Created for the home market in Germany in 1942, this silent newsreel “Storm on Rostov” shows the actions that occurred around Rostov-On-Don in the summer of 1942.
The film shows German halftracks and Panzer tanks on the road to Rostov, with German infantry hitching rides on tanks at 1:00. At 1:11 motorcycles lead the way into battle. At 1:36 an artillery piece is pushed down a road by soldiers. At 1:59 a boat ferries troops across the Don. At 2:20 an artillery piece is revealed as camouflage is removed. At 2:34 anti-aircraft guns fire against a Soviet aircraft, and it is shot down. At 2:50 the muzzle of a howitzer fires and an artillery strike follows. German troops wait at the front patiently for the artillery to take effect. At 3:58 horses move from a debris-strewn area that appears to have been hit by shellfire. At 4:17 soldiers dig a ditch so that Panzers can advance across a Soviet irrigation ditch. At 5:00 a sign points the way toward Rostov, and a Panzer idles past. At 5:10 a large smokestack is shown of one of the factories in Rostov. At 5:30 Panzers move past burning wreckage. At 5:58 troops advance through a shattered factory. The film ends at 6:00 on the 23rd of June, with “Rostov in our hands”. (It would actually be another month until the German Army officially occupied the city.)
Rostov-on-Don lies at the mouth of the Don River where it flows into the Sea of Azov, a part of the Black Sea. It was strategically placed and an important target for the Germans as the gateway to the Caucuses and the oil wealth that lay there. Rostov was a target of the Barbarosa offensive (1941). After taking Kiev (July 1941), the Germans drove deep into the Ukraine, approaching Rostov. The Germans reached the city in November 20-22, 1941. The Soviets, however, launched a counter attack and retook it on November 27. The massive Soviet Winter offensive before Moscow forced the Wehrmacht to retreat west. The Germans were only able to launch their next Summer offensive in one sector of the front and Hitler chose the south, so Rostov became a target again. The Germans cut the railroad at Voronezh near the Don River on July 6. This cut off Rostov from the rest of the Soviet Union. After reaching the Don, the German offensive divided. The 6th Army, the most powerful force headed east toward Stalingrad. The smaller force moved toward Rostov and the Caucasus oilfields. The Germans seized Boguchar and Millerovo in the Donetz on July 16, 1942. Panzers moved to cut off Rostov from the east in a classic Blitzkrieg advance. Finally, the Germans took Rostov on July 23.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
