Scenes of the 1941 Nazi Blitzkrieg Against the Soviet Union in Rare WWII German Film
About This Footage
This rare German wartime film documents the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s massive 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Drawing from German propaganda footage, the reel opens with brief overviews of earlier WWII conquests in Poland, France, Norway, and the Balkans before turning to the eastern front. The blitzkrieg tactics that dominated Western Europe are unleashed against Russia as German troops, tanks, and Luftwaffe aircraft cross the border. Long-range artillery bombards strategic targets while German planes strafe Soviet airfields and destroy aircraft on the ground. Waves of tanks, mechanized infantry, and mobile artillery advance deep into Russian territory. Scenes include dramatic close-ups of an MG-42 machine gun in action, a German pilot before takeoff, and devastating airstrikes against Russian tank columns. As the Germans near a major Russian city, Soviet resistance stiffens, but is met with relentless air and artillery attacks. Gun camera footage captures the downing of a Russian plane. A failed Soviet tank counterattack is repelled by German antitank crews, and the reel concludes with a brutal firefight as German troops overrun a Russian outpost, taking prisoners after fierce resistance. A vivid portrayal of early WWII combat on the Eastern Front.