DIE DEUTSCHE WOCHENSCHAU NR 713 [Main Title]

I. Funeral of Adolf Wagner in Munich. Goebbels stands at tribune and Hitler lays wreath by coffin of Gauleiter of Upper Bavaria. Parade of SA banners, including flags inscribed with names Fritz Todt, München and List, moves from funeral in Kongress Saal of the Deutsches Museum through Marienplatz to Residenz beside cortège, which is accompanied by Wagner's widow and Himmler.

II. Funeral of Generaloberst Hube in Berlin. Goering stands at tribune inside Reichs Chancellory during funeral ceremony of former commander-in-chief of Panzerarmee and holder of Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Diamonds. Front row of mourners includes Jodl, Himmler, Doenitz, Keitel and Ley. Hitler lays wreath.

III. Franco attends commemorative parade to mark liberation of city from "Soviet forces". Participants in marchpast include Falange youth members, blue-shirted Flechas.

IV. Degrelle and Brigade Wallonie return to Belgium. After reported success on Eastern Front, commander of SS Sturmbrigade Wallonie returns with his men to town square in Belgium, where, after a parade, men are decorated by Degrelle in presence of Sepp Dietrich. Parade through Brussels is cheered (by approximately half the onlookers) as Degrelle, standing in German halftrack with his small son and daughter, takes the salute. Spectators perch on pillar indicating Air-Raid Shelter (in German), then Degrelle is jubilantly mobbed by crowds in streets of Brussels.

V. Passing-out examinations at Ordensburg. Executive official in charge of Ordensburgen, Dr Ley, and Reich Youth Leader von Schirach attend passing out examinations at Nazi academy (Marienburg ?). Junkers select tests from urn and write; in addition to education of spirit (Geist), pupils develop physically by practising boxing and physical training, before entry into Wehrmacht.

VI. Football match between Berlin and Munich. Match is played in Munich, where spectators include SS man and Luftwaffe airman with girl.

VII. Instruction at German Naval Mine Warfare School. Minelaying memorial. Naval recruits at Cuxhaven-Wilhelmshaven Friedrichsort receive classroom instruction about German and enemy mines. Commander of the School, Kapitän zur See von Kamptz, holder of Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Minensuchabzeichen with diamonds, stands with other officers. Mine-laying and sweeping. A mine is detonated in shallow water.

VIII. Sniper training unit. Soldiers in a sniping training company practise firing at targets with Kar 98kZf with telescopic sight, then practise under camouflage conditions in field. (End of Reel 1)

IX. (Reel 2) German and Hungarian forces in Carpathian foothills. Animated map of Moscow to Nikopol. Horses grazing in thawing fields and German soldiers cleaning their weapons and resting in the spring sun signify the end of winter on the Eastern Front. German troops fraternise with their Hungarian allies, distinctive in slovenly uniforms and eating from mess tins in area of Stanislav. Elderly bespectacled Hungarian general confers with Oberst Lippert, commanding Panzer Regiment 31, then rides in turret of Pzkpfw IV Ausf H (with armour skirts) in field parade. In foothills of Carpathians German and Hungarian infantry march along together. German father says farewell to SS son met by chance in the field. Heinkel He 111 drops fuel by parachute for SS troops; light armoured cars move off, one named Ilsenous, another Hildegard and marked with ace of spades symbol. Field wireless in operation, with tall aerial. German SPGs and artillery fire across open plain and truck-mounted 3.7cm Pak passes by. Panzergrenadiers on Pzkpfw IV Ausf Hs move forward and search village with thatched houses and speak to Russian peasant. Stationary StuG IIIs. Camera pans from blazing house to infantry moving across field, through deep sludge. German and Hungarian staff officers confer, looking at map. Column of German troops moves along track past burning truck, which explodes causing horse drawing cart to shy and veer off road. Long column of Hungarian troops do not disguise despondency. Item concludes with Oberst Lippert, winner in 1936 Olympics, in front of German and Hungarian tank troops (Pzkpfw IV Ausf H) presenting Iron Crosses to Hungarian lieutenant-colonel and sergeant.

X. Von Rundstedt and Rommel inspect Atlantic Wall defences. Extensive array of beach defences and shore batteries, backed up by tank traps and barbed wire in fields behind, protects French Atlantic coast from Second Front invasion forecast since months. Dyke gates in Holland are opened in exercise to demonstrate effectiveness of flooding as means of defence. German troops, "experienced in all theatres", pass along road and beach. On two separate tours of inspection Generalfeldmarschall von Rundstedt visits a Waffen SS brigade equipped with Sdkfz 250 armoured halftracks and Rommel sees unit on beach itself. Alarm exercise shows troops running to man vast flak tower and bunkers, with barrage balloons overhead, and removing camouflage netting from coastal batteries. Gun barrels are traversed, ammunition transported by rail and concealed tank defences raised. Captured US film of amphibious landing on flat beach contrasts with German film of emergency exercise involving SS unit crossing river in powered dinghy, moving through pine woods, laying anti-tank and barbed wire obstacles and making a huge firescreen with a flamethrower. Demonstration of German defensive strength ends with firing of railway gun.

35mm