Engel Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 The public television channel YLE2 here in Finland aired two last parts of a German documentary about Stalingrad yeasterday. I must say it was absolutely haunting, seeing the interviews of the veterans who survived it. The tales of those who were airlifted out were haunting enough, never mind the stories of those who survived captivity after the German troops surrendered. Disease, cannibalism, the works... even though the movie Stalingrad is about the best Eastern Front movie ever made, I don't think even it fully captures what the place was like. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molotov Cocktail Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Originally posted by Engel: The public television channel YLE2 here in Finland aired two last parts of a German documentary about Stalingrad yeasterday. I must say it was absolutely haunting, seeing the interviews of the veterans who survived it. The tales of those who were airlifted out were haunting enough, never mind the stories of those who survived captivity after the German troops surrendered. Disease, cannibalism, the works... even though the movie Stalingrad is about the best Eastern Front movie ever made, I don't think even it fully captures what the place was like. Damn, I missed the yesterday episode. I hope the Yle will rerun the Stalingrad documentary series. The first episode was not so good as I expected, there was no fancy 3D computer graphics or such neat things as were mentioned in the documentary series homepage, if I remember right. And there were only German and Russian (Ukrainian etc) interviews, not Romanian, Germans blamed the romanians for the Stalingrad pocket. There was no mention about Romanians or there was very little about in the first episode. The first episode ended to Soviet "pocketing" of Stalingrad and its surrounding area. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Soze 71 Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 It was a brilliant documentary. I knew Stalingrad was a hell, but I had no idea... Interviews (soldiers, civilians, wifes) were absolutely the best part and brought in the human. Not just the cold statistics. That documentary still haunts my mind... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 That is an excellent documentary, apart from the fact that the Romanians get short-changed. The interviews with the veterans are the really important part. Watch out in a later part (I think) for the Soviet woman medic with all the medals, talking about how she rescued a machine gunner, and the German private taken out in one of the last planes from Gumrak. I think they have the pilot of the last German plane to try and make contact as well. I just hope they put it out on DVD as well. BTW are all the Soviets referring to the Germans as 'Fritz'? They seemed to in the episode I saw. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molotov Cocktail Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Originally posted by Andreas: That is an excellent documentary, apart from the fact that the Romanians get short-changed. The interviews with the veterans are the really important part. Watch out in a later part (I think) for the Soviet woman medic with all the medals, talking about how she rescued a machine gunner, and the German private taken out in one of the last planes from Gumrak. I think they have the pilot of the last German plane to try and make contact as well. I just hope they put it out on DVD as well. BTW are all the Soviets referring to the Germans as 'Fritz'? They seemed to in the episode I saw. There is still one episode left, Which Yle tv2 will broadcast next week, I did not see recent episode so I don't know which Soviets are referring the Germans, maybe "Fritz" I do not know, besides I don't understand Russian (little bit German but that's another case)and in finnish subtitles, translators have possibly used word "sakemanni" that's finnish counterpart for "Fritz". I don't know where the "sakemanni" comes from, possible sake from finnish word Saksa. Saksa means Germany in Finnish. Saksa word possibly comes from Sachsen (German state which capital was Dresden. And manni comes from Swedish word man (in english man) But maybe I could have figured out word "Fritz" from Russian, but as I said I did not see second, recent episode. By the way Finnish used also at least little bit also "Fritz" from Germans during the war at least grandfather which served in Finnish Fieldartillery as sergeant during the Continuation War. He said when he was travelling in the train in Finland during the war, he could see quite many "Fritzes" or German soldiers in the train, but "Fritz" guys were first our waffenbrüder not the enemies until later when Lappland War started . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molotov Cocktail Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Originally posted by Engel: The public television channel YLE2 here in Finland aired two last parts of a German documentary about Stalingrad yeasterday. Two last parts? O so I missed both last episodes, damn! I did not read your message first carefully. I hope they will rerun the documentary series here in Finland. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tungsten Kid Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 I didn't see the programme myself,but would just like to say a word in admiration for von Paulus,who could easily have airlifted himself out,but instead chose to stay and go into captivity with his men. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grisha Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Andreas, The Soviets commonly referred to Germans in WWII as 'Fritz.' 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steiner14 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Double post. [ July 31, 2003, 08:45 PM: Message edited by: Steiner14 ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steiner14 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Originally posted by The Tungsten Kid: I didn't see the programme myself,but would just like to say a word in admiration for von Paulus,who could easily have airlifted himself out,but instead chose to stay and go into captivity with his men. That's not correct: Paulus was the last one, who would have been able to leave the pocket. And a non deserting general is nothing to admire. A word in admiration for Paulus? You don't know much about him, do you? He already knew, that he will be treated very good by the Soviets, if he goes into captivity. He made a great career later in the communistic DDR... A typical unprincipled person always on the side of the winners. Imagine: tenthousands of soldiers died because they followed his orders. But when the end was near, and he should had finally taken the consequences, he simply changes the sides like a dirty rat and spits on his former soldiers. I suggest you, to read a few of the statements from the soldiers that fought under him. What they thought about him and why. Then you'll maybe reconsider your point of view. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Soze 71 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 And a non deserting general is nothing to admire.Paulus didn't have balls to step on Fuhrer's toes, even when he exactly knew what the situation in Stalingrad was. Paulus knew that Fuhrer has turned his back on them AND they would lose heavily against USSR. Like the one German said, if they would have accepted the first offered possibility for surrender, the amount of survivors would may be even 10 or 20 times higer than the sad 6000. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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