Dating to late 1941, this UFA German newsreel was dubbed in Spanish, presumably so that it could be shown in Franco’s fascist era Spain. It starts with a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s death, including concerts and memorial celebrations. It then shifts to a variety of other topics, including a New Year’s Day piglet race, a sword dance performance in Berlin, asports festival of the Luftwaffe in Berlin, the formation of a European press front in Vienna, the declaration of war by Italy, Germany, and Japan on the United States, Luftwaffe reconnaissance over the English Channel, and finally U-boat submarine operations in the Atlantic, including attacks on British merchant ships.

0:16 – 0:38: Commemoration of 150 years since Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s death, including the laying of a foundation stone for a new memorial in Prague.

0:44 – 1:06: Rafael Kubelík conducts a Mozart concert performed by the Czech Philharmonic in Vienna, with representatives from 19 nations attending.

1:08 – 1:21: Memorial celebration in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral and a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic at the National Opera.

1:32 – 1:43: Description of a piglet race, a New Year’s Day custom in some localities, where the winner is believed to enjoy good luck throughout the year.

2:06 – 2:10: Announcement of the lucky winner of the piglet race.

2:13 – 2:39: The Sword Dance with fencing foils, performed by a chorus line of women in Berlin, sort of like the German Rockettes !

3:30 – 4:23: Sports festival of the Luftwaffe in Berlin, including training exercises and parachute jumps. A mass performance of synchronized military calisthenics!

4:37 – 5:11: Formation of a European press front in Vienna against libelous international press, with a key speech by Reich press chief Dr. Dietrich. (Jacob Otto Dietrich was an SS officer who served as the Press Chief of the Nazi regime and was a confidant of Adolf Hitler.)

5:21 – 5:49: Declaration of war by Italy, Germany, and Japan on the United States, with enthusiastic reception by the population and a speech by the Italian Duce.

6:00 – 7:17: German Luftwaffe preparations and reconnaissance over the English Channel, including balloon barriers and an aerial dogfight between fighter aircraft.

7:30 – 9:03: U-boat submarine operations in the Atlantic, including the discovery and attack on a British merchant ship.

9:39 – 12:09: Continued pursuit and engagement with a convoy, resulting in the sinking of several ships.

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