Sieg im Westen
Encyclopedia
Sieg im Westen is a 1941 German
propaganda film
.
It was produced by the Oberkommando des Heeres
, the German Army High Command, rather than the Propaganda Ministry
of Joseph Goebbels
.Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p281 ISBN 399-11845-4 Goebbels indeed sabotaged its release in minor ways, delaying its premiere and telling propagandists not to promote it.
The prologue consists of the Nazi version of European history and the origins of World War II, and the rest deals with the Blitzkrieg
in Western Europe
of May and June 1940. The movie was made largely from newsreel footage recut into a documentary. The programme provided states that it is to show the audacity of the German offensive and the superiority of German arms, required because they will not be permitted to live in peace. It did not give Hitler or the Nazi party a central role, thus ensuring its disfavor with Goebbels.Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p282 ISBN 399-11845-4
The Nazi journal "Der deutsche Film" called Sieg im Westen "the greatest of all German newsreels." Unlike many other German propaganda films, Sieg im Westen does not belittle the enemy, instead admitting that the French soldiers fought gallantly.
The war is presented "from above"; the battles are depicted as smooth forward advances on the map, with results from reports at the front. The "encirclement" of Germany is depicted by showing prisoners of war from far-off countries.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
propaganda film
Propaganda film
The term propaganda can be defined as the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures.” However, in the 20th century, a “new” propaganda emerged, which revolved around political organizations and their need to communicate messages that...
.
It was produced by the Oberkommando des Heeres
Oberkommando des Heeres
The Oberkommando des Heeres was Nazi Germany's High Command of the Army from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht commanded OKH only in theory...
, the German Army High Command, rather than the Propaganda Ministry
Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was Nazi Germany's ministry that enforced Nazi Party ideology in Germany and regulated its culture and society. Founded on March 13, 1933, by Adolf Hitler's new National Socialist government, the Ministry was headed by Dr...
of Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
.Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p281 ISBN 399-11845-4 Goebbels indeed sabotaged its release in minor ways, delaying its premiere and telling propagandists not to promote it.
The prologue consists of the Nazi version of European history and the origins of World War II, and the rest deals with the Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
of May and June 1940. The movie was made largely from newsreel footage recut into a documentary. The programme provided states that it is to show the audacity of the German offensive and the superiority of German arms, required because they will not be permitted to live in peace. It did not give Hitler or the Nazi party a central role, thus ensuring its disfavor with Goebbels.Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p282 ISBN 399-11845-4
The Nazi journal "Der deutsche Film" called Sieg im Westen "the greatest of all German newsreels." Unlike many other German propaganda films, Sieg im Westen does not belittle the enemy, instead admitting that the French soldiers fought gallantly.
The war is presented "from above"; the battles are depicted as smooth forward advances on the map, with results from reports at the front. The "encirclement" of Germany is depicted by showing prisoners of war from far-off countries.
External links
- Information at International Historic Films
- Picture of a program