Third Reich Film Archive

WHEN THE EMPIRE FALLED UP

DVD

2004

186 mins

Language: German

FSK 16

"Dresden - from its prosperity to its destruction in 1945"
In rare footage from the 1930s, this film shows the bloom and splendor of the Saxon residence - affectionately known as "Florence on the Elbe" - right up to its destruction by the Allied bomber attack that destroyed the city, which was overcrowded with refugees, on January 13th. February 1945 reduced to rubble and ashes. About 200,000 people died in the firestorm. The culturally and historically valuable city center was buried under 18 million cubic meters of rubble. Contemporary witnesses report how they experienced and survived the bombings in Dresden.
approx. 50 minutes

"Triumph and Tragedy of Wilhelm Gustloff"
The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff on January 30th January 1945 was the largest shipping disaster in human history: 9,343 people lost their lives. Survivors and rescuers describe their harrowing experiences on the night of the sinking on the Baltic Sea in front of the camera. But the years before the tragedy, when the Wilhelm Gustloff sailed as a "strength through joy" ship to Madeira, Norway, Italy and even as far as Tripoli, are also depicted with many fascinating and, in some cases, never-before-seen film footage.
approx. 80 minutes

"Nemmersdorf 1944 - The truth about a Soviet war crime"
One of the typical East Prussian country roads leads to the small, dreamy village of Majakovskoje. Around 60 years ago, this place was the scene of one of the most horrific war crimes against the German civilian population of the time. Behind Mayakovskoje lies the East Prussian town of Nemmersdorf, which became a symbol of the Red Army's war atrocities: the scene of a crime that cost the lives of numerous women, children and old people. What really happened in Nemmersdorf in those October days of 1944?
approx. 56 minutes 

Bonus:

Promotional trailer

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