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1941-10-31
N/A
38 min
Chronicles combat action of Hitler's elite bodyguard regiment from 1940 to 1941. From Rotterdam to Greece, German frontline cameramen captured footage of early victorious campaigns. Scenes of camp life and ceremonies convey an impression of the comradeship, pride, and elan of this mighty military formation.
This film tells the true story of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler," which had started out as Hitler's personal bodyguard unit. We start at the conclusion of the Polish campaign in 1939, with Hitler reviewing the outfit. We follow them through the campaign in Holland, including the linkup with German paratroops in Rotterdam, and the invasion of France in 1940. We then follow them down the Danube River to Bulgaria, from which they take part in the invasion of Yugoslavia in April, 1941, including the linkup with the Italians in Albania. Next comes the invasion of Greece, and the crossing of the Corinth Canal. We finish up with a parade in Athens, and the narrator telling us how the Leibstandarte is moving on to the "fight against Bolshevism," meaning that Russia was probably being invaded when the film was first shown. This is a great piece of history for anyone wanting to know about the early campaigns of this SS unit.
