© University of Reading 2006 www.reading.ac.uk10 May 2012

Hunde, wollt ihr ewigleben

Icon: Stalingrad

Richard McKenzie

Stalingrad

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Stalingrad

Background – Stalingrad

• Battle Sept 1942-Jan 1943

• Strategically and politically important city– Name

– Industry

– Controlled Volga

• Paulus’ 6th Army, comprising German, Rumanian, Spanish and Italian troops

• Germans occupied 90% of city, and then trapped in a pincer movement

• Street fighting in civilians remain in city

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http://www.historyofwar.org/Maps/maps_stalingrad10.html

Background – Stalingrad

• 1,000,000 deaths

• 146,000 German

soldiers killed

• 91,000 German POWs

• Approx 6,000 POWs

returned to Germany

• Last POWs returned in

1955

• First battle lost by

Reich

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Background – Stalingrad

• British Pathe

– http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=12121 accessed

21/2/11

• Times Archive

– http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/Stalingrad_/

accessed 21/2/11

• National Archives – Map of war in East

– http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/worldwar2/theat

res-of-war/eastern-europe/1939/ accessed 21/2/11

• Wochenschau archiv

– http://www.wochenschau-archiv.de/ log in and search under

Stalingrad

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Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben

• 1959

• West German

• Frank Wisbar (1899 -

1967)

• “Stalingrad Generation”

• “Clean Wehrmacht”

• Abgrenzung from

E Germany

• Discussion of

rearmament

• Part of cinema of

amnesia6

1950’s W Germany

• Wirtschaftswunder

• Bundeswehr and

Rearmement

– Films for

– Films against

• Division

• W Germany on frontline

of Cold War

• Return of last POWs

19557

Sohttp://www.ena.lu/urce

Beuth, "McCloy: Keine Wehrmacht, aber Selbstverteidigung", dans

Hamburger Abendblatt. 24.07.1950, No 170; 3. Jg, pp. 2.

Copyright

© Hamburger Abendblatt

“Stalingrad Generation”

• “die Bösen Nazis und

ihre guten Soldaten” (Baier, 1980, 39)

• Brave men at the front,

cultured, ordinary,

betrayed and

destroyed by Nazis

• Wasted lives

• Men coming to terms

with defeat

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“Clean” Wehrmacht

• Wisse has friendship

with Katja

• Fight bravely and

honestly

• Not involved in

Holocaust & war

crimes

• It is the Nazis and

High Command that

is responsible

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Abgrenzung

• Kriegspfarrer Busch

• Establishes FRG as

“Christian” country in

opposition to GDR

• Establishes church

as part of resistance

• Church stands with

suffering Germans

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Rearmament Debate

• 1956 formation of

Bundeswehr

• Marching

Wehrmacht begins

and ends film

• But disarmed

Germany is

defenceless

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Elements Summed up

• These elements summed up in last scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd2WrmHlOaA

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Victims

• Who are identified as the victims in the film?

• Does the Holocaust fit in with this discourse?

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Conclusion

• Film part of rearmament debate

• Represents experience of “Stalingrad generation”

• Perpetuates myth of “clean” Wehrmacht

• FRG a “Christian” country, GDR a “godless”

Communist country

• Fears the effects of rearmament

• NS victims identified as German soldier

• Does not address Holocaust

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