Panzerfaust Training (1945)

In Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 755, one of the striking segments depicted the urgent training of Volkssturm and Hitlerjugend units in the use of the Panzerfaust, Germany’s last-ditch anti-tank weapon. Filmed amid the ruins of German cities in early 1945, the footage showed young boys and aging men receiving rapid instruction from Wehrmacht veterans on how to aim and fire the single-shot launcher against approaching Soviet and Allied armor. The commentary described these “defenders of the homeland” as embodying unbreakable resolve, even as the war neared its catastrophic end. Demonstrations of Panzerfaust firing drills—complete with explosions against mock tank targets—were used to project an image of confidence and resistance. Yet behind the propagandistic tone lay a grim reality: the Reich was training children and civilians for street combat in a hopeless defense. This Wochenschau episode thus captured both the desperation and the propaganda theater of Nazi Germany’s final months, where heroism was manufactured amid inevitable defeat.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 755 - 22 March 1945

Evacuation of German Civilian from East Prussia (1945)

In Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 755, released in the final weeks of the war in early 1945, German audiences witnessed harrowing scenes of the evacuation of civilians from East Prussia as the Red Army advanced westward. The newsreel showed endless columns of refugees—women, children, and the elderly—struggling through snow-covered roads with carts, sleds, and the few possessions they could carry, while smoke from burning villages rose behind them. The voice-over sought to portray the exodus as an orderly and heroic “Volkswanderung,” emphasizing the endurance of the German people under Soviet assault, yet the images betrayed desperation and chaos. German troops were shown assisting the refugees, forming protective convoys, and loading civilians onto ships bound for the Reich’s western territories, including the ill-fated evacuation across the Baltic. Wochenschau No. 755 thus stands as both propaganda and tragic documentation—a final attempt by the Nazi regime to glorify suffering as sacrifice while the East Prussian homeland was consumed by war’s end.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 755 - 22 March 1945

Hitler's Last Award Ceremony

On 20 March 1945, as the Third Reich teetered on the brink of collapse, Adolf Hitler held his final award ceremony in the garden of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. It was a grim and surreal spectacle, filmed by the Propaganda Ministry to project an illusion of steadfastness amid ruin. Before the Führer stood rows of young boys from the Hitlerjugend, many barely in their teens, decorated with the Iron Cross for their supposed bravery in the defense of the Reich. Their faces reflected exhaustion, fear, and misplaced pride as Hitler, gaunt and trembling from illness, moved slowly down the line to shake their hands. This brief ceremony—recorded in black-and-white and later colorized—became one of the most haunting images of Nazi Germany’s final days: the dying leader of a doomed empire entrusting its fate to children. It was not a celebration of victory, but a somber symbol of desperation and the human cost of fanatical devotion.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 755 - 22 March 1945

Ufa Tonwoche (Ufa Sound Week) Nr. 502 - 17 April 1940

Ufa Tonwoche was a German weekly newsreel program that ran from September 1925 until July 1940. It was created by Universum Film AG after the merger of the Decla and Messter newsreels in September 1925. In 1927 the German industrialist, financier, and politician Alfred Hugenberg bought Ufa, saving it from bankruptcy. Hugenberg used the newsreel to foster support for Adolf Hitler. In 1930 the first edition of Ufa Tonwoche with sound was created, and by 1933 most Ufa Tonwoche newsreels featured sound. In 1937, Cautio Treuhandsgesellschaft, a German government front-company, bought a controlling stake (72.6%) of Ufa in a deal negotiated by Max Winkler, bringing the newsreel under government control. In July 1940 the four major German newsreel programs, of which Ufa Tonwoche was one (together with the Tobis-Wochenschau, Deulig-Wochenschau, and Twentieth Century Fox), were consolidated into a single newsreel program, Die Deutsche Wochenschau, by Joseph Goebbels.

In this Ufa Tonwoche video, which is entirely about Unternehmen Weserübung (Operation Weser Exercise), the German invasion of Norway and Denmark:

00:24 - German ships depart for Denmark and Norway.
00:54 - German troops land in Copenhagen.
02:20 - German Ambassador Cecil von Renthe-Fink and General Kurt Himer from the OKW.
02:37 - Copenhagen police regain their weapons after having been disarmed.
02:51 - Arrest of British Embassy staff.
03:02 - The center of Copenhagen begins to fill with people.
03:27 - The King of Denmark rides through the city on horseback.
05:11 - Supplies and ammunition arrive at the Danish port.
06:15 - German troops invade Norway.
06:53 - German planes land at occupied Norwegian airfields.
08:07 - Bombing operation against Norwegian defense pockets that refuse to surrender.
09:45 - German troops land in the fjords of Norway's west coast.
13:37 - Unloading of war supplies at occupied ports.
14:50 - German troops move into the Norwegian interior.
14:58 - German troops march into the capital Oslo accompanied by the Music Corps.
16:23 - Concert for local residents by the Wehrmacht Music Corps.


Source :
https://archive.org/details/ufa-tonwoche-suara-ufa-mingguan-no.-502-17-april-1940-teks-indonesia
https://digitaler-lesesaal.bundesarchiv.de/en/video/125888
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kio8G8j8tAA

"Seite an Seite", Propaganda Film about Wehrmacht Medics during the Battle of Crete (1941)

The German invasion of Crete, officialy named "Operation Merkur", is perhaps one of the most famous campaigns of WWII, as it was the first time in history where the initial stage of an invasion was complelty carried out by paratroopers.

On the morning of May 20th, 1941, thousands of German paratroopers were dropped over the island, which was defended by, in total, 42,500 Greek, British, Australian and New Zealand troops.

The Germans did manage to land succesfully and capture the island within 14 days, but they also suffered heavy losses, with around 3,700 German soldiers dead and 270 Ju-52 transport planes lost.

Especially the losses in paratroopers were high, and the bulk of the fighting after the inital drop was carried out by Mountain Infantry of the 5th Mountain Infantry Division brought to the island; some Italian troops were also landed. 
The British also suffered heavy losses, with over 10,000 British soldiers becoming POWs, and several British warships being sunk, including three cruisers and six destroyers. 

This film, called "Side by Side" is a propaganda film created by the Wehrmachts Military Medical Academy, focusing on the work of medics during the battle.
It includes footage of medics rendering first aid, operating dressing stations, flying out wounded soldiers back to the Greek mainland and footage from field hospitals in Athens, treating wounded from the fighting.

Source :
https://archive.org/details/side-by-side_202510
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQwhkxfP1bM

Die Deutsche Wochenschau (German Weekly News) Nr. 714 - 10 May 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 video:

00:44 -  Presentation of certificates of the National War Skills Competition, Dresden, German Reich, 1944.
Reich Youth Leader Axmann addressed the winners of the National War Skills Competition. Reich Minister Backe presented the certificates to the winners. Gauleiter Martin Mutschmann in conversation with Artur Axmann. Young boys and girls in the uniforms receive their certificates. 

01:24 - "War Model Companies" award ceremony, German Reich, 1944.
A number of German companies were declared "War Model Companies", for outstanding production performance and exemplary social conduct. Reich Organization Leader Dr. Ley gives a speech. Reich Minister Walther Funk presented the certificates.

02:25 -  Clothing show in an armaments factory, German Reich, 1944.
Theme of the clothing show is "From Old to New", and shows women the practical and attractive ways to refashion used clothing.

03:44 - Cycling competition, Berlin, German Reich, 1944.
Berlin's cyclists opened the outdoor season with a road race that attracted large crowds. Scenes show race footage from various points along the course.

04:50 - Pre-military training of "Reich Labor Service" (Reichsarbeitsdienst), 1944.
Oak Leaf recipient, Lieutenant General Specht, the Inspector General for Army Leadership Training, inspects officer candidates in the "Reich Labor Service." In addition to the rigorous military exercises sports are given a significant place in the duty roster. Soldiers practicing shooting on a firing range. Scenes show various sports exercises performed by recruits.

06:18 - The Führer and the Duche on a meeting, German Reich, 1944.
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini enter the room. Marshal Graziani in conversation with Field Marshal Keitel. The discussions reaffirmed the resolve to continue the fight side by side until final victory. Mussolini inspected Italian divisions being deployed at a military training area. 

07:15 - Kriegsmarine/Naval War, Atlantic, 1944.
Paul Hellmann, commander of the blockade runner "Osorno," was the first merchant ship captain to receive the Knight's Cross. The convoy sets sail, protected by naval escort vessels. The merchant ships have deployed barrage balloons against low-level air attacks. A reconnaissance aircraft (He-115) has reported the approach of several enemy planes. AA-guns in combat against enemy airplanes. 

10:27 - Luftwaffe Battle Squadron "Immelmann", Eastern Front, 1944.
At an airfield in the East, the "Immelmann" Battle Squadron has gathered to celebrate its 100,000th combat mission.  Members of the fighter-bomber squadron are lined up for inspection, including Knight's Cross with Diamonds recipient, Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel. The commander of the Air Fleet 4, Colonel General Otto Deßloch, is inspecting the assembled crews, accompanied by the squadron commander, Oak Leaves recipient, Colonel Hans-Karl Stepp. Two pilots of the "Immelmann" squadron are awarded the Knight's Cross.

11:17 - Battle on the Narva Sector/Latvian Waffen-SS, Eastern Front, Soviet Union, 1944.
Report about grenadier and volunteer units of the Latvian Waffen-SS that repelled all Soviet attempts to break through in the Narva sector and launched successful counter-attacks. Defence battle against Soviet attack aircraft. German artillery opens fire to support a counterattack. Rocket launchers target the Soviet positions. Infantrymen and Waffen-SS soldiers emerge from a trenches. Tanks advance in support of the counterattack. German infantry and Waffen-SS break through the Soviet wire entanglements. Soldiers smoking cigarettes after the battle. Grenadiers and Latvian Waffen-SS volunteers receive the Iron Cross in the front-line trench.


Source :
https://digitaler-lesesaal.bundesarchiv.de/en/video/3985
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlQaL9gQWuY

Die Deutsche Wochenschau (German Weekly News) Nr. 657 - 7 April 1943

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 video:

00:04 - Hermann Göring Division, the Luftwaffe's only armored unit.
03:34 - State funeral for diplomat Hans-Adolf von Moltke.
04:47 - State funeral for Reichssportführer Hans von Tschammer und Osten.
06:16 - German U-boat activity.
06:31 - Knight's Cross recipient Lieutenant Commander (Ing.) Gerhard Bielig.
08:46 - Knight's Cross award ceremony by Hitler for Italian General Italo Gariboldi.
09:11 - Visit of King Boris of Bulgaria to Berghof Obersalzberg.
10:43 - Current situation in the northern sector of the Eastern Front, between Lake Ladoga and Lake Ilmen.
10:50 - Knight's Cross recipient Lieutenant General Johann Sinnhuber on an inspection visit.


Source :
https://archive.org/details/die-deutsche-wochenschau-berita-mingguan-jerman-no.-657-7-april-1943-teks-indonesia
https://digitaler-lesesaal.bundesarchiv.de/en/video/5090
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaxjUXrVWEo