John Kettler Posted March 30, 2001 Share Posted March 30, 2001 The above film is airing on Encore Action channel this month and does a great job of depicting things at the CM level in the period from D-Day until the breakout at St. Lo. It's got all kinds of official and captured footage from D-Day on, including some great stuff on the hedgerows and wonderful architectural shots. The German footage is wrong in time, and features 38ts, early StuGs, early Pz IIIs and such, plus artillery from 37mm up through coastal turrets firing. Fans of tactics may be interested in the how to take down a pillbox exercise shown early in the film. Except for some 50s vintage tanks with mods to look German, equipment is all period, even 2.36 inch bazookas. "Breakthrough" is as much a psychological study as it is a war film, since it takes an almost microscopic look at small unit dynamics and the crushing responsibilities of command, not to mention the value of good NCOs and the attritional nature of the bocage campaign. Is it perfect? No. It completely neglects the repeated bombings of our own men before the breakthrough and gives the typical for the period toned down view of the horror of war, along with the usual Hollywood rah rah. Still, it's worth the time, and could be a real help to the mod makers. Regards, John Kettler [This message has been edited by John Kettler (edited 03-30-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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