History is written by the victor

[Penguin]

You may want to check out about Oskar Kusch:
http://www.ijnhonline.org/volume1_nu..._uboat.doc.htm
http://www.uboat.net/men/kusch.htm
(Prost to Oskar, who stayed a thinking man!)

Kusch's fate may have inspired Buchheim for the person of the 1.WO in Das Boot
Even if the approach towards nazi ideology may have seem a little more lax on an u-boat, there were no branches of the forces taht were an island in the brown swamp.

[Growler]

Wow... now this is an interesting can of worms you've opened here, Krauter.

As a historian, I have learned a lot of amazing stuff from the "loser's" perspectives, both warfare and more peaceful pursuits.

I learned, for instance, that the Soviets kept German PWs for MUCH longer than the Western Allies did; German PWs were still dying in the hundreds in Soviet camps three years after the "end" of War Two. I never knew this until recently.

German PWs in America were treated better than in any other nation (largely due to the fact that the US wasn't being bombed or naval-blockaded) with the hopes that word would get back to German unit, encouraging not only their surrender, but also better treatment for Americans in German PW camps.

Now, would any of this make a good movie? In today's Hollywood climate, probably not likely, unless you could convince Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg that such a film from the German perspective would matter. Schindler's List was huge because it focused on the Holocaust; there aren't too many studios that would be willing to risk the publicity backlash that they think would result if they released a movie that portrayed wartime Germans in a sympathetic light. Not saying it hasn't happened; just saying that it's a risky venture.

I could talk about this for hours, but I am supposed to be working.

[August]

Even John Wayne did a movie where he played a (good guy) German ship captain being chased by the Royal Navy.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by August

Even John Wayne did a movie where he played a (good guy) German ship captain being chased by the Royal Navy.

The Sea Chase

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048593/

[Krauter]

Exactly Growler.

On the point of the Soviets keeping Germans interned far longer than normal, there are accounts of people not getting let out of the Gulags until the mid 50's, and even then they didn't make it out because they couldn't get travel visas to travel within the USSR or get outside of it.

On the point of the movies, to me I can understand if producers want to stay away because of the holocaust, war attrocities light. In our day and age I can understand that. However, watching movies like Saving Pvt Ryan, Band of Brothers, etc showing the camraderie, fighting spirit and tactics of the units makes me think, "gee, the germans had some of the most elite and trained Army units in the war... I wonder how they acted and fought together?"

If anything I'd say depict fighting on the Eastern Front for the simple reason Americans and Brits probably don't want to watch a movie in which American or Brits are being killed. But fighting on the Eastern Front was a whole different Beast all together with many attrocities being committed daily..

Cheers,

Krauter

And I too should be getting back to work. Another 1,000-1,500 words for this essay by tonight as well as a Final to study for tomorrow

[Growler]

Originally Posted by Krauter

Exactly Growler.
...showing the camraderie, fighting spirit and tactics of the units makes me think, "gee, the germans had some of the most elite and trained Army units in the war... I wonder how they acted and fought together?"

In short, the answer is, "Yes" though the volume of material to support that answer is small, usually in German, and heavily laced with the propaganda at the time. But certain assumptions can be safely made when consideration is taken of units like Peiper's Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler and the mission entrusted to them in Wacht am Rhein, as well as Skorzeny's Kommando unit. Despite the war circumstances, both those units still had high esprit de corps and morale.

You will find some passages in texts today that do a little of that; The Longest Winter (Alex Kershaw) includes at least some mention of some of the troops in the Fallshirmjager unit that was held up by LT Bouck's I&R Platoon of the 394th on 16 Dec 44 at Lanzerath. Most of the impression is from the American side, but there are a few Germans who related their parts of the story with candor.

Probably one of the better WW2 books I've read lately, it is the story of Bouck's platoon, but it weaves in the greater theater-wide story as backdrop. Pick it up sometime for a good read.

[Sailor Steve]

Rommel.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043461/

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Rommel.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043461/

Eh, it's okay, but nothing spectacular IMO, despite starring James Mason (who I adore).

I was disappointed at how closely it followed the book - meaning, the movie felt to me like they just filmed the book "as is," instead of taking the book's subject matter and crafting a really fine movie based on it. Since I'd already read the book the movie kind of left me flat... it seemed like just a series of vignettes dramatizing a few major moments in Rommel's life, strung together by a lot of voiceover narration representing the book's author (and a lot of the narration was taken, IIRC, almost word for word from the book).