” troops. This was mainly down to them being seen as elite troops, and also because they were part of the Air Force, they were more indoctrinated with Nazi ideology, and the percentage of soldiers who considered themselves Nazis were higher then in Army units. Their fierce resistance made them a respected enemy for the Allies in Italy. 17:30 The Germans sometimes captured footage from killed enemy cameramen, and this was then used in German propaganda newsreels.
Heinrich George, the theater producer seen at 2:22 died in soviet captivity in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp (which was also used post war by the Soviets) in 1946. His son Götz George became one of post war germany's most popular film and TV actors. The play "Urfaust" is basically an early draft of Goethe's Faust Part 1, re discovered in Goethe's papers in the 1880s. It is more Sturm und Drang style than the "final" Faust which is Weimar classic. But the starting monolgue seen here is identical
At 13:15 Steinhäger Schnaps in its traditional stonware bottle. It's quite similar to Gin and is or was marketed in Britain as "Westphalian Gin". Around 13:30 the Skijäger already are equipped with MP43 or StG 44 assault rifles. Ski Jägers btw were a branch distinct of the Gebirgsjäger and more equipped to deal with winter warfare in flat terrain on the east front and in summer with swampy terrain like the Pripyat Marches here.
The author's commentary was -as usual- first rate. Just one error I would like to correct, regarding the officer at 04:11. The officer leading the delegation of Cassino fighters is not Oberstleutnant (LtCol) Bern von Baer, who at that time was 1st General Staff Officer of 16th Panzer-Div. (which fought in Italy but never at Monte Cassino) , but Oberst (Col) Baron Heinrich von Behr, commander of Grenadier-Regiment (mot) 200 of 90th Panzergrenadier-Div. His regiment had an essential role in stopping the Allied breakthrough attempt during the 1st Cassino battle. Therefore he was awarded the Knights Coross on February 23rd 1944 (and obviously therefore was chosen to lead this delegation). He was awarded the Oakleaves while still commanding his regiment in Italy, on January 9th 1945. Since December 27th 1944 he was commander of 90th Panzergrenadier-Div. and was promoted to Major General on April 1st 1945. After the war, he was a Major General in the West-German Bundeswehr.
At 7:35 you see one of the WW1 torpedo boats retained after the Versailles Treaty, some of which were still serving such secondary roles like playing enemy destroyers in training convoys. Kkpt Otto von Bülow at 8:00 was the former captain of U-404. In the postwar Bundesmarine he commanded Z 6, the former Fletcher class destroyer USS Charles Ausburne. Friedrich Markworth at 8:18 was the former captain of U-66 but did not re join naval service postwar. The warship at 8:30 is a type 1935 torpedo boat, a class of vessels built to circumvent the London naval treaty by displacing less than 600 tons. They turned out heavier but still useless with just one gun. They were largely held away from frontline use and used for training purposes as here
Hi there :) I'm not taking requests from RU-vid, but feel free to check out my Patreon, the higher tiers do include video requests! www.patreon.com/germanwwiiarchive
@@GermanWWIIArchive I'm not really making a request, just curious. My real question is- can you tell or send a link from which you are getting these newsreels from? The videos of Die Deutsche Wochenschau are not difficult to find or access, plus they're now publicly available at Bundesarchiv, but they're not allowed to be downloaded. What struck me about your uploads of them is how superb the quality of these videos really are.
Keine Ahnung, aber es würde mich sehr wundern wenn Krauch die selbst entwickelt hat. Krauch war eigentlich schon ab 1919 mehr als Manager tätig, und war ab 1938 "Generalbevollmächtigter für Sonderfragen der chemischen Erzeugung im Vierjahresplan" und war mehr damit beschäftigt, politische Pläne für die Chemieindustrie auszuarbeiten. Ich glaube nicht dass der 1944 noch im Labor gearbeitet hat.
Thats a different person. You're thinking of Reinhard Heydrich, the infamous SS-General who was one of the main organizators of the Holocaust and Acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, killed by Czech resistance in June 1942. The guy shown here is Richard Heidrich, a career soldier who served uninterrupted from 1914 to 1945, and became a paratrooper officer in 1937. He was never charged with any war crimes, and there is no evidence that units under his command ever commited war crimes.
