German Army Groups: The Wehrmacht in Russia

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1 General Information
2 Cover
3 Information
4 Screenshots
5 Technical Specs
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[edit] General Information

War Documentary hosted by Graham McTavish, published by Discovery Channel broadcasted as part of DC Weapons of War series in 1999 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

"The most appalling and barbaric struggle in history." -- Professor John Erickson On June 22nd 1941 three huge German Army Groups launched a surprise attack on Soviet Russia. The most barbaric, drawn-out and brutal struggle in history was about to be played out to the death. This military documentary looks at the savage fighting on the Eastern Front during the Second World War, as Nazi Germany confronted the Soviet Union. History is always written by the victors, but this documentary focuses on the other side of the coin. This series shows the war in Russia from the German experience, a powerful study of that titanic conflict as seen through contemporary German newsreels and told in the perspective of the men who fought and died for Hitler. Each episode traces the fate of the three army troops which began the campaign and follows the course of this vicious campaign as the optimism of Barbarossa inexorably rolls on towards to the crushing disappointment of the final surrender to the victorious Red Army. Includes expert analysis from Professor John Erickson, rare archive footage, and informative graphics. A Cromwell Production

[edit] Army Group North

"The Forgotten Soldiers of the Russian Campaign." This is how the soldiers in Army Group North described their war in Russia. June 1941 saw Hitler launch his audacious bid to conquer Russia and his attempt to succeed where Napoleon had failed. Army Group North swept through the Russian defences and closed in on the iconic city of Leningrad in less then two months. So began the now infamous siege that would cost the lives of soldiers and civilians alike, and coin the phrase "the eternal war of the poor man".
Away from Leningrad a titanic struggle ensued all along the front line, including operations in and around the Baltic Sea, Norway and Finland. While huge battles took place at Stalingrad, Kursk and Moscow, Army Group North maintained a prolonged siege at Leningrad. Suddenly in 1944 the front exploded to life, and a desperate struggle for life and death began, during when Army Group North began the dangerous retreat back to the border of the Reich.

[edit] Army Group Centre

Between 1941 and 1944, a huge duel was fought between the Army Group Centre and the Red Army. Army Group Centre was at the core of Hitler's push through Russia, charged with the capture of Moscow by way of Minsk. The outcome of this would prove decisive for the development of World War II. From the easy victories during the first advance into Russia, to the first setback outside Moscow, and on to the terrifying Russian advance in 1944.
The most formidable concentration of force on the eastern front, Army Group Centre was the dagger-thrust at the heart of the soviet state; it's success would be inextricably linked to the outcome of the whole campaign. Indecision, the unforgiving Russian winter and the defences around Moscow would force the retreat and ultimately the defeat of Army Group Centre. The Battle of Kursk signalled the beginning of the end for the Third Reich. This is the captivating story of the war in the middle sector of the Eastern Front.

[edit] Army Group South

Many of the decisive battles of World War II were fought in the sector where Army Group South had been tasked to operate. The conquest of Crimea, the catastrophic battle of Stalingrad, the counterstrike and clearing at Kharkov and the failed Operation Citadel are just some of the huge battles fought in this captivating look of the soldiers who served in the southern part of the gigantic advance into Russia.
The relentless battle between Hitler and Stalin that stretched along the Eastern Front reached a peak of intensity and decisiveness in the area of Army Group South. It was this sector that bore witness to the siege of Sevastopol, the horrors of Stalingrad and the fury of Operation Citadel. There are few superlatives to describe the conditions and experiences of the more than 3 million men originally tasked with the strategic capture of the oilfields in the Caucasus. Few could have foreseen the demolition of such a vast force, nor the brutality in which the battles were to be fought.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4
Video Bitrate: 1 995 Kbps
Video Resolution: 720x552
Display Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 48 min
Number Of Parts: 3
Part Size: 767 MB
Source: DVD
Encoded by: DocFreak08