Die Deutsche Wochenschau – Newsreel No. 645, 11 January 1943

1. Plot summary.

 

A police officer arrives at the flat and points out that the blackout measures are inadequate.

 

– The flat’s occupant tries to argue with the officer, but the officer proves his point.

 

– He explains the importance of blackout measures and urges everyone to take the matter seriously.

 

2. ‘Scenes of the Homeland’.

 

The city of Ulm.

 

– Soldiers on leave on an excursion.

 

– Ancient streets and buildings, the town hall.

 

– The famous Münster Cathedral.

 

3. The English Channel coast.

 

Construction of new concrete berths for German submarines off the French coast.

 

– Scenes from the massive construction site, workers.

 

– The nearly completed berth.

 

– A German submarine returning to harbour from a combat mission.

 

– Captain Mergen, his combat merits.

 

– The belated presentation of Christmas presents to the crew.

 

– An Italian submarine.

 

– The captain and crew are greeted by their colleagues.

 

– Traces of enemy shelling.

 

– Italian sailors on board the submarine.

 

4. Western Mediterranean.

 

Landing of Italian troops on the island of Corsica.

 

– Italian motorised columns and motorcyclists moving through the streets of Ajaccio.

 

– Italian units occupy former French coastal fortifications.

 

5. North Africa.

 

Panorama of the city of Tunis.

 

– General von Arnim with officers at a meeting.

 

– German tanks advancing southwards.

 

– German tanks in a local village.

 

– A crowd of locals welcoming the German troops.

 

– Arab women and children.

 

– Germans buying food.

 

– Children near the tanks.

 

– Distribution of souvenirs.

 

– The march continues; vehicles heading towards the Atlas Mountains; vehicles on the motorway.

 

– Conversation with local residents.

 

– Shelling of British outposts.

 

6. Caucasus Front.

 

German sappers at work.

 

– Fighting in the forest.

 

– Flamethrower operations to destroy Soviet pillboxes.

 

7. Central sector of the Eastern Front.

 

Retreat of German troops.

 

– German infantry and supply convoys moving through the snow.

 

– A soldier with a dog.

 

– General Model inspecting new positions; he talks to machine-gunners.

 

– Devastated Soviet positions, destroyed equipment, corpses of Soviet soldiers.

 

– Changing of the guard among the Germans on the front line; soldiers descend into the trenches.

 

– The relieved soldiers engage in a firefight with Soviet units.

 

– A German sniper.

 

– German artillery begins a barrage.

 

– Grenadiers and sappers take up their starting positions for the attack.

 

– The German advance under fire from Soviet artillery.

 

– The unit reaches the Soviet trenches.

 

– A bunker explodes.

 

– German infantrymen in action.

 

– Soviet prisoners of war.

 

– German aircraft attack Soviet positions.

 

– Bombs are dropped on a settlement where a concentration of Soviet combat forces and equipment has been detected.

 

– Explosions.

Die Deutsche Wochenschau – Newsreel No. 642, 21 December 1942

1. USSR. Eastern Front.

 

In the Leningrad area.

 

– A German soldier skates on the ice of the bay.

 

– Soldiers in a bunker.

 

– German soldiers in camouflage uniforms walk by, one of them with a pipe in his mouth, the soldiers smoke.

 

– Building barriers from snow drifts.

 

– Germans take over abandoned Soviet trenches.

 

– They observe Soviet positions.

 

– The start of a firefight.

 

– A machine gun fires.

 

– View through an embrasure.

 

– Central section of the Eastern Front.

 

– At reserve positions.

 

– Repairing tanks and painting them white.

 

– Raid by Soviet bombers, repelling the raid.

 

– Equipment of a reconnaissance unit in camouflage uniforms.

 

– Tanks moving into position.

 

– Vehicles driving along a snow-covered road.

 

– Clearing snow from roads and trenches.

 

– German artillery fires on the enemy.

 

– Guns firing.

 

2. Tunisia.

 

German aircraft fires on Anglo-American positions.

 

– Damaged American tank.

 

– Downed American fighter plane.

 

– Positions recaptured from the Anglo-Americans.

 

– Corpses of Anglo-American soldiers.

 

– Destroyed British military equipment.

 

– German tanks in the city of Tebourba, city residents.

 

– Captured British paratroopers.

 

– The first American prisoners.

 

– A German transport plane heads for Tunisia.

 

– A squadron in the air.

 

– Aircraft landing and unloading.

 

– Frontline rations are being issued to soldiers at the warehouse of one of the companies.

 

– Soldiers eating fruit.

 

– Soldiers making a Christmas tree out of wooden slats from boxes and tin cans.

 

– Submarines at sea.

 

3. Northern section of the Eastern Front.

 

Sailors on a boat.

 

– Christmas presents for sailors.

 

– Preparing Christmas trees for the Christmas holiday.

 

– Decorating a Christmas tree in a dugout.

 

– Soldiers on skis carrying a Christmas tree.

 

– Soldiers making toys and souvenirs.

 

– Cake with the inscription ‘1942’ in cream. Making toys for the children of fallen comrades.

 

– Packing toys into boxes.

 

– Soldiers drawing.

 

– Their paintings and drawings.

 

4. Germany.

 

Christmas days in Germany: winter landscapes, deer in the forest, deer eating food.

 

– Packing gifts for frontline soldiers (among the packers are film actresses Marika Rökk and Luise Ulrich).

 

– Children by the Christmas tree.

 

– Children visiting the wounded in hospital.

 

– A family by the Christmas tree, by the radio.

 

– The sound of bells ringing.

 

– Soldiers at the front receive parcels.

 

– They drink wine, read letters from home, look at gifts.

 

– A sentry on duty.

Die Deutsche Wochenschau – Newsreel No. 640, 10 December 1942

 

1. Italy.

 

Rome, Mussolini addresses the Fascist Parliament, assuring them of Italy’s desire to fight side by side with Germany.

 

2. Germany.

 

Berlin Sports Palace.

 

– Reich Minister Goebbels speaks at a fascist rally about the goals and upcoming work during the four-year plan.

 

– The audience consists of workers and soldiers.

 

3. Southeast Asia.

 

The sphere of influence of the United States in Asia.

 

– Military operations of Japanese and American troops in the Pacific since December 1941 (diagrams, geographical maps).

 

– Fighting in Singapore.

 

– Japanese infantry in the jungle.

 

– Firefight with the British, Japanese at the gun.

 

– Japanese soldiers walking through mud.

 

– Trucks crossing a river.

 

– Soldiers with guns on the road.

 

– Japanese planes bomb military targets in Singapore.

 

– British and Australian prisoners of war.

 

– Shelling of Singapore’s fortifications.

 

– British Lieutenant General Arthur Percival surrenders the fortress of Singapore on 15 February 1942.

 

– Japanese soldiers on the streets of Singapore, views of the city.

 

– Japanese attack on the island of Celebes, Japanese planes in the air bombing British positions.

 

– Airborne troops landing in the city of Manado.

 

– Japanese infantry advancing deep into the island.

 

Map, operations against the Aleutian Islands.

 

– Japanese ships are moving north.

 

– Japanese soldiers in boats, they are on the islands, a detachment with a Japanese flag is approaching.

 

– Transport ships and seaplanes in the harbour.

 

– Attack by American bombers, explosions.

 

– Fragments of the battle.

 

– Ceremonial formation of Japanese troops.

 

– Japanese planes and ships on the march.

 

4. USSR. Eastern Front.

 

Members of construction groups joining Hitler’s army take an oath.

 

– Young soldiers swear allegiance to the Führer.

 

– Most of them, while still in construction groups, managed to prove themselves as combat soldiers.

 

– The young men stack their shovels in pyramids and march.

 

– Roll call begins for the Reich labour service units that participated on the front lines.

 

– Ceremony of decorating the banner with honorary ribbons and tassels.

 

5. USSR. Military operations south of Lake Ilmen.

 

Massive raid by German bombers on Soviet positions.

 

– Pilot in the cockpit.

 

– Grenadiers and tanks of the SS troops before the offensive, SS-Sturmbannführer Otto Baum, Knight’s Cross recipient with Oak Leaves and Swords, on the front line with soldiers.

 

– Offensive, capture of a village.

 

– A column of captured Soviet soldiers is led through the village.

 

6. USSR, central section of the Eastern Front.

 

In areas of major defensive battles.

 

– Snow-covered trenches.

 

– Tankers in reserve paint their tanks white.

 

– The daily life of German soldiers on the front lines.

 

– Drying laundry, distributing food.

 

– Soldiers chop wood and carry it to the bunker.

 

– Soldiers’ mess hall.

Die Deutsche Wochenschau – Newsreel No. 638, 25 November 1942

1. Germany.

 

Military factory.

 

– Workers in the workshops.

 

– Air raid siren.

 

– Office workers leave the office.

 

– Workers turn off the machines, put on their overalls and helmets.

 

– Workers who are members of the militia take their places at anti-aircraft guns.

 

– Anti-aircraft gun firing.

 

2. France, Riviera.

 

German troops in occupied southern France.

 

– German tanks driving along the motorway.

 

– German tanks on the Mediterranean coast.

 

– Installation of guns at the port of Marseille.

 

– German ships in the port.

 

– German anti-aircraft guns.

 

– Anti-aircraft guns on platforms.

 

– French soldiers serving in Hitler’s army.

 

– A French officer gives explanations to German officers.

 

– German troops in the city of Perpignan.

 

– German vehicles.

 

– The population watches German motorcyclists passing by.

 

– German troops march along the coast.

 

– Exchange of greetings with Spanish border guards.

 

– German artillery on the Mediterranean coast.

 

– German soldier on observation duty.

 

3. Africa.

 

Sending reinforcements to Africa.

 

– German and Italian transport planes take off from an Italian airfield.

 

– Soldiers boarding a transport plane.

 

– Loading cargo at a southern Italian port.

 

– Ship carrying soldiers and weapons being sent off.

 

– Italian navy and air force escorting a convoy of German ships bound for Africa.

 

– Shooting down a British mine.

 

– Raid by British torpedo bombers on the convoy.

 

– Fragment of the battle with British aircraft.

 

– Torpedoes being launched, smoke screen.

 

– The convoy of German ships continues on its way after repelling the attack.

 

– Unloading of steamships in Africa.

 

4. USSR. Eastern Front.

 

Stalingrad area.

 

– Germans observe the burning city.

 

– German aircraft in the air.

 

 

– Bombing of Soviet positions.

 

– Views of Stalingrad in flames.

 

– Explosions above the ruins.

 

– German artillery firing.

 

– A soldier fires at the street from a bunker.

 

– Soviet soldiers surrender.

 

– German infantrymen in the workshops of the destroyed Stalingrad Tractor Factory.

 

– Soldiers eating during a break between battles.

 

5. USSR. On the Black Sea.

 

German and Romanian ships on a voyage.

 

– Installing detonators on mines.

 

– Dropping mines into the sea.

 

– Caucasian Front.

 

– German reconnaissance unit on skis in the Elbrus region.

 

– German mountaineer climbing a mountain, he is on a cliff.

 

– Alarm over the approach of Soviet troops.

 

– The unit descends from the mountains and transmits a message to the German combat unit.

 

– Firefight with Soviet troops.

 

– Machine guns and mortars fire.

 

– The Soviet unit is forced to retreat.