Operation Barbarossa Newsreel German Assault on Latvia & Lithuania Eastern Front Wwii 10874 (1941)

Synopsis

One of a series of silent 16mm newsreels made for the enjoyment of the German public, "Fight Against Bolshevism #1" shows the German Wehrmacht at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Originally named Operation Fritz, Barbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war. The film begins with a map showing the front lines of the campaign at the outset of the German attack. At:41 troops stage initial attacks at dusk. At:55 a sign for Eydtkau is shown, now known as Chernyshevskoye, near the eastern part of Russia on the border with Lithuania and Poland. German troops disassemble the border post and roll through. At 1:14 a German trooper with a flame thrower is seen. At 1:16 a stunned Russian soldier surrenders. At 1:25 German forces drive towards Kaunas, Lithuania. Artillery and tanks are shown in action as well as mortars and machineguns. At 1:50 houses burn as German halftracks move onward. At 2:02 civilians welcome the German vanguard. At 2:07, German troops are shown on a raft or pontoon fording a river. At 2:19 a woman presents a German soldier with flowers. At 2:23 German convoys move through the streets of a Lithuanian town towards Dunaburg aka Daugavpils in Latvia. At 2:40 German infantry advance along a road while a house burns in the background. At 2:55 a command car and a tank rumble past. At 3:00…

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Details

Running time

6 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage