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From Blitzkrieg to Barbarism – The War of Annihilation Against the Soviet Union

01/01/2011

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1hr 40min

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The Barbaric War in the East

STORY

The documentary focuses on the German Wehrmacht’s invasion of Poland and the Soviet Union during World War II and its consequences for the German military. On June 22, 1941, “Operation Barbarossa” marked the start of a war of annihilation that claimed millions of lives. Hitler and his generals planned the destruction of the Soviet Union and its population. The Wehrmacht supported SS Einsatzgruppen in mass shootings and committed numerous war crimes. The anticipated quick victory failed to materialize due to a lack of reserves and alternative strategies, leading to the operation’s failure. Spiegel-TV author Nina Adler presents these events using previously unseen amateur footage from German soldiers and rare archival material from Russia. Expert interviews, including with military historian Rolf-Dieter Müller and authors Sönke Neitzel and Harald Welzer, round out the documentary and shed light on a war that forever changed the image of the Germans.

CAST & CREW

    Cast

  • Antony Beevor
  • Rolf-Dieter Müller
  • Sönke Neitzel
  • Harald Welzer
  • Peter Buchholz

    Directors

  • Nina Adler
  • Andreas Hancke

INFORMATION

    Production Companies

  • Spiegel TV

    Production Countries

  • Germany

LANGUAGES

  • German

Cast

Antony Beevor

himself

Rolf-Dieter Müller

himself

Sönke Neitzel

himself

Harald Welzer

himself

Peter Buchholz

Narator

Michael Bideller

Narator