Animated map starts the film, showing the Eastern (Russian) front in vicinity of the Dnieper River, during beginning of winter, 1943-44, as German forces battle against Soviet forces in World War 2. German troops are seen in deep trenches and lying prone behind rubble. Light snow covers the ground. Closeups of German tiger tanks moving along a muddy path beside a river. German Panzergrenadiers taking a smoking break during a lull in combat. German soldiers trudging through mud as snow falls. They pass by some German artillery field pieces firing at Soviet positions. Heavy German guns firing. German troops hurrying toward entrenched positions. Closeup of two soldiers conversing as one points toward Soviet positions. A soldier takes up his defensive spot at the mouth of a dugout at the end of a trench. Closeup of two German soldiers smoking cigarettes. A German soldier reports to an officer at the front, who pins a medal on him and shakes his hand. Another view of a soldier smoking a cigarette. German soldiers walk past some knocked out tanks. Closeups as they pass the camera. One soldier looks skyward. A large formation of German Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) dive bombers is seen overhead. View from a Stuka cockpit, as it dives emitting classic sound. Stuka aircraft diving and dropping bomb that are seen bursting on ground below. Good closeup of Stuka in a dive.
German troops in white winter gear are seen taking prone defensive positions as they battle Soviet forces. German heavy field guns firing. The white clad soldiers smoke cigarettes as they pose for the camera. Narrator identifies the German soldiers as Panzer Grenadiers. German tiger tanks move and fire their guns, as Grenadiers move along with them. Tanks and soldiers, in long lines, advance rapidly across a snowy field. Closeup of German soldiers, in heavy dark overcoats, firing a mortar. Heavy German artillery guns firing. Artilleryman throws empty shells out of their site, into the snow. Troops advancing with tiger tanks. Closeup of several German soldiers. German troops moving forward behind tiger tank as several captured Soviet soldiers are escorted to the rear, past them. Tank firing and soldiers advancing past burning wooden structures. Shells exploding in near distance. Batteries of multiple rocket launchers (Nebelwerfer) firing.
Opening scene shows map of Greece, highlighting Athens, Samos and Leros. Views of wrecked boats and ships along a shore. Dead soldier lying near a gun position overlooking a town near shore below. German soldiers look at newspaper headline reading (in German) "British Sea base taken." German General Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, World War 2 Commander of the operation, mingles with and congratulates ordinary German soldiers. Soldier looking over the island of Samos from a mountain. German soldier looking at large barrels on a pier. Closeup of a bottle of Greek Samos wine. German officers and soldiers drinking the wine. Soldiers cutting bananas from a large bunch carried by a local man. A long line of captured British soldiers and sailors marching under guard along a mountain road. Closeups of them passing the camera. The prisoners descending from a pier into large barges. Glimpse of an Indian colonial soldier among them. Large numbers of prisoners being marched under guard along a road in town.
At beginning, several German armed patrol boats (Vorpostenboot) are seen underway in a river or canal headed toward Atlantic waters. A light signal flashes from one. A sailor seated in front of two double 3.7 cm Flak 18 antiaircraft guns, speaks into a radio. Navy gun crew at battle station. They fire at several low-flying Allied war planes passing by. The Flak 18 guns fire at the passing aircraft. Tracer bullets are seen against cloudy background. German sailor looks through binoculars, from a gun position. barrels of two large guns are seen next to him. Camera shows flak clouds in the sky overhead and tracer bullets fired across the water at a lower level. Glimpse of swirling water. Sailor wearing flotation vest stands near depth charge launcher. Six patrol boats viewed underway behind the camera vessel. Paintings of Allied aircraft and boats, for quick identification, are seen on the side of a German Patrol boat. View of bow as patrol boat plunges through rough water. Side view of it from another boat. Waves inundating a patrol boat in stormy waters. A barrage balloon being launched and seen above. Two German twin engine Heinkel He 115 torpedo bombers take off from a bay. View of pilot in cockpit of one. View from cockpit window of right wing and engine on one, as it flies over a convoy of ships below. Crew member in nose canopy of a Heinkel 115. Views of the other He 115 off right wing of camera plane. Another glimpse of crew member in aircraft nose. Views from cockpit of a Heinkel 115 seaplane flying only several feet above the water and rushing past boats underway. Crew member in the airplane using a signal lamp to communicate with a German Patrol boat. An Officer on a patrol boat, observing the signals from the airplane, calls crew to battle stations. Various antiaircraft gun crews, on the boat, prepare and commence firing. More views inside a Heinkel seaplane. View of engine room in a Patrol boat as it is hit by an Allied bomb. Crew responds to the emergency wearing their life preservers. A mascot dog runs up stairs along with the crew members. Below, crew members work to stem floods of water entering the engine room as a result of the bomb strike. Brief view of bomb damage in the hull of the boat. Sailor on deck using a direction finder. More views of shipboard antiaircraft guns firing, at Allied aircraft all around the boat. An Allied airplane crashes into the water. Large pieces of floating wreckage is recovered and placed on the boat deck. Film ends showing formation of Patrol boats plunging through the water at high speed.
British ships underway at sea in the Pacific Theater. British aircraft in flight. The United States convoy underway. Planes on flight deck of aircraft carrier. View of many planes. Sailors aboard the ships. British Officer, Admiral Rawlings transported from his ship at sea via breech buoy to an American ship alongside. Men observe through binoculars. Japanese land installation strafed. Explosions and firing. Admiral William Halsey aboard ship speaks to men in fire control room. The U.S. battleship's guns fired in the battle of Honshu Sea. Ammunition sent on upper deck of a battleship. (World War II period).
Adolf Hitler arrives in his Mercedes Benz 770 Cabriolet to visit a new German armored (Panzer) Division. Marshal Hermann Goering, who is leading a cadre of top German Military commanders, steps forward to welcome Hitler. As they walk back together, a long line of saluting troops can be seen stretched along the side of the pavement into the distance. Hitler shakes hands with Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, as Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz stands, saluting with his baton. He also greets Generaloberst (Colonel General) Kurt Zeitzler,Chief of the Army General Staff. He goes on to greet two junior Panzer officers, one of whom has his arm in a sling. View of Hitler mingling with Goering, and the other marshals and generals.Scene shifts back to Hitler shaking hands with a soldier, standing next to the wounded one. He then greets Generaloberst Heinz Guderian, Inspector General of Armoured Troops. Scenes of Hitler walking and conversing with his senior officers. They walk past a Hetzer light tank destroyer, Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), where black uniformed Panzertruppen (Armored Troops) are standing at attention. (World War II period).
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