Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
After the Soviets broke through the German defenses on the Vistula in January 1945, the first Soviet troops reached the Oder river, the last natural line of defense before Berlin, in late January 1945. By February, the bulk of the Soviet troops have arrived there. They stopped there, and did not advance beyond the Oder (with the exception of a few bridgeheads), mainly to clear their flanks in Silesia, East Prussia and Pommerania.
The Germans had basically no units in that area, and for the next two months, almost all new and repaired weapons, including tanks and planes, were sent to the Oder front, and new units were hastily sent there.
But the Wehrmacht was just too bled out after years of fighting, and the Soviets managed to easily cross the Oder during their final offensive towards Berlin mid April 1945.
In the months of February and March, German propaganda cameramen often visited the Oder to film footage for the German Newsweek.
The following video contains unpublished German propaganda footage from the frontlines near Frankfurt, including an interview with two soldiers in a trench, an interrogation of a defected Soviet soldier, and an interview with a battalion commander about defense preparations on the Oder.
-
Subtitles made by me.
After the Soviets broke through the German defenses on the Vistula in January 1945, the first Soviet troops reached the Oder river, the last natural line of defense before Berlin, in late January 1945. By February, the bulk of the Soviet troops have arrived there. They stopped there, and did not advance beyond the Oder (with the exception of a few bridgeheads), mainly to clear their flanks in Silesia, East Prussia and Pommerania.
The Germans had basically no units in that area, and for the next two months, almost all new and repaired weapons, including tanks and planes, were sent to the Oder front, and new units were hastily sent there.
But the Wehrmacht was just too bled out after years of fighting, and the Soviets managed to easily cross the Oder during their final offensive towards Berlin mid April 1945.
In the months of February and March, German propaganda cameramen often visited the Oder to film footage for the German Newsweek.
The following video contains unpublished German propaganda footage from the frontlines near Frankfurt, including an interview with two soldiers in a trench, an interrogation of a defected Soviet soldier, and an interview with a battalion commander about defense preparations on the Oder.
-
Subtitles made by me.
![German Newsweek No. 684- 13 October 1943 [Full HD] (German Withdrawals, Navy Patrols)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vwesenuTWKw/mqdefault.jpg "German Newsweek No. 684- 13 October 1943 [Full HD] (German Withdrawals, Navy Patrols)
The German Newsweek (Die Deutsche Wochenschau) was the unified newsreel of Germany from 1940-1945. The concept of a weekly newsreel was much older, dating back to WWI, and in the 1930s, there were several different weekly newsreels in Germany.
With the outbreak of WWII, these were unified and from June 1940 onwards shown under the title of The German Newsweek.
It was one of the most important aspects of German wartime propaganda. These Newsreels were made to show the war in a favorable way for the Germans, even when the tide of the was clearly turned against German after 1943. Even in 1945, they still tried to generate a feeling of resistance and told the people that Germany is able to continue its defense.
They also often contain other elements of Nazi propaganda, such a antisemitic footage, or footage describing the alleged misery or bad conditions among the Allied nations or the Soviet Union, and the superiority of Germany in fields of arts, social programs and living conditions.
Each week, over 2000 copies were sent to theaters and movie houses throughout Germany and shown to the general public, as well as frontline soldiers, RAD-workers etc.
The showing was mandatory before films, and later, a regulation was added that people were not allowed to enter the cinema after the Wochenschau started, forcing people to sit through it if they wanted to watch a film.
285 wartime issues were produced, from September 1939 (No. 470) to March 1945 (No. 755).
This is issue No. 684, released in mid-October 1943.
Its a rather interesting issue that mainly talks about German withdrawals on the Eastern Front, such as the retreat beyond the Dniepr River, or the withdrawal from the Kuban bridgehead.
Of course, the Propaganda puts the focus on the orderly retreat where the German soldiers take everything with them and employ a scorched earth tactic, destroying buildings, railroads, infrastructure etc.
However, all this propaganda can not mask the reality of massive retreats on the Eastern Front.
Other topics include a gliding flight world record attempt, newly recruited Dutch Waffen-SS volunteers, a parade in Estonia regarding the 2nd anniversary of the German occupation, and a scene of a German destroyer group sailing for a raid in the Atlantic.
-
Subtitles made by me.")
![German Newsweek No. 511- 20 June 1940 [Full HD] (Invasion of France, Capture of Paris)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wT53EPQSUfU/mqdefault.jpg "German Newsweek No. 511- 20 June 1940 [Full HD] (Invasion of France, Capture of Paris)
The German Newsweek (Die Deutsche Wochenschau) was the unified newsreel of Germany from 1940-1945. The concept of a weekly newsreel was much older, dating back to WWI, and in the 1930s, there were several different weekly newsreels in Germany.
With the outbreak of WWII, these were unified and from June 1940 onwards shown under the title of The German Newsweek.
It was one of the most important aspects of German wartime propaganda. These Newsreels were made to show the war in a favorable way for the Germans, even when the tide of the was clearly turned against German after 1943. Even in 1945, they still tried to generate a feeling of resistance and told the people that Germany is able to continue its defense.
They also often contain other elements of Nazi propaganda, such a antisemitic footage, or footage describing the alleged misery or bad conditions among the Allied nations or the Soviet Union, and the superiority of Germany in fields of arts, social programs and living conditions.
Each week, over 2000 copies were sent to theaters and movie houses throughout Germany and shown to the general public, as well as frontline soldiers, RAD-workers etc.
The showing was mandatory before films, and later, a regulation was added that people were not allowed to enter the cinema after the Wochenschau started, forcing people to sit through it if they wanted to watch a film.
This is issue No. 511 from June 20th, 1940.
It shows various scene about the German advance into France, starting with aerial bombings of French towns.
Then, the advance of German troops on the northern part, against Rouen and Le Havre is shown, followed by the advance of the center against the Aisne; the capture of Versailles and finally the capture of Paris, including a parade of German troops through the city.
-
Subtitle made by me.")
![German Newsweek No. 627- 9 Sep. 1942 [Full HD] (Afrikakorps, Stalingrad, Caucasus, Mt. Elbrus)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wZ1bwWR4s0I/mqdefault.jpg "German Newsweek No. 627- 9 Sep. 1942 [Full HD] (Afrikakorps, Stalingrad, Caucasus, Mt. Elbrus)
The German Newsweek (Die Deutsche Wochenschau) was the unified newsreel of Germany from 1940-1945. The concept of a weekly newsreel was much older, dating back to WWI, and in the 1930s, there were several different weekly newsreels in Germany.
With the outbreak of WWII, these were unified and from June 1940 onwards shown under the title of The German Newsweek.
It was one of the most important aspects of German wartime propaganda. These Newsreels were made to show the war in a favorable way for the Germans, even when the tide of the was clearly turned against German after 1943. Even in 1945, they still tried to generate a feeling of resistance and told the people that Germany is able to continue its defense.
They also often contain other elements of Nazi propaganda, such a antisemitic footage, or footage describing the alleged misery or bad conditions among the Allied nations or the Soviet Union, and the superiority of Germany in fields of arts, social programs and living conditions.
Each week, over 2000 copies were sent to theaters and movie houses throughout Germany and shown to the general public, as well as frontline soldiers, RAD-workers etc.
The showing was mandatory before films, and later, a regulation was added that people were not allowed to enter the cinema after the Wochenschau started, forcing people to sit through it if they wanted to watch a film.
285 wartime issues were produced, from September 1939 (No. 470) to March 1945 (No. 755).
This is issue No. 627, released in early September 1942, on the height of Nazi territorial conquest.
The first scene shows the funeral of István Horthy (1904-1942), the son of Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy.
This is followed by Scenes from the Afrikakorps, including new German and Italian units arriving in Africa, tank units moving forward and the occupation of the Siwa Oasis.
The following scenes are all from the Eastern Front, showing defensive fighting at the central sector, the German advance towards the Don and Wolga River, including the advance and attack on Stalingrad, and German advances into the Caucasus region.
The last scene displays German mountain troops climbing Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in the Caucasus mountain rainge.
-
Subtitles made by me.")
![“Me 163 B”- Instructional Film about the Me 163 Rocket Interceptor [Full HD]- ca. late 1944](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xHlUlZw8P48/mqdefault.jpg "“Me 163 B”- Instructional Film about the Me 163 Rocket Interceptor [Full HD]- ca. late 1944
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was a rocket-powered interceptor developed by Messerschmitt during the latter stages of the Second World War. Powered by the Walter HWK 109-509 liquid-propellant rocket engine, it became the worlds first operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft and the first aircraft to exceed 1,000 km/h (621 mph) in level flight.
Unlike a conventional jet aircraft, the Me 163 carried both its fuel and oxidizer on board, giving it an extraordinary rate of climb and acceleration that no Allied fighter of the time could match. However, this performance came at a cost: powered flight lasted only around seven to eight minutes, usually allowing for only one or two attack passes before the aircraft had to glide back to base.
The Me 163 entered combat with Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400) in July 1944. Although it succeeded in shooting down approximately 19 Allied aircraft, its operational impact remained limited due to its short endurance, extremely high attack speeds, complex ground support requirements, and the hazardous nature of its hypergolic propellants, C-Stoff and T-Stoff, which caused numerous fatal accidents during fueling and after crash landings.
Despite its limited influence on the course of the war, the Me 163 represented a remarkable technological achievement. Its rocket propulsion system, turbopump-fed engine, and high-speed aerodynamic design contributed valuable knowledge to post-war aviation and rocket research.
The following film is a technical and instructional training film produced by the Luftwaffe in late 1944.
Intended for pilots and ground personnel, it explains the aircrafts design, operation, maintenance, fueling procedures, and tactical employment. While the film inevitably reflects the wartime perspective and propaganda of its producers, it also provides a rare and detailed insight into the operation of one of the most extraordinary aircraft of the Second World War.
-
Subtitles made by me.")
![German Newsweek No. 549- 12 March 1941 [Full HD] (Fw 200 Maritime Bombers, Afrikakorps)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ySsCjg0qc2A/mqdefault.jpg "German Newsweek No. 549- 12 March 1941 [Full HD] (Fw 200 Maritime Bombers, Afrikakorps)
The German Newsweek (Die Deutsche Wochenschau) was the unified newsreel of Germany from 1940-1945. The concept of a weekly newsreel was much older, dating back to WWI, and in the 1930s, there were several different weekly newsreels in Germany.
With the outbreak of WWII, these were unified and from June 1940 onwards shown under the title of The German Newsweek.
It was one of the most important aspects of German wartime propaganda. These Newsreels were made to show the war in a favorable way for the Germans, even when the tide of the was clearly turned against German after 1943. Even in 1945, they still tried to generate a feeling of resistance and told the people that Germany is able to continue its defense.
They also often contain other elements of Nazi propaganda, such a antisemitic footage, or footage describing the alleged misery or bad conditions among the Allied nations or the Soviet Union, and the superiority of Germany in fields of arts, social programs and living conditions.
Each week, over 2000 copies were sent to theaters and movie houses throughout Germany and shown to the general public, as well as frontline soldiers, RAD-workers etc.
The showing was mandatory before films, and later, a regulation was added that people were not allowed to enter the cinema after the Wochenschau started, forcing people to sit through it if they wanted to watch a film.
285 wartime issues were produced, from September 1939 (No. 470) to March 1945 (No. 755).
This is issue No. 549, released on March 12th, 1941.
It starts with a short segment about Japanese troops in China, followed by footage from a large fire in Santandar, Spain. The next segment is about ice blasting on the Vistula and Danube rivers, and some footage of flooding on the Danube. This is followed by various other civilian news, including footage from the naturalization of ethnic Germans from Romania, the opening of a trade fair in Leipzig and Winter Games of the Hitler Youth in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The issue also shows footage of German army and air force units moving into Bulgaria, German troops of the Afrikakorps being transported across the Mediterranean into Africa, and footage of a German long-range Fw-200 bomber attacking British convoys off the coast of Scotland.
-
Subtitles made by me.")
