Festung Breslau (1945)

Breslau, the capital city of Silesia, was surrounded by the Red Army on February 13th, 1945, but strong German resistance prevented a quick capture of the city, and instead long and fierce street fighting ensued, the Red Army bombed the city to ruins. Breslau only capitulated on May 6th, 1945, after almost three months of fighting, one of the longest battle in the last phase of the war.


Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau (German Weekly News) Nr. 755 - 22 March 1945
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWxWY4rFhTg

Die Deutsche Wochenschau (German Weekly News) Nr. 720 - 21 June 1944

Die Deutsche Wochenschau is the title of the unified newsreel series released in the cinemas of Nazi Germany from June 1940 until the end of World War II, with the final edition issued on 22 March 1945. The co-ordinated newsreel production was set up as a vital instrument for the mass distribution of Nazi propaganda at war.

In this Die Deutsche Wochenschau:
00:00-00:38 - Intro
00:39-02:45 - Fifth German War Championship: Dresden Sports Club vs Lufftwaffe Sports Club Hamburg, German Reich, 1944.
Armament industry workers and soldiers in the stands watch final match of the fifth German War Championship. Dresden Sports Club wins with Luftwaffe Sports Club Hamburg with result of the match 4:0. 
02:46-04:16 - Speech by French Minister of Information Henriot, Berlin, German Reich, 1944.
French Minister of Information Philippe Henriot gave a speech in front of thousands workers from France, and call for collaboration between France and Germany. He express his dedication to Adolf Hitler and to fight against Bolshevism. Philippe Henriot (7 January 1889 – 28 June 1944) was a French poet, journalist, politician, and Nazi collaborator who served as Secretary of State for Information and Propaganda for Vichy France.
04:17-07:59 - Ritterkreuzträger recipient Willy Apitz tells about the battle experience, German Reich, 1944. During the autumn of 1943 Obergefreiter Apitz found himself engaged in his Division’s heavy defensive combat along the Lower Dnieper front between the Nikopol and Cherson bridgeheads. In this time, while he was serving as a radio operator at a forward observation post, all of his comrades were killed during a large-scale Soviet attack. When the Soviets proceeded to launch a renewed thrust with tanks and infantry, Apitz decided to personally direct the fire of his attached artillery even though he had no training in this role. However, despite being all alone, he managed to fulfill this role effectively and direct devastating artillery fire onto the attacking Soviet forces. 
08:00-09:44 - German soldiers take a rest on the rear positions, Soviet Union, 1944.
Soldiers are allowed to take a rest in the newly build rest village behind the lines. 
09:45-12:19 - Defence battle against advancing Allied troops, Italian Front, north of Rome, Italy, 1944.
German troops hold the positions north of Rome to slow down Allied forces advance. German soldiers in defence fight against advancing enemy troops. Soldiers use mortars (5 cm Granatwerfer 36), machine guns (MG-42) and anti-tank guns (7.5 cm Pak 40). Scene shows American soldiers taken prisoner. German heavy artillery (17 cm Kanone 18) provide fire support to cover retreating troops. AA-gun in fight against British/American fighter planes. 
12:20-19:20 - Western Front, Operation Overlord, Normandy, France, 1944.
Corvette Captain Hoffmann, commander of torpedo boat flotilla recive the Ritterkreuz, as the first Ritterkreuzträger of the Invasion Front. Second Knight's Cross of the Invasion Front is awarded to Corvette Captain Rall. Coastal batteries fight the approaching enemy ships in the area of the Seine Bay at the mouth of the Orne. German anti-aircraft batteries in fight with attacking Allied fighter-bombers formations. Scenes show city of Caen destroyed by Anglo-American air raids. French civilian population is forced to live in caves underground in harsh conditions. German infantry and assault guns deployed to repel a larger enemy advance, to prevent expanding the beachhead. AA-gun (2 cm FlaK 30) is used in ground combat. Scene shows destroyed American glider and dead soldiers. Ritterkreuzträger Georg Scholze and Joachim Barth from Panzer-Lehr-Division during counter-attack. Captured Allied soldiers on the march into the camps. Award ceremony for young SS Hitlerjugend soldiers by Regimentskommandeur Wilhelm Mohnke.  German soldiers carry out flank attack, with the support of self-propelled artillery. 
19:21-19:32 - Outro

Source :
https://archive.org/details/die-deutsche-wochenschau-german-weekly-news-nr.-720-21-june-1944
https://digitaler-lesesaal.bundesarchiv.de/en/video/3962/699755
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

Die Deutsche Wochenschau (German Weekly News) Collection

 1944

1. Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 720 - 21 June 1944 (German Footbal Championship final; Vichy Minister Henriot speech in Berlin; Ritterkreuzträger Willy Apitz tells about his battle experience; German soldiers take a rest on the rear positions; Defence battle against advancing Allied troops in the north of Rome, Operation Overlord in the Normandy Front; German anti-aircraft batteries in fight with attacking Allied fighter-bombers formations; Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Heinrich Hoffmann and Victor Rall from Kriegsmarine; Ritterkreuzträger Georg Scholze and Joachim Barth from Panzer-Lehr-Division during counter-attack; award ceremony for young SS Hitlerjugend soldiers by Wilhelm Mohnke; Nebelwerfer in action.

Source :
https://digitaler-lesesaal.bundesarchiv.de/en/search
https://www.youtube.com/@xxhistoryfootage/videos

Feldartillerie, Sturmartillerie & Nebelwerfer in Normandy (1944)

In the 1944 Battle of Normandy, German artillery was a significant factor in the defense, particularly in coastal fortifications and on the field. German artillery was divided into terrestrial (Heeresartillerie) and naval (Marineartillerie) branches, with the latter often responsible for coastal batteries. German field artillery was a mix of various calibers, including the 88mm gun, Nebelwerfers (multi-barrel rocket launchers), and mortars. German artillery was also used in counter-attacks against Allied advances, particularly in the Falaise pocket. German forces also used captured artillery, including French and Soviet guns, in their defenses.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

Küstenartillerie (Coastal Artillery) in Normandy

In 1944, German coastal artillery played a crucial role in the defense of Normandy, particularly along the Atlantic Wall, a system of fortifications built to deter an Allied invasion. Several key artillery batteries were strategically located, like those at Longues-sur-Mer, Pointe du Hoc, and Maisy, to target Allied landing beaches and naval forces. These batteries, armed with heavy guns, were designed to fire at long ranges, posing a significant threat to the advancing Allied troops

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

German forces hold up Allied advance north of Rome (1944)

In June 1944, German forces held up the Allied advance north of Rome due to a series of strong defensive lines and strategic terrain. The Allies faced the Gustav Line, a heavily fortified position stretching from the coast to the Apennines, including Monte Cassino. This line, and other German defenses like the Volturno and Barbara lines, forced the Allies into a prolonged and costly campaign.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

Rest Village Behind the Front Line

German soldiers take recreation leave on Eastern Front. Animated map of Eastern Front from Narva to Jassy. Present lull allows two soldiers to leave trench for few days at Relaxation Camp behind lines. Facilities at log-cabin camp include sauna (sign), showers (End of Reel 1), barber, meals served by girls (Russian?) to Divisionskommandeur Generalmajor Alexander Conrady (36. Infanterie-Division) sitting eating with his men, extra rations and an open-air Variété performance with trapeze artiste, dancers (scanned by one soldier through his artillery periscope) and trick cyclists.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

1944 German Football Championship Final

 

The 1944 German football championship, the 37th edition of the competition, was won by Dresdner SC, the club defending its 1943 title by defeating Luftwaffe team LSV Hamburg in the final, which were held on 18 June 1944.

The final years of the German Championship during the war saw many military teams compete in the championship, Luftwaffe teams, Luftwaffensportvereine, short LSV, and, Wehrmacht teams, Wehrmachtssportvereine, short WSV, became very competitive.

Dresden's Helmut Schön, who would later coach Germany to the 1974 FIFA World Cup, became the top scorer of the 1944 championship with 14 goals, the second-highest individual amount of any player in the history of the competition from 1903 to 1963.

It was the last edition of the tournament during the Second World War, with the competition not being held again until 1948. The thirty-one 1943–44 Gauliga champions, two more than in the previous season, competed in a single-leg knock out competition to determine the national champion.

Dresdner SC became the last club to be awarded the Viktoria, the annual trophy for the German champions from 1903 to 1944. The trophy disappeared during the final stages of the war, did not resurface until after the German reunification and was put on display at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt until 2015, when it was moved to the new Deutsches Fußballmuseum in Dortmund.


Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944_German_football_championship