One of a series of silent 16mm newsreels made for the enjoyment of the German public, “Fight Against Bolshevism #1” shows the German Wehrmacht at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Originally named Operation Fritz, Barbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war.
The film begins with a map showing the front lines of the campaign at the outset of the German attack. At :41 troops stage initial attacks at dusk. At :55 a sign for Eydtkau is shown, now known as Chernyshevskoye, near the eastern part of Russia on the border with Lithuania and Poland. German troops disassemble the border post and roll through. At 1:14 a German trooper with a flame thrower is seen. At 1:16 a stunned Russian soldier surrenders. At 1:25 German forces drive towards Kaunas, Lithuania. Artillery and tanks are shown in action as well as mortars and machineguns. At 1:50 houses burn as German halftracks move onward. At 2:02 civilians welcome the German vanguard. At 2:07, German troops are shown on a raft or pontoon fording a river. At 2:19 a woman presents a German soldier with flowers. At 2:23 German convoys move through the streets of a Lithuanian town towards Dunaburg aka Daugavpils in Latvia. At 2:40 German infantry advance along a road while a house burns in the background. At 2:55 a command car and a tank rumble past. At 3:00 the Wehrmact maneuvers towards Grodno in Belarus. Cavalry forces are seen along a road full of burning buildings. At 3:30 artillery makes a direct hit on a factory smokestack. At 3:48 German infantry throw a grenade. At 4:00 Soviet prisoners are examined. At 4:00 wrecked Soviet tanks, trucks, and bunkers are shown off. At 4:16 a large city, possibly Brest-Litowsk, is shown aflame. The German offensive continues with artillery leading the way and mass defections of Soviet troops. At 5:00 columns of defeated Russians are shown. At 5:00 a flight of Dornier bombers makes an attack on Soviet lines. The film ends with columns of German troops marching, and huge railway guns and Stuka dive bombers making attacks while tanks rumble onwards … to what will eventually be a disastrous defeat.
The occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany was completed on July 10, 1941 by Germany’s armed forces. Latvia became a part of Nazi Germany’s Reichskommissariat Ostland—the Province General of Latvia . Similarly, the occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany lasted from the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 to the end of the Battle of Memel on January 28, 1945. At first the Germans were welcomed as liberators from the repressive Soviet regime which occupied Lithuania prior to the German arrival. In hopes of re-establishing independence or regaining some autonomy, Lithuanians organized their Provisional Government. Soon the Lithuanian attitudes towards the Germans changed into passive resistance.
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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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
